Gog.com

[Quinton]

I also missed ever playing System Shock, but everybody here has hyped it up so much, I will certainly indulge myself.  Is it worth it to play the first game before the second, or will it not effect the experience either way?

I missed out on this back in the day.  Installed SS2 from GoG tonight.  Fiddling with cam_ext.cfg to scale up the inventory/etc UI if you're running at a high resolution is worth doing, and there are some other effects/quality knobs in there.  Haven't found a config setting to disable head bob yet.

[Zetor]

There are quite a few SS2 mods that make the game look and play (much) better. Not sure if they're included in the GOG version, but you can find a quickstart guide here -- http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=4447.0

[apocrypha]

Haven't found a config setting to disable head bob yet.

Right at the bottom of the file:

; head bob scale factor (a value between 0 and 1), useful if the head bobbing is causing motion sickness
bob_factor 0.1

; weapon bob scale factor in shock (a value between 0 and 1), also useful against motion sickness
shock_gun_bob_factor 0.1

What I'd like is a way to make A and D strafe instead of lean. Edit: found the "Customise controls" option :)

[Lucas]

Regarding System Shock 1...

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=211.0

 

[Sky]

 

[Yegolev]

Regarding System Shock 1...

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=211.0

 

SS1 was, to me, superior.  Was it the rollerskates?  Only partly but maybe mostly.

[Teleku]

Thanks for the link!  I think I'll throw myself at System Shock 1 then go for the second.

[Quinton]

Haven't found a config setting to disable head bob yet.

Right at the bottom of the file:

; head bob scale factor (a value between 0 and 1), useful if the head bobbing is causing motion sickness
bob_factor 0.1

I must be blind -- I thought I searched through all the .cfg files for "head" -- which file is this in?

EDIT: I am blind.  Right at the bottom of cam_ext.cfg where I was mucking with all the other graphics settings...

[Quinton]

There are quite a few SS2 mods that make the game look and play (much) better. Not sure if they're included in the GOG version, but you can find a quickstart guide here -- http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=4447.0

The high res texture mod (http://www.shtupmod.net/) they list first seems like a no-brainer, and they suggest that as good for first play-throughs.  Turns out the GoG SS2 release has pretty much the latest patched newdark engine, etc, so you can drop the mod contents in the DataPermanentMods directory in the game directory, adjust your graphics settings a bit in cam_ext.cfg (scaling up the UI if you're going to run at a higher resolution helps a bunch) and off you go.

Starting my SS2 adventure now!

[Quinton]

Wow, this is a fantastic game. 

[luckton]

Wow, this is a fantastic game. 

 

[koro]

I am not afraid to admit that it's very hard for me to get through more than a couple hours of SS2. It's just an incredibly scary game to me.

[tgr]

I am not afraid to admit that it's very hard for me to get through more than a couple hours of SS2. It's just an incredibly scary game to me.

Play amnesia. the dark descent then.

[Miasma]

There are quite a few SS2 mods that make the game look and play (much) better. Not sure if they're included in the GOG version, but you can find a quickstart guide here -- http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=4447.0

Do you have to enable mods or something somehow?  I followed all those directions but none of the mods actually took.  I just unzipped everything into datapermanentmods...

[Morat20]

I actually have the System Shock 2 box right next to me, which I think I opened but know I never played. Got it years and years ago. I should probably install it.

[Quinton]

There are quite a few SS2 mods that make the game look and play (much) better. Not sure if they're included in the GOG version, but you can find a quickstart guide here -- http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=4447.0

Do you have to enable mods or something somehow?  I followed all those directions but none of the mods actually took.  I just unzipped everything into datapermanentmods...

I only used the retexture mod (SHTUF), but unzipping it into datapermanentmods definitely did the trick for me -- at 1920x1200 the texture quality for the signs, decals, many of the computer displays, etc, was noticeably improved.  Haven't played with the other stuff yet.

[Rasix]

I actually have the System Shock 2 box right next to me, which I think I opened but know I never played. Got it years and years ago. I should probably install it.

Save yourself the headache and get it off Gog.  That motherfucker is a bitch to get working right on modern systems.  I'm assume they've done much of the legwork for you on that regard. 

[Quinton]

I actually have the System Shock 2 box right next to me, which I think I opened but know I never played. Got it years and years ago. I should probably install it.

In theory, the "SS2Tool" thing should, if you follow the instructions, provide you with basically the same setup as GoG is providing: http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=4141

[koro]

Got SS2 installed and modded up a bit, and after a few hours of super-cautious play I've gotten a fair ways in. Love the game, but hate how fast guns wear out, which I know is an extremely common complaint. I've been using my pistol for nothing but popping monkeys, the occasional camera, and finishing off turrets, and the thing's nearly broken after maybe three 12-round magazines. I have a ton of ammo for the first usable shotgun I've found, but I can't use any of it because the thing lost a level of durability after a single shot.

[Quinton]

I think weapon durability really is my only significant complaint -- you already have to conserve ammo and critters respawn (both of which work well as part of the survival horror flavor of the game) -- having to also deal with weapons breaking down became just another annoyance.  I relied very heavily on the wrench until just before I hit Deck 4, reserving the pistol for those goddamn monkeys and the occasional security camera.

One thing I learned relatively late in the game is higher Maint skill (which I needed to repair the assault rifle once I could finally use it) increases how many levels of weapon durability the maintenance tools restore.

My other minor complaint is that I can't flip through maps of areas I'm not in at the moment, so once or twice I've been asked to go somewhere to do something and it's been a little unclear on what level or what area the thing is in which has caused me to waste time wandering off in the wrong direction.  In general I like that there aren't glowy arrows and such all over the place, but on the other hand, I could benefit from just a *bit* more guidance at times.

[Zetor]

Gun degradation was the #1 complaint back then, too (I remember something about the devs saying it added to the tension and forced players to conserve resources, but it's still silly to have guns in an FPS that break in 50 shots). IIRC you can change the degradation rate in the config file -- I used to play with 0.3. This does devalue the maint/repair skills a bit, but eh.

Also, does co-op multiplayer work in the 'new' SS2? I remember Good Times in 2000ish when I played through the game with a random person from the TTLG forums. It was kind of , though a lot of the horror elements are diminished when you know there's someone watching your back.

[Miasma]

The respawning annoys me, I guess it does add tension and what not if you like that sort of thing.

I also just found out that the voice logs section of the mfd has a notes section that actually tells you what you should be doing.

[Zetor]

IIRC you can also tone down respawns via the config file (or turn them off entirely)... and yeah, that was the other big complaint back in the day too.

[koro]

I don't mind the respawns, but they're not handled as well as they could be. It's not uncommon to clear a room, move to the next room, and by the time you're done fiddling with a lock or something, to hear a newly-spawned hybrid in the room you just cleared bitching about something.

There needed to be a bigger distance threshold for respawns.

[Ironwood]

Started replaying SS1.  God, that game's still good.  STILL GOOD.  Once you get back into how it looks and controls, of course.

I have SS2 still in a box in my house, but I'm still tempted to shell out on the GoG version just for ease.

It's such a shame Bioshock sucked the marrow of the Earth.

EDITED TO ADD :  Damn, I should have read up before posting.  Some chaps with suggestions on the SS2 situation.  Cheers.

[tgr]

I figured the GOG guys just deserved the $10 for what they've done to an awesome old classic, even though I do have the system shock box lying around somewhere.

[Sky]

It's such a shame Bioshock sucked the marrow of the Earth.

You're telling me, I'm still dreaming about a third Freedom Force.

I didn't even bother with the second Bioshock. I think I did finish the first one but I was so completely uninterested in it I don't care to remember.

[Ironwood]

I figured the GOG guys just deserved the $10 for what they've done to an awesome old classic, even though I do have the system shock box lying around somewhere.

That's a reasonable argument.

[Paelos]

Wrong thread. 

[Quinton]

It's such a shame Bioshock sucked the marrow of the Earth.

I thought Bioshock was OK, but had not played System Shock before it.  Having played System Shock 2, I wish they had just done a remake of that instead of making Bioshock... 

[Ironwood]

Welcome to the massive majority of System Shock Players.

They took something awesome, removed the soul and the point and the fun and then shipped it.

While I did appreciate the one wee bit of narrative cleverness, it wasn't worth fuck all compared to the whole game.

[Ironwood]

Wrong thread. 

??

[tgr]

A friend of mine absolutely adored bioshock, and keeps nagging me about why I didn't play through it, despite the fact that 1) it felt like a poor cousin of SS2, and 2) they DRMed it all up. I finally got him to buy SS2 through GOG a few days ago, and he finally understands what I mean.

[Fabricated]

I thought Bioshock was just fine...it wasn't the lack of depth that bugged me so much as it didn't really feel like you were struggling to survive. Even on the highest difficulty if you could shoot straight you were fine for the first part of the game and you still become a golden unkillable god by the end if you explored and researched.

[Ironwood]

It was....just a shooter.

That's really why I didn't like it all that much.

It wasn't even a good shooter.