Warren Spector System Shock 3 Interview

Interesting interviews come from the most surprising places in this day and age. For example, the gaming section on the official Red Bull website brings us a new interview with Warren Spector. The veteran developer talks about System Shock 3, the game he currently works on. We learn a bit about the team at OtherSide Entertainment, get some insights into his design philosophy, and get a hint or two about the role of Shodan, the AI antagonist from the previous installments, in the new game. Check it out:

While Spector is famous for being the driving force behind the 1994 original, the sequel, which appeared in 1999, was produced without his input, yet is also lauded by the press and public alike.

While you might assume that Spector would therefore gravitate towards the first title when it comes to the theme of System Shock 3, he reveals that he’s a fan of the second game as well, and wants to mix the best elements of both in this new venture. “People loved System Shock 2,” he says. “I played the second game, of course, and enjoyed it immensely, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the first game, which took a less traditional approach to roleplaying than the sequel. We’ve been wrestling with how RPG-ish System Shock 3 should be, how to deal with the ‘Psi’ powers introduced in System Shock 2 and whether to go for System Shock 2’s more overt horrific elements. I think players will find we’ve achieved a balance of the two games. That’s our goal, certainly.”

Indeed, it would appear that Spector has some key objectives in mind for this new release, and that includes tying up a few loose ends and reviving some old concepts. “When I say we’re making a System Shock game, there are some things I really want to do,” he says. “I want to include Citadel Station, even though it was – apparently – destroyed in the original System Shock. I want to include Shodan as the primary adversary, obivously. And I want to get back to the Hacker as the hero. In tone – fear, paranoia, tension – we’ll follow the lead of System Shock and System Shock 2, for sure. But will the game pick up directly after the second game? You’ll have to wait and see.”

When you talk about the System Shock series, it’s impossible to simply skip over the role of Shodan, the quite terrifying AI antagonist. Learning that this devilish creation will play a major role in System Shock 3 should trigger a mixture of joy and trepidation in long-time fans of the games, all the more so since AI has made such astonishing leaps since the 1990s.

“Shodan will definitely play a role, but I want to keep the details to myself for now,” says Spector with a smile. “What I will say is that we’ll be investigating some of her motivations from the earlier games, instead of just treating her as if she were insane. She deserves better than that. She’s super intelligent and should behave that way. She isn’t insane; everything she does makes sense to her. We’re going to play with that in System Shock 3.”

Of course, the playing field has moved on a lot in the last quarter of a century. It’s tempting to ponder if these titles really stand up when compared to subsequent examples of the genre. Thankfully, Spector insists that this new outing will be brought bang up to to date. “We’ve learned a lot about creating immersive simulations since the ’90s, and you’ll see those lessons brought to bear in System Shock 3,” he says.

In terms of inspiration, he admits that he often has to fight the urge to reference another of his most famous games, but he also has admiration for other recent titles. “I find it hard not to be influenced by Deus Ex, for better or worse. I have to work hard not to turn the games I work on into Deus Ex-style games. There are some things about Shadow of Mordor that we find appealing, though it’s obviously a very different style of game. Prey, most recently, certainly feels System Shock-y. But we’re really trying to do our own thing rather than borrow from other games.”