Stepping out into level 4, there's another Xerxes column, and I go stand next to it to listen. It makes for great ambient background noise. It kind of reminds me of some of the background sounds in Fallout. I wonder how a Shodan kiosk would sound.
Off to Bulkhead 41, to meet with Dr. Polito once more. Now that our working relationship is established, its time to explore these two new levels.
Oops, drained my batteries while listening to Xerxes. Weapons check... I can't use the EMP rifle until skill level 6!? Cyber modules are few and far between; I'll be happy to just get to use the Assault Rifle, so I'll focus on that. Time to drop off the EMP rifle at my weapons cache on the deck below, and visit the nearby charging station.
Bulkhead 42. I find the last and best melee weapon, the crystal shard, nice! Need research skill of 4. Crap. When I've maxed the right skills, it'll probably be a better weapon than the light saber. Making my energy weapon skill even more redundant. But first I need a few more cyber modules before I can afford all the research points I need.
Oh wow, my very first cyborg assassin; looks kind of like something you see in Deus Ex 3, with the visible muscles. What's with all the infinite exploding barrels? It's like Donkey Kong in here. Anyway, got my modules, got my research up to 4. Need to go find some chemical Y for the research.
Great. Now I need Exotic Weapons skill of 1 to use it. Darn, need a few more modules to buy exotic.
Creepy music on this level. I often wish this game had a flashlight.
I'm not totally abandoning energy weapons, they're good for clearing out garbage enemies like worms and zombies, so I don't have to waste kinetic ammo. Though I now have a decent amount of ammo, I'm still hoarding it in case things get worse.
Another vending machine I can hack; it yields medical kits.
Ah, the mess hall. Maybe now I can get my sodium.
Finally, a chemical storeroom with sodium! Oh, that's all I get for my trouble? Its just a psi booster. Not playing that class.
These sure are sensitive doors - they even open for worms.
Wow - I find a pistol with a perfect maintenance level of 10. It must be a pretty tough specimen to survive the entropy field on this ship that destroys most guns if you put a few magazines through them.
Another cyborg assassin down, more modules doled out to me; time to buy Exotic (and get all my equipment recharged). Strange, it takes 2 whacks to take out a shotgun zombie, but only 1 whack to take out a midwife.
I need to drop off some of my equipment at my cache. I really don't need 3 laser pistols.
Backtracking... there's another cyborg assassin, and now its a blue one (as opposed to red). That sucks - expensive to kill, and I got no loot.
Crap, it looks like the cyborgs are random mobiles now - here's another one mixed in with some zombies. At least it only takes a few whacks of the crystal shard. I wanted to know what key press brings out the shard (it's the minus key), and the old bug of not being to select an item has returned. I guess just even looking at that menu brings it out, even if I don't change anything. I wonder if I can do a mod manager fix while the game is still running. No. Well, crap, my quicksave didn't survive.
Time to backtrack through the barracks, see if I missed any good loot. Ahh, more mobile enemy upgrades - the monkeys now shoot orange fireballs. It feels kind of cheap that the game knows I'm at a higher level, so it upgrades my enemies too. Add in midwives and cyborgs is a nice way to challenge my increased level. Upgrading the garbage mobs doesn't feel right.
Wow the music has really taken a turn to the creepy; its quite good. I walked up to a random console, and it was making the most awful squealing static I ran from it, thinking it might explode. Great job making the place feel frightening.
Found the first simulator - whatever that is supposed to mean. I was thinking something like a holodeck. Anyway, its kind of nice that Shodan has come clean about who she is, and is whispering instructions in my ear. Its like having a psycho killer girlfriend; sure, she fancies you now, but you know she's going to turn on you eventually.
I have enough modules now to go from Standard weapons skill 4 to 5, but I think I'll hold the modules for now, in case something comes up. I can't use the assault rifle until my skill is 6, so no need to rush right now.
Last time I was in the elevator, I had my growing grenade collection line up against the wall, and now they're bunched up in the middle. I don't think this game likes me storing items in moving rooms, like elevators and bulkheads. I'll just keep everything on level 3.
OK, this really annoys me to no end. Some of the implants and tools I dropped off on level 3 have followed me to level 4. They're just sitting there on the floor. Not cool. I'm going to re-load, and carry at least the ice pick with me; from what I've read, its too useful to lose.
Even weirder, on this next reload, my items did not follow me upstairs.
Later, I find an Expertech module, nice.
I haven't said too much about map design, because its good for its time, but mediocre for today. There are pointless catwalks and open space everywhere, that make you feel you're not in a real place. But compared to other games of its time, its OK.
Starting to see a lot more combat now. And its that really annoying kind, where enemies spawn at random before you and behind you, leeching you of valuable resources. I'll take that Standard weapons upgrade now; its a hefty 50 points to the next level after that but I'm half way there. I'll focus on that, for now, then upgrade more of my tech skills.
The enemies are coming thick and fast now, and they include these damn spiders that take a whole mag of standard rounds to take down. Anti-personel rounds seem to do better, and I was able to hack a vending machine that makes those. I have over 1000 nanites; I need to spend it on something.
The voice messages, and the story, continue to improve.
Ops override - no key card. I'll probably be coming back here some time.
Done with this level, but I'll have to fight my way out of here. Random enemies keep spawning out of thin air.
OK, time to dump some excess inventory, get a chem for research, get some healing, charging, etc.
I have enough modules to buy Standard weapons 6, I'll take it. I'm now maxed on that. Now that I'm all maxed out on Standard and can use the assault rifle, its time to seriously examine these weapon upgrades that I've been saving.
Reading online tips, it seems the way to go is to spend cyber modules to get Modify level 1, then use your French-Epstein devices to upgrade devices to level 2. I'll go along with that. Well, if i had sprung for modify sooner, I could have easily upgrade the shotgun and pistol long ago. Now that I'm at this point in the game, I'll drop two upgrade modules on the assault rifle, one on the shotgun to max that out. I guess I don't need my regular pistol anymore; I'll drop that.
Should I spend my last upgrade on the laser pistol, or save it for whenever I get heavy weapons so I can use the grenade launcher? It looks like upgrades on the grenade launcher don't do all that much, I'll just use it on the laser pistol.
