SS2 System Shock Infinite 2.4

[6740ede8dc2bfMirrorman95]

I agree. Although I'll always reload a save if I don't get out in time, it's always nice to know I won't die if I don't. I definitely still want that new cutscene, though.

[6740ede8dc472xdiesp]

Very well, which difficulties should have the "mercy boot" option then?
There are 4 difficulty settings: Normal, Hard, Expert and Infinite. Just Normal?

[6740ede8dc5ffHikari]

Expert and Infinite. Normal is more arcade-y. Hard makes things more RPG like. Then add another mechanic on that which is 'you did in cyberspace you die for real.'

[6740ede8dca2fxdiesp]

Expert and Infinite. Normal is more arcade-y. Hard makes things more RPG like. Then add another mechanic on that which is 'you did in cyberspace you die for real.'

All right, I updated the patch with the Mercy Boot implemented for both Normal and Hard. It's already been tested and it works. I would have preferred to keep it only for Normal, but there's to consider that players still pick up Hard thinking it's just a renamed Normal. Notice that the Mercy Boot does not work in real time: you cannot change difficulty on the fly and activate it, if you're already in Cyberspace - you must be in Normal or Hard, as you enter the level. For the same reason, I had to cut out the "DEATH" message which would have only appeared on the higher difficulties.

Tests are going well, assuming I don't forget any more testing tools in the maps lol. I still need to run a couple playthroughs to get an idea of the itemization and effect of defense talents. And let me just say that those Shephard troops, on Infinite, can be meanies.

[6740ede8dcb88Hikari]

I've been going through as best i can to see what the ones I feel are possible needing rebalancing (the scavanger one and a couple others.) Just been busy.

[6740ede8dcd18xdiesp]

About the PT expansion:

- The loop maps are bundled to the tear maps.
- I.e. you choose Marie in a tear, and the door behind her opens to the loop map.
- They loop 10 times, then you timeover like in Cyberspace (nonlethal in Normal and Hard).
- They're custom maps from an old competition on TTLG.

ShephardReborn suggests me that they should feature many details. I already had planned 8 puzzles for them, but I'm not sure they can carry the whole thing, so suggestions for more PT-like puzzles are welcome!

[6740ede8dcf9fxdiesp]

Patch updated with new bugfixes! I also added some cosmetic changes to our repurposed Earth map, the one at the end where you briefly visit the streets and then you're thrown back into cyberspace. Most notably, all notes left behind by Lt. Shephard can be read from wall terminals (there's even a couple new ones). It should work as a late recap before the ending.

Here's a recap of the new text introduced by this patch:

...the tear effects have become evident... we are like shadows to each other...
...I put down one of those cyborgs, in MedSci... but his memory chip had my same signature...
...she appeared out of nowhere to help the cyborg... without doubt she isn't human anymore...
...Captain Diego wants me to help the Many... but can they grow stronger than Korenchkin?...
...the Von Braun is just the beginning... ...the UNN must be warned about her return...
...we pinpointed the source of the entropic emissions... it's an escape pod... 0.7 million miles from the Von Braun...
...I extracted the memory chips from the last few cyborgs... ...I will break them into cybermodules, nobody has to know...
...Sarah is only trying to help us... ...help us grow stronger...
...she didn't sound like the same person anymore... ...but we felt compelled to trust her...
...the entropic tide is her tool... Sarah is changing the ship...
...if we don't stop the entropic emissions now... ...we won't be able to return as humans anymore...
...I have seen the Earth... ...reshaped by her return...

[6740ede8dd095Mirrorman95]

Looks like the Borg have invaded Earth again.

[6740ede8dd19aHikari]

Hey any chance at the cyberspace earth withut hud elements or weapon at wallpaper resolutions? That actually looks pretty kickass.

[6740ede8dd2aexdiesp]

I think we're mostly done with this patch, it's just about checking the german translation in-game now. Here's a bigger version of both pictures:

[6740ede8dd423xdiesp]

I updated the patch with a tentative feature: all Marie voiceovers with an echo effect, somewhat in between the Protoss and the Decepticons. See if you guys like it. I think it should help mediating between the best, and the worst parts of the acting.

[6740ede8dd88bunn_atropos]

Man, does that take me back. Check 16:00 for amazing Robot mayhem!!!

[6740ede8dd9c5Hikari]

I have to say I /LIKE/ diego's voice. However have him with some kind of effect when we see his Many apparitions? Very soft, subtle. However something you could tell isn't there when in flashback.

[6740ede8ddaf9xdiesp]

I updated the previous post with another, toned down version of the tentative Marie voice. Tomorrow I'll think of something for Diego too.

Edit: Added yet another, a quieter version of the original... let's call it medium.

[6740ede8ddc1eHikari]

Better, but I can't tell much difference between amrie light and marie medium.

Sorry for being critical man. It does mask problems somewhat. PIty you dont have time to do deep editing to line by line on filters and just going with a global.

[6740ede8ddf8fxdiesp]

I wanted to tell players that Marie's tear evacuated the ship, Shephard's makes you protect the crew against the UNN Troops, and Korenchkin's... also allows you to save the Many. The latter is particularly hard to believe, so here's another tentative feature: destroying the black eggs which spawn in the Many tear, momentarily shows the ghost/Many member associated. See if you like it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_I4nJPMde0

Better, but I can't tell much difference between amrie light and marie medium.

It seems everyone prefers the medium version, I will update the patch accordingly.
About Diego's voice, check these alternatives:

[6740ede8de12cHikari]

Concept is good, but that really feels like you're killing the many instead of making them strong enough to overthrow Father.

i like the 'standard' voice. Just enough that you can tell something's p but will be missed when you're seeing flashbacks.


I SERIOUSLY am liking that one cutscene where you're stuck in one of shodan's memory fragments. Diego might not yet be strong enough to free the Many, but he is strong enough to free you. Plus getting to take down his old man is something next to impossible to pass up.

[6740ede8de2b2xdiesp]

I will be remaking the system that provides all the text-only logs and the Shephard movies:

- Infinite Memory Chips you pick up in Cyberspace, are immediately absorbed in the character;
- Their associated text-only logs will spawn near the Cyberspace entry point, as classic audio logs;
- They play a spooky sound effect, so they're not completely text-only;
- Killing Shephard doesn't trigger a movie: looting the "stolen memory chip" in his inventory does;
- Shephard also carries those text-only logs.

So, I skipped any changes to Captain Diego's voice. As for the "ghost in the egg" mechanic, I've set it to trigger for a few seconds if you "heal" the egg with Marie: Phase. It's just a little detail for the completitionists and we've got bigger fish to fry.

[6740ede8de444Hikari]

So basically right now does nothing, but putting what you can there to revise later?

Anything on the mechanic I suggested to make it less tedious?

For everyone else: Instead of a ghost you have to 'heal' after every egg (which there's like 20 - 30 per level) have a ghost pop up every five or ten eggs broken. When you approach that ghost you get a softer version of Diego's 'free our people' and maybe variations on the above if appropriate lines can be made to work.

That opens the door for the 'many' ending to trigger if x number of ghosts have been freed rather than just taking the tears. It could be that's the task you have to perform within the Many's tear to get back to the ship, free ghosts. The big problem here is that will just /eat/ through your psi so making sure psi is available is important.

[6740ede8de6a8xdiesp]

Right now it's just cosmetic, but I can see how players would understand it's part of Diego's request to "free our people". My original idea for that, was to kill hybrids in a particular way like Marie-healing them when stunned. But dealing with the black eggs is bothersome, as only the reward ones (1 per deck) can be scripted. Here's a reasonable reduction:

- If you heal one, you heal them all until the next bulkhead.
- Few black eggs are scattered around, like the out-of-phase marines. To learn about them.
- This enables the Many ending.
- Diego might or might not congratulate you, I don't know if I have any more email slots free to use.

It's actually logical that to get the current Many Ending, you need to do something like that. People currently understand they're going to serve Korenchkin, only to kill him at the last moment and let Diego go on his merry way. Another logical thing, would be NOT killing Shephard to trigger his ending. The problem is, that players don't give a damn and would just blast him (and the eggs) without any qualms about missions or morality. In my opinion, we're better off rearranging our features for the better, than adding new ones on top. In example, how about giving some more context to the encounters with Shephard? You don't just meet him, but him and 2 of his troops standing over a dead Goggles (with the chip and memory).

There's much else I would like to rearrange. Like overlapping tears: spawning at the same time the friendly marines, the hostile guards and the eggs. It could be an element of the tear maps (clicking the guys in order?), or a psi power to explode a tear, or an OS upgrade. Another more viable feature: Marie dying in Cyberspace if you're going to get the bad ending, Diego dying in Command if you've never saved any Many, being able to revive the dead Shephard at the entrance of Cyberspace if you've never killed him. Maybe we should wait for the Director's Cut version for these.

[6740ede8de962xdiesp]

Back to Earth and to doable things:

1) Added more details to all Shephard encounters. He's always found near a dead Goggles, and as you progress through the game, he will ambush you along with his buddies. The memory video is triggered when you loot the chip from Goggles, which also contains the text-only logs (which are now, well, normal logs).

2) You can now save the Many. Either use Marie: Phase on each black egg you find, or use it on the rare yellow eggs which restore them all. Black eggs are common after you enter a Many tear, but there's also a fistful of them out in the open, to learn of the mechanism. Diego issues 3 kinds of congratulations messages.

3) In the last level, different minilogs appear according to what ending you are gonna get. So you have at least a chance of understanding what's going on!

Diego's Last Log
"...it is finally over for Korenchkin... ...but neither I or my crew... ...will ever return as we once were... ...we live in a different world, now..."

Marie's Last Log
"...the refugees' fleet has already left... ...and finally we have a good shot at Shodan... ...hopefully playing safe didn't hinder our chances... ...I can only pray that my Sarah is still on our side...."

Shephard's Last Log
"...the cortex reavers are coming for me... ...Sarah, I leave my final words to you... ...tell the cybernetic abomination that I am going to be... ...to know who he really is... to remember me..."

Sarah's Last Log
"...FTL memory drive infiltrated... ...safety protocols engaged... ...structural analysis in progress... ...running biological optimization..."

And in other news, the german translation is complete and I'm back to testing big time the aforementioned changes.

[6740ede8deb84xdiesp]

Arcados86 livestreamed a longplay Infinite on his Twitch channel. He beat the entire game in one sitting, on the hardest difficulty setting. It was his first time with the mod, and it took him 12 hours. You can watch the video here:

Arcados86's Twitch channel: http://www.twitch.tv/arcados86/v/13857438

And here you have the updated beta 2.4 patch. This one contains extensive changes, as detailed in the changelog below. It's already been tested, but I won't publish it until I've got a couple more runs checked.  The full German translation is contained as well, thanks to the hard work of UNN Atropos.

New patch v2.4: https://db.tt/tRn5YJyH

[6740ede8decdeHikari]

Did I fubar my install?

The shepard at the end of medsci is still by himself, I didn't find the yellow egg on medsci, so I dunno.

I really like the fact you can 'heal' the eggs, but it seriously just sucks down your psi.

[6740ede8dee32xdiesp]

It happens progressively: at first he spawns alone, then with 1 assistant and finally with 2. So far he's steamrolled all streamers on their first try, so I tried to take it slow. The dead Goggles is always with him however, like Weekend with Bernie.

In Medsci1, the yellow egg (official name: world egg) is by the Xerxes monolith. My idea is that as soon as players figure out what those do, they will skip the normal ones.