All I'm talking about is something less of a direct translation and a slight bit more of a reinterpretation. I certainly wouldn't want the remake to miss out on anything. But I don't think that boxy environments and slightly dodgy looking enemies (thinking of the zombie dude in the gameplay video here) are really necessary. It should be more about maintaining the spirit and keeping the depth of gameplay than just upping the polygon count.
Gede: I'm sad to hear some kickstarter projects failed on their DRM-free promise. That is terrible. I hope that is a rare thing. I'd rather buy the game on release. That way I know what I get (e.g. Shenmue).
As for the level design, I noticed that too. Hopefully they imported the level models to get something running for show/tests, and for it to be a work base for further tweaks. It helps if the artists/designers don't start from zero.
I wonder if they'll redo the second one if this one succeeds.
BTW, the original System Shock seems to be based around the engine developed for Ultima Underworld. Is there any way to make these old games look and play better (mainly their interface)?
Game development is by no means and exact science. A lot can go wrong and usually does. Kickstarter, for all the good it has genuinely done, only increases the likelihood of things not turning out as hoped. I'm not saying that there definitely won't be a DRM-free version. Just don't back it if you can't live with a Steam copy.
Yeah, I think you're right about where the project's at right now. Maybe how much they update it will depend on how far in excess of the goal the Kickstarter campaign gets.
They might well redo the sequel, but if you ask me, that one will need a far more expensive update. I don't think that a simple HD remastered version will cut it. It should be closer to AAA. As close as they can get it.
There are mods to improve SS. I think that their features have been implemented in the GOG version already. I don't know about UU though.