Citadel - System Shock Fan Remake

[674298486046dSynaesthesia]

Probably from the same place that Metroid keeps his missiles.

[67429848607d9RocketMan]

Oh god there was so much wrong with that sentence.

[674298486097bJosiahJack]

Quick poll:
How do you feel about footsteps in video games?

Should players be able to hear them?
Should enemies be able to hear them?
If footsteps are purely decorative audio for the player but do not alert enemies, should there be an option to disable them?

Also, thanks for all the support and feedback.  I appreciate your comments here and helpful arguments made elsewhere (aka the explosion of SSR posts over the past several days).

[6742984860ab7Hikari]

Given how important audio was in Shock2? I'm all for backporting. After all you can always use undetonated explosives as a way to kite them into a trap.

[6742984860bf9voodoo47]

sounds good, however not if it again prolongs the development cycle. we want this like, xmas 2015.

[6742984860cfdLearonys]

Realistic footsteps, in a game where audio makes a great difference gives a player the feeling that these details actually have a purpose. So, if they were added, I do think that they kind of should make a difference to the AI spotting mechanics, just so the player isn't going to be super quiet where it's not needed.

[6742984860f7fAurora]

Probably from the same place that Metroid keeps his missiles.

Probably from the same place that Zelda keeps his TriOptimum.

[6742984861089RocketMan]

I recall having trouble using landmines in ss1 because I couldn't effectively lure enemies to them.  Enemies should probably respond to gunfire and other player audio so footsteps are cool with me.

[6742984861348icemann]

Probably from the same place that Zelda keeps his Triforce.

Fixed.

Not a Zelda player I assume.

And my votes for no player foot steps. Stealth wasn't a thing in the original, so in keeping with the gameplay of the original best to keep things as is.

[674298486149bKolya]

But if you wanted to enhance anything from the original game, then stealth would be a good idea.

[674298486161aAurora]

Add some footsteps and jumping and landing sounds, but don't make them too obnoxious - just quiet little taps. Walking on metal surfaces would get rather tiring if your ears were constantly treated to some kind of infernal clatter. Perhaps stealth elements can include darkness as well; the range at which enemies notice you is proportional to the light level in the spot you're lurking in, but only below a certain light level. Perhaps the delay with which they notice you is inversely proportional to that. The flashlight should completely erode your stealth, and the usage of certain weapons as well. An additional modifier might come from the enemy type; some creatures that lurk in the dark will always see you, and higher tier cyborgs will see further and into darker places. If enemies have already spotted you, then you shouldn't become invisible them immediately after hiding in the dark or turning off your flashlight. Again, higher tier enemies should pursue you for a longer time, whereas drone type enemies should give up sooner, concluding that it was just the wind.

[67429848616f2Kolya]

*shrug*
Musta been cyberrats...

[67429848617efWhiteKnife]

Is it just me or are weapons invisible?

[6742984861a51RocketMan]

And my votes for no player foot steps. Stealth wasn't a thing in the original, so in keeping with the gameplay of the original best to keep things as is.

Since Citadel is the most faithful remake to date, I have no problem keeping it pure.  If he puts footsteps in, it won't bother me but I would remain equally happy if none were added.  This amounts to personal preference anyway.

[6742984861b95JosiahJack]

I believe that "keeping it pure" is probably what most people hope for out of Citadel.  Even more so with all of the changes Night Dive is making.  This isn't to say that I shouldn't take liberties here and there to make it better if it is simple, subtle, and easily taken for granted.  My hope is that the sum of the subtelties will result in the most faithful and enjoyable remake.

[6742984861ca8RocketMan]

Yeah I mean if you fire a machine gun at a cyborg and miss, he should turn around and fire back... makes sense... whether they can hear you walking 3 hallways over, is a much more discretionary call.  Perhaps it's a matter of degree rather than a binary choice.  Decibel level might be the parameter to worry about here.

[6742984861de9JosiahJack]

Perhaps two AI alert states could exist, based on distance or number of obstacles blocking a raytrace, or some combination of those.  There could be an AI_Alert.High in which the AI knows there is a threat and is going after it directly or it's last known location.  Then there would be an AI_Alert.Moderate in which the enemy is searching for the threat in a ramdomly chosen direction or has heard something interesting and is going to investigate at the source of the sound.  Then there would be the AI_Alert.Low state where the AI could do whatever its AI_Goal.ActBusy is set to such as patrol, inspect, stand gaurd, etc.

As opposed to just AI_Alerted and AI_NotAlerted

[6742984861ec9voodoo47]

just don't get stuck in an endless loop of adding one more feature.

[6742984861fa4RocketMan]

I have a feeling he's more disciplined that the dynamic duo

[6742984862087Aurora]

So long as all the features are planned out in the game design document when you're thinking about gameplay balancing, rather than after the fact.

[674298486232dJoin2]

Probably from the same place that Link keeps his Triforce.

Fixed again.

Zelda is a female. Link is the little green elf dude.

[67429848625aeMarvin]

It was a joke, obviously. And of course, you're wrong since both Link and Zelda own only one third of the triforce. :p

[67429848627f7Aurora]

Fixed again.

Zelda is a female. Link is the little green elf dude.

Oh my god, are you serious? Link is NOT a dude. Look at her long blonde locks, soft face, large eyes, delicate body build, and green open-top dress. You are blind.

[67429848628ebJoin2]

"It was a joke, obviously"

Yeah, extremely obvious. Doh.