Classic Game Postmortem: Deus Ex

GDC Festival of Gaming
3 HN recommenders · recommended in 2 months, 2017–2025
YouTube
218K views · 9 years ago · talk · intermediate · evergreen

Warren Spector gives a GDC Classic Game Postmortem of Deus Ex, the 2000 immersive sim from Ion Storm. He talks about how the team was organised, the questions he asks before starting a game project, and how the game got made.

HN points to it for Spector's practical framework for starting a game project and for his case that a linear story can still give players freedom.

“lots of good stuff in Warren Spector's 2017 GDC Deus Ex postmortem”
Game designDesign leadership & org
#deusex#warrenspector#gamepostmortem#immersivesim#gdc

4 comments from Hacker News

s
@shoo2025 · in “My Deus Ex lipsyncing fix mod”
lots of good stuff in Warren Spector's 2017 GDC Deus Ex postmortem: ▶ this video Warren's 6+2+1 questions before starting a game project; Team 1 & Team A (no one wanted to be Team B or Team 2); the day we hit pre alpha and realised the game was not fun; LAM wall climbing & problem solving with explosive barrels; origin of the name JC Denton
RecommendsView on HN
m
@misotaur2017 · in “Classic Game Postmortem: Deus Ex”
Submitted the video to Hacker News.
RecommendsView on HN
j
@justinweiss2017 · in “Classic Game Postmortem: Deus Ex”
Submitted the video to Hacker News.
RecommendsView on HN
B
@Barrin922022 · in “Panoramas of Deus Ex Human Revolution”
there's a GDC talk on Youtube where Warren Spector makes that point explicitly. The original was narratively linear but had freedom within the mission gameplay. He considered that vital for the tension of the story. This is also why HR succeeded for me in contrast to Mankind Divided. The 'open world' like approach of the latter sidelined the main story which seemed almost tangential. Which is a problem in many games these days. ▶ this video
CitesView on HN