KickStarter System Shock 1 Remake by Nightdive Studios

[Unkillable Cat]

Level 6 had the groves.

The biggest difference I'm seeing (though I cannot confirm it at this point) is that enemy models seem to be ragdolls now, instead of a fixed point covered by a 2D sprite.

I'm also somewhat disappointed by what appears to be a very slow development time. The first gameplay video came out 3 months ago and showed the SW quadrant of Level 1, but even with new screenshots they don't seem to have progressed very far from that point, with D'Arcy's office being the most distant point I could identify.

Let's say it'll take them a few extra months to wrap up Level 1. If the apparent development time to remaster ONE level out of TEN is 9 months...well, do the math yourselves.

 

[m_s0]

I'm also somewhat disappointed by what appears to be a very slow development time. The first gameplay video came out 3 months ago and showed the SW quadrant of Level 1, but even with new screenshots they don't seem to have progressed very far from that point, with D'Arcy's office being the most distant point I could identify.

They probably have a skeleton crew working on something they could show for a Kickstarter campaign. Once they get funding the development pace should pick up.

 

[toro]

Awesome. Finally something interesting.

 

[MrJohnson]

"Well this will be another shitty remake"

*screenshots posted*


damn it looks good

 

[Morgoth]

So far I only see style and no substance.

 

[Riskbreaker]

I'm also somewhat disappointed by what appears to be a very slow development time. The first gameplay video came out 3 months ago and showed the SW quadrant of Level 1, but even with new screenshots they don't seem to have progressed very far from that point, with D'Arcy's office being the most distant point I could identify.

They probably have a skeleton crew working on something they could show for a Kickstarter campaign. Once they get funding the development pace should pick up.

They might expand their team after their KS campaign is over, but it does seem like all of their dev staff has been allocated to this project. Notice how utterly quiet they are about their Turok 2 remaster (which was apparently already in development back when their remaster of first game appeared on Steam), or how Turok 1's level editor is seemingly put on hold (back in January-February it looked as if release is imminent).

 

[m_s0]

It's only been a couple of months, they're working on multiple platforms, plus you're assuming that whatever they've announced so far is all they're working on, and on top of all of that System Shock is a far more complex project than those remasters. They're basically building a new game from scratch here, not applying a new coat of paint.

Though personally I don't care about Turok at all, so it works for me if they abandoned those projects.

 

[LESS T_T]

SHODAN themed PC hardware or OSVR support?

 

[Soulcucker]

What is up with the film-grain looking filter?
All of their screenshots are covered in a pattern of dots. Looks like shit (the effect), I hope this will be togglable just like DoF and Motion Blur.

I noticed that as well, it almost makes the screen shots look like they were scanned in from a magazine.

SHODAN themed PC hardware or OSVR support?

OSVR, from what I have read Razer has quite the war chest to fund Indie devs that support their hardware.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

What is up with the film-grain looking filter?
All of their screenshots are covered in a pattern of dots. Looks like shit (the effect), I hope this will be togglable just like DoF and Motion Bluese screensr.

I noticed that as well, it almost makes the screen shots look like they were scanned in from a magazine.

This effect is absent in these screens.

 

[LESS T_T]

From Reddit AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4pbc01/iama_founder_of_night_dive_studios_stephen_kick/

Their KS goal is $900K.

How much important is Warren Spector's role on SS3 project?

I believe Warren is going to provide an incredibly solid foundation for the development of SS3. He's responsible for creating some of the most memorable and timeless experiences in gaming and I can tell he's eager to bring fans of Shock something new and innovative. Warren and his colleagues thrived during a time when hardware limitations dictated game design and I'm really excited to see what they'll be able to accomplish with the tools available to developers today.

How much money do you think you'll reach on SS Remaster's Kickstarter?

I hope we reach our minimum goal of $900K - it will provide us with what we need in order to finish the game the way we envision it, but I believe we'll raise considerably more. We've gone all in on the Kickstarter and I think everyone will be surprised by what we have to offer. We're doing things no other crowd funding campaign has done and we're doing everything we can to differentiate ourselves from other high profile projects that have failed to deliver on their promises.

900k as a minimum? That's pretty ambitious. I hope it hits far above that, of course!

It is, especially with the current negative sentiment surrounding crowdfunding. Wasteland 2 asked for an initial $900K as well and what we have to show on our Kickstarter goes above and beyond what they had on display. I believe potential backers will have no doubt that we're going to deliver on our promises.

outside graphics/animations/music will the new game follow closely every aspect (story, levels, gameplay, weapons, enemies, secrets, etc) or will some significant changes be there? In the second case, if you can say anything before the kickstarter, which areas will be altered more deeply?

Yes, the remake will follow the original very closely in terms of story and levels. The gameplay will be smoother and more streamlined mostly due to the reworked interface. We've taken what was great about Shock and Shock 2's interface and created a hybrid that fans of the genre will feel very familiar with. All the weapons and enemies will be there, but re-imagined and updated by the original concept artist Robb Waters. We've identified a number of areas in the game that we're going to expand by various degrees - we felt there were great story telling opportunities just waiting to be explored. Veterans of the series will definitely find some surprises this time around...

2) outside changing the core aspects of the game or not, is there any plan to add more replay value like a New Game Plus mode with smarter enemies, few more weapons/ammo types or enemy variants? the New Game mode could have a more closed set of features to the original game and the NG+ could add something new in the second run so people who don't want (much) changes will be alright

We're big fans of the difficulty level presented in the first Shock and would like to emulate that as close as possible. If someone wants a greater challenge, the time limit posed by the original is a great source of inspiration. Having the events of the game occurring in real time is not something that's explored in games these days and would be fun to bring back - or if someone wants a more leisurely experience an adventure mode (Difficulty 0) is possible.

Any chance we'll see physical copies of future console releases like the System Shock remake or Turok remasters on Xbox One? A physical tier for the SS remake would have my backing for sure!

We are offering physical copies of System Shock on Kickstarter - just wait and see!

Are customizable FOV and raw mouse input options present? They're pretty much a deal-breaker for me and many other FPS players.

The final version of the game will offer those options - we're right there with you!

Is the game reasonably challenging? One thing I hated about the original SS1 was the lack of punishment upon death and the poor combat mechanics. Ideally, I'd love a permadeath mode or a mode where respawning incurs severe penalties in order to drive players to play carefully and cleverly.

We hope the game will provide a reasonable challenge for veteran players - I think the original Shock did a great job of offering a challenge via selectable difficulty at the beginning of the game and aim to have a similar option available. I really like the idea of a hardcore mode with permadeath!

There will not be regenerating health!

Is there mod support?

Personally, I'd love workshop/mod support and something we're currently discussing.

In one of the trailers for System Shock Remastered it sounded like one of Shodan's audiologs was playing through Citadel Station's PA system. Is this a design change or was it done just for the trailer? It sounded really cool!

This was a conscious design change as we felt the first few messages you receive by SHODAN should be a representation or a shred of what she once was. As she begins to sense your presence on board the station things will get personal.

It was mentioned that the music will be changed, and that it was being considered to include the original soundtrack as an optional DLC / kickstarter tier reward. Can you confirm if this is the case?

Our current plan is to offer a remixed album of the original soundtrack to everyone once a certain stretch goal is met. We will have a playable demo track available on the Kickstarter page.

Would SSR change any original game mechanics? SS1 was revolutionary in it's time, but now it can be seen as pretty archaic.

The core mechanics themselves will be present, but we've gone great lengths to make sure the players experience will be smooth and intuitive. There is an inventory mode that allows you to examine, equip, and drop items but you'll find it much easier to use than the original. I'd describe it as a hybrid between Shock 1 and 2, so you could definitely say we're influenced by more modern games.

Do you plan early access or a regular release?

We're planning on a regular release and closed beta access available on certain Kickstarter reward tiers.

So far NDS only made remasters/enchanced editions of games with largely the same assets, just improved compatability/playability. Was it hard to suddently having to develop your own assets?

Every member of the Night Dive team has a background in game development and we've all shipped multiple titles through other studios. We've got a lot of experience on our side! Our team members have worked on Fallout 3, 4, New Vegas, BioShock 1, 2, Infinite, WoW, Star Trek Online, Batman, PlanetSide 2, Tomb Raider, System Shock and many others.

I heard that Otherside E employed some people from the original ultima underworl/SS1 team, are they in any way involved in SSR?

They've been checking on our progress and have offered some great advice and guidance through out which we're very grateful. Beyond that it's been all Night Dive.

Would you guys be hiring additional devs for SSR after the kickstarter (or at anytime)?

We will be looking to fill a few positions post Kickstarter!

What is your opinion on fan projects like Citadel?

I've been following the progress on Citadel for a long time and I'm really impressed with what JosiahJack has accomplished. I fully support the project as long as it remains free and he doesn't attempt to commercialize it. I think it's admirable of him to have a working Git depot of his project available to the public!

In SSR, do you plan on retaining the ability to climb any surface that looks climbable?

Currently in our build we have climbable ladders - you'll be able to climb other surfaces as well.

Will the arcade mini games on the hud make a return? I am pretty sure SS1 influenced fallout 4's pip boy games

Yes! We will be including mini games from the original as well as some new ones.

Did you contact any members of the rock band tribe, who provided voice acting (Shodan in particular) and dynamic music and also helped with audio engineering for the original SS1?

Terri and Eric Brosius are returning and providing the voice of SHODAN - there will be new dialog in our reboot.

Will you change enemy aggro system?

We are experimenting with that at the moment. A number of the team members are definitely on board with a stealth system that's definitely more robust than the original.

Hey Stephen, will the SS remake have the same open level design as the original also what's it like to have Warren Spector work on SS3?

Yes, the remake will have an almost identical layout with some areas being expanded and reworked. I had a chance to meet with Warren at GDC this year and I know he's the right man for the job - we haven't personally worked together as System Shock 3 is in OtherSide's wheelhouse and we prefer to be hands off.

 

[Infinitron]

Wow. My feeling about that is not so much "That's too much money" but more "That sure is a lot of money that somebody could be investing in a new game instead".

 

[Zombra]

My immediate takeaway: their Kickstarter strategy is based on the climate of 4 years ago. "Wasteland 2 did it, so can we."

 

[Infinitron]

My immediate takeaway: their Kickstarter strategy is based on the climate of 4 years ago. "Wasteland 2 did it, so can we."

Climate doesn't matter if your brand name is hot. BattleTech was hot enough. Not sure about System Shock.

 

[garren]

Eh, seems like a bit of a high goal, but they might make it. System Shock is one of those classics that's "cool" to know, like Planescape: Torment that everyone keeps namedropping.

 

[Jaesun]

From what I have read and seen so far



But I don't know if they can make that target though.

 

[Darth Roxor]

900k for a remake? They are out of their minds.

 

[Ash]

Underworld Ascendant barely hit that, and that campaign was headed by none other than Paul Neurath, a much respected veteran. While System Shock is a hotter name than Ultima Underworld as far the modern market is concerned, especially when you factor in the Bioshock connection, I'm skeptical they'll succeed. Best hope their gameplay videos are top-notch and their marketing on point.

 

[Perkel]

Underworld Ascendant barely hit that

UA is barely remembered anywhere other than dex.
Also it didn't have good pitch.

With current work on SS1 and proper pitch they will get easily 3-4mln.

Also lol at "crowdfunding negativity". Time and time again people proved that they don't give a shit about anything other than projects they want to fund and most of them actually do understand that projects can fail. It is usually bystanders who don't give their own money that are first to criticize crowdfunding.

 

[Ash]

Also it didn't have good pitch.

I don't disagree there. I remember people not wanting it to reach certain stretch goals, companion bunnies, a distinct lack of hardcore/thinking man's gameplay focus that these games are known for (as far as real time action games go), and an unpolished gameplay video. A bit underwhelming considering its dev team pedigree. I'm still ever so slightly hopeful the game will be good though, and I'm hopeful for this project too.

 

[tormund]

My immediate takeaway: their Kickstarter strategy is based on the climate of 4 years ago. "Wasteland 2 did it, so can we."

Climate doesn't matter if your brand name is hot. BattleTech was hot enough. Not sure about System Shock.

If they are smart they will highlight the connection to Bioshock, which is infinitely more marketable to the mainstream.

Yeah, Bioshock is still the hottest thing both for journos and for the average gamer. and to the much lesser extent they can also play on connection and influence on Deus Ex or Dishonored...

 

[LESS T_T]

Last two answers from the AMA:

I think I'm late, but I'll ask anyway. How will cyberspace be? Will it be close to the original?

We are redesigning Cyberspace - it will still serve the same purpose as it does in the original but the environment and visuals will receive a total overhaul.

The only real question I can think of at the moment is this: Will there be a Linux port of the System Shock remaster? Some of us are trying to stay far away from Windows 10.

We are offering OSX and Linux ports on System Shock when our fist stretch goal is met. I am confident we'll surpass it so you can look forward to playing Shock on your platform of choice.

 

[Riskbreaker]

Eh, I'm one of those folks that actually loved that Descent with Tron-like visuals shit, and I really think that such a representation of hacking was a perfect match for System Shock's brand of cyberpunk. So I'll be pretty disappointing if their new Cyberspace turns out to be something very different from that original one.

 

[Ash]

1. Not original, established or even experienced devs..

good evaluation overall, however one correction: apparently according to the AMA they do have collective industry experience. Experience is overrated anyway. Many great games back in the day were made by relative newbies.

Bloodstrained: Citizen of the Night

Is that intentional wordplay or?

 

[Durandal]

Eh, I'm one of those folks that actually loved that Descent with Tron-like visuals shit, and I really think that such a representation of hacking was a perfect match for System Shock's brand of cyberpunk. So I'll be pretty disappointing if their new Cyberspace turns out to be something very different from that original one.

I hope it still has the same aesthetic, it's just that I hated hacking in SS because of the clumsy-ass controls. Gimme something that plays like Descent in a modern sourceport and we're golden.