Oh, I totally forgot. I was going to do this on release day of the
System Shock remake. Well, better late than never, I suppose.

Anyway, here are a couple of keys for System Shock. No, not the new
one; that costs real money. This is for the old games, because while I
may not be hot on remakes, I admire the classics. So if you haven't
played the originals yet, you really need to.

The keys - embedded in the text as usual - are for Steam. First one to
get it, gets it. Steam won't give you a second copy if you already own
it. Please don't claim it if you aren't intending to play it.

* System Shock Enhanced
The original remake and, in my opinion, the best way to play the game.
Experience DX0HB System Shock as the original developers intended, if
early 90s technology hadn't been holding 06LM8them back. The level
design is 0W0YYstill pretty poor but Shodan is delightfully malicious.
"Look at you hacker, a pathetic creature of meat and bone..."

* System Shock 2
My favorite 2MFVFin the franchise. A much stronger story, far better
level design, and a character generation mechanic lifted from the
original Traveller tabletop game; what's not to love? It's still a
surprisingly good looking game (considering its age), with its
character models theGGGNF weakest part. I genuinely consider this to
be one of the creepiest video games ever madeN3T9N and a considerable
step above the original in gameplay. It's older brother gets all the
love, but this is the game to play.

Have fun!

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> Oh, I totally forgot. I was going to do this on release day of the
> System Shock remake. Well, better late than never, I suppose.

> Anyway, here are a couple of keys for System Shock. No, not the new
> one; that costs real money. This is for the old games, because while I
> may not be hot on remakes, I admire the classics. So if you haven't
> played the originals yet, you really need to.

> The keys - embedded in the text as usual - are for Steam. First one to
> get it, gets it. Steam won't give you a second copy if you already own
> it. Please don't claim it if you aren't intending to play it.

> * System Shock Enhanced
> The original remake and, in my opinion, the best way to play the game.
> Experience DX0HB System Shock as the original developers intended, if
> early 90s technology hadn't been holding 06LM8them back. The level
> design is 0W0YYstill pretty poor but Shodan is delightfully malicious.
> "Look at you hacker, a pathetic creature of meat and bone..."

Ooh, Enhanced. Isn't this the one with better controls? I think I'll try
it again!

> * System Shock 2
> My favorite 2MFVFin the franchise. A much stronger story, far better
> level design, and a character generation mechanic lifted from the
> original Traveller tabletop game; what's not to love? It's still a
> surprisingly good looking game (considering its age), with its
> character models theGGGNF weakest part. I genuinely consider this to
> be one of the creepiest video games ever madeN3T9N and a considerable
> step above the original in gameplay. It's older brother gets all the
> love, but this is the game to play.

I finished it back then. If it was enhanced or something, I would have
taken it. So someone can have it and let Shodan taunt with her insect
liners. I guess I am her mutANT! ;)
--
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" --Romans 10:14. Slammy Sunday thanks to a 2h mawny power outy. :(
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>Anyway, here are a couple of keys for System Shock.

Good deal, Spalls! Grab them people!

rms

On Mon, 05 Jun 2023 03:26:10 +0000, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, Ant
wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Oh, I totally forgot. I was going to do this on release day of the
>> System Shock remake. Well, better late than never, I suppose.
>
>> Anyway, here are a couple of keys for System Shock. No, not the new
>> one; that costs real money. This is for the old games, because while I
>> may not be hot on remakes, I admire the classics. So if you haven't
>> played the originals yet, you really need to.
>
>> The keys - embedded in the text as usual - are for Steam. First one to
>> get it, gets it. Steam won't give you a second copy if you already own
>> it. Please don't claim it if you aren't intending to play it.
>
>> * System Shock Enhanced
>> The original remake and, in my opinion, the best way to play the game.
>> Experience DX0HB System Shock as the original developers intended, if
>> early 90s technology hadn't been holding 06LM8them back. The level
>> design is 0W0YYstill pretty poor but Shodan is delightfully malicious.
>> "Look at you hacker, a pathetic creature of meat and bone..."
>
>Ooh, Enhanced. Isn't this the one with better controls? I think I'll try
>it again!
>
>
>> * System Shock 2
>> My favorite 2MFVFin the franchise. A much stronger story, far better
>> level design, and a character generation mechanic lifted from the
>> original Traveller tabletop game; what's not to love? It's still a
>> surprisingly good looking game (considering its age), with its
>> character models theGGGNF weakest part. I genuinely consider this to
>> be one of the creepiest video games ever madeN3T9N and a considerable
>> step above the original in gameplay. It's older brother gets all the
>> love, but this is the game to play.
>
>I finished it back then. If it was enhanced or something, I would have
>taken it. So someone can have it and let Shodan taunt with her insect
>liners. I guess I am her mutANT! ;)

After the big reveal in SS2, I think we were all her bitch. No spoilers.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

On Mon, 05 Jun 2023 03:26:10 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Oh, I totally forgot. I was going to do this on release day of the
>> System Shock remake. Well, better late than never, I suppose.
>
>> Anyway, here are a couple of keys for System Shock. No, not the new
>> one; that costs real money. This is for the old games, because while I
>> may not be hot on remakes, I admire the classics. So if you haven't
>> played the originals yet, you really need to.
>
>> The keys - embedded in the text as usual - are for Steam. First one to
>> get it, gets it. Steam won't give you a second copy if you already own
>> it. Please don't claim it if you aren't intending to play it.
>
>> * System Shock Enhanced
>> The original remake and, in my opinion, the best way to play the game.
>> Experience DX0HB System Shock as the original developers intended, if
>> early 90s technology hadn't been holding 06LM8them back. The level
>> design is 0W0YYstill pretty poor but Shodan is delightfully malicious.
>> "Look at you hacker, a pathetic creature of meat and bone..."
>
>Ooh, Enhanced. Isn't this the one with better controls? I think I'll try
>it again!

There's a whole bunch of upgrades in the Enhanced version but, yes,
the controls have been smoothed out and the movement keys remapped
from the cursors to WASD. A better framerate helps out a lot too. They
upped the speed of the mouse too.

The controls still take some getting used to, though; moving the mouse
doesn't spin you around like a normal FPS; you need to hold down a
mouse button too and DRAG your view left or right. It is a hold-over
from "Ultima Underworld" and, in fact, allows you to control the game
entirely with the mouse, which in 1994 was a necessity. Most people
weren't up to the task of playing an FPS with mouse AND keyboard at
the same time. ;-)

But, frankly, it's the sharper graphics (you can play at up to
1024x768 resolution!!!! ;-) and the engine optimizations that make the
Enhanced edition the version worth playing. There's a cleaness to the
visuals that the remake lacks; the hyper-real sharpness of the
Enhanced Edition screams 'cyberpunk' a lot more than the messy fog and
bloom of the franchise's newest iteration.

Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> wrote:
....
> >> * System Shock 2
> >> My favorite 2MFVFin the franchise. A much stronger story, far better
> >> level design, and a character generation mechanic lifted from the
> >> original Traveller tabletop game; what's not to love? It's still a
> >> surprisingly good looking game (considering its age), with its
> >> character models theGGGNF weakest part. I genuinely consider this to
> >> be one of the creepiest video games ever madeN3T9N and a considerable
> >> step above the original in gameplay. It's older brother gets all the
> >> love, but this is the game to play.
> >
> >I finished it back then. If it was enhanced or something, I would have
> >taken it. So someone can have it and let Shodan taunt with her insect
> >liners. I guess I am her mutANT! ;)

> After the big reveal in SS2, I think we were all her bitch. No spoilers.

And we want SS3! Also, SHODAN reminds me of Borg Queen.
--
"We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." --2 Thessalonians 1:11. AAPL WWDC again with its Vision Pro instead of a req. holodeck! Winter again. :P
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rms <rsquiresMOO@mooflashmoo.net> wrote:
> >Anyway, here are a couple of keys for System Shock.

> Good deal, Spalls! Grab them people!

I already got SS1. Who got SS2 that I didn't take? :P
--
"We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." --2 Thessalonians 1:11. AAPL WWDC again with its Vision Pro instead of a req. holodeck! Winter again. :P
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

On Sun, 04 Jun 2023 16:50:48 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>Oh, I totally forgot. I was going to do this on release day of the
>System Shock remake. Well, better late than never, I suppose.
>
>
>
>* System Shock Enhanced

A useless factoid I learned just the other day:

Didja know the original plan for System Shock was for it to be a
spin-off from the Wing Commander series (also published by Origin)?
Before it evolved into its final form, Warren Spector pitched the game
as "Alien Commander".*

The core gameplay ideas - first-person survival horror - were there
from the start, but the game was set in the wreckage of the 'Tiger's
Claw', the hero-ship from the original "Wing Commander" game that got
blown up in the intro to "Wing Commander II". An alien species with a
penchant for genetic tampering has taken up shop in the derilect, and
its up to you to kick out the squatters. You face off against mutants,
aliens and robots, scavenging for weapons and supplies until you can
finally face off against the alien boss who has taken refuge in
cyberspace.

Sounds all a bit familiar, eh?

Later iterations streamlined the story and ultimately dropped the
"Wing Commander" connections entirely. All of which is probably for
the best; it allowed the character of SHODAN to take her rightful
place at the center of the story. But it's an interesting start to a
the beloved series that most of us probably never knew about.

------------
* read more about it here, complete with scans of the original pitch
write-up
https://www.wcnews.com/news/2023/05/30/system-shock-remake-released-the-wc-connection