Descent : Underground. Did anyone here knew about this?

CDN_Merlin · Post by **CDN_Merlin** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 12:11 pm

Interesting. Sadly I don't recognize any of those people or names.

vision · Post by **vision** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 12:14 pm

No single-player campaign!

Thanks for the link. I don't like that this project is an official version of Descent which isn't D4. I think I'll pass. There are already a couple good 6DoF multi-player projects out there.

Xamindar · Post by **Xamindar** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 12:47 pm

These guys were working for Chris Roberts on Star Citizen and have left to start their own project. Interesting but I'm not a big fan of that tech tree idea.

But it's Descent!

CDN_Merlin · Post by **CDN_Merlin** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 2:06 pm

It also has the Pay to Win ideal. Not for me. I don't play any MMO's due to that fact and any game where I have to make in game purchases to win, screw that.

Pumo · Post by **Pumo** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 3:17 pm

vision wrote: No single-player campaign!

I noticed the same, so I decided to sent a message to the development team at their Kickstarter page.

I got a reply, and they told me that although MP is their focus for now, there are plans to add Single Player on the future after releasing the Multiplayer version (or sooner if they get enough funds on Kickstarter).

They also told me that the storyline will be a prequel to Descent and that you will see the Pyro-GX and other stuff from the Descent universe at later stages of the game.

vision · Post by **vision** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 3:44 pm

Pumo wrote:I got a reply...

Hmmm. Well, I'm between jobs right now, so let's bump this thread in a few weeks and see if I can justify spending money on a SP campaign that "might" happen later.

Pumo · Post by **Pumo** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 4:08 pm

Nah, I would wait for now.
Give it a bit of time before investing your bucks on their KS campaign, I think there will be more stuff to see to make us judge better (be it either negatively or positively).
There's still time left on their campaign (31 days to go), and a lot can happen during that time.

But yeah, I must admit that for now I'm still a bit skeptical.
I mean, I DO really feel excited to see a new Descent game in development, but appart from the fact that it's mainly focused on MP (at least for now) I'm still afraid that it won't feel as it should (you now, all the original Descent physics, mechanics and movements).

I'm more or less confident that Sol Contingency will play and feel better than Descent : Undergound.

Also, let's not forget what happened with Miner Wars. It looked like a big thing, but it was a huge disapointment at the end.

Top Gun · Post by **Top Gun** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 6:59 pm

I don't really know what to think about this...honestly it's waving a lot of the same red flags that have prevented me from caring about Star Citizen. There's way too much of a pay-to-win scent.

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:16 pm

Not to mention all the extra pay to win stuff is going to make the game a lot more complicated.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:22 pm

yeah.. no.

Why am I mining again?? I thought we built bots for that? That sounds more like Miner Wars than Descent.

Just sayin.....

dwlpunk · Post by **dwlpunk** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:58 pm

So.. are they going to be hit with a Cease and Desist letter from Interplay also? Or did they pony up the cash raised from Star Citizen?

Pumo · Post by **Pumo** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:06 pm

They won't get a C&D letter because they are working with Interplay: http://www.interplay.com/about/article.php?id=81

Maybe SolC got the letter precisely because Interplay had this project in mind?
Anyway, Eric Peterson (lead of Descendent Studios) replied to max (leader of SolC team) here:

I suggest to the community to adopt max's position (as he stated here: http://forum.preparefordescent.com/view ... f=18&t=451).
Support the project you like the most without bashing and without accusations of stealing/cloning, and be grateful that the 6DOF genre is getting more and more releases each time.
The more games, the better!

Personally, I prefer Sol Contingency, but I do also support the idea of Descent : Underground.

dwlpunk · Post by **dwlpunk** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:51 pm

Personally.. I liked the idea of Sol Contingency a lot better. I may throw 30 dollars at this.. But I was really hoping to at least try SolC.

I have backed both Star Citizen, and Elite. I just don't know about this new reboot yet. But the fact that it has something to do with Descent really peaks my interest.

Pumo · Post by **Pumo** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 9:00 pm

You will be trying SolC, rest assured of that!

max and the rest of the SolC team are preparing the release of their Proving Grounds multiplayer demo, so keep an eye on it!

Even if SolC won't use assets nor names from the Descent franchise, it will be a true spiritual succesor so don't lose hope!

homeyduh · Post by **homeyduh** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 9:19 pm

Thank you so much Pumo for all the support! Everything you're saying is right on point as we're trying to make the transition seamless for everyone coming from Descent. It feels *just* right...like a glove that was tailored to your hand. You guys will love it.

Aggressor Prime · Post by **Aggressor Prime** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 9:36 pm

ccb056, myself, and my younger brother have all signed up to back this. I'm so glad that it is finally happening.

vision · Post by **vision** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:50 pm

SolC seems more interesting to me. The video for DU didn't really sell it well. I just though, "oh, looks like Miner Wars."

ReadyMan · Post by **ReadyMan** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:54 pm

New descent? Prequel?

Definitely interested.
I wrote WingMan and got a response within a few hours.

Here's his reply to my many questions regarding the Descent IP, Sol Contingency C&D, MMO/pay to play, etc:

Descendent Studios says:

1. We have a license for Descent
2. It is a session based team oriented FPS combat game
3. You can pay once and never pay again, everything can be earned by playing
4. It is a prequel set before the original - thus you may see the birth of those ships over time - Pyro GX etc.
5. Sol Contigency happened BEFORE we even started on this in December - I have reached out to them to see if they would like to join in on this - that will be up to the.
6. We would love to shepherd Descent for years, including reaimagining some of the original maps - we will let the fans decide which ones they would like to see first...etc.

I think I'm satisfied enough to back this.
I want to trichord and lob fusion....at least this is a triple A game pushing descent into the mainstream after so long....

Pumo · Post by **Pumo** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:15 am

Good to see the responses you got from them readyman, it's always good to know more info about this.

I will also post here the stuff that I said at other forums, just to add a bit more to this discussion and to bring more light regarding many questions many of us have about D.Underground (as I'm also eagerly researching and asking for info here & there):

Pumo @ D2X-XL forums wrote:...As a side note and as I noticed that there are a lot of misunderstandings everywhere regarding this new project:
For now it will be a Multiplayer MOBA game only, but on the future they will be adding a Single-Player campaign (or so that's what they said to me) that will tell the events before Descent 1, and you will see the Pyro-GX at later stages of the game, as well as some robots.

Also, there will be a suscription but only for special access to their forums and developer stuff, not for stuff in-game (although they may include DLC , but I don't know for sure ).
...

Pumo @ SolC forums wrote:The developers have said both on their forums (and also on a reply of a message I sent to them) that there will be a Single-Player campaign, but that it will be made after publishing the Multiplayer or earlier if they get enough funds. They also told me that the campaign will tell the story before Descent 1 began, and that you will see the Pyro at later stages of the game.
And yeah, that there will be robots. Check this thread from his forums:

http://descendentstudios.com/community/ ... s-changes/

But it seems they want to make sure their bussines goes well by hooking new players (younger than us) to the franchise through a mode of game more conventional to this day (although that's definitely a thing I don't like very much ).

Overall, I still think that SolC will be a better spiritual sucessor to the original Descent titles.

Pumo @ Planet Descent wrote:But as Eric (the project leader) said on FB, the suscription won't be in-game:
"That is for the forums and access to live broadcasted design meetings....everything can be earned in the game FYI"

You can check his reply at the SolC FB page: https://www.facebook.com/preparefordescent?fref=ts
(yeah, he posted on there as he needed to clear some things regarding SolC )

Alter-Fox · Post by **Alter-Fox** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:10 am

It does seem like he's a competent developer at least, but bear in mind we don't know why projects like Descent for Wii stagnated, and I'm keeping in mind the possibility that it might not have had anything to do with the competence of the developers.
I'm not throwing any money at them unless I'm certain that it's actually going to be used to complete a game that we can play and that's worth playing. If that does end up happening then I'll be very excited, even despite working on a competing product.

But... with Interplay's track record it has got me wondering whether their intentions are the same as those of the developers they hire.

sigma · Post by **sigma** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:55 am

Duper wrote:yeah.. no.

Why am I mining again?? I thought we built bots for that? That sounds more like Miner Wars than Descent.

Just sayin.....

I totally agree. In Miner Wars a great sense of the ship in space. As in Descent: Underground. This is good. But the ships should look like a fighters-interceptors, not as deep-water apparatus for research of the ocean. Although, of course, this is only a first impression...

Although, it seems that they are not working robot. They are more like a rare treasure hunters. If so the plot of the game, then it is quite attractive...

If there is a good natural dynamic control of the ship, and a lot of interesting levels, in my opinion, it can be a good game.

dwlpunk · Post by **dwlpunk** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:43 am

Back in 2012 I was excited to back star citizen and elite in anticipation that someone somewhere would reboot descent. It seemed inevitable especially since 90's fads are coming back both in pop culture and in the gaming industry. I thought SolC was the closest, in my opinion, to bringing that feel back.

I broke down and pledged 80 dollars last night.. I have a little more confidence because they are backed by interplay, but I guess we'll see. I would really be happy to see some of the SolC guys work for wingman and his team and really bring that atmosphere back with throwbacks to the original robots, and mining installations.

At least they are using UE4 and not cryengine. cryengine is beautiful in all, but UE4 in my opinion is much more polished and stable.. just download the Unreal Tournament 4 alpha and play the new outpost23 map.. it's just breathtaking.

VertigoAbyss · Post by **VertigoAbyss** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:24 pm

I have been wait for this announcement for 10 years!

Aggressor Prime · Post by **Aggressor Prime** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 1:36 pm

According to the live stream, it seems like Interplay is not the publisher. The only involvement with Interplay is that they gave Descendent Studios the rights to use the name. As such, it seems like DS has full range of freedom. They shouldn't be held back by Interplay.

And to clear up a few things, see what they are advertising as the starter phase (what they call phase 1). They did talk about bringing back old Descent style maps (or remakes of those maps) in the livestream for later stages, as well as bringing back the Pyro-GX. So this isn't just slap Descent title on a game and grab the fanbase.

Their angle is to bring in the next generation gamers into an old universe, updating that universe with some new concepts (e.g. mining, modifications, earning credits for modifications, etc.) From what I've read, the story fits, although it is kind of easy to make a story fit on the timeline they are telling. What will be interesting is how well they bring in the PTMC and their rise to power. I would love to work for Dravis and actually get my paycheck.

VertigoAbyss · Post by **VertigoAbyss** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 3:00 pm

It will probably be good, but I think Sol Contingency will be better

homeyduh · Post by **homeyduh** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:04 pm

There's only one thing they could do with the license that would make me ★■◆● myself...one thing...and that's to totally remake all the D1 and D2 SP missions in UE4. Because of the C&D, we definitely can't do it, but they can. If they promised that, I would probably back them too honestly. Can't beat those classic awesome levels.

VertigoAbyss · Post by **VertigoAbyss** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:08 pm

I liked D1 and D2 levels because it was easy to get lost, never quite got it with D3, though level 13 was nice.

Sirius · Post by **Sirius** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:11 pm

VertigoAbyss wrote:It will probably be good, but I think Sol Contingency will be better

This is my feeling so far. Sol Contingency's direction means that if it's executed properly, it can basically be the classic "skill" game alternative. I'm not clear what D:U is going for but it seems to be more blingy "things that make people spend money these days" - maybe a good recruiting ground and place to just slack off, but they'll need to surprise me for it to be as satisfying as the original games were.

Which they could yet do. I'm not sure I understand why there seems to be a cult of personality around Descendent Studios' head guy, but at the least they're responsive to their community.

pipsqueak · Post by **pipsqueak** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:29 pm

Sol Contingency, IMO has more of that Descent feel that I think gives most of us that warm fuzzy feeling, Level play and design (based on footage of the game) I think more closely mirrors Descent. although I'm not sure what the ships are gonna look like since they can't resemble Descent due to the CDO. Based on the short video of Descent Underground I also was thinking miner wars with a "kinda, sorta" Descent likeness. Shipwise, I was a little disappointed not to see something similar to a Pyro. Pre Descent or not, to me Pyro equals Descent. That's not to say I don't think it has potential, they do seem to have an experienced team and I don't really see why two Descent like games can't co-exist in our world. The way I look at it, the more the merrier. For the Descent community its win-win. Btw, DESCENDENT studios, ya gotta love that name!

vision · Post by **vision** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 2:22 am

pipsqueak wrote:Shipwise, I was a little disappointed not to see something similar to a Pyro.

I would be happy if they designed ships that captured a similar aesthetic, something that feels like a precursor to the Pyro, Phoenix, or Magnum, but the art style is way too different. Very jarring.

sigma · Post by **sigma** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:47 am

vision wrote:
pipsqueak wrote:Shipwise, I was a little disappointed not to see something similar to a Pyro.
I would be happy if they designed ships that captured a similar aesthetic, something that feels like a precursor to the Pyro, Phoenix, or Magnum, but the art style is way too different. Very jarring.

Precisely! Better than Descent, can only be Descent.

ReadyMan · Post by **ReadyMan** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 6:23 pm

Backed the project.
Triple A Descent game? That's worth backing.
Sure would like to see SolC hit the market also.
I think that renewed popularity of Descent is going to push Descent back into the mainstream.
So for $30, it's well worth it.

From what I have read, the project looks quite good.

Sergeant Thorne · Post by **Sergeant Thorne** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:20 pm

How can a game be AAA and crowd-sourced?

ReadyMan · Post by **ReadyMan** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 8:32 pm

The same way Star Citizen is...
Descent Underground is going to be a triple A game on release, according to WingMan.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:55 pm

er.. I'm not sure that comparing the Descent project to Star Citizen is a good thing. How long has SC been in "development"??
For their sake, I hope it doesn't take 3+ years.

Sergeant Thorne · Post by **Sergeant Thorne** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:05 pm

I'm actually fairly impressed. I was rather ticked off when I first saw it, because I've been following Sol Contingency since the Interplay C&D. Kind of a shitty way to finally get what we've been wanting all these years. I have to admit, though, it looks like a pretty solid effort, especially considering that they started in Nov-Dec. I'm not sold on the concept of upgrading and unlocking, but I guess we won't know 'till we try it. I may have to rethink my initial decision not to fund them.

Pumo · Post by **Pumo** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:18 am

You should check this out:

A post from Drakona (as we as a mail by Lothar) got featured, sticky'ed and earned a badge at the Descendent Studios forums: http://descendentstudios.com/news

If the developers are paying attention to the community and even featuring an important post that covers the basic stuff that we love from the Descent games there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

I recommend Descent users from here to make a notable presence on Descendent Studios forums and show our strenght as community.
We as fans of the original games deserve to be listened to, so make our voices heard!

Let's show all those fans that are just there supporting the project just because they are Star Citizen fans and don't know a word about Descent that we are also a great community, and that we are a big force if gathered, YEAH!

Sergeant Thorne · Post by **Sergeant Thorne** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 4:08 am

Descendant Studios Website wrote:We're trending to an amount that will give you a stellar space experience with incredible graphics, varied and detailed maps, intriguing ship designs and customization options, and all the other aspects of a perfect space game.

Oh ★■◆●, maybe you're right. I don't like the way they use the word "space".

*Watches the "something wonderful video" and run away screaming*

Hunter · Post by **Hunter** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 4:56 am

Triple A Descent game? That's worth backing.

And it's bringing in a huge interest to the series, too - There are MANY Star Citizen backers following this.