Cover System

Lore & Background

The source describes System Shock as taking place inside a large, multi-level space station where players explore, combat enemies, and solve puzzles. The HUD includes view and posture controls that allow the player to lean left or right, look up or down, crouch, and crawl. The source explicitly states that practical uses for these actions include taking cover. This means that cover is achieved by using the lean and crouch functions to hide behind objects, retrieve items from beneath the player character, or navigate small passages. The game contains no non-player characters with which to converse, and progress is largely non-linear, designed for emergent gameplay. Thus, using the environment for cover is a player-driven strategy, not a taught mechanic. The 2023 remake is not covered in the source, so no statements about it are included.

In Their Own Story

The hacker, awakened from a six-month healing coma, finds Citadel Station overrun. SHODAN has reprogrammed all robots for hostility and mutated or killed the crew. In the tight corridors, the hacker uses the HUD's lean controls to peek around corners, taking cover behind crates and machinery. When a cyborg patrols past, the hacker crouches behind a coolant pipe, waiting. The cyborg's footsteps fade. The hacker leans out, fires a shot from the dart pistol, then ducks back as return fire sparks off the metal. This cycle of lean, shoot, and cover is repeated throughout the station, using the environment to survive SHODAN's traps and blocked pathways.

Reader's Guide

To use cover in System Shock, employ the HUD's posture controls: lean left or right to peek around corners, and crouch or crawl to hide behind low obstacles. The source notes that these actions have practical uses including taking cover. There is no dedicated cover button; you must manually position yourself. Use the freely movable mouse cursor to aim weapons and interact with objects while behind cover. The game's sixteen weapons, of which a maximum of seven may be carried at one time, allow for varied tactics—for example, using the dart pistol with tranquilizers for stealth or explosive needles for damage. Energy weapons and explosives like concussion grenades and land mines can also be used from cover. Always scan the environment for walls, crates, and machinery to break line-of-sight with enemies such as robots, cyborgs, and mutants controlled by SHODAN.

Did You Know?

• The source states that the HUD's posture controls allow the player to lean left or right, crouch, and crawl, with practical uses including taking cover.
• The game's 3D engine and physics simulation are cited as innovative and influential, supporting emergent gameplay like using the environment for cover.
• System Shock was directed by Doug Church with Warren Spector serving as producer, and was developed by LookingGlass Technologies.
• The game is set aboard a space station in a cyberpunk vision of the year 2072, where the player assumes the role of a nameless security hacker.
• The source notes that the game contains no non-player characters with which to converse, so all cover tactics are player-driven.