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DXMP was born as a prime-time US Beta release on 5th of December, 2000, but as the file took up to four hours to download on a common 56k connection, and reached some of the main mirror sites only after midnight, we can think of the 6th as the "first day" of Deus Ex Multiplayer. The time would be even later for all those who were enthusiastically downloading the patch from outside of America. Game was a big hit in Europe after all.
Playerbase was mostly American as the community leader "Slicer" from UK also concluded, but still had plenty Europeans to populate the continent servers with—pings across oceans could easily reach 1000ms and some even claimed to be completely used to 600 ping—and to churn out popular maps with the new editing tools, reaching a real release rush once the final patch shipped.
Initially slim server list grew daily with additions like "Running with Scissors" server, but it was the "RPGplanet Conspiracy" by GameSpy that became one the first main DXMP servers for the regulars who would enjoy the new and praised custom maps like DXMP_Skyline and the later DXMP_Towers. Interestingly, the least popular stock map was DXMP_Smuggler which was not even put on the rotation—an April 26 poll shows DXMP_Area51Bunker winning by a landslide as far as classic maps go, with CMD and Cathedral following in the distance. Administrated by respected and skilled players from several early clans, it quickly allowed a tightly bonded nucleus of a community to form with its many colourful characters united by the passion for the game.
And what a game: words LAM shield and knife deathmatch rang different then, you could obtain hundreds of ammo and items with a click even from your own body, the infamous "chicken dance" leaning deaths, and then there was the practically infinite bio stacked off corpses that fueled the first tanks of the game. Today perhaps unimaginable, but HE20 was not affected by ADS in this time as DerianX reminds us, its impact yet perhaps somewhat offset by the doubly powerful ES.
Talking numbers, plasma and shuriken both were 33% more powerful at base damage, however: the energy shield augmentation was also 37% more effective by absorbing 80% of plasma and explosions compared to the 50% in full release later on—its nearly doubled energy cost also manageable via the many unintended methods mentioned, plus the full repair bot charges through closed doors, or said doors to such valuables often simply forgetting to close. Or you could also partake in the popular activity of camping by the lockers for half a minute in order to grab the loot for the second time before it locked. Regeneration became its own mini-game where faster fingers could stack the heal by a lot during a fight. Plenty fun with grenades planted smack in the middle of doors, weapon racks, or hidden behind computer terminals.
That all means that loot and bio was trivial, needing a maximum three shots to the head unupgraded the knives were the weapon to use—even though you'd want the "LAM shield" over combat strength—and plasma was absolutely brutal for wiping out anyone without the protection, or for wiping out their frame rate. Indeed, the frame counts were so low and pings so high that an opponent using speed enhancement might as well have been dodging bullets like Neo from the Matrix, causing some people to switch teams simply to avoid facing them. We know sniper reload was skippable, but low framerates and the generally high pings would complicate the snipe spam that, as old posts show, wouldve been looked down upon by many. It makes some sense then how a combat knife could also net a hundred frags those days, and why quite the number of people are later known as experts of shuriken.
Some clans formed early: two-three days after beta launch emerged the Stalkers [S] represented by Hydra, Buddah, MaxRuler, DaHumla, Punisher, GrAfFiX2, Phade, and others, yet they do not claim to be the oldest. Whether true or spoken under the influence, that statement comes from Deusing Under Influence [DUI] with AssRocket, Bigwinky, Eberon, Helios, Charmy, a clan also counted as "one of the great 4" of early days. Yet another contender for the oldest clan is the Black Hand [BH] that in addition to original leaders like Cygnus also included mapper Locke004 and other skilled players WildBill, Garula, Nihilanth, and the polarizing character Deusex: all together forming a smaller than average group that with its shorter life span compared to the more enduring rivals became the signature tag of the distinct Beta era. Fourth large clan that managed to narrowly fit into the year 2000 was the Deus Ex Assassins [DEA] that formed on December 30 or 31st, featuring the second day player Slicer and the co-founder Boaz, ApocalypseNOW, BigCountry, Andrew. While [AU] Assassins Unlimited apparently managed to beat [DEA] to clan formation by 3-4 days and with a week of preceeding planning, they are rarely mentioned or linked by others.
Being early in DXMP history is a coveted achievement that more founders would like to decorate their clan with, sometimes citing dates even before the game release, but if clanned community did not notice them then it is hard to take it seriously. Similarly interesting nuance is that these serious, hardcore and often accomplished individuals who were now discovering Deus Ex deathmatch only had a few weeks of experience to base their early guides and tips sites on, leading to some funny discoveries from a veteran's perspective, be it mysteries surrounding Energy Shield and LAMs, dominating the competitive scene with ActivateAllAugs - or without them entirely.
Ion Storm's Deus Ex Multiplayer section was active and Hydra's [S] clan forum took the early central stage for clanned activity in DXMP by hosting sub-boards for tags with members. In shape of Slicer and Hydra both teams had the more social leaders with hand in a wider range of activities in the community, while BigCountry and Beast added the tough, no-nonsense kind of touch. Similarly, BH had the famous Locke who seemed to do everything and WildBill who wondered why people don't move on already to newer competitive titles like CS. [DUI] meanwhile discovered more things to enjoy under the influence, as they're happy to share.
Over time these names would become legends of this special time in a frankly quite different game. Everybody will talk of [S]Beast dominating the Multiplayer thats now growing steadily with players and clans, and people recall how Locke004 won matches without even using augmentations. Then the dramatic rise and fall of our star mapper Face, creator of DXMP_Towers map, released in just a week once others started releasing custom maps. And of course the busy-body Slicer who managed to run his IT company, do work for Gamespy, stay in contact with Ion Storm Austin, maintain forums for the community, administrate the main game servers, always look for solutions to problems people were having, change the mind of those who planned to close their clan down, and game at a competitive level - all that off some 4 hours of daily sleep.
Below you can see what players tell you about the game themselves:
Well, it was in the old days, when few people knew DX had MP and people didn't know what ADS was for real. Times were good. A few fast servers, new ones sprouting everyday (Running with Scissors- any memories?). I was whipping ass on the DM and TDM servers, when I ran into another ass-kicker. He went by the name Buddah, and almost beat me. We made a great team, so I asked if he wanted to start a clan with me. So we did, and it began. Something few people know is we had a choice between two names: [BR]- Bad Religion or [S]- Stalkers. /.. BR- it never came around, that wasn't us. The second email I received from Buddah was before we had four members, so we had no name except Stalkers. ../ Soon after, we started recruiting, and nabbed some quality players (MaxRuler, DaHumla, Punisher, GrAfFiX2). As we grew, along did the four other 'superpowers', [DUI], [BH], and [DEA]. Like in so much world history, two of those were obliterated (well pretty much). The remaining two, [S] and [DEA] have picked up the pieces and become the two best clans. There have been many triumphs (the split up of c22 *like Germany after WW2*) and pitfalls (the splitup of [BH] and [DUI]). But we made it and thrived.
Dude, it's pretty amazing that BH was considered one of the big 4 with only 5 'real' members - Me, Locke, Garula, Nih, and Bill...didn't everyone else have like 8 or 10 or so by that time?
LOCKE’S DEUS EX MULTIPLAYER STRATEGY GUIDE, 2/14/01
CHARACTER CLASS SETUP
The Tank
The Tactician
The Ninja
The Sniper
The Unabomber
The Hacker/Saboteur
GENERAL COUNTERING TECHNIQUES
LAMs
GEP
20mm Ammo
Throwing Knives
KEY BINDINGS
END
After playing many Deus Ex Multiplayer games and testing various strategies with augmentation, skill, and weapon combinations, I’ve decided to share what I’ve learned through trial and error. This guide will center around Advanced Team Deathmatch games, where players begin with 2000 experience points, start at level 1 for each skill, and start out with only 2 augmentations of choice. I hope that everyone can benefit from this guide to some degree, from rookies who want to break out of their newbie stage, to intermediates who want to play on a higher level.
This strategy guide is set up into various sections. Newbies will probably benefit most from the Character Classes section. Those already familiar with the game can make good use of the Key Bindings, Counter Techniques, and Weapon Techniques sections. Enjoy the guide and make the most of it!
In General, staying alive to kill another day is one of the most important aspects of any deathmatch, because your character grows better after each kill. That is why I recommend selecting non-weapon skills first to keep the player alive. Also, It works best to maximize each skill one by one. For example, it’s a good idea to spend your first 2000 XP to maximize Hacking, rather than spend 1000 XP each on Lockpicking and Hacking. Also, always add the Aggressive Defensive System augmentation or increase it’s priority when facing many newbie GEPpers. Lastly, don’t put in any augmetnations that you don’t plan to use on your list of obtainable augs, they will only drain more bioelectricity than necessary when you select “all augs.”
CHARACTER CLASS SETUP:
=== THE TANK ===
WEAPONS: Assault Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Plasma Rifle
AUGMENTATION ORDER:
1) Energy Shield
2) Aggressive Defensive System
3) Ballistic Protection
4) Regeneration
5) Power Recirculator
6) Vision Enhancement
7) EMP Shield
SKILL ACQUISITION ORDER:
Pick skills according to your playing style.
The Tank is the ultimate one many army, designed to take on multiple aggressors and counter any opponent he comes across. Once 20mm ammo is obtained for the Assault Rifle, the Tank now has the equivalent of 2 Ballistic and 2 Energy based weapons, possibly including LAMs, giving the Tank a sizable arsenal to take out his opponents. Although not the fastest moving character, the Tank can take his hits, regenerate, and continually engage enemies as he sees fit. After making his first few kills and obtaining all the augmentations he needs, the Tank’s defenses are near unpenetrable. With the help of the Power Recirculator augmentation, the Tank can maintain functioning of all his defensive augmentations throughout a combat engagement. When engaging in combat, be sure to activate the All Augmentations button. Remember to activate Healing in mid-combat because it will not work if you start it at full health before you have received any damage. Be sure to shut off vision right before you toss a LAM or fire 20mm ammo so you won’t get blinded. When not engaged in combat, leave the Aggressive Defensive System and Vision Enhancement augmentation running. Not having the Speed Enhancement aug and not having ADS activated makes you a GEPpers dream come true.
COUNTERING A TANK: A tank becomes deadly after it makes its first few kills. Before that, a tank is almost as vulnerable as anyone else. Try to kill a tank early and prevent him from making enough kills to obtain all his defensive augmentations. If you encounter a fully auged Tank, take cover and throw an EMP grenade if you can. Quickly skill up on Demolitions if you can and throw a LAM at him too. A Tank has difficulty running away from LAMs because they lack the speed augmentation. They might absorb some of the damage with Energy Shield, but it’ll often cripple them on their knees. After the opening explosives, used a Ballistic based weapon against the Tank. Try refraining from using Energy based weapons because energy shield absorbs 70% of the damage, compared to ballistic protection which absorbs only 40%.
=== THE TACTICIAN ===
WEAPONS: Assault Shotgun/Throwing Knives, Assault Rifle, Plasma Rifle
AUGMENTATION ORDER:
1) Speed Enhancement
2) Energy Shield
3) Regeneration
4) Vision Enhancement
5) Ballistic Protection (optional)
6) Aggressive Defensive System (optional)
SKILL ACQUISITION ORDER:
1) Lockpicking
2) Multitooling
3) Medicine
4) Weapons
The Tactician is a blend of the best traits in all the character classes. He is equipped with a variable arsenal of ballistic and energy based weapons. Energy Shield is used just as much to protect the Tactician from his own 20mm and Plasma damage as much as anyone else’s. Having speed allows the Tactician to encounter many opponents in a short amount of time, and having defensive augmentations lets him take his hits and live long enough to return fire. The major disadvantage is the massive bioenergy drain that this class suffers. It is important to lockpick cabinets often for biocells and make use of repair bots often. Skilling up on medicine helps to recover health without using Regeneration’s bioenergy cost. When engaged in 1v1 combat, try to turn on only the augs that you need to maintain your defenses while conserving bioenergy and allow you to make the kill. If there are ever 2 or more opponents, it’s a good idea to activate all augs. Shut down speed and use ballistic if you have it available. If you are facing a Tank, turn on all augs, pull out your dragontooth, and hack and slash away! After combat, always be sure to pick up the dead bodies to make use of the bonus 25 bioenergy. You might even have to pick up bodies in mid combat. If you run out of bioenergy completely, consider running for cover and firing 20mm or LAMs behind you. Be sure to bind your keys properly for this class! When not engaged in combat, use speed and vision to seek out your enemies and destroy in the least amount of time possible.
COUNTERING A TACTICIAN: The Tactician is most vulnerable to his own bioenergy drain. Using defensive augs and taking cover while engaging a tactician is a good way to play the clock. After they run out of energy, they make an easy target. This might take a while if they have biocells so don’t rely on waiting so much. Use a ballistic weapon while their shields are active. After that, switch to an Energy Based weapon like Plasma and go in for the easy kill.
=== THE NINJA ===
WEAPONS: Throwing Knives, Assault Rifle, Dragontooth Sword
AUGMENTATION ORDER:
1) Speed Enhancement
2) Combat Melee Strength
3) Regeneration
4) Vision Enhancement or Cloak
5) Targeting (optional)
SKILL ACQUISITION ORDER:
1) Low-Tech Weapons
2) Multitooling or Lockpicking
The Ninja is for the kind of player that likes to seek and kill with the least amount of passing time between kills. Speed towards the enemy, activate all augs (which will include Combat Melee Strength, doubling the effect of Throwing Knives and Dragontooth Sword) and pull out a weapon and make a quick kill. A Fully augmented, Low Tech Weapons skilled Ninja can inflict around 70 damage/hit with the dragontooth and slightly over 50 damage/hit with throwing knives.
COUNTERING A NINJA: A ninja does not use defensive augmentations. As a result, they are very vulnerable to energy based weapons such as Plasma Rifle. GEP also works well if you are good at predicting where to fire to match where they will be by the time the rocket explodes. EMPing a Ninja works well. Do not use a melee weapon against a ninja because they will most likely win. Use throwing knives instead.
=== THE SNIPER ===
WEAPONS: Sniper Rifle, GEP gun, Plasma Rifle/Assault Rifle
AUGMENTATION ORDER:
1) Aggressive Defensive
2) Targeting
3) Vision Enhancement
4) Regeneration
5) Energy Recirculator
SKILL ACQUISITION ORDER:
1) Rifle weapons (sniper rifle benefits to a higher degree than GEP will)
2) Multitooling (for access to nearby repair bot)
3) Lockpicking (to obtain variable ammo for GEP and Bioelectric cells)
4) Heavy weapons (to top off the effectiveness of your GEP)
A Sniper finds a good spot to camp, kill enemies from afar and guard key locations on a map. Because a Sniper does not engage in close combat, he can never replenish his bioelectric energy from fallen enemies, so he must rely on repair bots and bioelectric energy. Unlike other classes, the Sniper is also least affected in ability when he does run out of Bioelectricity because of his distance from close combat. At range, a Sniper does not need to fear enemies with the Aggressive Defensive Augmentation because rockets only detonate near the enemy. However the moment you see the blue explosion fall short of its target, you should immediately switch back to the Sniper Rifle. Use the GEP’s optional ammo if you like increase the area of explosion from your rockets. In addition, all enemies in the area catch on fire.
COUNTERING A SNIPER: A sniper using a GEP gun is always countered with Aggressive Defensive, and Speed or Ballistic protection helps against the sniper rifle. They are very vulnerable at close range, just be sure to sneak up on them from behind and they make an easy picking. Don’t use a GEP rocket or 20mm against them because they are very likely to use ADS.
=== THE UNABOMBER ===
WEAPONS: LAMs, LAMs, LAMs, Plasma Rifle helps too
AUGMENTATION ORDER:
1) Speed Enhancement (helps to obtain LAMs quickly)
2) Targeting (increases damage and radius of LAMs beyond maximum skill)
3) Energy Shield (protects yourself from your own LAMs)
4) Regeneration (heals you after explosion from your LAMs)
5) EMP Shield (optional)
SKILL ACQUISITION ORDER:
1) Lockpicking
2) Demolitions
3) Medicine
The Unabomber is the most chaotic of players. They will often score multiple kills at the same time, and sometimes include themselves in the casualty list. You know they’re in the area when all you hear are a series of explosions. They don’t even need to grab weapons from the weapons rack, and can instead save time and make a dash for the cabinets and lockpicks in the maps to obtain LAMs. If you’re looking to make the most of each LAM, Plasma Rifle enemies from a distance to see if they have Energy Shield. If not, then they are easy bait for a LAM. If they are protected, toss an EMP grenade at them. If you are in a large group of enemies who are augmented with speed or energy shield, jump into the middle of the fray, activate EMP shield and toss an EMP grenade at your feet. Chances are the enemies tried to close in on you and got hit by the blast. Next, drop a LAM and make a dash for it. Pick off any survivors with a Plasma Rifle. Be careful, the moment an enemy fires a Plasma Rifle at you, consider putting your LAM away for another weapon. Plasma Rifle shots can prematurely detonate your LAM near you if you throw it. You can risk it and jump high enough to get a good toss in if you’re feeling lucky. When not engaged in combat, quickly run from cabinet to cabinet obtaining all the grenades and biocells you can possibily find. Gas grenades are pretty useless so don’t waste your time with those, instead just randomly toss them when you find them and add chaos to the atmosphere. If you already have 3 of a grenade type, you can place it to try and kill someone or try and “hide” it by placing it in a nearby corner where nobody often travels through and save it for later use.
COUNTERING THE UNABOMBER: Read the “Countering LAM tossers” section below. It’s also a good idea to read if you want to play the Unabomber so you can analyze your weaknesses.
=== HACKER / SABOTEUR ===
WEAPONS: Hackers work best with close range weapons, such as Dragontooth, Throwing Knives, any Shotgun, and Flame Thrower. Save the last spot for a ranged weapon like the Plasma Rifle.
AUGMENTATION ORDER:
1) Speed Enhancement
2) Cloak
3) Radar Transparency
4) Run Silent (not essential, optional)
5) EMP Shield (protection against other EMP grenades) (optional)
SKILL ACQUISITION ORDER:
1) Computer Hacking (essential for hacking)
2) Lockpicking (essential for obtaining LAMs and Bioelectric Cells)
3) Demolitions (prevents others from disarming your grenades)
4) Medicine (because of lack of regeneration)
PURPOSE: The Hacker is dedicated to ensuring the safety teammate traffic and denying enemy passage by controlling all turrets. It is also essential for the Hacker to booby trap high traffic passages with proximity grenades of various types and to prevent enemies from hacking your turrets. The Hacker is also adept at stealth kills and throwing grenades into a group of enemies. At the beginning of a match, have a teammate take over the nearest turret while you, the hacker, out run your opponents to all the other turrets, and eventually the turret at the enemy’s starting location. The speed enhancement aug will be the single most draining bioelectric source of the hacker. It is best to quickly learn Lockpicking after your first kill. That is essential anyway to obtain LAMS, and you can also get Bioelectric Cells, which is a great way to replenish bioelectric -energy on the go. Because the Hacker does not have access to the regeneration augmentation as a result of radar transparency, a Hacker would benefit from learning the Medicine skill soon, as well as having an awareness of all Medical Bot locations on the map. Instead of using the Aggressive defensive aug, a Hacker can use cloak much the same way to avoid being locked onto by GEPpers. It is always good to have at least one hacker for your team.
PROXIMITY GRENADE PLACEMENT: Perhaps one of the most strategic elements of the Hacker is setting traps. EMP grenades work best near the terminal itself because it will instantly decloak an enemy hacker trying to hack your turret (also remember a hacker cannot see cloaked enemies). Gas Grenades work best in small rooms with lots of doors and walls where it is difficult to get away of the gas without actually leaving the building. LAMs are great around corners, near doors, and just about anywhere that has a high density of traffic.
COMBAT: A Hacker plays like any other stealth player, except without the combat skills and combat augs to enhance himself. The Hacker is best suited to cloak before engaging an opponent, running behind them, and attack with a high damaging, short range weapon of choice. A sawed off shotgun usually gets the job done in 1-2 direct hits. In an area dense with enemies, the Hacker is better off using his demolition skill to throw a Gas Grenade or LAM and run away to a safe distance. After the explosion and confusion, quickly pick off badly wounded enemies with a ranged weapon like the Plasma Rifle. You might even have access to a LAW because of Lockpicking, so make the most of that. Sometimes, a Hacker is best off avoiding actual combat altogether.
== COUNTERING TECHNIQUES ===
*** Countering LAM tossers ***
Profile: LAM tossing is employed by experts and newbies alike, both have the drive to score multiple kills per detonation. They often skill up Lockpicking first, obtaining LAM(s) and make their first kill with it, then skill up on Demolitions to increase damage and explosion radius. Some players may have a suicidal tendency to not mind killing themselves in their own explosions, as long as they take down an enemy. Experts will know when to not LAM toss and will resort to something else if you know how to counter them. You might not know a LAM tosser until you see them use it. Get used to knowing names on a server and what kind of strategies they employ so you can strike/react first before he unleashes his LAM. If one is already tossed, it's not to late if you use the right augs.
Counter Aug #1: Energy Shield
Activation of the Energy Shield will absorb up to 70% of the LAM explosion damage. A LAM tosser is usually skilled in LAM tossing so the damage is increased and so is the explosion radius. As long as you aren't within a few feet of the LAM, you'll usually survive but often lose the use of your legs. Energy Shield WILL NOT save you against a very well thrown LAM that lands at your feet however.
Counter Aug #2: Cloak
If you know a LAM tosser is approaching, immediatly cloak, if you have that aug available of course. The LAM tosser will throw the grenade into the area with the most density of opponents so you'll want to run in a direction other than your teammates. A LAM tosser often does not, but might, use Vision Enhancement because his own explosions blind him for 3 seconds.
Counter Aug #3: Speed Enhancement
Many players use this aug so use this is all else isn't available. Running away from the explosion epicenter is slightly effective, and so is jumping. Get used to the timing of grenades so you know when to jump at the right moment. If in a building where you can't jump, try to hide behind a wall or any surface.
Counter Weapon #1: PLASMA RIFLE!
This one is my personal favorite. Just showering a LAM tosser with Plasma Rifle will make them put away their LAM and opt for another weapon, if they're smart and not suicidal. If they decide to toss the LAM, the Plasma will cause the LAM to prematurely detonate in the LAMmer's face and causing himself to die, and lose a point as well. A good LAM tosser employs Energy Shield himself because he wants to protect himself from his own explosions, so don't expect to kill him with Plasma Rifle alone. If he puts his LAM away, you should switch to a ballistic weapon.
Counter Weapon #2: Close Range Weapons
Close range weapons like Dragontooth, Throwing knives, and Shotgun can be put to good use against a LAM tosser. The most important part is how you use it. You should get right up to their face and fire nonstop, and not try to lose any footing if they try to escape. This is done to prevent them from detonating the grenade too close to them and killing theirselves with it. Use the speed aug if you have it to keep up. If they have the speed aug and you don't, then you are advised not to try this.
*** Countering GEP users ***
Profile: Some Geppers "snipe" at long range by tracking onto unsuspecting targets, some like using it at close range and look for high density of players to fire at. Many new players use it because it is the easiest way to kill another new player to the game.
Counter Aug #1: AGGRESSIVE DEFENSIVE SYSTEM (ADS)
I can't repeat enough that this is the MOST IMPORTANT, MOST EFFECTIVE, and EASIEST way to counter GEP rockets. Not only does it reduce the damage from the rocket by a factor of 6, but it prematurely detonates it before it reaches you. You can also use it to shield nearby teammates, or even use it as a way to locate enemies when you hear it's tracking activated and see where the laser pointer leads to. Against WP rockets, you'll be saved from the damaging explosion, but you might still catch on fire.
Counter Aug #2: Energy Shield
Like LAM countering, the energy shield will absorb 70% of the damage and is very effective if you are on the outer radius of the GEP explosion, however, if you were stationary and the GEP locked onto you when it fired and it scores a direct hit, Energy Shield will not save you. Energy Shield though is very effective against close range geppers because they'll often aim for your feet and your body will only be in the outer radius of the explosion. Don't forget to jump too.
Counter Aug #3: Cloak
Simply cloaking can prevent a Gepper from locking onto you, but if they fire at you, that is still a deadly rocket headed in your general direction.
Counter Aug #4: Speed Enhancement
Those with this aug can simply run off to the sides to avoid direct fire from geppers. Jumping over incoming rockets works well too. Some of my most memorable moments are when I start out and don't have ADS yet but only speed enhancement and I'm lockpicking a cabinet... when suddenly I can only hear a GEP rocket approaching me (I can't turn because I'm facing the cabinet). When I estimate it about to hit me, I jump and the rocket flies past my side or detonates on the cabinet. I might lose my legs, but not my life.
Counter Weapons:
Countering a Gepper with weapons depends on their gepping style. If you are facing a Gepping sniper, use a sniper rifle, or if you're feeling lucky that they don't have ADS, GEP them yourself. A close range Gepper has a hideous speed hinderance so fighting with close range and melee weapons is a choice only if you're able to close in on their space, otherwise they'll aim at your feet. A Speed Augged, Heavy Weapons Master Skill, Gepper will run faster than a normal player, so trying to close in on him in that case is not advisable. Strafe Circling around a gepper works well to because their turning radius is severely hindered by equipping the GEP gun.
NOTE: Although geppers may be slow moving, they don't make a good LAM target if you don't time it properly. The explosion from GEP can cause a LAM to prematurely detonate in your face. This also happens if you're ADS prematurely detonates the rocket and you happen to be throwing a LAM at the same time.
*** Countering HE 20mm Ammo users ***
Profile: These players are looking for a more speedy and versatile way of making kills than a Gepper. They require Lockpicking first to obtain the ammo and might upgrade Rifle to Mastery after a few kills.
Counter Aug #1: AGGRESSIVE DEFENSIVE SYSTEM (ADS)
Once again, ADS reigns as the surpreme counter aug against this weapon type.
The HE 20mm Ammo fires like a rocket so ADS is effective at predetonating it like it does for GEP.
Counter Aug #2: Energy Shield
HE 20mm Ammo deals Energy based damage so Energy Shield can absorb up to 70% of the damage. Unlike using it against well aimed GEP rockets and LAMs, Energy Shield IS VERY EFFECTIVE against well aimed shots from the HE 20mm Ammo, reducing most damage from it and often keeping you in a safe health range. You will effectively force the other player to switch weapons or waste valuable shots at you.
Counter Augs Speed and Cloak: Works much like the counters for GEP listed above, except that there is no locking for the 20mm Ammo so a vision auged 20mm user has no disadvantage to the cloaker.
Counter Weapons:
Close range weapons is not recommended UNLESS you have the Energy Shield or ADS on. If you do, you can close in and not fear anything severely damaging because there is no well scored hit with the HE 20mm Ammo. Because it's a rifle based weapon, they are not speed hindered so be sure to adjust for that. It would be a good idea to use a Ballistic Weapon against him because they often use Energy Shield to prevent damage from their own explosions.
Also, to prevent HE 20mm Ammo users from becoming just that, guard the cabinets that contain that ammo, set proximity grenades in those cabinets, etc.
They'll be forced to choose another tactic.
*** Countering Throwing Knives ***
Profile: I'm going to refer to Knife Throwers as KT for short. Throwing knives are a very versatile weapon so there is no characteristic player type that defines the typical knife thrower. Some go for Combat Melee and/or Targeting, some use Energy Shield and Ballistic and rely on the high damage from Throwing knives themselves. Some Speed around, some conserve energy. Some use a mix or none at all. With that in mind, the non-aug counters depend on what type of player you are playing against. The Aug counters apply to any situation. Be sure to keep track of names and what augmentations they prefer to use. It might be useful to bind a key to "Show Kill Information" so you can collect info about the person that killed you.
Counter Aug #1: Speed Enhancement
Speed wins over Ballistic when you come face to face with a KT. It's better to dodge the knives completely than to suffer the high amount of damage they inflict. Because of how slow knives travel in the air, you can quickly jump or strafe to the sides to avoid being hit and quickly close in on them.
Counter Aug #2: Ballistic Protection
A slow moving Ballistic Protected person is less suited to face a KT than a Speed Enhanced player... at least Ballistic Protection will absorb 40% of the damage you take though. Knives have a fast fire rate and damage, so they are best avoided altogether, Ballistic protection is still better than nothing. If you have both speed and ballistic, you're in excellent shape as far as augmentation goes.
Counter Weapon #1: Plasma Rifle
The only way to tell if a knife thrower is using Combat Melee or Energy Shield is to fire at them and spot the blue shield. If they don't have that blue shield, Plasma Rifle makes an excellent choice. Although it may slow your movement slightly, it suppresses their aiming because you are firing plasma directly in their view. Especially against speed enhanced KTs, aiming at the feet can really slow their movement down and give you an opportunity to close in for the kill.
Counter Weapons in general: The KT might use Energy Shield and Ballistic for longevity over the increased damage inflicting augs, so be sure to switch weapons if you see they are shielded. If they are shielded against both, stick to a ballistic weapon because Ballistic Protection only absorbs 40%.
Counter Technique #1: Circle Strafing
The best way to close in on a KT is to circle strafe closer. Never stand idle or they'll make a sliced meat dish out of you, and never walk directly towards them or the same will happen. The KT must then judge how to time their knives to hit a side moving target. Be sure to change direction often but keep closing in. Try to attack their flank or rear if at all possible so they never have a clean shot at you. Counter Technique #2: Maintain your distance
If you aren't going to close in on them, take them out at a distance but keep moving and don't close in the gap if they approach so move away. Knives travel slowly so it’s hard to calculate where to throw them to adjust for your movement and distance.
*** KEY BINDINGS ***
Properly binding your keyboard to play in Deus Ex Multiplayer is essential for accessing the proper augmentations and items at need. The first step to optimizing your keybinding performance is to keep track of what weapons, items, and augmentations you like to use the most. Next, write down a list of easy to reach key buttons that you have access to, and write a second list of your most used weapons, items, and augs. Match them up as you see fit. Lastly, go into the Settings, Keyboard menu and make your changes.
If you like to bind specific items or advanced commands to keys, then you will have to open your C:/DeusEx/System folder and modify the file “User.ini” and scroll towards the bottom to see the raw key bindings. For example, if you would like to select Medkits with the ‘W’ button, you scroll to where “W=” appears in the list and erase what is there and replace the entire line with “W=ActivateBelt 9” because the Medkit is the 9th item in the list. In the game, ‘W’ will now select Medkit. In addition, it clones pressing the ‘9’ key, so you can access your Skills menu and now press ‘W’ to skill up on Medicine. The same works with 7 and 8 for Lockpicking and Multitooling respectively. For a list of more advanced commands, you can go to http://unreal.epicgames.com/UTConsole.htm
Here is my personal setup:
F3 - Energy Shield / Combat Melee Strength < ` >
F4 - Radar Transparency / Regeneration < Middle Mouse Button >
F5 - Environmental Resistance / EMP Shield <not binded>
F6 - Targeting / Ballistic Protection < B >
F7 - Speed Enhancement / Power Recirculator < A >
F8 - Cloak / Vision Enhancement < V >
F9 - Spy Drone / Aggressive Defensive System < C >
F10 - Run Silently / Microfibral Muscle <not binded>
F11 - Agualung <not binded>
F12 - Flashlight < N >
Select Medkit < W >
Select Biocell < Q >
Select Multitool < X >
Select Lockpick < Z >
Select LAM < G >
Activate All Augs except vision: < U >
Activate All Augs < Shift >
Deactivate All Augs < Upper Thumb mouse button >
Inverted Mouse is selected in the control menu as well
Move Up, Down, Left, Right < E, D, S, F >
Crouch < Lower Thumb mouse button >
Drop Item / Weapon < H >
Change Ammo Type < Tab >
Team Chat < R >
All Chat < T >
Skills Menu < Control >
Multiplayer Stats < ALT >
Extra Bindings (non essential):
Ping Status and Net Stats: < Insert >
Frames per second, performance stats: < Delete >
Disconnect from Server: < End >
Reconnect to Server: < Home >
Commit suicide: < - >
Preferences Menu: < = >
This epoch in our game lasted 3 months.
Public release came on March 2nd, 2001, accompanied by Warren Spector's words that its not a full-featured, commercial product but rather developers learning how to make an MP game, and that they hope to see the community use the released editing tools and run with them.
Week before the release of 1109fm patch Hydra estimates around 200 people playing overall, "so that leave 110 not clanned" as he also counts around 6 clans and puts them at 15 players each, although its not clear how accurate his numbers are - a couple days later as they update Locke004's clan list from old Ion Storm boards they realize they have twice as many clans, with new ones popping up frequently - they give us the general idea of the size of the community just before coming out of Beta. The clans by 24th of Feb, so some 7 days from next patch, are [DUI], [BH], [DEA], [AU], [NOK], [cdp], [c22], [MI], [GDotS] - that they know of, adding [SDM] four days later and making it 10 clans.
The clear legend of this era appears to be ApocalypseNOW[DEA], later himself weary of the performance of Trauma, his new competition. TonyMontana (I believe it was this TM, from A story/history threads), said he'd pay money to see his demos.
Plasma receives 33% base damage nerf and shuriken damage is reduced 32%, energy shield now blocks only 50% of damage instead of the whopping 80% from earlier but is also cheaper to use, shooting legs no longer makes target slower.
Servers hosting Skyline after its release on 25th of March: Scouty's Dedicated Tbird, Maverick's Server, Xtreme's Server, BigCountry's [DEA] Clan Server - the same servers would also serve any other popular custom maps sprouting during those weeks, such as the well-received Towers map out mid-April. From same era (or even Beta like later Feb early March?!) Slicer lists 3 servers where him, BigCountry and Hydra are admins: PlanetDeusEx Conspiracy, NGUK Adv. Team Deathmatch, DEA.
PlanetDeusEx Conspiracy (1109fm US) is hosted from Seattle, USA, on port 7777, with following maps on its rotation: Area 51 Bunker, CMD, Silo, Cathedral, Skyline, Towers
Regarding DXMP population size, there are a few key points to consider: MP didn't ship with first disc; and those with internet connection were actively advised by community not to install the patch, so as to avoid SP bugs. These two major contributors out of the way, looking at the game running we see further challenges:
There are a few bugs that we could use more information or some clarification on:
- There are reports of kick and kickban having problems. What problems are people experiencing? Or is this a problem not with the commands themselves but with when they can be used and who can use them?
- Can we get more information about the GPFs that people are experiencing? It seems they might be related to being hit with a GEP round while ADS is active -- are there other common occurances? Can we get crash dialog contents or logs from these?
- Is there any special formula for getting the "chicken dance" leaning insta-kill to happen?
- What is the exact behavior of the "vision aug doesn't work" bug? Must you be low in BE? Are you turning on other augs at the same time, or are they already on? Is the aug actually running (listen for the hum) but not displaying? How can you get vision working again: map transition? back to main menu? death? quit game and restart? reboot?
- Flamethrowers are reported to cause large logs, but we haven't seen this. Can we get one of these large logs?
- Regarding vision aug not working for people at a distance, is this when looking through transparent surfaces like glass or chain link fences? Check if your crosshairs show the enemy -- if they do, but vision aug doesn't hilight them, let us know.
Please post replies to this thread.
Thanks!
-Chris Carollo
Ion Storm Austin
Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to give us feedback on the version of the Deus Ex multiplayer patch we released recently. (Yes, we even appreciate "constructive criticism," no matter how flame-like it may seem!)
Let me set the record straight on a couple of things:
We really do read these boards. We don't always respond and we almost never have the time to respond immediately. Unlike some other developers, we don't have a full-time customer service department here in Austin -- heck, we don't even have a biz guy or a marketing guy or a receptionist! Everyone in the building works on games which, as anyone in the biz will tell you, is a full-time job and doesn't leave a lot of time for BBS-browsing!
"As we said when we released the BETA version of the patch, we were counting on the community to use our SDK to generate all the new stuff"Someone recently posted that it would be futile to send us a letter outlining multiplayer problems, because the multiplayer team was already at work on DX2. That's true, to some extent. The multiplayer guys ARE all working on DX2 now and that's not going to change. What that means is that we're NOT going to create new maps, new game types, new player models and so on. That also means we're not going to address matters of personal opinion (e.g., weapon balance, augmentation strength, etc.). We like the patch the way it is now, and think it's a better multiplayer experience than it was before. We're reasonably certain you'll agree once you get over the shock of dealing with things that aren't the way they used to be. As we said when we released the BETA version of the patch, we were counting on the community to use our SDK to generate all the new stuff -- we just wanted to put an appropriate tool in their hands. We did that. (In fact, the recent SDK release fixed a bunch of stuff the mods guys told us was making it more difficult to generate new DX content.)
So much for what we're NOT going to do. Are we just abandoning the community? No. Of course not. Let me assure you that we WILL look at any legitimate problem, and try to fix the serious ones. If something's broken, you bet we want to know about it and you bet we'll fix it, if we can. (That may mean releasing a patch for the patch -- aaiiieee! -- or it may mean another, updated version of the entire patch but, whatever it takes, we'll do what we can to fix things that are broken.)
To fix things that are broken, we have to KNOW what's broken. We did a lot of testing (though the English language versions took a back seat to the foreign versions, the last month or so). Still, you guys are talking about stuff in your messages that we have no clue about:
- We need you to tell us what the "chicken dance" is.
- We need to know what you mean by "more GPFs," something we didn't encounter in our testing, which lasted more than ten seconds...
- We need to know which doors are broken for you.
If the letter you want to send gives us more data about these issues and other things that just don't work, send it. The sooner the better. Post messages providing as much information as possible about the problems you're having. But if you want to complain about weapon or augmentation balance issues, lack of new maps and new game types, features we should have added and so on, you're probably not going to be happy with our answer: We think the weapon and aug balance is better, don't have time to create new maps and game types and have included all the features we have time to implement. (Flame on!)
So how are we proceeding?
First, to increase the likelihood that we'll get the data we need to fix any problems in the multiplayer patch, our lead tester is going through every message on the DX BBS and pulling out information about things that are making the community unhappy.
Second, the DXMP programming team is drafting a list of specific things they want more information about. Look for a message on the ION BBS shortly. Reply to it.
Give us the data and we'll do our best to fix the problems.
Warren Spector
Project Director, Deus Ex
Studio Director, ION Storm Austin
This epoch lasted 2 months.
On April 26, 2001, came the last game patch adding some final polish for the GOTY edition release - which also marked the first time that DXMP shipped together with single player.
Door buttons now work, already slightly more advanced anti-cheat measures and server admin enhancements, can't lean on people to kill them anymore; community begins with attempts to patch game further almost immediately, once its clear no more patches are coming, notably it is TheRenegadeMaster who is rallying a team for a Community-Based Patch already early summer.
Into summer 2001 NGUK was represented with 3 servers, admin team listed Isamu, Hydra, Pecker, Slicer, Face, the latter publishing enduring server rules list that allows us a glimpse into the challenges in server then: looking past the perpetual teamkilling issue and controversial spawnkilling topic, by 3rd point we arrive at game bugs. "Cabinet bug" is a ban worthy offense, I am guessing this one involves interacting with cabinet door as it is attempting to close(?) - either that or its running older patch even. Throwing knife refilling is a strongly enforced ban worthy offense, later decades see it as a feature, today a popular mod makes knives infinite so you don't even need to refill. Plasma (and other) weapons firing cheat/bug, is not clear to be what is meant here, perhaps some kind of timing skip akin to reload skipping. IDXL tournament rules from end of year forbids all cheating/bug abuse/client-side cheats, noting additionally that "Spawnkilling is discouraged but allowed. (Please do not fire WP/GEP into the hangar on a51, thats just lame)" and "Camping the level 2 cabinet on towers is also very lame, and we would suggest not doing it."
End of 2001 DEA server dominated USA scene by quality, Europeans behind IDXL claim 400-900 ping in DNA servers, DXL owning them claims pings are decent.
[DEA] enjoyed a special role in the community as we get further into 2001, serving as the sort-of official Deus Ex forums through gamespy while waiting for Ion Storm boards to return, which they eventually did by the next year, alas without Multiplayer section.
By July 6, 2001, competitive Finnish group [c]old that had now rebranded as [c]hevignon lists six best clans for a league his soon-clanmate TicTacToad[TN] is organizing: [TN] Thug Nation thats likely the largest clan then by members, [BK] Blitzkrieg that must be close in terms of members but likely stronger, [Y] Yakuza thats a more normal size group, [S] Stalkers that are now on verge of death and whose members would spill over to other clans within month plus, [DEA] that is entering its inactivity period due to Slicer quitting as leader on 9th and with lot of the original crew retired as Amigo also notes - BC would take over and theres still some two months until TonyMontana joins them, and finally the emergent [GDX] clan that has its roots in year 2000 clan (AU).
[c22]KingKai notes following week in May 2nd that "Some times of the day nodoby's on DX online", other games taking interest. However, its at the time likely related to the shock from weapon rebalance and bug fixes, and perhaps even more likely down to the challenge of downloading and patching games and servers thus leading to incompatibilities.
With lack of a good server being the common culprit behind most failed clan wars, right behind getting team to show up at all, [c22]Jojo after a failed [TN] war shares some server hosting costs and requirements, mentioning costs of "60-70$ a month".
Why do we continue to use the latest patches? Noone likes them, everyone I know likes the very first patch the best. There were no harmfull bugs in the 1st MP patch.Now the doors are all messed up and you can get free stuff, the worst that could happen with the doors in the original was you could sneak some bio from the bots b4 the doors closed. Now there is this head shot bug! Which is the worst bug yet!!!!! There was no headshot bug in the original.
Everyone liked the the origianl energy shield that actually did something. The plasma rifle is now virtually useless.
Now it seems like all I do is go from cabinet to cabinet and bio bot to bio bot trying to keep my bio up, where as in the original patch, I would only need to use half the cells and hardly ever needed a bio bot.
ADS seems to just get worse with every new patch, when I played with the original I never got killed from a gep if I had ADS on. Now it's like a chance thing, I get killed by about every 1 in 5 gep rockets shot at me.
Now there is that skin swapping bug which is a real pain!
There is also that door bug, where you blow up a door but you can still see it.
And just this morning my little brother found a new bug that allows you to fire your guns under water!
In the original the weapons were more powerfull, the shields worked much better, there wasn't a continual hunt for bio, the gameplay was faster, and there were no harmful bugs. The only thing that I see that is bad about the original is that the throwing knives are to strong.
So why do we still play with the latest bug filled patches when we could be playing with the original which has the least bugs, none of which are harmful!? I think that we should try to get all the servers to revert back to the original patch! If we could just get PDX and the NGUK servers to do it, I'm sure that the rest would follow!
Deus Ex, Multiplaying game. What can I say about it? It's ain't doing very good. NGUK.net is now days only real server and there is too few admins and they can make invidual decisions, which isn't good because everyone knows almost everyone in DXMP and admins can make decisions, which aren't fair but are made by personal issues. There is also many bugs in latest DXMP patch and what I have heard there aren't made a new one. It's also very easy to cheat in DXMP thought there is some cheat protects. Luckily its easy to see if someone is cheating but how can you stop him because there never is a admin online. Someday it's gonna be get better but not for a while thought that's for sure. I myself am waiting for a new DXMP mod. Something like Counter Strike in Half Life but we'll see.
The skill gradient in DXMP was very wide as insane scores from screenshots of the likes of Beast had shown, quite different from ELO ranked and location locked servers of modern era they had a quality of their own in that being good meant ridiculous and satisfying KDR while those who were getting totally stomped probably didn't care at that point. Some players would really limit themselves to certain types of adventures in DXMP, running around with GEP Gun for years, for example, while others were just notoriously bad. But the time marches on and by July we already have new-old legends in the game that are turning heads: another [S] member is making headlines in the European community known as Amigo[s] on a 56k connection, interviewed here by the finnish [c] group for his new [ApC] clan he joined for the upcoming league organized by [TN][C]/[ApC]TicTacToad. The second known league to be organized after the one [S]Hydra was planning, it would not be the last one - before end of year we see two: the largely DEA-focused smaller league of hardcore players called International Deus Ex League, and a much larger league organized by younger players thats simply called Deus Ex League which IDXL eventually also merges into. Like all DX leagues, it'll essentially be all talk and no games, wrapping up early next year. Another league supposedly organized by [EX] is currently unknown to me, but may have been 2002 continuation of the last one.
This epoch could be seen as having lasted another 3 months.
As Warren Spector said more than once that he expects the community to take the MP project off their hands, plenty were willing to try - and [S]Hydra started almost immediately from scratch - but just as him not many others knew how to. Warren said in another interview along the lines of that initially he didn't think releasing the SDK would do anything since they had a larger team working full time with those tools to produce the quality we're familiar with, but changed his mind after he saw what the Thief modding community could do once tools were released. Suffice to say, he knew what the community was up against. While I don't have good quotes at hand for this topic right now, it does seem that with the Deus Ex: Clan Wars idea - which later rebranded as Project Snowblind after DX2 failed - the team did plan to put some of what they learned into commercial use and potentially even within same franchise and following roughly same mechanics.
Among more competent up and coming coders were the Mod Loader team called Team UC with "campers" and "EdGann", but perhaps more relevantly RZU who took loader project over for MP, and the quite prolific DarksTalkeR behind DTR mods meant to augment the game in small ways. Talks of mutator support like in UT came up in threads about the Mod Loader, fourteenyearold TheRenegadeMaster - a name that will be relevant for us now - had spent preceeding half a year learning uscript and asking older coders for advice and inspiration, and another coder Nil asked community whether he should try to fix certain bugs. These two: the very social TRM who liked to organize things, and the very concrete and practical Nil, together form the backbone of the DXCBP team which stands for Deus Ex Community Based Patch. My understanding is that they opted for a very open-source and community-sourced approach with the project, as many others donated code and features, examples including PalmTree and TheSheep, but there were others.
Many small fixes and mods and coders would become characteristic of this period, but as BigCountry[DEA] already wrote to Ion Storm Austin workers on their forums: the bigger problem was a lack of servers and the difficulties hosting them, compared to other games. What may run 16 player Half Life server without a hitch could struggle to host 6 Deus Ex MP players. This would however mean that a dominant server such as [DEA] can pick their preferred coding team to work with to provide best patches possible to the most burning problems, regardless of what other servers do.
TRM got gradually better at coding and, as other modders exchanged ideas and help on the abundant forum places, various features started coming along for DXMP, but early into next year 2002 the team lost their heavy lifter Nil to life responsibilities. Hed return once more to do more coding from his vacation time off work around May 25, but all along this year another community patch the MTL had began to get attention. As is DXCBP philosophy, they merged to join forces on May 17, for the better of DXMP.
This period lasted some 8 months to a year.
Software Development Kit was released early for Deus Ex, and if you read the bits about Mod Loader and DTR then you know of community interest for mutator support - thus more dynamic, mutating MP features - that existed as long as any UT players tried DXMP out, so quite from the beginning. Certainly requests were made in January, but where Team UC and their Mod Loader project seemed to fade out not long after final patch, sometime late 2001 and certainly early 2002 Deus Ex MutaTator Loader or DXMTL for short appeared. It seemed to mainly be the product of coder called Smuggler, and unlike other mods it was very closed source - to a point where even decompiling it would not be of much use due to the level of obfuscation. This is already the kind of a mod you see for a competitive game.
While it appears that TRM hoped to incorporate MTL inside Community Based Patches, it ended up possibly the other way around. MTL loads mutators and smaller mods in, but limits the extent they can modify the game significantly by locking code down for security reasons. We can speculate that TRM was perhaps okay with the idea of future CBP features being loaded inside Mutator Loader, but what we know for sure is that the DXMP patching efforts culminated in the autumn this year 2002 with the September 2nd release of MTL152b1.
There is nothing you can do to activate the MOTD in regular DXMP. The feature was not added to the game. The MOTDLine* lines are the correct place to put the MOTD. On a DXMTL103 or DXCBP server, the mod will read these four lines and display them on the client's screen. It is not possible to display the MOTD without a mod.
You can get DXMTL at smuggler.jtb.org.uk/
When DXCBP is ready, it will be available at dxcbp.deus-ex.org/I made a mod that only displays the MOTD. It will work on any server and with any other DXMP mod. It requires only a 4.85 KB download by clients. It also has a new bugfix for user made DXMP maps. If the DeusExLevelInfo does not exist (like in DXMP_Towers), it will be created in order to get rid of the log file errors. The MissionNumber will also be set to one, so maps that have it set to zero will be fixed (zero causes players to be nearly invincible).
[DXMOTD](https://web.archive.org/web/20020714054420/http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/dmv27/dxmotd_v100.zip)
While the CBP team with TRM at the helm certainly looked into the future hopeful, something happened as the year 2003 arrived: everyone disappeared.
Without speculating, there are little bits of information I can give you: two coders, one going under name Brina or Mimi decided to decompile MTL - seems they were fascinated by Unreal Engine but didn't even really play DXMP, later in 2004 justfying the act with the need to open closed source mod up for the community if the game is considered dead anyway. Particularly if the code wasn't Smuggler's. In the very same thread then re-surfaces "Nil" - already familiar from CBP team - and calls Smuggler a fraud who stole code.
We know people asked around on forums Spring 2003 where did CBP disappear to, we know Nil had vanished and even TRM was surprised to see him in 2004, we know Smuggler was gone to never reappear again - at least not in our game. The story of what really happened seems to have gone with the time.
TRM suddenly appeared just to give the community the "miniMTL", a patch meant to fix some of the remaining, annoying bugs like firing guns under water, but primarily targeting the ported Unreal Engine aimbot that was spreading in some circles. Briefly aquainted with a few who used the aimbot, I know second hand that miniMTL stopped it only temporarily, were talking maybe months at most - even fairly lowly players had access to the custom console or whatever class file it was. And whats more interesting: the miniMTL was protected just as the main MTL mod had been, by my interpretation likely originating from or passing through the hands of the disappeared Smuggler.
I agree with Cozmo, who is already a very seasoned coder in DXMP, that MTL was both a blessing as well as a curse. Looking at what other people, both highly competitive augers as well as entirely modding focused community members have said before, it seems to be the common opinion. Regardless of who stole whose code or what the surrounding drama in the tiny team was, MTL was a phenomenal mod for the size of our community that was never outdone, yet one that also not only blocked further signficant mods but even blocked every player of non-English release from joining active servers.
In shape of MTL Extender by Nobody (De), and the E.d.H and DIOS clans by bunch of Spaniards, community found solutions to all problems except for the lack of players, and - for the longest time - to the frequent crashes to desktop, some of which appear to relate to image icons attempting to render before ready (my rough understanding of it, according to Nobody & Alex, fixed in ANNA), and bulk of it perhaps stemming from Ion Storm's implementation of some GUI code thats added into Unreal Engine by them (my rough understanding of it, according to DejaVu).
At the forefront of technological innovation and industry, the United States of America was the first nation to access DXMP and establish its presence, it was noted by the community that the game was mostly American players early on, and thats not necessarily only because the beta was limited to a US release - and made by an American company. Good sales from the game guaranteed some attention on the multi-player as well, yet also led to a potential conflict of interests with the largely solitary fanbase of roleplaying ninjas. This means that US was here and was here almost in full force, and their attention began to taper off practically immediately without significant influx of fresh blood - meanwhile, the game was a major hit in Europe where internet was still reaching homes year by year. This easily explains the struggles of the North American continent from the third year on, while Europe was doing better and better in DXMP with each passing year as new households got connected and discovered a now forgotten American game.
Indeed, the US wasn't the only nation with connection, so you also see significant presence from UK, Japan, other richer countries - and internet certainly wasnt done reaching all parts of US either: when first the game had been a guilty pleasure of bored IT professionals and that of sweaty teens blocking seats in the highschool computer room, with 2004 you very clearly see that a massive number of very young house-bound American kids have discovered DXMP. Decade later that would also apply to Eastern Europe. I do belive that behind some of these obvious DXMP activity waves are the geopolitical and economical changes in certain parts of the world, at least to some degree - and that in turn motivates all continents to play again, because in the end of the day you only really need to care about having that 10 or so players in your server, and if your continent cannot even find 10, then those are dark days indeed.
Germany 🇩🇪
From TTLG forums it becomes clear that German players were interested in DXMP and looked for German speaking clan to play in. GDoTS from February 2001 would be among first, forming in late Beta already and keeping eye on other German clans that they eventually report by end of May, yet overlooking another early Beta German clan SDM formed just weeks after. Bahnhofsklo with now lost tag falls into that late Spring period, as well as an unknown clan that mightve been either SINC or perhaps BFS, and as we read here: those two clans formed IMPAC soon later.
GDF from May 2001 also likely had multiple German players, if not predominantly German.
Auging focused Germans appear to have joined [A]ssassins or spilled into other clans across community, with at least one ending up in [N/A] and [3]. With the end of summer, the second half of 2001 saw a massive German clan DXIN come about, yet dying early next year.
Late 2002 to late 2003 some (non-auged?) Germans may have gathered in R2R that appears to have had bunch of German speaking players, but various other languages were also commonly used on their forums.
From 2004 onward German non-augers would gradually pool into FGS clan of various mods focus. End of 2006 saw a German clan called Psychotic Gamers PG briefly appear in DXMP as well but don't stick around.
Japan 🇯🇵
With Japanese localization came about Japanese DXMP scene and from the early 2001 to sometime into 2003 they played a curious blend of DXMP where ballistic weapons had X4 damage multiplied, seemingly as an SP feature that became MP bug. Perhaps a somewhat older player, Tomo[GOK] declared he is the formal representative of Deus Ex in Japan, he maintained tutorials and hosted servers seen in the list. A crowd of Japanese gamers gathered in those servers, discussing possible damage balance patch, and forming few actual clans which made Tomo state that he will also create a second clan if everyone is creating clans, though accurately observing that he cant fight for both clans simultaneously.
Even their best player Lighta - decided from a lengthy poll with perhaps two dozen candidates - used the F keys and seemingly relied heavily on plant nades; at least half of their focus was on playing CTF. Arrival of WindowsXP appeared to interrupt their gaming to some extent, and years later they'd still communicate on their social media looking back to DXMP times.
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Set DeusEx.exe to start as admin, to try and avoid numerous write access issues early, or with Steam library + Kentie's Deus Exe launcher combo r-click Deus Ex in games list and select properties, then add -localdata into the empty 'launch options' field to keep writable game files in classic location (Kentie will put them in your Documents folder otherwise).
If you want same functionality without Steam then just create or use a shortcut of DeusEx.exe and in the end of target field add -localdata
If theres any spaces in the path to deusex.exe then you gotta surround path part with quotes like this:
"c:\program filez\Deus Ex\System\deusex.exe" -localdata
Deus Ex will run totally fine with the files in Documents, but it may require additional steps at first like manually creating Cache folder or something annoying like that, downloading 0kb / zero-size cache files is also reoccurring problem then, so delete any you find.📃 No Servers: open DeusEx.ini and Ctrl+F for 'masters', once you find [DeusEx.MenuScreenJoinGame] make sure the entire block looks like this:
[DeusEx.MenuScreenJoinGame]
MasterServerAddress=master.333networks.comIf that doesnt work at the time youre reading this, then refresh and give it a moment in case its lagging, after letting it through firewall, and if its totally dead then try adding this address into ini instead: master.deusexnetwork.com
🖱️ Mouse uncontrollable: for direct mouse control you'll want to follow instructions here https://kentie.net/article/dxguide/ and ensure first checkbox with rawinput is selected (which it should be by default).
For oldschool mouse feel you'll want http://donewmouseaccel.blogspot.com/2010/03/markc-windows-7-mouse-acceleration-fix.html set up according to its instructions, but you should check above option first.
Additionally, force vsync off every way possible (gfx panel, ini settings) and make sure something like msaa fxaa isnt enabled for deus ex in graphics control panel, and that tvmonitor is in gaming mode. If your mouse is too slow to react and feels rubbery then you have some kind of input delay like vsync or other postprocessing, maybe even from monitor not being in gaming mode. If your mouse is skating on ice and going past target you have acceleration and your only fixes are some kind of app that adds raw input (such as Kentie's launcher or rinput) or to flatten acceleration inside windows itself with mousefix registry edits.
🖥️ Dark game: stock D3D will be dark these days, you'll get most accurate mouse aim if you follow instructions here: https://kentie.net/article/d3d10drv/index.htm - or if you really dont like it then try something from this page http://www.cwdohnal.com/utglr/ after that select that renderer in launcher or in game and change renderer settings using in-game preferences command, or look for your renderer section in DeusEx.ini after you launched the game once with it (eg ctrl+f D3D10). VSync=Off and limit your framerate from here.
🗿 No players: you have to join groups on social media, for example the
DXHQ Discord server, or otherwise socialize with those who have the game. Self-sustained game died with GameSpy in 2014 so now your server list is the social media.
📃 Tip: although not so important these days, to view who is playing in servers and to enter passworded servers without console commands you can get DXMTL152b1 from here https://www.deusexnetwork.com/files?q=mtl, manual one or installer.
📃 Tip: you'll need fixed engine.dll sooner or later to watch demo recordings so get it from here https://www.deusexnetwork.com/files?q=engine-dll
🖥️ Tip: already briefly mentioned, but you should set up graphics profile for DeusEx.exe to make sure it runs with safe looking settings or set to application decides; very big laggers are vsync which should be forced off but also some anti-aliasing techniques like msaa that cause delay. The lower your monitor refresh the worse the effect is, that is to say the effect of vsync on a 60hz common monitor is very, very bad, effectively making you play like a n00b.
On that note, use the highest refresh rate your monitor has for competitive gaming, but know that this engine cannot handle more than 200 fps. If you really want to use that 240Hz monitor then you can try it with CDX servers and maybe some future server patches, because although your game will still be a bit messed up the server on new patches wont be affected. Use renderer settings (eg under [D3D10Drv.D3D10RenderDevice] section I have this following line FPSLimit=142) in "preferences" or DeusEx.ini to cap fps, or if youre unable to get a hard cap then try launcher fps cap field - according to reports here you should only use one FPS capping method at a time.
🖱️ Tip: set your mouse to 400dpi for snappy head aim, or not more than 800dpi for pro tier gaming; if you use raw input mode and pistol shots land ideally where you imagine they should land, the mode (and the mouse) probably works.
As evidenced by the plethora of captivating videos uploaded by players, DXMP offers an adrenaline-fueled, breakneck experience characterized by high stakes and even higher rewards, oscillating between periods of dominance and moments of adversity. Among the ranks of newcomers, two distinct archetypes emerge: The Tourist and the Man With the Plan.
The Tourist nonchalantly slings his GEP gun and Jedi sword into his waist pouch, embarking on a leisurely stroll through the map, taking in the sights and sounds. While this may seem picturesque, it's a misplaced endeavor in a neighborhood teeming with augmented killing machines.
In contrast, the Man With the Plan is well-versed in Deus Ex's intricacies, from skill levels to weaponry and augmentations. Armed with useful guides and aided by knowledgeable comrades, he's already configured his hotkeys and mapped out his strategy. With pre-planned augmentations and a selection of weapons primed for swift eliminations, he deftly navigates the battlefield. When frenzied adversaries close in, our hero has long vanished into the shadows, preparing and evolving, biding his time for the opportune moment to seize control of the scene.
Environmental skill (6) is not used in classic DXMP, the rest should be self-explanatory. Crossbow is a pistol-class weapon and historically nobody uses defensive aug against its poison.
What different augmentations do should be clear from their descriptions, but Energy Shield also defends against LAM, LAW, HE20 explosions. High energy drain augs like vision and speed should only be very briefly toggled on in desperate need. PR is vulnerable against LAMs and DTS.
Sniper rifle does practically no damage without Zoom, and double damage to head. At beginning use it for very long range or better dont use it at all.
Before we even mention playing you have to fix some buttons for MP that were never properly set up by devs. Open your User.ini file and find [Extension.InputExt] section for multiplayer buttons: we are going to plan out your keys now and add them there.
Talk - move 'talk' and 'teamtalk' buttons somewhere else, I use Numpad 3 & 6, otherwise you probably die locked into chat more often than you'd like.
Heal HP - if you have a favourite button for healing stuff, find it and make it look like my button F= here: F=ParseRightClick|ParseRightClick|MedBind|OnRelease ActivateBelt 2
It puts away anything blocking healing, then looks for commands under an alias MedBind that you dont have yet, then takes out weapon in second slot. Instead of this long line you can also put here simply ActivateBelt 9Heal Energy - now find 2nd such key for healing - this time your bio energy, and modify it to look like my Alt= button: Alt=ParseRightClick|ParseRightClick|BioBind|OnRelease ActivateBelt 2
Working identically to the above heal bind it wont actually heal unless we scroll down to our Aliases lines and modify some empty line with value None to look like these two, in my case 18th and 19th alias were empty:
Aliases[18]=(Command="ActivateBelt 9|onRelease ParseLeftClick",Alias=MedKit)
Aliases[19]=(Command="ActivateBelt 0|onRelease ParseLeftClick",Alias=BioCell)Mouse - make sure you have ToggleScope on a good button, modern games use RMB but I understand if you like it on the keyboard, I kinda miss having it there for relaxed hand, and for item pickup I use Wheel, so the relevant buttons for me are:
RightMouse=ToggleScope
MouseWheelDown=parserightclick
MouseWheelUp=parserightclickSprint - or real name Speed Enhancement: find your next most comfortable button thats still free for MP and make it look like my E= button here: E=DualMapF7
Its an odd one because the paired aug doesnt need any button, while this one needs the best button you got, but you'll want it set.Bullet Shield - or real name Ballistic Protection: next key you add is DualMapF6 for ballistic protection, i use Q so it looks like this: Q=DualMapF6
Rocket Shield - or real name Aggressive Defense System: key value is DualMapF9 for aggressively defending against flying rockets, I use R so it looks like this R=DualMapF9
Heal Regen - or real name Regeneration: next you want healing(!) aug key DualMapF4 and since I use X it looks like this: X=DualMapF4
Blast Shield - or real name Energy Shield: to protect against grenade explosions and plasma attacks you want DualMapF3 and my C button looks like this: C=DualMapF3
EMP Shield - mainly against the EMP grenades but also the odd drone, I use Z with DualMapF5 so it looks like this: Z=DualMapF5
Cloak - or Vision, regardless you need good button for DualMapF8 that you click a lot, for me currently its Unknown05=DualMapF8 which is a mouse sidebutton enabled by Kentie, but I've tried to use pipe/backslash also Backslash=DualMapF8
Run Silent - but we are not done yet: Run Silent is next tier gaming and throws enemy off big time, but itll never be among your top priorities, I use N so it looks like this: N=DualMapF10
Aqualung - similar logic as above and not every map has water unfortunately, I use V so it looks like this: V=DualMapF11
Light - most important aug, no matter your score or server, you'll always have your trusty light aug, M button for me so its like this: M=dualmapf12 (however bear in mind if you can see the light around you then so can enemy, even through walls)
Buy Skills - to quickly upgrade skills in a fight just copy and paste these number buttons into your ini:
And copy these Function button values also:9=BuySkills|ActivateBelt 9|OnRelease ActivateBelt 9
5=buyskills|activatebelt 5
6=buyskills|activatebelt 6
7=buyskills|activatebelt 7
8=buyskills|activatebelt 8
4=ActivateBelt 4
3=ActivateBelt 3
2=ActivateBelt 2
1=ActivateBelt 1
0=BuySkills|ActivateBelt 0|OnRelease ActivateBelt 0F1=BuySkills|ActivateBelt 1|OnRelease ActivateBelt 1
F2=BuySkills|ActivateBelt 2|OnRelease ActivateBelt 2
F3=BuySkills|ActivateBelt 3|OnRelease ActivateBelt 3
F4=BuySkills|ActivateBelt 4|OnRelease ActivateBelt 4The number on number row or function row corresponds to the skill in buyskill menu, so there shouldn't be anything confusing. Its possible to make double-upgrade binds for half-cost skills but I don't recommend them.
Misc buttons - my switch ammo is on Tab so it looks like this: Tab=switchammo
I use L for DropItem personally but default should be MiddleMouse which is totally fine by me so go with either, the default: MiddleMouse=DropItem
Useful for checking your lags is a string of commands I put behind my Comma button, so like this: Comma=Stat Net|Stat FPS
Feigning dead can have various purposes, here on my numpad . it looks like this: NumPadPeriod=FeignDeath
Capslock is a nice big button but annoying for chat, so I put toggle score on it: CapsLock=showscores
Some servers have map vote window you can bring up: Backspace=mutate mapvotePersonal choices: I use Shift for crouching, so it looks like this: Shift=duck
I also like having lockpick and multitool closer to me but you might find better use for those specific buttons, so my lockpick looks like:
t=activatebelt 7
And my multitool looks like: Ctrl=ActivateBelt 8
Similarly I brought gas closer to fingertips since Im not happy with belt button 6 for it, so G for grenade it looks like this: G=activatebelt 6
Tips: think through your own buttons logically like this, step by step, your muscle memory will get used to them fast so find some method to this madness before you discover you need to make changes - best starting point is to find parallels with functions from other games youre used to; prioritize buttons you need to click a lot, ie DualMapF7.
Tips: look for any good unused buttons for functions you want to add, in my example above I have not used the second mouse side button, and my choices for "T" and "Ctrl" could likely be decided better by you.
Tips: its possible to bind multiple augmentations to a button, and depending on your experience and preferences you may use some of them, starting with ActivateAllAugs I think it was called, which you can find in game menu, and similarly DeactivateAllAugs that I used until recently and then removed. It is better to build skill with individual or combo aug binds than toggle everything once, although sometimes called the panick button. Note that there is minute difference in the sounds different grenades make even if you cant see them, but some people do bind temporary shields such as EnergyShield + EMP Shield to same button, which would then look like this: button=DualMapF3|DualMapF5
Also very common is to bind weapon damage augmentations to mouse fire, like Targeting (so bullet shield button) or Combat Strength (your blast shield button) being chained something like this in case of knifing strats: LeftMouse=ParseLeftClick|Fire|DualMapF3
If you start adding functions to mouse fire however then you might need to bind some command to change its functionality depending on your style. (Edit: at time of writing I don't know how to exec-bind complex leftmouse functionality, so bindkey LeftMouse ParseLeftClick|Fire|ToggleCombat - where ToggleCombat is already defined alias of ActivateAugmentation 0|OnRelease ActivateAugmentation 0 - does work if I manually type it, but not if I try to exec it from bindaug files or elsewhere, instead just binding first element ParseLeftClick and stopping at pipe.)
Tips: more advanced territory is binds to change aug prefs and you can create variety of layouts based on this typical vision rifler setup were going to make now, so create new text file in game system folder and name it something like vision.txt or speedtank or whatever, then open it and paste the following inside it, then save it (this is dependent on MTL):
BindAug 1 AugBallistic
BindAug 2 AugDefense
BindAug 3 AugHealing
BindAug 4 AugVision
BindAug 5 AugShield
BindAug 6 AugEMP
BindAug 7 AugStealth
Bindaug 8 AugAqualung
BindAug -1
Then find some yet unused button in your user.ini like something on the numpad and make it look like this: NumPad5=exec vision.txt
Even more advanced and potentially unhealthy is to change your game conf constantly depending on style or even weapon, for example you can daisy-chain fov command after a weapon, using pipe symbol as youve seen already, so something like 2=activatebelt 2|fov 120
I don't really recommend it although Ive actually used it longer period of time at some point, that fov can glitch out and in general its best to be used to certain depth in my opinion. Another such setting that can be added or used instead of fov is mouse sensitivity, so something like this: 2=activatebelt 2|fov 120|setsensitivity 1.59
Once again, although I have used it and there is a strong case to be made for speeding up the heavy weapons, I think having a constant mouse speed that you are used to is better.
When we get to the territory of binding things to our fire key, ideal would be to have it in the respective style .txt sheets but they dont seem to work from there so you'll probably have to type it in: bindkey LeftMouse ParseLeftClick|Fire|DualMapF6|OnRelease DualMapF6
And for any other non-targ or non-cs style you want default mouse back so enter command: bindkey LeftMouse ParseLeftClick|Fire
Note that there are 3 categories of names for augmentations: classic activateaugmentation akin to activatebelt, the MTL-introduced dualmap, and the class name Aug
ActivateAugmentation 1 ; Regeneration & Radar Transparency
ActivateAugmentation 2 ; Environmental Resistance & EMP Shield
ActivateAugmentation 3 ; Targeting & Ballistic Protection
ActivateAugmentation 4 ; Speed Enhancement & Power Recirculator
ActivateAugmentation 5 ; Cloak & Vision
ActivateAugmentation 6 ; Spy Drone & Aggressive Defense System
ActivateAugmentation 7 ; Run Silent & Microfibral Muscle
ActivateAugmentation 8 ; Aqualung
ActivateAugmentation 9 ; Light
DualMapF4
DualMapF5
DualMapF6
DualMapF7
DualMapF8
DualMapF9
DualMapF10
DualMapF11
DualMapF12
AugHealing|AugRadarTrans
AugEnviro|AugEMP
AugTarget|AugBallistic
AugSpeed|AugPower
AugCloak|AugVision
AugDrone|AugDefense
AugStealth|AugMuscle
AugAqualung
AugLight
Best way to learn the best buttons for you is to use them to save your life in practice.
You can learn to play in Basic variants but ultimately all your skill is tested in Advanced, particularly in the ATDM. Game also has variety of different custom modes but you wont need most of your binds there - in 0a just use medbind and play with rifles and pistol.
Startup augs often mean Speed aug or Cloak - or both - as without streak you are super-vulnerable and ready for picking. The more aggressive players might go with speed + some defensive shield depending on what enemy is doing, typically Bally but might need ADS or even Energy shield.
Plan is to kill someone using some kind of advantage, without upgrades your weapons are weaker so using Heavy class on other unstreaked players can be a quick way to gain upper hand even with rifle play - just pick your place and method and dominate the opponent. Look for weaker opponents first.
Goal is to stay alive, in a sense that can be more important than a lot of frags because not dying means you carry streak of advantages for you and your team both; together you want to find an advantage over the enemy team, and keep that advantage to yourself entire map, denying enemy the score.
Maps have a variety of loot with locations you need to discover and memorize, especially freebies; holding turret areas can also decide the fate of the game. With loot you need to strike a balance between farming and surviving, because if you die carrying a lot of stuff then you got it for enemy.
Skills at startup really depend on your plan and your map, maybe you want to get turret fast, or maybe your goal is locked behind keypad or mechanical lock, or maybe youll go right after enemy. Remember just 'cause you can max cheaper skill doesnt mean you have to, in fact I'd recommend you upgrade two different skills instead - and make it count.
Try to support your team but dont lose focus of your solo play or you might get killed staring at your own team; try not to kill teammates although in mass fight it may yield your team a streak.
Preparations before leaving spawn:
- Select 'Speed Enhancement' as one of your top two augs, and make the other one 'Cloak', or for a very aggressive play you can pick something else here.
- Pick up 'Assault Shotgun', 'Dragon Tooth Sword', 'GEP Gun' for example weapons to practice, or something of your choice is also fine as long as you focus.
- Upgrade 'Lock Picking' and 'Medicine', or if current map doesn't have much interesting behind manual locks then go with 'Multitooling' or even 'Computers'.
Leave spawn and practice:
- Toggle Speed Enhancement on in short bursts to practice big *jumps* and just bounce around map geometry for fun, DXMP_Silo is ideal map for it.
- Add to the above practice controlled shots or swings from your chosen lighter weight weapon, and keep bouncing and calmly firing at things.
- Take an occasional pause to briefly equip 'GEP Gun' and fire at something, especially if there are other players you can try kill them with it.
You're probably out of bio energy by now and are starting to get the idea, so lets proceed to learn the map:
- Put GEP away, throw it if you want to save time, and look for loot on the map: you want to first find and remember all the *free stuff* there.
- While free stuff will influence what skills you pick, odds are someone already took your goodies so go learn where all the *locked things* are.
- Try do the looting and exploration with 'Cloak' aug enabled but stay away from enemy sound range and crosshair, some might also have Vision aug.
You can practice these elements of speed movement and precise hits and map looting, cloak favors looting and ambush so if you want to do more shooting instead then just move 'Ballistic Protection' above Cloak in priorities, or some other shield that counters what opponent is doing.
Decent chance that with the above you've already managed to streak up and doubled your augmentations, but lets get down to business starting from afar:
- With GEP you want to keep some distance and target those with 0 streak on scoreboard, with a LAM you mightve found by now you want to predict and bounce it.
- Similarly you can surprise and sting from a distance using powerful alt-ammo youve found like the 'HE20' for rifle or 'WP' for GEP, maybe even try a bazooka.
- Your Cloak ambush can be further enhanced with cleverly planted grenades, also take ownership of Turret some point soon and use it as your bodyguard.
Playing from distance like that can be extremely effective and good on your score, but to streak up from close you'd practice the following:
- Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee - when you spot your victim try to use element of surprise and quickly put precise shots into same hitbox region.
- Learning weapon shot patterns and timing you want to go for head very close up or pure torso if head isnt working out, practice quick DTS kills unupgraded.
- You can combine these high damage weapons with grenade traps you or someone has set, and perhaps even try a pistol if you are good with them in other games.
Now that you can find loot, bounce, and get streaks, its time to learn how to dominate the enemy:
- Avoid dying, your streak is more important than a risky fight, maintain a constant supply of at least some heals, restocking when low but not feeding enemy.
- Take all turrets with team and help them wipe out any stray opponents asap, take fights on your terms and to your preferred locations, trapping opponents.
- Spam weakened respawning enemy with massive damage and take map resources including heal bots before them, maintain permanent BP and ADS keeping ES ready.
Sometimes it is better to just kill the enemy instead overthinking it, just remember to keep your advantage youve worked for. Build up your game and have fun.
If you cannot focus on your weapon fire and survival anymore then theres a good chance its time to take a break or radically change strats.
At the time of writing the community plays the most popular gametype variants, you may just show interest towards Advanced match or 0a match and it can contribute towards whats in the schedule soon. More niche requests may take a while longer to set up and may not have maximum amount of people, but with the right organizing everything is possible.
DXMP has gone through variety of paradigm shifts and currently we play without weapon accuracy mechanics and with strange head hitbox, because available alternatives have the broken game speed and that is somehow even less desirable.
Those who certainly want to enjoy the classic DXMP would benefit from considering the following: historically the game has been played practically without patches, reliant only on vigilant admins and their gut feeling. As that arrangement may not satisfy everyone, technically FPS/Delta Time scoreboard and any settings to freeze or kick player in ANNA, if those were ever shipped with mod, plus Kai's netspeed mutator combo can keep lot of the problem in check. For purely oldschool experience just the netspeed mutator may suffice, but that would be unable to do anything about player CPU stepping. Think through what interval you want to make mutator do its job, and bear in mind you want the netspeed to cap FPS below 200, my server seems to have ForceNetspeed=12700. It's on a timer for 5 seconds, and both that and the value it sets are configs in the ini. To install it:
ServerActors=TCModify104.TCModifyMut
ServerPackages=TCModify104
Our focus does tend to be on ATDM or more rare ADM, since its the game type that makes DXMP stand out the most, however all of the active players are experienced in 0a scene as well and may wish to relive that experience.
In 2020s we are happy with 6-8 players in regular matches during activity spikes, but potential for 14-16 is there, going even over the max capacity of some main servers during some rare events.
Continent that the match takes place on also depends on current trends and moods, on who is organizing and who is playing; with CDX specifically you'll perhaps find cross-continent play more enjoyable, allowing even Asians and Australians play somewhat competitively in Europe and US.
Welcome to our historical repository, where accuracy and factual representation are paramount. While we strive to provide an authentic narrative, we encourage you to delve into the wealth of linked sources to cultivate your own understanding. The intricate tapestry of clan histories often emerges from biased perspectives, and memories fade with time, underscoring the perpetual need for corrections and updates to our resource.
Should you possess additional information or wish to issue corrections, we invite you to reach out via email at synthetic.dx@gmail.com. Creative interpretations are celebrated within our stories page or may enrich our background field, while elsewhere factual accuracy remains our cornerstone.
I warmly welcome any memories you have of the game. However, verifying details like match outcomes can be challenging. Ideally, I'd like to see material that supports the claimed success. We have a category for matches that likely occurred but lack concrete evidence, labeled as 'possibly happened.' Unfortunately, these low probability matches do not contribute to our statistics. This limitation extends to my own clans' matches as well.
Our clan list aims to showcase and narrate the stories of various Tags without bias towards their success, size, longevity, or era. Some of the strongest clans existed for mere days or weeks, while some enduring clans may not have been particularly formidable. I believe both aspects are valuable, and I'm committed to including tags that represent diverse groups within the game.
Initially, tags were added from known and documented clans, while unknown tags were omitted. However, ongoing efforts involve adding unknown tags identified from screenshots. It's reasonable to assume that most significant clans are now on the list, but there are likely many short-lived tags yet to be included. Hasharin's contributions to this effort were sourced similarly, although his access to a unique subcommunity of non-English players may have provided him with information about over a hundred clans previously unseen by me. If the Japanese community alone managed to introduce around 5 or more tags, then it's not implausible that every other player with a non-English copy of Deus Ex could collectively contribute a hundred or more.
The current state of our data means that sorting and filtering the list may overlook many lesser-known clans. Roster and clan war information is notably incomplete, rendering sorting by these metrics more of a novelty than reliable statistics. Game types were sporadically filled, largely based on educated guesses. While I could speculate about other clans based on their era, I prefer to refrain until stronger evidence of their strength surfaces.
The primary criterion for inclusion in the clan list is that a tag existed at a given time and was promoted, distinguishing it somewhat from very impromptu troll tags, but indeed encompassing a few social and joke clans - after all, a clan is a clan.
The game was officially online from December 2000 to the end of May 2014. We observed some residual activity until the end of that year, but thereafter, all games were organized on social media platforms. Although most players had access to the new server list and the addition of new players to the competitive scene was already minimal, the combination of a critically bugged game and the formal discontinuation of the server list provided regulars with the impetus to finally retire.
In the event that some of the currently (2023) live links go down, you can attempt to resurrect them yourself using a service like https://web.archive.org. I understand that other web crawlers are also contributing to Archive.org, so results may improve in the future.
I retain dead links partly because I solely rely on archive.org and do not utilize any other tools that may emerge in the future, and partly because there is valuable information even in the plain address or its existence.
Forum links to Invisionfree that were taken over by Tapatalk have led to broken original formatting, but this only affects live forums still functional today.
I aim to categorize clans based on skill level, assuming intermediate clans have no difficulty defeating beginner clans, and top clans have no difficulty defeating intermediate clans. Moreover, I strive to distinguish social tags, and each entry is currently designated as Superb, Advanced, or Beginner tier. I believe this tier system accurately reflects clan evolution based on my extensive experience in dozens of matches. While I've made educated guesses in the list to improve sorting, I've also started assigning more tiers not only to indicate evolution but also skill range. A wide range of skill levels makes sense, particularly with top clans of the first month of the game, who were clearly superior yet were still learning the game only weeks ago. Similarly, you can expect to see many tiers assigned to clans that have been around for decades and matured over time. Assigning a Basic tier to clans that are unheard of and related to specific communities like BTDM or 0aug seems like a reasonable approach until more information surfaces. Because the tiers assigned here are not directly tied to any metric, such as war statistics that are scarce in DXMP, and can be subject to debate, you can also choose to ignore them - they exist solely to provide a general idea of a clan's position, and like everything else here, they may be inaccurate.
The marked game type must be a combination of clan focus and accepted wars, regardless of what individual members might have played on their own initiative. The type of server the clan hosted is likely a sufficient identifier.
Since it has been decades since these links were last live, assume that everything is archived; fully functional websites at this point are extremely rare. However, the archiver is now able to play some flash content, and they appear to be developing it further. In other cases, you might be able to download the content and find your own solution.
- 2024-07-16: Well, now it is complete. After two months pause the last entries have been moved over to this new list. Total sum of clans differs by half a dozen since here we have many improvements and deeper research, and now merging references to hypothetical clan entries into known tags which shrunk the list slightly. The countless little touches the site still needs will not be listed in future updates, but the dozen or so "incomplete entries" should quietly get filled in soon. Stats should probably be separated for major gametypes, as well as rounded up per unique challenger, in future.
It's been so long now that this list is equally for those who missed out as well as for those who are forgetting, perhaps even mainly for the latter. - 2024-05-06: The clan list is complete. Well, for the time being. This not only finalizes the migration from an ugly data table format into something more presentable but also brings to life a storytelling update planned for my clan list sometime in mid to late 2005, now 19 years ago. The world has changed in that time, and today I've also decided to process text pages on this site with ChatGPT, so your brain doesn't commit sudoku after getting past the first three clunky sentences of my writing.
All good things take time. And let's be honest: I used an AI to communicate with you because, hey, this is Deus Ex. - 2024-03-28: The decision has been made to remove any contact and other personal information from files. Previously, this data served to connect players and recognize old friends via largely expired addresses over 20 years old. Although once-public information, in hindsight, it conflicts with modern-day personal data security expectations and the general desire for anonymity within the community. A notable exception will be made for very approximate birth years; in DXMP, everyone is a celebrity, and guessing age is part of the culture.
On that note, back in the day, the oldest DXMP player kids had heard of was the venerable Dammit, rumored to be 50-60 years old, and he even had his website age changed to "Very Old!". In reality, he hadn't even entered his 40s yet. The author here will soon catch up in age and certainly has someone to raise a toast to. - 2024-03-26: With a heavy heart, one clan's ranking has been temporarily readjusted. Unfortunately, if any skilled clan forms and proceeds to beat you in a war, then it's not an S-tier clan. These tiers are not an exact science, and similar adjustments can be expected in the future to better reflect the balance.
On a lighter note, let's give thanks to those tags in parentheses, making the task of marking tiers so much easier. - 2024-03-26: We're approaching 50% completion at a fairly decent resolution, but a growing list of deeper clan content is added to the future tasks. A higher priority is placed on first-year clans, as they interest everyone, including myself, more. This list is becoming much more accurate and improved, likely leading to the old Google Sheets being taken offline after this site is complete.
Also, note how our homeboy Hasharin single-handedly accounts for one-third of the entire game, keeping Basic in a tight race with other dominant scenes. - 2024-02-28: A more thorough implementation of Clan News and a deeper pass (plan A) has to wait for better times. Similarly, migrating clans in chronological order (plan B) for better resolution and to correct plenty of mistakes has made it to [DU] but also has to be put on hold. The current goal is to move old content as-is (plan C) with fixes only to the errors caught on the go. Migration is 5% complete.
Meanwhile, behold this badboy bringing us all the early clans of DXMP here. - 2024-02-17: The concept of the Timeline page, meant to visually represent conversations and activity from certain eras, has largely been finalized for the time being. Stemming from having my own links to archived content that I wanted to share, it predominantly deals with the very early days and should spark greater interest among a wider range of audiences. I've attempted to present the most important posts first, ideally all DXMP-related, and sometimes web pages if time permitted. There's always a link to both forums and sites in the header for you to check yourself. One of the main purposes of the Timeline is to save you the hassle of searching.
If you're not careful, you might stumble upon posts by DOGNY and Soviet, and there's even a rare example of MRCAPS to uncover. - 2024-01-16: Discovered a file with forum and website links to many dead URLs, now added with the Wayback Machine back into the clan list (originally in 2005, I didn't preserve URLs if I couldn't access the site).
I don't want to inflate their ego before it explodes, but Triad actually has one of the more thorough clan lists I've seen in the community, if slightly behind the one you're seeing here. - 2023-06-30: Added Generation Triad along with its available stats and info; also added several unknown clans from 2006 (VTG, dB', SA, Op, IA, AI, D0D, ni, TMX, DXBC); found nMe and other lost links.
With the latest pass, I've actually unearthed so many more links to long-lost sites that I'm beginning to wonder if someone slipped Adderall into my diet. - 2023: Founders and Leaders are a bit mixed up here and there, mainly because listed leaders were not always the founders; in other cases, the founder wasn't even in the clan anymore. I'll distinguish them with a note.
We all know that the odds of receiving valuable corrections to this list from public feedback are certainly increased if we manage to get this wrong. - 2023: Made some changes to the list to get sorting to work properly, notably inserting January if we only know the year, or Jan-July-Dec for early, mid, and late year scope; italic denotes just a guess, while bold indicates a certain and verified date.
Literally playing God, here, determining how long any given clan should or could live. - 2023: The links are now fixed, and the clan list is filled with additional information.
Pretty sure information is a kind of drug, hence caution is advised.
- [T] threads: Clan Transcend.
- [A] threads: ".. apparently trauma, system, gaz, stryder have all made accounts on [A] at one time or another."
- Should scan through "ChineseDemocracy DXMP Blog" older section more thoroughly.
- Forum: DX-ST forums has a lot saved not analyzed.
- Forum: DXC has a lot of content on forums I don't have time for, 2006-2007 era.
- Forum: DxP live forums, no time to go through its content, 2008-2009 era.
- Forum: E3 and also TDA forums contain posts.
- EgoTc: The eGo clan has an additional tag, TC, later seen on their forum link. This could indicate either a clan merge or a tag change, but without confirmation that it's a separate clan, I am not adding it to the list.
- GD: Likely a Counter-Strike clan with no presence in DXMP. The unknown clan of an unknown game (https://web.archive.org/web/20040405075017/http://theinformant.jaywebdesigns.com:80/ben/) was recruiting at least Cal-M (Laggyspizzle from Google: "Rankings went cal-o, cal-im, cal-m, cal-p, cal i. Anyone could join o, and moving up in leagues was based on performance at the end of the season. Cal-i was mostly just pros.").
- Eqm?: I wonder if it's some clan idea I had in 2005 (https://web.archive.org/web/20230000000000*/http://phpbb-host.com/phpbb/index.php?mforum=eqmclan). I may have stumbled across my own Equilibrium clan idea since I was quite impressed by the movie of the same name then. However, aside from toying with forums, I never "committed" to starting the clan up and likely never wore the tag - if I had one. Probably sat in my 2005 bookmarks backup.
- /KOW\: "HK forums, /KOW\007 /KOW\MooSting%, 2004 Nov". This is possibly a DXMP clan. 007 was a member of the community around that time, and they registered close with DXMP players, but I have no evidence of it.
- ][GoB][: This might've been my clan idea during week 3 after starting and seeing others in clans. I have no clue what it meant. [DefaultPlayer] Name=][GoB][Rån£12¤€M. I might've tried to make a clan instead of joining one, but soon, I'd be in TSS. I'm guessing this tag was never a thing.
- Alie[SoJ]: (quaja@) from the Japanese community appears once, but may be a visiting tag, although others in their server made 1-man (or larger) clans.
- GM[現RedSS]: Just as above, same forums, tag may denote currently-in.
- [DA]Shadow: Mid-2007 unknown DA clan, but there are a bunch of [DA] he could be from, including even original [DA]DarkShadow.
- <DOR>|Pvt_SUPA: Got a sig made by Makaveli of [C]. Demons of Razgriz is likely the clan name but unsure which game.
- New SvS HomePage!: Mentioned on RTK forums in mid-2008, not sure if that's a clan.
- [PF]: Link advertised by Kiri but unknown if it's a DXMP clan or what it is.
- [NI][JAM]: Player name Jam but not clear what tag he is wearing; EdH forums - Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:01 pm (EdH forums Hi thread).
- Netspider_{SaNd}: On DXMP2 petitions presumably DXMP tag but not listed so not yet adding, Xrimson[IDXL] same (edit: IDXL a tag of the League project of late 2001 but likely cant be considered a clan), MajorKickAss was leading some old clan FIRERUNNER was in but not clear what tag.
- DB: Fear wears unknown [DB] tag on a screenshot dated around REN times, supposedly Sept 2008. I somehow doubt it's Deus Brawlers(?) and since it's accompanied by [Urb] tag, it may be a clan from another game. (edit: I think I actually had this one eventually figured out and clan list should already reflect it).
- The X Clan: Involvement in DXMP is not clear, it's a multi-game group that was signed for the continuously evolving DX League (IDXL + DXL) and possibly was seen playing DXMP 0a even years later while somehow getting involved (absorbed?) with HK. It was later said X clan was organizing league or tournament, but not clear which one, perhaps eX clan was meant in that instance.
- [TNO] "Darth Dill": Jan 2002 Feb 2002 Darth Dill (mail Bradd25) -- same as above; 1v1 ladder existed so maybe one of the smaller ones like this one is actually DXMP.
- [SFI]: "" https://web.archive.org/web/20020512115045/http://sficlan.tripod.com/sficlan/main.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20020208051013/http://members.aol.com/sficlan/index.html?mtbrand=AOL_US 7+ https://web.archive.org/web/20020518235111/http://sficlan.tripod.com:80/sficlan/id3.html -- same as above!
- The best "The Best" christophe (20200%20bastia): Mentioned with 0 listed players for DXL, but not sure it's worth adding to the list as it doesn't even have discernible tag.
- Bunch of these 2002 DXL listed clans: Are unclear which ones are for our game.
- ExplicitSc{+}pe: Seems to have some kind of DX-CG clan but I can't decipher what it is. site URL 1 site URL 2 & forums URL 1 forums URL 2 He hosted later [RTK] clan, so probably something to do with LOX / KillingMachine.
- V[ＲｏＢ]: In Japanese community 2002/03/11, not enough info to add. https://web.archive.org/web/20020313120207/http://www.moko2.com:80/~deusex/bbs/treebbs.cgi?mode=listview%26amp;start=11
- [SaF]: [S]GrAfFiX2 is telling some kind of strange story about [S] and unknown clan [SaF] alliance and the dramatic story around it. https://web.archive.org/web/20010921181157/http://pub50.ezboard.com:80/fsclansbsboardfrm17.showMessage?topicID=23.topic (edit: as this story was later also corroborated by another member during the 2002 revival, its now actually added to the list).
- [GPL]: [S]GrAfFiX2 is jokingly suggesting making a new clan Geppers-For-Life [GPL]. https://web.archive.org/web/20010716074656/http://pub50.ezboard.com:80/fsclansbsboardfrm2.showMessage?topicID=23.topic
- [VDS]?: Punisher was posting this site on [S] boards but should be under old [S] and newer [TB] tags, so it's probably nothing. https://web.archive.org/web/20020106124842/http://punisher.tsx.to:80/ https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.geocities.com/s_punisher_uk/*
- Ch: 07-02-2001 12:22 PM by Ch ViRuS. Speculating but the user might have a tag in front as per username limitations with brackets. https://web.archive.org/web/20010702182209/http://www.gamereaction.com:80/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=82/Forum1/HTML/images/edge/menubottom.gif
- =]MACH[=CrAzEd: Is giving MTL advice to DxBlade on here but not full certainty it's DXMP clan - should be. https://web.archive.org/web/20050701152711/http://www.edgeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8945
- (HOTA)_Death: Likely DXMP clan but no access to his thread on Ion Storm forums. https://web.archive.org/web/20030301164337/http://www.ionstorm.com:80/forum/summary.asp?forum=AMB_AP645260439&sort=datelast&order=desc&page=1&pagesize=20&idate=
- [GSI]Slicer[DEA]: Is wearing unknown tag seen here alongside his usual [DEA]. https://web.archive.org/web/20020126233931/http://dynamic3.gamespy.com:80/~idxl/ultimatebb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000001 (edit: he sometimes made up tags to signify his role as a server admin, and perhaps other social groups, which is almost certainly the case here).
- [SKU]: Clan by DoughBoy of Alpha had some DX members like Bobodaknifa, but seems to have been CounterStrike clan. https://web.archive.org/web/20040613095234/http://skuclan.co.uk:80/forum/
- Parallax hosts sites for [DA], and [PRA]: Of unknown game - not listed in DXMP links so unlikely to be relevant. Jun 22, 2003.
- GF_Buddha of possible [GF] clan: Said hi to [DCSB] although nobody seemed to know who it is. July 23, 2002.
- [TFM]: Seen here is likely Team Fortress and CS related tag with no DXMP involvement. https://web.archive.org/web/20020609075539/http://www.tswdx.com/forums/ (edit: could be speculated that even the tag stands for Team Fortress something).
With developer support for DXMP ceasing in early 2001, many eagerly anticipated the next installment in the series, envisioning a more refined online experience. This sentiment reverberated across numerous forums of the era.
GameSpot: Though Deus Ex shipped as a single-player game, Ion Storm released a free multiplayer add-on some months later. How was it received? Will Deus Ex 2 have multiplayer out of the box, and if so, what will it be like?
Warren Spector: The multiplayer patch was well received, if not as widely played as we might have hoped. Everyone who played it and took the time to tell us about his or her experience seemed to appreciate how different the Deus Ex multiplayer experience was from the rest of the multiplayer games out there. And that was our goal, really. We wanted to see if our character and experience differentiating gameplay tools worked as well in a multiplayer setting as in a single-player one, and we got the answer we were hoping for. Having said that, the work involved in creating a genuinely unique multiplayer experience and in supporting a multiplayer community turned out to be...significant...and we need to keep our focus on the single-player experience. There´s a petition out there right now asking us to do multiplayer versions of our future games, but I really think we´re better off--and players are better served--if we focus on what we do best, which is providing a first-rate, single-player, story-based, character-driven experience.
However, prospects for DXMP2 appeared grim, and as 2002 unfolded, additional details about the sequel surfaced.
Multiplayer will almost certainly not be included at release. Whether or not patch will come is unknown. It isn't entirely out of the question, according to Smith, but it would require a strong demand from the community.
This sparked a flurry of activity on clan boards, with multiple petition pages springing up, advocating for the inclusion of multiplayer in DX2. The primary petition here, garnered 801 signatures before Petition Online's closure in 2014, a year which marked a poignant moment for DXMP enthusiasts amidst the waning years of the game.
Deus Ex: Clan Wars
The notion of multiplayer for Deus Ex had been lingering in Warren Spector's mind, and our very own DXMP was described as their learning curve in crafting an online game. While DX2 was already firmly on the production/pre-production path, likely slated for consoles-first by contractual obligations, the emergence of a serious online game plan hinted at the developer or publisher taking note of our community's activities. After all, the bulk of DXMP's existence unfolded across two different Ion Storm forums, facilitated by clans like [BH] Black Hand, [DEA] Deus Ex Assassins, [DUI] Deusing Under Influence, and [S]talkers. I currently lack a solid source detailing how this concept landed on the publisher's table, but it appears they took the reins, even without Ion Storm.
This obscure game hails from our publisher, Eidos Interactive, and was entrusted to the newly acquired developer, Crystal Dynamics, known for their recent Tomb Raider titles.
The publisher also sought a first-person shooter with a sci-fi setting akin to Deus Ex, ultimately mandating it be part of the series.
This decision was reversed six months before the game's completion, and it was released as Project: Snowblind in 2005.
So, we had a Deus Ex series game mandated by the publisher, recognizing the success of DX1. Six months before its release on February 22, 2005—just weeks after Ion Storm's demise on February 9—it underwent a sudden rebranding. Let's rewind six months earlier: DX2 had been out for nearly a year in North America, deemed a commercial success by the publisher. However, despite similar sales figures to DX1 over the subsequent years, the sequel was largely considered a failure by the fanbase due to various issues, from design flaws to a poorly executed PC port. I would have anticipated the publisher to scrap it due to poor sales, and indeed, it likely underperformed considering the widespread dissatisfaction. Yet, to my surprise, the numbers seemed satisfactory on paper. Thus, the decision to rebrand Clan Wars was likely motivated by a desire to salvage the franchise rather than let it further deteriorate, while also comparing it against previous titles.
Now dubbed Project Snowblind, upon release, it drew criticism for its lackluster multiplayer. Though featuring gameplay with augmentations and aimable turrets, it exuded a distinctively generic style reminiscent of TV games. The introduction of rigid classes contrasted with our game's dynamic emergent classes, with elements such as deployable shields remaining relevant today. However, the 5-second Cloak aug, which drains 33% of bio upon activation, and the bullet time aug of seemingly identical duration felt uninspired. It seemed to embody much of what we criticized about DX2, and with its dated appearance, it stood no chance against the titans of online shooters at the time, failing to meet even the standards of older classics. Watch some gameplay here and here.
Crysis
Ironically, meeting its demise on the same day as DXMP in 2014 with the loss of the GameSpy connection, Crysis occasionally draws comparisons as the potential successor to DXMP among some veterans. While bearing few similarities to DXMP, this game did receive a more polished sequel one year later in the form of Crysis Wars. It introduced drivable vehicles, a feature technically feasible in Clan Wars as well, alongside expansive campaign maps and controllable turrets. Elements like speed, agility, and a cloak, akin to augmentations, are incorporated into the worn nanosuit, albeit seemingly usable one at a time. Furthermore, there's mention of a day-night cycle, evoking the familiarity of nocturnal missions. From high-quality modern gameplay to a professional flow, the second Crysis embodies what DXMP2 could have been visually. However, despite its impressive aesthetics and smooth execution, it lacks the unique elements that define DXMP. We could emulate its gameplay even without augmentations, merely by utilizing vest items. To witness this firsthand, explore examples of gameplay from the first Crysis multiplayer here, and from Crysis Wars here.
The DXMP we're accustomed to unfolds in small, sharply defined mission locales, fostering complete focus. Custom maps that stray from this ethos of tight quarters are often met with lukewarm reception. We crave the occasional secluded nook for resupplying while our team advances, yet never straying too far from the enemy's reach. While certain Snowblind maps adhere to this principle, Crysis introduces a more campaign-like focus, carving a niche distinct from its predecessors. It's akin to comparing HL2DM, Quake, or CS to something like Battlefield. By honing in on a specific style, such as arena-type locations in our case, not only do we achieve a higher quality, but we also create a gameplay experience rich in engagement, driving adrenaline to new heights. It's this input-rich gameplay that sets us apart and could be equally intriguing and complex to publishers. DXMP's unique ability to dynamically generate player classes might be viewed by marketing teams as lacking flashy features and sexy avatars, but I, perhaps with a slight bias, find it extraordinary. And it doesn't have to exclude those enticing avatars.
Our game is Challenging, Risky, and Stylish. And that's precisely how we prefer it.
Unfortunately, this also means that no other game quite hits those notes or makes those gameplay decisions, catering to an intelligent and quick-witted player base. When you can't compete with the likes of Fortnite or Valorant within these parameters, it's best to carve out your own niche and excel within it. Decades of playtesting with those who've adapted to software bugs have shown that our two upgradable skill levels and array of augmentations offer a gameplay experience complex enough to be immensely enjoyable, yet not so intricate as to necessitate excessive grinding or progression saving. In our game, you can go from zero to hero in a minute, only to lose it all to a teammate's rocket a second later—and that's all part of the thrill, providing a plethora of possibilities beyond mere AWP headshots when peeking from a corner. We're not saying it doesn't happen here, but it's part of a much richer feature set.
We must make decisions about which weapon to wield, which augmentation to prioritize, and in what sequence we want access to them. We must navigate maps teeming with adversaries, some weakened, others bolstered, adapting our strategy accordingly. We must adeptly wield weapon classes with differing handling and damage outputs against foes with varying levels of protection. We must judiciously manage our augmentations, balancing their activation with energy conservation. And lastly, these enhancements, meticulously monitored and activated, yield substantial dividends—double to triple-digit rewards, not mere passive, temporary bonuses. We're talking about shrugging off rockets without a scratch or deflecting anti-tank rounds through synergistic augmentation stacking—gameplay elements that elevate the experience to unparalleled heights.
Developer
Focus must remain crystal clear; the code should prioritize inputs and network functionality, guided by seasoned hands. Deus Ex's essence lies in its meticulously crafted, intimate locations, even when expanded to encompass sprawling compounds and towering cathedrals. It offers players a palette of two dozen potentially simultaneous inputs, many of which offer upgradeable benefits. The game doesn't aim to emulate the whimsy of a Disney film; instead, it draws inspiration from the gritty, futuristic aesthetics of Blade Runner and The Matrix, captivating audiences with its distinctive style. While the most successful online shooters serve as valuable sources of UI and quality-of-life insights, the development team should feel emboldened to craft their own vision for a unique experience that aligns with the game's overarching style. In my view, this entails minimizing interface clutter and delivering realistic feedback.
Given its online nature, the game's release demands a robust front-end support system for the community. At the very least, this should include customizable avatars and the potential for future additions such as statistics and account features to foster engagement and recognition. As for alternative ideas, those outside the scope of this discussion remain beyond my purview, and I lack sufficient insight to offer an opinion on them.
Publisher
The publisher must be instilled with confidence, buoyed by existing examples of successful content that blends Matrix-like style with complex gameplay, ideally with an eye toward long-term profitability. Finding the intersection of these elements and demonstrating their viability is achievable while maintaining a product that stands out in the market.
Modder
An online game must deliver impeccable performance and responsiveness. To recreate the magic of its predecessor, one must grasp what made it exceptional and address any lingering flaws that prompted players to exit the scene. Map design should align with the available feature set and gameplay flow, although trial and error within the existing community, followed by democratic voting, can also yield favorable results. While developing expertise in areas where one lacks personal proficiency is challenging, faithfully recreating elements with identical timing and numerical values can yield promising outcomes. Goals should be tailored to the team's size, with smaller objectives recommended for solo developers alongside rapid iteration cycles.
In the late '90s, as the multiplayer shooter deathmatch format gained traction in the gaming scene, Deus Ex teased its online mode with goal-oriented game types. However, this feature got scrapped and never made it into production.
Notice the complete lack of references to multiplayer action in this Postmortem. We wanted to provide multiplayer support but didn't have the time to do the job we knew we needed to do, and so it got cut.
Six months later, when it became evident that the game was selling well, the Deus Ex Multiplayer Beta patch emerged—a wild and wondrous addition that easily could have never materialized. Initially, the developers addressed players' main concerns with bug fixes during their general game support period. Yet, three months later, they effectively relinquished control to the community.
The first thing I want people to realize is that this is not a full-featured, commercial product. There will be deathmatch and team deathmatch, but that's it. We did this because we wanted to gain some multiplayer experience. We're hoping the mod community will take the SDK tools we have given them and run with them.
The Game of the Year (GOTY) edition arrived a month later with a few more fixes, albeit accompanied by new bugs. From then on, DXMP became a realm where a small community self-governed amidst vast potential for editing. This dynamic created a highly charged environment, as dramatic as it was competitive. Custom DM servers, with augs set to 0 and skills to max, became a focal point, echoing the trends of realism shooters at the time.
Occasionally, players offered feedback to the developers:
GameSpot: Though Deus Ex shipped as a single-player game, Ion Storm released a free multiplayer add-on some months later. How was it received? Will Deus Ex 2 have multiplayer out of the box, and if so, what will it be like?
Warren Spector: The multiplayer patch was well received, if not as widely played as we might have hoped. Everyone who played it and took the time to tell us about his or her experience seemed to appreciate how different the Deus Ex multiplayer experience was from the rest of the multiplayer games out there. And that was our goal, really. We wanted to see if our character and experience differentiating gameplay tools worked as well in a multiplayer setting as in a single-player one, and we got the answer we were hoping for. Having said that, the work involved in creating a genuinely unique multiplayer experience and in supporting a multiplayer community turned out to be...significant...and we need to keep our focus on the single-player experience. There´s a petition out there right now asking us to do multiplayer versions of our future games, but I really think we´re better off--and players are better served--if we focus on what we do best, which is providing a first-rate, single-player, story-based, character-driven experience.
This compilation of clans and linked communities narrates the tales of those who experienced this chaos firsthand, many forming deep attachments to the game—or perhaps even to the community itself. In essence, the concept of DXMP held promise. These decades of enjoyment could easily have never transpired if not for one crucial patch. Thanks for the game.
Gratitude extends to everyone who contributed details and memories for various clans: the [A]lpha crew, Clix, Fear, Kai, Moop, Rec, some Triad members I conversed with, and many others I pestered on messengers :)
Special thanks to Casper, whose list inspired this project and can be found here at the bottom. Also, appreciation to the [3] Marathon games that ignited interest in DXMP's past, and to the Imperial and Alpha forums community for their list, which facilitated updating this project beyond 2006 and adding numerous community links!
Further acknowledgment to Hasharin from {E.d.H}, whose vast list of tags found here expanded this endeavor by about 160 clans, often providing additional information to enrich what's already published here. However, more work is needed to fill in details.
This list was compiled by a player who entered the scene in 2004, thus lacking firsthand experience of the years preceding it or necessarily recalling what transpired afterward. Heavy reliance was placed on assistance from other community members to bridge the gaps.
I'll endeavor to add trivia for various clans as people recall details, to submit corrections and additions, simply dump all text into an email to synthetic.dx@gmail.com, and I'll handle the formatting later.
As of April 2023, all links have been checked, and the majority are now archived snapshots, minimizing the expectation of major changes. Notably, the Wayback Machine can now load some previously defunct Flash sites, which is quite exciting — try different snapshots to see what works.
With the latest updates, I've also begun listing full rosters and any additional information. However, the list remains far from complete and likely always will be—it's simply a community resource, improved as time permits or nostalgia strikes.
Clans constitute a unique facet of the online gaming experience, enriching gameplay with a wealth of additional content. They often stand as the deciding factor between fleeting involvement and enduring dedication, potentially transforming a few days of play into decades. In the gaming realm, those not affiliated with a clan may be perceived as outsiders—a transient presence neither expected to linger nor anticipated to excel (otherwise, they would swiftly find a clan). The profound significance of clans is such that players who find themselves without a clan or unable to join one due to social barriers may invent a tag for themselves, either to fill the void left by a lost affiliation or to establish a solo clan.
The first clans in DXMP emerged within days, if not hours, of the Beta release, while the final ones formed over two decades later.
To the clans of Deus Ex: Thank you for imbuing the game with intrigue and vitality.
Deus Clan List Active clans 2004
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[Clan Tag] [Clan Name] [Clan Website] I
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[0] I - The Void I -http://thevoid.fpinteractive.com/ I
I I I
[3] I - Triads I -http://triad.deusex-online.com/deusex/ I
I I I
[A] I - Alliance I -http://www.dxalpha.com/ I
I I I
[A7X] I - Not sure need info I -Not Sure Need Info I
I I I
[CG] I - Common Ground I -http://cg.deusex-online.com/ I
I I I
[DB] I - Deus Brawlers I -http://theultimateclan.proboards34.com/ I
I I I
[DCSB] I - Dead Cows Strike Back I -http://Gamesmajor.co.uk I
I I I
[DF] I - Dark Force I -http://darkforce.clanned.net/ I
I I I
[DH] I - Not sure need info I -Not sure need info I
I I I
[DES] I - Dessension Elimination Salvation I -http://des.deusex-online.com/ I
I I I
[DXR] I - Deus Ex Revolution I -http://s4.invisionfree.com/DXTCF I
I I I
[GODZ] I - [GODZ] I -http://81.5.138.87/forum/index.php I
I I I
[GS] I - Ghost Snipers I -www.dxghostsnipers.tk I
I I I
[HK] I - Hunter Killers I -http://www.s3.invisionfree.com/hunterkillerz I
I I I
[I] I - Immortal I -http://www.dximmortal.com/ I
I I I
[IO] I - Illuminated Ones I -http://www.illuminatedones.5gigs.com/ I
I I I
[M] I - Ministry of Mayham I -http://ministryclan.tk/ I
I I I
[MoH] I - Men of Honor I -http://www.jcmental.co.uk/ I
I I I
[nMe] I - Enemy I -Unknown I
I I I
[Pnk] I - Pink I -http://www.geocities.com/pnk_clan/ I
I I I
[TDH] I - Not sure need info I -Not sure need info I
I I I
[WC] I - Walton Collective I -www.geocities.com/heliowc/WC.html I
I I I
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Deus EX Links for the internet I
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I
Deus Official Site© - http://www.dxinvisiblewar.com/ I
I
Deus Online - http://www.deusex-online.com/ I
I
DX Editing.com - http://www.dxediting.com/ I
I
Blades Deus World - http://dxblade.altervista.org/eng/dxblade.php I
I
Moop's Maps & Mod Archive - http://moop.cannonfooder.co.uk/maps.shtml I
I
Tack's Mapping Tutorials - http://planetdeusex.com/tack I
I
Unreal Console Commands - http://unreal.epicgames.com/UTConsole.htm I
I
Planet Deus - http://www.planetdeusex.com/ I
I
Eidos (Official Site) - http://www.eidos.com/ I
I
IONSTORM (Official Site) - http://www.ionstorm.com I
I
Edge Files (Update Files) - http://www.edgefiles.com/search.x?sq=37374 I
I
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This list was compiled by ~[Dß]Ca$per~ if i forgot your clan you can email me @ caspertheghostx@hotmail.com &
I will glady add your clan to the list.