System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster impressions

[687c96cce6356JDoran]

Yes, HUD text under KexDark is both smaller and dimmer than under Old/NewDark.

Damn. I was hoping Youtube's compression or whatever was just making it look less clear. Can you not change it from the default?

It's the same percentage as for any other node, the only difference is that if you try an ICE node and fail, the device breaks.
Also, you don't "win" the hack if you succeed on one, you just activate that one node, the same as any other node.

Oh, I see. Thanks.

[687c96cce6534Brig]

The Console release finally got announced (July 10) with Nightdive stating

will include all of the patches that we’ll be releasing on PC platforms!

Voodoo mentioned that the remaster is currently running on SCP b6 and I heard ND doesn't often patch stuff too long after release. Anybody know if those console editions are launching with Beta 7?

[687c96cce67c8Da9L]

it's Korenchkin's office. this is equivalent to saying after the big reveal it turns out it was Shodan just pretending to be Delacroix.

oh sh*t ofcourse haha..

[687c96cce6a2bvoodoo47]

Anybody know if those console editions are launching with Beta 7?

judging by the chatter, I'd say yes.

[687c96cce6b76ZylonBane]

Hopefully Beta 8. It makes some significant fixes as well.

[687c96cce6c4evoodoo47]

maybe ping them and let them know then.

[687c96cce6dc1Chandlermaki]

Phew. This feels like a janky mod compilation more than a commercial release right now. The list of issues is longer than I'd even care to get into here, and that was before even leaving Medsci. At least I didn't have to pay for it.

[687c96cce6f03icemann]

Will say that I really like the new models. Unlike Rebirth which completely changed the look of some enemies, the remasters new models look more like enhancements of the originals.

[687c96cce7011Brig]

Another thing I've been meaning to ask, can we at least hope to see regular crouch return in some patch in the near future? The original control scheme (binding one key to toggle crouch and another key to crouch) was fine the way it was, if not perfect.

Edit: Meant regular crouch, (having to hold down the crouch button) not toggle crouch

[687c96cce75faJDoran]

Hopefully Beta 8. It makes some significant fixes as well.

I wouldn't have thought that there would be any more significant changes to make in the original SS2, considering the countless changes you, Voodoo, etc, have made over so many versions of SCP.  Are there any big, noticeable to the unobservant, changes this time around, or is it mainly under the hood stuff?

The Console release finally got announced (July 10) with Nightdive stating 

will include all of the patches that we’ll be releasing on PC platforms!

Thanks for letting us know the release date. I am really hoping that the console versions optionally allow you to download and install every mod/mission/fix/etc that's on this site (or at least those in the SS2 Modifications and SS2 Fan Missions forums, since they've been OK'd by the mods here), since of course on console you can't manually import files and mod them into a game.

Phew. This feels like a janky mod compilation more than a commercial release right now. The list of issues is longer than I'd even care to get into here, and that was before even leaving Medsci. At least I didn't have to pay for it.

I used to buy all of Nightdive Studio's PC ports/releases , even if didn't like the game (yes, there are first person shooter fanatics, such as myself, who don't like Quake 1 or 2), just to support NDS and encourage them to continue bring back old games. I stopped that because of my frustration over NDS' unwillingness to patch long-term bugs or to actually talk to their customers.

And, since I'm perfectly happy playing with the classic version of SS2 + SCP + mods, when playing on PC, I wasn't going to buy the PC version, just for slightly updated graphics and a multiplayer mode that I'd never play. But if I was going to buy it. then the state of this release might well have put me off. It's a minor remaster of a quarter of a century old game, yet once again NDS have said "Forget the testing, the players can buy the game, find the bugs themselves, and then we will fix them. Maybe. At some point". Remember when NDS seems like good guys? The small studio who cared about gamers?

Chandlermaki, out of interest, is there a list of known bugs I can look through?



Edit: I take it that NDS at least fixed the (very noticeable) bug whereby Psi powers are deactivated when crossing through load points? I always assumed that this was unfixable on classic SS2 without the source code, or else SCP or a standalone mod/fix would have been made years ago, but since the AE version is made on the KEX engine, then I imagine that's not a problem.

[687c96cce794fvorob]

Another thing I've been meaning to ask, can we at least hope to see toggle crouch return in some patch in the near future? The original control scheme (binding one key to toggle crouch and another key to crouch) was fine the way it was, if not perfect.

Why would anyone want anything other than toggle Crouch?

[687c96cce7b73vorob]

Phew. This feels like a janky mod compilation more than a commercial release right now. The list of issues is longer than I'd even care to get into here, and that was before even leaving Medsci. At least I didn't have to pay for it.

Is it something significant, or is it only noticeable under a microscope?

I played for a while, and what I’ve seen so far has been good and really consistent.

[687c96cce7dbdBrig]

Why would anyone want anything other than toggle Crouch?

something something I played too many Goldsrc games growing up and can't break the habit

[687c96cce8041ZylonBane]

Is it something significant, or is it only noticeable under a microscope?

I played for a while, and what I’ve seen so far has been good and really consistent.

Try dropping more than one nav marker.
Notice that music isn't starting where it's supposed to.
Fog in the BotM isn't working.
Clicking on a deactivated medbed will suck up an activation key from your inventory without even asking.
Light textures don't dim when the light does.
Object textures that look worse than the SHTUP versions.
Dynamic lights not illuminating terrain and objects correctly.
Shotgun hybrid muzzle flashes not rendering correctly.
Excessive default bloom wipes out details of bright textures.
No mousewheel text scrolling.
No Alt-click to view descriptions.
UI fonts smaller and dimmer than Dark/NewDark.
No New Mantle.
And on and on and on...

[687c96cce8137voodoo47]

and not all the upgraded assets look better when compared to SHTUP.

[687c96cce83deFlaser]

Try dropping more than one nav marker.
Notice that music isn't starting where it's supposed to.
Fog in the BotM isn't working.
Clicking on a deactivated medbed will suck up an activation key from your inventory without even asking.
Light textures don't dim when the light does.
Object textures that look worse than the SHTUP versions.
Dynamic lights not illuminating terrain and objects correctly.
Shotgun hybrid muzzle flashes not rendering correctly.
Excessive default bloom wipes out details of bright textures.
No mousewheel text scrolling.
No Alt-click to view descriptions.
UI fonts smaller and dimmer than Dark/NewDark.
No New Mantle.
And on and on and on...

Sigh...

I for one like the weapon animations, and most weapon effects (emp rifle, fusion cannon), and several models (Rumbler, Mid-wife, not quite taken with the Hybrid).

But with all these gameplay changes (or reverts comapred to NewDark), I think I'll stick with classic + community mods.

* Why did you gimp the laser rapier's look? The glow made it one of my favorite.

[687c96cce8535icemann]

The SHODAN reveal bit is vastly improved. Was great before, but even better now. Now looks in your direction and speaks (you see the lips move). Might remind me of the final boss from Starfox on the Super Nintendo, but that's all good.

Either my memory is playing tricks or I'm correct that you get a few extra emails / psychic communications from SHODAN and the Many in the Ops level.

[687c96cce861bvoodoo47]

yes, some bits were restored but that's SCP.

[687c96cce88eaValet2]

Why would anyone want anything other than toggle Crouch?

In case of toggle crouch / toggle run / toggle move forward / toggle stop moving forward / toggle everything it's often not obvious whether I'm in that mode or another. In games where no "hold" option is available it always makes me mad, when in tense situations I cannot run because I'm both in crouch and walk mode. Or one of them. And I have to press every button several times to figure out which one is in which state.

All I want is to have an OPTION to choose. For me it's much more useful to have a key either pressed or unpressed. Because I always use keyboard and mouse. Always.

That's not an invitation for arguing about habits and laziness. You asked — I answered.

[687c96cce8c1celdrone]

In case of toggle crouch / toggle run / toggle move forward / toggle stop moving forward / toggle everything it's often not obvious whether I'm in that mode or another. In games where no "hold" option is available it always makes me mad, when in tense situations I cannot run because I'm both in crouch and walk mode. Or one of them. And I have to press every button several times to figure out which one is in which state.

All I want is to have an OPTION to choose. For me it's much more useful to have a key either pressed or unpressed. Because I always use keyboard and mouse. Always.

That's not an invitation for arguing about habits and laziness. You asked — I answered.

These are actually fairly simple things to fix, so best is to mention these so they can be picked up.


No one has talked yet about the fact that the remaster actually has true 60+ fps support, physics run at 60 and everything is properly interpolated, so physics won't break at high frame rates.

Incidence and cubemaps are also fully usable now, it's essentially that old newdark feature that powers any new visual effects you see on enemies.

[687c96cce8d40voodoo47]

well, most of us hail from a time where 15FPS was considered acceptable, and reflections was what you saw in the mirror when you woke up in the morning. or afternoon, if you were gaming all night. remember that? ooh I do.

we really aren't a must have 300+FPS and all flesh needs to glisten bunch.

[687c96cce8e3bJDoran]

Eldrone, can you confirm that the consoles versions will have both a weapon wheel, and a Psi Power wheel, please? These are very important for a first person shooter style game where you have multiple weapons (and powers) and are playing with a joypad.

[687c96cce906bBrig]

These are actually fairly simple things to fix, so best is to mention these so they can be picked up.

What can be done about autosaves in the remaster overwriting quicksaves and vice versa? I've never seen a single FPS in my life that didn't keep the two separate, and such a change is a major QOL loss if you ask me (and likely anybody else.)

[687c96cce919fvoodoo47]

watching the chatter, yes, this is screwing people in major ways, and you can't blow it off with "it's just the dumb ones", it happened to me a few times as well when testing AE, didn't lose too much progress as I do save properly, but it did happen, it's so very easy to not realize autosave and quicksave are fighting over the same slot.