SSR: System Shock Kickstarter

[6744f99fde18fdertseha]

Even with a source code release, the System Shock scene is very niche.

For reference: Since I've made InkyBlackness public, the only contacts I got were from others working on their own remakes or translations. Not a single one interested in making a fan-mission.

[6744f99fde636icemann]

System Shock Mod/Mapping Potential:  The best bet is to assume a future where multiple orbital installations around Saturn have been built to mine H3 and that the player can take shuttles from one installation (self contained level) to another.  How this sort of thing would work with a story...well any number of things:

Intercorporation espionage mission (triop vs tetracorp)
Hostile corporational takeover of a facility (no mutants, robots only).
Experimental facility gone wrong
Sabatoge mining operations mission (more corporate devious activity)
Investigate terminated communications problem
etc etc.

You could focus primarily around the cyberspace side of things. The possibilities are endless .

Also you could just go for something new entirely, new style of gameplay etc. I did that with my FM for SS2 which went for a more Doom-like action packed experience rather the traditional "Shock" style. Just because everyone else goes for a particular gameplay style doesn't mean that you have to.

[6744f99fde885JDoran]

So the release of the PC source code is going ahead tomorrow, and as a taster, they've posted up the Mac source code?

That is utterly fantastic!

Thanks for posting this, for those of us who don't use Discord. Please let us know what else NDS say and release in the future, though I presume their big announcement tomorrow will be on a web page, and if so, please post up the URL.

[6744f99fde9bficemann]

I'm imposing a ban on myself to not say anything negative about Night Dive for the next 12 months due to them doing this.

I'll likely break it after a month or so. But they deserve a bit of cred for this.

[6744f99fdeb7cKolya]

Hahaha, nobody mention the tech ninjas!

Seriously though, it is nice that they are finally putting out.   

[6744f99fded2fedx]

Here we go, the new update:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/2135868

[6744f99fdf785icemann]

Man you guys are quick. Beat me to the punch.

The new medical music sounds MUCH better. Different, but it links back to the original tune in much the same way that Shadowrun Returns's new interpretations of the older tunes was done. So you get bits of the old with the new. Much more of a synth + drum and base style sound now.

[6744f99fdf9b5edx]

Over at discord they released HQ versions of the pictures:

• https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/218848493979041794/431878467957686272/shock_ss_02.png
• https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/218848493979041794/431878471698874368/shock_ss_03.png
• https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/218848493979041794/431878450438209546/shock_ss_04.png
• https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/218848493979041794/431878465898283019/shock_ss_05.png

[6744f99fdfb23fox]

Looks pretty much like I remember the initial Unity demo, which is a good thing!

[6744f99fdfcc0dertseha]

Of course I had to be away from the computer when the update came and the Discord channels were abuzz
Anyway, high praises here and there, and the music stands out for many.

The question who will be the "lucky" ones to test the Alpha build in September was asked several times, and the general reply was those that backed on "SHODAN" level. Yet I believe never to have seen any official person to say this.
Personally I doubt that it will be only three people (as per Kickstarter page) that will be invited. We'll see.

Beta testing tiers will follow shortly after:

We will be having Alpha and Beta testing! Those who backed at Beta test levels will get in shortly after Alpha in September.

[6744f99fdfef2icemann]

It was soon after the Kickstarter when the team offered many suggestions that seemed great on their own, but in aggregate represented too much of a departure. However, I approved the proposed changes in scope after receiving positive feedback and a verbal commitment from a publisher to fund the game and the new design we submitted. We promised a bigger, better game and we were told that the game was going to be funded beyond the amount we raised on Kickstarter. Unfortunately, that deal fell through 7 months later for reasons we are still not clear on. To put it bluntly, we were left high and dry after making crucial, consequential changes in staff and scope.

So this particular bit in the KS update pissed off quite a few people, as it shows where Night Dive went wrong and went against what they said in the KS that they'd do, just because a publisher came along that offered them money.

It's great that they are returning to the original plan, but it also shows that they'd have stuck to this new version of SS1 (against backer wishes) if the publisher had stuck through and given them the cash. That's just wrong.

[6744f99fe0259JDoran]

The update is as good as we could reasonably have hoped for, I suppose. As long as they are as committed to the original aim as they claim to be, then in time we might well see the end product that we're all hoping for. Then (and I'm probably dreaming here, sadly) maybe System Shock Remake will be popular enough with those who've never played the original that it might help encourage games developers to create more games like SS.

I wish Prey (2017) hadn't sold so badly, as that could have helped show that gamers aren't afraid of games that require a little more thought. Instead FIFA and Call of Duty sold zillions, encouraging developers to concentrate on graphics, linear levels, and little that requires the player to do any actual thinking.

BTW, if anyone here hasn't played Prey (the 2017 first person shooter/RPG(-ish) game, not the 2006 first person shooter) then you really should. It does have some annoying flaws, but it is pretty much a modern System Shock 2. Compared to SS2, I think that Prey is not as atmospheric or immersive, doesn't feel as deep or complex character-build-wise, and the enemies aren't as intimidating or memorable as they should be (and they don't move about too much, so they often don't feel 'alive') and they don't look very varied, and the ending is awful, both gameplay-wise and story-wise - the ending *really* does call for either a sequel or at least post-game DLC, neither of which seem likely since it's been all this time with no announcement.

But on the plus side, Prey is an enjoyable game, the levels are interesting to explore (the space-station you play on is well designed, and does a god job of feeling like somewhere where people live and work), the game mechanics work well and are easy to explore, the weapons and psionic powers are varied and fun, the story and characters are interesting (until the end...), the graphics are great, there's a good few hours of game in there, and if you want to play a System Shock 2 game made in the last few years, then your options are very limited, so this is a very strong contender.

Regarding SS Remake, they don't say now if it's still going to come out on consoles too. Speaking as someone who would prefer t play it on a console (I love PC and console gaming, but I prefer the latter's convenience) I do actually hope they concentrate purely on the PC version, and then afterwards hopefully port it to consoles, as when a game developer aims for multiple platforms then they often try to equalise the game by making all versions of the game equal to the lowest powered version of the game (on the lowest powered machine). Instead, games should always be written for the most powerful machine, and then scaled down for any lesser machines, as if you do it the other way then the final game usually doesn't take real advantage of the more powerful machine's (almost always the PC) advantages.

[6744f99fe0814fox]

[...] the ending *really* does call for either a sequel or at least post-game DLC, neither of which seem likely since it's been all this time with no announcement. [...]

It seems there is something on the way though.
https://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=6587.msg118400#msg118400

[6744f99fe09c0Join2]

Re: kickstarter update: looking good! The music still isn't to my taste unfortunately 

To be fair, it's probably better than the direction before though, and maybe I'll warm to it better in-game.

[6744f99fe0de4edx]

This, however: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/nx4vX

I could live with this. I dare say this is probably the best "updated look and feel" I've seen of the game. If it stuck to this aesthetic they'd have a real winner.

Just a heads up, that artist, Cody Williams, uploaded during March a ton more of concept art from the project. There is also a bit of bts information in Kevin Manning's site.

• Cody Williams: https://www.artstation.com/codyw
• Josh Powers: https://www.artstation.com/flewda
• Michael Butcher: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/leAXJ
• Kevin Manning: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/96xlQ & http://rebeldevelopment.com/site/system-shock/

[6744f99fe0f2cKolya]

A somewhat pessimistic but not inaccurate article that Shamus Young wrote when SSR went on hiatus: http://shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=42010

[6744f99fe11c5JDoran]

A somewhat pessimistic but not inaccurate article that Shamus Young wrote when SSR went on hiatus: http://shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=42010

That is a well written and interesting article. I would have thought that the writer would have added a note at the bottom now, though, about the latest update.

[6744f99fe1472icemann]

Some further Q&A. This time via Discord:

When asked about how the UI will look:

The UI design is more minimalist than the original system shock but still built in the style of an ocular implant with all the old features.

We are calling it a hybrid because we are bringing some features across and letting some of the quality of life improvements from SS2 influence how we update things. We are using a grid based inventory system for instance.

The demo UI is very similar to what we are working with right now.

The minimap is currently in mid development and Matt is trying to make it as flexible as possible!

We're not making any changes to how things work unless we're positive it's an improvement rather than a preference


Regarding dismemberment:

I'm doing R&D in to a good way to do visual dismemberment that won't eat up a ton of development time, so it will depend on where that leads

We will definitely have visual damage and gore on the enemies even if not complete dismemberment

SS1 had a lot of body parts littered around!


About cyberspace:

Cyberspace is getting an overhaul, but we're still working out how to do it justice.



So it reads to me that Night Dive still does not get it that we don't want more SS2 in our SS1. What do you guys think?

[6744f99fe1668voodoo47]

I personally wouldn't mind a bit of SS2 seeping into the UI - not a huge fan of the original.

[6744f99fe179dedx]

May Update:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/2156127

[6744f99fe1927Synaesthesia]

You can see some of the props I made!

[6744f99fe1aa6icemann]

Now I know that we have the video streams and all, which is good. But I was expecting quite a bit more info in this update.

This is after all the first update after the announcement of the direction change. I'd been expecting something 4x as long that massively went into detail on things.

I'm assuming that the thinking was for people to go watch the streams. Some of us like to read details too though. That way we get detailed insights into the overall current development process, where things are at, what the current road map is, what the current todo list is vs what's been implemented etc etc.

[6744f99fe1bb6JDoran]

My hearing isn't too great, so I too prefer to read rather than to listen. Hence also why I complain when a video game doesn't have subtitles, even though there's no good reason not to have them* as an option in any game where any important information (be it relevant to the gameplay or the story) is given to the player audibly.

[6744f99fe1d22JosiahJack]

I apreciate the thought behind making games more accessible to those who are deaf.  Colorblindness modes are cool too.