Of FMs, (SinglePlayer) Mods and the Loading thereof
by Despot
Manual Method
To manually load the game, you will need to modify the "User.ini" file in your [Deus Ex Directory]\System folder. This can be done with any text editor or word processor, but Notepad usually works best, as it is the least like to screw up the formatting when you save. Anyhow, when you have opened the file, locate the section marked [Engine.Input] and look for 'T='. After the = type 'Talk' so that your new entry looks like the following:
T=Talk
Then save the file (making sure to save in ASCII or plain-text format), and start Deus Ex. Before starting, however, make a note of the first map in the sequence of maps, as indicated in the readme. If the readme does not give a name, look for a name like "Intro" or or a map name that contains "00" or "01." It should be fairly apparent which map is comes first. Note the map name if you can remember it; write it down if you can't.
Once Deus Ex has loaded, hit the 'T' key. You should see ')> Say' at the bottom of your screen. Hit Backspace to erase the 'Say' and type "open [mapname]" minus the quotes. Note the [mapname] is entered without the .dx extension. Then press Enter to load the first map. And away you go! Off to Never-Never Land!
An alternative to this method is to add the command switch '-hax0r' to your Deus Ex shortcut and type "legend" minus the quotes at the command prompt, erasing the 'Say' as before. This will grant access to a "Behind the scenes" menu, which allows you to load a map of your choice, as well as play the music tracks and other nifty tricks. Simply select the map you wish to load from the list, and then click Load to start the game. (thanks to the peeps in #dxediting on irc.starchat.net for bringing this method to my attention)
Automated Method
The previous procedure is obviously rather irritating to perform more than a few times, so the fine fellows at Team UC have released a Mod loader (30 KB) for use in Deus Ex. It is, however, a pre-beta release, and the team which worked on it has sense become stagnant at the time of this writing (01/08/2002). In addition, it requires more initial configuration of your Deus Ex installation, and requires a special config file for each FM or Mod loaded (normally released with the FM or Mod, but not always).
It is obviously somewhat limited, but if manual installations don't sound good, it's a viable alternative. Download it and try it out, if you so desire. It comes with a detailed readme which I will not reproduce here.
Wrapup
Right, that is all, really. If you require more assistance, stop by one of the Deus Ex IRC Channels or post on the PDX forums. We bid you a traditional good luck, and may your save files never be overwritten and your eyes retain their capacity so you may be able to squint at a monitor until you depart from this Earth.
RSS Feeds
