System Shock - February Update

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Nightdive Studios posted an update on physical goods, a backer survey, screenshots and an FAQ. The progress seems good since it's possible to play the entire game and they're now polishing it. No clear answer on the release date though.

February Update

We will be closing pre-orders for physical merchandise at the end of March. We know it's been a long time since we opened backerkit so please log in to your account and verify your address and payment method. We will be shipping all physical merchandise by end of the year, so you will want to make sure you are ready to go!

As everything is in production we'll be sharing photos as we get ready to start shipping. We're very pleased with the quality of all the physical products and we hope that you're satisfied as well. Here are some previews of the final and in-progress physical merch! Some of this we've shared with you, some of it is new.

[...]

FAQ

Q: What is the current state of the game?

A: Possibly one of the most common questions we receive is from people wanting to know where the game stands right now in terms of its development. At the time of writing, it's in a position where the game can essentially be finished from beginning to end! What we are currently focusing on is polishing up the levels, and incorporating additional art, animations, and creating a ton of secondary assets that were once far lower in priority. Keep in mind these all add up, and certain things are going to take far higher priority than others. So while something may seem unfinished or lacking in features, chances are it just hasn't been a focus for the team at this moment. Some examples of this would be weapon collision with the level geometry, or the basic graphics options menu. Things like this will of course see another pass before the game is released.

Q: Why do we not see closer looks at some of the later levels, enemies, weapons, etc?

A: While we have occasionally shown off screenshots from other parts of the game in our previous Kickstarter updates, we also want to keep a lot of surprises in store, too! We realize it's a remake of a game that many veteran Shock fans will have played already, but we feel it's important to provide a fresh experience, both for those people, as well as those who have chosen to make the System Shock remake their first time exploring Citadel station.

There has at times been this misconception that if we don't show something it's because it hasn't been made or that it's been removed from the game. Nothing could be further from the truth...

[...]
More information.
 
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Really excited to see this when it's finished. Although, I think I'm just as much (or maybe more) interested in "System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition", since I haven't really kept up with any info about how or to what degree, they are enhancing it.

I missed it when it was originally released and then I played it with a bunch of mods long ago but apart from that, I feel I have spent much more time with the first game.
 
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Really excited to see this when it's finished. Although, I think I'm just as much (or maybe more) interested in "System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition", since I haven't really kept up with any info about how or to what degree, they are enhancing it.

I missed it when it was originally released and then I played it with a bunch of mods long ago but apart from that, I feel I have spent much more time with the first game.

It will feel strange to play the 1st game again, with modern graphics.

I'm not sure which I preferred. The first was a new experience but the ship design was really compressed and it was easy to miss a path or to get lost. The second didn't mark me as much, but it was very good too.

Have you tried the demo?
 
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It will feel strange to play the 1st game again, with modern graphics.

I'm not sure which I preferred. The first was a new experience but the ship design was really compressed and it was easy to miss a path or to get lost. The second didn't mark me as much, but it was very good too.

Have you tried the demo?

Yeah, I did play the demo. It was quite an odd experience to see enemies and level design that was so familiar, yet obviously so far apart from the relatively simple 3D of the original. Anyway, it was enjoyable.

I'm not quite sure which of the two System Shocks I liked more either, there was simply so many years in between when I played them.

The original was pure magic back in -94 and I think I played through it 3 times in the last years of the nineties. (before BG entered the scene;))Though the controls & u.i. would probably be a pain today.

The sequel, I don't think I played it until…maybe 2005-6 and of course by that time the graphics weren't all shiny & modern anymore. (which may have hurt my impression of it, at least a little bit)
 
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The original was pure magic back in -94 and I think I played through it 3 times in the last years of the nineties. (before BG entered the scene;))Though the controls & u.i. would probably be a pain today.

It was magic, so advanced for its time! And painfully long to install from a big stack of floppy disks! :D I still remember the excitement of it.

I briefly tried the demo but the controls were not easy on a non-QWERTY keyboard and there was no remapping at the time, so I didn't go very far. It seemed rather good.
 
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It was magic, so advanced for its time! And painfully long to install from a big stack of floppy disks! :D I still remember the excitement of it.

Lol, yeah I first got it on 3,5" disks as well. Then a year or so later, I saw the CD-Rom version in some "Videogame Exchange" store, so I traded in a few pc-games and got the shiny "Enhanced Version". ;)
 
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I hope it gets released this year, although it wouldn't be a big deal to me if it doesn't with so many other titles getting released. 2022 is already looking like the best year for gaming in a long time.

It'll be interesting, and kind of weird, to receive the physical stuff. I haven't purchased a physical PC game in around a decade, but I backed this enough to get the collector's edition steel case and limited edition art book.
 
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Really excited to see this when it's finished. Although, I think I'm just as much (or maybe more) interested in "System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition", since I haven't really kept up with any info about how or to what degree, they are enhancing it.

I'm looking forward to that too, but I'm not letting my expectations get too high. Afaik, it's going to include some texture mods and 4K support, but it's not getting a fully modern makeover or anything like that. It's apparently going to have a VR mode as well.
 
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Count me in as another that's pretty stoked about this project, while trying to keep my expectations in check. I might even have to revisit the original game just to get the mood in full swing!
 
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Same as Wasteland 3, I only want to play this game, when its well patched and the developers state that there won't be any more updates. At that point I consider a game READY and DONE.
 
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Same as Wasteland 3, I only want to play this game, when its well patched and the developers state that there won't be any more updates. At that point I consider a game READY and DONE.

That's a strange comparison, but ok. SS is primarily a first-person shooter with some light RPG elements. What are they going to tweak post-release? The graphics?

Have fun playing the waiting game though. I hear it's really immersive. ;)
 
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Really excited to see this when it's finished. Although, I think I'm just as much (or maybe more) interested in "System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition", since I haven't really kept up with any info about how or to what degree, they are enhancing it.

It's basically using the same engine as the SS remake, so it will look and and play similarly, allowing for the differences in the two games. Even though I am a KS backer of SS:EE I'm actually excited more about the SS2:EE, because I played and loved that game. Getting that one too is a very nice surprise/bonus.
 
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I'm looking forward to that too, but I'm not letting my expectations get too high. Afaik, it's going to include some texture mods and 4K support, but it's not getting a fully modern makeover or anything like that. It's apparently going to have a VR mode as well.

It's getting ported to their new engine so it will be a graphical upgrade. In addition it will be including a number of SS2 mods for which they have permission from the authors:

https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/system-shock-2-enhanced-edition-is-being-ported-to-kex-engine
 
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SS2:EE isn't going to look like the SS remake. SS1 is being remade using Unreal Engine 4, and the Kex engine is a far cry from that.

Perhaps you're getting your games mixed up? They released a SS1:EE a few years ago that uses the Kex engine. That was a straight port of the original game into the Kex engine though not a remake.
 
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I'm looking forward to that too, but I'm not letting my expectations get too high. Afaik, it's going to include some texture mods and 4K support, but it's not getting a fully modern makeover or anything like that. It's apparently going to have a VR mode as well.

Well, if it does look a bit better than the existing mods that have been in circulation for a while, then that is sufficient for me.

Lol, I expect that a similar "face lift" that "The Bard's Tale Trilogy" got, when compared to the original games, is crazy unreasonable. However, SS2 (especially modded) is really not too bad apperance wise, as it is either.
 
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..level design that was so familiar, yet obviously so far apart from the relatively simple 3D of the original.
From playing the demo this is how remasters of classic games should be done; quality of life improvements, graphical upgrade but keeping the classic gameplay experience.
They wasted a bunch of time and resources early on 'reimagining' the game before common sense kicked in that they can't hope to improve on a game close to perfection.
I just hope there's an option to import the original music, so many see it as dated but it's so good, the intro movie still gives me goosebumps!
 
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However, SS2 (especially modded) is really not too bad apperance wise, as it is either.

I agree. A lot of 3D games from that era look terrible today, but I think SS2 has aged more gracefully than most.

From playing the demo this is how remasters of classic games should be done; quality of life improvements, graphical upgrade but keeping the classic gameplay experience.

I think Nightdive has done a great job. I've seen some negative comments from people on various forums, and I don't understand the complaints. I'm not sure what people were expecting, but this is pretty close to what I imagined a remake to be like.
 
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SS2:EE isn't going to look like the SS remake. SS1 is being remade using Unreal Engine 4, and the Kex engine is a far cry from that.

Perhaps you're getting your games mixed up? They released a SS1:EE a few years ago that uses the Kex engine. That was a straight port of the original game into the Kex engine though not a remake.

You're right, my mistake. Thanks for the correction.
 
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I think Nightdive has done a great job. I've seen some negative comments from people on various forums, and I don't understand the complaints
It's been a long time since the Kickstarter ended which pisses off impatient backers, plus the insistence on pursuing an ultimately aborted reimagining before getting back to a more straightforward remake annoyed a bunch more.
Personally as a backer I accept mistakes can be made and believe from the demo that the developers are on the right track and I'm happy to wait.
 
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