You have 11 hours to back the System Shock 1 Reboot.

[Michael Navas]

Ever played System Shock 2? Ever wonder about the first game, or felt its mechanics and controls were too impenetrable?

Well, a modern reboot is happening regardless, but you have 11 hours to insure another stretch goal for even more content is reached.

Features a playable demo.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock?token=a72debe1

 

[DefunctTheory]

[https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/]​

1.3 million. Better then I thought it would do, less then they hoped for.

So, to make this more then just an advertisement thread, what are people's opinions on the results of this Kickstarter? Just right, or is this the first game to feel the cold, desolate touch of a post Mighty No. 9 world?

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

General System Shock opinions, old or new? I thought the demo they put out was a bit... not great. While it's obviously pre-pre-alpha work, it was disheartening to see some of the stuff, like weird old school puzzles and combat that was as stiff as a board. Think they would have been better off with just an atmospheric demo.

 

[Dizchu]

Well the two System Shock games, especially System Shock 1 are cult classics rather than the crowd-pleasing popcorn spectacle of the Bioshock games. I think making 145% of their goal is quite remarkable and I honestly had my doubts that it would get funded. I didn't back it because I could never get into System Shock 1 and I'm not sure this will help me appreciate it, but who knows? System Shock 2 is my second favourite game of all time so if they manage to make the remake play more like SS2 maybe I'll finally be able to appreciate it.

The demo looked decent, it was dark and spooky and the graphics were great. The combat looked clunky but even if they don't improve it, it'd still be far more user-friendly than the original. Seriously, the original felt like a flight simulator. The environments and world-building were amazing, absolutely unheard of for 1994... but those controls were a nightmare. I think SS2 hits the sweet spot between user-friendliness and versatility.

 

[The Madman]

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

As much as I love the System Shock games, and I really really do, the prospect for their Kickstarter was just too uncertain during a time when I don't have the change to spare for many iffy prospects. The fact there's a demo helped assuage worries considerably but not entirely. Plus, if I'm totally honest, I'm just not that into fps these days. Not enough so that I'm too worried about there being even more of them when there's already nifty new titles in the works like Dishonored 2 that have my attention piqued.

By contrast the Battletech Kickstarter was both for a franchise I love as well as by a developer who has unquestionably proven their ability to deliver on Kickstarter success for a genre of gameplay, turn-based tactical, that while gaining in popularity is still fairly niche and one I'm excited to see more of. Meanwhile Torment: Tides of Numenera although also by an as yet unproven developer at the time, is also among the original kickstarter poster children. A sort of 'perfect storm' scenario in terms of funding hype. Personally I didn't back it because of the whole 'unproven dev' thing but I did back Pillars of Eternity so it's not like I'm immune to hype, I just need a solid foundation (Harebrained Schemes, Obsidian Studios) to work with.

I am very glad to see System Shock funded and am eager to follow the game, but not so much I'm willing to throw money at it just yet.

 

[Saelune]

[https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/]​

1.3 million. Better then I thought it would do, less then they hoped for.

So, to make this more then just an advertisement thread, what are people's opinions on the results of this Kickstarter? Just right, or is this the first game to feel the cold, desolate touch of a post Mighty No. 9 world?

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

General System Shock opinions, old or new? I thought the demo they put out was a bit... not great. While it's obviously pre-pre-alpha work, it was disheartening to see some of the stuff, like weird old school puzzles and combat that was as stiff as a board. Think they would have been better off with just an atmospheric demo.

...145% of goal is "less" than they hoped for? Clearly they hoped for 100%...so...

As for other things, maybe because System Shock isn't so unique in gameplay anymore. How many modern games are like Torment? Though the "new" one isn't the same IP, since the IP is well, Dungeons and Dragons and the "new" one is a load of lies.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Spoiler

[https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/]​

1.3 million. Better then I thought it would do, less then they hoped for.

So, to make this more then just an advertisement thread, what are people's opinions on the results of this Kickstarter? Just right, or is this the first game to feel the cold, desolate touch of a post Mighty No. 9 world?

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

General System Shock opinions, old or new? I thought the demo they put out was a bit... not great. While it's obviously pre-pre-alpha work, it was disheartening to see some of the stuff, like weird old school puzzles and combat that was as stiff as a board. Think they would have been better off with just an atmospheric demo.

...145% of goal is "less" than they hoped for? Clearly they hoped for 100%...so...

As for other things, maybe because System Shock isn't so unique in gameplay anymore. How many modern games are like Torment? Though the "new" one isn't the same IP, since the IP is well, Dungeons and Dragons and the "new" one is a load of lies.

They're 400 thousand short for their highest non-mod game related stretch goal, and 1.7 million short of their max 'Backer Achievements' score and for their final stretch goal, missing 8 out of 11 goals.

Conjecture, I suppose, but I suspect they were hoping for more. At least all the game related ones.

As for Shock not being unique, I suppose that's a point. Guess you have to hit nostalgia and something that they don't do anymore.

As a side note, fuck this image. For the entirety of the kickstarter, I thought they had chickened out and deleted the last couple goals when they realized they couldn't get it done. Turns out the fucking thing just takes 10 minutes to load on the kickstart page (Presumable because of the quantity of gifs and non-movement pictures), and until it finishes loading only half the text shows up.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

As much as I love the System Shock games, and I really really do, the prospect for their Kickstarter was just too uncertain during a time when I don't have the change to spare for many iffy prospects. The fact there's a demo helped assuage worries considerably but not entirely. Plus, if I'm totally honest, I'm just not that into fps these days. Not enough so that I'm too worried about there being even more of them when there's already nifty new titles in the works like Dishonored 2 that have my attention piqued.

By contrast the Battletech Kickstarter was both for a franchise I love as well as by a developer who has unquestionably proven their ability to deliver on Kickstarter success for a genre of gameplay, turn-based tactical, that while gaining in popularity is still fairly niche and one I'm excited to see more of. Meanwhile Torment: Tides of Numenera although also by an as yet unproven developer at the time, is also among the original kickstarter poster children. A sort of 'perfect storm' scenario in terms of funding hype. Personally I didn't back it because of the whole 'unproven dev' thing but I did back Pillars of Eternity so it's not like I'm immune to hype, I just need a solid foundation (Harebrained Schemes, Obsidian Studios) to work with.

I am very glad to see System Shock funded and am eager to follow the game, but not so much I'm willing to throw money at it just yet.

Kind of in the same boat. Didn't throw any money at it, and I don't have much confidence in it, but good luck to them, and I'll be watching.

Battletech, on the other hand... I threw an embarrassing amount of cash at that game. For pretty much the same reasons you gave for it being successful, I might add.

 

[Erttheking]

Backed it, and truth be told it's probably for the best that only a handful of stretch goals got met. We don't need a Mighty No.9 incident where a developer is promising more than they can deliver on. You usually get the best results when you don't have all the money in the world.

Plus the stretch goals I really wanted were the ones that got filled, including gender options and expanded narrative, and I think Europe will appreciate the multi language options. I really wanted the 1.4 million milestone but hey, I can live with what we're getting.

 

[Poetic Nova]

The demo looked decent, it was dark and spooky and the graphics were great. The combat looked clunky but even if they don't improve it, it'd still be far more user-friendly than the original. Seriously, the original felt like a flight simulator. The environments and world-building were amazing, absolutely unheard of for 1994... but those controls were a nightmare. I think SS2 hits the sweet spot between user-friendliness and versatility.

Mhm. If I recall correctly, System Shock portable did change the controls to be more user friendly. Not sure though, been awhile since I last played it.

OT:
Not backing it (never liked kickstarter, even if it revived Carmageddon). It doesn't even come to PS4 (but a Xbone port is planned appearantly).

 

[Erttheking]

Snip

I'm still kicking myself for not backing Battletech. I honestly can't even remember why I didn't, I think I just didn't get around to it in time. I backed Dragonfall and Hong Kong so I'm rather ashamed of myself.

Still, it looks like the Kickstarter knocked it out of the park without my help, and I know nothing about Battletech, but the universe looks cool as hell and if Hairbrained can make it half as interesting as Shadowrun it's a day one purchase for me.

 

[Gennadios]

I didn't even know the KS was still going. I heard when it started and forgot about it. I loved SS2 to death, but it was an adequate enough standalone experience that I wasn't willing to put too much effort into the cumbersome Ultima Underworld engined shit show that was the original System Shock.

To add to that that the endgame of SS2 was kind of a disappointment, and the series seemed to have jumped the shark with Infinite anyway... just meh.

Also, VR as a stretch goal... heh.

 

[Michael Navas]

It doesn't even come to PS4 (but a Xbone port is planned appearantly).

It does come to PS4.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/1634920

 

[MysticSlayer]

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

The demo probably didn't help. With BioShock, it is impossible not to compare the demo to the BioShock games, and compared to the first BioShock, it felt like an amateur, Unity-based ripoff of BioShock set in space (which is sort of ironic). However good it may be (which I at least think it has potential), it will be living in BioShock's shadow until it proves itself otherwise (which is again ironic).

And then there's the simple market for its audience. The FPS/RPG hybrid was pretty well-tapped last generation, and first-person horror also has been treated well since Amnesia, so it isn't exactly milking a genre people have been hungry for the same way Pillars or Planescape could. And on top of that, it found itself working against the legacy of Mighty No. 9 left for crowdfunding.

Ultimately, System Shock was in a position where it would have to prove itself exceptional to get as much money as they probably wanted, and frankly, it didn't do that through either video or gameplay demos. It's basically riding nostalgia and the power of the -Shock name, and the fact that it has still managed over 1.3 million is a testament to how strong both of those things are.

 

[Bad Jim]

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

There is already an enhanced edition:
https://www.gog.com/game/system_shock_enhanced_edition

How many updated versions of one game do we need?

 

[WindKnight]

Is it strange that long, long, LONG dead niche IPs like Battletech and Planescape: Torment can rake in multi-millions in their Kickstarters, but the Shock name, still active, can only pull in a quarter to a half of those numbers?

There is already an enhanced edition:
https://www.gog.com/game/system_shock_enhanced_edition

How many updated versions of one game do we need?

The enhanced edition is just the original game given mouselook, and not quite so pixely. The controls are still a bit clunky till you get used to them (plus reloading a gun is a scary process by todays standards as far as I can remember).

This is looking to be modern technology with a more modern control system, with some tweaks to the levels along the way.

 

[DefunctTheory]

How many updated versions of one game do we need?

I'll go check.

Anyway, as one can see from the live image up above...

[https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/]​

Final number is 1,350,700 dollars (Pretty tiddy number). Alternate OS versions, localization, and additional locations and expanded narrative unlocked. So it's a remaster, a reimagining, and an expansion!

 

[mad825]

Didn't back, not going to back. I'm not "kickstarting" anything until there's something worth backing, A remake? *sigh* and the Stretch goals are pretty shoddy. You guys can be the guinea pigs, I'll buy it later down then line cheap on Steam.

 

[Poetic Nova]

It doesn't even come to PS4 (but a Xbone port is planned appearantly).

It does come to PS4.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/1634920

I stand corrected. Appreciate it.

 

[josemlopes]

Snip

Looking at that pic thank fuck they didnt get those stretch goals, that is how something simple as a faithfull remake gets fucked when the ones doing it have to bring new stuff. Its lost time and money to do something that honestly isnt likely to have the same quality, and the whole process of creating and testing that new stuff is much more expensive then just adapting.

Only the mod tools were actually a cool stretch goal, the rest I think it would fuck them in the long term.