One of the hallmarks of theSystem Shockseries of first-person space adventure titles was the ability for players to leave a trail of gory enemy bodies in their wake. A video recently released byNightdive Studios, developersof the upcomingSystem Shockremake, takes fans through the game’s dismemberment system.
In the video, FX artist and lead designer of the dismemberment system, Benjamin Swinbanks, explains that the studio has custom built the new mechanics, which will give players the ability to maim enemies and even cause them to explode.
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The dismemberment system was designed in close collaboration with Robb Waters, the original conceptual designer for bothSystem Shockand theBioshockseries, who has joined Nightdive in the role of lead conceptual artist for the remake.
Each enemy in the newSystem Shockhas been designed to possess multiple damage points, which will let players amputate limbs and even knock the panels off of the game’s metal shock bots. Called the Shock Pipeline Limb Amputation Toolkit, or SPLAT, the game’s dismemberment system allows the game’s artists to place particle effects like blood or sparks on specific areas of an enemy’s body.
Artists working on theSystem Shockremake have modeled and textured high-resolution 3D sculptures of enemies in various states of damage and dismemberment. The models are then loaded into theUnreal Engineand set up using SPLAT. Then the parameters for each enemy are specified, such as limb health and break points. In this way, Nightdive hopes to maintain the visceral feel of the original game while also expanding upon it.
TheSystem Shockremakewill be a complete reboot and reimagining of the original game released in 1994 by LookingGlass Technologies. In that game, the player takes on the role of a hacker in 2072 who awakens aboard Citadel Station, which has been commandeered by an artificial intelligence called SHODAN. Trapped alone in space, the player must face off against SHODAN’s army of mutants, machines and cyborgs and stop the rogue AI before she turns her attention towards Earth.
The first game was lauded for its 3D engine, physics, environments, andinnovative gameplay. Although it didn’t bring great success to LookingGlass, it did receive predominantly positive reviews and gained a following of players who appreciated the game’s story and what was at the time groundbreaking mechanics. By working with some of the original developers, Nightdive Studios plans to giveSystem Shocka modern facelift while honoring the spirit of the original game.
System Shockis expected to release in 2020 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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