Referred to in hushed tones as 'The Legend' by ION Austin team members, Ex-Origin RPG tycoon Warren Spector took a few moments to answer some Deus Ex-specific questions for Stormtroopers. Also, the line producer for Deus Ex, Michelle Bagur, helped out by clarifying a few points.
[Stormtroopers] Any plans to include multiplayer capability?
[Spector] It'd be nuts to release a game of most any kind in 1999 without multiplayer capability. Plans include some cool new appproaches (it won't just be your standard deathmatch) but we do NOT intend to allow several people to participate in the main storyline together. Deus Ex is a single-player, story-based game of character interaction. It's designed and balanced for one player. Allowing a party to go through the story together would compromise what we're trying to do. And if we run into schedule problems, multiplayer's gonna be the first cut...
[Stormtroopers] How close to the vest does ION Austin plan to play it with this game? For example, Ritual Entertainment has released almost no information about SiN, even a month before the demo is due to be released.
[Spector] Hey, I'm a loud-mouth and would love to talk about anything and everything Deus Ex-related. I think the whole secrecy/paranoia thing in the game business is screwy. (I mean, we're not talking national security here!) Frankly, even if someone else rips off our storyline, we'll implement it differently at the detail level and we'll do it better. However, having said that, it's important to remember that we're a year or more away from shipping so anything we say now could (and, likely, will) change. If we talk too much now, we'll just end up with egg on our faces. I hope to walk a middle ground, telling people as much as we can, but no more. I don't think we'll be as quiet as some folks.
[Stormtroopers] With FPS-type games having been wildly popular for over four years, there is a good possibility that the gaming populace will en-masse turn to different genres. RPG's may very well become the game of choice, and if so, how would Deus Ex exploit this? Has there been any preliminary planning as far as a sequel, add-on packs, etc? Would any of those things be out of the question?
[Spector] I think the RPG scene is about to explode. (I certainly hope so!) As far as exploiting that possibility, other than an accident of timing that allows us to come out when our genre is expected to reach new heights of popularity, I doubt we'll do much. As far as sequels go, I went into the development of Deus Ex with a pretty clear, high level, picture of a three game series. Like anything else, that could change -- one of the designers suggested something for the sequel that may be better than what I originally planned! In any event, assuming the original game does well, you can count on sequels!
[Stormtroopers] Does ION have any unusually innovative plans to attract the attention of gamers to this particular title, prior to it's release?
[Bagur] If we told you what the plans were, that would take away from the surprise of it, now wouldn't it?! Our angle, though, is one of truth. These are real world locations, and real world conspiracies. An incredible amount of unbelievable theories exist, and the more we are able to make the game community aware of them, by whatever means, the stronger our game will be...get people into the mindset that this is real...and conceivable. Which it is....
[Stormtroopers] Will there be a demo/shareware release?
[Spector] There's a shareware demo built into our current schedule. What it will be is anyone's guess at this point.
[Stormtroopers] With the ION online merchandise store due to come online sometime, will there be any Deus Ex merchandise available?
[Bagur] who wants merchandise, when you're part of the most secretive conspiracy on the planet? That'd break our cover.... But for those who are truly brave--willing to spit in the face of danger by flaunting their membership, we're going to have hats, t-shirts, posters...random very cool stuff....
[Stormtroopers] With the Anachronox book being in the works, are there any plans to capitalize on the current popularity of conspiracy theory fiction by creating a book based on the Deus Ex storyline? And if so, is William Haskins in line to be the author?
[Spector] Oh, man, I hope we do books and stuff based on Deus Ex. I've got a big ol' world background in my head and all sorts of conspiratorial weirdness that's only peripherally dealt with in the game. Plenty of material for books, movies, comics, you name it. I have no idea who the authors would be. However, as the only published novelist at ION, I'd like a shot at writing a Deus Ex novel. (Frankly, I've considered just writing one for fun once the design doc is locked down and everyone's cranking on the game...)
[Stormtroopers] Any plans to incorporate the Deus Ex world into an ION comic line?
[Spector] Again, I hope so...
[Stormtroopers] What are the target specs for gamer's machines (min and recommended) in order to be able to play Deus Ex? Will a 3D card be required? Any plans on supporting the H3D glasses?
[Spector] Current plan is to target a Pentium 200 with 3D card as the minimum. Headsets and stuff are a tougher question. I've supported available VR hardware in the past just because I thought it was cool and fun and The Right Thing To Do. It certainly didn't pay off in sales or profitability! Right now, I think we'll focus on the hardware everyone has and see if some VR-ish stuff looks good down the road.
[Stormtroopers] How is the ION Austin .planfile situation being handled? Will there even be .planfiles for the team?
[Spector] Several of the guys on the team have asked about and plan to do .planfiles. I'd say that'll be handled on an individual basis. Beyond that, I haven't given it a lick of thought.
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