/vr/ - Retro Games

>>1772429
Descent is one of the few games that absolutely breaks my balls on the hardest difficulty. I usually play on Hotshot and even then, getting surprised by a red hulk can be the end of a life. I think I prefer Descent 2 because the levels were a little more creative and the difficulty was smoothed out, but holy shit on the other hand those bosses will ruthlessly tear open your asshole. It blows my mind that some people can ace this game keyboard-only.

>>1772440
It's not hard for me to read the maps now, but I have fond memories of playing this on my family's old computer which had been moved up to my room, staring at the screen at 2 in the morning trying to figure out where the hell I was in the level and where I needed to go. That was the shareware version, and the boss at the end kinda spooked me out because there was no in-game information about it or its crazy cloaking and teleporting abilities.

>>1772440
You make me feel like a pussy for playing on Rookie.
I'm playing with Keyboard and Mouse, is it any easier with a joystick?

Oh, did you want those shields? Sorry, just being one of the biggest asshole enemies in vidya history. Pic related (or the absence thereof) is another reason why I prefer Descent 2.

>>1772446
Don't feel bad. I started on Trainee and even then was savescumming my way through quite a few of the levels my first time seriously attempting to finish D1.

I play keyboard/mouse too, so I can't speak to anything else, but I can say that it took me some experimentation and a lot of practice to figure out a strafing/turning keyboard arrangement I was comfortable with. Being able to maneuver smoothly and instinctly is super important, and you have to get used to sliding on multiple axes rather than just the ol' FPS circlestrafe.

>10 years ago
>Buy Descent for PS1 along with Wipeout and Granstream Saga
>Stop for lunch on way home, get a couple of burgers from A&W
>Sitting on a bench reading the instruction manuals
>Descent sounds really cool
>Get home and put it in my PS2
>Play game
>5 minutes later I get motion sickness and lose my burgers
>RIP in peace burgers

Never again.

>>1772429
You probably know this, but you are aware there are source ports for Descent, right? I prefer the no-frills DXX-Rebirth as opposed to the fancier DX2-XL, but I hope you're not playing it in DOSbox.

>>1772459
>Descent for PS1
I saw ads for this but already had it on PC. I just wondered how it would play, seems like there might not be enough buttons on the controller. Looking up videos now to check the frame rate, too.

>>1772429
>Mangage to bring down big group of bots no damage, but shields already low from before.
>that's right...I'm bad, bitches.
>cut corner too sharp going into corridor, hit the wall
>1 less point of shields

Haven't played Descent yet but Hellbender is pretty similar.

>>1772447

*SKREEEECH*

>>1773193

>level 10
>red heavy hulks stuffing my ass with homing dildos at the very first gigantic room.
>OHSHIT.jpg.gif.file.dammit
>I make evasive maneuver and start running the hell out of there.
>LOCK LOCK BEEP BEEP BEEPBEEPBEEP BOOMBOOOMBOOOM
>1 shield
>tatical withdrawal to the first room
>bash the door with bumper
>Watch my ship explode

>>1773270

>be on vr
>image is posted upside down again

What's wrong with ipads?

>>1773284
>apple products
Found your problem

>>1773302

True

But. I'm gonna say that I grew up with descent and I used the Mac version, whose OST had less tracks, but it was awesome.
I still listen to some of the tracks on my mp3

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nRh38kgzh9g

Closest thing to this game I played was Freespace 2.

Forsaken on the N64 was also a multiplayer deathmatch game similar to this.

>>1772429
>just beat level 6

You're about to get your anus loosened: >>1772447

>>1772471
Ya, I'm aware of the sourceports, but when comes to most DOS era games, I like to beat it my first time as vanilla as possible. Makes it easier to put myself in the mindset of someone playing it when it was first released.

>>1773359

>You're about to get your anus loosened: >>>1772447 #

More like pic related

Hey! Is there any sourceport that is ok to play multiplayer? Is there a community you can play with? I wish it was like /doom/

>>1773359
Oh shit...is it that bad? Even on Rookie?

Any tips on how to kill his ass?

>>1772572
IIRC Descent 2 had whole new maps and was named Maximum. You can get these for the PC version now though. That and DXX-Rebirth pretty much outclass the PS1 versions as a whole.

>>1773382
There are two, but for the first game only there's DXX-Rebirth which gives one for each game.

There's another source port with much better graphics and the like, but it's for Descent 2 (though you can play D1 on it with D2's engine, pretty nifty.)

>>1773365

>as vanilla as possible

Good luck with homing stuff. It so happens that the min curvature radius missiles can achieve was proportional to the processor speed.
In worst cases, it renders the missile right angling right at your sorry ship.

>>1773403

*inversely proportional

>>1773384
Class 1 Drillers aren't hard to kill. A single homing missile works well, especially if you know they're around a corner. The problem is that their vulcan cannon is so fast, if they surprise you, you're practically guaranteed to lose some shields.

>>1773426
Meaning basically you have to memorize where they are in every level through trial and error.

>>1773220
Not really. The only similarity is that you fly a ship. But while Terminal velocity/Fury3/Hellbender are mostly on the surface of planets, descents world are almost always narrow tunnels.

>>1773307
Another person who grew up with the Macplay version...
mahnigga.jpg

>>1773823
Yeah. If anything is most similar it would probably be Forsaken.

So why does Descent 3 get such a bad rap? I've tried it for a while and was kind of frustrated how even the basic bots have ninja dodge skills but then again, I suck hard. Otherwise I didn't find anything notably bad in there. Is there something I'm missing?

>>1774070
It's just different while the first two games are basically the exact same thing

>>1774070
I like some things about Descent 3. I like the more detailed levels and generally improved graphics. I like the variety in the mission objectives and how there's a little more going on than just blowing up robots and reactors in every level.

But. I dunno man, the aesthetics got less gritty and more glowy neon, the robot enemies aren't as cool or intimidating, and it's got that stupid checkpoint system with infinite lives so it's like, why bother trying to be careful if you're just going to respawn with the enemies still dead. I think hardcore fans could probably list a few gripes about the weapon balance and such as well. I don't think it's a bad game by any means.

Descent? More like Decent

Hey, is it too much to hope for this thread that we post stories or things that happened to you on Descent?

I'll start with a fact and a story:

When I started playing descent, I was 6 and I played it with my mother. She drived and aimed, and I shooted lazors.
Believe me if I tell that the exit door texture scared the crap outta me.

And:

>ffw like 7 years.
>I'm 13 and retook descent as we only got to level 6.
>this time I play alone, I'm a grown up man after all!!!
>beat level 6.
>get to level 7 reactor
>I stick out the nose of the ship inside the boss room
>CHAKACLACKACHAKACLACKACHAKACLACKA
>BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM
>NOPENOPENOPENOPE
>run out of the bedroom and drop game for like, 2 weeks.

I really like this thread, tell your friends to get in, share experiences

>>1772429
Descent had some pretty GOAT midis

>>1774189
I liked how they took the plasma cannon and made it even better

Also they ship selection was nice, it really let you experiment with different playstyles and get the most out of whatever style you preferred. I was always a Phoenix man, myself.

The AI for the enemies was really cool too. The bots all "acted" differently and they had plenty of quirky things they did that showed someone put thought and care into their programming. Descent 2 had some cool AI tricks but I felt like D3 was on a whole new level.

What controls are you guys using? i'm using z/x to accelerate and go backwards, WASD to slide, and Q and E to tilt, and the mouse to aim. Got some problems with sensitivity though

>>1776348
try this amendment to your set up-

Ctrl to slide Down - because "crouch"
Space to slide up - because "jump"

Revert W and S back to Forward and Backwards.

Otherwise yours is my exact same "I don't feel like hooking up my joystick" setup.

>>1776348
Q and E for tilting in respective directions
W for forward, S for backward
A for sliding left, D for sliding right
Space for sliding up, C for sliding down
2 and 3 for changing primary and secondary weapons

Mouse for aiming, mousewheel up is flares, mouswheel down is mines, left click for primary weapon, right click for secondary


Seriously though, how the fuck could you possibly play descent with joysticks? I understand it was made in mind for them, but just how the fuck? Would you need like three sticks on the pad?

>>1776348
>>1776409
>>1776481
When I played, I started using W/S for forward/backward, but I switched to WASD for sliding because it seemed much more important to be able to dodge in those directions. It's much easier to trace a little circle with your ship in the vertical plane when using WASD. Also, I used Z and C for quicker rotation instead of relying only on the mouse. I believe F and R were my tilt down/tilt up keys.

>>1776481
You could use a single joystick with Z-rotation, a throttle and a HAT switch and never touch the keyboard.

>>1772429
Class 1 Drillers and Red Hulks are GOAT enemies.

>>1776294
Especially if you play them back on a yamaha XG synth or AWE32/64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCV6B8wqVBs

>>1776751
Oh man, thank you for posting that. Shit is awesome.

>>1776130
In the early shareware versions you couldn't save the game in mid-level, the game only let you to start from any level you've already played. This made levels 6 and 7 absolute hell. It took me so long to beat level 6 that when I finally did it, I cried from happiness. Those fucking drillers were (and still are) so hard.

Then I played level 7... oh I did make it all the way to the boss room, in one sitting. The moment I entered the room I knew something was off, this wasn't an ordinary reactor. Died before I could even see what I was up against. Finding out the door locks behind you was not a delightful discovery. I used all my extra lives just to travel to the boss room and die, again and again. Eventually I saw a glimpse of "it". The sound it made crept into my nightmares. None of the Dooms had anything even remotely as scary.

It wasn't until I got the full version later and unlimited savegames before I could kill his ass off.

>>1776815
You shouldn't savescum in Descent. Even moreso than Doom, Descent makes it clear with its lives system that it wants you to play it more like an arcade game.

OP here. So I when I made the thread, I thought I had just beat level 6, but in fact I had just beat level 5. Just beat 6 now and jesus christ fuck those drillers man.
Seriously, how fucking cheap. The room with the red card in it almost made me break my mouse. I knew when I entered the room that it was probably a trap, but even if I had started backing up as SOON as I got the card, I still would have taken a ridiculous amount of damage.

>>1776815
And now you're saying level 7 is even worse??
Good lord...

>>1776481
>DXX-Rebirth
When I played back on dos, I used a two-button flight style joystick to aim and shoot, and used the rest of the keys to move. It felt so immersive cause I would actually feel the ship moving and turning with the flighting stick -it was a Rockfire Fire Dino, two buttons, midi-port joystick- and the buttons would do the rest.

The trigger would fire the lasers and the missile button was up, it was so awesome.

>>1776913
Of course level 7 is harder than level 6. The difficulty isn't going to go backwards. Surprisingly (IMO) levels 25 and 26 are quite easy. Apart from the boss, level 27 isn't that hard either.

The true "hell" of Descent is somewhere between the levels 16 and 24. Those levels are really, really fucking hard on all difficulty levels. The secret levels, should you find them, will utterly devastate you.

>>1776979
>The difficulty isn't going to go backwards
I actually think Level 6 is a notable spike even up until the mid game. Assuming I'm thinking of the right level, anyway--I just really hate those drillers and I remember one or a couple of the levels in the sub-10 range seemed much harder than anything in the teens.

>>1777356
(of course it's possible I just got gud, or at least better)

Just beat level 7. Boss was ridiculous, died way too many times. Once I realized there was a cloak hidden in the bottom of the column, it made everything a lot easier.

Man this game is so good.

>>1778547
I just wanna say that it makes me really happy to see someone having fun with Descent. I played the original way back when, but didn't play Descent 2 until a couple years ago after seeing it on GOG, and I had a goddamn blast.

I kinda like Fusion Hulks. They're big bad motherfuckers who'll kill you every time unless you're super-prepared. Their shots can chip away 60 shield units per hit, so you're quite screwed even if they hit you only once.

Their "not an entry" scream sends chills down my spine. They took that sound away in Descent 2, so even if you can use these guys in D2 levels, they won't sound the same.

>>1776786
>>1776294

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_8NAXmJHKw

Had a computer literacy class in high school. The computers were old as fuck with old games on them like Lemmings and Descent for some reason. Over the quarter, the teacher sort of lost interest in the class and at some point it just completely devolved into a 10 player free for all death match LAN party. That was literally all we did in the class for the rest of the quarter. Probably my two best memories from that is the sound of someone mashing the space bar and trying to escape after some asshole blew the reactor.

>>1772440
I agree. I managed to complete this and decent 2 on hotshot without save scumming but holy shit it was tough. Hardest thing I've done in gaming.

>>1779208
>that level where you have to fight like 4 or 6 of them after flying into their little cage areas

>>1780185
I can't remember that place, but there's something similar on level 26. Just try and get that yellow key... I dare you.

There's a fucking robot generator that spits out Fusion Hulks in the same room. Nasty, nasty death trap. The invulnerability hidden in the middle of the room helps a little, assuming you'll live long enough to get it.

>>1780423
Yeah, this is actually what I was thinking of. I misremembered it as the hulks being corralled in their own separate corners.

>>1779208
>>1780428
I like the design of robots in Descent. Simple and low-poly but they still come across to me as intimidating

especially with those humming and clacking noises

>>1779208
>>1780423
Is this Descent 1? How did you get it to look like that? There aren't any resolution options in 1 right? I'm using the gog version and it looks really low res assuming because the render resolution is 320x200 or something like that.

>>1780436
Use the DXX-Rebirth source port. Very faithful to the original but you can play in high res on modern systems.

>>1780439
Oh shit, I was under the impression it injected some more modern looking graphical effects.

Wish I wasn't already on level 9 on the gog version...

>>1780436
It's DXX-Rebirth. That image older, taken roughly 4 years ago. I think it was running using default settings, but I might be wrong.

If you want to use DXX-Rebirth, just download it, unpack it to somewhere, then copy the required files (descent.hog and descent.pig) to the same directory. Then just run the game.

>>1780450
Is the GOG version the original DOS Descent or some source port?

Because IIRC DXX-Rebirth could load savegames from the original DOS game. Maybe you could simply copy your player and savegame files to the same directory with DXX and see if it loads them?

>>1780450
Just start over.

Practice Makes perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT2pl8rcAyY

That feel at the end, when you finally win.

>>1782370

That feel when that sexy SEXY voice says
"Auto destruction sequence... Activated"

Am I the only one that found that voice absolutely sexy?

Is the 6dof genre dead?

The last one in this style (flying a ship freely through structures shooting enemies) after Descent I know is it's more or less unofficial descendant- ProjectX, aka Forsaken

Were there other games like this?

>>1783035
As far as modern 6dof games go, there is Miner Wars 2081 (Which is apparently garbage), Retrovirus (looks pretty kickass), and NeonXSZ .

And I think that is pretty much it. Sad that the genre is pretty much dead.

>>1783035
Was it ever really alive? I mean, flight sims aside, I can't think of many games like Descent that are basically action-packed FPSes with the 6dof twist.

I've been wondering about Freespace 2. I know it's space combat and not mine tunnels, but I'm wondering if it scratches the same Descent itch and if combat is at all similar.

>>1783426
I hear it is similar too, plan to give it a try soon enough. Love space fighter games.

>>1783035
How is Forsaken anyways?

>>1783550

imho it's fuckin great. Is definitely my most played PS1-game and after playing it on there I then got the N64-version too. Obviously graphics wise bettter than Descent -oh wonders.
The best part is- under its original name ProjectX it is available for download as open source, ported to todays systems. In HD it still looks gorgeous for its age. It is STILL actively developed, just a few months ago they released- a brand new Level!

Its home is here:
http://fly (dot) thruhere (dot) net

>>1780459
Not him but DXX-Rebirth is free, right?

>>1783426
>I've been wondering about Freespace 2. I know it's space combat and not mine tunnels, but I'm wondering if it scratches the same Descent itch and if combat is at all similar.

Not really. Freespace is slower and more tactical rather than reflex heavy, is much more complicated in terms of control and gameplay, doesn't have strafing, and has a number missions (namely bombing runs) where the focus isn't combat at all. The branding in the first one is just a stupid marketing thing; the stories aren't related and space combat sims and 6DOF FPS are really not at all comparable.

>>1785216
Yeah, open source in fact. But it's "just" an updated game executable, you still need the data files from the original game. I think it even supports the shareware version, but I have never tested that.