D3 noobie, L1 question

[dissent]

OK, I'm a bit slow, but I just got around to loading D3 on some new hardware. On L1, after I clear out the perimeter defenses, I enter the complex and the guidebot takes me down into a cavern. About halfway between this point and the exit door from the cavern I get a reddish glow on my screen and get blown up rather quickly. What's going on here? Thiefbot? How come I don't see him. When I go back to recover my powerups, I keep getting blown up, unless I blow through the cavern really fast. What am I missing?

btw - how does the bloody automap work in D3 anyway?

Thanks.

[CDN_Merlin]

automap works like in D1/D2 but is fully renedered. Use the high hat to move sideways/updown and the forward/reverse to zoom in/out.



http://moon.descent-3.com/

D3 levels guide.

[Top Gun]

Merlin, I'm guessing you haven't used D3's Automap too much. Its mechanics are completely different from D1/D2's. In D1/D2, any motion you made (roll, pitch, yaw) was in relation to your ship as the center point; this could make it very annoying to figure out where you wanted to go. In D3, the "camera" in the Automap moves exactly like a real ship; you can move forward/back, pitch up/down, and turn left/right completely independent of your own ship's position.

Edit: dissent, from your description, I think you're talking about level 2, not level 1. One question: are the floors in the cavern you're referring to green and bubbly? If so, you're in the acid caves in level 2. If you let your ship touch the acid, you'll receive some pretty serious damage. That red flash you're seeing is an indicator that you're taking damage. Keep your ship as far up as possible; constantly sliding up through some of the narrower passages helps. As for your powerups, if they're at a spot that's too small for your ship, then you'll just have to let them go; you'll get them all back in future levels, though.

[dissent]

D-oh!! Can't count I guess. Must be a math major (come to think of it, I WAS!)

Acid caves huh. That would explain why I don't see any bots. Thanks for the heads up. At least with the hot lava in D2 you could get a clue that it might be a bad thing. Live and learn.

ok, so I take it that, like in D2 (if I recall), that you have to FIND the automap. Like in a hidden tunnel with a secret door. Is it the same in D3??

[Stryker]

No, automap is built-in in your ship for D3. There are, however, still full maps. You can't see the full map of the level until you pick one of these up; just the areas you've explored. Note that those powerups are also next to impossible to find.

[Top Gun]

You didn't have to find the automap in D2, either, just the full map.

[BlueFlames]

At least with the hot lava in D2 you could get a clue that it might be a bad thing.

If you'd read the 'information' section of your briefing, you'd have known about the acid caves and been given a handy image of one of them to know what to watch out for. Might want to pay attention to that section later on, as it could save you some trouble (like Frags to the windshield) in later levels too.

[Grendel]

Use TAB to get into the map. A 2nd TAB brings you back

[dissent]

I appreciate all the feedback. I had been playing on my integrated extreme 2 graphics, but just installed a Radeon 9600XT last night, which has improved the graphics significantly. I'll keep poking around based on this input to see if there's anything else I missed.

ultra-noobie question: how do I go about putting together on of these neat little icons that are used to identify most of the rest of the people in this forum?

[Top Gun]

Well, if you have a 64x64 .jpg or .gif image, just use the "Upload Avatar" function in your profile settings (you can get there by using the "Profile" link at the top of the page). If you need help resizing/converting/cropping an image, I'd be happy to lend you a hand.

[dissent]

let me take a whack at it first and see if I can come up with something interesting.