System Shock 2 GOG and Steam Release

[Jasede]

The devs said so in their System Shock 1 streamed playthrough.

 

[Azazel]

Similarly, Dead Space started out development as System Shock 3.

 

[Trojan_generic]

Similarly, Dead Space started out development as System Shock 3.

Result: No Shock 1-3.

 

[Infinitron]

New update on Steam adds the latest NewDark:

New Update Available Now

Hello everyone,

A new update for System Shock 2 is available.

The v2.44 patch, which was provided by "Le Corbeau", contains the following fixes:

• Fixed render state bug that could randomly disable texture filtering on something if DXT1 distant art was present in the mission
• Fixed an occasional memory corrupting bug
• Fixed mouse wheel even generating false left button double click events in some situations
• Changed material override rules so a material file is required to be at the same path level or higher priority than the loaded image, in order to be considered
• Enabled simple show_stats command for game exe (fps and pos)
• Documented the previously undocumented "small_portal_repel" config var (helps reduce jittter when walking across portals)
• Added "highlight_level" and "head_focus_speed_tol" config vars (which previously were only available in DromEd)
• Added support for mouse buttons 4 and 5
• Added support for raw mouse input (see "use_raw_mouse_input" in "new_config_vars.txt")
• Added config var for setting custom speaker config (if supported by device/system)
• Added support for adding/removing meta properties via DML
• Added subtitles_max_dist options (to allow skipping of subtitles for sounds that are beyond a certain distance)
• Included a Large Address Aware patcher (EnableLAA) for convenience (for more info search "troubleshooting.txt"
  for "Large Address Aware")
• Updated various documentation

Other things include:

• Windows - OpenAL 2.0.7.0 is now downloaded and installed upon first running the game. This will allow users to chose the 'OpenAL' Hardware Acceleration setting from the Audio menu.

For Mac and Linux, the affects of this patch may vary. Wine ( www.winehq.org ) is used for emulation and therefore, some notes above may not apply.

Don't like the update? You can roll back to any previous version of the game by going into the game's properties on Steam and, in the Betas tab, choosing your desired version from the Dropdown list.

We hope you enjoy the update. Many thanks to Le Corbeau.

-The Night Dive team.

 

[Sykar]

I thought SS2 was abandonware by now? Must have been wrong.

 

[mindx2]

Has GOG updated their version yet?

 

[AetherVagrant]

Im on the fence, it's just five bucks...but then ss2 is one of those games ive bought physical copies of twice, start again every two years, but have still never gotten past the first 1/2 of the game. Workshop support for easy-modding would make this a must-buy just for the damned convenience.

 

[Mustawd]

Bought an indie FPS bundle with SS2 even though I already own it.

Shoot me a PM if you want the steam key.

EDIT: Claimed

 

[gromit]

start again every two years, but have still never gotten past the first 1/2 of the game

I've done this a few times with all-nighter LAN co-op, usually devolving into caffeine-fueled paranoia, tension, and inventory disputes.

Any other game, and those nights would be failures. But I consider the narrative satisfied, and those experiences to be complete.

 

[Invictus]

Im on the fence, it's just five bucks...but then ss2 is one of those games ive bought physical copies of twice, start again every two years, but have still never gotten past the first 1/2 of the game. Workshop support for easy-modding would make this a must-buy just for the damned convenience.

Hey if its one of the big box versions i would be happy to take it from your hands, maybe throw in the gog version for you on the deal too

 

[AetherVagrant]

Hah, no. I don't have any of my old game discs any more, and the boxes were gone long before the discs. I dont even have the optical drive hooked up on my desktop pc. My ex-wife had similar tastes though, and still has a cd sleeve with almost every bioware/black isle/troika/ion storm game.

edit: also i ended up grabbing the steam version anyway. probably wont play it for a long time, but it was too good a deal.

 

[pippin]

I thought SS2 was abandonware by now? Must have been wrong.

It's currently being distributed by Night Dive, along with many other retro games.
The rights to System Shock 2 are currently being held by Star Insurance Company. I think EA had them until 2008? Not sure, but the best thing about this is that Ken Levine can't put his greasy fingers on this again.

 

[tuluse]

I thought SS2 was abandonware by now? Must have been wrong.

Abandonware isn't actually a legal status, it's just what happens when no one cares enough or knows enough to sue.

 

[hpstg]

If any of you are interested in making the game look like the images below, I have uploaded my ReShade, cam.cfg and cam_ext.cfg files. You'll need a vanilla installation of the GoG version of System Shock 2, with the 2.1.1.20 GoG patch. This is not a full guide or anything. Use SS2Tool to keep your game up to date with the settings you like, and ss2bmm (Mod Manager) with the following mods in this order:

Spoiler

Then extract the files from this zip file to the game's root folder (where Shock2.exe resides). It contains the modified cam.cfg and cam_ext.cfg. They are changed for 1920x1080. If you have a different resolution, you need to make the necessary changes in cam.cfg. Also if your monitor is properly calibrated for 120cd/m2, you might need to lower the gamma from the game a bit. If you apply the cam and cam_ext.cfgs it should be applied already. Play with it until it looks like the images below.

This is how the game looks now. I don't like to change the original art style, just enhance it a bit. The pictures unfortunately have a shitty Imgur jpg compression, but you get the gist. I have added HBAO, Gaussian Bloom/Blur, Gaussian Anamaflare, Adaptive Sharpen, Dithering, HDR and a tiny bit of motion blur. They sound much, but they are all in very small quantities. This, the modded textures/models and the remastered audio which that Irrational insider released, make it feel like a new game in the best of senses. Also my cam and cam_ext cfgs are made so that the HUD is bigger than what the vanilla GoG release supports. I can't take tiny letters.

Spoiler

 

[Makabb]

System shock 1 or 2? Which is better and why?

 

[pippin]

1 is better in almost every way. But 2 is still a very good game.

 

[Nuclear Explosion]

1 has much better gameplay and better (and more consistent) level design. It is a bit clunky though, even with mouselook enabled.

 

[pippin]

Probably the level design took a hit due to the storytelling approach they tried in 2. In 1, it kinda feels you're building the story yourself, while in 2 the story is being told to you. Besides, 1 is more faithful to the old school design choices of FPP games, while 2 is a bit more modern.
It should be noted that Ken Levine tried to make the stages in 2 look like an actual ship, even going to the extent of building a certain number of bathrooms according to the size of the crew, but some of his design elements were discarded because a more gamey approach was needed/wanted.

 

[Average Manatee]

System Shock 1 is better for the first time through, due to better levels, non-liinearity, exploration. System Shock 2 has way better survival horror elements, well implemented difficulty levels, and build selections that make it far more replayable though.

 

[hpstg]

I still remember my disappointment when I first played Bioshock. It was a shock. No skills, no inventory. Almost as bad as going from Deus Ex to Invisible War.

 

[adddeed]

Still, Bioshock is an excellent game. Played though it a few times.

 

[pippin]

Bioshock 2 is way better than 1 and it had the daughterfu element way before Infinite.
Besides, 2's daughterfu is obviously superior to Infinite's Disney Princess.

 

[LESS T_T]

http://steamcommunity.com/games/238210/announcements/detail/854929997292250689

Patch 2.45 is available now, and Pre-Alpha footage of System Shock Remastered!

Hello Everyone,

A New update for System Shock 2 (v2.45) is available now. This update was not created by Night Dive Studios. It was provided by "Le Corbeau" and addresses the following issues:

General:

• Fixed broken "sun_runtime_obj_shadows" (worked in DromEd but not the game exe)
  
• Fixed path priority order bug with subtitle files (was accidentally reversed)
  
• Reduced risk of the door drifting bug that can happen in some occasional FMs (door-based objects that should rotate but instead of rotating just float away into infinity)
  
• Added "no_unload_fmsel" option to cam_mod.ini (can be useful if experiencing crash with FMSel, especially on Windows 10)

DromEd:

• Fixed DXT related crash (when running editor in HW mode)
  
• Fixed crash accidentally re-introduced in the previous version when loading (old) missions with bad door objects (objects internally flagged as doors despite not being doors)
  
• Fixed ambient sounds disappearing after playing in-game movie
  
• Fixed link data for certain link types (AIWatchObj) getting reset when reordering them (in link list dialog)
  
• Fixed original glitch in vhot evaluation that could under some circumstances affect "show_vhots", coronas and particle attachment links using vhots
  
• Fixed DML syntax error bug when working with links that have no data set
  
• Fixed missing field indexing in DML export (for properties that contain multiple fields with the same name)
  
• Fixed a bug that could occur under certain circumstances with StimSource and Receptron commands in DMLs
  
• Fixed a few crashes that could happen in rare situations
  
• Fixed buggy transform for vhot and subobj detail attachment links when parent object is scaled
  
• Added mono warning for ObjTxtReplace properties with textures that couldn't be found/loaded
  
• Added "spew_stimulations" command to toggle mono output for stim events

If you don't like the update, you can roll back to any of the previous updates by right-clicking on "System Shock 2" in your Steam games list and going to Properties. In the "Betas" tab, you can select any older version of System Shock 2 from the dropdown list.

If you haven't seen already head on over to http://www.systemshock.com where you can watch our Pre-Alpha trailer for System Shock Remastered and sign up for our newsletter!

Enjoy the update!

Daniel,
Night Dive Studios.

 

[cvv]

I REALLY REALLY hope they'll put the original music in, maybe remastered or remade completely too. The soundtrack was a huge part of SS1 success and charm, it's got some of the best and most revered pieces of music in the vidyagame history. Not including it would be like making a Director's Cut of Blade Runner without the Vangelis soundtrack.

 

[LESS T_T]

http://steamcommunity.com/games/238210/announcements/detail/1493364699937085089

Patch 2.46 is available now

Hello Hackers,

It's been a while, but a new update for System Shock 2 is now available. It contains the following fixes, improvements and modernisations:

• The EXE has been renamed from Shock2.exe to SS2.exe to avoid old Windows compatibilities being applied on game launch. You will need to restart Steam for the launcher to point to the new executable,
  
• Fixed the problem with battery not fully charging items sometimes,
  
• Partially fixed the problem with Pyro field glow effect never going away after saving and loading while active,
  
• The Recycler will no longer recycle equipped implants, preventing issues,
  
• Fixed many miscellaneous problems on doors, lights, and eggs,
  
• Fixed many upside down or badly rotated objects,
  
• Fixed many cases of rogue props on objects,
  
• Fixed quite a few cases of script duplication,
  
• Fixed a few extreme cases of objects floating off walls and floor,
  
• Fixed the almost completely broken 'Find Delacroix' quest,
  
• Fixed a couple of quests that were starting up or completing in a slightly buggy way
  
• Fixed all the broken piles of worms in the last few levels,
  
• Some tweaks to various existing setups to make them work smoother (explore the DML files if interested in details),
  
• Disruption grenades now actually deadly as per their description,
  
• Rick turrets now corpse normally,
  
• Grenade Hybrids now launch grenades from their hands instead of their abdomens,
  
• The starting controls now use WASD,
  
• The default music volume level has been lowered slightly,
  
• Enhanced Precision disabled by default as having it enabled was causing issues with Steam Overlay and Windows 10,
  
• The default resolution when starting the game is now 800x600,
  
• The in-game UI is now set at a fixed resolution, and will scale better at high (1920x1080 and above) resolutions. If you wish to disable this change, open cam_ext.cfg in NotePad, and add a semicolon to the beginning of the line 'd3d_disp_scaled_2d_overlay 800 600'

Many thanks to "Le Corbeau" for providing the 2.46 patch, and to the community for many of the fixes provided here.

This patch is only for the Windows version of the game right now. Mac and Linux will receive the update soon.

Daniel
Steam Manager, Nightdive Studios