Deus Ex multiplayer patch adds EAX support, more

Mac game publisher Aspyr Media and conversion studio Westlake Interactive have released a new patch for the popular 3D action/role-playing game Deus Ex. Deus Ex Mac version 1.0.3 can now be downloaded from various file services on the Internet.

Deus Ex is a futuristic 3D game that combines action and role-playing elements. Originally developed by Warren Spector’s team at Ion Storm, the game puts you into an in-depth story that involves you in the machinations of a cabal with plans for world domination. The Unreal Tournament engine-based game also features a multiplayer mode that enables Deus Ex players to go head to head against each other in traditional arena gameplay, and that’s primarily what this patch addresses.

The new update brings the Mac version parallel with the PC version 1.12fm, enabling Mac users to play on PC servers running that version. The new version also includes support for Creative’s EAX sound effects, which makes it possible for users of Macs equipped with Sound Blaster Live! for Macintosh cards to experience positional 3D audio.

The documentation included with the update notes that this version is intended for online Deus Ex users — if you’re using Deus Ex only as a single-player game, the developers advise you to use the Mac 1.0.1 version instead.

Deus Ex supports GameRanger, the popular Mac online gaming service. You can use GameRanger to find other Deus Ex Mac players, and GameRanger also features a server tracking service for dedicated Deus Ex servers.

The developers note that in order to retain compatibility with the PC multiplayer version, a few changes normally in Deus Ex Mac haven’t been included in this version:

Starting training for the first time no longer informs you about the “right mouse” button alternate on the Mac, command-click.

There are two options in the Sound Settings that do not do anything — “Dolby Surround Sound” and “Use Hardware 3D Sound”.

There is no “Configure Input Device” button in the Keyboard/Mouse settings. This button normally would have brought up the InputSprocket dialog to configure your mouse or gamepad. To access this functionality, use the old version of Deus Ex (InputSprocket settings are carried over to the multiplayer app automatically). You may also use the “talk” keyboard command during a multiplayer game to get to the console prompt, then backspace over the “Say” and type “configisp”.

The 34 MB download is available now from Macgamefiles.com. You’ll need the full version of Deus Ex in order to apply this patch.