13 replies to this topic

[defcon_x]

I think a great promotion and tie-in would be if you did just a few Let's Play videos or WMHangouts of the devs suffering through the first levels of Descent 1 and Descent 2.

 

We have seen enough of the original ("old") gameplay that is virtually obsolete at this point anyway.

 

So how about some dev play of classic Descent (the new "sequels" to D:U)!! Wouldn't it be fun to see?    

 

Who's with me?!

[Swingarm1032]

That would be fun to see indeed. 

 

I want to see the D1 Level 27 boss toast WM with a few Megas as well

[Wingman]

I like this idea - and it woudl be even more fun to play the originals online, which I know can be done but is not all that easy.....for new players to hook up.

WM

[defcon_x]

Yay! Wingman likes this idea! +1

 

 

That would be fun to see indeed. 

 

I want to see the D1 Level 27 boss toast WM with a few Megas as well

 

Well. And the "correct" way to fight that boss is to use all the invulnerabilities and cloaks placed conveniently near the red door ... so being smacked in the face with some megas should theoretically present no problem!

[Groundhound]

[dev]
I like this idea - and it woudl be even more fun to play the originals online, which I know can be done but is not all that easy.....for new players to hook up.

WM
[/dev]

 

This problem has come up before, particularly during the Kickstarter. People want to play the original Descent games, but those games do not natively run on modern PCs. I configured a completely legal unzip-and-play version of Descent: Destination Mercury, the Shareware version of Descent 1, that uses the Retro tracker to facilitate multiplayer games. "Anarchy" and "Anarchy with Robots" work based on tests with MangoMon. Here's a link to the forum post with documentation and download links:

 

https://descendentst...-and-8/?p=11550

 

Of note is that people who are playing the shareware copy cannot join people who are playing the full version, or vice versa. Everyone who wants to participate in a match should use this .zip to avoid conflicts.

 

While the .zip has been working fine for years, if there are any issues that need to be resolved please let me know. This was a useful asset during the Kickstarter, and its time may have come once again!

[defcon_x]

Groundhound, you're a hero. Thank you.

 

 

 

Retro tracker

 

This. Thing. Totally realm of dragons and mystery. "Trackers"?

 

This thing has always been the most worrying thing about classic Descent to me. I loved D3's PXO and I love D:U's google servers. I liked Diablo II just working. I just want to turn on a game and have it connect. LAN parties felt comparatively like the best solution for old Descent.

 

Trying to arrange a classic online Descent game by the time I had an Internet connection at all (over phone lines ... anyone remember when fancy 28.8 baud modems arrived?) conjured in my mind nothing but dark geocities web sites with red fonts, gray tables with 6 pixel borders, and lists of users and stats and a sub-culture of "ladders" (whatever that meant) and no obvious way to hit a button that says "Play with others now".

 

I imagined it involved going to a dark alley to meet with strangers named after Bulletin Board Service IP addresses and exchanging some kind of crypto code rings to determine that our signs would align and a Descent game could occur on the next full moon if someone didn't catch a cold.

 

Thank goodness we have crawled out of that medieval time (that probably only existed in my head).

 

How does one arrange an online game for classic Descent now? Does it involve watching several YouTube training videos? I am just teasing, I am sure it's much simpler than my stupid fear. 

[LotBlind]

Aside from multiplayer-ing, I think you guys should talk about what you like and perhaps don't like about the first three D games. I'm most interested in what you get out of 3 TBH.

[Phyrex]

 

This. Thing. Totally realm of dragons and mystery. "Trackers"?

 

This thing has always been the most worrying thing about classic Descent to me. I loved D3's PXO and I love D:U's google servers. I liked Diablo II just working. I just want to turn on a game and have it connect. LAN parties felt comparatively like the best solution for old Descent.

 

Trying to arrange a classic online Descent game by the time I had an Internet connection at all (over phone lines ... anyone remember when fancy 28.8 baud modems arrived?) conjured in my mind nothing but dark geocities web sites with red fonts, gray tables with 6 pixel borders, and lists of users and stats and a sub-culture of "ladders" (whatever that meant) and no obvious way to hit a button that says "Play with others now".

 

I imagined it involved going to a dark alley to meet with strangers named after Bulletin Board Service IP addresses and exchanging some kind of crypto code rings to determine that our signs would align and a Descent game could occur on the next full moon if someone didn't catch a cold.

 

Thank goodness we have crawled out of that medieval time (that probably only existed in my head).

 

How does one arrange an online game for classic Descent now? Does it involve watching several YouTube training videos? I am just teasing, I am sure it's much simpler than my stupid fear. 

You install dxx retro (involves unzipping one file and copy-pasting the contents to your descent directory), add the line "-tracker_hostaddr retro-tracker.game-server.cc" to your shortcut for the game and from that point on you can just go to multiplayer -> join game. not nearly as hard as you seem to think:D though to be able to host games you have to forward a port.
 

[Wingman]

Aside from multiplayer-ing, I think you guys should talk about what you like and perhaps don't like about the first three D games. I'm most interested in what you get out of 3 TBH.

 

Liked multiple ships, think that once you move into a wide open environment with Six Dof movement - hitting becomes near impossible.....

 

Just to start.

WM

[defcon_x]

[dev]

 

Liked multiple ships, think that once you move into a wide open environment with Six Dof movement - hitting becomes near impossible.....

 

Just to start.

WM

[/dev]

 

 

Do go on!

 

You install dxx retro (involves unzipping one file and copy-pasting the contents to your descent directory), add the line "-tracker_hostaddr retro-tracker.game-server.cc" to your shortcut for the game and from that point on you can just go to multiplayer -> join game. not nearly as hard as you seem to think:D

 

 

That sounds simple! Fantastic. 

 

 

though to be able to host games you have to forward a port.

 

 

 

 

That sounds harder, but worth it if I could set up a bunch of Descent: Levels of the World co-op games. I'd love to see the Devs play some of those weird 4D levels.

 

[Splotchie]

I'd watch this.  I even maybe would watch it live.

Or even join in, if the option's available.

 

Thing to think about:  If you're playing Retro (or vanilla for whatever reason you'd do that for) the number of players in a match is capped at 8.  That may not be enough depending on how much response this gets.  And it already looks like one of the more active threads here.   Having different members of the D:U team each host their own match might not be a bad idea, since that would also prevent you guys from taking up half the slots on one server which would only allow four-ish fans to join at a time; or else Eric himself being the only team member to play.

 

And if you do co-op do it at a high difficulty level.  Since players can respawn however many times they like it keeps the game interesting no matter who's joining in.

[Blarney77]

If you wanna play D1 & D2 on modern machines you can use the D2X-XL, but it is NOT easy to set up and play quickly.....    OR!

...

    You can use the D2x-Rebirth... that Simply loads the game, give you HI REZ screen options and run fantastic with very little settings work.  I run it 2560x1440 (2K) and usually at around 200fpS!  (Ryzen 7 1700 @ 3.6Ghz, Asus Strix GTX-970- Samsung 28" 4K Monitor in 2K mode.)  It's excellent and very easy to set up.   I have several of my own levels that managed to survive the many years since DOS play.  Rebirth improves the graphics to make it look like it was made to run on today's machines.  Looks Awesome.  Yeah I know there is an issue with updates and has not been updated well in a while, but it's the best looking without having to set 30+ settings every time you want o play the game as the other guys make ya do.  Only played a couple of multiplayer sessions with it, but it worked like a charm.   

 

    Some really love all the options of the XL, but I just wanna pop into the game and play so Rebirth works best for me.  The graphics are MUCH MUCH better than trying to play on Steam or GoG... graphics are terrible on those.

 

    I just love that there are good options to keep the old ones running beautifully on the high-power computers we game on today.

[Splotchie]

I like d2x-xl best but it is a pain to set up for multiplayer. If descendent just wants to stream a singleplayer game or play multiplayer against each other it might work; and for folks just watching, especially people who weren't around in 1995-99, they might appreciate the extra visual clarity over DOS or rebirth.  It *is* the only version of classic Descent with antialiasing after all.  But if folks from the community are in the game at all (which seems more likely knowing Descendent ) rebirth is the way to go.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

I would love to pass a few Shakers to the Devs in a cramped 8 player of GigaDeath 4 rofl xD

Just wanna Blow em up Big time haha xD

Descent 2 all the way for me