SS2 to appear on GOG.com soon?

[6637d174a6ea3Zanderat]

I want to to thank Voodoo and Koyla for all the hard work and support, as well as taking the high road.  Voodoo has been especially active on the GOG site providing support to the noobs.  Also, donation made to the site.

[6637d174a70a1voodoo47]

as I've already said before, we all do what we are meant to do.

btw, the SS2 GOG page now has a note about the game being patched to v. 2.4.

[6637d174a734dThe Watcher]

as I've already said before, we all do what we are meant to do.

Be that as it may, it does not make you less deserving of either thanks or praise.

[6637d174a76c7redrain85]

Something else I just thought of.  According to TheEnigmaticT, Night Dive has final approval on any build of SS2 that GOG creates.

If that's so, then why didn't Night Dive raise a red flag before release, when there was no mention of the community's contributions?  If Kick is really so concerned about the community not being attributed for their work, as he claims?  Why did the community have to call them on it?

btw, the SS2 GOG page now has a note about the game being patched to v. 2.4.

Well, that's a start, I guess.

[6637d174a788cKolya]

I don't read a final approval out of that post. He says that they have to use the build that the publisher gives them but also that they made a few changes on their own. I don't think any of us can tell what exactly happened between these two parties, but I'm not too interested anyway.

SS2 is legally available for everyone now, which is great. Many thanks to Stephen Kick and GOG.com for that.
They also noted the version on the game card eventually. That's also good for us gamers.
Now the credits need to follow, then a fix for the GOG version and hopefully an agreement on how to deal with updates.
These are good times for us.

[6637d174a7bc9voodoo47]

yeah.

Night Dive has final approval on any build of SS2 that GOG creates.

I think you meant needs to give a final approval on any build GOG creates.

[6637d174a802dredrain85]

I think you meant needs to give a final approval on any build GOG creates.

The difference between the two phrases being . . . what, exactly?  They effectively mean the same thing.

any changes that we want to make to a build have to go back through the approval process with the publisher (Night Dive)

Let's put it this way, then: GOG requires Night Dive's approval before they can release any build of SS2, and that included the initial release.  Which meant there was an opportunity to notice the missing attributions to the community.  So for Kick to act surprised that the attributions were missing . . .

At least GOG seem to be keeping their word, with mention of the game being updated to 2.4 being an early indicator of that.  So, yeah, the matter is closed now.  Good on them.  And despite the missteps that have occurred, I am grateful that SS2 is available again (legally) for everyone to enjoy.  It's important to preserve older titles and keep them from being forgotten.  Particularly exceptional ones, like the System Shock series.

[6637d174a8133voodoo47]

ah yes, my bad. not a native speaker, so sometimes I don't catch things completely.

[6637d174a82fcKolya]

Update:
9 days ago I got a mail from GOG who want to use SS2Tool v5 for an update of their game. They also sent me a test-build of their updated version, which included a change in their EULA as I had previously demanded, that would allow gog customers to legally mod their game.
I sent them an agreement to sign, which defines that and how they give credit and the EULA change. Apart from that my TOA only has the purpose to ensure that I'm not liable for any problems they may have with SS2Tool.

I also got a mail from Stephen Kick (NightDive Studios), who also wants to (continue to) use SS2Tool on the future Steam release and potential other distributors.

Gog eventually told me that they had a problem with the EULA change, because their contract with the publisher (NightDive Studios) didn't allow them to allow their customers to modify their games. I then contacted Stephen Kick asking him to approve the EULA change with gog. According to gog he contacted them about this point and they are now in negotiations. Fingers crossed.

Apart from making modding legal one thing I want to make sure is that all digital distributions use the same SS2Tool version to make further patching easier for me and you.

[6637d174a83d5voodoo47]

it's good to see they are willing to play along nicely.

[6637d174a856ficemann]

It's a shame that Night Dive wont admit to the other files they've used being not created by them, but meh. Still good to hear of compromising. Shame also that alot of the admitting that has been done, was done quietly and not publicly. Yes there was the post over on TTLG but the greater internet community isn't going to read that, let alone know of it.

For most people the RPS article is all they know about. And that is the real shame.

[6637d174a8659Wrench Lurker]

Kolya, you really should stop playing the victim and remove Syndicate from the Free Games section.  It makes you look like a hypocrite.

[6637d174a879bKolya]

It might have made me a hypocrite if GOG were giving Syndicate away for free and I had taken it from their site and were selling it to you for 10 bucks now... 
But instead I created this portable version of Syndicate, including the American Revolt expansion, when absolutely no one was selling this game. I had to re-check just now to even understand what you are babbling about. I still don't quite understand why you're being such a dickhead about it. But it will be removed, just like we removed several other games when they became legally available again (Bioforge, Crusader series, Ultima Underworld, etc). Can I go on "playing the victim" now?

[6637d174a89c6Kolya]

To tell you the truth, I'm more than a little pissed about this comment. You know I was just doing just fine without these people selling my free fan work. And if SS2 had never been re-released - it would have been JUST FINE with me. Anyone with half a brain was able to get it for free. And get it into exactly the same state of workingness that it is being sold for now.
But you prefer to give your money to people who never worked on this game. Star insurance? They sat on the rights for 14 years until some character artist came along and told them they wouldn't have to do anything, just count the $$ rolling in for a digital distribution.
And GOG? They had this game on no. 1 of their wishlist for years and despite all their alleged efforts they never managed to ask Star themselves and propose the same deal? The story about who had the rights was all over the fucking place! It seems to me their acquisition departement is as useful as their tech ninjas.

But I don't blame Star, nor GOG, nor do I blame Kick. They're all pretty smart compared to you. The people I really blame are you silly corporate cocksuckers who have so much internalised the capitalistic rule-set that you begged and kneeled at their feets for years, asking for the mighty SS2 that was lying around everywhere for picking.
And now you don't just throw your money at them. You actually BELIEVE that they did this for you. And you bring up the nerve to come around to my place and tell me off about playing the victim, when all I ask for is credit where credit is due and that people like YOU can legally mod your game. A practice they have well profited from and will continue to profit from in future.
You know what? You don't get what this site is about, what's important to me. And I'm not asking for your thanks, but at least be a chum and shut up.

[6637d174a8b70icemann]

We need an extra button for disliking a post. We already have acknowledge, but be nice to have the opposite. Much alike to how for some odd reason facebook doesn't have a dislike button.

Anyways I completely disagree with Wrench's post. Wasn't expecting that one. I'd be PISSED OFF if someone used something that I had spent my own free time to create, didn't acknowledge or ask for my permission before bundling with other files and then charged for it. I'd be screaming bloody murder. I recall PC gamer UK magazine putting my FM Ancient on one of their CDs without contacting me. I was honored that they put it on there but would have been nice to have been notified. All they had to do was check the readme file to get my email address.

Whilst I am happy that SS2 is for sale, and am also happy that many people are finally getting to enjoy SS2 who would never have otherwise (and thus expanding the overall System Shock community and hopefully someday result in more fan missions) the way the whole things been done is just wrong. But meh. Either way you (Kolya) have EVERY right to be royally pissed off about it.

Go back under your bridge Wrench. We get enough trolls over on TTLG.

[6637d174a8c4avoodoo47]

you guys.. are being too nice to him. I would just ban/delete and move on.

[6637d174a90c8Kolya]

(and thus expanding the overall System Shock community and hopefully someday result in more fan missions)

Frankly, it seems to me the people who are working on anything are the same handful of people as before the GOG release. There's a larger audience for their work now, asking when this or that will get released, but otherwise nothing much has changed so far. I'd be glad to be proven wrong on this one though.

And just to make this clear: Anyone who has a boxed copy of SS2, is still completely within their legal rights to mod their game, just like the last 14 years. Irrational released the editor giving us this right. It's only you GOG customers who are not allowed to do the same.

I guess some of you will say: "I don't care, I'm modding my GOG game anyway and can't see them doing anything about it, regardless of what their EULA says! LOL"
But then, didn't you buy this game because legality means something to you? It was the only reason to do so.

I have an original boxed copy and therefore probably shouldn't care, but I think it's a farce that they are selling you our community content while disallowing you to use it yourself. And since they want to continue to sell it, I'm in a position to make this demand on your behalf and on behalf of sanity.

I could really imagine better ways to spend my evenings than trying to think up legal terms that will avoid you and me getting screwed over, checking back with my lawyer (she cannot believe I am NOT demanding any money), then negotiating this stuff with the parties involved. I could be shooting robots in this time!

[6637d174a94daScorpion]

I could be shooting robots in this time!

With what? EMP? Plasma? Or good old lasers?

Joking aside, that guy is probably just trying to troll you so it's best to just move on.

[6637d174a9658Wrench Lurker]

Feel free to miscontrue, censor, or just generally portray me as the bad guy.  I don't mind.  Just so long as you c.y.a. while dealing with this other stuff.  As much as I feel I wouldn't like you if I met you in person, I do think your work is important.

[6637d174a979bKolya]

Heat cannon, grenades and turrets. I'm playing light class mech (Infiltrator type) on Hawken, which has gotten a lot better performance wise since the last update. Still the same few maps though. At least I know these by heart now.

[6637d174a98a5Scorpion]

Off-Topic: Hmmn, I guess I'll have to give it a shot, it looks like an alright game so why not?

Kind-of on topic: Oh damn it, thread derailment. This used to be a thread about GOG's upcoming SS2 Release, which happened a while ago.

[6637d174a9a4aKolya]

Voodoo47 notified me that the current English GOG version of SS2 contains a corrupt Data\res\snd.crf. Two of the sound files from that archive will never play in the game. A crash is unlikely. This does not affect the original CD version of the game or the German SS2 version from GOG.
I notified GOG about this and I'm sure they will fix it with the next update. In the meantime I slapped together this patcher.

If you have 7-zip installed you can easily test if this problem exists in your game (and if the patcher worked) by rightclicking snd.crf and selecting "Test archive" from the 7-zip options.

[6637d174a9b9eZanderat]

Thanks.  My game did have this issue.

[6637d174a9f8eSimplex]

Voodoo47 notified me that the current English GOG version of SS2 contains a corrupt Data\res\snd.crf. Two of the sound files from that archive will never play in the game. A crash is unlikely. This does not affect the original CD version of the game or the German SS2 version from GOG.
I notified GOG about this and I'm sure they will fix it with the next update. In the meantime I slapped together this patcher.

If you have 7-zip installed you can easily test if this problem exists in your game (and if the patcher worked) by rightclicking snd.crf and selecting "Test archive" from the 7-zip options.

I will not fix it because the benevolent EULA in its infinite wisdom does not permit me to mod the game!

(kidding, just wanted to point out the absurdity of the EULA).