CarpeNoctum on 10/10/2001 at 03:30
I'm new to Deus Ex, and currently on the map of LaGuardia Airport. Having played the game that far has made me ponder some things...
(1) It was nice to learn from this forum that the game can be played without killing "usual" NCPs. Now I also wonder how far the game can be played without JC attacking anyone, with any weapon whatsoever?
Clearly the Statue of Liberty map is thus solvable. I assume Battery Park is, although that would require activating the booby-trap. In Hell's Kitchen the sub-plots would not be thus solvable but the main objective is. In my current assignment all would go well until the door past the split-then-rejoining corridor with lasers on one path and steam on the other: I think that door was not pickable or destroyable and I am unsure if my all-too-human dexterity at the keyboard would suffice (even on easy difficulty setting) at having the turrets kill the guard so I could take his nanokey. Anyway, just wondering.
As a tangent, if the meta-rules allowed using codes obtained in previous game playing then those levels would probably be solvable not only without attacking but even with completely empty inventory.
(2) What is the minimal equipment needed for versitility in in-game playing style?
To clarify...
Besides something to open crates: to play a sneaky role you need lockpicks and multitools; to play a warrior role you need a short-range weapon; to play a sniper role you have a sniper rifle.
(a) Am I missing out on any roles, or do those three pretty much cover things?
(b) Are the maps item-self-sufficient for sub-plot completion? They seem to be so far (soy food at Castle Clinton, LAMs at the 2nd subway station, etc.) I ask because I seem to be hoarding and carrying various grenades and specialized suits across New York apparently for no reason.
(c) What use is the stealth pistol? The crossbow is as silent and more versitile. The sniper rifle snipes much better. The assault rifle or shotgun are better at close-range combat. Am I missing something about a niche that pistols fill? I'm hesitant to drop a one-inventory-spot item especially given to me, but it seems useless.
Raoul Duqette on 10/10/2001 at 16:31
The sniper pistol has much more ammo than the crossbow so far. (I'm in Hell's Kitchen.) I guess it also has a longer reach and fires quicker. And of course its more silent than the sniper rifle.
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Spoiler:</font><DIV STYLE="background-color:#000080"><FONT color="#000080">I bought a scope for it and picked off the bloodhounds from a distance without alarming the terrorists.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
Singing Dancing Moose on 10/10/2001 at 16:43
Also, the stealth pistol fires faster, holds more ammo per clip, and reloads faster (as I recall). While the crossbow may seem like the more logical choice for silent takedowns, as it will generally take fewer hits, the stealth pistol is still a good stealth weapon and more useful than the crossbow (IMO) when/if a fight breaks out.
D`JK on 10/10/2001 at 20:45
If a firefight breaks out, though, the last thing you want is the Stealth Pistol (apart from maybe Soy Food) equipped. Mainly because if you are in a firefight, it's reasonable to assume stealth has been abandoned, rendering that weapon's chief attribute useless, and you may as well use something more powerful, like the Mini-crossbow, which has a one-head-hit kill.
Denise on 10/10/2001 at 23:39
A laser-sighted stealth pistol remains my favorite weapon in the game, head and shoulders above the rest. It's the first weapon I want in a firefight, not the last. Just goes to show how many different styles this game incorporates.... but that doesn't mean the gun is for everyone. :)
Singing Dancing Moose on 11/10/2001 at 04:37
D'JK, you do have a point, but I find that the stealth pistol's fast fire rate more than makes up for its low damage per shot, so you can really do about as much damage with it as with the crossbow in about the same amount of time, and you can quickly fire again if your first shot misses. Also, you don't have to reload nearly as often as with the crossbow, and you can put a fairly good distance between you and your opponent and still hit them with a lowered chance of them hitting you.
Raoul Duqette on 11/10/2001 at 09:25
I don't understand the laser light. Don't you have the crosshair on, Denise? As far as I know, NPCs can be alerted by the laser light.
You can estimate distances with it, but not very accurately.
Tyler on 11/10/2001 at 12:50
Yes true they can be alerted... I am a sniper to the end, I have my rifle suped up as much as it can. It won't let me upgrade any more!! I put a laser on my rifle cause I had nothing better to do.. for the people who don't like the croshairs the laser sight would be a good thing...
>>Tuler<<
Phydeaux on 11/10/2001 at 21:15
The laster sight does make the weapon more accurate. Take an assault rifle (moded for recoil but not accuracy) and test it with and without the laser sight.
Denise on 12/10/2001 at 07:18
A lot of people misunderstand the laser sight because there's a bug that "breaks" it if you have a scope on the same weapon. If you have a scope and the sight, all you'll get is an essentially useless red dot. A lot of people's first instinct is to put the laser on the sniper rifle, which makes the laser almost completely useless because that weapon has a scope built-in, for instance.
No scope, just the laser, though, and it basically gives the weapon 100% accuracy. The bullet goes where the dot shines; you don't need to wait for the crosshairs to close or any of that nonsense. That's why the laser sights are so rare in DX, because they can be so very powerful.
It's really quite nice on both of the pistols and the assault rifle, so long as you can live without a scope (though when the laser is behaving properly scopes pale by comparison, anyway :)).
[ October 12, 2001: Message edited by: Denise ]
