You awaken from a coma in a corporate research facility where everything had gone wrong. Use your hacking skills and implants to survive this First Person action horror. System Shock is a hidden gem from 1994 boasting features way beyond its time. Interact with objects, HUD and upgrade your skills/implants as you survive the aftermath of a disaster.



Follow my step-by-step guide on installing, configuring and optimizing System Shock Enhanced Edition in Linux with PlayOnLinux.

Note: This guide applies to the GOG version of System Shock Enhanced Edition. Other versions may require additional steps.

Tips & Specs:

To learn more about PlayOnLinux and Wine configuration, see the online manual: PlayOnLinux Explained

Mint 18.3 64-bit
PlayOnLinux: 4.2.12
Wine: 3.0

Wine Installation

Click Tools
Select "Manage Wine Versions"


Look for the Wine Version: 3.0
Select it
Click the arrow pointing to the right


Click Next

Downloading Wine


Extracting

Downloading Gecko


Installed


Wine 3.0 is installed and you can close this window

PlayOnLinux Setup

Launch PlayOnLinux
Click Install


Click "Install a non-listed program"


Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive"
Click Next


Name the virtual drive: systemshock
Click Next


Check all three options:

• Use another version of Wine
• Configure Wine
• Install some libraries

Click Next


Select Wine 3.0
Click Next


Select "32 bits windows installation"


Wine Configuration

Applications Tab
Windows version: Windows 7


Graphics Tab
Check "Automatically cpature the mouse in full-screen windows"
Click OK


PlayOnLinux Packages (DLL's, Libraries, Components)

Check the following:

• POL_Install_corefonts
• POL_Install_d3dx9
• POL_Install_tahoma

Click Next


Note: All packages will download and install automatically

Installing System Shock Enhanced Edition

Click Browse


Select: setup_system_shock_1e.16.exe"
Click Open


Note: I shortened the installer name myself

Click Next again

Select Language
Click OK


Click Options
Check "Yes, I have read and accept EULA"
Uncheck "Create desktop icon"
Click Install


Click OK on all errors


Click Exit


PlayOnLinux Shortcut

Select "sshock.exe"
Click Next


Name the shortcut: System Shock Enhanced
Click Next


Select "I don't want to make another shortcut"
Click Next


PlayOnLinux Configure

Back to PlayOnLinux
Select "System Shock Enhanced"
Click Configure


General Tab
Wine version: 3.0


Note: Click the + to download other versions of Wine, click the down-arrow to select other versions of wine

Display Tab
Video memory size: Enter the amount of memory your video card/chip uses


Close Configure

Forcing Soft Rendering

Navigate to your System Shock Enhanced Edition installation directory

Code:

/home/username/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/systemshock/drive_c/GOG Games/SystemShock - Enhanced Edition/

Open sshock.ini with your text editor


Find line: SoftRenderer=Off
Change to: SoftRenderer=On
Save sshock.ini


Launching System Shock

Back to PlayOnLinux
Select "System Shock Ehanced"
Click Run


Note: Sometimes it would hang on the first screen and just require pressing some keys on the keyboard



Conclusion:
System Shock Enhanced Edition ran perfectly in PlayOnLinux on Wine 3.0. The only time I had performance issues is during my recording. Otherwise it was perfect and fit my 1920x1080 screen. There is a hack to play game music, but I didn't try it.

Gameplay Video:


Screenshots: