SS2 FM Blind Disposition v1.4.2

[66342e766e311chuckles n chestnuts]

Thank you Icemann.  I hope you enjoy it, I appreciate your feedback.

[66342e766ec13voodoo47]

Your the first person on here who actually has played my FM before 'commenting' on it.

to be fair, I only commented on things that I've encountered while playing.

anyway yeah, doing full voiceovers is not that difficult - an AI voice can be computer generated (Minstrel and RttUNN), and there are people with great voices over at TTLG who do Thief FMs (but won't mind being a scientist or a soldier for a change). the audio editing part is slightly tedious, but as long as you know what to do (or someone tells you what you should do, hint hint), it's basically just manual labor (pretty much just adding the start/end beeps and converting to Dark compatible format).

as mentioned in the Minstrel fixup summary, no SS2 FM that has emails/logs should go without voiceovers - they add a completely new level of immersion. though this means absolutely no Shodan - as replicating Terri's voice is impossible, and no Shodan is better than bad Shodan.

[66342e766ee38icemann]

He has no text based logs btw.

Currently up to a cyberspace door with BOGAC on it. Got no idea what in the hell that's about. How do I get past that door?

Having played up to this point though, in the case of your FM, some story logs would be great with this. Would help to make sense of some of the bits through out.

Highlights so far: Cyberspace.

[66342e766ef65chuckles n chestnuts]

Hi icemann,

I am glad you at least like something in my FM.  So for that particular room heres a clue: B = 2, oh and that O is actually a D so its BDGAC.  And as for additions and audio logs, I'll discuss that at a later time, as I fly out this Monday and will not be back home until next Sunday.

[66342e766f45dchuckles n chestnuts]

to be fair, I only commented on things that I've encountered while playing.

anyway yeah, doing full voiceovers is not that difficult - an AI voice can be computer generated (Minstrel and RttUNN), and there are people with great voices over at TTLG who do Thief FMs (but won't mind being a scientist or a soldier for a change). the audio editing part is slightly tedious, but as long as you know what to do (or someone tells you what you should do, hint hint), it's basically just manual labor (pretty much just adding the start/end beeps and converting to Dark compatible format).

as mentioned in the Minstrel fixup summary, no SS2 FM that has emails/logs should go without voiceovers - they add a completely new level of immersion. though this means absolutely no Shodan - as replicating Terri's voice is impossible, and no Shodan is better than bad Shodan.

I would be honored to have TTLG memebers voicing my FM and would possibly be willing to do something like that voodoo47.  But, first and foremost, please don't judge other peoples work right off the bat, I can tell you play a key role in this site by some quick search of you on here, but that gives you no right to give hasty disrespect to other peoples work, and you as someone who seems to know a bit about the System Shock universe as well as modding and coding should have more class than that my friend.  I might want your help in the future, and I pardon your previous harsh critique but next time, please give things a second look before coming down so hard on others.  Now, I will be out of pocket from 04/11/16 - 04/17/16 but sometime when I get back, if you want, we can discuss further improving my FM since you seem to be more than well versed in this.  I'll talk to you later.

[66342e766f673voodoo47]

it's not disrespect or critique, it's how my mind works - you give a thing to a tester and bugfixer, you'll get test reports and bugfix suggestions. we all do what we are meant to do, remember?


bit more into the FM;

-not needing a gamesys turned out to be a good thing, it means all the dml stub mods work fine out of the box (RealSG yaay).
-some objects are shrunk in ridiculous ways.
-automatic loading zones are annoying, there is a reason why everyone uses bulkheads with switches.
-some eggs glow, but the glow doesn't go away once they are destroyed. the light needs to be set up appropriately for this to work.
-the corn field (hundreds of corn objects) is a sureproof way of pissing the engine off, good thing we have NewDark that can handle it without crashing. not extremely important as one won't be running around the field for hours, but still.

overall, the FM seems to be picking up pace a bit (and seeing others' reports there is some more interesting stuff to come), and now that I have activated a bunch of mods (SHTUP-ND, RealSG, Fixed objects and obj shrink), I'm quite satisfied with how things look and work. could really use some of that ambiance though.

[66342e766fc72chuckles n chestnuts]

it's not disrespect or critique, it's how my mind works - you give a thing to a tester and bugfixer, you'll get test reports and bugfix suggestions. we all do what we are meant to do, remember?


bit more into the FM;

-not needing a gamesys turned out to be a good thing, it means all the dml stub mods work fine out of the box (RealSG yaay).
-some objects are shrunk in ridiculous ways.
-automatic loading zones are annoying, there is a reason why everyone uses bulkheads with switches.
-some eggs glow, but the glow doesn't go away once they are destroyed. the light needs to be set up appropriately for this to work.
-the corn field (hundreds of corn objects) is a sureproof way of pissing the engine off, good thing we have NewDark that can handle it without crashing. not extremely important as one won't be running around the field for hours, but still.

overall, the FM seems to be picking up pace a bit (and seeing others' reports there is some more interesting stuff to come), and now that I have activated a bunch of mods (SHTUP-ND, RealSG, Fixed objects and obj shrink), I'm quite satisfied with how things look and work. could really use some of that ambiance though.

Hi voodoo47,

I will level with you and agree with what you said on this and I will add to what you said:

The gamesys thing turned out exactly how I wanted it to work and I agree as well it allows for other mods to be played with it

Some of the shrunk objects are kind of eccentric, I'll agree (like the lab area) but I was trying to randomize things

As far as the eggs glowing (which I presume you are specifically talking about the major birthing area) I noticed that the glow stayed but figured it could be chalked up to the fact that there is worm goo all over in the dark area, but I can see where some changes could be made to that to make it match better

As far as the newdark, here soon I will paste a screenshot of the editor I use
and  you can tell me if its newdark as I am not sure if it is or not and as far as the cornfields go, I won't be doing that anymore if and when I make another FM

Oh, and one more thing, as far as the ambiance goes, I agree it is somewhat skim on ambiance, but I tried to add ambiance (that matched well) to key areas and computers and such.

And in closing, I am glad your giving my FM a second look.

[66342e766ff14icemann]

Completely second everything voodoo47 said. Nothing said towards your FM is meant as criticism. Take it as bug reports by testers.

Ok now I've completed your FM after getting past that damn door lol. The combination COMPLETELY threw me. Was totally stuck at that bit. Thanks for the assistance with the code.

And for my notes which I took as I played through:

First area:

* Man that's ALOT of corn lol. I agree that having each on different angles, would help to create a more realistic look for it. If there was a different texture underneath where the corn was (eg a brown dirt texture. That would look far better).
* The shuttle take off took me off guard a bit, since it's set to happen once you walk in range of it. If that were done rather by right clicking the shuttle instead, it would work much better.

Second area:

* Missing a sound brush on the door to the toilet area.
* Respawn rate of the hydrids is wayyyyyyyy too high in some spots.
* Needs a chemical store room.

Core Control:

* Missing sound brush in the bit with the exploding door. This makes knowing of the camera behind it quite difficult since you don't hear it. Also don't hear the robot due to it.
* Missing sound brush near the machine gun turret (near the cargo bays sign). Makes hearing the turret quite difficult.
* Love the credits room.

Cyberspace:
* This is easily the best bit in it. Everything is great here. WTF is BOGAC? This is one bit where you need audio or text logs to explain things.
* Final battle is an absolute pain in the ass. Took me a dozen attempts before I beat it. If that's the way you intended though, then feel free to leave this as is.
* Was there supposed to be a cutscene play after you beat SHODAN? For me it just went straight to the main menu which was a MAJOR let down. If there was nothing set to play, please add something in here. Would improve that last bit greatly.

None of this is a criticism. Just take it as testers notes/observations.

[66342e76706baZylonBane]

As far as the newdark, here soon I will paste a screenshot of the editor I use and  you can tell me if its newdark

The version number is displayed in the title bar.

None of this is a criticism.

Technically it is. Constructive criticism.

Also the term is "room brush". There's no such thing as a sound brush.

[66342e7670e17chuckles n chestnuts]

Completely second everything voodoo47 said. Nothing said towards your FM is meant as criticism. Take it as bug reports by testers.

Ok now I've completed your FM after getting past that damn door lol. The combination COMPLETELY threw me. Was totally stuck at that bit. Thanks for the assistance with the code.

And for my notes which I took as I played through:

First area:

* Man that's ALOT of corn lol. I agree that having each on different angles, would help to create a more realistic look for it. If there was a different texture underneath where the corn was (eg a brown dirt texture. That would look far better).
* The shuttle take off took me off guard a bit, since it's set to happen once you walk in range of it. If that were done rather by right clicking the shuttle instead, it would work much better.

Second area:

* Missing a sound brush on the door to the toilet area.
* Respawn rate of the hydrids is wayyyyyyyy too high in some spots.
* Needs a chemical store room.

Core Control:

* Missing sound brush in the bit with the exploding door. This makes knowing of the camera behind it quite difficult since you don't hear it. Also don't hear the robot due to it.
* Missing sound brush near the machine gun turret (near the cargo bays sign). Makes hearing the turret quite difficult.
* Love the credits room.

Cyberspace:
* This is easily the best bit in it. Everything is great here. WTF is BOGAC? This is one bit where you need audio or text logs to explain things.
* Final battle is an absolute pain in the ass. Took me a dozen attempts before I beat it. If that's the way you intended though, then feel free to leave this as is.
* Was there supposed to be a cutscene play after you beat SHODAN? For me it just went straight to the main menu which was a MAJOR let down. If there was nothing set to play, please add something in here. Would improve that last bit greatly.

None of this is a criticism. Just take it as testers notes/observations.

Hi icemann,

I am glad you like cyberspace!  And its BDGAC not BOGAC, but thats ok the D kinda looks like an O

As far as the room brushes go in the maintenance/engine area, I had some troubles with them and that was the best I could do without it giving me problems, I am aware of the lapses in sound in those areas, but its not too bad to me, but I can see where it can be a hinderance especially with the camera area.

As far as the shuttle goes, its actually not a button, its a tripwire you walk into right in front of the last floor arrow

And as far as beating SHODAN there is a cutscene its just maybe you pressed a key whilst the ending cinematic kicked in.  Just as a sidenote the 'main' Shodan head is the one that triggers the cinematic so once you destroy the main head try not to press anything and you will see the cinematic.

lol, the corn  I am loving the feedback about that haha, its turning out to be a beautiful mess of a novelty! lol

as far as the hybrids go, I tried to put spawn points in areas where they would be most effective and add to the overall challenge and gameplay (btw the cargo area was intentional, but I am sure you picked up on that).

I am glad you like the 'credits' room! 

As far as the battle goes, I tried to make it a challenge whilst appealing to all playstyles (hence the fall teleport feature)..

One last thing.....did you know there is a second ending map?   Heres a clue: in cyberspace look for the downed cybersoldier, he has a keycard to a 'bridge' area hint hint**.

In closing thank you for your feedback!

[66342e76711e9chuckles n chestnuts]

The version number is displayed in the title bar.
Technically it is. Constructive criticism.

Also the term is "room brush". There's no such thing as a sound brush.

Thank you ZylonBane,

This is in reply to both voodoo47 and you,

My dromED version is "Beta patch 2.12"

here is  screenshot (I hope I did this right):

not sure if this is 'newdark' version or not, if one of you could let me know that would be great.

[mydromEDversion.jpg expired]

[66342e76712e1ZylonBane]

The screenshot wasn't strictly necessary. I think we can trust your ability to read numbers.

[66342e76713b7chuckles n chestnuts]

lol ZylonBane, so is it newdark or no?

[66342e76714bfvoodoo47]

it's oldDark (of course). completing anything in oldDark is an achievement on its own.

anyway, about that game cartridge not having a description - the concrete has been spawned from an incorrect archetype, should be SwineHunter Cart, and not Swine Hunter Cart (yes, the gamesys can be evil like that).

[66342e767174echuckles n chestnuts]

it's oldDark (of course). completing anything in oldDark is an achievement on its own.

anyway, about that game cartridge not having a description - the concrete has been spawned from an incorrect archetype, should be SwineHunter Cart, and not Swine Hunter Cart (yes, the gamesys can be evil like that).

Ahh ok I see, good to know.

Well no wonder it took me so dang long, the navigation and that screen size that screensize!

[66342e767184dZylonBane]

Yeah I'm on 2.44 and that's not even the current version.

[66342e7671943voodoo47]

the puzzling part is how did you manage to not find out that the engine has been updated for 5 years. it's been all over TTLG and this place multiple times.

[66342e7671a52chuckles n chestnuts]

Dang ZylonBane 2.44!? .fourty four!!  What have I been looking at?! 

To answer your question voodoo47, I have no I idea.... I am literally dumbfounded at this point 

All I know is I fell head over heels for dromED after seeing it and I had to get into it no matter what and I did.

[66342e7671b7evoodoo47]

current version is 2.45, actually. anyway, this is how the editor looks like now (and the screenshot is not doing justice to all the new features and improvements). click the screenshot to show the actual window size.

[66342e7671e60chuckles n chestnuts]

current version is 2.45, actually. anyway, this is how the editor looks like now (and the screenshot is not doing justice to all the new features and improvements). click the screenshot to show the actual window size.

Oh my god, thats infinitely better!

You can actually see through the windows in this version!

Plus just overall it looks more polished.

[66342e7672135chuckles n chestnuts]

Yeah I'm on 2.44 and that's not even the current version.

WOW, and I was using a word doc texture palette to reference the different textures.  And it even has an update compiling list it seems (similar to source SDK or most modern SDK's for that matter). Wow I can't believe this..

[66342e76722bcvoodoo47]

you can get the raw packages here: https://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=4128.0

see \new_dark.zip\doc\ for all the changes and new features. SS2tool can install everything for you, new editor included (you just need to set the editor resolution in User.cfg).


//slightly unrelated - if you have accidentally acknowledged your own post, you can un-acknowlege it by clicking the same button again. also, there is generally no need to quote other posts completely.

[66342e76723e7chuckles n chestnuts]

Aaah ok thanks voodoo47, downloading it now.  This is gonna be interesting and hopefully much better than what I was working with before.

And by the way what exactly does 'acknowledging' comments do, if you could be so kind to explain, thanks in advance.

...This is gonna be really really nice if the screen size is about as big as in the picture..that alone will help alot.  Because looking at the tiny editor screen was..difficult..at times.

[66342e7672500voodoo47]

there is an ACK button on the interface of each post, you can use it to, well, acknowledge posts (the post will get a small "acknowledged by" footer with the list of acknowledging users). it seems like you have acknowledged a couple of your own posts by accident (as there is no reason why you would do this on purpose, unless you want to agree with yourself). clicking the button again will remove that.