More Articles on Deus Ex: The Invisible War
Harvey Smith Exits Ion StormExclusive - Deus Ex: Invisible War Dev Diary#5Deus Ex: Invisible WarExclusive - Deus Ex: Invisible War - Dev Diary#4Deus Ex: Invisible War - Dev Diary#3Latest Features
Exclusive: Dawn of War 2: Eldar RevealedUK Exclusive: Lineage II Chaotic Throne Gracia FictionUK Exclusive: Dawn Of War II Q&A - Part 2The Bourne Conspiracy Dev Diary 4UK Exclusive: Dawn Of War II Q&AUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for Deus Ex: The Invisible WarWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
Deus Ex: Invisible War - Exclusive Interview Feature
Derek dela Fuente
13/11/2003
We chat to the guys from Ion Storm
We have been keeping close tabs on this extraordinary game and development team. Although the release date has been shifted a few times this is already being billed as one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the year. OK, it was expected in 2003 but 2004 will be fine if this lives up to all expectations.
We spoke with Harvey Smith, the Project Director, in a question and answer session, where he who was ably assisted by other members in the Ion Storm team.
Deus Ex 2: Invisible War is the follow up to the multi-award winning first-person immersive simulation Deus Ex.
Deus Ex 2 takes place approximately 20 years after the events depicted in Deus Ex, in a world only beginning to recover from a secret, conspiratorial war, technology run amok and catastrophic worldwide depression. Several religious and political factions see in the chaos the opportunity to shape a worldwide government and they know that the right moves now could determine the shape of human society for decades â“ even centuries â“ to come. The player must reveal the secrets of each faction and the identities of the true players in this struggle for world power. In the end, the player discovers that he or she may be the key to all of the factions' plans. But the greatest mystery of all â“ the game's true goal â“ is more personal, much deeper and, for maximum impact, is best revealed during play. The story is an important part of any Deus Ex-universe game but character development, simulation and gameplay are, taken together, the real heart of the matter.
Like its predecessor, Deus Ex 2 allows players to participate in the telling of a powerful story, rich in mystery, lies and intrigue. In addition to a host of new conspiratorial friends and foes, players can expect encounters with a variety of characters from the original Deus Ex game. And, once again, players visit a variety of real world locations made more exotic by the passage of time. The game is innovative, thought provoking, deep and certainly different from most other games.
TVG: Harvey, what games have the team created?
The team consists of about 30 people, who have worked on a wide range of games: Deus Ex, Ultima 7 (Serpent Isle), FireTeam, System Shock (1 & 2), Thief (1 & 2), Terra Nova, Splinter Cell, Brute Force, Conquest, Freelancer, Ultima Online. Overall, this team is full of people who love deep games that try to realistically portray an immersive environment with lots of interactivity, a great story and significant exploration value.
TVG: Warren Spector has been credited as a visionary. Can you tell us why he is so well respected?
Warren has a reputation for being associated with games that appeal to players interested in depth of gameplay and story. Because this complicates development (adding complexity, cost, time, etc.) most companies stick to sanity and stay away from this. Warren is one of those developers who embrace it. Origin, Looking Glass and Ion Storm are all companies that have championed depth of gameplay, story and 'game design' as an art form.
TVG: Deus Ex2: Invisible War is being acclaimed as a very special game. What do you feel the game offers to the genre that is innovative? What is different about your approach to creating game concepts and utilizing technology? In effect, what gives you an edge?
We feel that our philosophy of empowering the player with multiple paths and multiple solutions to problems sets us apart from most other games. The ability of our player tools and our gameworld to interact in interesting ways lets players develop their own strategies and play style, and that is an important part of our being both an
immersive simulation and an RPG - Chris Carollo (Lead Programmer).
TVG: Harvey as a sequel would you say it is harder this time around, what kind of continuation is there from the first title and are you adding things that could not easily be designed or implemented first time?
As you know we're continuing the story, the game picks up 20 years after Deus Ex. In the first game, JC Denton went into Area 51, and had the option of merging with an AI (becoming a benevolent world saviour), joining the Illuminati or plunging the world into a new Dark Age. Invisible War picks up from there. We want to make the sequel true to the original, a Deus Ex game, which means a combination of action, RPG and stealth, with multiple solutions to all problems. However, we're also adding an AI system based on the Thief games (and System Shock 2), made by some of the same programmers and designers; the option of playing a male or female player-character; Havok physics; volumetric lighting and normal maps; advanced sound propagation that helps with stealth play; more active gameplay tools; and better accessibility.
TVG: Could you give the readers a basic introduction to the story, and more importantly, are you looking for a high value cinematic feel?
This game takes place a couple of decades after the end of the first, with the world is re-emerging from a technological apocalypse. Alex D (the player-character) is a tough young antiterrorist operative, in special training at Tarsus Academy. He (or she) is trying to make a life in the new society, putting his special skills to the test, and
investigating his origins.
We aren't trying to make a movie-like game, since we highly prize interactivity and immersion, but we are putting together a complex and involved storyline with believable characters that we hope players will become heavily invested in - Sarah Paetsch (writer).
TVG: You have spoken about there not being a linear plot, so firstly how intuitive is game play and how different is the plot line in both eventualities and the way you can play the game?
We give players the choice of genders as yet another axis of player expression and to deepen immersion in the game-world. The play through path will be the same for both genders, but certain NPCs will respond differently to your gender - Sarah Paetsch (writer).
TVG: How would you say the game is broken up in terms of action, stealth, RPG, strategy? When you design a game do you try to throw all these components in and how do you ensure the story and action do not appear too contrived?
This depends on the player's approach. The player is free to ignore stealth, if he (or she) wants. Or, the player can choose a bunch of character powers, weapons, weapon mods and paths through the game that support stealth. We've really always had to work very hard-there are many complex features making up Invisible War. (In other words, it is a stealth game, plus an action game, plus a story game.) Hybrids are difficult to finish, polish and balance.
The game can be approached as an action or stealth mission game. However, it's also partially an RPG. So the plot is important. The story and missions that make up Invisible War take the player from Seattle to Cairo to Germany to Antarctica to another (secret) location. Many of the characters from the first game have grown older (and have changed in interesting ways). In the Deus Ex universe, most characters represent some political agenda. Some reward violence while others prefer the player to try to resolve conflict with stealth or negotiation. One of my favourite moments in Deus Ex involved Paul Denton yelling, "You jackass, those were people!" We want the characters to have strong viewpoints.
TVG: The game's AI is central in how the game works, so could you give the readers an example of how good (or sophisticated) the AI is in terms of an event/character in the game?
An interesting thing about the Deus Ex universe is the wide range of character groups, or factions, that you interact with over the course of the game. We have built a sophisticated disposition management system, whereby the player's actions directly affect his or her relationships with these different groups of characters. There are several opportunities in the game for the player to have a non-player character fight alongside him or her. In the Cairo mission, Klara Sparks (another nanotech-modified antiterrorist agent) may be recruited to temporarily ally herself with you, and fight other characters that are hostile towards you. Conversely, if you attack Klara, she will eventually turn against you, but not before several warnings. Your relationship with this character causes her to assume that your first several attacks were unintentional. In a more global sense, our game's AI affects its behaviour based on the combination of the player's actions and its attitude towards the player - David Kalina (AI Programmer).
TVG: Is there a core audience you are aiming this towards or do you feel it is the kind of game that will pull in many fans who may not usually go for this kind of title?
Both. We're aiming the game at immersive sim players who love games like Deus Ex, Thief and System Shock. However, we're also making the game for the XBox and PC simultaneously, and we're trying to create an elegant interface that will allow any first time player to pick up and enjoy the game.
