System Shock 2
Developers | |
---|---|
Irrational Games | |
Looking Glass Studios | |
Publishers | |
1999-2012 | Electronic Arts |
2012-present | Night Dive Studios |
Engines | |
Dark Engine | |
Release dates | |
Windows | August 11, 1999 |
macOS (OS X) (Wine) | June 18, 2013[1] |
Linux (Wine) | April 1, 2014 |
Taxonomy | |
Monetization | One-time game purchase |
Modes | Singleplayer |
Pacing | Real-time |
Perspectives | First-person |
Controls | Direct control |
Genres | Immersive sim, Shooter, RPG |
Art styles | Abstract, Realistic |
Themes | Cyberpunk, Sci-fi |
Series | System Shock |
System Shock | |
---|---|
System Shock | 1994 |
System Shock 2 | 1999 |
System Shock: Enhanced Edition | 2015 |
System Shock (2023) | 2023 |
System Shock 2 Enhanced Edition | TBA |
System Shock 3 | TBA |
System Shock 2 is a singleplayer first-person immersive sim, shooter and RPG game in the System Shock series.
General information
- Modding guide on the PCGamingWiki blog
- SHODANPEDIA - Unofficial System Shock wiki
- TTLG Forums - System Shock Series
- systemshock.org Forum
- systemshock.org Forum - SS2 Troubleshooting Guide
- GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
- GOG.com Support Page
- Steam Community Discussions
Availability
Source | DRM | Notes | Keys | OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Retail | SafeDisc DRM[Note 1]. | |||
Publisher website | Purchase via Humble Widget. | |||
GamersGate | ||||
GOG.com | ||||
Green Man Gaming | ||||
Humble Store | ||||
Humble Store | System Shock Pack, 2 games bundle. | |||
Steam | DRM-free when launched directly from executable. |
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
- All the digital distribution versions are pre-patched with NewDark.
- OS X and Linux versions use Wine.
- A faithful higher resolution icon for Windows can be downloaded from the Files section.
- A free demo version is available from Archive.org.
Essential improvements
SS2Tool
- Essential patcher which integrates the NewDark patch and fixes various issues.
- Latest versions automatically disable the intro video (to re-enable it, add always_play_intro to the
cam.cfg
orcam_ext
files). - SS2Tool requires Vista or later due to included Rsync, however NewDark runs on 2000/XP or later. One can patch it on a Vista machine then transfer it to an older machine. Digital versions already include NewDark and compatibility fixes for modern systems, but the tool is still necessary for proper mod support.
OldDark Legacy Patch
- Allows the original (aka OldDark) engine to run on modern systems.
- Not as stable as NewDark, but is more true to the original experience.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | <path-to-game>\*.cfg[Note 2] |
macOS (OS X) | <path-to-game>/Contents/Resources/drive_c/Games/System Shock 2/ |
Linux | $HOME/.systemshock2/systemshock2/drive_c/Program Files/SystemShock2/*.cfg |
-
cam.cfg
contains game settings. -
cam_ext.cfg
is the configuration file for the game once patched using SS2Tool.
- It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.
Save game data location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | <path-to-game>\save_*[Note 2] |
macOS (OS X) | |
Linux | $HOME/.systemshock2/systemshock2/drive_c/Program Files/SystemShock2/save_* |
- Save games are kept in multiple folders, e.g.
\save_0\
,\save_1\
, etc.
Save game cloud syncing
System | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
GOG Galaxy | ||
Steam Cloud |
Video
Graphics feature | State | WSGF | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | Native for digital versions; for retail versions install SS2Tool. | ||
Multi-monitor | Native for digital versions; for retail versions install SS2Tool. | ||
Ultra-widescreen | Native for digital versions; for retail versions install SS2Tool. | ||
4K Ultra HD | Native for digital versions;[4] for retail versions install SS2Tool. | ||
Field of view (FOV) | See Field of view (FOV). | ||
Windowed | See Windowed. | ||
Borderless fullscreen windowed | Enable Windowed mode, then use desktop resolution in-game. | ||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | Native for digital versions; for retail versions install SS2Tool. | ||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | Native for digital versions; for retail versions install SS2Tool. | ||
Vertical sync (Vsync) | See Vertical sync (Vsync). | ||
60 FPS | |||
120+ FPS | Default framerate cap is 100 fps. See High frame rate. | ||
High dynamic range display (HDR) | See the glossary page for potential alternatives. |
- In addition to setting video options, editing
cam_ext.cfg
allows setting the interface/HUD scale and transparency. There are also custom crosshairs available (using them with a mod manager requires changing their extension from.ss2mod
to.zip
).
Field of view (FOV)
Change field of view (FOV)[5] |
---|
|
Windowed
Change windowed mode[6] |
---|
|
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Disable vsync[7] |
---|
|
High frame rate
Change frame rate cap[8] |
---|
|
Ensuring correct game speed[9] |
---|
|
Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | Full remapping available, but no 'default' can be loaded.[10] (although in the Steam version there is a "standard FPS" preset available) | |
Mouse acceleration | No game-managed mouse acceleration. In addition, Windows mouse acceleration can be disabled in-game by adding use_raw_mouse_input |
|
Mouse sensitivity | ||
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support | Official Steam Controller bindings only. |
Controller types |
---|
Steam Input | ||
---|---|---|
Steam Input API support | Official Steam Controller bindings only. | |
Hook input (legacy mode) | ||
Official controller preset(s) | ||
Steam Controller button prompts | ||
Cursor detection |
Audio
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | ||
Surround sound | Up to 7.0 output.[11] Requires OpenAL Soft. | |
Subtitles | mod on Systemshock.org | |
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost | ||
EAX support | EAX (2[citation needed]) and A3D. For further info refer to this thread. Effects from both APIs are remapped to OpenAL in NewDark versions. Follow this guide for OpenAL Soft HRTF in NewDark.[12] |
|
Royalty free audio |
Localizations
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | SS2 English Subtitles | |||
German | SS2 Deutsche Untertitel / German Subtitles | |||
Italian | Fan translation, download. | |||
Brazilian Portuguese | Fan translation — GOG.com version. | |||
Russian | Fan translation, download. | |||
Spanish | Fan translation by Clan Dlan, download. | |||
Ukrainian | Fan translation, download. |
Network
- Multiplayer is officially unsupported in NewDark. Even so, a guide for use with NewDark is available here.
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Players | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
LAN play | 4 | Co-op |
||
Online play | 4 | Co-op |
Connection types
Type | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
Peer-to-peer | ||
Dedicated | ||
Self-hosting | ||
Direct IP |
Ports
Protocol | Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
---|---|
TCP | 2300-2400, 28800-28900 |
UDP | 2300-2400, 28800-28900 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
VR support
3D modes | State | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Nvidia 3D Vision | See install/setup instructions. | ||
iZ3D | See install/setup instructions. | ||
vorpX | Z3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list. |
Issues fixed
Random crashing
Use SS2Tool[13] |
---|
See SS2Tool. |
Jerky/Uneven mouse movement
Add a line to cam_ext.cfg[14] |
---|
Install NewDark via SS2Tool.
|
Left-clicking or dragging does not work
Use SS2Tool[15] |
---|
See SS2Tool. |
Small game window or black screen
Edit cam_ext.cfg to disable multisampling[16] |
---|
|
Enable SS2Tool Safe Mode[17] |
---|
|
UI too small on high screen resolutions
Edit cam_ext.cfg to enable ui scaling[18] |
---|
Notes
|
Poor performance on Mac wineskin version
Enable X11[19] |
---|
Find the System Shock 2.app and right-click on it. Click Show Contents and run Wineskin.app. In the Screen Options, you should see a checkbox that says Use Mac Driver instead of X11. Uncheck that box and that should fix the problem. If box is already unchecked then check it instead. |
Can't dive in Mac or Linux version
Place this dml file in the SS2 folder[20] |
---|
Other information
API
Technical specs | Supported | Notes |
---|---|---|
Direct3D | 6, 9.0c | Originally released with 6.1; 9.0c support was added in digital re-releases |
DirectDraw | 6.1 |
Executable | 32-bit | 64-bit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Windows | |||
macOS (OS X) | Was changed from using Wine (which lacks a 64-bit macOS version) to Wineskin Winery in July 2020, making it possible to run on macOS 10.15 onwards.[21] | ||
Linux |
Middleware
Middleware | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Audio | DirectSound, OpenAL | Replaced with OpenAL in NewDark |
Mods and fan missions
- Modding guide with links and relevant mod info, from the System Shock Forums.
- System Shock Forums boards for mods, fan missions, and editing documentation
- Modding the Wineskin version can be done by firstly installing the Windows version in a virtual machine, patching it, installing all desired modifications, and then replacing the System Shock 2 installation within the Wineskin version with the custom version.
System requirements
Original retail release
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 95 | 95, 98 |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium 200 MHz / Cyrix 6x86 / AMD K6 | Intel Pentium 300 MHz |
System memory (RAM) | 32 MB | 64 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 200 MB | 500 MB |
Video card (GPU) | 4 MB of VRAM DirectX 6.1 compatible | 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics / Voodoo Rush / Voodoo 2 / Voodoo Banshee / ATI Rage Pro / Nvidia Riva 128 / Nvidia TNT / Rendition Vérité V2200 / Intel740 / Matrox G200 |
Sound (audio device) | Sound card with DirectSound support |
Digital re-release
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 | |
Processor (CPU) | 1.8 GHz | |
System memory (RAM) | 2 GB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 2 GB | |
Video card (GPU) | DirectX 9.0c compatible |
macOS (OS X) | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | 10.7.0 | |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz | |
System memory (RAM) | 2 GB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 2 GB | |
Video card (GPU) | 256 MB of VRAM |
Notes
- ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[2] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[3]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below
%PROGRAMFILES%
,%PROGRAMDATA%
, or%WINDIR%
might be redirected to%LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore
on Windows Vista and later (more details).
References
- ↑ Mac Game Update: System Shock 2 + 10 more titles ● GOG.com - last accessed on 9 June 2023
- ↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
- ↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
- ↑ Does the steam version of System Shock 2 support 4k resolution? : pcgaming - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ gog.com - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ SS2 Headphones Sound Upgrade - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2023-01-13
- ↑ Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ gog.com - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ MacOS update for System Shock 2 - last accessed on 21 November 2022