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System Shock 2 Guide

Discussion in 'Guides' started by booman, Aug 1, 2014.

  • by booman, Aug 1, 2014 at 1:30 PM
  • booman

    booman Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming Staff Member

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    System Shock 2 is the sci-fi RPG masterpiece before Bioshock. Intricate story, Psi powers, character development, ability perks, tons of loot and dark atomosphere. Sounds like Bioshock doesn't it?

    sshock84.png

    Follow my step-by-step guide on installing, configuring and optimizing System Shock 2 in Linux with PlayOnLinux.

    Note: This guide applies to the GOG.com version of System Shock 2. Other versions may require additional steps.

    Tips & Specs:

    To learn more about PlayOnLinux and Wine configuration, see the online manual: PlayOnLinux Explained

    int 17 64-bit
    PlayOnLinux: 4.2.4
    Wine: 1.6.2

    Wine Installation

    Click Tools
    Select "Manage Wine Versions"
    wine01.png

    Look for the Wine Version: 1.6.2
    Note: Try using stable Wine 1.8 and 1.8-staging

    Select it
    Click the arrow pointing to the right
    wine02.png

    Click Next

    Downloading Wine
    wine04.png

    Extracting

    Downloading Gecko
    wine05.png

    Installed
    wine06.png

    Wine 1.6.2 is installed and you can close this window

    PlayOnLinux Setup

    Launch PlayOnLinux
    Click Install
    sshock01.png

    Click "Install a non-listed program"
    sshock02.png

    Click Next

    Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive"
    Click Next
    sshock04.png

    Name the virtual drive: systemshock2
    Click Next
    sshock05.png

    Check all three options:
    • Use another version of Wine
    • Configure Wine
    • Install some libraries

    Click Next
    sshock06.png

    Select Wine 1.6.2
    Click Next
    sshock07.png

    Select "32 bits windows installation"
    Click Next
    sshock09.png

    Wine Configuration

    Applications Tab
    Windows Version: Windows 7
    Click Apply
    sshock10.png

    Graphics Tab
    Check "Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows"
    Check "Emulate a virtual drive"
    Desktop Size: 1024x768
    Click OK
    sshock11.png

    Installing Packages (DLL's/Components)

    Check the following libraries:
    • POL_Install_corefonts
    • POL_Install_directx9
    • POL_Install_d3dx9_43
    • POL_Install_gdiplus
    • POL_Install_msvcrt40
    • POL_Install_tahoma

    Click Next
    sshock12.png

    Note: All libraries/packages will automatically download and install

    Installing System Shock 2

    Click Browse
    sshock13.png

    Select "setup_system_shock2_2.1.0.19.exe"
    Click Open
    sshock14.png

    Click Next

    Check "Yes, I have read and accept EULA"
    Click Options
    Uncheck "Create desktop icons"
    sshock16.png

    Installing...
    sshock17.png

    Click Exit
    sshock18.png

    PlayOnLinux Shortcut

    Select "SHOCK2.EXE"
    Click Next
    sshock19.png

    Name the shortcut: System Shock 2
    Click Next
    sshock20.png

    Click Next

    Configure PlayOnLinux

    Back to PlayOnLinux
    Select "System Shock 2"
    Click Configure
    sshock21.png

    General Tab
    Wine version: 1.6.2
    Note: Click the + to download other version of Wine. Click the down-arrow to select other versions of Wine
    sshock22.png

    Display Tab
    Video memory size: Enter the amount of memory for your video card/chip
    sshock23.png

    Installing Patch

    Miscellaneous Tab
    Click "Run a .exe file in this virtual drive"
    sshock24.png

    Select "patch_system_shock2_2.1.1.20.exe"
    Click Open
    sshock25.png

    Click Update
    sshock26.png

    Click Exit
    sshock27.png

    Launch System Shock 2

    Select System Shock 2
    Click Run
    sshock28.png

    Click Options
    sshock29.png

    Click Video
    sshock30.png

    Select Resolution to match your Linux Desktop
    Click Done
    sshock31.png

    Conclusion:
    System Shock 2 played extremely smooth on my GeForce 550 Ti and supported 1680x1050 resolution. It still looks great and was a lot of fun to play. Since its DRM free from GOG, you can install it on a few computers and play cooperative.

    Video:


    Screenshots:
    sshock81.png

    sshock82.png

    sshock83.png

    sshock85.png

    sshock86.png

    sshock87.png
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2016

Comments

Discussion in 'Guides' started by booman, Aug 1, 2014.

  1. mrdeathjr28
    Excelent game, runs without problem

    :)
  2. booman
    Have you ever played cooperative in System Shock 2?
  3. mrdeathjr28
    no i dont test co op mode until now

    :)
  4. Daerandin
    This game is awesome! The co-op mode is pretty cool too. It plays exactly as the regular single player game, except the game is locked on hard difficulty. Being more players allow you to focus on skills so each player can specialize more than what the single player game allows.

    There is not really any penalties for dying when playing co-op mode, at least to my memory. You simply respawn with all your stuff at the beginning of the level, or at the respawn machines if one has been activated on the current map.

    The co-op mode do suffer from some sync issues between players, but these are all visual. I would strongly suggest having the mini-map open at all times if playing co-op as it will correctly display everyone's location. The sync issues are not that frequent or problematic, but it may sometimes appear as if your team-mate is stuck running into a wall while he is actually following you, but these issues are not too common and resolve themselves fairly quickly. Most importantly, they are only visual.
  5. booman
    That is Great!
    I wish more games focused on cooperative because its fun to play a single-player campaign, but its even funner to play it with a friend.
    There are more and more games today with cooperative included, but sometimes its just bots running around.
  6. Zsigmond Németh
    I know this is a pretty old guide, but I think it should work. I don't have the above mentioned msvcrt40, or anything starting with msvcrt, only msvcXX stuff. I didn't find anything about it on playonlinux, or anywhere else. What do I do wrong? Is there a workaround or another selectable POL package that would help?
  7. booman
    Try using Wine 2.0 or Wine 2.0-staging. Where exactly do you get stuck?

    You probably won't need all of these packages:
    • POL_Install_corefonts
    • POL_Install_d3dx9
    • POL_Install_d3dx9_43
    • POL_Install_gdiplus
    • POL_Install_msvcrt40
    • POL_Install_tahoma
    You might just want to try the packages without the strike through.

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