Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The first panel which was something of a disappointment. There’s a tendency for industry panels to turn into a reinstatement of the accepted wisdom (Or, at least, the accepted forward-looking wisdom). Even as someone not actually in development, there was little about the writing process which was new to me. That said, one of the panelists – James Swallow – is a writer on Deus Ex 3, and let out a few minor details on the process, which are worth reiterating.
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Larrington mailed us to mention there’s some new possibly-real-possibly-not environment shots for Deus Ex 3 online over at the Eidos Forums. There’s not much more to say other than that. Er… the second one looks a lot like the concept art?

There’s some new possibly-real-posibly-not environment shots for Deus 3 online over at the Eidos Forums. Er… yes.

Well, everyone else is doing it, we probably should too.

The forthcoming issue of videogame bible Edge has a large feature on Eidos Montreal’s development of Deus Ex 3. To tease it, Edge Online runs a short story with the headline “Deus Ex was “Kinda Slow” Says Deus Ex 3 Dev” before offering a quote from Lead Designer Jean-Francois Dugas: “There weren’t enough exciting, memorable moments. It was aimed more towards a simulation rather than a game experience.”. Internet explodes.

It is only part of the story. In a literal sense.
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God bless Future Publishing’s bizarre self-cannibalisation. PC Zone might be currently carrying the world exclusive first Deus Ex 3 preview, but CVG has kindly summarised the most important bits for everyone to see. Hooway!

As widely speculated, it’s a prequel, which may mean the arguably over-exposed Denton lineage is left well alone. Or alternatively that its backstory is further filled in, as the protagonist’s forename ‘Adam’ is unlikely to have been one chosen lightly. Here’s the basic plot setup:

You’re cast as average joe Adam Jensen, who works as a private security officer at a technology lab specialising in biomechanical augmentations, a forerunner to the sort of nanotechnology shown in the original Deus Ex. One day the path of his life is unexpectedly altered as a team of black ops commandos break into his company’s HQ, and using a security plan from Jensen’s own hand, a mass slaughter ensues and the conspiracy begins.

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There’s been some complaints that games writing is lacking hard-hitting investigative journalism. With the news that PC Zone’s forthcoming 200th issue will be the first public unveiling of Deus Ex 3, I saw the opportunity to change all that. I know where PC Zone’s London office is. I’m a skilled veteran of many immersive sims. And I have a trenchcoat and can easily buy a pair of shades.

I can break into PC Zone’s office and steal their assets!

So I gave it a shot.
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Robert Farr forwarded this to me, thinking it interesting, but not RPS worthy. He has fatally over-estimated our standards. Eidos Montreal’s Senior Character Artist gave a presentation at SIGGRAPH (No, me neither) which included two slides with Deus Ex 3 relevant details. A gun and a building. We can exclusively reveal that Deus Ex 3 will include guns and buildings. You heard it here first, unless you read it on the Eidos Forums. Then you heard it here second.

This reminds me of the time when I wrote a PC Gamer six page cover feature about Deus Ex: Invisible War, and the only game-assets we had to illustrate it was a render of a toilet.

A couple of gaming sites are posting this “new” Deus Ex artwork. Which, er, we first posted in April. Get ready – we’re going to be smug.

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Another interesting one. As well as joining the Thief 4 speculations, the French-Language site Denis-Talbot has scooped the world by showing the first Deus Ex 3 concept art. Well, strictly speaking, there was art in the teaser trailer, but this is a stand-alone image of some kind of future-lab. More analysis beneath the cut.
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A few weeks ago, when Eidos Montreal had their open-house, we wondered if any RPSites were going to get the scoop. It seems that one kinda has. Friend of RPS, Matt Kumar popped along for a good nose for official industry Cleverthinks site, Gamasutra.

“Stéphane D’Astous, General Manager of the newly-formed Eidos Montreal, is bullish about his studio’s planned development cycle. “Trying to get nine women to give birth to a baby in one month doesn’t work. Everyone has tried that in this industry, but we decided to cut the bullshit,” D’Astous declared on our in-depth tour of the new facility.”

Is there more questionable biology metaphors in the piece? You’ll have to read it to find out.

As readers of our comments threads will know, the day after we had our last – er -chat with Warren Spector, I was heading off to London to have a chat with Real Warren Spector. Luckily, he hadn’t seen our previous post. He was, however, in a fine mood. Unable to talk about what he’s acually doing for Disney, when asked about what the response will be upon its announcement he says…

“I don’t have to speculate. I know what it’s going to be. And I can’t wait. Oh my God. It’s going to be like the world came to an end. Absolutely. I’m going to be vilified. I’m going to be accused of selling out, yet again. It’s going to be glorious. Just glorious.”

He also gives his opinions on Deus Ex 3, Bioshock, audience reaction, what it’s like being a games developer in his fifties, how bloody hard it is making Immersive Sims, how he wants shorter games, Portal and how he’d like to try making an MMO. Fun stuff. Go read.