GMDXv9.0 Release

[Cybernetic pig]

Bird, if you're reading this, it's time testing begun.

Either way you'll trigger combat, and now it's more about picking your battles rather than straight out avoiding them.

Spy Drone = Stealth Build.
ADS = Combat Build.

Both can be useful no matter the build type, but they certainly lean one way or the other.
Also we want less psychic enemies going into combat and immediately closing in on you if they don't know your location...if we can help it.
Spy Drone is OP but it does rinse your bioenergy. ADS is OP but you need good reflexes or don't mind leaving on throughout combat and letting it drain your bioenergy. They're more balanced than modern game x with infinite regenerating superpowers, at least.

To be honest, I prefer passive augs where I don't have to manage additional buttons

A mix of active, passive and automatic is optimal, based on context. Some augs are best served as active, others passive. v9.0 should be as good as it gets.

[Made in China]

I don't know, saying something is OP but fits a certain playstyle doesn't really solve the problem of reward vs. consequence. I don't think making the NPCs have all seeing eyes once you use the spy drone is good, either - but pushing into searching or alert mode is good. That means that if you use the spy drone with a clear line of sight between you and enemies close to the target, you will initiate combat as you've used it carelessly. It also gives further incentive to upgrade the drone - with more range, you have more possibilities of taking down targets from a safe range or from cover - pushing towards a more balanced stealth build.

Also, consistency - if an EMP grenade goes off near enemies, they'll be alert. Why is the spy drone exempt from that logic?

[Cybernetic pig]

I was highlighting the playstyle correlation because making enemies immediately aggro would make the drone more of a combat tool. A tool that instantly aggros enemies is inherently anti-stealth, no?

As for the Drone exploding alerting AI, it should. Going to check over the code now and make adjustments where necessary.

[Shadowdancerxxl]

A mix of active, passive and automatic is optimal, based on context. Some augs are best served as active, others passive. v9.0 should be as good as it gets.

Yeah, not all of them should be or could be active. Like the Cloak, spydrone and so on. I also heard that in v9 more augs are going to be passive so that should do the trick. Ideally the game should give me an option to have passive augs only, even if they are less powerful, than active one. Although, that might go against the core design of Deus Ex so I'll roll with you

As for the Drone exploding alerting AI, it should. Going to check over the code now and make adjustments where necessary.

Yeah, the npcs do go into a search mode if you detonate spydrones near them. Don't know about stealth build vs combat build. Doesn't matter what build I make I always go for the spydrone, because it's ridiculously powerful vs bots so I pretty much never carry around explosives and/or emp grenades, because they feel inferior vs this aug. Personally I'd prefer the spydrone not having the option to detonate at all, but rather stay invisible and be able to access computer terminals and push buttons. Maybe even disable electric panels. After all, they are called "Spy drones" so I'd rather imagine them being an infiltrator, than a suicide bomber. Probably I'm alone with this so that's why I instead suggested it using some extra energy if the drone is being constructed, because currently even with the limited energy available I can still create a gazillion of them.

[Made in China]

I remember using it in the Ocean Lab and it was never acknowledged by the organics. Maybe it's because they were too far away - but I remember them being quite close to the destroyed mech. Maybe they were too far away from the EMP blast itself, but I still think that if they see a mech on their side getting damaged they should be triggered (as Shadowdancerxxl suggested).

[SlySpy]

I apologize if this has already been addressed, but speaking of Spy Drones, on a more cosmetic note, would you be okay with lowering the size of the spy drone's model? I always thought it was kind of ridiculous how big this drone was if lore states that it was built from nanites. I don't think it has to be the size of an actual nanite; just small enough to look like it holds an emp device inside it, for the sake of lore consistency. I don't believe that it's hard to decrease the size of models, from what I remember of dx modding.

[Shadowdancerxxl]

I apologize if this has already been addressed, but speaking of Spy Drones, on a more cosmetic note, would you be okay with lowering the size of the spy drone's model? I always thought it was kind of ridiculous how big this drone was if lore states that it was built from nanites. I don't think it has to be the size of an actual nanite; just small enough to look like it holds an emp device inside it, for the sake of lore consistency. I don't believe that it's hard to decrease the size of models, from what I remember of dx modding.

Seconded. Although I'd prefer the 2027 approach where the drone is an actual bot which you can store in your inventory plus you need to carry around a remote controller in order to use them. Currently it really feels like JC is a walking universal constructor. Might as well create ambrosia instead of a spy drone : DD Although, then the spy drone wouldn't be an aug at all, but an item. Personally I'd love that alongside with a remote controlled spider bot, but maybe that would be way too 2027-ish is and maybe I'm the only who'd like it xd

[Cybernetic pig]

Both Karkians and Greasels do not react to sound disturbances. It's a double-edged sword as while they don't react to sound events around them (including footsteps right behind them) it also makes them unable to be manipulated by tossing items to distract them etc, the only exception being corpses which they will feed on.

Spy drone size has been reduced by 25%. I don't intend to do any more than that except maybe a 5-10% increase in energy drain rate or small detonation cost. Bioenergy management/limitations should counteract the OP-ness as augs are meant to be slightly OP. An exception being regeneration which was bloody ridiculous vanilla, of course.

[Cybernetic pig]

The mod is ready for testing. All languages translated. Just waiting on Bird to finish the installer although he's been absent for 10 days or so now. Not good considering he was 95% done with it. I'll wait a little longer and use this time to over the game with a fine-tooth comb and see if there's anything worthwhile I can do for it. Maybe also some code refactoring.

[Made in China]

Random idea, although at this point it's probably too late - smell. Aside from taste, it's the only sense the NPCs lack.
Make JC have a slightly bigger detection radius after swimming in the sewers' dirty waters, or breaking a certain amount of trash (cans and bags). The detection radius will be reduced to normal after showering, or swimming in clean water.

EDIT: Even better idea - hygiene meter visible on the health screen.
For each map, have a different "normal" hygiene level - if it's full of homeless people, such as Battery Park, it'll be near 0. If it's a fancy place, like the VersaLife labs, it'll be higher. The more you stray away from it, the more you stick out. Hygiene can be affected positively by showering, swimming in clean water, peeing and using medpacks. It can be affected negatively by interacting with garbage, rats, long-dead corpses, swimming in contaminated water, going through the sewers, and coming in contact with radioactive material or poison gas.

[Cybernetic pig]

Heh heh. Need a tramp/sewer rat mode add-on. Ideally it'd have NPC vocal reactions to a smelly player, considering this is Deus Ex. Not only for realism/NPC depth sake but also to communicate and confirm to the player what kind of reaction is happening at any given time.

If we had the original voice actors it would definitely be something worth looking into.

[Bogie]

Although no lines were recorded, I'm pretty sure it was considered at one point (SmellClass).

[RoSoDude]

Hope Bird shows up again soon. I'm sure everyone's itching to get their hands on it.

Are there any changes in v9.0 to the hunger system? I don't remember any comments about it.

[Cybernetic pig]

Yes. It's exclusive to hardcore mode and also ever so slightly refined. Now if there's something even slightly "hardcore" or pushes the player to a notable extent beyond vanilla it's bunged in hardcore or scales based on difficulty level. Heck, now even some explosive barrels appear or don't appear based on difficulty. Previous versions removed a few as there was far too many in specific places that were free door openers or easy kills, and v9.0 restores them on lower difficulty modes.

As for Bird, I'm a bit concerned about his well-being. He's simply not online, and hasn't been for a little while. He's been a fan since v6.0 or so and was 95% done with the installer so I doubt he got cold feet. I'm prepared to wait a little while longer rather than seeking an installer elsewhere as we had everything nailed down and he understood exactly what GMDX needed. I do also have an older version of it, but no source, yet maybe its code can be extracted and salvaged if need be.

[Cybernetic pig]

How are people's framerates with GMDX? Much of everything is more complex, so I need to be careful.