System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition Update & Community Participation

[6843c7408fa16eldrone]

The trailer is looking really nice. but I have a couple of questions:
why even change the colors of windows? the green/ smoky blue ones were already pretty cool. also og 16bit renderer gave much more pronounced blues to the overall lighting.
midwide's eyes look much less horrifying then in the gory original. is this the finished look?

Windows use a new material where the cubemap will use the overall lighting level to set the intensity and reflection level, this will change the color in some places, but overall they are still blue.

As for midwife, it's getting a polish pass, so these things will be addressed.

[6843c7408fc03ZylonBane]

Sounds like a new feature in the material system. Making reflective surfaces look correct under varying lighting conditions always was a challenge.

[6843c7408fe82eldrone]

Sounds like a new feature in the material system. Making reflective surfaces look correct under varying lighting conditions always was a challenge.

Yeah, might be, can't remember at this point because its essentiellt just a layered cubemap.

But it was a lot of trial and error to get something looking good when it comes to windows.

[6843c7408ffd5pingu]

much improvement, much wow

[6843c740900ddZylonBane]

That's... very reflective. Reminds me why SHTUP doesn't apply cubemaps to the windows.

[6843c74090480tiphares4]

why even change the colors of windows? the green/ smoky blue ones were already pretty cool.

I like the new windows much more, the blue tint was always very unrealistic - the new ones seem to be a nice compromise + i really really like those new fully modelled windows seals or whatever it is, very nice detail:

[6843c7409076feldrone]

I like the new windows much more, the blue tint was always very unrealistic - the new ones seem to be a nice compromise + i really really like those new fully modelled windows seals or whatever it is, very nice detail:

It was an interesting problem to solve, because all windows use any of like 40 different window models, and these models clip into the worldrep in many different ways.

Which means windowframes were not possible.


So a script will calculate, resize and replace with a new 1x1x1 model.


But it also allows switching back and forth at runtime via a config variable, and I discovered some techniques around manipulating the world and reverting right before saving the game.

So these are actually one of the few things that are easy to disable to have the old look.



This also allows for broken window frames when a window breaks instead of nothing.

[6843c740909f3eldrone]

That's... very reflective. Reminds me why SHTUP doesn't apply cubemaps to the windows.

Yeah there's tradeoffs, the most optimal reflections would be a realtime cubemap solution so it works good in any place, but having it feel a bit more like glass was something I wanted to achieve.

[6843c74090c36ZylonBane]

So a script will calculate, resize and replace with a new 1x1x1 model.

I'm getting a migraine just thinking about how much trigonometry this must have required.

And whatever it took to preserve the thickness of windows.

And how this handles the "security" windows with the wire mesh and VB logos.

[6843c74090e77eldrone]

I'm getting a migraine just thinking about how much trigonometry this must have required.

And whatever it took to preserve the thickness of windows.

And how this handles the "security" windows with the wire mesh and VB logos.

Oh and the fact that they are either x or y oriented.

And that the collider isn't perfect in every place.

[6843c74090f79ZylonBane]

The collider? Do you mean the terrain raycast? I assumed that's what you'd be using.

[6843c74091180eldrone]

ZylonBane
This security window for example, this one seems to have a bugged physics box. But yeah, bunch of tests and measurements.

and yes, decal is on the way.

[collider.jpg expired]
[new.jpg expired]

[6843c740912f8Livo]

Good lord that's a lot of trigonometry calculations.

On a different note, will there be any additional or updated sounds for SS2 Enhanced? Like the exotic weapons reloading & changing fire modes sounding more organic & gross, rather than reusing the standard metallic ones for example? Goggles is loading worms from a beaker & doing god knows what to a weird fleshy thing to change fire modes, it should sound a little icky.

[6843c74091758bobf5]

On a different note, will there be any additional or updated sounds for SS2 Enhanced? Like the exotic weapons reloading & changing fire modes sounding more organic & gross, rather than reusing the standard metallic ones for example? Goggles is loading worms from a beaker & doing god knows what to a weird fleshy thing to change fire modes, it should sound a little icky.

Would love to see additional sounds specifically as a togglable option.

On that note, most of SS2's original sound sources are listed here: https://www.systemshock.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=cck2s8u6d8tbq290gj2herdnfr&topic=13051

And on top of that, at least four other sound libraries were used as well:
The Works https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RJOGPrH8VPAPWxbN34C_jJDuu3EbvUNH/view?usp=sharing (also used in Star Trek!)
Digiffects https://soundideas.sourceaudio.com/track/41254608 (heard in Prefontaine's final log, would make a good extra sound for the teeth)
Hollywood Edge Animal Trax https://soundideas.sourceaudio.com/track/11508651 (the worms are bears in disguise!)
Hollywood Edge Premiere Edition 1 https://soundideas.sourceaudio.com/track/11473643

Modders, Nightdive, whoever: make good use of this knowledge

[6843c7409192btiphares4]

Maybe someone wants to comment that picture/screenshots below..

All those new assets look awesome imo :) especially that plant on the right for instance, makes one wondering if it's made by that vurt-person or somebody else.

That monstera or whatever it is seems to fit perfectly within the style & atmosphere of ss2. And i really really hope assassins with rapiers will make it in as a toggable feature at least - since it always felt like a cut feature - and also the ability to finally hack droids & repair turrets & medbeds/medkeys, having crystal-shard hybrids appear, randomizer & maybe getting rid of those qbrs at all as well, etc. etc. .. maybe there should be a community poll for it.

Maybe someone from nightdive or someone else can comment more on it?

[6843c74091af7voodoo47]

you will be able to load additional mods.

anything modern should have no issue, old stuff probably not, unless updated.

[6843c74091c38tiphares4]

:l i see, i understand... would be nice if some of those essential "mods" would come preinstalled with the enhanced edition™ though, or else many new players might will miss out..

personally i don't even perceive them as mods anymore, but as would-be-official-patches/fixes, but what do i know......

[6843c7409202csarge945]

Some mods are blessed with official support, and others are doomed to be community addons. It's one of the big gripes I think a lot of people have with the remaster.

It's the Revision/GMDX situation all over again.

Anyway, you should be able to install stuff, but I agree that having some community mods "blessed" with being preinstalled sort of discourages people to use other mods, in much the same way the mods not mentioned in the newbie modding guide already struggle.

At the same time, having them include every mod under the sun would be silly.

[6843c74092326ZylonBane]

It's one of the big gripes I think a lot of people have with the remaster.

I haven't seen a single complaint about this. It doesn't even make sense as a thing for players to complain about, since they can install whatever mods they want.

What I have seen lamented is that some of the visual upgrades will require SCP, but I can't imagine it will take long for someone to hack them back into vanilla.

[6843c74092637JDoran]

...maybe getting rid of those qbrs...

I've never used the QBRs in any of my playthroughs, I just use QUICK SAVE/SAVE. But I wouldn't them to be removed, as some people no doubt do use them, plus I might one day decide to do a playthrough where I rely on the QBRs and don't save the game at all. So I'd suggest either adding an option for the player to disable them in the game's options menu, or just leave them in and allow the player to use or ignore them as they choose.

I'm a big advocate of the player being able to play a game in whatever way they like.

[6843c74092997tiphares4]

I've never used the QBRs

I never used them too. Have a strong dislike for them with a passion since the beginning :l always wished they would begone without a trace.

BUT(!).... those Super Duper QBRs on the other hand might be a another matter entirely. Never tried it out so far, but: Either no qbrs for me or maybe super duper - this mod seems actually interesting; i imagine it would tie everything neatly together/making everything(the ship) feel more connected.... i always had the feeling that backtracking on the von braun was underused in vanilla.

Yes, will definitely try it in next playthrough..........


btw.: permadeath mod file expired      https://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=11727.0

I would have liked to use it in combination with super duper qbrs

[6843c74092b23icemann]

I always use them. On a few levels they come in handy.

[6843c74092cb8Chandlermaki]

No QBR, and only one save allowed at the start of each deck is how I usually play these days. Ramps the intensity up considerably and makes the game a lot more fun, IMO. Save scumming is for babies.

[6843c74093050sarge945]

I really want to make a mod (I hope it's possible) that turns QBR into reusable save points, potentially also with a nanite cost.

This would remove degenerate quicksaving while also somewhat maintaining the in-universe lore while still somewhat stretching it a bit.

Save scumming is for babies.

Unfortunately save scumming has become so ubiquitous in PC gaming that everyone complains and calls you all sorts of names the moment you mention getting rid of quicksaving.

I can't see the fun in mindlessly mashing F5 every 2 seconds so I can immediately revert any mistakes I make with no consequence, but hey, I guess I'm not a "true" gamer because I don't like free saving.

The irony is, SS2 on Impossible is actually quite difficult mechanically. The reason so many veterans play on Impossible (and don't actually find it all that difficult) is precisely because you can simply undo every mistake you make with little consequence. Combine that with the horrendously broken balance of vanilla SS2 and you have a perfect storm of mindless uninspired gameplay. Yawn!