MOTY Top 100

Hello all,

ModDB’s Mod of the Year 2015 competition is into its second round, and the ModDB community has put Revision into the top 100! That’s fantastic. It says that the audience feels Revision is good work, and we appreciate that. If you want to vote for Revision in the second round, we think that would be nifty.

Mod of the Year gives the community as a whole the ability to push forward well-made mods and recognize when a project has achieved something distinctive. We’re big fans of the idea that good work should be recognized, promoted, and shown off to the world, and MOTY is a great way of doing that. A well-made mod doesn’t have to mean something huge, ambitious, or unexpected. It just has to have a sense of craftsmanship to it. Massive or minuscule, any well-made piece of work for any game is a showcase for what the modding community can deliver when talented people get together and make something cool.

So go vote for good work!

-Caustic Creative
Mod of the Year Awards

MOTY 2015 Voting

Hello all,

We’re coming to the end of 2015, and MODDB’s MOTY is back again. We think that it’s a pretty neat idea. If you want to give Revision your vote, well, we think that’s a pretty neat idea too.

Modding is kind of a weird pastime. It’s a hobby where people take games they love playing and work to put their stamp on that game in some way, ranging from tiny tweaks to absurd additions to the truly weird and the incredibly ambitious. It doesn’t pay very well, and often doesn’t pay at all. And still, there’s a big community of people doing it, and doing it well, even for games well over a decade old. For all kinds of different games, some mods get so polished or ambitious that they flirt with the line separating amateur from professional. The quality of work that people put out in the modding community can be tremendous, and genuinely excellent work deserves to be recognized. Sites like ModDB, which act as a home for people to discover and watch projects they never knew existed, celebrate this work through events like Mod Of The Year.

That’s pretty nifty. So go vote!

-Caustic Creative
Mod of the Year Awards

1.0.1.3 Patch is live

The 1.0.1.3 patch is now live! The following issues are addressed in this update:

  • Added raw input to address mouse acceleration issues. This is still experimental, you must manually activate it by opening up Revision.ini found in the System folder (Browse Local Files), and then edit the ViewportManager line under [Engine.Engine] to read ViewportManager=WinDrvLite.WindowsClientLite.
    If you encounter new issues relating to input, hangs or crashes try switching back to the old ViewportManager and see if the issues go away (you can comment out lines with semicolon). If they are not present in the old ViewportManager make sure to let us know so we can try and locate the issue with the new one.
  • Fixed the Shifter/Biomod crash that happened after training.
  • Fixed the Shifter/Biomod crash when carrying containers (crates mostly) across maps sometimes.
  • Changed mouse sensitivity slider with range of 0.1-0.9 in increments of 0.1, might be useful for the new raw input.
  • Various localization fixes including fixing the incorrect text in Biomod that the previous patch introduced.
  • Fixed an issue where the laser dot would erroneously appear onscreen after applying a laser sight mod to a weapon that you did not have equipped.
  • Made it harder to get out of the playable area in later instances of Liberty Island, also fixed a small AI pathfinding issue in those levels.
  • Fixed being able to give orders to Miguel in the last instance of Liberty Island.
  • Pallet Jacks now show a selection box.
  • Fixed an issue where the crosshair settings box was 10px too large.

Please note:

As a general reminder, when game content is updated in a patch, it cannot affect locations you have already visited in a saved game. This is because the saved game was created based on the older version of the game, and acts as a snapshot of that older version. Once you load a saved game and travel to a new location in the game world, you will begin to encounter the updated content.

1.0.1.2 Patch is live

We’ve pushed our fifth patch (v1.0.1.2) live to all users on Steam! The changelog is below and in order of how the maps appear where applicable:

Misc:

  • Fixed some localization issues, especially with the settings menu.
  • Fixed a music issue for the Hong Kong opening cutscene.
  • Changed hotkeys during character creation to remove overlapping hotkeys.
  • Fixed a sound issue where trash paper would make a metal sound when destroyed.
  • Added new Revision/Biomod/Shifter weapons to the AllWeapons cheat.
  • Made printers explode when destroyed.
  • Fixed hand-dryers playing their sound after being destroyed.
  • Added names to cacti for targeting augmentation.
  • Changed the sound for walking on cacti.
  • Removed duplicate “Alternate fire” controls when using Biomod or Shifter.
  • Fixed images dropping from dead bodies.
  • Update the game launcher to include experimental Windows 10 settings.
  • Added version string in the log printout. This will be helpful for tracking down reported issues.
  • Fixed an ammo-switching bug with the Assault Rifle introduced in the previous patch.

Gameplay – AI:

  • Changed the AI so it now uses the GEP gun’s locking feature if playing on realistic. Hopefully this will introduce additional challenge for hardcore players.

Gameplay – Maps:

Hell’s Kitchen

  • Increased damage threshold for the doors to Smuggler’s hidden entrance on all Hell’s Kitchen instances.
  • On the second visit to Hell’s Kitchen, the subway keypad is now unusable up until the end of the level to prevent players breaking the game.
  • Swapped tags on Riot Cops in the last visit to Hell’s Kitchen, so UNATCO troopers don’t spawn so obviously.
  • Minor texture fixes.

Brooklyn Naval Shipyards

  • Fixed a rendering and collision error which blocked movement and let the player see through the ground.
  • Added a safe that was erroneously missing.
  • Made a level transition harder to miss between the exterior and interior sections of the location.
  • Increased the minimum damage threshold for the truck doors to 40.
  • Added back the keypad to open a gate to the compound in the dockyard map.
  • Re-added the button on the door near the crane to allow the player to get out if leaving from the ship.
  • Fixed an issue where the security console would not change robot behavior.
  • Fixed a door that was a bit problematic to open.
  • Fixed a collision and visibility issue with a grate.
  • Improved geometry in the sewer areas.
  • Modified some lights you could activate with switches.
  • Minor texture fixes.

Please note:

As a general reminder, when game content is updated in a patch, it cannot affect locations you have already visited in a saved game. This is because the saved game was created based on the older version of the game, and acts as a snapshot of that older version. Once you load a saved game and travel to a new location in the game world, you will begin to encounter the updated content.

1.0.1.1 Patch is live

We’ve pushed our fourth patch (v1.0.1.1) live to all users on Steam. The changelog is below:

  • Added weather effects toggle in Game Options. This setting may be useful for improving performance.
  • Future-proofed the Ogg music system.
  • Fixed a bug where explosive barrels would explode after a small amount of load/save cycles.
  • Added fish names for the targeting augmentation to display.
  • Added a scope to the LAW to reflect the model.
  • Miscellaneous changes to support disposable weapons with scopes, including making sure that the LAW doesn’t get an accuracy penalty when not using the scope.
  • Altered furniture to be flammable for Biomod and Shifter.
  • Made a type of chair flammable in Human Renovation (Normal gameplay style).
  • Made plants flammable.
  • Lowered the low ammo water mark for 20mm HE ammo compared to regular ammo for the assault rifle so it reflects the ammo’s rarity and the amount you can carry.
  • Changed credits so the ‘Special Thanks’ section has better formatting and looks neater.
  • Adjusted behavior for a type of NPC, so that in a firefight they will stand their ground for longer than before.
  • Fixed a slight health issue with a type of NPC.
  • Fixed a lot of improperly aligned textures in the Hell’s Kitchen Sewers.
  • Fixed some issues with fog in the Hell’s Kitchen Sewers, along with a few other small changes.
  • Moved an alarm panel in the detention area so that NPCs can use it in UNATCO HQ.
  • Made it impossible to steal from Anna’s cabinet in UNATCO HQ.
  • Fixed an issue where Simons could get stuck on a door in the detention area, along with getting trapped inside the interrogation room in UNATCO HQ.
  • Fixed a rare issue where the player could get trapped inside Alex’s closet in UNATCO HQ.
  • Made sure that Shannon doesn’t appear in later visits to UNATCO HQ if she has been killed.

As a general reminder, when game content is updated in a patch, it cannot affect locations you have already visited in a saved game. This is because the saved game was created based on the older version of the game, and acts as a snapshot of that older version. Once you load a saved game and travel to a new location in the game world, you will begin to encounter the updated content.

1.0.1 Patch is live

We’ve pushed our third patch (v1.0.1) live to all users on Steam. The changelog is below:

  • Fixed an issue in the Hell’s Kitchen Sewers where a datacube in the water would have a lingering text window.
  • Fixed an issue in the Hell’s Kitchen Sewers where a mechanic would have an incorrect number of lockpicks.
  • Improved AI behavior in the Underworld Tavern; Jordan Shea and Jock will return to their original positions after a fight.
  • Improved performance and lighting on Liberty Island.
  • Changed the boobytraps outside Smuggler’s lair from explosives to EMP.
  • Miscellaneous stability, presentation and interactivity changes in Smuggler’s lair.
  • Miscellaneous small fixes to saved game logic to handle very rare values of available free space.
  • Miscellaneous geometry, texture, stability, AI behavior and gameplay adjustments in Battery Park, including fixing a hole in the subway car.
  • Fixed an issue where players could miss a level transition into the interior of the Brooklyn Naval Shipyards.
  • Miscellaneous AI, Lighting and Geometry fixes in the Brooklyn Naval Shipyards.
  • Miscellaneous gameplay and texture fixes in the Lucky Money mall.
  • Fixed a geometry issue for the Hell’s Kitchen subway car.
  • Made Gunther’s safe non-interactive in UNATCO HQ. We are planning to use the safe to store useful equipment, but there is currently a severe glitch associated with it. Until we can fix this issue, we feel it is best to leave it unmistakably inaccessible.
  • Added datacube with code for UNATCO HQ detention keypads.
  • Reduced hack strength on Alex’s server room.
  • Unlocked the door to Paul’s office for the first time you visit UNATCO HQ.
  • Added Tranquilizer Darts to detention storage for the first time you visit UNATCO HQ. This should help balance out a potential lack of ammunition for players who heavily favor the mini-crossbow in the early game.
  • Removed collision for the contents of Anna Navarre’s office cabinet.
  • Swapped out the old UNATCO logo for the new one in the last visit to UNATCO HQ.
  • Adjusted a type of chair to be flammable in Normal (Human Renovation) gameplay mode.
  • Added support for vanilla music to the Hong Kong Compound area and Hong Kong arrival cinematic.
  • Added a datacube with the code for Alex’s server room door.
  • Added waigie, smirftsch, HawkBird and MoreTriggers contributors to the credits.
  • Forced the game to load the Revision player class to address some potential issues stemming from the use of Kentie’s game launcher with Revision.
  • Added HiDPI UI scaling option. If your resolution is high enough, this will lock the UI to a 2x scale, which may be useful for people using either large displays, or small displays with very high resolutions (such as Retina displays).
  • Updated descriptions for some rendering and audio devices in the Revision game launcher.
  • Added a notice for players when starting Training.

As a general reminder, when game content is updated in a patch, it cannot affect locations you have already visited in a saved game. This is because the saved game was created based on the older version of the game, and acts as a snapshot of that older version. Once you load a saved game and travel to a new location in the game world, you will begin to encounter the updated content.

We’ve tracked over 42,000 downloads on Steam since release. Wow. For those of you who are using the standalone installers, we have updated those as well. Both the complete 1.0.1 installer and an upgrade patch are available through our own downloads page and ModDB.

New People and New Ambitions [April Fools + Actual News]

A lot has happened since December and we have exciting news. We have two new additions to our team, a new programmer and a new 3D artist.

Our new programmer Hanfling joined us late last year to fix bugs in native Deus Ex code. However, this has evolved into the creation of a full featured Deus Ex content creation framework called the Revision Framework. Its roadmap includes support for features found in all current game engines such as terrain, static meshes, deferred lighting and fancy materials to push Deus Ex: Revision visuals to a whole new level.

Cyrus — the other new guy — will pitch in to make use of these features, and create tons of static meshes, while adding content that Project HDTP didn’t cover. Right now he is working on:

 To make full use of the scheduled engine features we need to remake or at least update most of the content already created. However the whole team is excited to make use of the new features and make Deus Ex: Revision the best Deus Ex incarnation of all time.

Edit: As you many have realized, this was an April Fool’s post; we won’t delay Revision for any new features.However most of the post is correct, Hanfling is working with us to make the Revision Framework and the long term goals are to include the mentioned features, but that would be years into the future. Currently it’s mostly a WIP framework for mods to easily and properly integrate into the game without having to replace DeusEx.u. It will also improve the editing workflow with a new set of tools. It will not be used in the 1.0 release and we’ll only lift a few features from it, such as a fix for incorrect footstep sounds and UI scaling.

We also do have a new 3D artist named Cyrus that joined us a few weeks ago, and he is currently working on replacing some vanilla models, however certainly nothing as indicated by the picture above.
We are very close to release right now and beta testers will be contacted shortly. More info soon to come :)

September update

Hello all!

Welcome to our September update.

Since our previous update in July, we’ve finished production on our soundtrack. Both the in-game files and album versions are completed and implemented, so unless we find further issues with it, that part of the project is pretty much done. The album, which consists of a series of suite arrangements, is going to be available on Bandcamp and some other venues (such as YouTube and SoundCloud) when we are ready to release the mod.

In mapping news, we are still working on the exterior Area 51 location. Progress there has been slow, as it’s a large map and our environment designer has been busy with his personal obligations. It is close to being done, and compared to the original map, has nearly tripled in playable area. We have also tackled the bug list quite a bit, and coding-wise some bits and pieces have been optimized and trimmed. Various other improvements have been made to a wide variety of the other maps such as implementing our own wish-list items, adding decoration and improving on the assortment of ambient sounds in the game.

 

A51 bunker overview
The playable area has been vastly expanded.

 

scr_T_A51_0004

scr_T_A51_0003

scr_T_A51_0002

 

We are also proud to present that in collaboration with unifiedDX we have implemented switchable 1x/2x UI sizes. For those with a resolution of 1280×960 or above (note that both the height and width have to be larger) can use the new 2x graphics mode so that texts, menus and other screens will be readable. Our graphics artist has also been busy recently with creating new 2x Davavault images in addition to the 1x that will be used by default. These new datavaults will contain more details then their 1x counterparts due to being 800×800 compared to 400×400.

 

2x Datavaults

 

As an example of lingering technical difficulties I’ve personally struggled with, I’ll talk about a BSP issue in the Paris Cathedral map. A BSP issue is where the world geometry is not assembled correctly by the Unreal editor. This particular error occurred after I went in to fix a texture misalignment on a “mover” object, which requires having the editor reassemble or “rebuild” the map. After the rebuild I discovered the BSP error tearing up a piece of a house near the canal in the map. A lot of time and effort went into trying to solve it by changing surface solidity and the positioning of brushes (geometry details) on the house, with several attempts at rebuilding it (each rebuild takes around 15 minutes). When that didn’t solve the issue, I finally gave up and removed some brushes on the house, namely a set of windows. That solved the problem, but then another issue came up with house nearby. As much if not more time went into fixing that second house, creating zone portals for all the windows, changing solidity and so on. When that was finally settled I found out when testing that the entire map was accidentally flooded due to a leaking water zone- although the method of fixing the issue is quite different, it is a remarkably similar problem to the real-world circumstance. And that’s what I am working to solve right now.

 

Flooded map
There are some lousy plumbers in Paris.

I’m looking forward to sharing more with you all as we begin to finish finishing Revision.

April Update

Hello all,

Welcome to our April update.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve started up our semi-final playtests. Initial feedback has been excellent, and we will be moving forward with those playtests as we’re ready to do so.

We’ve also been forging partnerships with other community mod creators. To recap: We will be distributing New Vision, HDTP, Shifter, BioMod, improved UI scaling support, the Direct 3D 9 Renderer and a customized version of Kentie’s game launcher with Revision. New Vision and HDTP will be mandatory parts of the installation, although we will have the HDTP character models disabled by default as they are stylized to such an extent that enabling them is a matter of personal taste.

We’ve also had another development in recent weeks, one that has led us to reconsider our release timetable. We realize that the delay is unpleasant for everyone who has been anticipating Revision 1.0, but we’ve had an offer that is too good to pass up, and it means that we can avoid crunching in these next couple weeks. Revision is not canceled by any means, and we still plan to finish production and launch in the near future. More on this as we’re ready to talk about it.

To cap things off this month, we have a new video, in which I talk about my experiences working on the project. Enjoy!