The debug menu for Deus Ex, also known as the "Behind the Curtains" menu or the "legend" menu, is a built-in tool that enables the player to manipulate various aspects of the game.
Accessing[]
The debug menu can be accessed by inputting the "legend" console command into the game console. This command requires cheats to be enabled. For information on how to enable the game console and cheats, please see the above-linked article.
Functions[]
The debug menu provides the following functions.
Load Map[]
"Load Map" opens any map in the Maps directory of the game. If the "travel" option is selected, the player character will travel to the map in the manner of traveling between maps during the game. That is, the player's inventory and current flags will be kept while entering the new map.
Edit Flags[]
The "Edit Flags" section enables event flags to be viewed and edited. This feature can be used to check or manipulate flags that affect story interactions during the single player game.
Example uses of the flag editor:
- Checking the status of flags associated with non-lethal gameplay, such as the BatteryParkSlaughter flag.
- Restoring unused content associated with Ford Schick, including Ford's dialogue and Smuggler's discount.
- At any point during the game, the game can be restarted with the player's current inventory, skills, and augmentations in the manner of a new game plus. This can be done by using the flag editor to delete all current flags and then traveling back to the first map (01_NYC_UNATCOIsland) using the "Load Map" feature (with the "travel" option checked).
Add Dump and View Dumps[]
In order to enable the dumps functionality, you must open the User.ini file and add the following lines (note that "Name" can be changed to any arbitrary username):
[DeusEx.DumpLocation] CurrentUser=Name
The relevant User.ini file is located in the "DeusEx\System" folder in the game's installation directory, or in the "Documents\DeusEx\System" folder in Window's user directory if using certain third-party launchers.
Once the dump functionality has been enabled, the "Add Dump" interface enables the creation of dumps for the current level, username, game version, player location and view. These dumps can later be loaded with the "View Dumps" interface. Dumps that have been created are saved to the DeusEx\System folder. For example, if the username is "Name," the corresponding dump file will be "Name.DMP".
Dumps can generally be used in the manner of save files, but with the benefit of storing additional information, including a custom "description" field.
Show Class[]
Shows the locations of all classes on the current map. For example, setting the interface to show the class InformationDevices with "Show Line of Sight" unchecked will display all datacubes, books, and newspapers in the current map, since InformationDevices is the superclass for these items. The "Show Class" function can also be used for other purposes, such as measuring distances to objects.
Other functions[]
- Invoke Con – Sets the flags necessary for specific conversations to play.
- View Quotes – Launches a secret credits-style scroll sequence (normally accessed by typing "quotes" during the credits) featuring various quotes from throughout development
- Play Music – Plays music located in any of the .umx files in the "DeusEx\Music" directory.