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From the Vault - Long Lost System Shock 2 Sketchbook

element

Member
More shameless self promotions, but this is cool stuff. One of the artist's family members recently found a sketchbook from the days of System Shock 2. We are talking original watercolor, pencil, and bic pen drawings from System Shock 2. It was amazing to stumble onto this sketchbook which was misplaced ten years ago.

ss2_001-480x483.jpg
ss2_007-480x699.jpg


See more over at IrrationalGames.com
 
Zeliard said:
Wouldn't happen to be any design documents you can share, ala Bioshock?
I really doubt it. I can check the archives. The studio has moved twice since System Shock 2, different IT dept, and tons of other stuff. Makes it difficult to track down some of this old stuff, which is why this sketchbook is so awesome. Typically we would have some scanned 300x300 at a lame DPI and at 30 JPG compression or a GIF, but finding the actual book allowed for some great scans.
 
element said:
I really doubt it. I can check the archives. The studio has moved twice since System Shock 2, different IT dept, and tons of other stuff. Makes it difficult to track down some of this old stuff, which is why this sketchbook is so awesome. Typically we would have some scanned 300x300 at a lame DPI and at 30 JPG compression or a GIF, but finding the actual book allowed for some great scans.

Ah, I see.

Yeah, definitely great that you found the original book. I have to say, I don't know how stuff like this can get misplaced, even taking into account office moves. I would have put this sort of thing in a locked safe if I was there. :lol

Draft said:
Man.

Remember when they used to make awesome games like System Shock 2?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5UJIGtC2EM

Remember when every game had a goofball soundtrack of incredible techno music?

Goddamn, gaming used to be great.

<3
 
Wow. So many things ended up really close to the sketches, like the Bots and the laser pistol.

And my favourite track was always the Med-Sci theme. Gaming can still be great, just play System Shock 2 a couple of times a year like I do ;)
 
Remember when games would put pictures of the devs in the credit rolls?

Everything seemed more intimate back then. Like you were playing something your buddy made. Let's get gaming back there. More System Shock 2. More techno composed on some guy's Casio. More cheesy pictures of the developers in credits.
 
This image is really telling of the time System Shock 2 was being made.

ss2_015-480x372.jpg


If you look on the left and above you can see the texture dimensions, 233x128. Manage that texture space! Good times!
 
Draft said:
Remember when games would put pictures of the devs in the credit rolls?

Everything seemed more intimate back then. Like you were playing something your buddy made. Let's get gaming back there. More System Shock 2. More techno composed on some guy's Casio. More cheesy pictures of the developers in credits.

Yea remember seeing this for Crackdown 2 yesterday. I got all the love in the world for old school PC gaming though. :D

Original King's Quest, Police Quests, Quake, Doom, Half Life, Wolfenstein. The list goes on and on. It was good times. I also remember updrading was a real pain the ass because back then I always was worried how far my P1 would get me heh.
 
Jtyettis said:
Yea remember seeing this for Crackdown 2 yesterday. I got all the love in the world for old school PC gaming though. :D

Original King's Quest, Police Quests, Quake, Doom, Half Life, Wolfenstein. The list goes on and on. It was good times. I also remember updrading was a real pain the ass because back then I always was worried how far my P1 would get me heh.
It's wonderful to know people are still doing that.
 
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