IGN-PC: System Shock was somewhat of a cult classic -- not a true hit, but certainly well received. So why do a sequel?
Josh Randall: Shock is definitely one of our favorite games of all time, and judging from the response we have been getting on the web, we are not alone. Somebody actually created a petition on the web for us to make the sequel! In half the game developer interviews I read, people are always mentioning System Shock as an influence.
IGN-PC: It's been a while since the original came out. How long have you had the idea for System Shock 2 and how long has it actually been in development?
JR: I think everyone at LG has wanted to do a sequel to Shock since we did the original. We have been working on it for less than a year now.
IGN-PC: How are things coming with System Shock 2? What are some of the most recent developments in the project?
JR: Shock2 is coming along great! Every day it gets cooler and cooler! Right now the A/V department is wrapping up the intro cutscene, and it's looking pretty awesome. We have the same crew that did the incredible Thief movies on our team right now, and they are working hard. We just finished revamping Shodan as well, and she is badder than ever!
IGN-PC: What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced on the project so far?
JR: With all LG games it's hard to make these huge worlds and then say "But wait a minute, we only have a few months left!" You have to constantly train yourself to focus on making the coolest experience a player can have without killing your design team and going over budget. Shock 2 is running very smoothly thanks to a great team and a great engine.
IGN-PC: We hear that SS2 is going to include more traditional RPG elements than its predecessor. Can you explain exactly what RPG aspects we can expect to see in SS2?
JR: We knew making Shock 2 that we wanted to make a combination of System Shock and Ultima Underworld. Shock 2 is a first person RPG. You will have full control over your character's various traits, and will be able to grow them though a cool Shock-y stat system. Spread around the Shock2 world will be various cyber upgrade stations where you can trade in experience points to improve your abilities. Do you want to spend your points on upgrading your psi powers to outwit the enemy, or should you spend them on your weapons skills to modify your guns for maximum damage? We also have an interesting inventory and equipping system which allows you to scour the halls of your damaged ship for goodies. You can find items that will need repairing and modifying in order to be valuable.
IGN-PC: We've also heard that the character generation system is going to be similar to the classic pen and paper sc-fi RPG Traveller. Can you describe the character generation in a little more detail?
JR: Shock 2's character generation system is accomplished through a methodology similar the paper game Traveller where the character chooses from 3 branchs of the military: The Marines (which focuses on weapons skills), The spaceborne Navy (which focuses on technical skills) and the secret black ops division, the OSA (which focuses on psi powers). The character goes through 4 years of military service, choosing a single "mission" each year. Each mission is resolved through a simple debriefing where the player is informed of their characters growth during the course of the year. All of these decisions take place IN THE 3D. System Shock 2 keeps you in the game engine at all times.
IGN-PC: Another thing that sounded really interesting to us was the way the storyline unfolds through the use of log messages, cutscenes, and ghostly apparitions. The logs and cutscenes are easy enough to understand, but how are you going to utilize apparitions in telling the story?
JR: The apparitions will appear when the player walks into a particular space. Some are just to scare your pants off, while others hint at what horrors happened upon your ship while you were sleeping safely in your cryo-tube.
IGN-PC: You've certainly learned a lot about FPS design after working on Thief: The Dark Project. How will this knowledge help you with the design of SS2?
JR: Well, if by FPS you mean First Person Sneaker, then yes we've learned a lot. Shock 2 will definitely benefit from Thief's excellent AI and gameplay design. One element that is a combination of Shock 1 and Thief is the extensive security system onboard your ship. You will have to sneak past cameras and hack security computers in order to keep hoards of bad guys off your back. Knowing that your enemies can really see and hear you is going to make playing Shock2 an "edge of your seat" experience.
-- Tal Blevins
