I'm new to this game and was wondering what skills I'd need before any points since I've read you can get stuck if you don't have enough in a particular skill at a particular area. I've already started the game, but I'm not too far into it that I can't restart. So can anyone give me some tips so I won't get stuck in future?

In general, I'm not asking for a build, but how to avoid getting stuck. I'll ask any other doubts as they come :D

http://www.shtupmod.net/newbies_guide.html

also, make sure to have at least 100 nanites in your pocket at all times. if you want an easy start, pick a marine, and choose the leftmost path each year, then upgrade maintenance to 2 and hack to 2 on first occasion. that should give you a free gun, enough skill to keep it in good condition, and ability to open security crates.

Wow thanks man! Greatly appriciated. Guess I'll follow the character stats you provided. Afterall, this one's not gonna be my only playthrough :D

And I would recommend to have some snacks near the monitor plus lots of water. You'll be glued to the monitor for hours! :-D

I've only done one playthrough but I would personally avoid specialising in energy weapons early on because you will need to recharge them and recharging stations are few and far between. Specialise in standard weapons early on.

there are also portable batteries, enemies drop them, and they can also be purchased is some replicators. the cm cost for laser pistol is very low, and as mentioned before, a gun with infinite ammo is always nice to have.

Here's a tip: AVOID PLAYING AS OSA. That class sucks.

Actually I think OSA is pretty fun, but probably not for beginners.

Probably too late to suggest this, but I'd recommend turning the music slider found in the audio settings all the way down (= off). Just having the excellent ambient sound playing greatly enhances the "You are there!" experience.

Eh, the music is kind of iffy early on, but later it's actually pretty good at setting the mood.

The music in the Engineering Cargo Bays are freaking sweet.

If you're into drum n bass, I guess it is. It still detracts from the horror atmosphere, IMHO.

In case you're interested, here's an interview with Josh "Robotkid" Randall, who composed most of the music for Shock 2.

The music in the cargo bays in Engineering is not D n' B. It's more ambient.
Only good tune in the whole game.

Bah, you are all so conventional thinking and boring. I didn't like it at first but now I see it as part of the game's unique identity. While the tracks do not set the immediate mood of the gameplay segments they are played in (med-sci in particular), they have EXACTLY the right sound for the System Shock 2 universe. I can imagine characters in that universe, including 'Goggles', being into this music.

Thanks for all the advice!