Deus Ex: Human Revolution Q&A
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The original Deus Ex pioneered many features that have since become staple in the FPS genre, such as morality, choice, RPG elements and a detailed plot. Will Human Revolution deliver the same degree of invention and innovation?
Choice and consequence is at the heart of the Deus Ex 3 experience. So, yes, we want players to make choices that will affect some outcomes (story-wise and gameplay-wise). Like the first game, our game world is designed around a multi-path, multi-solution approach so any objective can be approached in different ways. Whether you like action, stealth, hacking, or social, you can complete objectives in different ways.
Open-ended gameplay allows the player to take advantage of multipath/multi-solutions to accomplish their objectives and explore the game world for side quests, hidden treasures, etc. Some RPG dialogs will be mandatory but most will be available to players in an optional form. Obviously there are benefits from a story and gameplay standpoint to talk to other characters but it's not forced. If your play style is more centered on shooting, then so be it.
Through experience points, you can upgrade and customize Adam Jensen, and one of the ways to get experience points is through exploration. There will be areas of levels that are only accessible if you have certain augmentations and these areas will have bonus weapons, ammo, story info, etc. We also have some physics-based gameplay so you will have to manipulate objects in order to get access to different areas of a level.
Certainly there is the main critical path of the game but exploring and experimenting is a hallmark of Deus Ex so our world is being designed with this in mind to reward players who enjoy it. And for things like exploration, there are more subtle augmentation upgrades which will allow you see things and access parts of the level previously unknown...
So, yes, I think Deus Ex: Human Revolution is going to encompass the aspects that the first DX pioneered through a very strong and intriguing narrative. For us, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is not about a set of features but about an immersive experience that should feel like reading a great graphic novel.
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The original Deus Ex had a believable world thanks in part to the freedom given to the player. Could you give us an example of when a player may be faced with multiple ways to approach a situation and how the different solutions might play out?
Absolutely. At one point in the game you need to retrieve some neural chip from a dead man. The thing is, he's locked down at the nearby police station's morgue. Albeit you can enter the "public" part of the police station, accessing the morgue is forbidden. Obviously, you can decide to fight your way in, good luck! Or you might try to convince the front desk officer to let you in. If you do, no violence will be needed, you can explore the place freely. However, that might have lasting consequences on the character that let you in. So, you might meet him again later on in another context where the both of you will need to set the record straight.
If you're more of the "invisible" type of agent, you might want to explore around the building and look for some locked doors that need to be hacked to get in or you might find a roof access through the air duck system. If that's not enough, you might find some nearby sewer system that might just lead you straight to the Police station's morgue. Even though not all missions have that many options, all missions have few options and depending on how you customize your character, some options might not be possible.
