Descent 3 rant

[karx11erx]

I just watched part of a D3 video clip on youtube, and I had to quit after a few seconds because that video seems like a distillate of what I don't like about Descent 3.

• Those garish colors - Ugh!
  
• Bad, bland, uninspired, illogical level design attempting to be realistic but not being at all
  
• Robots that mimic organic beings, all the way (if I want to fight monsters, I go play DOOM3)
  
• Compared to the environment the Pyro is an insect and not a fighter ship
• I wish I had the Black Shark in D2X-XL just for the heck of it, but the rest ...

Had to get this off my chest. That video has brought up memories of traumatic experiences.

Btw, when watching the video I noticed that the light coronas in D2X-XL are rendered better than those in D3 ... D3's explosions look gorgeous though. On the other hand they don't have shrapnel and smoke trails ...

[yacoub]

yeah, very much agree. especially the color palette and the level design! also they ruined mouse-look/aim control somehow. either you can turn and aim smoothly but only very very slowly, or you can turn fast but cannot aim smoothly and carefully. very strange how they were unable to fix that given that every other game including descent 1 & 2 have mouselook/aim working just fine.

[karx11erx]

I have to disagree. Mouse control in Descent 1 and 2 was a mess. The higher the framerate, the less responsive the mouse was. This was only fixed in D2X-XL (and later in DXX-Rebirth). There is no mouselook at all in D1+D2 in the way it is referenced in regard with Descent (instantaneous turning of the ship due to extremely high mouse sensitivity). D2X-XL (and afaik Rebirth) are offering that kind of mouselook, but imo it makes aiming very hard again because the game's reaction to mouse movements tends to get super sensitive.

[Pumo]

[*]Robots that mimic organic beings, all the way (if I want to fight monsters, I go play DOOM3)

That's the worst part of D3, IMO.
Personally, i like all Descent titles (including D3) but i must admit that some levels doesn't have the better design.
D3 Mercenary had far better levels than D3 Retribution.

I would add a few extra 'features' that i don't like on D3:

• The weapon balance (e.g. useless EMD cannon (although very pretty as eye-candy), useless countermeasures, etc...)
• Ship physics (i don't like how the ship moves and the low drag values).

The only thing i like about physics on D3 are the gravity functions and ground objects.
On the other hand, i must admit that i really like several textures, as well as various graphic elements (procedural textures, nice dynamic light, etc) and the terrain engine.

[yacoub]

I have to disagree. Mouse control in Descent 1 and 2 was a mess. The higher the framerate, the less responsive the mouse was. This was only fixed in D2X-XL (and later in DXX-Rebirth). There is no mouselook at all in D1+D2 in the way it is referenced in regard with Descent (instantaneous turning of the ship due to extremely high mouse sensitivity). D2X-XL (and afaik Rebirth) are offering that kind of mouselook, but imo it makes aiming very hard again because the game's reaction to mouse movements tends to get super sensitive.

Well all I can say for sure is that how it is in D2X-XL is perfect.
Descent 3 is a mess. I honestly don't remember exactly how good/bad D1 & D2 originally were but I know they were never as bad as Descent 3.

[Sirius]

The terrain engine which I blatantly ripped off.

[-JoFFa-]

I have to disagree. Mouse control in Descent 1 and 2 was a mess. The higher the framerate, the less responsive the mouse was. This was only fixed in D2X-XL (and later in DXX-Rebirth). There is no mouselook at all in D1+D2 in the way it is referenced in regard with Descent (instantaneous turning of the ship due to extremely high mouse sensitivity). D2X-XL (and afaik Rebirth) are offering that kind of mouselook, but imo it makes aiming very hard again because the game's reaction to mouse movements tends to get super sensitive.

Well all I can say for sure is that how it is in D2X-XL is perfect.
Descent 3 is a mess. I honestly don't remember exactly how good/bad D1 & D2 originally were but I know they were never as bad as Descent 3.

Its amazing how unison our points of views are.

[Kaizerwolf]

[rant] Well, you cant expect EVERYTHING from a game mmade in the 90's can you? Descent games are the greatest of their time, most advanced. Descent 3 is practically bursting at the seems with so much color, variation, graphics enhancements, everything! It just seems to amaze the player. Where as 1 and 2 were heavily pixelated (and still are, no matter what mods you use) Descent 3 has way more pixels, giving a better performance and quality. [/rant]

Testing the new rant teg, did it work?

[Sirius]

...the rant didn't. :p

Some of the very recent shots from D2 actually do look better than D3.

[karx11erx]

Kaizer,

I didn't like D3 for the reasons given above when it was brand new, so wtf. Compare it to Half-Life graphically, and you know what I mean.

[Aus-RED-5]

[rant]Where as 1 and 2 were heavily pixelated (and still are, no matter what mods you use) Descent 3 has way more pixels, giving a better performance and quality. [/rant]

Wrong.

D2X-XL by far out does D3.

[karx11erx]

X2!

[blarget#]

d1 and 3 sucks, and d2 rules.
leave it at that.

[karx11erx]

Everybody has a different taste here.

Leave it at that.

[CH-3]

• Robots that mimic organic beings, all the way (if I want to fight monsters, I go play DOOM3)

Agreed.

There is something more where D3 fails:

• Too complex (and even illogical) missions.

I prefer the D1/D2 style: Keys, Reactor and a few switches on the way.