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Descent 3 Source Code

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Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#141

Post by ansible »

KingOfCoders wrote: post #59

Fond memories of Descent. I bought a flightstick to play it. Also Descent was the first game in the 1990s I've played with a VR headset.

I also used a flight stick with Descent and Descent 2. I configured the hat switch for strafe up / down and strafe left / right.

Later, I also bought a [Logitech Cyberman 2](https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Logitech_CyberMan_2) 6-DoF controller for playing Descent, but it wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped. Part of the issue was moving / turning along multiple axes which limited the range of input from the controller to the game. So if you only pushed forward, you got 100%, but pushing forward and sideways, you only got ~70% of each (trigonometry). But with a keyboard or buttons, you could get 100% of each.

I also ended up mapping forward / back to buttons because it was less annoying to hold down a button constantly for movement.

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#142

Post by rux »

Descent's control system is for me what cemented the "invert Y axis" on the mouse for controlling first person gaming forevermore. My brain absolutely clicked with the 6DoF mindset, but it has meant that all FPS games from that point on had to conform to it, even if the game wasn't in any way flying-based.

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#143

Post by Xiol32 »

rux wrote: post #142

Descent's control system is for me what cemented the "invert Y axis" on the mouse for controlling first person gaming forevermore. My brain absolutely clicked with the 6DoF mindset, but it has meant that all FPS games from that point on had to conform to it, even if the game wasn't in any way flying-based.

Inverted Y players unite!

Descent also contributed to my ruined brain, along with Flight Simulator 95. Cannot play without inverted Y.

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#144

Post by CodeCompost »

OrwellianChild wrote: post #45
jaegrqualm wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not that you asked, but there's exactly one (popular) game that utilizes the same control scheme in modern times, Outer Wilds. Although it's not a shooter, it's quite a nice adventure game. https://store.steampowered.com/app/753640/Outer_Wilds/ There is, however, an outright continuation of the subgenre, in Overload. https://store.steampowered.com/app/448850/Overload/

Super cheap on GOG right now... https://www.gog.com/en/game/overload

I'm confused. This is another game?

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#145

Post by Gareth321 »

sbierwagen wrote: post #58
shermantanktop wrote: post #3

I loved loved loved this game. Never understood why this concept didn’t become a whole genre. No actual up, 360 degree freedom, enemies that were smart and could snipe you. Wasted many hours back then and very eager to try this out.

There was Shattered Horizon from 2009, a zero g multiplayer shooter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWsHxTFPxSE One fun feature was you could shut off your suit power to go into a stealth mode. This turned off all the HUD elements, and, amusingly enough, turned off most gameplay noises (the explosions and bullets whizzing by) because, in-universe, all those noises are generated by the suit computer, because space is…

That takes me back. I remember Shattered Horizon being a flagship DirectX 11 title, and looking at the graphics, it still holds up today.

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#146

Post by mikepurvis »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #82
shermantanktop wrote: post #3

I loved loved loved this game. Never understood why this concept didn’t become a whole genre. No actual up, 360 degree freedom, enemies that were smart and could snipe you. Wasted many hours back then and very eager to try this out.

Elite Dangerous delivers 6 DOF piloting goodness. https://youtu.be/T2-IHgNYaKA https://old.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/16xi20a/dua... https://youtu.be/9U0KNVQmlcM I miss this game... > Never understood why this concept didn’t become a whole genre. Spaceflight simulators have always been niche, unfortunately. Even more niche than flight simulators.

Having had a bit of this experience with Gravity Rush, I think a weakness for me is that 6dof games can end up feeling a bit like just pointing at some target and hitting the forward button. Basically, without the constraints of “regular” flight mechanics like having to maintain velocity, avoid stall, etc, the whole thing devolves into endless pointing and 3D circle-strafing.

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#147

Post by teruakohatu »

DonHopkins wrote: post #134

I'm working on making an open source version of Yoot Tower (aka Sim Tower, The Tower II) that runs in the browser! https://github.com/YootTowerManagement/YootTower What led to this being possible: There was recently a discussion about elevators on Hacker News, and somebody mentioned SimTower and asked about the algorithms it used, so I gave Yoot a call to ask him, and he mentioned he wanted to open source it. I enthu…

This is exiting to hear. I got Sim Tower running not long ago and was unaware it had many subsequent and handheld versions.

Have you looked at the game Project Highrise? How do you think it compares.

Speaking of maxis, do you think we will ever see SimEarth open sourced?

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#148

Post by mikepurvis »

bostik wrote: post #68
Analemma_ wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a weird effect where sometimes one game in a genre will become so iconic that nobody wants to try and make another one, possibly out of fear of seeming like they're ripping it off? It happened to Descent, and I feel like it happened to e.g. Myst as well - everyone was expecting the huge success of Myst to launch a whole genre, and then it just... didn't.

Myst may not have launched a genre, but it did establish its own kind of game style. 3D world. Adventure game mechanics, with problems and puzzles - but where progress opens up more puzzles, and where instead of developing the character skills, you develop the story. Slow paced. There have been plenty of games to tap into that style, but not enough or frequently enough to warrant calling them part of a genre. Black D…

Nowadays this is the walking simulator genre with hundreds of titles available, but certainly I agree that it took an extremely long time to truly become its own thing.

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#149

Post by simoncion »

chungus wrote: post #124
palata wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Data points would be interesting too. Someone saying "I used to get sick after 15min, and now I can play for 60min without a problem. I always stop playing right when I start getting sick". You know, just to see that it has happened to someone :-)

edit : well this became a bit longer than I initially planned, I think I just had a lot to share when it comes to my recent VR adventures. Well here I am: I initially got queasy as soon as I moved, then I'd immediately stop and take a break, longer breaks in the beginning. Initially I got a strong sense of de-realization / depersonalization after getting out of the digital world (i.e. looking at your hands and your b…

Yeah, add me to the list of people who have used the "stop immediately when you're getting noticeably queasy" technique to train my stupid brain to realize that no, it's not actually being poisoned, so it should stop fucking thinking it is and grow the fuck up. ;)

There are still some sorts of games that will make me queasy (games that have a lot of uncontrollable-by-me jumping around (think "leaping ninja fighting games') for instance), but by and large, I've no trouble.

I also found Dramamine to be helpful during the intermediate period where I'd still otherwise get nauseous after a while. I find it continues to be helpful for things like those stupid "leaping ninja fighting games".

Re: Descent 3 Source Code

#150

Post by jojobas »

Xiol32 wrote: post #143
rux wrote: post #142

Descent's control system is for me what cemented the "invert Y axis" on the mouse for controlling first person gaming forevermore. My brain absolutely clicked with the 6DoF mindset, but it has meant that all FPS games from that point on had to conform to it, even if the game wasn't in any way flying-based.

Inverted Y players unite! Descent also contributed to my ruined brain, along with Flight Simulator 95. Cannot play without inverted Y.

"Inverted Y" is what Wright brothers had on the Flyer.
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