Lagged2Death on 10/12/2005 at 03:47
Does it strike anyone else as odd that there are so many bathrooms in Deus Ex? Almost every location has a few. Odder still, two of them (in a row!) are abandoned subway bathrooms with secret passages!
But most of the bathrooms exist strictly for atmosphere, with no NPCs or useful items of any kind. Most of them are institutional bathrooms – office bathrooms, locker rooms, etc. Apart from the two with secret passages, it’s not actually necessary to enter any of them, as far as I can remember.
Does anyone have a guess why there are so many? Might there be a reason of some significance, or are they just an easy way to flesh out a level while re-using all those toilet, sink, urinal, and shower assets?
moop on 10/12/2005 at 08:05
Don't forget the [spoiler]ventilation shafts in the Versalife laboratories and MJ12 Helipad[/spoiler]...I don't know if you want to count those as "secret" though, since they look technically like parts of the infrastructure.
Lots of little things added to the atmosphere of Deus Ex, which had never before been considered necessary in game development. Pigeons cooing, and flying away when the player approaches too closely, the sound of dripping in tunnels, with an echo effect, water fountains, vending machines, and such other seemingly mundane items and effects fleshed out the game world.
Also, knowing that the [spoiler]NSF had moved into the tunnels and were using them to shuttle supplies, one might suspect they might employ the same tactics or engineering, so having two in a row in Brooklyn Bridge Station doesn't seem terribly far-fetched.[/spoiler]
One thing I do enjoy about Deus Ex is the consistency and plausibility of the motivations of the characters.
Spitter on 10/12/2005 at 10:16
Speaking of toilets, I recall that in pre-Gold Thief: The Dark Project the only toilet in the entire game was in the basement of Haunted Cathedral.
No wonder the Hammerites were so pissed off.
John P. on 10/12/2005 at 12:46
Quote Posted by Lagged2Death
Does it strike anyone else as odd that there are so many bathrooms in Deus Ex? Almost every location has a few. Odder still, two of them (in a row!) are abandoned subway bathrooms with secret passages!
But most of the bathrooms exist strictly for atmosphere, with no NPCs or useful items of any kind. Most of them are institutional bathrooms – office bathrooms, locker rooms, etc. Apart from the two with secret passages, it’s not actually necessary to enter any of them, as far as I can remember.
Does anyone have a guess why there are so many? Might there be a reason of some significance, or are they just an easy way to flesh out a level while re-using all those toilet, sink, urinal, and shower assets?
Don't know if I understand the question. Is it odd that there are many bathrooms in the game?
Aren't there a lot of bathrooms in real life?
If game developers were to strip out everything that didn't have a direct influence on the progression of the game, then the games would be rather unrealistic and lack atmosphere, wouldn't they?
Kinda like a lot of games are, come to think of it.
TheNightTerror on 10/12/2005 at 12:48
Quote Posted by Spitter
Speaking of toilets, I recall that in pre-Gold Thief: The Dark Project the only toilet in the entire game was in the basement of Haunted Cathedral.
No wonder the Hammerites were so pissed off.
"Join us, join us, JOIN US NOW! -- we have indoor plumbing!"
TheGreatGodPan on 10/12/2005 at 19:26
Not enough games have bathrooms. One of the few good things about the N64 Mission Impossible game was that you could use the bathroom to kill somebody and not get caught. Movies need more bathrooms too. People go forever without taking a dump. Pulp Fiction used a bathroom for good effect though.
Lagged2Death on 11/12/2005 at 05:05
Quote Posted by John P.
Don't know if I understand the question. Is it odd that there are many bathrooms in the game? Aren't there a lot of bathrooms in real life?
I think your personal answer to my question would be a simple "no." It wasn't meant as an attack of any sort.
If I were designing levels for a game like this, I'd probably include fewer, that's all.
John P. on 11/12/2005 at 12:55
I can see that I came off as attacking, but that wasn't my intention. What I wrote was exactly what I was thinking when I read the question, so I wasn't trying to be sarcastic.
Of course; if you have three or four bathrooms (male+female) within a hundred feet radius, one begins to wonder if diarrhea is common in the game world... ;)
Ultraviolet on 11/12/2005 at 21:43
Quote Posted by John P.
Of course; if you have three or four bathrooms (male+female) within a hundred feet radius, one begins to wonder if diarrhea is common in the game world... ;)
Well, from all the cheetos and mountain dew...
