terrannova on 31/3/2018 at 18:45
So I guess the earliest we'll be seeing System Shock is 2020? What's a few more years. At least it'll beat The Winds of Winter, right?
Starker on 1/4/2018 at 05:11
An update with more info is coming next week, apparently.
Edit: Friday, April 6th to be more precise.
Vae on 6/4/2018 at 18:57
April update...(
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/2135868?ref=backer_project_update) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/2135868?ref=backer_project_update
Q&A
Quote:
At this current moment in time, how many things are you planning to change within the game in regards to story, gameplay, and level design?The story is going to remain unchanged but with the additional logs/emails added in from the backers of the CITADEL CREW MEMBER pledge. Gameplay will be very similar to what you experienced in the original game with the largest difference being the UI which is a hybrid of Shock and Shock 2.
What changes do you think NDS will be making with the remake's direction in terms of its style and feel?
We're going to be re-visiting the style and feel of the original game. I personally feel as though we hit the mark the first time and by applying what we've learned while working in Unreal we can achieve a similar look and feel but with enhanced performance. Our intent with the art direction so far is to bring more of the vibrant colors of the original game while keeping the oppressive atmosphere of a rundown Citadel Station. We're even incorporating some old school techniques like using sprite sheets for the animated computer screens.
While the remake is certainly getting made, I had the sense that it will be somewhat pared back compared to the original expanded-upon-the-original vision we heard about in earlier updates. Will this mean a game more akin to the original - closer to a 1:1 remake, or will there still be some expansion on the original System Shock's story and concept?This will be closer to a 1:1 remake with updates to the weapon/character designs but without altering the core gameplay of the original. Expect to see something resembling the direction of the Unity demo.
Has the KS funding pool been toasted, if it has, can you sustain the investment required to get to the end 2019 timeline from your residual revenues (or will this potentially mean the project takes longer as funds have to trickle in)?We still have the funds necessary to complete the game, but the timeline will inevitably move back with our shift in direction.
Is there prospectively more risk of slippage past 2019 (if so, best brace for it nice and early)? What is the exit plan if the project becomes non-viable?
Yes, at this stage the game could slip past 2019. Our only plan is to finish the game and deliver on the promise we made to our Kickstarter backers.
Which people still work on the SS1 reboot, as of now? I've personally taken over as game director and I am now leading a team of developers, some of who worked on the original System Shock and the Unity demo.
Are you willing to share some details on why/how no successful publishing deal has been achieved yet, and how do you guys think you will still be able to get a publishing deal going in the future? I am, but those details will be part of an exhaustive Post Mortem I'll share once the game has shipped.
At what point in time, roughly, had NDS realized scope creep had hit the project? It was soon after the Kickstarter when the team offered many suggestions that seemed great on their own, but in aggregate represented too much of a departure. However, I approved the proposed changes in scope after receiving positive feedback and a verbal commitment from a publisher to fund the game and the new design we submitted. We promised a bigger, better game and we were told that the game was going to be funded beyond the amount we raised on Kickstarter. Unfortunately, that deal fell through 7 months later for reasons we are still not clear on. To put it bluntly, we were left high and dry after making crucial, consequential changes in staff and scope.
This attitude, along with the recent release of the source code, is a positive signal...although, they have yet to prove themselves to be able to maintain course and follow through.
Time will tell.
icemann on 7/4/2018 at 07:12
If you look over at the comments to that update, people completely lost their shit at the last bit in the Q&A, as it effectively said that if the publisher deal had gone ahead and they'd got the cash, then they'd have completely gone against the KS pitch and given us the game they thought was better, rather than what they proposed.
Shadowcat on 7/4/2018 at 08:11
I have to say I was pretty surprised by how that final Q&A was worded -- the backer reaction to reading that could have been predicted by anyone, so the "poor us, we got shafted" tone was quite astoundingly disingenuous for someone who is (or at least should be) in full damage-control mode.
Pyrian on 7/4/2018 at 17:39
I'm a bit unclear on that timeline. How much time passed between the end of the kickstarter and the verbal publisher promise ("it don't mean nothing 'til they sign it on the dotted line")? How long did they keep going after the deal fell through? Either way it looks bad.
terrannova on 9/4/2018 at 00:41
The new screenshots are definitely more on the remastered path than total remake, I'm happy with those. I can't wait to see the Executive, Security, and Systems Engineering levels though. :)
Brad Schoonmaker on 9/4/2018 at 00:57
Quote Posted by terrannova
The new screenshots are definitely more on the remastered path than total remake, I'm happy with those. I'd really like to see the Executive, Security, and Systems Engineering levels though. Why after all this time are we still just showing off the Hospital level?
Drip. Drip. Drip. That's how the marketing can be. It's often the case for projects that have a huge amount of anticipation attached to them. Teasing is effective at stoking that interest. It works for me.
As far as the look of the level, the newer dev. videos were cool and all. The problem for me with them was the scale of the station would have to be enormous just with the reactor level they showed. That would mean a lot of bloat to the play space. The scale of the original game was fine and should be maintained. I have a hard time keeping my disbelief suspended as it were when games areas are like the TARDIS. Bioshock is a good game, but all those skyscrapers are just for show. The game world is a corridor shooter. No realism to the layout at all comparing to the introduction of the cityscape.
ZylonBane on 9/4/2018 at 03:09
Quote Posted by Brad Schoonmaker
TARDAS
Ahh yes, the Time and Relative Dimension Antelope Slamdance.