Core Decay features four major city hubs throughout the game - Shenzhen, Seattle, Brussels, and Johannesburg. Today we will be taking a look at the the third hub you get to visit - the city of Brussels. In the world of Core Decay, Brussels is home to two powerful organizations: the Common European States, and the Hauptstadt Group.
The Powers That Be
The Common European States, a governing coalition of former European nations, trace their origins back to the European Union of the early 21st century. Initially a trade agreement between Germany and Belgium, it soon grew to envelop parts of Scandinavia and southern neighbors, and eventually formed a sovereign nation in its own right. Citizenship is not guaranteed, but rather granted through a form of fealty agreement - one that most aspiring citizens accept unquestioningly.
Citizens of the CES enjoys a higher quality of life than those of most countries around the world - albeit at the expense of everyone else. Although its injustices are hidden far deeper than in places like Seattle or Shenzhen, they are enforced with absolute prejudice. The CES has no formal capital city, although most people consider Brussels the informal seat of governance.
Through the dissolution of the UN and the EU, and the subsequent collapse of many European nations, it was the Hauptstadt Group that spearheaded the formation of the CES. Mostly acting through proxy political entities - although their ties are not exactly a secret - the organization is the de facto ruling entity of the coalition. The actions of the Hauptstadt Group has led to the appearance of far greater stability and wealth within CES cities, but at an unconscionable cost.
In the public eye, the Hauptstadt Group was a beacon of light in a world more nightmarish by the day, almost single-handedly keeping the world economy running and dedicating vast resources to humanitarian goals. However, such unrestricted control of the flow of both money and information meant that the organization was free to shape world events the way it saw fit.
More alarming yet, it would seem like the founder of the Hauptstadt Group, Adam Weber, may have ties to the conspiratorial Contingency Accord...
Problems, not puzzles
As you arrive in Brussels, a massive skyscraper pierces the storm clouds in the distance. This is the Array - a monolithic data processing facility, headquarters of the enigmatic AEGIS Project, and the reason you are here - but uncovering its secrets won't be easy.
This overall objective makes for a great opportunity to look at bit at the design philosophy permeating Core Decay - particularly, its approach to problem solving and player agency.
A design philosophy seen across the development of the original Deus Ex was described as "problems, not puzzles" - meaning that challenges within the game should present themselves as logical problems more so than arbitrary gameplay challenges. This works incredibly well alongside emergent, creative player solutions, and indeed the first objective of the game ("Reach the top of the Statue of Liberty") perfectly encapsulates this. It is a logical, immersive goal, and how to take it on is up to the player.
In Deus Ex 1, there are no artificial objective markers, no dynamic map, no list of specific gameplay options available. You are expected to talk to people to learn information, navigate areas based on static maps and landmarks, and approach problems the way you would in the real world.
This is an oft underdeveloped part of more modern immersive sims, which tend to limit emergent gameplay in far more artificial terms. Solving obstacles often come down to "Follow the objective marker and engage in either the combat, stealth or talking mechanics" which may seem similar on a surface level but largely misses the point of why the player has to become immersed.
With all this in mind, let's return to Core Decay!
Information is a resource
Upon your arrival you have what appears to be a singular goal in mind - find out what goes on inside the Array. However, in reality this is a wide web of smaller implicit goals. Without any form of artificial guidance, the way you approach this as a player is information-based.
Your first order of business would be finding out what the Array actually is - followed by where it is, and how you might get there. In this case, the two first questions answer themselves as you find yourself looking up at the gigantic building in the distance - but how to reach it? You need information - and there are many ways you can get it.
Talking to people in your surroundings may help you get directions, and sometimes hint at less conventional paths. Reading emails and log entries can paint a picture of how different areas relate to others. Visual cues offer insight - for instance, jumping into a river is likely to lead to other areas the river connects to. Viewing maps or downloading them from computers can offer a wealth of information.
The last example is also a good demonstration of variable navigation difficulty in action - some maps, such as tourist maps showing city streets, are clearly labeled, written out in English, and allows for easy and straightforward navigation. A maintenance map of the city sewers may be far more cryptic, written mainly in Flemish, and technical in nature - but leading to potential great advantages if studied carefully.
What is important to point out here is that the goal is to have a large amount of overlapping ways to navigate larger areas, and all these ways are in themselves optional to engage in. Prefer to care little for your bearings and solve obstacles at the end of a rifle? You might find it more difficult to deal with law enforcement, but it is a perfectly viable approach!
Taking the time to get an idea of your surroundings, however, can be of great benefit. There is no real distinction between worldbuilding and gameplay information here - it's all one world, one player, one goal, and understanding the place you are in is the same thing as gaining mechanical knowledge.
Exploring Brussels
So far this has all been pretty abstract, but in part two of our look at Brussels we will be seeing how this translates into gameplay, explore a few specific areas of the city, and see how you might approach obstacles in various ways. To give a quick sneak peek, we will be looking at just a few ways the player can get through the earlier areas of the city, such as:
- Using computer terminals, maps and the world itself to navigate the city streets.
- Venturing into the city sewers, using flashlights and other tools to make navigation easier.
- Sneaking through a bank office, making use of hacking, lockpicking and overriding security systems.
- Jumping into the Senne river and exploring ways that swimming can be both a boon and a danger.
- Exploring the city rooftops and taking an athletic approach to exploration.
- Making poor diplomatic choices and antagonizing the city's police force.
Until then, feel free to leave comments and ask questions below!
