Also in-game, if you use the in-game screen shot combo of Control+F9, you get a PCX file, but there's hardly any program now that can even view those. And it won't take a shot of the load screen at all, so its useless. So, Print Screen is what I'll use.
First, some out of game housekeeping:
make a RAR of save_0 through save_14,
delete save_0 through save_13,
rename save_14 to save_0,
start game.
My save game list is now empty except for my starter slot, which I can now load and immediately save over my old quicksave.
Hmm, my use key is messed up again; back to the mod manager.
C:\Sshock2\SS2MM\ss2mm.exe.
This keeps happening. I'm glad the mod manager is there to fix it.
OK, time to to get out of the Cargo Bay, and on to something more interesting sounding, like "Command Control". How quaint, fighting amongst explosive barrels; very turn of the century. Found some upgrade stations, made a small discovery. Because I can have so many menus open at once, I can upgrade my Maintenance skill, repair my weapons with great efficiency, then undo the skill upgrade and my weapons are still fixed. Is this a cheat? Of course it is, and I really don't need it. For now, I'll stay in character, and live with what I spent.
I'm at the Systems Monitoring Unit, and it wants me to Install Hardware Override. What? I know its just a stupid FedEx puzzle, but I don't remember it and its not even in my in-game to-do list. A quick look online (avoiding spoilers), and I'm not even supposed to be here yet. Back to Engineering.
Wow, you have to backtrack pretty far, to sections I had already forgotten, to get the next FedEx puzzle piece. I feel lazy for looking at online hints, but I don't think I would have thought to go this far back with out a lot of hair pulling. This much backtracking is just not done in most game, but I guess I'll have to be aware of it here.
Great, grabbed the thing, took it to the other end of the map, delivered the thing. Got more pats on the back from my handler, and some more upgrade tokens. Is my handler hoarding the tokens from me, when I could be using them right now to save humanity, or whatever it is we're doing? I don't like to be made to feel like I'm playing a game, instead of having an experience.
Not sure what upgrades to buy now, but this wrench thing has been working out for me, so how about more Strength and Endurance.
More backtracking, all the way to the beginning of this level, to a door I've long forgotten, that is now open. Flip some switches in there. Now where to go? Its so tempting to get some hints online, but then I might as well just watch a walkthrough to finish this game. That has some appeal, but I'll see if I can stand wandering around a bit.
Nice, studying the map payed off, I found where I needed to be, and its nearby. There are so many huge tacky signs every where, announcing where you are, but this really important room is behind a nondescript door in a shadowy corner.
I find more doors and keypads that are not being addressed - I can only assume I'll be backtracking to here somewhere down the line.
Oh, something I picked up from the hints was the look of really bright screenshots. I don't want to ruin the atmosphere by washing out the visuals, but I turn up my gamma a bit and everything gets clearer. I thought I had already turned it up, but I guess I didn't, or not enough.
So, now I can access decks 2 and 3. All this so far was one deck. Off to medical... oh yes, I remember this area now, this is where I started. Maybe I can find a healing machine here. Another thing I'd like to try is caching inventory in the elevator, since it seems to be the central link. I'll start my dropping my Psi Amp in there; I don't think I'll be using that in this playthrough. If it disappears, so be it.
I may as well wander around Deck 2 and reacquaint myself with it. Who knows where I'll have to backtrack, or what resources might come in handy later. At the least it might be useful to track where the nearest healing, recharge, and vending machines are.
Woah - I found a shotgun on a corpse at repair level 5 - how did I miss that!
Oh yeah, the healing table costs 5 nanites (the money in this game), but its still a bargain. A food item that costs 3 only heals you for one point, and the table goes all the way.
Crap! I just found a voice log on a cart - how did I miss this one.
I now find myself in a curious situation, which is kind of like cheating, but not really. As I wander around the medical level, zombies keep spawning around every corner. The shotgun zombies are annoying, occasionally taking off a few points of health, but the melee zombies are easy. I slowly accumulate nanites, healing hypos, and some shotgun shells. The nanites that I harvest more than pays for the occasional need for a trip to a healing table. Am I cheating? Or using the games stupid endless zombie spawning against itself? Its not so profitable a venture that I want to keep this up.
Just as I think I'm going to stop this foolishness, I wrench a shotgun zombie who's carrying 12 pistol rounds. Now that's a profit.
Darn, I found a lightsaber, but I still can't afford enough weapon upgrades to use it. It sure looks a lot like the Dragon's Tooth from Deus Ex.
More stuff I missed - a grenade launcher in crew quarters! I guess my eyes are getting used to these old blocky graphics.
Ah finally - I knew it was out there somewhere - a vending machine with repair devices (in crew quarters, near the cluster of upgrade machines). Now I can take advantage of all my spend on maintenance skill.
Back to elevator - psi amp still on ground, a good sign for caching.
