High Octane software developing a decent-like game?

[Neo]

Did I forget to post or did someone delete my post? 0_o?

[Top Wop]

Honestly, some of the suggestions people bring up here scare me. Yea, you can consider some of them, but I want the game that YOU guys want to make. The only suggestion I can offer is have a soundtrack thats like D2's. Man, that was rockin'.

But as the saying goes, you cant please everyone all at the same time. Make the game as you guys invision it. If one was to consider and include all of the suggestions listed in this thread, you'd have a disaster.

Then again, dont go about pulling an Invisible War.

[Mr. Perfect]

Then again, dont go about pulling an Invisible War.

Hire Warren Spector and die!

[Philyard]

my kudos to highoctanesoftware, desperate anticipation certainly cultivates on my end.

I never really got into D3 but I was addicted to D2 and used to play on Heat for hours. Perhaps someone mentioned this afore me but D3's ship sizes seemed messed up, I remember feeling like my face was the size of my ship.

D2 was the first game I played where I could loose calories from playing because my heart would race everytime I was flying solo with the RED BOOK CD screaming in the silence of the level....that was awesome.

A few other things I'd like to suggest because as people have mentioned this isn't going to be a D3.5 sort of thing:

1) Add an arm to the Pyro, err, the floating object your sitting inside to graffiti the walls of the levels. That way you can leave messages for your buds or scare your oponents with idle threats.

2) Add an Optional Objective to MP like COD. ei: A cow starts from point "A" and walks to either point "B" or "C" or "D" but no one knows which, while one team protects the cow and the other team tries to roast it. Now, don't get carried away here, don't make the cow a super robo cow with missle ears and lazer eyes and rocket hoofs. Just a nice black and white cow with a smooth harmonic "mooo". And maybe it would tip over if you bumped it just right with your pyro.

http://dactrin.freelinuxhost.com/descentcow.JPG

but seriously I'm looking forward to what HO could offer, I'm well over due for a 6DOF mp. All the best to them.

|c| Phil

[zbriggs]

As all of you obviously understand, not everything here is able to be included. The reason I don't mind even the most ridiculous posts is that they are ideas. All ideas are good. Whereas some are not practical or feasible, they are still good ideas. It is the job of my team and I to understand, consider, compare, and balance each idea and concept. ALL CONSIDERATIONS AND THOUGHTS ARE WELCOME. Everything starts with an idea, thought, or consideration and creates inspiration. The worst idea I have ever heard is one that was never heard because someone didn't speak up.

Thus far your input has been great and we thank you and look forward to many more ideas.

Sincerely,
Zachary Briggs, Executive Producer
HighOctane Software

[CDN_Merlin]

Well I for one hope we can help make this game a hit.

[TheCops]

ALL CONSIDERATIONS AND THOUGHTS ARE WELCOME.

hi zach,
i met you for about 15 seconds at the chicago lan. i think it was in between smoke breaks.

anyway... my idea is to have a hoard like mod... cept instead of green balls... have the "orbs" be grandma like flowered underwear. depending on the pattern on the undie pants and the color you get more points or less points (say purple are 4 points).

call it "granny's panties in a bunch".

[Vlider]

lol

[AceCombat]

Cops..........WTF

[Krom]

LOL!

[Capm]

That.. is a horrible idea.

No, I can't even make fun of it. Its that bad.

[*JBOMB*]

Brilliant !!!

[Nexus_One]

That.. is a horrible idea.

No, I can't even make fun of it. Its that bad.

You'll have to forgive Capm, he's kind of a prude around here.

[Mr. Perfect]

We need some serius mod support. A SDK and a level editor, and all sorts of file format conversion tools! Half of a game is the mods that extend it's lifetime!

Also, if there could be an auto-doanload feature for levels and mods it would help imensly with the level selection.

Hopefully you guys arn't using the same lighting system as the old D3 engine. That was a beast to get working properly, since all the lights had to have enough "light face" area, and the light textures had to have the right hues and brightness.

[Capm]

Granted, but come on, Granny Panties? The least you could do is use something from the Victoria's Secret catalogue!

[Grendel]

We need some serius mod support. A SDK and a level editor, and all sorts of file format conversion tools! Half of a game is the mods that extend it's lifetime!

Good point -- a usable SDK would certainly be a big part in success. Also what I'd like to see would be to be able to leave the ship and hijack another (Carefull tho, I see a can of worms there.. )

[Mr. Perfect]

Sounds like what they did in the Interstate series. I'76 and I'76 Nitro was a one-car-one-life thing. In I'82 the cars became disposable, and you could pick up map cars or jack other players cars. I'82 is a fun game, but it's wasn't the same. The servers disapeared rather quickly...

[Merl]

Hi all... long time no see...

Anyhow, Merl here. I was SO excited to see this post, couldn't read everything without a response. It seems like there are about 100 boner newbies that don't understand trichording and think it was some sort of gimmick or something. trichording isn't a feature, it's a fricken reality. It's a must, and people that didn't use it in d1 sucked. I think it's funny that trichording even has a name, it just came naturally to anyone that played the damn game for more than a minute.

Anyhow, also, fusion r0x, enough said. Keep in mind weapon balance, as even with fusion, plasma etc, nobody could beat a good quad bar0n.

next, i'd personally like to see a "classic/d1" mode without stupid things like the afterburner and stupid d2 weapons. D1 is the still the best. I'd be content for life to find a working d1 that ran in windowsXP that could be played online with a great connection.

That's my responses to the few posts i've read so far, i'll keep reading.

great idea, i'm so excited! IDL match anyone?

-Merl

[Merl]

Time to reply to more.

On multiplayer... nothing was better in d1 than a 6DOF dogfight. that being said, YOU CAN ONLY DOGFIGHT WHEN YOU CAN DODGE STUFF. That means there has to be a system where you if you see yourself avoid a weapon on your end, the ★■◆●ing server doesn't decide you die (descent 3). That's the reason i hated d3. Of course this is the p2p vs tcp/ip stuff, but there has to be a way to make the netcode better than d3. In d3 a 200ms is horrible to the game, whereas a 200ms ping in d1 is definately learnable. There's nothing more stupid in d3 then dodging some big old mega (or other stupid weapon they have in that game) and then dieing anyhow because the server things you got hit. I expect as the internet improves things like this will always be improving, but the netcode is definately important.

IMHO there was no such thing as real dogfight like you had in d1 (and sometimes d2) in d3... it just didn't exist.

also, i agree that the weapons (like plasma) are too small in d3.

Also, the other ships in d3 sucked. The tank was incredibly unfair. I'm a fan of ship options, but there should be a standard ship, and then other ships that people can use if the server/opponents allow.

also things like cameras/markers and crap in the way from d2/d3... ugly, stupid, no point.

I want to see a nice, classic, pure dogfighting game where strategy and knowledge of your environment help you win.

as for the ship acting slower/etc with more weapons... not really a good idea IMO, not much to say here.

definately hire spaz

These days people want eye-candy. As good a tactical designer as Spaz was, he did not do too well in that area even by Descent 2 standards...

..... dumb... that's the reason d2 and d3 sucked... no good level to play. It still doesn't get any better than playing a good old d1-IO match where no matter where you go, your opponent has another way to get there, and it's always perfectly timed. have a spaz-like person design the level, and then someone with an eye make them look fancy. The physical layout is what will make the game great. I still would rather play a game in 320x400

as far as sound. LOL... any sort of 6DOF (ala space) game with sound is funny, since there wouldn't be sound waves traveling anywhere in space. but assume we're in an atmosphere, which is where the mines are, sound was so crucial in d1 to knowing where your opponent was. Dont make "pretty" and flashy sounds if you sacrafice their utility.

also, mass-driver sucks

i like self-destruct idea

my idea: multi player co-op/team where you have a ship with a gunner in it... ie i pilot and fire some weaps, and my gunner handles the rear.

also, dont have stupid weapon spawn points like d3, let lots of spew come out of ships, and stay there. and weapons dont respawn... NEVER! the weapons that start in the level are there until they are picked up, and that's it (multiplayer of course)

I'd like to be able to tell how damaged an enemy is by looking at him. I'm a vulture @ heart
D3 doesn't do a good job of that. The sparks are difficult to see and not really indicitave.

true... but i like the idea of keeping track (by the clings you hear, and educated guesses if you're too far away) of how much damage you've done to your opponent. nothing is better than flying around in d1 with 0 shield left and killing your opponent, if they dont know to switch to vulcan, it's their own damn fault, they dont need some blue sparks to clue them in.

as for self-destruct, only when you're low on shield, real low. now that i think about it, self-destruct sucks, you explode after you die, no need to change that, too many ways for this to just get lame.

The only reason the d3 multiplayer sucks: there's no such thing as netcode. It's fire and an x% chance to hit, if you're lucky.

And it sucked because of the general gameplay (how you fly, the cheezy graphics, dumb weapons, and everything that was non-d1/d2 don't forget that.


ALSO, i almost 4got, most important. You losers that couldn't dodge a homer missle in d1, stop your damn whining. With d1x out, people would still play NH levels. homing missles required you to actually fly the damn ship. They were a great part of the game, what a crock of ★■◆● if you can't dodge a homing missle by just running it's general direction and then rotating. There should definately be some sort of homing missle weapon. its funny how people didn't like homers but all these d3 newb's just love their point and click MD.

I'd be happy with D1 with a new engine
At this point, I'm ready to pay for any game with a good flight model and 6dof.
there will always be 57 people who play D3
however a new incarnation of a Descent-like game will generate many thousands of players.
There is a serious glut of fps games, and a dearth of anything else. ergo, this game is filling a void and will do well (if it's put together well). .

WELL SAID

d1 on a doom3 engine... i just hope somebody figures out how to turn on the lights in the game. doom3 is darker than a cows ass at midnight

insta-flip == retard; any space-orb BS is just.. BS

flight manual == just as stupid

and to finish up is there a name? anyone got a screenshot? how can i help?

[*JBOMB*]

Boy....and i thought I had a big head and a fat mouth

[TheCops]

That.. is a horrible idea.

No, I can't even make fun of it. Its that bad.

what's your problem man? i tried to give this guy some input and you shot it down without regard for my feelings at all. you can't see how chasing your granny's panties around a level would be highly amusing?

you're a tool and an imp in no particular order.

[Sirius]

Well said Merl. Regarding the eye-candy thing, I (or at least I think it was I) only said that because it's what many people want. As good as the game might be otherwise, if it has horrible visuals you're going to be the only one that wants it.

But it's not hard to do better visuals and keep in the spirit of D1. Cube-based levels weren't what gave D1 its unforgettable dynamic.

[Testiculese]

Looks like Merl never played me, or he'd get some dogging, and he's apparently never seen Otherone's levels, or he'd know some things.

[zbriggs]

ALL CONSIDERATIONS AND THOUGHTS ARE WELCOME.

hi zach,
i met you for about 15 seconds at the chicago lan. i think it was in between smoke breaks.

anyway... my idea is to have a hoard like mod... cept instead of green balls... have the "orbs" be grandma like flowered underwear. depending on the pattern on the undie pants and the color you get more points or less points (say purple are 4 points).

call it "granny's panties in a bunch".

There will be a hoard mode. Granted if you have a thing for your grandmother's panties you are more than welcome to mod the hoard plugin to suit your needs. Honestly I think that the first time someone jumped into that they would have a riot. Unfortunately, it would get to be a bit much.

Zach

[Grendel]

Merl, you don't need a new game. Go play D1

[Ferno]

No JT, you just have a fat head and a big mouth.

[Topher]

Heh, you know while Googling for "highoctane software", this thread appears before their website does.

[AceCombat]

woah......now thats interesting to know

[snoopy]

Heh, you know while Googling for "highoctane software", this thread appears before their website does.

Yep. It's easier to find their website by guessing what it might be than by googling it. (Pretty much b/c noone has it linked, and this thread prolly get tons more hits than their site.)

[Top Wop]

Merl: Let it go. This isnt Descent 4. If you are so anal about all of that then why not make your own game? You really dont know what you are talking about.

[zbriggs]

I will quote myself again here.

We apologize for the website being in distress but unfortunately we suffered a death in our company, a very close friend of ours that was like a father to me. For that reason I have being taking care of that instead of posting or answering email, please forgive my absence from the board. Second, the day after the site was taken down for revamping our web developer's mother had a stroke. If it bothers you that much design one for me and I will let you post it.

I suppose I could have purchased HighOctane.com four years ago when it was up for sale with a price tag of about $250,000.00. Of course then I would have to pass the cost of that overpriced domain name to all of our clients.

People are more than welcome to be skepical all they want but keep the personal attacks to a minimum unless you know the reasons behind each thing. I would rather have my developers focusing on the game than a website.

I realize that you have been burned by others and don't have a great deal of faith in the people at this point. I'm not gonna try to tell you that we aren't going to let you down or somehow leave you behind. I'm not asking for your approval or your trust. If you don't feel that this is worthy of your attention please obstain from being negative to those on the forums that dare speak their mind. If they want to have hope for this, let them.

Sincerely,
Zachary Briggs, Executive Producer
HighOctane Software
(269)506-3116 feel free 24/7

We thank JBOMB for the new look of the site, but as you can understand I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place with this one. I really don't feel it is right to fire my web developer because I told him to go be with his mother during this little time she has left. I don't mind if someone takes a leadership role and writes a site. But honestly I don't feel that the site is the most important thing about the game. Most of you probably only visited the Parallax or Interplay website only once or twice if that the entire time you played the game. I am not going to divert a developer from creating required code to write a website so you can sit and look at pictures. Call it insane or unprofessional, I just call it putting the money in the right places. You are more than welcome to contact me by email, phone, or even snail mail for information about the game.

Sincerely,
Zachary Briggs, Executive Producer
HighOctane Software
(269)506-3116
zach@highoctanesoftware.com

HighOctane Software
PO Box 457
Mattawan, MI 49009
USA

[Genghis]

All I want is vector-accurate trichording. Make the rest up as you see fit.

[zbriggs]

Tricoding will definately be a feature, it just wouldn't be the same without it.

Zach

[zbriggs]

Tricoding will definately be a feature, it just wouldn't be the same without it.

Zach

[Capm]

Is one going to be confined to indoor areas, or will there be surface or outer-space levels? If you have surface levels, what about weather systems and TOD effects, and how detailed would terrain be?

[Vlider]

merl means well, like all legion of oldschool d1/d2 players. D3 was descent and yet, it wasn't in a BIG way.

for example, if we play the finished product of what high octane has to offer, there WILL be "D3" players that won't be happy about several things or maybe not like the game at all because of how different it could fair from D3.

I bet my piggy bank on that.

And I'm stoked about a possible new descent-like game. And you notice how more d1/d2 players have been popping up here out of the woodworks? They're here. They've always been here lurking in the shadows, waiting for something like this to come along.

and the good thing now is, highoctane has the opportunity to hear from the d1/d2 side and the d3 side. whereas, outrage just packed d3 together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a take it or leave it sign. ( 1.5 d3 patch where are you? see what i mean)

So d1 players, d2 players, d3 players carry on with the ideas, bickerin and other stuff I think its cool that we have 3 communities within a community. so much love for games like these.

and for the record lets talk about our step child "Descent 2":

If you really stop and think about it. D2 kicked the descent franchise into overdrive, just as quake 2 did for quake.

and if you actually stop and think.

Majority of the players that dislike d2 were 1on1 ladder players that are diehard fusion/spreadfire whores and due to the change of damage of the two guns being toned down in d2. hate for it started to spread, and despite the fps bug but anyway D2 was a ANARCHY players game, which is why a ton love it.

D1 rocks period tho, Weapon balance and other little things. You get to see a players skill in d1 1on1 because theres no afterburners or unpopular weapons,

d1 gave birth to triple chording and competition like the IDL really raised the level of play, but anway time to eat

[Liquid Fire]

I know this has been mentioned before, but just for emphasis, this game MUST have audio taunts and custom logos! They're a great way to customize your ship and show your creativity

[zbriggs]

Audio Taunts> At this point audio taunts have become somewhat of an industry standard. So yes it will have audio taunts.

[Mr. Perfect]

Word!

*Sifts through his collection of WAV files*

[Sergeant Thorne]

Custom audio taunts? D3-style? (maybe include the possibility of longer or higher quality taunts for LAN play)