[Levyathan]

If anyone around here has played or heard about System Shock 2 (one of the best games ever, along with the first one), then this post will have a purpose. And I hope it has a purpose.

Anyway, I just want to share something I found a couple of days ago, a series of very good stories related to Shock and Freespace (at the same time, isn't that just marvelous? ). Hopefully someone will enjoy reading it!

So here's the thing:

The Divine Seed Chronicles

Just get to the chronicle selection screen and select the GTCv Monolith one... Although I strongly suggest to read the One Story Ends fiction first.

[Alikchi]

If there was some way we could get a Shivan into the SS2 engine, that'd be perfect.

[Levyathan]

Actually, that might...

*looks at Styxx, who looks back menacingly*

...That's a crazy idea I tell ya! Crazy!

[Styxx]

I've been putting thought on that for a long time... in fact, I think that there's no better engine for a FPS version of Freespace than the SS2 engine. Even thought it's far from being the most advanced, it has the best mood for it (I'm thinking hallfight here)...

[Alikchi]

Yeah, it's got the spaceship part down, and all the menus are fairly suited for a GTVA marine

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Styxx
I've been putting thought on that for a long time... in fact, I think that there's no better engine for a FPS version of Freespace than the SS2 engine. Even thought it's far from being the most advanced, it has the best mood for it (I'm thinking hallfight here)...

The only problem is that the engine is awfully weak at anything more complex than your most orthographic geometry. The Dark Engine was stretched, twisted and pulled to its limits for System Shock 2.

If I was going to try to build a Freespace FPS, I'd be doing it on the modified Unreal engine used in Deus Ex. It supported most of the same things the Dark Engine did, plus a bunch of others Dark couldn't do.

If I was going to do it on a modern engine, I would again go with a Warren Specter's choice: the modified engine used in Deus Ex 2. Why? Becase Specter and his team believe in making the software fit the story, not the other way around. There will be proper leaning, sneaking, sound trapping, shadow trapping, dynamic lighting, etc. In short, you'll be able to put together the sort of atmosphere you need for a squad of GTA marines skulking their way through a captured shivan ship. No other design team, in my opinion, can make an engine that can make that sort of atmosphere. Its what they're good at.

[Alikchi]

Would it be able to handle low gravity (those suction boots would be a nice item) and bouncing off the walls, hitting you with claws Shivans?

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Alikchi
Would it be able to handle low gravity (those suction boots would be a nice item) and bouncing off the walls, hitting you with claws Shivans?

Of course: Quake 2 (maybe even 1) had low gravity maps. Pretty much every 3d engine since then has used some implementation of a gravitational constant that can be altered on a per map basis.

[Alikchi]

Yes, I figured that (don't know why I asked, even ) but back to the Shivans: You'd need a pretty, no, very good animation system for them, I think. I guess UT 2003 could do that.

[mikhael]

I'm willing to bet you could get a reasonable Shivan in the modified Quake3 engine used in Jedi Outcast. Realistically, you're only adding one extra limb and changing the IK rig only a little. You don't relaly need to do much with the rear leg except do collision detection on the foot and make sure it doesn't clip too much (not that we really do a lot of clipping checking in FPSs these days Stormtroopers don't seem to mind falling through walls when they die ). Whist this won't produce a really, truly 'realistic' loping cycle for a running shivan, its close enough for government work.

[Alikchi]

[wEvil]

Anything that supports skeletal/IK/Bones would be easy, you just build an IK rig for a spider and tweak it a little, simple

[Raven2001]

Well... if you make that, I'll play it If you teach me how to install it into SS2

[Styxx]

Well, I only played a bit of Deus Ex - Shock 2 was the one with the best mood that I knew of. If there's anything that can do what the Shock 2 engine can do, but better, that'd be the way to go.

Now, anyone has a good model of a Shivan lying around?

[Levyathan]

Originally posted by Styxx
Well, I only played a bit of Deus Ex

Yeah, and Shock 2 you played to the end several times...

[wEvil]

Deus Ex I played to death  

Excellent game, that wuz

SShock2....i found it didnt have the same "dark" feeling to it as SShock1 did, but it was still brilliant.

Pity I can't get the friggen thing to run under windows2000.....bloody crap installer.

[Styxx]

Originally posted by Levyathan
Yeah, and Shock 2 you played to the end several times...

Well, I played SS2 up to deck 4, while I only played the first level on Deus Ex... That still means I played a lot more Shock2 than DX.

[CP5670]

I played through both SS2 and Deus Ex; both are among my all-time favorites. I liked DX a bit better with its free-form gameplay and interactivity but SS2 also comes quite close. A game based on those concepts and set in the Freespace universe would be truly awesome; once Unreal 2 is released, I'm going to try to learn map and mod making for that, and maybe make something out of that.

Deus Ex I played to death

Same here; I have played through the entire game 16 times now (realistic difficulty) and I discover new things every time, so I still do not tire of it.

[Kellan]

Originally posted by CP5670
Same here; I have played through the entire game 16 times now (realistic difficulty) and I discover new things every time, so I still do not tire of it.

My God! You have too much time on your hands.

[mikhael]

Originally posted by CP5670
Same here; I have played through the entire game 16 times now (realistic difficulty) and I discover new things every time, so I still do not tire of it.

I just learned that you can use proximity charges in DX to build step ladders to climb to places you normally can't. *heh*

That game has way too many secrets.