If System Shock 1 or System Shock 2 were re-made, what would you like to see?

Bjossi on 28/3/2007 at 21:16

But what's the point in that? Why would a person make a 3D video of him/herself speaking when it's comfier to just record the voice?

Kolya on 28/3/2007 at 23:37

There's no reason to make logs at all. But 3D logs were about as popular as video telephones in 2014.

It's a good theory!

HitoshuraEA on 28/3/2007 at 23:46

well in the future such technology would be common place...a voice recorded with a little picture. Essentially it looks to use the same program as a codec would.

Even so, its just an idea, the audio logs were brilliantly done in their own right. Its the idea that this would be a more then just a hi-res make over. This would be a reworking of everything, weapon systems, level design (in a straightforward sort of idea) and the rest.

:::SPOILER:::

One of the most powerful scenes in the game, or at least one that stuck with me was the scene that played as you're walking through the command center or what have you.

You are sucked into a sort of psychosis state where "The Many" speak to the player. The words spoken are extremely well put together and I can just see a next gen version of this sequence....the possibilites are endless..:idea:

Nameless Voice on 29/3/2007 at 12:33

"It was considered good practice for all officers aboard a star ship to keep regular logs, especially in dangerous situations, and the captain was using this interval to do so."

Sangman on 30/3/2007 at 22:13

Quote Posted by Bjossi

But what's the point in that? Why would a person make a 3D video of him/herself speaking when it's comfier to just record the voice?

Now that you mention it, some of the logs made zero sense to me. Zero sense as in; why the hell did this person record this message at THAT time?

"I'm getting shot at now.. OUCH, bullet in the chest.. I've recoded the door.. heading to Cargo Bay 2"

Come on man, don't record it when you're dying, and at least tell me the code immediatly rather than have me dartle through 2000 kamikaze robots to get to it! ;)

edit - didn't see this:

Quote:

"It was considered good practice for all officers aboard a star ship to keep regular logs, especially in dangerous situations, and the captain was using this interval to do so."

Yeah... still doesn't make any sense to me. I won't be recording myself when some big bad motherf*cker is at my door.

Bjossi on 30/3/2007 at 23:04

Well, it is either recording yourself saying the code in such situations, or give Goggles the luxury of not being able to enter the keypad-locked rooms. ;)

Vigil on 30/3/2007 at 23:08

Quote Posted by HitoshuraEA

well in the future such technology would be common place...a voice recorded with a little picture. Essentially it looks to use the same program as a codec would.

You weren't paying attention to the counterargument.

Audio-logs and video-logs are perfectly possible with today's technology, but hardly anybody uses them on a daily basis. Why? Because routine information and correspondence (as distinct from presentations or performances) can be recorded more easily, transmitted and stored more efficiently and comprehended more quickly in text form.

In real life, audio is too much of a pain to sit through for the sake of just routine information or correspondence, and video not only adds 10 times the bandwidth requirement but also the annoyance for the person recording it of having to look at a camera and compose their facial expressions for an unseen audience. They're simply too inconvenient to bother with for everyday purposes, no matter how efficient the technology becomes.

This is not to say that video-logs aren't an effective storytelling technique in games and movies - just like audio-logs they make an otherwise routine record of information into a performance piece.

Nameless Voice on 30/3/2007 at 23:31

Quote Posted by Sangman

edit - didn't see this:

Quote Posted by Nameless Voice

"It was considered good practice for all officers aboard a star ship to keep regular logs, especially in dangerous situations, and the captain was using this interval to do so."

Yeah... still doesn't make any sense to me.

That's not a quote from SS2; it's a quote from a short story I wrote, where I was subtly poking fun at the constant keeping of logs in SS2, Star Trek, etc. ;)

Still, the audio logs are one of the things that made SS2 great; they may not have been the most realistic, but they certainly added a great depth to the storyline. You may say that recording a log while you are in mortal danger is illogical, but also bear in mind that recording an audio log while going about your daily activities, with nothing amiss happening, is just plain boring. Take a listen to the dull, lifeless audio logs in Doom 3 to hear what I mean.

Bjossi on 30/3/2007 at 23:37

Those logs seem to be more or less just research results or information, people probably died before they managed to reach out for their PDA.

HitoshuraEA on 31/3/2007 at 02:54

Well in terms of a more effective story telling technique...this is what I'm talking about. Interestingly enough, the human psychosis, when under extreme stress and aggravation, has a need to manifest its fear into some form of substantial release. Even though some logs were seemingly pointless, it was from these logs we truly felt the absolute terror of their situation.

Besides, this isn't about "real world" practicality. Is it convenient to sit and record a video log? Of course it isn't. In that respect an audio log would be MUCH faster and for all intents and purposes can be realistically viewed as an ideal choice. But that's not the point. Using next gen hardware, a simple audio log is simply not an efficient or appropriate technique. Does this mean that having video logs necessarily are better? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Besides, the technology we have now for video logs would be inferior to what (in this games world) we would possess in 2072 or later.

At the same time, the "ghosts" the player would see throughout the game were an excellent utility that I feel was underutilized. This can of course be attributed to the power systems of the time afforded developers, but it is something that can further be built upon beyond enhanced graphics.

This leads into the overall mood of the game. You feel alone and scared, your only contact is a voice. Which leads into a new idea...should the protagonist have a voice? This would cement an identity into the character...which is of course a debatable sentiment.