System Shock is a complete remake of the genre defining classic from 1994 built by a team of industry veterans. Remember Citadel.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
June Update
almost 4 years ago
– Mon, Jun 29, 2020 at 12:31:16 AM
Welcome back Hackers,
We were all very busy this month providing support for the Alpha Demo as well as taking part in a number of online events. Stephen took part in a number of live interviews you can check out here if you missed them.
Stephen was also a special guest on Matt McMuscles’ show where they discussed first-person shooters, the history of Nightdive, Chex Quest, Doom Eternal, and much more for over 2 hours! Be sure to grab a cold drink and some snacks before starting this one!
This month we focused almost exclusively on Enemies! All of the modeling, rigging and animations are mostly complete. Textures and FX are being worked on before implementation and finally any Polish work that needs to be done.
Here are just a few that we’d like to share!
Virus Mutant
We stayed very close to the original design with the biggest difference being that it plucks the puss-filled sacs from its chest before throwing them towards you. When you watch the video pay attention to the liquid swirling around inside his growths.
This enemy almost made it into the Alpha demo but we ran out of time before we could implement him. We loved the assassin so much that we decided to create a melee only variant with his arms replaced by mantis-like claws that can attack the player from close to mid-range. These guys like to lurk in dark corners awaiting the Hacker as they have difficulty closing distances.
We upgraded the Shock Bot to look as though they were designed for military or security applications. Once the body is destroyed the head section will detach into a flying drone that will continue to hunt you down. These will replace the Flier-Bot from the original.
This month, we thought it would be interesting to show the work in progress of the Reactor level. We would also like to welcome back Robert Simon to the project!
Here is an in-progress Reactor hallway that we are using to test set designing.
Reactor WIP
Now here is the original to compare the aesthetics.
This is where larger props are conceived, for example, the on-rail crane and another computer console.
Then Robert goes in and paints over the space to imagine the props in the Reactor hallway.
Reactor WIP Paint Over
Here is a closer look at details that are being tested in the level.
Maybe soon you will be able to experience it first hand!
Demo
Have you had the chance to play the updated demo? Make sure to access your backer alpha key through Backerkit if you have not yet! As long as you have Steam selected for the platform, you will get access to the demo on Steam (this can always be updated before we close out surveys).
Demo Patch Notes
almost 4 years ago
– Sun, Jun 07, 2020 at 01:08:41 AM
Welcome Back Hackers
This art-less update is brought to you by Matthew Love, who is just tired of all the art! So there will be no screenshots, no concepts, no images of any kind!
The GOG Summer Sale is still going strong and the feedback from the Alpha demo has been overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to everyone who gave it a try and shared feedback with us on Discord, YouTube, and the GOG/Steam forums. We’ve been pouring over the comments and have decided to update the demo with a patch to address some of these issues!
System Shock Alpha Demo v1.22!
Fixed certain effects running infinitely and causing gradual performance deterioration,
First Person Ladder animations have been added,
New ladders have been added,
New inventory icons for the Assault Rifle,
New atmospheric fog has been added,
New ending elevator has been added,
New hit reactions when enemies are shot or struck with the pipe,
Berserk Patches now have their effects and side-effects implemented,
Toxin Barrel effects culled,
Mutant Ragdoll performance update,
Cyborg Assassins now drops their rifle on death,
Blood Decal visuals improved,
Artificial Intelligence improvements,
Player breathing audio has been added,
Explosives sound radius detection has been doubled,
Fixed an issue with the Medical Healing Bed movement,
The Hacker will now be detected by all the recharging Drones when killing one of them,
The Hacker's arm shadows have been disabled,
CPU Nodes health reduced,
Fixed melee weapons being allowed to activate while equipment was disabled,
Mutant drool now destroys itself rather than deactivates,
Modified lift to be able to reverse direction if something blocks it,
Removed navigation collision from Lift and Cyborg Assassin rifle,
Detach and deactivate Niagara components when both bullet and explosion projectiles are about to be destroyed,
Gas Grenade Effects have been added,
The Hacker can no longer climb onto ladders while dying,
Occulus Plugin disabled, VR headsets should no longer recognize the game,
Other smaller general fixes and improvements.
If you haven’t tried the demo yet, now is the time, and if you’ve already played it give it another shot and let us know if there’s some aspect of the experience you’d like us to improve. The demo is available to everyone from May 27th to June 15th, but after that, it will remain available to backers.
May Update
almost 4 years ago
– Sat, May 30, 2020 at 03:47:05 AM
Welcome Back Hackers
Note from Stephen!
It’s been a very busy couple of months and as you may have noticed we missed an update or two along the way, but for good reason. The team has been working hard to bring you a big update to the demo and give the public a chance to revisit Citadel Station since the last public demo we released in December. If you’ve already played you’ll have noticed a number of changes including new weapons, new enemies, reworked areas of the Medical deck, new cinematics, new animations, new FX, new audio, and so much more!
We didn’t meet all our goals, however. We had to meet some very tight deadlines to accommodate our partners. One of the major features that did not make it in was Cyber Space. The good news is that we intend to update our Demo for our backers, giving you the first chance to explore. Scroll down through this update to get a sneak peek at what it’ll look like, we hope you like it!
Be sure to check back for updates on the demo, we’re improving performance, adding animations, fx, and more during the duration of the GOG Summer Sale.
Anyways, let’s move on to the fun stuff!
Updated Demo
The GOG Summer Sale is here, and along with it our updated System Shock demo! It is available to everyone from May 27th to June 15th, so tell your friends to act fast and play the demo. However, do not fret, the demo will remain available to backers.
Just in case you have not played it yet, you can download here:
And you may have noticed, we have officially moved from Pre Alpha to Alpha!
In Engine Screenshots
Here are a few interesting screenshots and a bit about them.
A big part of what we have been up to recently now that most of the station has been built is environmental storytelling and… GORE! Evelyn and Jed have been creating these chunky masses to accompany the bodies and blood
FX is very important to the immersion of the game itself, we recently have brought on a new team member, so please welcome Swinny to the Team!
Although cyberspace isn’t in our current demo, it has been coming along in a big way. Howie (from the Unity demo), has been building out these amazing spaces with the team. Part of creating cyberspace is that we really had to discuss and dissect both modern and retro game mechanics to truly build out and understand the way it should come together. So far, it looks beautiful, especially in motion.
March Update
about 4 years ago
– Thu, Mar 19, 2020 at 12:41:23 AM
Hello Hackers,
This month we will be focusing on two topics: Enemies and Environments!
Enemies
Last month we showed some of the proxy character models being made that allow our rigging and animation team at SuperGenius to start work before the final in-game models are finished. Here are some animations on the Execbot and GorillaTiger proxies.
Next, we have the proxy for the Shockbot, being put through some static poses to check for any areas that might be clipping through one another. This is to determine the range of motion of the hard surface joints before handing the proxy off to the animators so they will know the model will be flexible enough for them to work with.
Then we have a progress showcase for what in the original game is called the Flier-Bot, but is now being referred to in-house as the Shockdrone due to its prominent visual callback to the Shockbot security robot. Here's how it looked in the original game.
And here is Robb's reconception for the remake, followed by renders of the hi-poly model, low-poly model, UV maps, and a first pass at the texture maps in Substance Painter.
Rumor is, a certain Cortex Reaver will make an appearance next month...
Environment
Recently, a lot of heart has been put in building up the flight deck. Every little detail really brings the station to life.
and here are some environment concepts by Robb Waters.
Streaming
As you may know by now, GDC and E3 have been postponed currently due to Covid-19. However, we have decided to host an Indie Dev stream this Friday. Featuring Limited Run, 3D Realms, New Blood and many more!
SiN: Gold has returned with a free update for original owners!
"When the CEO of SinTEK Industries begins injecting the streets with a DNA-altering drug, it's time to reassess the laws of morality. When the same twisted bio-chemist plans to overtake the world with her unholy army of genetically-engineered mutants, it's time to rewrite the golden rule."
♡February Update♡
about 4 years ago
– Fri, Feb 07, 2020 at 11:40:31 PM
♡✧An update full of love✧♡
Well, these barrels aren't full of love, they will kill you.
Concept Art
The topic of concept art is buzzing a lot in the comment section, so let us explain. Yes, concept art is often a big part of the early stages of development, however, concept art is something constantly being created. Concept art can help sort out design, establish a mood, assist modelers with functionality as well as perspective. Needless to say, it is pretty important and we are very lucky to have Robb Waters on the team!
Here are a few things that help build the environment of Citadel Station.
Character Proxy Models
Proxies are autogenerated topology created from near-finished hi-poly models. Though rough and untextured, proxies represent the overall shape of the character well enough so that they can be handed off to our rigging and animation team; that way they don’t have to wait for the time-consuming low-poly, UV, and texture phases before they can get started. Proxies are also useful in that they can be seen in motion and potential issues with proportion or clipping can be looked for and adjusted in the hi-poly model before a character’s look is fully nailed down. Once the modeler is finished with the final textured models, the skeletal rigging of the proxy can be copied over, essentially swapping the proxy mesh out with the final.
Below are some animations made using proxy models of our more bizarre characters: the Cyber Mantis, a Cyber Assassin with the bladed arms of an Autosurgeon grafted on,
Here are two more proxies just about to be handed off to the rigging and animation team, the Execbot and the Gorilla-Tiger.
The Gorilla-Tiger will get a coat of poly strand hair after the final low-poly mesh completed, but for rigging purposes, his basic underlying anatomy is all that’s needed.
Backerkit
Reminder to join our Discord if you need further Backerkit assistance! Community Manager Karlee will be able to assist!
You can also update and close your survey here at any time:
