![]() ![]() Consequently, System Shock 2 leaning into standard RPG elements as it does may seem a step backwards, and it is definitively the root of some balance issues. ![]() Ultima Underworld and the first System Shock were so revolutionary in part because this style of design emphasised roleplaying via manipulation of systemic game mechanics rather than abstract numerical stats. Small wonder that Looking Glass initially referred to this kind of game design as “immersive reality” instead. It’s why there’s not only no movement speed cap, but also why if you stack enough different speed buffs at the same time, you’ll die from running into a wall (yes, really). It’s why your choices of how to circumvent an obstacle aren’t limited to the developers’ own imagination and how many scripted sequences of events they decided to implement that day, SHODAN dishing you out the same cybernetic goodie bag regardless of your methods. It’s why System Shock 2 lets you create and climb on top of a psychokinetic barrier, then skip half the level with it with no arbitrary failure states or invisible walls incurred. ![]() It’s not just about having lots of ways to do one thing, or a first person perspective, or being able to manipulate objects and physics – it’s equally about taking a fictional world and making it behave as though it were real. “Immersive sim” is a term so often misconstrued that I don’t blame some people for thinking it’s not a real thing. This isn’t just fancy collision detection, but rather a microcosm of its design philosophy. ![]()
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