FM WIP: Fractured Echoes

[67435301a6f36Zokk]

So, after that debacle with getting ShockEd up and running properly last week, I've finally got that all sorted out and squared away. I've been interested in creating a fan mission of my own for a while now, and just in the past few days, I've started preliminary development on it; writing down notes on the plot and characters, and sketching out level designs and all that. I've even been mucking around in ShockEd a bit already, doing a bit of preliminary block-out mapping and such.

I have over a thousand hours worth of experience with Valve's Hammer world editor, part of the Source SDK, so learning my way around ShockEd hasn't been too hard, but certainly a bit odd by comparison. To me, it just feels like a more primitive version of Hammer, really- nothing I can't handle and bend to my will with a bit of practice and experimentation.

Anyway, I figured I'd share at least the scenario for the mission, let people know there's a new FM in the works; maybe get some feedback and try to generate a little hype for it, to help keep me motivated and on track.

SCENARIO

A former private security officer for TriOptimum Corporation, you left the company after the news of the debacle aboard the Von Braun reached the public, seeking to distance yourself from the once-again reputably-tarnished, ethically-challenged and financially failing megacorporation. You now work as a freelance pilot and mercenary, the captain of your own small personal ship; forging your own path through the solar system, with loyalty only to your personal moral compass and whoever happens to pay best.

Your latest employer, a private security firm under contract with the UNN's Department of Interplanetary Commerce, has asked you to investigate KX-32, a small derelict mining station out in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Passing ships have picked up strange intermittent energy signatures and seemingly garbled transmissions coming from the station in recent months. The DIC, short-handed due to more pressing matters elsewhere, has asked your employer to send you out to investigate the situation, given that the station could pose a potential safety and security risk to space travel in the region.

What secrets does the seemingly-dead station hold?

Only time will tell.

ABOUT THE FAN MISSION

Fractured Echoes is meant to be a dark, (both visually and thematically) highly atmospheric fan mission, focusing on creating drawn-out tension and suspense more than jump-scares or extended combat segments, to keep the player on their toes. The use of high-energy music is kept to a minimum, opting for the more subdued underscores and ambient tracks from the original game's soundtrack.

The fan mission differs from the original game and from other fan missions in that the audio logs, emails and pass-codes are found only on computer terminals and occasionally on PDAs found on the bodies of some of the dead. Items such as weapons, nanites, cybernetic modules, boosters and hypos are also only found in more-or-less “logical” places, as well. This is done to provide a more realistic experience, and to encourage exploration in order for the player to gather more resources and details of the story.

The levels, enemy placement and certain spawn triggers are being designed to provide multiple options for actions to take when approaching virtually every situation, much like in Deus Ex. This, combined with the different play-styles available thanks to System Shock 2's RPG elements, should provide a good amount of replayability for the fan mission.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I plan on releasing 'Echoes' bundled with custom cam.cfg and user.bnd files to use for the mission. The cam.cfg file enables all of the Dark Engine's advanced rendering capabilities, and has them adjusted to provide the best visual presentation of the fan mission, as I envisioned it. The user.bnd file configures the keybinds to be much more like modern FPS controls, but at a slower pace, thanks to System Shock 2's variable moment speeds.

MEDIA

For a tiny taste of the atmosphere and level design I'm trying to create in 'Echoes', have a look at this.

And yes, I am, to an extent, straying from the original design style of SS2. Why? Partly because I can and I want to, and partly because I'm not on any budget or time constrains like the developers were; so I can take my time to create complex level geometry and to size & align textures exactly.

[67435301a7219TaxAkla]

Sounds good. I´ll keep looking. Thanks.

[67435301a7353K-Bone]

Sounds awesome,hope to try it out soon.

[67435301a748aicemann]

Best of luck with this. Making FMs for SS2 is time consuming stuff at the best of times. If you need any voice stuff done send me a PM.