Shadowrun (Online or Returns (or whatever else ya got))

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**Bromsy**

Figured we could turn this into a miscellaneous Shadowrun thread at this point.

Shadowrun Online update -
Looking more like a real game.

Project Update #50: A little Summer Update & Dev-Diaries
Posted by Cliffhanger Productions

Hoi Chummers,

The temperatures are rising but here at Cliffhanger Productions we’re staying cool and working the shadows to create more Shadowrun Online features.

Right now we’re finalizing the first, basic version of the Character Creation system. That means that you won’t have to play with the predefined party any more which we created for you, but instead you can build your own avatar, select looks, weapons and companions for the run. This becomes even more important as we’re also working on getting an early version of Coop ready, so you can play the missions with other runners, making Shadowrun Online a true multiplayer experience.

As we know a lot of you have been looking forward to both Character Creation and Coop we’re working hard on getting those features to you as soon as possible. We can’t provide you with a fixed ETA yet, however we can tell you that while both features won't make it into the next update, they will be in the one after that.

Speaking of next update: On July 8th we will release a new update that contains a new gameplay feature everyone has been asking for ever since we released Shadowrun Online into Early Access: the Free Initiative Selection. Gone are the times when you had to move Payday before Takshak could cast his shield. Now you can move your characters in any order during your team’s turn which increases your tactical options a lot. This is just the tip of the iceberg though, as we add several other features (hint: Border Scrolling!), introduce Daily Missions and fix a lot of issues.

For those of you who'd like to get more insights into our development we started a new Dev-Diary Series on www.shadowrun.com. Here are excerpts from the first two installments:

#1 Dress-up!

Hi! This is Tom – you might know me from one of the dev Q&A sessions. In our first installment of our dev blog I’m going to give you a couple of insights into how our technical item system works for the long awaited character customisation. We always knew that creating and customising your Shadowrunner is the big thing, but the details were vague up to a few weeks ago. As with all systems that we want to do the deciding factor is effort – can we implement the system initially, and can we support it with enough content in the long run? (Read more)

#2 Tuning the AI

“Organ Farm”, just after our team has cleaned out a hallway full of gangers. The next door opens and who comes running? Our new not-quite-buddy, Bert. One of my jobs on the team is to make sure Bert the ganger behaves somewhat believable. So let’s start with what we think is “believable” with a guy like Bert. (Read more)

So prepare to enter the Shadows again on July 8th and if you can't be there due to a well deserved vacation, start thinking about what your Character shall be like once you can create him later this summer.

See you in the shadows, Chummers!

- old OP, Returns stuff.

Spoiler:

12:30 7/25 - installed, messing around with the character creator interface.

Okay, first impression - interface is good, nice and slick.

-Human, Dwarf, Elf, Ork, Troll
-Street Sam, Mage, Decker, Rigger, Shaman, Phys Adept, or Custom (which is a nice touch)
-Lots of different portraits (most portraits have like 3-4 minor variants, cybereyes, tatoos, what have you)
-Not a ton of different options for your avatar - skin color, hair/facial hair, horns - adequate though as I bet the gear is what will make the difference
-Simplified stats, Body, Intelligence, Quickness, Strength, Willpower, Charisma - your score in the stat also unlocks what abilities you can use from that stat's 'tree' - Body is just endurance, Quickness is Ranged Combat, Strength is Close Combat and Throwing, Intelligence is Decking/Rigging, Willpower is Spell Casting and it looks like Adept stuff too, Charisma is all Summoning and it unlocks "etiquettes" which I assume will be special social interactions with members of a certain group
-Etiquette groups are - Corporate, Security, Gang, Socialite, Shadowrunner, Street and Academic

12:52 7/25 - First combat
Really smooth, cover mechanics, had Gridrazer marking targets and my teammates flanking em and blowing them apart. Seems like a nice set up, and the story is pretty good so far, building your character's past and everything.

13:25 7/25 - Pretty impressed so far, they did a good job with the roleplaying aspects - a fair bit of investigative stuff, good dialogue (with plenty of stat/etiquette tests for special options). I've only had the intro flashback combat, and one against some Halloweeners to help out an old friend*. Now if only I could figure out how to get my doberman to actually do stuff.
*

Spoiler:

17:38 7/25 - First Matrix run, which is awesome because I'm primarily a decker. I'm waaay better than the dude who is "teaching" me. Been working through the story, so I have a fixer and everything, pretty boss. Just unlocked being able to equip two drones, so that ought to be fun.[/spoiler]

**Gearhead**

Yippee!!

I got and registered my Steam code yestreday, and I'm all excited to get the game...and then put it on the to-do pile, along with every other fun thing that I have to postpone for the next 18+ months.

**Seaward**

I dunno. I'm a backer, and Shadowrun is the RPG I grew up with, but I'm just not that excited about this. It's looking a little too much like it'll just be X-COM: Enemy Unknown with a Shadowrun skin.

**Bullockist**

Personally I can't wait. I really want to try out my mage with boosted reflexes (and a smartgun link).
I'm a sucker for turn based games the main reason I loved arcanum and fallout 2.
Is this the full launch of shadowrun returns or a beta. Reason I'm asking this is i bought a copy of shadowrun returns the other day and am crious if it's beta launch or full launch.

**Lynata**

X-Com? I'm getting more of a Jagged Alliance or Fallout vibe from it - but then again, I suppose it's a fair point to say that all those games are somewhat similar due to the traditional isometric perspective, kind of like how all FPS show a gun on the right bottom of your screen.

Myself, I'm waiting more eagerly for Shadowrun Online, but I have preordered SRR as well as I just like the setting, and the game looks like it'll be a fun experience. I will probably use it to decide on and try out the character concepts I have in mind for SRO.

Lock and load, chummers.

**Bromsy**

Shadowrun Online is gonna be pretty boss too - I'm a bit more excited for this cause it's 2050s instead of 2070s - a bit closer to my first experience. Plus this is my first kickstarter game I'm actually getting.

- oh, and it's full launch.

**Lynata**

I like the earlier time as well. That's pre-Crash, isn't it? When they still had keyboards that required physical connections etc? It just seems more "punk" that way, even when it's obviously outdated by modern day standards (unless we account for something like signal jamming and intrusion, which will be an interesting factor in the 5th edition rules).

But Shadowrun Online, playing with friends ... can't pass that one up. I like the social / multiplayer aspect in such games way too much.

It's certainly a good year for SR fans.

... damn, it's been way too long (several years!) since I last played a game of Shadowrun. :(

**Gearhead**

My only beef is that the sword animation shown at 1:10 in the launch trailer looks pretty lame.

**Seaward**

Lynata wrote:X-Com? I'm getting more of a Jagged Alliance or Fallout vibe from it - but then again, I suppose it's a fair point to say that all those games are somewhat similar due to the traditional isometric perspective, kind of like how all FPS show a gun on the right bottom of your screen.

Yeah, any of those would work. I guess what I'm saying is that I think a turn-based tactical/strategy game doesn't quite do Shadowrun justice, because it's never been all about the combat. It's about the atmosphere, the paranoia, the world, the fact that you got screwed six different ways by your Johnson at the meet, and only ever found out about two of them. Shootin' mens with Ingram Smartguns is fun and all, but...

Lynata wrote:I like the earlier time as well. That's pre-Crash, isn't it? When they still had keyboards that required physical connections etc? It just seems more "punk" that way, even when it's obviously outdated by modern day standards (unless we account for something like signal jamming and intrusion, which will be an interesting factor in the 5th edition rules).

Ayup, 2054 in Shadowrun is when the Matrix was still based on late 80's telecom technology. The old knock on Shadowrun is that it manages to be both hyper-futuristic and ten years out of date at the same time.

Late 2nd/early 3rd edition Shadowrun is my sweet spot, but I still wish they'd take the Games Workshop approach to their canon and do a, "Okay, all that stuff we said about finding hardlines to jack into the Matrix and the Indians going crazy in 2011? Yeah, that never happened. Here's the revised timeline/tech."

But hey. I still find the whole, "What will happen when the Japanese electronic corporations take over the world?" basis of it all charming, so I can live with the fierce anachronisms.

**Trondheim**

Not going to buy this, played Shadown run when I was younger. And frankly itsa eson why I never went back to that game system, but I can understadn those whom buys this game though

**Bromsy**

I am curious how much role playing there will be. I'll be super happy if there are ways to talk/stealth or just think your way through missions. And even if that's lacking, they are releasing the tools to make your own modules along with the game, so I bet someone will make it happen.

**Bullockist**

I'm kinda curious about that too Bromsy. Is this one campaign and that's it? Will there be user made content, will there be more campaigns? I know I only have to wait for more shadowrun until shadowrun online happens, but goddammit , this is my favourite fictional world and the only setting I have liked for this extended period of time.

I watched the 30 minute game play video this morning, and fekk me I cannot wait until it launches!

After watching the video it looks like there is no drain for spells, woohoo , combat mage as my first character.

**Bromsy**

They are releasing the creation tools, specifically to generate user made content; and I assume there will be more "official" campaigns. From the page -

Powerful Editor: With the Shadowrun Returns Editor, everyone is empowered to create and share their own stories and campaigns with the Steam Workshop community. You can even explore the entire Shadowrun Returns Seattle campaign in the Editor directly - see how it was built and borrow as much as you need to jump-start your own creations! No advanced coding or art skills are required to create content using the SRR Editor.

Which means if it has Workshop integration I am - and I use this term with all due shame - Super Stoked.

**Bullockist**

I am super excited for these tools, I am making a campaign as soon as i've given the first one a run through.

**Lynata**

I'd be more excited for the toolset if I knew I could play the resulting campaigns/scenarios with friends, meaning if SRR had co-op- functionality. It could be so much more awesome if they had done it like a sort of NWN.
But that's why I'm eagerly waiting for SRO. SRR will serve to bridge the gap until I get to shoot rent-a-cops together with my chummers.

And who knows - maybe, just maybe, someone does manage to craft cool singleplayer stuff for SRR.

**streamdragon**

Backed this when it was on KS, so Im super stoked to get my hands on it. Code added to Steam and ready to go! Im extra curious because Ive backed a handful of games and this will be the first to make its way into my hands.

**Macok**

Yeah, this will be one of the first crowd-funded game I'm really interested in.
There have been quite a substantial amount of game funded that way that can be either hit or miss. Soon we'll see how all this KS-hype turns out.

**marv335**

I like the look of that, Shadowrun was my favourite game on the SNES, this looks visually very similar.

**Lynata**

I think that was a major point on their agenda - in fact, didn't they say that the game is supposed to tie into the SNES story somehow?

**Bromsy**

Well, now I'm trying to decide who I want to play as my first character. I think I'm down to my old decker/rigger Gridrazer or my drunken mess ex CAS commando gun bunny, Memphis Black. I think to accurately play Memphis, I will have to get drunk so currently Gridrazer is ahead so I actually remember the game.

**ironicsilence**

preorder on steam for 10% off

**RiTides**

Looks interesting... let us know how you like it in 2 days

**ironicsilence**

RiTides wrote:
Looks interesting... let us know how you like it in 2 days

ill post some thoughts after I play it a bit, honestly my hopes arent all that high but i've blown 20 bucks on far worse

**marv335**

I signed up for steam especially to get this

**Wyrmalla**

I could never get into the RPG due to how much it enjoyed annoying the hard cyberpunk lover in me with its adding of magic and trolls or the like to the genre. However in a computer game I think I could probably put up with those details. A pity that I have too many other games to get through right now, but I will definitely be picking this up (hopefully by that time it'll be on sale, though £14 is a decent price).

**Seaward**

Wyrmalla wrote:
I could never get into the RPG due to how much it enjoyed annoying the hard cyberpunk lover in me with its adding of magic and trolls or the like to the genre. However in a computer game I think I could probably put up with those details. A pity that I have too many other games to get through right now, but I will definitely be picking this up (hopefully by that time it'll be on sale, though £14 is a decent price).

The only other real RPG option is Cyberpunk 20XX. Far better theme, but by Jebus was it a horrible system.

**Sigvatr**

Played Cyperpunk for 2 years and...well...right now, I cannot recall a single character that survived more than 1 meeting. It was deadly as heck. But I liked it for its deadliness.

**Wyrmalla**

Seaward wrote:
Wyrmalla wrote:
I could never get into the RPG due to how much it enjoyed annoying the hard cyberpunk lover in me with its adding of magic and trolls or the like to the genre. However in a computer game I think I could probably put up with those details. A pity that I have too many other games to get through right now, but I will definitely be picking this up (hopefully by that time it'll be on sale, though £14 is a decent price).

The only other real RPG option is Cyberpunk 20XX. Far better theme, but by Jebus was it a horrible system.

0.o Paranoia? Old World of Darkness. Though yes, decent cyberpunk RPGs can be hard to come by.

**Bromsy**

My buddy and I toyed around in 3e with playing Shadowrun straight - changed the backstory to something closer to Gibsoneque, the different metatypes were gene-hacks created for the Corporate Wars, and such. Never played a game with it but we had fun brainstorming.
But I like the fantasy elements thrown in, gives it flair.

**Skinnereal**

Cyberpunk (2020)'s main rule for the GM was to try to kill the players off any way they could. It was meant to be brutal, and usually was very-much so.

As for this game, the price looked good, so I'll give it a go.