I think you're referring to degrees of freedom? The axes are vertical (z) and the two horizontal (x, y). It is entirely possible to use all three axes with just pitch and yaw, and I'm pretty sure that's considered 5 degrees of freedom. You are free to move your position on any of the three axes [i.e. freedom to change your (x,y,z) coordinates], and also to rotate around 2 of the axes (pitch & yaw), for a total of 5. Adding roll would be rotation around the third axis, making all 6. Wikipedias!
So your bog standard teh haloz fps has 4 degrees of freedom, and descent would have 6.
Woggle on
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Big DookieSmells great!Houston, TXRegistered Userregular
edited March 2009
Have any of you guys ever heard of an arcade version of Descent, where there were like 8 or more huge cockpits/cabinets arranged in a circle, and you played Descent deathmatch against other players like in the Daytona arcade game? I specifically remember playing this when my family took a trip to Vegas when I was younger, but I can't seem to find anything about it online, and I'm starting to wonder if I imagined this. Whether it was real or not, it was awesome.
Have any of you guys ever heard of an arcade version of Descent, where there were like 8 or more huge cockpits/cabinets arranged in a circle, and you played Descent deathmatch against other players like in the Daytona arcade game? I specifically remember playing this when my family took a trip to Vegas when I was younger, but I can't seem to find anything about it online, and I'm starting to wonder if I imagined this. Whether it was real or not, it was awesome.
That sounds awesome, I'm going to try and find it via google.
Have any of you guys ever heard of an arcade version of Descent, where there were like 8 or more huge cockpits/cabinets arranged in a circle, and you played Descent deathmatch against other players like in the Daytona arcade game? I specifically remember playing this when my family took a trip to Vegas when I was younger, but I can't seem to find anything about it online, and I'm starting to wonder if I imagined this. Whether it was real or not, it was awesome.
That sounds awesome, I'm going to try and find it via google.
The only thing even slightly related that I could find is that a company named "Stricor" may have been behind it, and it may have been called (sigh) "Xtreme-Descent II." However, I can find absolutely no information on the actual, physical game, or anyone else who can claim to have played it. If it does exist and I didn't dream it up, I can't believe I'm the only person on the internet to have played it and talked about it in the last ten years.
I read the first paragraph, and between being called an asshole, and hearing about your penis problems, I'm not sure if I want to go on.
It is like reading aint it cool news.
I seem to remember Descent 1 and 2 having redbook audio. Did they include that somehow in the GOG version?
Also there was, at one point, a bunch of descent 1 engine source ports out there, anyone use one of those?
G, you gotta start readin my posts. You might learned something! :P
The DOS release of Descent didn't have CD audio, but the Mac version did. It was basically a hi-fi version of the MIDI tracks and was very, very good (the music for the Descent 2 trailer I posted came from that very release). One of Descent 2's selling points was the music from Skinny Puppy, which was also redbook. I didn't like Skinny Puppy that much. I'm not sure what the Gog version contains, to be honest. Maybe I'll repurchase them again and find out for you.
I linked to a source port in my OP (DXX Rebirth), and MechMantis linked to a another version (D2X-XL). Actually, I think I intended to link to D2X-XL instead of Rebirth, but I wasn't thinking all that clearly when posting. Ah well!
Good god this was a fun series. I forget which one eventually wouldn't run on my computer, but it was a trying time for me. It was so goddamn hard too.
So, for those of us who got the games from GOG and are interested in multiplayer, looks like all we need to do is set up a Hamachi network and start shooting each other using the handily provided shortcuts in the Start menu.
Or we could do the D2X-XL route, that's what the people at Hard Light Productions (the beating heart of the Freespace community) did.
EDIT: And yes, Descent 2 from GOG includes the Skinny Puppy music.
So, for those of us who got the games from GOG and are interested in multiplayer, looks like all we need to do is set up a Hamachi network and start shooting each other using the handily provided shortcuts in the Start menu.
Or we could do the D2X-XL route, that's what the people at Hard Light Productions (the beating heart of the Freespace community) did.
EDIT: And yes, Descent 2 from GOG includes the Skinny Puppy music.
I've got the original CD, would I be able to join in on that or is it something built in to the GOG one? I last played it when I was 10 so I dont even remember much of anything
It's based off of DOSBox, you'd probably be able to get it to work if I just posted the different config files attached.
I'm personally leaning towards the D2X-XL route myself, I remember it getting far better performance than what DOSBox is giving me.
That and much higher resolutions.
MechMantis on
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
edited March 2009
The OP of this thread brought back a distinct memory from my youth ( I can't call it childhood, I'm too fucking old for that ) from playing this game. Specifically, the feeling that I was going to fall out of my chair and stick to the ceiling.
Now I'm going to have to rummage through my fucking closets and deal with my wife pestering me, wondering what I'm searching for obsessively.
i quite enjoyed descent 3 back when it came out, i wonder where i could get a copy these days. wouldnt mind dusting off the old sidewinder precision pro. i never had the first 2 sadly.
also forsaken was a pretty fun total descent ripoff.
i quite enjoyed descent 3 back when it came out, i wonder where i could get a copy these days. wouldnt mind dusting off the old sidewinder precision pro. i never had the first 2 sadly.
also forsaken was a pretty fun total descent ripoff.
ViscountalphaThe pen is mightier than the swordhttp://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered Userregular
edited March 2009
I still have my descent 2 and 3 cds. I remeber how 3 started and how awesome that intro footage was. No, I will not spoil it for you. You have to see it for yourself.
Wow, when I was in like fourth grade all the computers at my school had two games installed on them, Softball (which every goddamned fourth-grader played like videogame heroin), and (dum dum dum) Descent. I fucking rocked the shit out of that game, never played it since, but damnation I may have to.
How many levels were there? I seem to vividly remember about four maps and plenty of secret rooms and locations (though I just blew up the hostages; fourth grader, "Doods? Pew pew... dead doods")
I cry for my past and hope the future can willingly succumb to the folly of its sins. Or make Descent 4: THE RECKONING!
Hands up who used to move their head side-to-side and up-and-down when they first started playing this game.
*Raises hand*
It was always entertaining watching someone else play, their head would be moving in sympathy with the crazy movement, but their eyes would be fixed on the screen.
Man I need to pick up a joystick again. Zero-G is far too infrequent a game environment. Last two games I played that had it were Crysis and Dead Space, and those segments were always awesome. Especially Dead Space, the wide open areas and having an actual floor and ceiling made things so much more bizarre when you flipped everything on it's side.
Hands up who used to move their head side-to-side and up-and-down when they first started playing this game.
*Raises hand*
It was always entertaining watching someone else play, their head would be moving in sympathy with the crazy movement, but their eyes would be fixed on the screen.
Man I need to pick up a joystick again.
Man it is almost impossible not to in a game like this. It can be so disorienting sometimes.
Also I'm super excited that there is a Descent thread.
The install involves moving ALL the files in your Descent II folder(s) into DIFFERENT folders, according to file type.
There are about 30 file types that all need to go into different folders. It's something that requires more effort than I'm willing to exert right now.
For some reason, I never got motion sickness from this either. Then again, I was 12 years old at the time. Can't say if that'd still be the case.
This was what I was playing when everyone was screaming bloody murder about some mulleted-dude in a bodysuit showing off his ass while chasing down 'Metal Gears'. That Superhulk on level 8 (?) kicked me and my dad's ass for years...
The install involves moving ALL the files in your Descent II folder(s) into DIFFERENT folders, according to file type.
There are about 30 file types that all need to go into different folders. It's something that requires more effort than I'm willing to exert right now.
oh, yeah, that. Just sort by type and ctrl click, man, it's so worth it.
So, I'm trying to get D2X-XL set up, and it runs - but the menus are unusually slow, and the game will lock up every 5 seconds for a sec or two and then act like I performed every input during the freeze at once.
Googling now, but anyone have any ideas?
EDIT: OK, I turned on XP compatibility and run as administrator and it seems somewhat happier (the menu structure looks entirely different, for one thing)... still missing some sounds (maybe a datafile I missed?) and it seems like it takes *way* longer to load than I'd expect on a fairly high-end gaming rig... but it does look way purty.
I know I beat Descent 1 a long time ago, but never got around to finishing 2, much less playing 3. Though I remember playing the demo for 3 and getting stuck somewhere and I couldn't figure out how to continue. Oh well.
I remember I bought this Definitive Descent collection long ago that had 1 2 and 3, all rebuilt for Windows 2K I think. I'll have to dig it out and see if it still works.
I played Freespace 2 once, briefly. It struck me as a more modernized, refined Wing Commander. Even the radar was the same, and Wing Commander had a rather unique radar system at the time. I never played Freespace 1, but is it safe to assume it's very similar?
As for Decent being a FPS, I never got that. It always struck me as a space sim where you descend into tunnels, instead of flying in free space. Maybe I'm picking nits, but I think if you were already a flight sim or space sim fan, (Wing Commander, X-Wing, etc.) you'd pick up Descent more easily.
Man, I got the DXX-Rebirth source ports and now I have Descent 1 and 2 working great off my thumbdrive. I couldn't figure a way to bring my joystick to work (just not enough room to put all my other stuff) but it's not bad with keyboard and mouse. Working my way through Descent 1 (which I realized I had never played, I'd only played the sequel) at the moment and it's a blast still.
Posts
I think you're referring to degrees of freedom? The axes are vertical (z) and the two horizontal (x, y). It is entirely possible to use all three axes with just pitch and yaw, and I'm pretty sure that's considered 5 degrees of freedom. You are free to move your position on any of the three axes [i.e. freedom to change your (x,y,z) coordinates], and also to rotate around 2 of the axes (pitch & yaw), for a total of 5. Adding roll would be rotation around the third axis, making all 6. Wikipedias!
So your bog standard teh haloz fps has 4 degrees of freedom, and descent would have 6.
Oculus: TheBigDookie | XBL: Dook | NNID: BigDookie
That sounds awesome, I'm going to try and find it via google.
It is like reading aint it cool news.
I seem to remember Descent 1 and 2 having redbook audio. Did they include that somehow in the GOG version?
Also there was, at one point, a bunch of descent 1 engine source ports out there, anyone use one of those?
Oculus: TheBigDookie | XBL: Dook | NNID: BigDookie
G, you gotta start readin my posts. You might learned something! :P
The DOS release of Descent didn't have CD audio, but the Mac version did. It was basically a hi-fi version of the MIDI tracks and was very, very good (the music for the Descent 2 trailer I posted came from that very release). One of Descent 2's selling points was the music from Skinny Puppy, which was also redbook. I didn't like Skinny Puppy that much. I'm not sure what the Gog version contains, to be honest. Maybe I'll repurchase them again and find out for you.
I linked to a source port in my OP (DXX Rebirth), and MechMantis linked to a another version (D2X-XL). Actually, I think I intended to link to D2X-XL instead of Rebirth, but I wasn't thinking all that clearly when posting. Ah well!
Or we could do the D2X-XL route, that's what the people at Hard Light Productions (the beating heart of the Freespace community) did.
EDIT: And yes, Descent 2 from GOG includes the Skinny Puppy music.
I've got the original CD, would I be able to join in on that or is it something built in to the GOG one? I last played it when I was 10 so I dont even remember much of anything
The Pipe Vault|Twitter|Steam|Backloggery|3DS:1332-7703-1083
I'm personally leaning towards the D2X-XL route myself, I remember it getting far better performance than what DOSBox is giving me.
That and much higher resolutions.
Now I'm going to have to rummage through my fucking closets and deal with my wife pestering me, wondering what I'm searching for obsessively.
Descent rules.
also forsaken was a pretty fun total descent ripoff.
http://www.gog.com
I had a joystick that had a hat switch that I could map. It was the best.
How many levels were there? I seem to vividly remember about four maps and plenty of secret rooms and locations (though I just blew up the hostages; fourth grader, "Doods? Pew pew... dead doods")
I cry for my past and hope the future can willingly succumb to the folly of its sins. Or make Descent 4: THE RECKONING!
*Raises hand*
It was always entertaining watching someone else play, their head would be moving in sympathy with the crazy movement, but their eyes would be fixed on the screen.
Man I need to pick up a joystick again. Zero-G is far too infrequent a game environment. Last two games I played that had it were Crysis and Dead Space, and those segments were always awesome. Especially Dead Space, the wide open areas and having an actual floor and ceiling made things so much more bizarre when you flipped everything on it's side.
Man it is almost impossible not to in a game like this. It can be so disorienting sometimes.
Also I'm super excited that there is a Descent thread.
edit: OP needs to add in Descent: Freespace
Loved the crap out of that, too.
Through Hamachi, yes.
EDIT: Also: Fuck D2X-XL. The installation is far too complex for me to feel like bothering with it. The GOG configs seem like they work but...
I don't know how they operate. This will be problematic.
D3 is another problem, though.
And Mechmantis, D2X-XL is FUCKING AWESOME TAKE YOUR FILTHY WORD BACK SON
(It also adds widescreen support).
But CHRIST the install is brutal.
Weird, I don't remember having any trouble. I used Widescreen Gaming Forum as a guide though, I think.
There are about 30 file types that all need to go into different folders. It's something that requires more effort than I'm willing to exert right now.
This was what I was playing when everyone was screaming bloody murder about some mulleted-dude in a bodysuit showing off his ass while chasing down 'Metal Gears'. That Superhulk on level 8 (?) kicked me and my dad's ass for years...
oh, yeah, that. Just sort by type and ctrl click, man, it's so worth it.
So lazy.
And as for Descent 2: THIEF BOT MAKES ME ANGRY.
He stole my concussion missiles.
What do we need to do? Just set up Hamachi, or does one person need to be a server, or what?
Googling now, but anyone have any ideas?
EDIT: OK, I turned on XP compatibility and run as administrator and it seems somewhat happier (the menu structure looks entirely different, for one thing)... still missing some sounds (maybe a datafile I missed?) and it seems like it takes *way* longer to load than I'd expect on a fairly high-end gaming rig... but it does look way purty.
I remember I bought this Definitive Descent collection long ago that had 1 2 and 3, all rebuilt for Windows 2K I think. I'll have to dig it out and see if it still works.
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Any mans interested for trying to get multiplayer to work? I still haven't installed D2X-XL, so this'd be vanilla, either Descent 1 or 2.
I also have 3 but that game wasn't as fun.
I played Freespace 2 once, briefly. It struck me as a more modernized, refined Wing Commander. Even the radar was the same, and Wing Commander had a rather unique radar system at the time. I never played Freespace 1, but is it safe to assume it's very similar?
As for Decent being a FPS, I never got that. It always struck me as a space sim where you descend into tunnels, instead of flying in free space. Maybe I'm picking nits, but I think if you were already a flight sim or space sim fan, (Wing Commander, X-Wing, etc.) you'd pick up Descent more easily.