SCP Beta 4 Issue Reporting

[6743562ce634eOName]

That's a really great change.

[6743562ce676asarge945]

The Amonpour (45100) log doesn't add a note like every other log containing a code does.

It's probably okay since the relevant keypad is literally right next to the code, but it's inconsistent with every other log in the game that contains a code.

Worth fixing?

[6743562ce68fbvoodoo47]

I think it's intentional, forcing the player to find the log in the mfd.

[6743562ce6c05sarge945]

I think it's intentional, forcing the player to find the log in the mfd.

Maybe, but it teaches them the WRONG thing to do.

It teaches them to go into LOGS, find the log in question, and read/listen to it to get the code.

The CORRECT thing to do is to go into notes and find the relevant code, which is much faster.

I get that players should probably know both ways, but one is objectively superior to the other and we are teaching them the inferior way of doing it.

[6743562ce6e03ZylonBane]

No, we're teaching them the way that actually makes sense. Players are supposed to listen to the logs that give them codes. The fact that codes magically appear in the notes before a log has been listened to is a flaw, due to shortcomings in the game's scripting system. We try not to draw attention to flaws.

I shouldn't even have to say this, but the notes PDA isn't supposed to be the primary source for any information the player is given. It's supposed to record reminders for information that's already been given in other ways.

[6743562ce6f5dZylonBane]

Just discovered something kind of funny. If you go to Med/Sci map 2 and take the Spatially Aware upgrade (that displays all rooms even if you haven't been there yet), the map graphic it uses quite obviously displays, in the hastily-erased black areas, a large chunk of the rest of the Med/Sci level from the other map, probably from when it was all a single level.

I never take Spatially Aware when playing, so I'd never noticed this before.

[6743562ce70aeOName]

I've had an issue on my first playthrough, in the BOTM, the tooth platforming room. Before this, there was a puzzle where you had to destroy two objects to open up a blockage. So I expected to have to do the same here. The texture for the blockage similarly showed two lines leading out, so I kept searching the room in vain. There has to be some way to make that more intuitive.

[6743562ce7193voodoo47]

yes, you need to find and destroy a nerve cluster. no way around it.

[6743562ce7410OName]

voodoo47
That's not the concern. The problem is, before, to open up a blockage, you had to destroy two objects somewhere in the gameworld. Here, it's suddenly only one object even though the texture for the blockage shows two emanating lines and there is no indication this blockage is somehow different.

[6743562ce756bvoodoo47]

the area is small, so it's not difficult to figure out the second sphincter opens after destroying just one additional nerve cluster.

if you are suggesting we should make the puzzle more annoying by adding a secondary nerve cluster, then that's not going to happen. the current setup might be inconsistent, but I think we'll survive.

[6743562ce781bOName]

voodoo47
You seem to have text comprehension problems. At no point did I imply that a second nerve cluster should be added, all I'm saying is only having 1 nerve cluster to destroy for this specific room could be made more intuitive for future players who run into this problem on their first run. Perhaps a loud sound to signify the blockage opening. Or an edited blockage texture.

[6743562ce7944voodoo47]

you follow the only nerve trail that leads anywhere, find a nerve cluster, destroy it, and find out the sphincter is now open on your way down. you go through happy that you do not have to search for another one of those bloody things.

the end.

[6743562ce7c6fRocketMan]

I think he's saying there are 2 nerves coming from the sphincter in the tooth room and 1 of them doesn't go anywhere so that one would be confusing players if they chose to follow that one first instead of the correct one.

...but I don't have the game open to check so I'm not sure if this false nerve sends you on a wild goose chase or if it terminates 5 feet from source.

[6743562ce7eb4voodoo47]

hence,

you follow the only nerve trail that leads anywhere

and yes, the tooth puzzle sucks. oh well.

[6743562ce7fd5ZylonBane]

I'm trying to decide whether it's intentional or an oversight that there's not a single energy recharger on any of the Rickenbacker maps. It's not like the Rick is a point of no return; the player can always backtrack to the VB to recharge if they really want to. It's just a huge pain in the ass.

[6743562ce80c0voodoo47]

51% intentional, the single battery placed in the middle part of the level says.

[6743562ce81baOName]

I think it is intentional, like the lack/spacing out of QBRs towards the end of the game

[6743562ce8347Jules]

That's hard to say, considering how the latter portions of the game are the most unfinished ones. I don't remember how I felt about it in my first playthrough, but nowadays I kind of enjoy the challenge of having to find some way to keep my battery-powered items charged without any access to an infinite energy supply, be it through PSI powers or just by carrying a lot of batteries around. Is there perhaps some way to add a recharger only on the easier difficulty settings?

[6743562ce84a5ZylonBane]

Funny the things you never notice:

At some point in development there were apparently four holding cells in the Ops deck security section, not just three. All that remains of the deleted cell in the editor is an unused room brush. No idea why they removed it.

[6743562ce85f2ZylonBane]

Thinking about making the icons on the map slightly brighter so they're easier to see. In vanilla they're the exact same color as the map walls.

Thoughts?

[6743562ce86dcvoodoo47]

definitely an improvement.

[6743562ce87a1ZylonBane]

Automap fails:

[6743562ce89acZylonBane]

When working on SCP, I often try to think of ways that SS2's visuals could be modernized, but without making any fundamental changes to its aesthetic.

Something that SS2 could definitely make better use of is particles. Dark always had a pretty powerful particle system, but Irrational barely used it for anything environmental other than the occasional steam jet. They probably limited its use due to how weak 3D hardware was at the time, back when filling the screen with particles could actually drag down your frame rate. Well that's not a problem anymore!

I've noticed that a lot of atmospheric games use a kind of volumetric fog effect based on particles. Fallout 3, Prey, Soma, many others. It's a simple effect that even Dark can pull off perfectly, and it's amazingly effective for adding "grit" to a scene, for lack of a better word. Check out how this is used in Soma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B69T1HTCZ5I
The particle fog at the beginning and end of the video is so subtle that you can barely see it unless you're looking for it (YouTube compression doesn't help), but it definitely adds something to the scene, helping the level design feel a little less sterile.

So I'm thinking I might try sprinkling some of these effects around SS2. Just a few, in places where it would make sense for things to be dusty or foggy.

[6743562ce8afbJules]

That's definitely a good looking effect, I'd love to see it in the game. As you've said, it only adds to the general atmosphere without clashing with the art style. This kind of reminds me of how impressive the Dark Engine could (and still can) be, even if it was overshadowed by other 3D engines at the time. I still remember how impressed I was when I first saw that steam jet effect at the start of Med/Sci, or how visually appealing the Von Braun's corridors still look today. The great lighting engine definitely plays a part in that. In comparison, I find the only slightly older Half-Life to be way more flat visually, even though I still like it.