SS2 Rebalanced Skills and Disciplines

[6740d73e811c8RoSoDude]

Security Expert's value arguably scales better than the 35 cyber modules from Naturally Able if you upgrade your Hack skill. On Normal and Hard difficulty, upgrading from Hack 3 to 5 costs more than 35 cyber modules (37 on Normal, 52 on Hard). On Impossible difficulty, upgrading from Hack 2 to 4 costs more at 36. But on the other hand, this only offsets the difficulty of security hacks, so this analysis is probably too simplistic. As for the idea of making it count towards turret hacking, the engine limitations crop up before I can really consider if it's a good idea (the problem I have is that taking Hack above 4 is already of questionable value).

Another thing to consider is that I have frequently been taking Naturally Able even in my Impossible playthroughs, where the cyber modules don't go as far, so maybe I should reduce it to 30 modules. The flexibility of being able to spend it on anything does seem to make it better than some of the other situational traits.

[6740d73e81399RoSoDude]

Hotfixed Beta 11 upload with the following changes:

-Fixed Photonic Redirection not rendering the player invisible to cameras, turrets, arachnids, or psi reavers
-Fixed Localized Pyrokinesis timing out early when cast in quick succession
-Fixed Photonic Redirection text string claiming duration of 4s per PSI instead of 3s per PSI
-Fixed Cryokinesis damage scaling above PSI 8
-Decreased Naturally Able cyber module bonus from 35 to 30

[6740d73e8171cRoSoDude]

And yeah, I'm aware of Remote Circuitry Manipulation not overloading correctly with Power Psi, it's a limitation of the engine code. I think I can hack it to work "correctly" but it is a bit convoluted so I left it out of Beta 11.

Little update on this in progress: I got this to mostly work, but unfortunately it's still capped to PSI 10 even with Power Psi. Reason being that the player's PSI stat can only be pushed up to a maximum of 8, so temporarily incrementing it to mimic +3 overloading doesn't actually help when you're already at the maximum.

Also, I'm swapping Remote Circuitry Manipulation from tier 4 to 3 (Instantaneous Quantum Relocation from tier 3 to 4). Getting it to overload at all was tricky as the engine looks for overloading at the specific tier 4 slot it originally occupied.

[6740d73e81a33RoSoDude]

Beta 12 is here with a big expansion to the power cell mechanic. Power cells can be used to open routes, disable environmental hazards, and open item caches. I've also buffed the Smasher O/S quite a bit as I felt it was generally outclassed by Lethal Weapon.

1.08 BETA 12
-Fixed two Stasis Field Generators having more ammo than the new base capacity
-Fixed missing Exotic weapon requirement display on "?" key
-Reverted SCP Recreation transmitter requiring auxiliary power
-Decreased bullet projectile speed by 33%
-Swapped psi powers in tiers
   -Psychogenic Strength from tier 2 to 3
   -Psychogenic Agility from tier 3 to 2
   -Instantaneous Quantum Relocation from tier 3 to 4
   -Remote Circuitry Manipulation from tier 4 to 3
-Increased Wrench Smasher damage from 10 to 12 (1.67x->2.00x multiplier)
-Increased Laser Rapier Smasher damage from 19.5 to 23 (1.50x->1.77x multiplier)
-Increased Crystal Shard Smasher damage from 24 to 28 (1.50->1.75x multiplier)
-Increased Cerebro-Energetic Extension Smasher damage from 27 to 31 (1.5x->1.72x multiplier)
-Added 10 prisms to a corpse in Engineering hallway to Cargo Bays
-Moved corpse with access card closer to Engineering security room
-Improved night vision capabilities of the Rumbler in the Recreation A gym
-Added empty power cells as an exploration reward
   -Med/Sci B (Easy/Normal/Hard/Impossible)
   -Engineering (Easy/Normal)
   -Recreation B (Easy/Normal/Hard/Impossible)
   -Command B (Easy/Normal/Hard/Impossible)
   -Rickenbacker A (Easy/Normal)
-Added auxiliary power receivers locking off routes and goodies in the following maps:
   -Engineering
   -Hydroponics
   -Ops C
   -Rickenbacker A
   -Command B

[6740d73e81bfdCortana]

And I was just about to finish my recorded playthrough for a big Bioshock vs System Shock 2......well Looks like I am going to have to start over again.

[6740d73e81d14RoSoDude]

Pretty easy contest there in favor of SS2, but I obviously welcome you to try out the mod and give feedback!

[6740d73e81f7dCortana]

RoSoDude It's great just have one complaint. Why is SHODAN only weak to gun rounds? Armor-piercing seems to be the only way to defeat her

[6740d73e8211eRoSoDude]

Armor-piercing rounds (1.25x), Energy damage (1x; Fusion Cannon in particular, Laser Pistol is a little weak for the task), and especially EMP damage (1.5x) are her main weaknesses. She takes normal damage from standard rounds (see also Disruption grenades), and she'll even take half from anti-personnel rounds and incendiary weapons if you have nothing else. Wrench and Crystal Shard (0.75x) finally work too. Her hitbox is buggy, such that if you shoot the lower part of her face she takes no damage -- is that what you were encountering, possibly?

My thought process in giving her more health (as well as increasing the complexity of the fight) was to make her an ammo dump parallel to Body of the Many. While the Rickenbacker leans moderately towards mechanical enemies, there's nothing to drain your accumulated anti-mech ammo (and reward investment in those paths) comparable to the Body of the Many's drain on anti-organic ammo.

[6740d73e82582ZylonBane]

-Reverted SCP Recreation transmitter requiring auxiliary power

[6740d73e826d3RoSoDude]

Since I added other optional power cell uses (with fewer power cells available on Hard and Impossible), it was problematic to have a required use later into the game. I made the Rumbler's night vision better to make it more worth it to turn on the lights to fight him, and I have intentions to add other hazards to the basketball court that are especially threatening in the dark as well. I didn't think it was a bad change in the original context but now it's better to go back to being optional.

[6740d73e82a16Cortana]

RoSoDude my previous playthrough I found out I camped on her spot underneath her face. Then pumped her full of armor-piercing rounds while her shield was still up. That did the trick.

[6740d73e82cc0Cortana]

RoSoDude So you're saying I should use both AP rounds and EMP grenades to take her down next time?

[6740d73e82ddfRoSoDude]

Either/both, whatever you have that gets the job done fastest. It should be more of a challenge now (depending on your build), but nothing insurmountable.

[6740d73e82f70Deu sex]

Cool stuff, I'll try that asap!
I don't see any mention of the slightly rebuffed pyrokynesis skill, but I suppose it's just not in the changelog

[6740d73e83218sarge945]

-Moved corpse with access card closer to Engineering security room

BOOOO!!!!

Watching players get memed by turrets is always hilarious

[6740d73e83615sarge945]

Since I added other optional power cell uses (with fewer power cells available on Hard and Impossible), it was problematic to have a required use later into the game. I made the Rumbler's night vision better to make it more worth it to turn on the lights to fight him, and I have intentions to add other hazards to the basketball court that are especially threatening in the dark as well. I didn't think it was a bad change in the original context but now it's better to go back to being optional.

Yeah, in order to make this work you would need to find a way to enforce that the player doesn't use the rec power cell to go back and open something else, then softlock themselves, although this would admittedly be rare (although maybe not too rare, it's right near the elevator so people might be tempted to go back if there's a closet on another level they REALLY like the look of and want to open, especially completionists who want to get everything on a previous deck before really starting rec).

I guess one way to fix it and keep it mandatory would be to move the power cell into the locker room somewhere, then upon entering make all the lights spark out as if it's having another power failure, locking the athletics entrance door behind the player, and the only way to continue is to use the power cell in the locker room to enable the lights near the pool. It also means the player cannot simply run out of the athletics sector to bait the rumbler, they are trapped in there.

That's obviously not a great suggestion, but I do feel like the "you can turn on the lights" application for that powercell is pretty bad, even with the rumbler having better night vision. It's actually not too hard to see in there, and I feel like opening a door to some loot (or even avoiding the radiation damage in engineering by opening the shortcut) is a better trade off than some light. I could see holding onto that power cell being the optimal strategy, and using it elsewhere for something better.

[6740d73e83797sarge945]

Okay, having playtested further, there's not much point going back a deck with a power cell, since most of them just block off hazards that you would have had to go through anyway at the previous point when you did that deck. Except for Hydro.

So it shouldn't even be much of a problem - pick up the power cell in Rec, and while it's technically possible to go back and put it in, say, ops, why would anyone do that when it just opens a non-irradiated path in ops, which they have already finished by that point?

I guess if people do rec and ops out of order, but ehhh. Doesn't seem likely that they would go to rec, get the power cell, then decide to actually do ops instead and put it in there.

Still, better safe than sorry.

[6740d73e83984RoSoDude]

Hotfixed Beta 12 with the following changes:

-Fixed NVSpy log dump in Ops C
-Merged Laser Rapier scripts to leave slot 0 open for other modders
-Shotgun casings now eject on a delay timed with the pump sound
-Increased bullet projectile speed by 25% (17% lower than vanilla)
-Decreased Armor-Piercing damage multiplier for mechanical enemies from 3.0x to 2.0x
-Decreased Anti-Personnel damage multiplier for half-annelid enemies from 3.0x to 2.0x

[6740d73e83c27ZylonBane]

-Increased bullet projectile speed by 25% (17% lower than vanilla)

What.

[6740d73e83d6aRoSoDude]

I experimented with decreasing bullet projectile speed, but overdid it in the last beta.

Reasoning: now that I have bullet tracers, gunplay is more interesting when you have more of a chance to see the bullet travel through the air, and the delay between the shot and its impact makes it easier to hear the fleshy and metallic hit sounds. You may even have to lead shots slightly at long ranges, but this isn't too relevant given SS2' s typical engagement distances and enemy hitbox sizes.

[6740d73e83e8atiphares4]

Wow    :V     this sounds great.... what an improvement

[6740d73e8400cRoSoDude]

Messed up and provided the wrong files for the hotfix (in essence, no hotfix at all). Please redownload for the above changes.

[6740d73e844cdtiphares4]

Beta 12 is here with a big expansion to the power cell mechanic. Power cells can be used to open routes, disable environmental hazards, and open item caches..

This is so genious!  i've just arrived for the first time at the radioactive corridor in ops in beta12 version; finally those formerly very empty rooms above it - they always bothered me to no end - serve a purpose now!  this is so much of an immersion-boost.


also it was a nice surprise when i went back to that corridor and thought to myself that that shortcut wont be really worth it for that small radioactive area to avoid, when i went along closer & suddenly that little scripted sequence began to start..  this is so extremely well done   



btw. i forgot: there could be some more green lighting imo where those additional steams burst out...

[6740d73e84838sarge945]

also it was a nice surprise when i went back to that corridor and thought to myself that that shortcut wont be really worth it for that small radioactive area to avoid, when i went along closer & suddenly that little scripted sequence began to start..  this is so extremely well done

Yeah, I literally had a "clever girl" moment when I realised I had to run back into it