MD

[Krom]

February to July might have been a really old topic back when this place used to get a lot of traffic, but the last couple years it really is nothing.

[d3jake]

I think that if a thread is on the page of threads that it should be fair game....unless you can somehow list ALL threads that have ever been posted...

[Ferno]

If it's a necro that has 'LOL', 'I agree', or some other useless post I lock em down. because who wants to come to an old thread, read the last reply and say to themselves 'I went over old stuff for this?'

But since sllik posted something awesome, it stays open.

[Duper]

[ReadyMan]

I miss descent....hasnt been a game like it since. Everything else is just filler.

..and to be on topic: the MD was awesome. On LAN with accurate weapons (I think that was the option), where the big bubble was gone and you HAD to hit the ship (not the bubble around it)...the MD was awesome. It's not a dogfighting weapon like the vauss, but it has its place in the fight.

The omega was fun on LAN as well...hard to stay on top of someone as that screaching sound drove them crazy.

[Blue]

Use it like a railgun. As soon as someone crosses your sights, click the mouse button. The whole sniper idea was never well-thought and thus the MD became the dogfight-killing, point-and-click weapon we all love to hate.

Same here. As soon as you enter the cross hairs *click*.


Although i will say every few kills my MD gets stupid (well, actually i do) and i can't aim it for my LIFE. If i'm lucky i can switch to fusion fast enough, get right next to my opponent and kill them. Usually i die though and curse these stupid fingers.

[Foil]

..and to be on topic: the MD was awesome. On LAN with accurate weapons (I think that was the option), where the big bubble was gone and you HAD to hit the ship (not the bubble around it)...the MD was awesome.

Definitely!

I never had the chance to play on LAN until recently. Oh, man, it's nice to have accurates on and no latency... you just have to be dead-on with your aim, no hitting the shield bubble... plus, your ship orientation becomes a factor, as it now makes a difference whether you're head-on to your opponent, or you have them flanked.

LAN just rocks, especially for the vauss and MD.

[Behemoth]

..and to be on topic: the MD was awesome. On LAN with accurate weapons (I think that was the option), where the big bubble was gone and you HAD to hit the ship (not the bubble around it)...the MD was awesome.

Definitely!

I never had the chance to play on LAN until recently. Oh, man, it's nice to have accurates on and no latency... you just have to be dead-on with your aim, no hitting the shield bubble... plus, your ship orientation becomes a factor, as it now makes a difference whether you're head-on to your opponent, or you have them flanked.

LAN just rocks, especially for the vauss and MD.

I told you man, it's easier on lan isnt it.

be glad i didn't come this time ;-P

[Kyouryuu]

It's not a dogfighting weapon like the vauss, but it has its place in the fight.

I think that's my whole point of contention. D1 and D2 always involved these elaborate, circling dogfights. The kind you'd expect in a flight simulator, only you are inexplicably indoors. The Mass Driver is the equivalent to bringing a homing missile to a battle with the Red Baron. Point, click, dead. Defeats the whole point of the game.

[Krom]

You could say MD is like bringing a high powered semi-automatic rifle into a fight when everyone else is throwing rocks.

[ReadyMan]

You could say MD is like bringing a high powered semi-automatic rifle into a fight when everyone else is throwing rocks.

OK
MD is like bringing a high powered semi-automatic rifle into a fight when everyone else is throwing rocks.

:p

[Foil]

Yes, but if everyone else is bringing high powered semi-automatic rifles, then it can get interesting!

We played a first-to-500 InstaReap game at the NYC LAN (with \"accurate collisions\" on, of course)... you actually can get into semi-dogfights up close, as both players are trying to roll away from the other's reticle.

[Hostile]

MD is fine if you balance it correctly. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to balance the weapons load in any level I made. For instance, I might drop one mass driver with 4 shots in it, and the single reload available would have only one shot in it. This would force you to use other primaries to get kills during the course of the match. Of course, those levels were for pure dogfighting. Sometimes its ok to have more......

[Duper]

That is quite reasonable Hostile; though I don't think a lot would agree.

[Krom]

From a balance standpoint, MD should be a secondary weapon not a primary one.

[Foil]

Some of my favorite levels like BillTheCat, Damage, and BearCaves have modified MD with only 4 or 5 shots, and ammo just adds one. That makes the MD a valuable commodity, used sparingly and only in the right situations, as it should be.

[Hostile]

That was exactly my point Foil. You would have to use it strategically rather than blindly. It made the fighting a lot more fun I think.

And Duper, I know that some wouldn't agree heh. That is why those people are called Whores!

And Krom, I think I would agree with you on that, but I couldn't change it from a primary to a secondary so we were left with primary.......

[Behemoth]

It's not reasonable in the least bit of reason

[BUBBALOU]

I think that's my whole point of contention. D1 and D2 always involved these elaborate, circling dogfights. The kind you'd expect in a flight simulator, only you are inexplicably indoors. The Mass Driver is the equivalent to bringing a homing missile to a battle with the Red Baron. Point, click, dead. Defeats the whole point of the game.

It's really easy to dodge an MD.........

1- don't fly in straight lines
2- make your enemy shoot where you want him to think you are going
3- keep reload times in mind when dodging

Descent has always had matter weapons

D1 VULCAN
D2 VULCAN / GAUSS
D3 VAUSS / MASS DRIVER

Understanding a weapon's limitations and how they are used by your enemy is how you win dogfight, not to mention the ability to dodge

If you are getting hammered 3x's in a row by the MD OBVIOUSLY you need to Practice or stop flying into their crosshairs!!

If you really think the MD is so bad... you haven't played against me in D1 or D2 with that little Vulcan Cannon.

[Krom]

If you are getting hammered 3x's in a row by the MD OBVIOUSLY you need to Practice or stop flying into their crosshairs!!

If you really think the MD is so bad... you haven't played against me in D1 or D2 with that little Vulcan Cannon.

Not exactly correct, staying on target with the Vulcan cannon requires much more effort than plinking someone's shields once every 1.5 seconds with MD. The amount of time you have to accurately hold the target in your crosshairs makes a huge difference about the difficulty of the weapon. Dishing out a little bit of damage constantly requires vastly more skill and effort to do than to dish out a lot of damage infrequently.

[d3jake]

One reason why I'd gladly get pummled by vauss for 15+ seconds than getting killed after 3 seconds because somebody can shoot an MD wirth a darn.

If you are getting hammered 3x's in a row by the MD OBVIOUSLY you need to Practice or stop flying into their crosshairs!!

Yes by George why didn't I think of that?!

[Foil]

Dodging MD is often a timing issue. If you pay attention to when the last shot was fired (whether you got hit or not), you know almost exactly when to make a quick random dodge to avoid the next one. Of course, some of the more experienced pilots will wait an extra moment for you to make that move, so you better be ready to make another quick move right after that.

[Behemoth]

i just do a jig when someone fires md its good for the heart