I don't mean rechargeable batteries, I mean batteries. The ones that get discarded if you charge an item with them, it has nothing do with recharge stations.

I was replying to the 'if you were conservative' bit, sorry for being unclear.

I never used the batteries. I also didn't see much point in 10% increase over the heavy armor, and carrying it around, when I could carry weapons instead. At that point I wanted to kill things quickly, and armor wasn't nearly as important.

I spent most of my money buying medkits so I could just keep healing, if I took too much damage.

Well that's opinion. I'm sorry but if the game really requires or favors certain actions over others (which it clearly does) that makes it less of a game. Choosing Marine with a focus on energy weapons was a colossal failure. Using a wrench to bash robots and monkeys as well as shotgun-toting baddies who somehow make broken shotguns work is a problem. The game is influential for obvious reasons but it really hasn't aged well.

It's hard to get unbiased help on these forums because everyone posting is a fanboy who won't hear anything wrong about the game. I've been playing PC games since 1992 so I also don't appreciate your "gamers" shot or "this generation" comment. If you don't have constructive help you just shouldn't post, I don't need to read your sad nerd-bragging. This game is seriously flawed but important due to its atmosphere and presentation. Glad I worked my way through it but I won't be doing it again. Not interested in playing a game that dictates a certain playstyle and if you aren't doing that you're "doing it wrong."

If the game was flexible it would encompass all play styles equally and it just doesn't. Also its too bad the whole crew wasn't equipped with wrenches; maybe things would've have gone so badly given it's ability to carve through any and all enemies.

All styles? This isn't Skyrim................................

"It's hard to get unbiased help on these forums because everyone posting is a fanboy who won't hear anything wrong about the game."

I never played the game before in my life. I am however an experienced gamer. I'm not a system/bio shock fanboy.

I didn't find the game that hard. There were a couple fo spots that were difficult, but not impossible.

Sure it may not be entirely balanced, but its not impossible.

Heh, you really can't be surprised that he'd think something like 'everybody is a fanboy' when he gets a reply like this:

What did I say that was wrong? I don't think the SS2 should be expected to accommodate "all styles" the way he wanted. It's not that type of game. Skyrim is.

Because not accommodating all styles that the game is blatantly offering you and making one approach flat-out better than another is very, very bad design. I wouldn't actually say a word if there were just slight differences between playstyles, but assault rifle = win the game, if you happen to want to play a PSIker and grab wrong abilities because you don't want to spoil your game by reading up on it on the internet, congrats, you have obtained System Shock 2: The hard mode.

Well yeah, some people like cutting themselves - still doesn't make it good design :-P I never really got all that far with PSI path to be fair, but I do know that my standard weapons playtrough was significantly easier than my energy weapons + heavy weapons playtrough - basically, I think we'll agree that there are severe balance issues in the game.

The reason why balance is important is ... Well, precisely what OP is describing - when you see a way to play a game that the game is clearly offering you and go 'Oh cool, I've got to do that!' and then it turns out that it's not very optimal / it's very hard and unsatisfying way to play it, people get frustrated.

I think some people (myself included) like figuring out the difficulty. Conventional weapon path is the easiest and most standard shooter like. PSI is tough at first but ultimately the most powerful. Perhaps a reward to those who persevere? Energy and heavy are somewhere in the middle. But really, who in their right mind, would rely exclusively on a grenade launcher in the tight quarters of a spaceship?

Yes, I would rebalance the difficulty, if I could, But, trying to play it as a "I'm ok, you're ok" do whatever, it doesn't really matter type of game, isn't really what it is about.

I've really enjoyed SS2's survivalist elements and, pretty early on, realised that a lot of satisfaction comes from mastering your environment and having patience and diligence with one's resources.

The game can be hard if you're not totally behind the concept; I was willing to be very patient and strategic (especially in the bloody cargo bays).

PSI tactic: used the PSI projectiles to soften up certain enemies (and take down some big ass robots) when PSI hypos were in abundance.

Still a bit miffed that I invested in that energy armour and now can't find/remember where convention armour is and am miles from a recharge point :(

Honestly I found the worst area is inside the Many, before you get to the brain. That small very tight canyon, no places to hide, and unlimited stream of tanks Rumblers and Psi Reavers. I ended up just like speed running through it, until I got into the main cave, killed the Psi Reaver brains, and then focused on the reaver projections, and tried to make my way back to the lake at the bottom in order to hid below the cliff where any remaining reavers couldn't reach me.

I had lots of gun ammo at that point, and grenades, so used them to take out the enemies. I always conserved inside the Von Braun. Since there weren't a lot of enemies to have to worry about so much in those areas, that I couldn't take out with crowbar of crystal shard.

I think the next time I play through I'll try for an OSA, rather than the Navy, and see how things turn out..

If you will playing OSA, best for that part is using invisibility and turn them against each other also by other psi skill (the one that makes any organic creature hostile to another).