Vapourware System Shock 3 by OtherSide Entertainment - taken over by Tencent!

[Big Wrangle]

We gonna have great graphics

Someone should have reminded Spector to not say that without any actual screenshots because of how Underworld Ascendant looks.

 

[Mech]

So how many years does a game have to be worked on before we throw the vapourware tag on it?

 

[LESS T_T]

While this is announced in late 2015, but actual pre-production and team building was started around mid-2016. Assuming this had a relatively long pre-production period, I guess potential release time is pretty close to Starbreeze's expectation, 2020. (Now that makes me wonder if this will be a cross-gen game in consoles.)

 

[Roguey]

- Jason Schreier asked that how System Shock 3 (with its smaller budget and team) would compete to the production values of similar AAA games like Prey.

Pretty easily given that Prey bombed because its budget outsized its audience. The immersive sim superfans don't strike me as the type to care how fancy the graphics look as long as they're acceptable.

 

[Nano]

The better the graphics, the more I'm immersed.

 

[Diggfinger]

Kotaku podcast interview with Warren Spector: https://player.fm/series/kotaku-splitscreen/e3-2018-warren-spectors-return-to-system-shock

his dream game ideas (one city block game, interactive musical RPG),

Because interactive musical RPGs are at the top of any *true* Codexers Dream-Game List

 

[Latelistener]

SS

Spoiler

SS2

Spoiler

SS3

Spoiler

SS3 Ending

Spoiler

SS4

Spoiler

SS5

Spoiler

Rule 34

I see a pattern here.

 

[Mikeal]

SS

Spoiler

SS2

Spoiler

SS3

Spoiler

SS3 Ending

Spoiler

SS4

Spoiler

SS5

Spoiler

Rule 34

I see a pattern here.

B-b-b-a-a-a-ka Soldier G65434-2 it's not like I'm gi-i-i-iving you this cyber modules because I l-i-i-ike you or anything!

 

[Nano]

That is not what SHODAN looks like in SS1 and 2. Where the fuck did you get those creepypasta pics from?

 

[LESS T_T]

Not related to SS3 but this is Doug Church. He was a panel at some kind of space festival in June. I think this is his first public appearance for a long time: https://interplanetaryfest.org/events/visualization-and-designing-the-impossible/

Visualization and Designing the Impossible

Is art the best means to communicate with others? Is art the most effective means of communication in general? Visually? Musically? Linguistically? Should we send an artist into space? Should we bring art with us at the risk of precious and expensive payload? Should they have brought a poet? Was Jodie Foster right? Do other species make art? If we encounter another species without art, should we be worried? Is art belonging only to intelligent species? What do the history of themes in art reveal about humans? Imagination and counterfactual realities in mind, how has the artistic representation of space forged our ideas about space? When we imagine space, are we remembering artistic representations we’ve encountered before?

The panel was hosted by another Looking Glass alumni Seamus Blackley (known for physics simulation in LGS time, also "the farther of Xbox", currently CEO of stealth startup called Pacific Light & Hologram).

Doug shrugs when he is introduced, by some random guy, as the one who coined the term "immersive sim", very out of context.

Also curiously, his speaker profile has no mention of Valve

: https://interplanetaryfest.org/speaker/doug-church/

Doug Church
Video Game Designer and Producer

Doug Church is an American video game designer and producer. He attended MIT in the late 1980s, but left and went to work with Looking Glass Studios, when they were making primarily MS-DOS-based immersive sim games, including Ultima Underworld, Ultima Underworld II, System Shock and Thief. His colleague Warren Spector claims, in fact, that Church was the one who originally coined the term “immersive simulation”. Most recently, OtherSide Entertainment announced that Church had been hired as an creative consultant for the development of System Shock 3.

edit: well this is just someone put together words from his Wikipedia page.

 

[ortucis]

Ending

Some hints from OtherSide's community manager about their direction for SS3: https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1383.msg25174#msg25174

It's still pretty early in development, so I can't say much about what the team officially has planned for SS3.

But, based on the thoughts at OtherSide and the general approach they've been taking, I think the game will lean closer towards "an exploration game" rather than a combat game. There's a lot of great and fun shooter games out there, and System Shock doesn't need to be another one of those. There CAN be combat, if a situation is hostile, but it shouldn't be the main focus. You're not hunting for trouble, you're scouting for clues!

Currently, the UA and SS3 development teams haven't shared too many resources aside from optimization pipelines. It may be interesting to share mechanics or physics-based actions, but I think their worlds are pretty separate, and thus require different things. In the wall-run example, it would make SENSE for the player to be able to run across walls on a space station, but... would the gravity be different? Could you bounce off of the walls instead of constantly running on them? How many areas have a large amount of wall-run space to utilize in SS3? etc.

All right, fair point about the "Exploration Game" term. I was picking it up from Flatfingers' use, but to clarify my point, I was more or less thinking of the narrative aspects of an immersive sim.

In other words, the ability to advance your knowledge of the world by... examining things. Taking a stroll around the area and noticing how life has adapted here, having a friendly (?) conversation with other characters, and overall familiarizing yourself with the environment. I wanted to emphasize how the world's narrative can be explored, and not just lived in. While it may not "further the game progress" by completing mini quests and getting to know other characters and the history of the place you're in, it's a core part of the experience, and I think a lot of that can be boiled down to "exploring." I think the last time I mentioned UA was an immersive sim to someone, they said "oh, like BioShock Infinite?" and I hesitated because the two games' core focuses are vastly different. (I still very much enjoyed Infinite, but in retrospect, a lot of it was riding a rollercoaster to the next fight.)

I think that's what everyone familiar with Spector is secretly hoping for, it's one of the best possible outcomes vs. all the horrors that could happen.

SS2 was already flirting very heavily with character interaction anyway, all those people that try to reach you and just die, might be a factor in Spector doing this since he's also planning to include as many surviving characters from SS1/SS2 as he can.

I didn't know their inspiration for SS3 were award winning titles like Gone Home and Firewatch.

 

[Invictus]

I am desperately trying not to lose hope, both for Underworld and System Shock 3, but it seems both proyects have some serious identity issues and design ideas which make me question exactly how out of touch both design teams are not only with the current game environment, but honestly with the legacy of the very games they are supposed to develop sequels to

The fans of both projects wanted a sequel, not a reinvention or a spiritual sequel or a haiku; we backed and paid for games with honestly pretty straightforward agenda

In the case of System Shock 3 it looks to me that it’s should been such easier to visualize; hacking, mutants, voicelogs, space station and of course Shodan

 

[SymbolicFrank]

Shodan == Deus Ex

I like what I hear from Warren. I want a better simulation and lots of options.

 

[cherry blossom]

I am not sure if a third encounter with Shodan is all that necessary for a System Shock game. Surely there is enough creative drive to come up with something new instead of Shodan.

(not addressed at SymbolicFrank)

 

[LESS T_T]

"Design Director | Lead Designer" of System Shock 3, Tim Campbell, joined in March this year:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyscottcampbell/
http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,28387/

Some notable credits:

• Designer on Red Alert 2 and Nox
• Campaign lead on Warcraft 3
• Experience of running independent studios: SuperVillain Studios (Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony), FireForge (Ghostbusters 2016)
• Some tabletop RPG writing

I thought Chip Sbrogna is lead designer.

 

[J_C]

I am not sure if a third encounter with Shodan is all that necessary for a System Shock game. Surely there is enough creative drive to come up with something new instead of Shodan.

(not addressed at SymbolicFrank)

It is not necessary, but since the 2nd game was concluded with Shodan escaping to Earth in the form of the posessed woman, I think it is fair that they finish her story.

 

[cherry blossom]

I am not sure if a third encounter with Shodan is all that necessary for a System Shock game. Surely there is enough creative drive to come up with something new instead of Shodan.

(not addressed at SymbolicFrank)

It is not necessary, but since the 2nd game was concluded with Shodan escaping to Earth in the form of the posessed woman, I think it is fair that they finish her story.

I have COMPLETELY wiped that off of my memory. I had to look it up at the SS Wiki. I guess that merits another playthrough. About time anyway, it's been a while.

THAT said, it might have been a wise idea to save SHODAN for a late surprise reapperance in some capacity, instead of making it all about fighting against her again (though of course, we don't know if that will be the case, but it likely will).

 

[Ranarama]

Other side of what?

 

[LESS T_T]

He was Design Director at Junction Point.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joneschase/
http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,98024/

So I wonder who actually is design director and who is lead designer. Chip Sbrogna, Tim Campbell, or Chase Jones?

 

[LESS T_T]

Job posting for QA Lead: https://otherside-e.com/wp/jobs/

QA Lead
Austin, TX

The OtherSide Entertainment Austin, Texas studio is looking for a QA Lead to join our team in working on System Shock 3. The QA Lead will report to the game’s Producer. They will hire, manage and mentor a team of testers, both internal and external. They will themselves test and also supervise testers on full game builds and individual gameplay systems based on design specifications. The QA Lead will work with other members of the team to improve the overall quality of the product. They must have a passion for video games, love managing a team and have an eye for quality that will ensure a successful QA process and final product.

Job Responsibilities

• Team
  • Interview, hire, train, evaluate performance, and when necessary, discipline members of the testing team.
  • Work effectively with internal and external testers.
  • Ensure the QA team has a solid on-boarding process for new members.
  • Coach and provide assistance to junior testers and mentor them in proper testing practices.
  • Establish and manage work schedules and task allocation of testers. Prioritize, assign and delegate daily tasks for QA testers.
  • Work independently and collaboratively in a team setting with minimum supervision.

• Testing
  • Working with testing team, find bugs and, when fixed, regress them to ensure proper resolution.
  • Develop test strategy and create test plans that encompass the functions of all game features.
  • Create JIRA Dashboards and filters that allow real-time visibility into the status of each build.
  • Assess the title’s playability, suggesting gameplay improvements throughout the development process.
  • Do hands-on testing – the QA Lead will be our entire testing team for some period of time. This is not just a management job.

• Communication
  • Take ownership of bug reporting, managing the project bug database, ensuring complete bug entry (including clear reproduction paths).
  • Respond in a timely manner to requests for more information.
  • Via written and oral status updates, effectively communicate the status of the project to key stakeholders, including the Studio Director, Producer and Development team members.
  • Coordinate with the publisher QA department in all aspects of testing – including bug-finding, localization, compliance and cert.

Required

• 5+ years of experience testing in the games industry.
• Prior end to end leadership experience in game QA, from the inception of a product through launch.
• Multiple shipped titles on PC and consoles.
• Knowledge of Jira and/or other bug-reporting software packages.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Organized, detail-oriented, analytical thinker with strong troubleshooting skills.
• Experience and familiarity with multiple gaming platforms and genres.
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently under tight deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Solid work ethic.
• A passion for developing and playing AAA-quality games.

Preferred

• College degree or equivalent experience.
• Working knowledge of games on the market and ability to evaluate a game against its competition.
• Experience in writing, updating and modifying test scripts/tools
• Experience working with various game engines, especially Unity 3D.
• Basic understanding of source control.
• Basic programming knowledge.
• Ability to manage the build-creation process on multiple platforms.
• Ability to troubleshoot and set up computer hardware.
• Ability to generate compelling screenshots and promotional videos.
• Understanding of localization concepts.

If you meet the requirements and are interested in the position, send a cover letter and resume to jobs@otherside-e.com

I guess the development has entered into a certain phase. But...

Do hands-on testing – the QA Lead will be our entire testing team for some period of time.

...sounds like it's not that closer.

 

[Grotesque]

• "A passion for developing and playing AAA-quality games."

lul

 

[LESS T_T]

So I wonder who actually is design director and who is lead designer. Chip Sbrogna, Tim Campbell, or Chase Jones?

Chip Sbrogna updated his Linkedin profile, he left Otherside in April.

So, Tim Campbell joined Otherside around that time, in March. At least from his Linkedin profile, he's still at Otherside but took adviser role in other company working on blockchain-powered FPS, in August. And August is the month Chase Jones joined Otherside.

And so, *wild guess* here is that Tim Campbell is leaving and Chase Jones is in the process of taking over the Design Director role.

 

[Invictus]

Let fucking Otherside just die... I like Ultima Underworld but I LOVE System Shock 2, just keep their blasphemous little hands on their tiny cocks and let Spector go back to the hole where he has hid for the last decade before he tries to further rape the memory of Looking Glass and legendary franchises like System Shock

 

[Morgoth]

Shock 3 is made by a different team in Austin, so let us not despair entirely (yet).

 

[Nano]

Shock 3 is made by a different team in Austin, so let us not despair entirely (yet).

Dude, four different people have been the Design Director at this point. This is a big warning sign.