Deus Ex - Episode 1.1 - Training at UNATCO Part 1 - The Basics

We're here at the lovely state of Continental, USA (I think it's near California?) to put JC Denton through his training. Here we will learn the three basic S's of the game: shooting, sneaking and, most importantly, 'splosions. But before any of that...

This is how mission support staff will communicate with you, directly in your ear. They will talk to you to provide mission objectives, gameplay hints, story exposition and when they're feeling lonely.

Our friend here, Jaime Reyes, is watching us through these windows. He'll follow us through all the rooms. Beside him is a MYSTERIOUS MAN. Perhaps we'll meet him again...

The first thing we learn is how to pick up objects. Just left-click on it and you pick it up. Nano-Keys go straight into your 'Key Ring'.

With the key ring equipped, you can open a door you have a key for. In the first screen notice the 'Lock Str' and 'Door Str'. We'll get to that eventually...

Well...we all know what the main use of a crowbar is, surely?

SMASH!

LOOT! Lockpicks help you pick locks. I'm an infinite source of knowledge.

Metal crates cannot be smashed, no matter how many BANGS and THWACKS and other onomatopoeias you throw at it.

DataCubes usually contains either codes/passwords or provide extra story-fluff. This one is a code for the next door...

This is what a keypad looks like for all you keypad-lovers out there.

Multitools are like lockpicks but for electronics instead. Their main functions is to open electronic locks, but they can also disable cameras and such. You want lots of these.

After each training section, all of your items will be confiscated. Probably for the best he took the knife away from us for the next section...

According to Jaime, this fella 'volunteered' to be knocked out. If only I still had my knife...

If you click on his body once you search him, he gives you a key. Click on him again and...

...you can pick him up and throw him about. This is more useful for hiding enemy bodies in the main game, but now we'll use it to tuck UNATCO Soldier into bed. Sadly there is no button to make JC Denton sing him a lullaby (someone get to work on that mod).

Now, JC Denton is not your old school agent like your Grandmother used to make, oh no. He is nano-augmented. This means that throughout the game he can be upgraded and can do more stuff normal humans cannot. For instance...

Pressing F12 makes you a shine a light. It also allows Denton to take a Steam snapshot every time he turns on his light. *Sarcasm mode* Man, I can't wait to share this shot of a dark room with all my frien..

...touché.

Repair bots replenish your bioelectric energy, that green bar beside the green man in the top left corner. There are items that do the same thing but it also recharges (slowly) by itself.

These are cameras. You'll find that 2050 terrorists do not do a good job of making these cameras subtle. I say that, but I guarantee they will be my worst nightmare in the game. Destroying them sounds an alarm. Getting caught by them sounds an alarm. You either need to hack it with a multitool, or hack into a nearby computer and switch them off - we'll get to that in the main game though.

Platforming. It's never complicated, mainly just ducking or jumping, but being in first person can make it rather awkward sometimes.

Metal cubes are portable platforming devices. You can lift them and place them where you need them to be in order to act like a step to a higher place. They don't offer any companionship though, so they're only second in my all time favourite video game cubes.

Ladders. You walk into them and look up. Much like in real life.

Hazmat Suit. I don't know if Mat haz suit but I shall ask him later. For now, just know that Hazmat Suits only absorb SOME of the damage done by toxic water.

You can't see very well, but it says 25% absorb on the left hand side there. That's right, new recruits at UNACTO are expected to swim through radioactive water, suffering a great amount of health loss as a result...as part of their training. Surely, that's not ethical?

Luckily, this is THE FUTURE! And thus we can just press a button and a machine makes us all well again. Look at the left-leg though, and that's WITH the 25% absorb. Naturally, if your legs or arms lose all their health you will struggle to move or use items (I think, I've never been at 0 arm health).

This actually ends the first part of the training. The next two are a lot shorter and thus I will put them in their own update next. What will we learn? Just remember the 3 S's: Shooting. Sneaking. And...

'SPLOSIONS!