System Shock
 

Feel free to comment and discuss this game here. Also, if you have any useful tips or tricks don't hesitate to share them with the others! Thanks!

Download and review (if available)

Really nice review that peaked my interest. I am getting this one.

It's one of those rare gems I never had the pleasure to play, it's not too late for me, uh? :smile2:

Be sure to have a lot of spare time for this one. It's one of the games that, once you learned how it works, won't let you turn it off easily.

Cyberpunk and/or sci-fi fans mustn't avoid this game. All others should at least give it a try.

Nice. But shouldn't the actual name of the game be on the front page. :)

yeah, the entry on the mainpage should state at least SOMEPLACE in the text the acutal title of the game...

5 words
 

The BEST game of EVER!!! :thumbs:

Naw. I wanted to make a different newspost this time. Besides, I think most people know what the update means just by looking at the picture. If not, I bet people are still curious enough to click it and find out what it means.

Is the downloadable version a CD image? And does anyone
know whether EA CD-ROM Classics version is exactly the
same as the original CD? If not, what are the differences?

Its not an image. Its the files of the CD-rom version necessary to play the game.

no, i think they repacked the game so it would take less

To be exact, it's a pre-installed copy of the CD-ROM version (full install, ie all game data running from the hard drive).

To answer Ermuli's question, this version is "System Shock Enhanced CD". It contains higher-resolution cutscenes and offers higher graphic resolutions ingame. Both the regular and enhanced versions can be ran, depending on your preference (they have separate executables).

I have played the second chapter but not this one,looks weird :weird:

Tips of trics huh? So a tip: at playing the game first time dont set the dificult level to high - the game is'nt simple:max:
a dirty TRICK: in the game can be found medkits and batteries that restore the stats to maximum level - use the medkit on battery - you will restore energy for free, use the battery on medkit you will be healed for free... Just drop one and use the another on it from inventory. but you dont know it from me :whistling:

Because of the System shock 2 i have discovered this GODLIKE game, as always, the first part is always better :3:

If you thought System Shock was great, if you get a hold of System Shock 2 play that one. I am lucky to have cds of 1 and 2.:3:

My favourite game
 

The System Shock, and the System Shock 2 are my favourite games! :thumbs:

This is one of the best, maybe the best Origin game ever.
Thanks for the update, TC! :thumbs:

Well, what more can I do, than repeat after everybody else: THIS GAME IS THE ****! Not a year passes without me trying it out again. Everything about it is great, from the mind-blowing intro, through inspired, atmospheric music, good gameplay (well, the interface IS a bit lacking) and on to the main part - awesome story. And Shodan is the best villain I've ever met in a computer game. (In SS 2 she's also quite hot! :drool: )

It may be a little off-topic, but I remember playing the second part and thinking "Ok, everything's nice, but where's Shodan?". And when I reached the scene in which she finally re-emerges... I mean WOW :omg:, I was totally blown away! It was one of the most intense moments in my gaming history!

By the way, I'm not sure if it's true, but I've heard, that in the diskette version of the game they refer to Shodan as "him". Not until the CD version (which has digital voice) did they change it to "her".

Glad they made Shodan a... female.. computer.. system.. uh, you get the point.
Else I wouldn't use some samples for shutting down my computer and alike :nuts:

I'd even dare to say that Glados from Portal was inspired by System Shock. :mhh:

And is it just me or do old games are way better in scaring the **** out of me when it comes to atmosphere, despite the graphics are everything but "realistic"?

Oh wow, I've you've never played this before, then do it asap!

Definitely one of the best games ever released. Such an awesome story with a great gaming engine too. If you're a fan of Ultima Underworld, you'll feel right at home getting around in System Shock.

I've been playing this again a bit lately. God those mutants can scare the crap out of you at 3am when you run face-first into one around a corner.

DOSBox settings
This game can chug with the wrong settings, even stuff that works well for Ultima Underworld can bog down badly with System Shock. I've got best results from this game by setting my .dosboxrc as such:
frameskip=1
core=auto
cycles=50000
Using OpenGL with no scalers.

You will notice that I've added this to Wrath of Earth's recommendations (and hence vice versa). This is because they've often been likened to each other and have similar gameplay (although System Shock is further ahead graphics-wise). :) [/plug]

I would be downloading this NOW, but 120 mB don't get along well with dial-up. :p

Try the remake we have on Reloaded. It's only 64 MB. :)

64 mB don't get along well either. Even 10 mB takes about an hour. :p

I never heard of System Shock before. I clicked on the link because the news item was interesting to say the least. You my friend should be in marketing. ;)

:jaw: :omg:

I think I should make my newsposts more interesting too, very few people have paid attention to Marathon and Wrath Of Earth. When I get M1 done...

now just don't all make announcements consisted of mistyped letters lol

Thanks. Your post just made my day.

Wow.. can't believe I'm actually seeing this for DL.. great, great game. A true masterpiece of cyberpunk horror, was a kid when I last played this and have no reservations telling you that it scared the **** outta me!:omg:

This fps game requires far more than just eye-hand coordination. In fact it perfectly combines adventure, role-playing and action elements. In my humble opinion it’s a milestone in game history. :rocks:

Holy Jumped-up Jesus Zombie Cyborg Christ! It's System Shock!

:nuts:

A new crown jewel for Abandonia.

I may have to load and finally try to beat this game. (I never managed to quite finish it. I got stuck near the very end and had to return to college or some other such nonsense). Thanks for brightening my weekend. I shall donate today.

One notice on that one - it only works in the earlier, true floppy version of the game but won't work in this Enhanced CD version, regardless if you play the executable with high resolution or it's floppy executable with low resolution, they both have this earlier bug fixed up.
There was a rumor that if you collect one coke can from each level and take them to to last level where Shodan can be fought in the centre, something interesting happens. Never tried it out, though, as it would be using up too much valuable space in the inventory.

Ahh, I can't count the hours I wasted with this game... it took me few attempts to finally beat it (like savegames lost in HDD crash etc), but I managed to get to the finale. Yes, the respawning enemies meant that you'll be constantly vigiliant and scared... and the fact that Shodan - "she" - looked a bit like my loathed math teacher only strengthened my resolve to defeat her once for all :)

The review should mention more features: like logs from dead crew members, audio logs, engine capabilities: leaning, crouching - that were rare at this time, and the fact that you fight in a separate world: cyberspace.

I've heard there were also minigames... just like in those cult J-RPGs.

soulsick ni case you were lost, someone moved your posts here
http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?t=19183

System shock and System Shock 2, real good games.

IMHO System Shock 2 is slightly the better one. :tomato:
Personal opinion, of course.

It's Ultima Underworld with a horrible interface and insane system requirements for its time (as though UU's weren't high enough already).
The game was overlooked because there was about 5% of the gaming population that could actually run it on their PC, not to mention how difficult it was to actually configure in the first place.

System Shock was just Ultima Underworld with guns and more textures, I never understood the obsession with it, the sequel was far better and actually managed to do something different with the UU formula by fleshing it out far more than the original System Shock did.

Going from UUII to System Shock is a step down.

Wow BP, you must love pissing people off.

The reason why System Shock stands out:
- the story and setting was spot on - the atmosphere on-board the ship was very tense and UWII never reached that level
- there was a lot more to the game than UWII. While UWII is a great game as well, System Shock took it a step further.

I won't deny System Shock having its problems and flaws but so did UWII and really, they're two very different games - in setting, story, approach, style, atmosphere, etc. Except for the basic controls they're totally different.

I'd say majority likes Scifi rather/more than Fantasy. That is, before Lords of the Rings hit the cinema.

"Taste: that is weight at the same time, and scales and weigher; and alas for every living thing that would live without dispute about weight and scales and weigher!"
– Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

None of that has anything to do with what I said, people could actually play UU and UUII, no one could play System Shock because the system requirements were insane, the level design was tedious and annoying while the interface was absolutely abysmal.
It's an overrated game, ORIGIN made a lot of messy games that critics seemed to like a whole lot but that were absolute travesties when it came to anyone that didn't have a $5000 PC.
And the critics wonder why no one ever bought the damn game.

You can coax System Shock into running at 800x600 or 1024x768. See this patch:
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100041

If it's too slow in Dosbox, you can get System Shock running on Windows XP natively with VDMSound (see http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1500200). For those on CRTs, dgVESA (part of dgVoodoo at http://dege.freeweb.hu/) can be used for getting higher refresh rates than 60 or 70 Hz.

When you select the difficulty settings in the beginning, I recommend setting everything to the most difficult except the one setting that adds a time limit (set that one to the second most difficult). It doesn't make the game too difficult (and certainly not frustrating), but makes it a nice challenge (for example the enemies can't be defeated easily with just the lead pipe, the door wiring puzzles aren't cakewalks, and you can't just walk out of the medical suite - you need to figure out / find the code to the door's keypad).

The controls take a while getting used to, but unlike Doom, they're sort of WASD-based. The difficulty is getting used to turning and looking with the keyboard instead of the mouse. The mouse is used for manipulating a cursor. Mouse2 fires the weapon or throws away the currently picked up object (aim with the cursor) and doubleclick mouse1 picks up objects (also from your inventory). R stands up, F crouches and V crawls. Q leans left, W forward and E right. T looks up, G centers, and B looks down. A and D turn. Z and C strafe, and finally, S and X move forward and back.

Leaning is useful for sniping at the tougher enemies around corners to avoid getting shot up (towards the end they can kill you quite quickly).

IIRC caps lock enables autorun, which I recommend, as it also makes you turn faster. One of the buttons on the interface removes all the useless borders for fullscreen mode.

I recommend listening to all the logs and e-mails to really get into the story, which is the best part of the game. Besides, you'll need to if you want to figure out what to do instead of just wandering around the station.

Enjoy one of the best games ever (it's certainly not overrated >:o ).

PS. don't miss the laser rapier on the third level. It's the most useful weapon.

isn't it written in one of the logs?=P it still seemed like "just walking out" to me

Oh really so you didn't write:

I was pointing out how ridiculous that statement was. SS was NOT just U:UW2 with guns and more textures. If you believe that, you didn't properly play the game.

You're exaggerating the performance issues. It needed a 486 to run well which may have been uncommon but we're still talking 1994 here, when a 486 was the medium system being sold. I played it on my 486 SX 25 which was hardly a power beast for that time and guess what? It ran perfectly. Of course, you shouldn't be so daft to crank up the detail to full and play in a maximised window - that's like wanting to run Crysis with everything on Very High: it's not a surprise it will have dropping frame rates at times.

The interface did take some getting used to - I admit it could have been done better but to call it "absolutely abysmal"? Again, exaggerating. Considering the amount of stuff they had to put on-screen at a resolution of only 320x200, I think they did quite well. And it took me only half an hour to figure out where everything was and what I needed it for.

$5000 ... :rolleyes: $5000 would have gotten you a top end Pentium with +16MB memory and you'd still have money to spare.

You can find it overrated - that's your prerogative - but at least get your facts straight. Exagerating left and right and calling it U:UW2 with guns just makes you look like an ass. The messy interface is about the only valid point you made and even that is hardly a deal breaker - it just requires a bit of effort to get to grips with.

to me it actually seems that piggy always try to make his points while you try to get him down and throw childish remarks like ass, jackass or "headcase over at NMA", simply because he has other opinion than you

Tsss tsss, let me post my two cents in this useless discussion.
I still have the bill for my P1/120MMX/32MB/S3 4MB/SB16 15"CRT:
53,000BeF. I even got W95 with that one ... LMAO, W95, imagine that.
(FYI: It still runs fine.... as MSDos 6.22 PC)
In US$ that would have been some 950$ in those times.

So maybe *maybe* BP should indeed check his facts before stating you needed a 5000$ PC to run System Shock.

I'm out now. KTXBAI.

oh, and maybe you want to check out abandonia reloaded about this game, i think they have a download that doesnt require any mumbo-jumbo concerning the dosbox setups... somebody wrote some routine to get all that done, just need to start the game and there u go...

this version has better music=P

MMX processors didn't even come out until Janunary 1997. Back in late 1994 when system shock first came out, a 486DX2-66 with 16MB RAM, 750MB hard disk, SB16, DOS6.22, cdrom +2MB Diaond stealth64 cost me $3200 dollars. There were Pentium-90 systems just out back then that did cost $4800 dollars.

I don't believe this, djees man.
Uamoke you should consider moving to a developed country, that or you were seriously swindled.
Other possibility: you never heard of clone PCs.
http://www.superwarehouse.com/blog/2...-and_2477.html

Thankyou Underdog. :) The version we've had for the past year seems to have been forgotten. And you don't have to fiddle with it at all. Just download it, and play. :)

I don't hear any difference in the music.

Hmmm, not really.
Been posted in the remake index by moi:

I wouldnt call it a "remake"

Aye, but my point was that at easier difficulty levels you don't even have to read the logs because the door isn't locked.


The floppy and cd versions had the same music. If they sound different, you might have picked different sound drivers in the setup (i.e. adlib vs General MIDI - General MIDI sounds the best). Also, the portable "remake" is exactly the same as the CD version, except repackaged and preconfigured for easy running on Windows.

If you want a poor man's System Shock, then go play Wrath of Earth. :D

you're deaf
they did have same music but the makers of portable version were retarded enough to pick default windows midi output instead of original sound blaster music in setup AND removed the setup file, making it only changeable manually in text config file, where i don't think you'd tweak it to the sound blaster music without knowledge of how setup changes those variables

Like I said, I don't hear any difference.

Seems you missed a point : after all it's a windows remake.
(or adapted to windows if that suits TC better)

Glitch alert! Clicking on ''Add to favorites'' on the 'System Shock' page adds 'Phantasie III - The Wrath of Nikademus'!

Awesome game, anyway.

It's a known bug that is not limited to only System Shock, but also the rest of the games. However, it doesn't appear always.

We're hoping to resolve the issue soon.

Ah, okay. I registered just yesterday, so I haven't noticed it before.

It seems to happen with any games added lately. :p

but it uses dosbox and vdmsound for sound effects anyways so what's your point? o_O

*sigh*
It plays in XP without dosbox or VDMSound
VDMS or Dosbox is only required for Vista or XP64.
*sigh again*

i did test it both on vdmsound and dosbox, there are preconfigured sound settings for each of systems, i've checked. and all of them still had default midi-out option for music

sighing? getting old?=P

Of course _r.u.s.s., if you have VDMS or dosbox installed on your PC the game autodetects them and will use VDMS/dosbox sound emulation.

The whole point is that if you do not have either installed you do not need to install them to play with sound.
And you will lose some -(or a lot if you want)- sound quality.

Again: If you don't have them you don't need them in XP 32.
:whistling:

yep, but even though if you have them the game music is still terrible

Oh yeah, System Shock's music was horrible. Just like Bloodnet, it tried to make it sound futuristic without pulling it off. It induces headaches so it's the first thing that you turn off. And the result is that it actually makes the spooky atmosphere BETTER.

I've worked on soundtrack CDs to play during certain games. Some older games used audio tracks for ambient sound and I made mix & match compilations and thanks to Dosbox and Winamp I can play the right track for the right situation.

Best game ever! :)

Anyhow, you might want to add Ultima Underworld 1 and 2 to the "If you like this game, you will also like" part of the game's page. They were made by the same people and use essntially the same engine.

Et voila! Although, just using the same engine doesn't make it a given that they will like it... :p

Trust me, if you liked System Shock you'll like Ultima Underworld; gameplay is very similar to a fantasy version of System Shock, though the antagonist is less active than SHODAN.

Not for once did I think of Ultima Underworld while playing System Shock, nor vice-versa. Not once.

Still, they're both free-moving RPG games from first person perspective :p. Similar enough to me. Not to mention they're both made by the same people and a lot of the interface feels similar.

System Shock 1 had a 'difficult' interface for its time. I just wanted to pipe in that, after mastering it, I have forever found myself remapping the keys in other FPSes to resemble it, and usually outstripping others in multiplayer games.

Given the number of possible actions/options in System Shock, I think the interface was pretty well thought out. The story was complex, the atmosphere tense, and the environment was very immersive for the time. It holds up even today, though the sprites be pixelated.

I feel that those who'd grumble about the interface do so because they're not comfortable using more than 4 or 5 keys to play any one game. As for me, as a tween at the time coming out of Ultimas as well as UW1 and 2, playing and mastering this game caused a permanent improvement in my keyboard and spatial dexterity. I am glad they went the way they did, rather than dumbing it down to make it more user friendly.

I actually loved SS1's interface (which was why SS2's felt weird to begin with). It actually helps you to develop skills in the game, because you have to handle both moving your character and managing your HUD.

Having such a complicated controlsystem/HUD makes you feel good when you have mastered it. :p

Like with most games, when it takes some getting used to, it's often rewarding as long as it's well thought out.

Anyone remember Cyclones (1994)? I was so used to playing with the keyboard that I sucked at it because I couldn't make the move to the mouse. I persevered and as a result, I was one of the first to actually play any FPS that supported it using mouse & keyboard. Instead of the "classic" ASDW keys, however, I used the EDSF keys - they're better placed and give you an extra three keys to your left to use.

System Shock
 

This is awesome! I have never really got the chance to play this, and now I do...:)

2 questions...
 

so I've downloaded this and I get it to work on DOSbox, but when it plays, there is absolutely NO SOUND! and from what i've heard, the sound is supposed to be really good. BTW, I run the shortcut sshock.exe.I've heard there is 2 shortcuts(sshock and cdshock), how do I get those.(it may be that this is the Underdogs version, downloaded it a while ago, does that make any diference?)Please help SOON!

Works fine here.

Run CDSHOCK, that has better textures and higher resolution cutscenes, but I would definitely download it again if at all possible. It works perfectly with the default config file for both DOSBox 0.72 and 0.73 (although it's much faster in 0.73). :)

.. why do you even bother to reply if he didn't download abandonia version and comes b*tching on abandonia

Very immersive game. The audio logs went a loooooong way to making the game world *real*. Worth trying to get going, just don't be sad when you can't mouse look like you expect these days.

I could never get it running well on DOSBOX, and had to much lag/chop/skip. I was using an older DOSBOX version, so I'm trying again. Because Shodan is the only villain I need to beat multiple times.

Goes through levels 1-7. Funny puzzle with Master switch of Recreation level and special lock on Reactor level gave me much entertainment. Hardcore!

Then I stuck in level 8 door. Oops. :( I tried everything. Everything! Where is this key? Or, maybe, reactor activation codes?! Nada.

Well, I gave up and goes to FAQ. Wow! So code must be obtained such way?! VERY hardcore!! I love this game!

i had two problems when playing this cd version, first the "jettison enable master control" wasnt there! instead of the switch there was just blank white wall. so i had to take my non cd version game and play over that point of the game and transfer the save game to this cd version game and voila i was past that place.

but then in the last level when i inserted the Isolinear Chipset into the place where it goes the way to the shodan room didnt open so i had to do the same thing as before so thankfully i was able to finish the game. but really what were these bugs?

and yeah the most awesome game ever! otherwise i wouldnt have bothered to make these workarounds :)

I finish CD-version (from my CD-ISO, not from Abandonia) just two days ago. There is bug with radar, but nothing else (and radar bug exist in both versions). It is definitely was something strange with your version.

Im starting SS and this post seems very helpfull. Thanks!

I really did find the controls annoying. I found myself constantly getting frustrated. The fact that the game won't let you make W moving forward instead makes it S I really,really hated.

Dosbox=>keymapper = oh joy !!!

When I drag cdshock.exe onto my dosbox shortcut I get system shock running fairly well with sound and music and digital voiceovers. But the audio quality doesn't seem as high as it should be, judging by some of the footage of SysShock's Cd version posted on youtube...

I was trying to tell the game to use different emulated hardware by running the sound setup utility inside its 'INITIAL.EXE' in the game's 'INST' directory, but it doesn't seem to detect any of the hardware I select, even when manually configuring the 'sound cards' to match the parameters listed in dosbox's .conf.

Is this something I should bother with or does the default audio sound as good as it gets....

Use manual setup. Set it to use Sound Blaster 16, Adress 220, IRQ 7, DMA 1.

In Dosbox.conf, find all instances of "22050" and replace them with "44100" to increase the mixing rate and slightly improve the sound quality.

Also using "real musical" card for music improve it quality too. I using Roland usually, but I am not sure, if it works in DOSBox out of the box...

Also I heard of cool mode, but not tried it myself:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...ck-m-look-mod/

You managed to link the article where they define us from AB as thieves for offering System Shock. Check the friendly comments -_-"

Part of my problem was that the game's config program was not convinced the game had been installed to hard drive, and as such wouldn't save the sound settings I would input....but after manually editing CYB.CFG to the SB16 settings you suggested it seems to work much better...

I used the cheat sheet here - http://cd.textfiles.com/101bg3/PAGE2/SHOCK/

which looks like it was released with the system shock demo, to make sure i was interpreting CYB.CFG correctly...

Well, I rarely pay attention to comments. :) Also, it is not article itself, and even in that case - it is note about mode, not mode itself. :)

And mouselook+redefinable keyboard looks really useful...

How to run SShock in DosBox
 

If anyone got problems running this game i made a howto video and uploaded it to Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMNQubwJ_SU

It shows (from scratch) how to run the game version from abandonia without any addons in dosbox using the D-Fend Reloaded frontend.

:)

I downloaded the game but it wont start... Somebody knows what's wrong???

No idea. You'd need to post more info than that, like the commands you use in DosBox, your operating system, the DosBox version you're using etc.

From this to this...
Huh. People have problems running this? All I did was drag SSHOCK.exe onto the icon for dosbox on my desktop. Then it started running, no configuration needed. Am I a weird case?

The problems are usually related to the fact that most of the younger gamer generations - you know, people who's first operating system was Windows XP or newer - find dealing with command line etc a little daunting.
They catch on quickly... at least those who don't run away from sheer terror. :)

Legendary Goodness
 

:hello:
Luv it!
Story: 10
Sound: 10
Music: 9
Gameplay: 9.5

What else can I say? I would put a 10 in all categories, but the music sometimes is repetitive, and the controls are intuitive, but hard to dominate. Anyway, I LOVE THIS GAME!

I've wanted to play this game forever. Now I can.


THANK YOU ABADONIA!! :OK:

I don't agree that this game's near perfect. It's excellent in many aspects, but in the end it's an FPS, and as such it sucks quite a lot. The controls/interface are as ambitious as disastrous; they belong to a desktop office application rather than an action game. If this were a pure FPS without the RPG elements or the story, it would be considered a calamity to be avoided by everybody.

I had already tried to play it a long time ago but I got frustrated in the second level. This time the same thing happened, so I've started a new game at low difficulty to see if I can enjoy the story.

I'm curious about the sequel, I can't find it for sale in GOG or Steam, only in Amazon Marketplace and overpriced. Anyone has any other link?

I think I'll add the info about the separate executables to the review, because I've been playing the floppy version for a long time before I realized. LOL

The intro is the coolest, my favorite of all time. Also the corporate policemen in it are very similar to the ones in Crusader No Regret (which came up a year later).

You won't find System Shock 2 unless you're really lucky. It has been in re-release limbo for a very long time. The IP is hanging somewhere in the afterlife, not fully owned by EA so GoG couldn't get it yet. There was some article describing it, but can't remember the URL right now.

Something about an insurance company holding the rights to the series, I believe.

Insurance company investments are all about the long term :S

At least in 2015 it will be considered abandoned by us, barring it getting sold or further news, right?

Agree on "bad FPS" part...

...but game is not FPS for me. In any aspect. :D

Well, maybe, if set "shooter difficulty" level somewhere at the top, and "puzzle" aspect somewhere at bottom - maybe then, I say, it will be shooter.

But on default, "normal" shooting difficulty it's just perfect for me. Monsters are really dangerous - but they are rare and far between. Except zombies. But noone fears zombies, right? :)
Strange. I am not a shooter. Almost at all. I have bad reaction, and with game "no-free-sight" control it's even harder for me - but I never had any issues in this game. Shooter-related, I mean. In extreme cases you always can kill anyone with pistol - dying and resurrecting several times in row. But mostly it's paid to search everything, got this extra-cool energy weapons and kill them all in more expensive but easier way. :)

The story and the ambiance are great, but 99% of the time you're walking, going through doors, and yes also shooting. 99% of the game is FPS in the end. I don't think it can even be called an action RPG, the RPG elements are so few, and common to the story-oriented "smart shooter" genre--that this game pioneered.

It has a lot of issues, in part because it's so ambitious. The 3D engine was groundbreaking, but there are glitches when you move over steps between areas of different height. About free sight it's not only you, any game that provides a truly 3D environment but doesn't allow free sight with the mouse (but you need to look up and down at times, even to aim melee weapons!) can't work. The controls aren't bad, just terrible. Again they're very ambitious, they're designed to let you do anything in the fully tridimensional world, but it takes forever to do anything. The mouse should have been used to look around, not as a cursor to select interface elements while moving and shooting, that's insane (there isn't even a hotkey to reload your gun!).

It has a lot of potential and it has enough good things to hook you up, but in the end it plays like quicksand. I don't mean that it's hard as a shooter: in most you're surprised by enemies all the time; in System Shock you can surprise them every time and snipe at them, because you can look around corners without being seen.

Hmm. We have different view on "shooter" then. For me, "shooter" is the game about shooting, not game with shooting. Doom is shooter, as your main gameplay is "kill them all". MDK is shooter. Call of Duty. Even my beloved Crusader: No Regret and Diablo. But if your main goals are exploration, puzzle-solving and following the story - it's not shooter. Lara Croft games are not shooters. Legacy of Kain series are not. Elder Scrolls series have shooting and slashing all the way - but they are not shooters too. Even if gameplay in all this games can be described as "walking through doors and killing things" - it's not a goal, but only one type of obstacle. From many more. Call them "action-adventures", and I have nothing against it. But not shooters, no way. :)

Lara Croft is not a shooter but a platformer (with very very little shooting), Elder Scrolls games are of course hard core RPGs. But are Half-Life or BioShock shooters to you? (To cite the usual paradigms of the "smart shooter" genre, although I haven't played them myself; but I think they may be closer to SS than any of the games you mentioned, specially BioShock.)

Well, actually, I know nothing about "smart shooter paradigm". What games are falling into this cathegory? Obvious Deus Exes, System Shocks/Bioshocks and... well, what else?

Yes, I think, HL is shooter in general. Sometimes (like GTA, for example) it's more "action" suited to it than "shooter", bit in general, yes, it's shooter.

BioShock is different beast. I still didn't played it, but AFAIK, it's "streamlined" System Shock - without free world, but with quite free levels, some puzzles and thick plot inside. It still can be "action-adventure", but can be shooter too, I am not sure. Depends (for me) of amount of streamlining. :)

Hey there Abandonia users! I was recommended here by someone as they seem to believe you may be able to help me with a question I have regarding System Shock.

I am trying to get my hands on System Shock Enhanced Edition (or an alt. CD-Rom version of the game) complete with big box/inserts and was wondering if you knew of anywhere to obtain it? I know it's kinda rare.

I have looked on Amazon and of course eBay, but I was wondering if you knew of any specialist sites or trading websites (looked on GameTZ too) that would perhaps have some for grabs.

In addition, if by the off-chance someone happens to own this rather fantastic game themselves, is in pretty good/great condition and wouldn't mind making a fair chunk of change - by all means let me know! Money isn't really the issue so much as it is trying to find a copy of the damn thing!

P.S Yeah I know it's free, but it's just a collectors piece that I wish to own :)

Hopefully someone here can shed some light and point me in the right direction!
Happy gaming!
-Jack

great game!
story 10
atmosphere 10
graphics NA (i dont rate games by graphics)
controls 7
music 8

well, the game is awesome and with the SystemShockPortable its even easier to play as it gives mouselook/aim and many other tweaks.

Hello, mates,

To avoid critics that player of UU2 has to know SS1 i installed and started
SystemShockPortable.

I saw a big discusion here about:
-What type of game is SS?
For me - Shooter.
But this is not important for brave.

Again, dear Kmonster, i will grab my AK-47 and jump in the street to save the world.

Dear Japo, of course i open Yr SS video as You asked me.

I need good luck in this game.

OFF
I trained 2 hours to kill opps with wrench in SS2.
My record was 8 killed.
But they did not stop and the 9-th killed me.
My friend aside cried :
--V.., use pistol, you idiot..
-No, friend, the experinced AB wizards told me to save this weapon for machine guns..

Again wrench or solid pipe?

Note: My real name starts with letter V, y''know..
:hihihi:

PS:
Dear Caro Capo, please note that the games in my list increased with 1 game - W7.

Cool, only 120 to reach me, keep going.

Ha ha ha, good reassurance..Nevermind, i am starving to beat You.I''ll do.:3:

OFF OFF OFF
 

System shock?
Eye of the Beholder?
Betrayal at Krondor?
Daggerfall?
Ultima 8:Pagan?
Fallout:Las Vegas?
Icewind dale II?

bad games?

but these are the best RPG (SS is shooter).

I am very polite AB member but in this case i categorically want to express my negative reaction, dear Mr. Rickett.
Nothing personal, of course.
:hihihi:

You haven't yet realized that zombies in SS2 respawn? <.<

Seriously, whats your problem yoga ? Im really getting annoyed by your attitude, you keep saying that games you played are masterpiece, and games you havent played are shit, stop behaving like a 10 years child.

Easy, Yoga. Completed games list is not a measure of someone's important achievements. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, just play for fun only.

OK.
I see that my polite words are not acceptable from Capo.
I do not want to harm anyone.
No more words concerning his games or game list.

OFF
Master, with W 7 my games reach 77.
They will be one more if i remember name of the game presented by avatar picture of The Fifth Horseman.

Hmmm...

My first impression is SS is good game.

Here is not my dilema from SS2:

To use pistol to kill zombi and then wrench to eliminate monkey?
How to kill this nasty turret?
Have i enough nanets to buy chips or so?

Maybe i will play SS and stop SS2.:3:
Duno.


OFF
These hot sunny days in BG make me cry.
37 Degrees is not temperature for gaming.

Dear Kmonster, do You played W 8?
Danke.

You could hack that turret (if you can hide behind the corner just in range, so it won't shoot you to pieces in the meantime) if you selected high enough Cyber and Hacking values in the beginning, or you can shoot it, preferably with armor-piercing ammo.

Are you sure that's a game? I thought it's a comic only?

Hmmm...
Long ago.
Ax, this my memory...
Shooter. Some lifts.
Sry, cant remember more.
But i am sure this was the face of the protagonist..

Do not worry. If no one can remember i politely will ask 5H.
:D
This is not fatal problem, dear Japo..

But now I'm curious because I don't remember that, :p I want to know. I remember his Ghost in the Shell SAC2 avatar, and I think when I arrived he had a Terminator one... Nothing else. Now you got me curious, I want to know :p

I'm always at your service :D

I'm fairly sure I didn't use any avatar other than the ones named by Japo here on Abandonia.

Yoga drinks bad vodka that makes him hallucinate, that's why he gets lost in games :perv:

:smile2:
True, true, mates.
Ax, this bad vodka..
How can i drink so much?
Now my head is .....vertigo...
:smugulon:

Better don't do the same in System Shock. Your head might turn out... gone :p Gotta stay sharp if brainless mutants are around. Yes, there are some alcohol bottles to find. Often together with a (usually broken) shotgun.

Hmmm.. Master, i think the hybrids in SS2 are stronger.
Plus radiation zones.
Some new, terrible suicide monsters appeared.
They exploded in near vicinity and i received big damages.:whistling:

Please, would be so kind answer me 2 Q only?

I am very novice and do not use WT:
- May i use that helmet and how to wear?
- How to restore my HP points?

Pls see attachment file.

Spacibo..

Sry the pic is too dark.

You can't.

Use a medipatch or first-aid kit to restore a few points. A surgery machine restores health to 100%.


BTW, I recommend using Malba Tahan's mouselook mod:
http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=1719.0

Here's a video of me playing the game with the mod.

First-Aid kit restores health to full too, if I remember correctly. However they are rare and so valuable, for dangerous situations. Medipatches heal only few points, but you can farm the weak mutants in the first level since they often drop them, spawn frequently there and can be killed with even the lead pipe, without wasting ammo on them.

The helmet is only one of few useless items in the game. Like heads without body which can be found here and there. They simply add to the atmosphere. Some heads belong to story figures, if you put them in the identification window, you can see an actual face.
Don't worry, you'll encounter these later in the first game, too.

:smile2:
TY very much for the help, mates.
I did some progress but do not open a damaged door and
i am unable to solve the puzzle of Grid with X and +. Shame for me..

What is the best weapon?
Stungun, Sparq or Dartgun, pls?
I am using Sparq but have to back to reload power.

What? Radiation zones here?

Everything used by double click on it, as far as I remember. Red items cannot be used. It is "atmosphere trash" mostly.
There is "small" restorer - medipatch, 1-use, and "big" one - 1st Aid kit, several uses. But patches are everywhere, and kits are much rarer.

Also yes, surgery=100% heal.

Try harder! :) They are not hard, actually. :)
All three are quite "minor". First also works only on live entities. But dartgun can be loaded with several types of ammo...[/quote]

[/quote]

Spacibo Vam.

What an irony, Mine Gott!
I solved the grid puzzle to find inside the room Nothing:
2 skulls and empty beer container..:whistling:

- Shodan is that speaking girl wint nice, gentle voice?

I found all important places but i duno what look like these Computer Nodes i must destroy.

How You, mates, found the Security cameras? I found and destroyed some of them but Security level is 77%, which i mean is very bad result.

The game is very good.. and stopped Civ5 for now. I am unable to play 2-3 games at once.

But i will cont. my efforts to restart SS2.

If i have some way to restore my power for shooting with Sparq gun..Ex.. dreams..

Ny, poka.
:smugulon:

Master Scatty,
sorry - i am unable to play without WT and maps and discussion here in thread.

How YOU doing?
Vacancy or holidays?
It is time.
:D

Yes, Shodan is that woman with a nice voice. Don't let that voice confuse you - "she"'s steel cold and unscrupulous, thanks to the efforts of the hacker whose role you're playing now :p

Cameras are often located in the corners just above you, and hard to notice. Try looking above you when entering rooms. In some levels you can't destroy all cameras immediately to 0% security, only after certain actions are done and special doors opened.
Holidays in 3 weeks, crossing Spain by foot on the famous Way of St. James (El Camino de Santiago).

The security cameras only remove 1% of level security for each destroyed. The computer nodes, if I recall correctly, remove about 10% of level security for each one destroyed.

So once you find and destroy all the computer nodes on Level 1 (I think there are six, all in the same room), you will see the level security drop drastically.

As for starting weapons:

Pipe - Use to bash service droids and mutants about the head to conserve ammo.

Stungun - Useless. Bin it.

Dartgun - Use needle darts. 5 darts should take down a standard cyborg drone. Later in the game (when you reach the pods) this can be useful again.

Sparq - Great weapon (one fully charged shot can down cyborg drone), but recharging is a drag. So I tend to save it for Cyborg assassins until I get the...

Pistol - THIS IS THE DADDY OF LEVEL 1! Found in the computer node room, which is why I make a beeline there. Use stadard ammo on organics, and teflon (Armour Piercing) ammo on robots/cyborgs (Teflon gets a damage bonus against cyborgs but a penalty against organics).

The pistol will be your 'go-to' weapon for much of the game.

You should also have picked up:

Magpulse - Found in the supply closet in the medical zone. Unlocked in cyberspace from the jack nearby. Use this to take out the Cyborg Warrior (2 shots) guarding the Computer Nodes, and also the few hoppers on this level as they have high armour.

The Magpulse will be your 'boss killer' until you get:

Magnum - Possibly the best weapon in the game, and available from level 1! Although, you won't find very much ammo early in game. It's located in a cupboard in the 'crew's last stand' area (the part that's crawling with Cyborg Assassins), but you can't get it until you reduce Level 1 security to 0%.

This is all from memory, so can't be 100% of the accuracy!

Hope that helps :)

Then you definitely found not all important places. ;)
Check your map. All cameras shown as red dots, if you are nearby. :)

Did you reveal that you can use map for your any "lower" screens? Actually, you can put any info on this screens. So there are two of it - most important for you. :)

Also, check your map in any suspicious rooms. There are secret doors here and there, and as I remember you can tell their position from map. Main map, not mini-one. (It also says "Secret door" when you are pointing on it on screen. ;)

Speaking from my memory, there is recharger right from bulk door, by the corner. After you'll open this door, so north of it. :) There is also decent gun beyond secret door south of this bulk. No, I cannot be more precise, it was too long ago. :)

Best abandonia player ever!

And there's the problem... you try nothing on your own and don't enjoy the game, you just come crying for help at every 5 steps without trying to look around and figure things out yourself.

OK.
I will stop posting here for 7 days.
Then maybe for 14 days.
I will try to pass SS myseself.

angry yoga

:(

For anyone interested in a walkthrough / maps, the official Origin guide (ICE Breaker) is available from a link in this thread:

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=1466.0

It has to be the definitive SS1 resource. If you've ever wondered how the damage rolls work, or which enemies are affect by gas grenades? Now you know..... ;)

Good luck, I hope you'll discover the real fun of playing this game ;)

TY, Master, but i hesitate what game to play:
One day i think - hey, yoga, today will play the better game.
Next day - no,no, try another one.
Ha ha ha
..and CiV5 is waiting behind the corner...
:D

Sorry for being impolite, Yoga, but I really think that best experience can be gained, if you'll yourself will examine all possible paths, and only if you see no obvious solution - ask for help. Such way you will gain maximum pleasure, and everyone else will not feel like they obliged to play game instead you. Sorry again.

But discussions is totally different thing. If you are not demands help, but talking about your advancement, it's interesting, fun, and you can get unexpected advice by the way, if someone will feel that you need it.

IMHO, of course. :)

Horosho,
but can You tell me or show me one example when humble yoga was ill-bred and/or rude.
No, You cant.
My credo is:
- Polite and loyal.
- Do not make personal remarks.
During 7 long years i follow strictly this way. And will.
Moreover my philosophy of YOGA tells that one have to be in harmony at cell and univerce level.

... The only time when i hardly need help was during my entrance in Castle in Dungeon Master 2: The problem was that some doors fall very fast and i (after 10 days of attempts) politely ask for help.
- Then some AB members attacked me very, very bitterly.
I regret i asked for help. I solved the problem myself - used some spell which gave me this required micro second to pass under doors.
Note: After many days a friend of mine told me that he used another way: Disloaded all possible stuff and without load he was faster.

...
MHO is that difference between discussions and help ask is..hmmm.. no so big.

..
Desk 3 - I used 2 Toxine A. Left 2 more.
This game is absolute time grabber for me.

Then again, it's anyone own decision if he decides to reply with help or to post nothing for an answer, right? No one is really "obliged" to answer. People are all different, so everyone has his own way to play games, and have fun. As they say - judge not lest ye be judged :)

Wise words of wise man!

Of course. It's my way of perception, by the way. ;)
Yes, but peoples are different, and some people feels like they forced to help. I can point to 2 examples not far away. ;) So... Well, I told about my vision how to evade this. It usually works for me. :)

my credo is... when in doubt, cheat cheat cheat... so many games, so little time, yes?

i've been wanting to play the SSs, but i read it's more buggy and "survival" than deus ex. and deus ex is already a bit too buggy for me, though i've beaten it on the easiest mode. i was half-way through on my desu ex replay on realistic mode before savegame corruption made me ragequit and give away the CD...

Well, there are unofficial (fan-made) patches which fix leftover bugs from the last official patch, and from my own experience they work and make the game more enjoyable.
System Shock 2 is buggy, indeed, but there's also a fan-made patch for it which goes a good way to make the game more stable.
As for System Shock 1, I don't really remember encountering any bugs there when I last played it.

Master,
I am playing now SS2 and believe me i met NO any bugs.
MHO, this game is stable.
:3:

Apart from the compatibility problems with modern Windows versions, which are fixed in re-releases, I don't remember any bugs either...

Yes please, if you don't want to answer a question, just don't, but why are you bothered by questions being asked?

Moreover, without this kind of discussion the forum would be dead!

:hello:
Sure dead..

Hi, all mates.

After my SS2 victory i want to kill again that bad Shodan with gentle voice.
Yes, i play now SS but still i am under the magic of SS2.
Hmmm... 2 is > than 1 and SS2 is better than SS1.
But i am just humble mortal and may fail..

OFF
I search for one old game. I duly post in the relevant section but see that attachment is not possible.:doh:
Well, i will attach here this small jpg file and plea- pls do not del my file till some good soul tell me the game name.
TY, dear Mod.
TY, all helpers.
:hello:

This is totally off topic from SS, so I expect this this post to get moved... but the game you are looking for is an old DOS game called Alley Cat:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alley_Cat_(video_game)

Thanks Peedee, :) but the question was answered here.

The fault was that it's not possible to attach images on that other board, I've reported it:
http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?t=31310

I'm also going to ask these post to be moved from this tread, but only to prepare this thread for Yoga ;)

:smile2:

My thanks, mates.
You both are very kind.

Please, i know the rules of this nice forum.
The reason i post here question bout Alley Cat was that i prepared my post for the relevant section, thinking that i will attach the image in force.
Sadly, i was unable.
Then i attached image here with Excuses and OFF (with big letters).
Anyway now the Mod or any staff member may del or move my post.
The reason to starve to find new and new passed games is that i have a task. TO HAVE 201 passed games.

Now
i will say about SS that i am ready to duel with any gamer stating that SS is better than SS2.
NO.
HET.
NEIN.
HE.

Candidates?

brave is waiting
armoured and with AK 47
:smile2:

ha ha ha
Where have all the good times gone?
:OK:

Wait with that statement until you've completed System Shock 1, maybe after that you'll think differently ;)

When i want to run the game my windows 8.1 tells me it cant be played, so what do i use to play the game ? as i really really want to play this one as i love its sequal

You need DOSBox. It seems, we even have dedicated thread for that.

I had looked for it but could not find it , thanks for letting me know

But it!
 

The game page should be updated: Instead of "protected/no download" it should say "buy now", because you can buy System Shock 1 (including an Enhanced Edition) e.g. from GOG.com. Or Steam.

I highly recommend doing so.

SS1 is such a classic, everyone should have played it! It is, like UW1, the first truly immersive dungeon crawler... And it accomplishes this by providing a believable setting and backstory. It's not the graphics and it'd definitely not the controls (the mouse focused movement was an odd experiment that didn't last...), but if you overcome those awkward quirks (now a footnote in computer history), you are rewarded with the best first person dungeon crawlers ever to be made. While UW1 is set in the past (kind of), with technology from the middle ages plus magic, SS1 is set in the future with energy weapons (among others), but in a sense the two games are siblings.

If you like the story, but hate the controls... or you like a polished everything (graphics, engine, sound, ... everything except the original story): Go for the remake of System Schock by NightDive Studios. Check out the Demo and www.systemshock.com!

As a sidenote: The source code of System Shock for Mac has been released on GitHub. "Mac" in a context of 1994, when System Shock was released, means something like System 7, which became Mac OS 7.6, compatible till the last classic Mac OS 9.2.2 from 2001. On the GitHub page it says PowerPC is needed, which came as a requirement with the release of Mac OS 8.5 in late 1998. You still need the original game data files to be able to play it though, so buying it is a requirement. With the source code alone you cannot play either, even if you have the data files. And I hear that compiling it yourself isn't that easy...

Sidenote for System Shock 2: In 2013 GOG.com released a fixed version of System Shock 2. Because the game was originally made for Windows 95, it had issues on Windows NT. The released version from GOG includes patches that would finally make it run on Windows XP and up. With additional patches and mods the game is even better on modern Windows PCs. It should be compatible with 64-Bit Windows 10, even though there are optional additional patches, such as a multi-processor patch (the game could crash on systems with more than 1 CPU).