SS2 System Shock Infinite 2.4

[67409ef65ed6cHikari]

oooo. DERP.

Thanks for the heads up guy. Definately gonna have to go through this a bit better.

Also am I the only person that just harvests the black eggs in the rickenbacker instead of destroy purely because cybermodules?

[67409ef65f6c2xdiesp]

From my experience with testers and now with these streamers, 50% of them ignores the undertext ("energy target", "marie: phase to revive") and none take the Many tear on a first run. So, none will know of Diego's special messages but at least some of them will pick up that you can "heal" the few black eggs that spawn in the game normally. They spawn in Medsci2, Hydro1, Rec1 and Command 2: the old Rick1 ones can only be destroyed or picked up.

Players are awfully moral when presented with a little sisters like choice, because they know they're being judged. Otherwise they steal and kill other humans like Shephard with abandon. The exception to the rule, so far, has been the 12 hours streamer who started harvesting the old rigs because he just needed the dough (he was playing on Infinite on his first try).

edit
I updated the new beta patch, both on dropbox and moddb:
- The Shephard route rewards 10 more cybermodules overall, between Medsci and Hydro.
- Expanded Shephard's loot table: now he drops either 4 red bullets (50% chance) or 1 implant of 5 (10% chance each).
- The last Shephard, trapped in Diego's quarters in Rickenbacker 3, now shoots himself with the old ghost animation.

I should take a look at the streams, in case the guys came up with any ideas.

edit
Full review of Lt. Shephard's minilogs:

MEDSCI1
libro3: "...no one else remembers what has happened in the past...\n...as no one will remember what happens between now and then..."
libro18: "...it should incapacitate them long enough...\n...to get up close and personal..."
libro19: "...readings indicate the cranial plates...\n...have been weakened by the parasite..."
libro25: "...energy fluctuations detected in the FTL drive...\n...portable batteries should remain unaffected..."

MEDSCI2
libro2: "...the tear effects have become evident...\n...we are like shadows to each other..."
libro20: "...I'm not really thirsty...\n...but my PSI points are getting low..."
libro27: "...the emissions have decimated my team...\n...oh god, I can see through my own body..."

TEAR1
libro39: "...the evacuation plan seems to be working...\n...but aren't we just postponing the inevitable?"
libro40: "...Diego believes we can still rescue our comrades...\n...but I won't trust Korenchkin's lies any longer..."
libro41: "...Shodan's cyborgs have taken over the ship...\n...we must fall back and avoid any contact..."

ENGI1
libro1: "...cybernetics are affected by entropy, just like weapons...\n...if I don't upgrade them, they will lose effectiveness..."
libro17: "...Bronson's strategy didn't work out...\n...should have ordered the turrets hacked..."

ENGI2
libro21: "...Captain Diego wants me to rescue the Many...\n...but can they grow stronger than Korenchkin?..."

HYDRO2
libro5: "...it's like knowing I was dead...\n...and something brought me back..."
libro6: "...as if a rift had opened...\n...and reality itself adjusted to it..."

OPS1
libro22: "...the whole Von Braun has risen against her...\n...but we need another Hacker to make it..."
libro23: "...she is turning us one by one...\n...must protect the FTL drive at any cost..."
libro24: "...we received a deep space transmission...\n...hailing from the Solar System..."

OPS2
libro7: "...I put down one of those cyborgs, back in Medsci...\n...and his memory chip showed my same signature..."
libro4: "...confusing fragments of memory flash before my eyes...\n...of one thing I am certain: none of that can possibly be real..."

OPS3
libro9: "...the strength of the entropic tide increases...\n...only my best weapons remain unaffected...."

OPS4
libro11: "...I'm glad we are not alone here...\n...Sarah takes care of the lost..."

REC1
libro10: "...she appeared out of nowhere to help that cyborg...\n...there's no doubt she isn't human either..."
libro33: "...she didn't sound like the same person anymore...\n...but we felt compelled to trust her..."

REC2
libro30: "...the cyborg is hunting us down...\n...bastard picks us off one by one..."
libro32: "...Sarah is only trying to help us...\n...help us grow stronger..."

REC3
libro8: "...some are programmed to think they are human...\n...there are many copies... and they have a plan..."
libro34: "...the entropic tide is her tool...\n...Sarah is changing the ship..."

COMMAND1
libro12: "...the Von Braun is just the beginning...\n...the UNN must be warned about her return..."
libro26: "...she was reprogramming one of the replicators...\n...we must destroy them, so the shuttles can launch..."

COMMAND2
libro13: "...I extracted the memory chips from the last few cyborgs...\n...I will break them into cybermodules, nobody has to know..."
libro35: "...if we don't stop the entropic emissions now...\n...we won't be able to return as humans anymore..."
libro46: "...we received new orders from Dr. Polito...\n...take the card to the Command Center on Ops..."

RICK1
libro14: "...Captain Diego is a symbol for all of us...\n...if anyone can make it against Korenchkin, it's him..."
libro29: "...she pretended to transmit me some cybermodules...\n...but she was actually fragmenting my memory chip..."

RICK3
libro31: "...we pinpointed the source of the entropic emissions...\n...it's an escape pod... 0.7 million miles from the Von Braun..."

MANY
libro16: "...Shodan stores the cyborgs in cryo storage...\n...we plan to hull breach the sector before they awaken..."
libro28: "...we trapped one of the cyborgs in the tunnels...\n...the area is flooded now, he's as good as dead..."

SHODAN
libro15: "...he was a good Marine and a good friend...\n...but the cortex reavers got to him first..."

FINALE
libro37: "...I have seen the Earth...\n...reshaped by her return..."

INFINITE
libro42: "...it is finally over for Korenchkin...\n...but neither I or my crew...\n...will ever return as we once were...\n...we live in a different world, now..."
libro43: "...the refugees' fleet has already left...\n...and finally we have a good shot at Shodan...\n...hopefully playing safe didn't hinder our chances...\n...I can only pray that my Sarah is still on our side...."
libro44: "...the cortex reavers are coming for me...\n...Sarah, I leave my final words to you...\n...tell the cybernetic abomination that I am going to be...\n...to know who he really is... to remember me..."
libro45: "...FTL memory drive infiltrated...\n...safety protocols engaged...\n...structural analysis in progress...\n...running biological optimization..."

[67409ef65f830xdiesp]

The official mascotte of System Shock Infinite 2.4 is Punished Marie.
After the voice change, she is a scientist deprived of her words.

[67409ef65f9f8Kolya]

Hehe, nice. I like how you're making the characters your own. And I like your style! That tomboyish mischievous tank-girl smile of Punished Marie is a great take on Marie as a younger version of herself. It's like Marie Delacroix in her punk phase. 

[67409ef65fb7bvoodoo47]

why she having a sweet potato rammed into her head?

[67409ef65fce8Chandlermaki]

Because Metal Gear reference.

[67409ef65ffe5xdiesp]

One more feature... The tear maps now reflect the amount of memories you have unlocked: the frozen characters around the lightbeam are gradually replaced by Goggles ghosts, eventually adding new ones, up to a full 19 memories. Clicking on the ghost plays the related memory video, titled as  follows.

"transmission to earth"
"human augmentation"
"our guardian angel"
"a captain's shadow"
"the mind probe"
"sarah's second chance"
"the metal age"
"last rites"
"marine recruits"
"diego's right hand"
"into sarah's world"
"shodan's takeover"
"technological distinctiveness"
"the away team"
"until next time"
"the dirac sea"
"the beast within"
"through the looking glass"
"you can't go home again"

I've also thrown an extra detail: when you descend down into the tear, amidst the cubes you can spot Sarah. She is a light shade which disappears as you get near, leaving a minilog on the ground for a short time. The minilogs state:

"...option A selected, rebuilding world...  ...hello Goggles, it's good to see you..."
"...option B selected, rebuilding world...  ...we can barely recognize you, old friend..."
"...option C selected, rebuilding world...  ...copy that Xerxes, we're tracking down the target..."
"...option A selected, rebuilding world...  ...she is the one who provided us with our second chance..."
"...option B selected, rebuilding world...  ...Shephard, remember what I taught you..."
"...option C selected, rebuilding world...  ...don't think you can hide from me, traitor..."
"...no options available, purging world...  ...chroniton emission in progress..."

You can check the updated patch here.

[67409ef6602c1xdiesp]

I added 3 unique weapons to the mod, found only once per playthrough. They look cool and should provide more incentive to upgrade all the way up to tier 6 weapons. You can check them in the updated beta patch.

• Arcaniac's pipe wrench deals extra damage to energy targets. Found at the end of Engineering.
• Rainalkar & Rocketman's emp rifle is fully automatic, less ammo efficient. Found in the Rec1 forcefield.
• Arcaniac's assault rifle fires in very rapid bursts, with more knockback and less clip. Found in the Ops4 forcefield.

Hikari: I came up with an alternate take on Infinite as a whole, based on The Invention of Dr. Morel. It's interesting enough to evaluate implementing it in the Director's Cut, but most probably it clashes too much with everything said by Marie. The game starts with the Von Braun returning to Earth: it's a ghost ship and your platoon of marines gets sent in to investigate. You find only debris and corpses, with signs of a final fight between Goggles and Rebeccadan. Then you make the mistake of powering back up the FTL drive, and the protoreality bubbles brings back the chaos. Not only that, but the bubbles has incorporated you in the story as if you were a crewmember of the ship.

[67409ef6603cbHikari]

I like that idea. I really do. Might be better to have that as an 'elseworlds' type scenerio instead of trying to weld the two concepts together.

[67409ef660514xdiesp]

Beta patch updated. I can't seem to eliminate the crash from Engineering 1, so I'm thinking of remaking the whole level modifications from scratch. I wonder which version of the level would be more stable, vanilla or unstripped.

[67409ef660636voodoo47]

strippedness should not affect stability afaik. always use an unstripped level if available if you want to mod stuff.

[67409ef660a6dxdiesp]

I've updated the beta patch with more fixes and a 4th unique weapon, the custom fusion cannon.

And check the location of the custom wrench in the screenshot below!   

strippedness should not affect stability afaik. always use an unstripped level if available if you want to mod stuff.

For now, I've transplanted all objects from my modified Engi1 into the original unstripped one. If that doesn't help, I'll have to do something more.

[67409ef660c04Hikari]

Thanks for tip on where to find the new wrench.

Does it do less damage to fleshies or is it the one bonus weapon that has no negative?

Edit: Wrench is not in the place where screenshot hints at when going through after picking the Many in tear. Then again that's loading an old save pre-patch. Also did a wipe of everything in 'current' and reloaded with no change.

[67409ef660d30xdiesp]

It's an all around better wrench, as the electric damage sits on top of the default. I didn't set it to disappear with the tears, just the gore around it will be gone as usual with Marie's tear.

Today I'm running the final tests, and if everything checks out, I'll release patch and full version 2.4 on Moddb.

[67409ef660e23Hikari]

Time permitting I'll go through again to see if I botched the install or something. Don't see how but always possible.

[67409ef660f19voodoo47]

you need to either start a new game, or at least delete the map from your save (not recommended, should only be done for test purposes).

[67409ef661295xdiesp]

Time permitting I'll go through again to see if I botched the install or something. Don't see how but always possible.

Remember that for the Current method to work, you have to alt-tab out of the game and delete the file "live". It would return, if you just deleted it before running the game and loading the save. If you want to check the new weapons, here's a savegame from my tests: https://db.tt/eBJEtISW

Also, I didn't realize that it took over 3 weeks to make this patch. 

[67409ef66142bSystem Shocked]

@ xdiesp

Here are the files that you requested, ALL in their original format.

Thanks much.

[67409ef66161aHikari]

Such a little thing being able to go back and re-visit already seen cutscenes. Nice touch.

Really like the wrench.Sure it's a 'gimme' but it is so very helpful when going for the no weapon trainer run.

[67409ef662298xdiesp]

Version 2.4 is officially out!

I uploaded both the full version and the patch to MODDB, as well as some extra addons and fixes.
Here you have the release notes:

System Shock Infinite 2.4 has been released!

Enhanced by months of user feedback, this update features a complete overhaul of the OS Upgrades system and further develops the Captain Diego storyline. Discover new weapons, enjoy unlimited time in the Cyberspace levels and unravel more mysteries to unlock the multiple endings. Full changelog.

Story. What if it were actually possible, for the Soldier to meet up with Dr. Delacroix in the hangar bays? Join the two of them as they enter Shodan's world and become trapped in her schemes. What is real and what is hallucination, in her artificial reality? The answer lies in the amnesiac player's memory. Full script.

Gameplay. Infinite plays a game of expectations with the veteran player. Core gameplay remains the same, but variation in the familiar events keeps you on edge: the formula is "shaken, not stirred". Choose a lower difficulty for a more arcade experience, or try the higher ones for some old-school RPG complexity.

Steam installation instructions. Right click on System Shock 2 in your Steam library and select "Launch with Fan Missions". When FMSel prompts you about creating the \FMs folder, click "yes". Place Infinite's folder in \FMs and play via FMSel.

GOG installation instructions. Run SS2Tool to update your game. It will add a shortcut to FMSel on the start menu: "SS2 Fan Mission Selector". When it prompts you about creating the \FMs folder, click "yes". Place Infinite's folder in \FMs and play via FMSel.

Alternatively, you can use Blue Mod Manager and place Infinite's folder in \DMM. If you are having issues running mods and your game is installed in Program Files, move it to a different folder like C:\SS2.

While here is the 2.4 changelog:

New OS Upgrades

Environmental Resistance
Provides immunity to all radiation and toxins.

Exoskeleton
Grants +20 bonus defense and 3 extra inventory slots.

Velocity Modulator
Increases speed by 20% and grants immunity to fall damage.

Security Expert
Disabling security also shuts down any security robot.

Synthetic Heart
Increases hit points by 15.

Neuromancer
No time limit in Cyberspace and bonus to hacking against security terminals.

Charged Strike
Melee attacks can be charged for 100% more damage.

Scavenger
You recover additional items from defeated enemies.

Blast Proof
Grants immunity to psionic burnout and splash damage from heavy weapons.

Handyman
Damaged recharge stations no longer explode when used.

Mnemonic
Subconsciously implements any unrecovered memories.
(Note: this one unlocks all endings!)


New Features

Tier 4 Power: Entropic Tide
Slows down organic and mechanical targets in a 50 feet radius.
The effect is permanent. Ineffective against psionic creatures.

Saving the Many
Implemented a sidemission to save the crewmembers that were assimilated by the Many.

New Weapons
The pipe wrench, pulse rifle, phaser rifle and fusion launcher are now available.

Quest Progress
Tears in protoreality now reflect your progress in recollecting your past memories.

Lt. Shephard's Encounters
Shephard now plays a bigger role, and you'll have to fight his team to collect more memories.

Cyberlink Cutscene
On Expert and Infinite, running out of time in Cyberspace triggers a new cutscene.

Streamlined Story
Added new logs and story sequences to better flesh out the story.

Voice Acting
Marie Delacroix's and Captain Diego's voices have been improved.

Infinite Difficulty
Cybermodules are even scarcer now, on the highest difficulty setting.

German Translation
You can now enjoy all logs and subtitles in German, courtesy of UNN Atropos and Vegoraptor.


Bugfixes

Infinite is now compatible with SHMUP and Vurt's Organics.
HD texture packs no longer overwrite some of Infinite's custom assets.
Strength bonuses now properly benefit melee attacks.
Memory chip logs can now be read with the "play last log" button.
Restored the original names for anti-personnel bullets and anti-personnel shells.
Increased rewards received by players during the Many and Lt. Shephard routes.
Tears now preview which items are rewarded in the different routes.
Removed outdated descriptions from the Stasis Device and the Marie:Security PSI power.
Rebalanced the spawn rate of organs inside of special eggs.
Hacked turrets no longer eject their casings around the player.
Replaced damaged medical units that would still heal the player.

Restored Polito's message to the player in Recreational.
The brig cutscene no longer stops when you force open the forcefield.
Replaced the music played during the Escape from Cyberspace event with a longer version.
Fixed an issue with psionic echoes appearing before the music started, in the Rec lounge.
Terminate Traps in the finale can only be destroyed by hacking, as originally intended.
Dropping and picking up the simulation chips in Ops won't trigger the same email again.
Additional Toxin-A vials are now available in the Body of the Many puzzle.
Fixed an issue with the hackable corpse in Operations being difficult to hit.
The door to the Recreational Theatre no longer disappears when opened.
Recut Diego's dialogue in the lower level of Recreational.
Fixed a bug which would cause Sgt. Bronson to move to the wrong location.
The Recreational lobby cutscene no longer triggers exclusively at the entrance.
Removed the cutoff points and reintroduced Marie: Escape in the Body of the Many.
Fixed a potential conflict with an hybrid playing the wrong animation in Medsci.
The secondary entrance to the recharger room in Medsci is now easier to spot.
Fixed several typos in the text-only logs.


Credits

Directed by Xdiesp, Art by Captain LKL.
German translation by UNN Atropos and Vegoraptor.
Proofreading by System Shocked, Haios and UNN Atropos.
Pulse Rifle, Pipe Wrench models by Arcaniac.
Ball Lightning Rifle model by Rainalkar and Rocketman.
Fusion Cannon model by Assidragon (Ravenlord).
Thanks to Hikari, Thiefsiefool, Zygo and NamelessVoice for their support!

Click for full version

System Shocked: very well, see if you'd like your crosshairs mod like this!

[67409ef6623e8voodoo47]

any special reason why steamers should use FMselect and GOGers BMM? considering the amount of custom stuff, FMselect is probably the better choice.

[67409ef6625acK-Bone]

I donno but I do know that the steam version gives the option to either Start SS2 normally or to use FMSel,which tbh makes the whole "forcing the steam version to only use FMSel through -FM" thing pretty pointless unless you ONLY want to start with FMSel. But then you could just always select "Launch with Fan Missions" option.

[67409ef6628c5xdiesp]

any special reason why steamers should use FMselect and GOGers BMM? considering the amount of custom stuff, FMselect is probably the better choice.

Since SS2Tool installs BMM now, I thought this was the current preferred method. I'll simplify both then.

Edit
About that, launching Fmsel through the "launch with fan missions" option in Steam is a given... but what about GOG? Still all the usual cam_mod.ini procedure? BMM is indeed a bonus if you can skip that.

[67409ef6629b1voodoo47]

the tool can enable FMsel for any SS2 install.