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Six Degrees of OSHA Violations - Let's Play the Descent Series Let's Play Descent What is Descent? Published in 1995 by Interplay, and developed by Parallax Software, Descent is perhaps the first truly free-movement shooter on the market. Other flight sims don't have the same degree of freedom, and it stands today as one of the hallmarks of good shooter gameplay. When I say you can go anywhere, I mean it. Up, down, left, right, forward, back, rolling, pitching and yawing? All six axis of movement are available. This game can induce vertigo. You, the player, are a person called Material Defender, hired by the Pan-Terran Mining Corporation (or PTMC) to eradicate a ... small infestation of robots in various mines around the Solar System. Apparently, there's a bug in the system, and it's up to you to scour each mine by detonating the core reactor in each mine - then escape the ensuing detonation. Descent II picks up right after the first game, and is a massive improvement across the board in terms of level design, enemy design and weapons re-balancing, plus quality of life improvements. How do I play it? Well, you have two options. The first is to purchase the game from either Steam or Good Old Games, and play it right out of the box. Or, you can do what I'm doing, and play it using the Descent: Rebirth engine, which optimizes it for higher-end machines, and I found it far easier to set up my Wingman Attack 2 Joystick through that than trying to configure DosBox and then the game itself to operate properly. Because if you think I'm playing this game using just a Mouse and Keyboard - or just the keyboard, you have another thing coming. The LP Itself This will be a Video LP, with myself and whatever co-commentators I can scrounge up. I will be posting non-commentary and commentary videos side by side so you can enjoy or suffer through our silence as you see fit. However! I am always on the lookout for more co-commentators. The more people I have on tap, the less stale the chatting gets. So if you're interested, PM me, drop me a contact in the thread, or follow the Discord link in this thread for chatting purposes. Spoilers Policy This game is over 20 years old. I don't mind minor spoilers, but things that are only explained in later games are verboten. Keep to this one, please, as I do have plans to do the other Descents later. Wait, vertigo? You're kidding, right? No. No I'm not. Prepare for Descent, Material Defender                                 A 72-Hour Extension on the Contract                                 A Change in Perspective; Descent 2 - Vertigo                          Descent 3: Retribution  Parallax Software, in 1997, dissolved due to what seemed like creative differences in the ownership of the company. From them, Volition and Outrage were created, with the owner of Outrage, Matt Toschlog getting the Descent license. They published Descent 3 in 1999 as a game that was intended to make full use of the next generation of graphics cards and push the limits of 6 Degrees of Freedom. They created new tools, new software, and combined engines from multiple games to create this game over the course of about two years. What you are about to see is one of two games published by Outrage before their purchase by THQ, and subsequent dissolving. The other being Alter Echo. Descent 3 ain't pretty, despite the sheer beauty of the game. So, let's get to it.                     Descent 3: Mercenary            Published in 2015, Overload was developed by the same team responsible for Descent 1 and 2. However, while it has the right pedigree, the license for the series' name is no longer with them, but with Interplay or one of its successors. And so, with the failure of Descent: Underground to... well... get off the ground, I place this game as the honorary Descent 4. It flies right, it shoots right, and every last instinct and reflex I've developed over the course of D1 and D2 are right at home here. Taking place in a continuity of its own, you are a pilot of a light combat vessel who has just spent the last two years in cryosleep on the long, long journey out to Saturn. But shortly before your arrival, distress calls go out from many of the moons. The Auto-Ops have turned on their creators, and they need rescue. Which is where you come in. Good luck. But don't worry. This game is glorious.                    
berryjon fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Oct 31, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2019 19:57
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Fan Submissions A game this old has a lot of fans, and that means that nostalgia gives people reason to create. Here is where that stuff goes! Leylite posted:The Boss wants you in his office in five minutes. Fabulousity posted:Who knows what the Rumor Mill has in store for you? SirSystemError posted:So with the LP coming to a close as of the last recording session: I've always liked the soundtrack of this game, managing to be generally atmospheric while still having a good beat to it. So here's a Youtube playlist of all the songs in the game for listening pleasure. Furthermore, certain releases of the game came with Redbook audio instead of MIDI, such as the Mac version I was familiar with back in the day. It's worth a listen if you haven't heard it before, a good mix of spruced up versions of some of the MIDI tracks and a few originals as well. SugarAddict posted:
Fabulousity posted:
Fabulousity posted:Happy Pi Day and one-day-late 24th birthday for Descent 2 Berryjon posted:Allow me to add in my own piece of fan work. The single greatest thing to come out of Descent 3 and Descent 3: Mercenary: berryjon fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Jul 26, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2019 19:58
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Ground flo- wait poo poo which direction's the floor?? Anyway very excited!
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Mar 9, 2019 20:06
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Woo, this game. This was part of my childhood, as the computers in elementary school had this game on it. Certainly will be keeping an eye on this LP.
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Mar 9, 2019 20:14
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Oh man, this game. I really can cruise through it until... level 6 or so. Then everything starts to go to hell when one bot in particular starts to show up. You will learn to fear the loud, metallic squeal.
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Mar 10, 2019 00:22
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And by all means, everyone, volunteer to guest commentate because I can't do ALL the episodes with BJ.
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Mar 10, 2019 00:26
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Kliff posted:Oh man, this game. I really can cruise through it until... level 6 or so. Then everything starts to go to hell when one bot in particular starts to show up. When we get to that point, I will cheerfully bitch about the bane of my existence.
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Mar 10, 2019 00:54
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I am SO here for this. This game series was an absolute staple of my childhood, and the reason why I was so sad when Interplay shut down, dragging HEAT.NET along with it. The halcyon days. 
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Mar 10, 2019 01:48
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Kliff posted:Oh man, this game. I really can cruise through it until... level 6 or so. Then everything starts to go to hell when one bot in particular starts to show up. I played this game so long ago that I can't remember what it means any more, but it's still imprinted in me that a loud metallic squeal is Bad.
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Mar 10, 2019 02:32
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Zanzibar Ham posted:Ground flo- wait poo poo which direction's the floor?? It is incredibly easy to play this game upside down because floors and ceilings don't mean much.
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Mar 10, 2019 04:45
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Hell yeah Descent this series still holds up This game spoiled me because I played it before 2D shooters so I could never get into Doom and its assorted FPSes. Being able to move in any direction is LIBERATING and I couldn't ever get back in the 2D mindset.
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Mar 10, 2019 04:55
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Zanzibar Ham posted:Ground flo- wait poo poo which direction's the floor?? The reactor core is down.
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Mar 10, 2019 20:39
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Bruceski posted:The reactor core is down. No, the  I am also still looking for co-commentators! If anyone wants to join in chatting about the game or whatnot, drop me a line and I'll invite you to the Discord I use.
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Mar 10, 2019 20:48
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berryjon posted:No, the  the system is down
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Mar 10, 2019 20:51
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When it comes to watching this, I’m down. I only ever “owned” the shareware version of this (how’s that for an old-fashioned term?), but I absolutely loved it.
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Mar 11, 2019 04:01
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David Corbett posted:When it comes to watching this, I’m down. I only ever “owned” the shareware version of this (how’s that for an old-fashioned term?), but I absolutely loved it. Remember when people would distribute their software, and it came with a readme that ended with a snail mail address and the request "If you want to show appreciation just send me a postcard because it's cool to see how far away my stuff has traveled!" Something about that always made me smile.
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Mar 11, 2019 06:56
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Aw yeah, Descent. I'm real happy that this old classic is still playable today without too much hassle with emulator setup, system configuration, etc. Apparently it used to be a real popular LAN game back in the 90s, but I must have missed out on that. I will absolutely 100% credit this game for giving me a good sense of direction as a kid, though.
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Mar 11, 2019 08:57
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Leylite posted:Aw yeah, Descent. I'm real happy that this old classic is still playable today without too much hassle with emulator setup, system configuration, etc. Apparently it used to be a real popular LAN game back in the 90s, but I must have missed out on that. Some people would play it at LAN parties back in high school (including ones in the school computer lab, our teacher Mr Laeser was awesome that way), but I was busy playing Doom.
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Mar 11, 2019 17:30
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Yay, Descent! I grabbed this off GOG a while back hoping it could be played with a controller, but nope, it's a be joystick or bust. Pretty sure when my brother had it back in the day he used the numpad... Gonna enjoy watching this, and if anyone knows the cheapest possible joystick that wont break when you look at it I'd love to hear.
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Mar 11, 2019 17:37
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Nostalgia bomb! I remember when my brother discovered this on our Acer, and we were all excited that we got a full game without buying it separately. I remember kid me getting terrible vertigo from playing it, so unfortunately I didn't play it much. But I could watch someone play it without a problem for whatever reason, so I still have a lot of memories of the game. I hadn't thought of Descent in literally decades so I'm glad to see an LP of it!
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Mar 11, 2019 21:09
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Rosemont posted:Nostalgia bomb! I remember when my brother discovered this on our Acer, and we were all excited that we got a full game without buying it separately. I remember kid me getting terrible vertigo from playing it, so unfortunately I didn't play it much. But I could watch someone play it without a problem for whatever reason, so I still have a lot of memories of the game. I hadn't thought of Descent in literally decades so I'm glad to see an LP of it! Zipping through hallways at maximum speed, then sitting there staring at the map in bewilderment like you're a carload of tourists in the middle of Kansas.
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Mar 11, 2019 21:15
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What're your thoughts on Overload, OP? It's a spiritual successor that's actually made by the original devs, so it's legit. I tried playing Descents 1 and 2 within the last couple years and quit them both out of frustration around the halfway mark. Too many infuriating enemy and encounter designs, and I think playing with a modern framerate means homing attacks track way better than intended. Overload, to me, was the platonic ideal of a 6DOF, retaining the abstract labyrinths and challenging combat of its ancestors while also giving you enough room to manuever.
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Mar 11, 2019 21:48
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Hey, I used just the keyboard throughout the entirety of this and the sequel as a kid and loved it. Tried it with a joystick too, but it was pure torture.
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Mar 11, 2019 23:10
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Mordja posted:What're your thoughts on Overload, OP? It's a spiritual successor that's actually made by the original devs, so it's legit. I tried playing Descents 1 and 2 within the last couple years and quit them both out of frustration around the halfway mark. Too many infuriating enemy and encounter designs, and I think playing with a modern framerate means homing attacks track way better than intended. Overload, to me, was the platonic ideal of a 6DOF, retaining the abstract labyrinths and challenging combat of its ancestors while also giving you enough room to manuever. Overload is on my Steam Wish List, but I want to get through the pure and classic games first. I WILL BE RUNNING A COMMENTARY SESSION TONITE, 8PM MOUNTAIN TIME. COME JOIN IN! https://discord.gg/yuxdtS The more, the merrier.
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Mar 12, 2019 01:00
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  COMMENTARY (With Speedball) - NO COMMENTARY - 9:31 berryjon fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Mar 12, 2019 |
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Mar 12, 2019 03:40
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I finally had a few minutes to watch the first video, and it's bringing back all the nostalgia. I actually only got rid of my disks for 1 & 2 a month and a half ago when I moved apartments. Not only did I play it a ton over the years, it was one of my earliest multiplayer experiences. I did competitive with a friend over modem (hosting meant an absolutely crazy drop in performance), then cooperative via local LAN with the same friend. Co-op was rather fun, if much easier than single-player. And I actually had a pretty good keyboard layout figured out. I can't rightly remember it now, though. And it was never good enough for me mastering the technique you need against that one enemy. I'm sure that'll come up in future videos.
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Mar 12, 2019 03:47
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Commentary version says video unavailable.
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Mar 12, 2019 03:49
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Bruceski posted:Commentary version says video unavailable. Fixed. Mis-copied the link.
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Mar 12, 2019 04:01
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First death! It's a scene I know far too well. One of my favorite techniques that I haven't seen you use yet is using the lava explosions to damage nearby enemies. It's especially effective with the vulcan cannon.
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Mar 12, 2019 04:07
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Well I've never tried commentary before but I'm about to spend two weeks overseas for work, potentially without much to do in the weekends. Maybe I'll dig out an old mic and see if it works? I don't know if I can bring much to this other than a potentially entertaining accent.
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Mar 12, 2019 10:02
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Crazy Achmed posted:Well I've never tried commentary before but I'm about to spend two weeks overseas for work, potentially without much to do in the weekends. Maybe I'll dig out an old mic and see if it works? I don't know if I can bring much to this other than a potentially entertaining accent. edit: Oh, that's three in the morning. Welp. Curse you, time conversion! anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 13:50 on Mar 12, 2019 |
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Mar 12, 2019 13:47
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anilEhilated posted:Same here with the accent but I'll try to show up if only to express further incredulity at playing this with a joystick. Don't worry, that was just last night. If you're still interested, I can arrange a Saturday or Sunday morning thing that you can join in on.
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Mar 13, 2019 00:39
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Enemy drops are set in the map as a property of the individual enemy and not by type. In other words, when an enemy is placed, one of it's properties is what it can spawn, how many, and the probability of spawning it on death. You can do fun stuff like have it spawn other robots! You can make any robot into almost any other robot in all but appearance if you want, and even change it's behavior and physics! There's a robot in one of the maps that's not listed in any of the intros because it is a modified existing type with a texture, weapon, physics, and behavior override. I remember this from playing and tinkering with these games way back when. You might also be surprised that maps are made up entirely of cubes, which was one of the tricks it used to render maps so quickly back in the late 90s. You should check out DLE from https://descent2.de when you get a chance. mastersord fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Mar 14, 2019 |
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Mar 13, 2019 01:44
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awwww yeah. I did NOT play this back in the day, but co-op good times were had using Descent Rebirth. also isn't it Post-Terran not Pan-Terran? berryjon posted:huahaHAHAHA we haven't even reached the bane of my existence yet! Fish Noise fucked around with this message at 06:20 on Mar 13, 2019 |
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Mar 13, 2019 06:13
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mastersord posted:You might also be surprised that maps are made up entirely of cubes, which was one of the tricks it used to render maps so quickly back in the late 90s. Additionally, it uses a portal system in the drawing, so those twisting corridors serve a practical purpose in that they keep you from looking through too many open doorways at once.
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Mar 13, 2019 06:16
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I'm so on board for this! Two reasons - I've never heard berryjon before, but just read him - subtitles or screenshot LPs. And I also have heard a lot about Descent, having played the Freespace games more times than I should admit, but haven't ever seen it in action.
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Mar 13, 2019 07:16
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Never played Descent before, but watching these is bringing back long forgotten memories of playing Terminal Velocity as a kid. Greatly enjoying the videos, so keep it up!
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Mar 13, 2019 07:42
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You know, our ship seems awfully small compared to the size of those hostages. I can only imagine we are a jockey-turned-mercenary after the offworld mining industry has somehow crippled the horse racing market. I'm going to be in central Europe so I have no idea how that lines up with mountain time, but I do remember playing this game with a joystick as a kid, and never getting past like level 3 because I'd always get blown up while panicking and failing to find the exit, if I didn't get blown up by a robot first. I think my keybinds were something stupid like Q/A on throttle and ALT bound to "slide", because in my 11-year-old head it was a spaceship game, right? So it should control just like my favourite spaceship game, TIE Fighter?
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Mar 13, 2019 11:30
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Crazy Achmed posted:You know, our ship seems awfully small compared to the size of those hostages. I can only imagine we are a jockey-turned-mercenary after the offworld mining industry has somehow crippled the horse racing market. Since we can bring in new ships and collect our old stuff but not the hostages (ie the level doesn't reset like under most lives systems), I always assumed we were a remote pilot.
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Mar 13, 2019 21:06
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Bruceski posted:Since we can bring in new ships and collect our old stuff but not the hostages (ie the level doesn't reset like under most lives systems), I always assumed we were a remote pilot. The Pyro-GX, our ship, has a length of 4.6m. This is talked about a bit in video... 4, I believe?
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Mar 14, 2019 00:47
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