System Shock
A new update for the System Shock reboot is here and the team dives into a bit on how they are bringing System Shock back with the use of ideas from the past
A new update for the System Shock reboot is out there on the interwebs for all of us and the backers of the new version of the game to see. You may have already been able to tell that before you clicked in on the site or if you already threw money at Night Dive Studios to make the game, but for those who do not fall into those categories, here we go. Do not get too excited though unless you are into how games like System Shock are being made as this one takes us into the process on how the team is rebuilding the game's world in a way that pays homage to the original but also is able to use the power of the more modern technology and engines out there. The original game did come out almost twenty-four years ago for those who have not been keeping track of stuff like that.
Anyways, in the latest update, the art team walks us through how they go from concept to final object for System Shock here. They are using a mix of the traditional and a bit of the cutting edge in software to do so. Nothing that seems too out of place in a modern setting. What is truly interesting is that the team is also using some of the tactics and practices done on the original System Shock and using them here as well. As any gamer would know titles from so long ago had to try to use their resources to build and render game to the best possible ability. At least if they wanted it to look and run well. The more modern engines and systems do not generally require that anymore, but the team liked what that had to offer so they are using the mentality in different ways to still give us a great game, but pay extra homage to what came before. An interesting idea there Cotton. Let's see how that works for them.
Jesting aside, have a look at the latest update for the reboot of System Shock just below. It does look like the team is doing wonders to rebuild everything to give us a bit of the same and a lot of the new. If nothing else, it is a good look at what Night Dive Studios is doing with the IP and where we may see it going when it finally launches. This could lead to other titles getting a similar treatment, but only time will tell and so will the gamers out there who have already played and enjoyed titles like System Shock before. Sometimes newer is better, but some things from the past need to live on.
System Shock — Update — January 2018
A look in to concept art and the process behind it all. Featuring Art Director Kevin Manning as well Robert Simon and Cody Williams.
"The original System Shock was full of normative game ideas, but in terms of its graphics it was very much limited by the computing power of the time," says Simon. "In other words: the developers had to use a handful of polygons to their full potential, so they ended up with these really creative levels and architecture which became synonymous with the game."
"For this to still feel like System Shock, we took a similar approach. We tried to achieve more with less. That means simpler but interesting dominant geometry, but with pockets of concentrated detail to sustain it. The retro cyberpunk aspect of the game gives us a lot of creative freedom. We can be playful with the lighting and the world design, but all of this is grounded in reality."
Does this new System Shock update get you more or less excited to see the game come back to us all? Do you think that the bold choice that the team has made will pay off or will it feel like a missed mark to expand and grow the title further than possible twenty-four years ago? Does this concept process sound more like prototyping to you or does it make sense to use the 3D and 2D to show off the concept the team is working on? Let us all know what you are thinking down in the comments and then feel free to discuss. For more on this System Shock reboot and other titles like it, be sure to stick close to the site here. We will keep the news flowing out there as best as we can.
