Didn't know this. During my playthroughs I never bothered with the security panels thinking just smashing every camera I found had the same effect without wasting nanites, as camera are fairly easy to take care of in the first place anyway. The turrets though are definitely a pain in the ass so I'm gonna keep this in mind during my potential dedicated OSA run.

Another thing to note about cameras that I didn't realize til I ran through it a second time is that if they spot you it's not an immediate alarm trigger until it turns red. If they spot you run back where you came and they'll reset after a few seconds. Or if possible if they spot you quickly run underneath it where it can't see you and whack it/shoot it down.

I have the reaction time of a drunk slug, but if you're less pathetic than me, you should usually be able to shoot cameras when they see you, before they trigger the alarm.

Also I think the enemy respawns give the game a lot of tension. It's not so frequent to be annoying or predictable, not so rare that the feeling of constant danger never really goes away. Actually the areas you previously cleared you return to and go long stretches without enemy encounters are probably the most tense parts of the game. The quiet is eerie and you know that at any moment an enemy could pop out and the fact that they don't makes you think something is up.

The only enemy spawn that made me tilt my head was in Rickenbacker Deck 2, just around the corner from the chapel, in a tightly enclosed hallway is a pit that drops down a long ways, where no enemy, especially not a heavy ground-bound enemy could reasonably come from. But if you actually go into the chapel out of nowhere from that corner spawns a security robot. It made so little sense that I just laughed.
Yeah I always make sure to do that anyway but in instances where you're caught with your pants down so to speak, it's good to know you can just double back and then go forward better prepared!

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the cameras take a moment to reset. If you hide after they spot you and then immediately come out again, the alarm'll trigger, you have to wait for the reset sound. Basically they work exactly the same as in Thief 2 (same code, I'd assume).

On the respawning front: I do like it and haven't had issues with a constant stream of enemies or anything. The game generally tries to spawn enemies behind you or around corners, but one time I rapidly turned and saw an enemy appear in a little blue flash, which was kind of funny.

Ran into a hybrid forming from a puff of logic...correction, a vacuum of logic. I personally prefer to use the no_spawn configuration, as it does respawn the enemy, but not in such numbers as to bewilder me.

That's actually a scripted spawn, not part of the monster ecology system. But yes, it's nonsensical. The entire layout of the Rickenbacker is nonsensical, if you think about it. A chapel that's only accessible by crawling into a vent?

The spawn-in effect is almost exactly the same effect as when you use the psi power that creates items, which lends some credence to the fanwank that the Many is using its considerable psionic abilities to teleport enemies directly to your location.

Though spawning enemies do provide you with almost infinite supply of goods. Not all carry them but a lot of them do so if you don't use much resources on them, you'll gain stuff (healing hypos, ammo, food). I usually beat the hybrids with wrench and if any machines happen to get spawned (like the heavy maintenance bots) i'm often lucky enough that i get good stuff from them (like 40 nanites or 2x weapon repair tool).

I also combine ammo used to save it. I first use AP for machines and then finish them off with a normal bullet if a tiny bit of health remains. You can also play around maintenance bots with wrench rapier and finish them off with a bullet to avoid explosions. And don't forget to hack the turrets, they can keep your corridors under your control. They work pretty well agains hybrids and monkeys, not so well against heavy hitting stuff like maintenance or military bots. Unless you lure them past so they are focused on you but get chewed away by the turrets.

Only thing that i totally hate is that if there are 2 turrets together, once you hack one it starts to shoot he other one immediately. So unless you can hack super ultra fast, you can't have both of them. Which sucks a bit.

Still, use the environment to your advantage. Thats the whole point of such games, with or without spawning, once you adapt to it it's not that annoying.

IIRC, you go into the chapel while the gravity's been reversed, so you're walking on the ceiling. I don't think I ever looked for one, but what you're saying is that if you look up, there's no doors anywhere?

Its only fair that they be allowed to re spawn.. after all, the player gets to respawn. So it makes sense that shodan could just keep replicating Hybrids to go kill you.

Also they drop delicious Nanites for the Vending Machines. You can grind them if you're short on Nanites (not that you'd ever need to if you're smart and use the recycle tool).

Plus in Co-op its the only real thing that makes the game challenging. If you're able to clear out entire levels then there's no real danger or fun back tracking.

THIS.

The only bad respawn area I have found, and I am at deck 4, is Cargo bay area in deck 1.

This topic is quite interesting, because it nearly exactly mirrors the discussion back in the days than SS2 came out. Respawning was an importat issue regarding the game when - and it seams that it is still an important issue today.

I would definitely agree that the game has a respawning issue and that some people might be annoyed by it to the point, where they give it up. I love this title and played it aprox. 5-7 times in my gaming career. But the respawning in some of the parts of the Von Braun is a problem. It is not as worse as for example in some levels of No one lives forever 2 (f. e. basement of the old archive in Siberia!). But it gets close. Especially the already mentioned corridor to the cargo bays is really a pest in this regard and definetly not balanced well.

There is not really something to do about this except to clench your teeth and somehow survive this passages. But it has to be said: you are expected to move here. They keep you busy. And if you don´t like this game design mechanism - than maybe you should pass this title.

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I am going to give the "no_spawn" thing a go...

Just to be clear, I am NOT saying I dislike the game. The reason I'm frustrated is because the game seems so good! Just the re-spawning enemies are irking me.

This game is considered a classic for a reason, I'm sure...

I'll report back after trying with the .cfg tweak ;)

Be sure to start a new game after doing the tweak, it might not take effect for a game in progress.

Good luck with it. Creepy Music + no visible enemy might just make it creepier...

Hey just make sure to take your time aiming on occasion. NewDark makes visibility fun for sniping.

The respawning enemies are part of the reason why System Shock 2 is considered a classic.

In conjunction with the music, story and atmosphere; the game mechanics create a place where the player never feels safe. System Shock 2 play sessions are supposed to be tense, you're supposed to sneak up behind that hybrid and club its head in with a wrench, hiding in a closet while you patch yourself up with stims and trying to remember where you closest medical table is.

It's not supposed to be an empowering experience, you're not supposed to clear out every level, you're supposed to feel scared and trapped. I finished the game in 1999 when it came out and I don't doubt that gamers can do the same today, people just need to think past the recent trend towards set-piece shooters and think about what Shock 2 is trying to do. It's not creating a pretty backdrop, it's trying to create a place.

Hack security stations, smash cameras and use AP ammo on bots and turrets.