SS2 Modern Menu

[664823019c7a5ZylonBane]

System Shock 2 Modern Menu
18 Jan 2021
by ZylonBane

Requires SS2 NewDark patch.

This mod replaces the main menus with menus in a more modern style.

There are separate English, German, and international (anything other than English or German) versions of this mod. This is necessary because SS2's UI code only knows how to center text within each text region. There's no way to tell it to left-justify text, so to make it look as if it is, I had to fake it by sliding each text field around until they lined up. This only works when the precise text of each field is known, so it has to be done on a per-language basis. The international version just gives up and leaves everything centered, and with more vertical spacing to accommodate any text overflowing to multiple lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atod-xFVqtg
This was specifically inspired by the menus for Valve's Source Engine games, which show a live scene from the game behind the menu text. I wanted to see if I could pull off something similar-looking in Dark.

[664823019c992Valet2]

Looks really cool! Also nice how the animation works (a bunch of smaller png's overlaying on the main picture).

What would be ubercool it to have small maps of each level (which would load depending on the current quicksave latest available map) which would work in real time, with living enemies patroling the corridors. The way HL2 and some mods work.

[664823019cafaHardkern]

Wow, that is an image animation and not a rendered scene?!
I didn't notice. Good work!

[664823019cc87voodoo47]

it indeed is. also, the botm teeth grinding version was half-jokingly requested on discord..

[664823019cd83ZylonBane]

There's a Discord?

[664823019cedfvoodoo47]

for SS2? yeah, the official NDS discord has a general SS2 section. I usually drop links to mods and tools there once they go live here.

[664823019cfd3ZylonBane]

Hey, could someone post intrface/netmain.str and intrface/sim.str from the Deutsch and Français versions of the game?

[664823019d0cavoodoo47]

you probably meant intrface/german/*.str, attached. was not aware there is a FR version of the game btw, is that an official release?
[NETMAIN.STR expired]

[664823019d1bfZylonBane]

There are some French strings in shock.cfg, so... 

[664823019d2bdvoodoo47]

maybe they say "FR translation not available"?

also no idea why did I attach notes.str, will fix once I get back to my main rig.

[664823019d454Kolya]

AFAIK the English and German versions are the only official releases. The fact that we have a French translation mod would seem to confirm that there is no French release.

[664823019d577voodoo47]

weeell we also have a DE translation. anyway, quick google search reveals nothing.

and attaching the proper string file.
[SIM.STR expired]

[664823019d8a2sarge945]

This is awesome! I take it there are no plans to do any from any other scenes/levels?. Would be nice to have a handful of mods we can switch to as we progress similar to how the main menu in the Source games updates occasionally as we progress through the game.

[664823019d9fdZylonBane]

The challenge is finding areas in the game that are visually interesting and recognizable, and have two or three loopable animations visible, and have AIs in the area to provide sounds to sell the illusion that it's a live scene.

[664823019db14Kolya]

Maybe some ideas can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVAFyoTsqiQ

[664823019dbe4Luis]

Nice work!

[664823019dcd0ZylonBane]

I've updated the English version to work correctly when multiplayer is disabled, and added German and international versions.

[664823019dea2Deu sex]

I'm curious, is it like Half Life 2 when the background scene changes or is it always level 1 ?
Edit : just tried it, it's a looping cutscene I thought it was in engine, silly me! Still, pretty cool for what it is. Thanks for the mod!

[664823019dfe0code371]

what a heresy 

[664823019e168Jules]

Lovely work on this one. I always liked the clean style of the menus in Valve's Source games, and I wish more games adopted it. I wouldn't mind seeing something similar for Thief...