DescentBB

Posted: **Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:10 pm**

I'm working on a 25 Level Mappack ( Plus 7 Secret Levels ) for Descent 2! Although i'll need someone to make The Robots. Anyway, here's the new Planets.

Thermoplis
Netoon
Burnis Prime
Kwanzaa
New Hawaii
Nigasgonaswiga
Dperailoa

I'll post the new bots briefings.

Posted: **Wed Dec 05, 2012 2:45 pm**

" Wasp " Attack Drone
Size - 1 Meter
Est. Armament - 2 Krypton Lasers
Threat - Minimal

Built to swarm intruders in the Mine, and chase them out of the Mine.
Surveillance Tapes show that these Robots are shown to swarm in reactor rooms.
Destroy them at all costs, do not hesitate.

Posted: **Wed Dec 05, 2012 3:33 pm**

Deferna Prototype 15
Size - 1.8 Meter
Est. Armament - Flash Missile
Cyanide Lasers
Threat - Low

The latest model of the Deferna Prototype Series, and it is a tough and durable miner prototype.
Intelligent circuitry makes it switch to Lasers to Flash Missiles whenever it'd like. And it'll also get behind your ship at all costs.
Fighting them could be a Fight or Flight situation.

Posted: **Wed Dec 05, 2012 5:31 pm**

That's enough robots for now.
Anyway, here's the bosses names and Arenas.
Thermoplis - Diana| Arena - An open arena with allot of Columns to hide from it's Helix Cannon and dual Mega Missiles.
Netoon - Cthulhu| Arena - He's got his own Fortress Of Solitude, and you can peek at him when you're progressing through the level. But to fight him, you'll have to find the secret Entrance. And when you're progressing through the level, he'll shoot you with his Homing Omega Cannon!
Burnis Prime - Eldritch| Arena - His Arena is a big Cavern System with allot of Energy Centers, Octagonal Tubes and Matcens! And the Eldritch will chase you the very bone! And he has Homing Mercury Missiles and 4 Racks of Phoenix Cannons! Not to mention he has Afterburners.
Kwanzaa - Hades| Arena - The arena is small and cramped. And He shoots deadly Earthshaker Missiles, not to mention he also can Teleport behind you.
New Hawaii - Phantom| Arena - His arena is in a Ruined Station! So that means that you're in a Boxy Room when you first see him, then you find yourself in a Cave! And he has Quad Mega Missiles. Deadly, isn't it?
Nigasgonaswiga - Mecanum| Arena - The Mecanum is the Smallest out of the 7 Bosses, but he's Deadly! He has a Omega Cannon and a Earthshaker Missile. And his Arena is a Giant Pipe with some Hiding Spots to hide from his Omega Cannon and his Earthshaker Missile.
Dperailoa - COYOTE| Arena - ??????? The Coyote is a Deadly Foe, and that's all that i have to say!

Posted: **Wed Dec 05, 2012 8:29 pm**

A few words of warning:
A lot of people aim high on their first project and then they end up not accomplishing anything. Especially in a game this old where most of the tools required for this sort of advanced design are incredibly hard to find, and this is before you try to install them on modern operating systems (mostly they exist only on the backup drives of veteran designers from the old days -- luckily for you many of those people are still around, unlike in a lot of communities).

Secondly because this game is so old and already so extensively modded, if you want people to even look at your project you'd better do something really exceptional. And to do that you need to play a lot of what's already out there to get an idea of what's already been done -- in order to do something different there needs to be something for it to be different from, after all, and playing through the official campaigns won't cut it. I would say you have to complete "The Enemy Within" and "Descent Vignettes" at a bare minimum, to see how the engine has been pushed to its limits and in some cases, past them. It would also be worth downloading D2X-XL to play some of the levelsets made exclusively for that sourceport to see how they push the engine. And pay special attention to anything by Darkhorse or Kruel (even though Kruel's stuff was mostly in the vanilla era, it was way ahead of its time). Or for that matter, Sirius, Pumo, Karx11erx, Darkflamewolf, and Yokellassance.
And on that note you need to have a really good understanding of the engine (especially with such an unusual, entirely portal-based engine instead of the BSP that most modern games use), to know how you can push it without breaking it, and when your idea warrants abandoning "vanilla" support altogether (which is most of the time these days, if you want to make something people will actually play). And it's a good idea to look at what each major sourceport supports (each of them has their own editor); and think about what sort of audience your project needs (because of the general polarization of people between the two projects) before you actually start working on your project proper.

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:57 am**

Well, I'm definitely a little confused, because it seems like you announced two projects in a very short amount of time. Neither one sounds particularly easy for someone who admitted they still had to get used to the programs (maybe I'm not the best one to talk, but I do know my way around DLE for the most part), so might I suggest starting with something smaller?

I'm not trying to discourage you from designing altogether, by any means, but I think it'd be better to start small, such as with only a seven-level project or something. It might be better to focus on the level design aspect first and the mods after you've really gotten a hang of the editor. One step at a time, you know?

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2012 3:32 pm**

I'm Releasing OC first then DD.

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2012 4:43 pm**

DP, Level 1's music
http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/ni ... kRemix.mid
Yeah, i'm using vgmusic for right now. I'll use Original Tracks when i get better at Anvil Studio.
PS: Level 1 is called Freyja Gate.

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:50 pm**

MIDI. Why is it always MIDI?
There is no reason to use MIDI music for Descent missions anymore. Especially when it comes to electronic music pretty much all other forms are completely superior... and I suppose it's the same for other forms of music, especially because MIDI cannot imitate real instruments. Its biggest problem is that it tries to. Its second-biggest problem is that you can barely hear the FX. Its other flaws and limitations compared to any other form of electronically stored music are too numerous to list. Starting with the seeming inability to make basses punch (not surprising, considering inaudible FX and no channel EQs).
The only redeeming factor it has in my opinion is the fact that it led to the development of soundfonts, and most computers nowadays can't use soundfonts...
The guitar in the song you linked doesn't even sound like a guitar, it sounds like a piano trying to imitate a guitar sound. But that's what MIDI does... Even I can reproduce guitar better -- with FM synthesizers and maybe some distortion FX, from before I bought a string modelling synth! -- and I never bothered to finish learning to actually play the thing properly or even take much visual notice of how it gets played, professionally.
/rant

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2012 3:56 pm**

Aw, crap. So i'll be off to work on Level 1.

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:14 pm**

F**k. I'm working on the Starting room, and DLE-XP keeps on Crashing when i place a Secondary Texture.

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:30 pm**

DP - I'm slowly but surely making Freyja Gate, here's the Starting Room. And no Guidebot Cage because i'm evil. MUHAHAHAHA!

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:48 pm**

TP - Adding stuff to the Level. Looks nice, but i'm not too happy about the Robot Placement.

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2012 9:35 pm**

Level 1 is finished!

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:12 am**

I don't know that anyone here uses the guidebot anymore. Lots of threads complain about him if you look around in the archive. He's more an annoyance than a help, really.
Besides, I think lots of us who still play singleplayer play it because exploring and searching for keys and such on our own without help is what makes it fun. And finding secrets along the way...
You need to take a better measure of this community and the people who stay in it before you can claim you're making "evil" levels with any sort of accuracy. Assumptions can get you nowhere unless you're very lucky. And even then it's a bad idea to rely on them. Yes I'm full of life advice. Ask me for some sometime. I'll give you a metaphor so complicated and unreadable it makes all the wisemen in fiction look like amateurs.

The level design looks good for a beginner but I stand by what I said about needing to make it exceptional, especially after seeing your editor screenshots. In particular it looks like you could experiment more with building structures within rooms (I'm sure you've figured it out from your work, but the way to do this is to build around the structure. Usually texturing it differently from the rest of the room helps too. DLE has some neat features for this kind of thing so there are no excuses!

). If you look at the level design in Descent 3, you need to be aiming closer to that level to appeal to people playing Descent 2 nowadays. It's not as hard as it seems, trust me. I've done it. Though it's not finished yet.
On the other hand it is very good for a beginner; I can see you're not falling into a lot of the traps beginning designers tend to fall into (like putting unconcealed doors on flat walls. Yuck.) Keep it up and keep getting better!

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2012 6:37 am**

As a relative newcomer with only one mission under my belt and a second underway, I'd be happy to help you figure out more of the tricks if you'd like a second opinion on something. As an avid single-player Descenter, I can also test some of the upper difficulties (at least Hotshot and Ace) if you need beta testers later on.

I would, however, at least advise looking around a bit more at missions on the Descent Mission Database if you want more of a reference on things such as difficulty. Leaving out the Guidebot isn't exactly a novel idea for making things more difficult; older missions such as "Obsidian" or "The Lost Levels" didn't have a Guidebot in most or any of their levels, and if I recall, "Obsidian" only had one in use for finding an exit under pressure. But since coming back to the game, I haven't really had that many cases where I needed more than the automap to find my way around, so...

The other reason I suggest looking around at other levels is that they can inspire you. For me, for example, Darkflamewolf remains one of my primary influences for the concept-based approach to her more recent levels and her tasteful use of detail. The extensive use of secondary textures in missions like "Descent Vignettes" has encouraged me to use more detail in my in-progress second mission, compared to a lot of the starker-looking rooms in my first one. And some of my levels ideas in both missions integrate the concept-based design, but I've been trying to branch out, partly by extending the motifs through longer, more sprawling environments. You could always get inspired by another designer and try to put a spin on a certain concept or idea (just be careful not to plagiarize!), and over time you could form your own style.

That first level does look good for a beginner, judging by the screenshots. I'm really trying not to sound condescending when I say that, though, because everyone has to start somewhere, after all, and Descent 3-like quality is kind of too much to ask of somebody who's just starting out. For starters, the texture combos look pretty tasteful based on the screenshots alone; they're pleasing without being too distracting, which is a good thing to aim for when designing backgrounds. A couple texture thresholds seem a little unconventional, but other than that, the design from that perspective and with regards to the cube structures isn't bad at all for starting out.

If you want, though, I wouldn't mind giving a little more advanced critique as you continue with the levels, partly to help you figure out what single-player Descenters tend to prefer or expect and how the mission could be slightly adapted to that. Feel free to use a personal message with a link to an offsite upload if you want to keep some of the later levels secret prior to the release.

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2012 7:50 am**

NaphthaTurisas wrote:As a relative newcomer with only one mission under my belt and a second underway, I'd be happy to help you figure out more of the tricks if you'd like a second opinion on something. As an avid single-player Descenter, I can also test some of the upper difficulties (at least Hotshot and Ace) if you need beta testers later on.

I would, however, at least advise looking around a bit more at missions on the Descent Mission Database if you want more of a reference on things such as difficulty. Leaving out the Guidebot isn't exactly a novel idea for making things more difficult; older missions such as "Obsidian" or "The Lost Levels" didn't have a Guidebot in most or any of their levels, and if I recall, "Obsidian" only had one in use for finding an exit under pressure. But since coming back to the game, I haven't really had that many cases where I needed more than the automap to find my way around, so...

The other reason I suggest looking around at other levels is that they can inspire you. For me, for example, Darkflamewolf remains one of my primary influences for the concept-based approach to her more recent levels and her tasteful use of detail. The extensive use of secondary textures in missions like "Descent Vignettes" has encouraged me to use more detail in my in-progress second mission, compared to a lot of the starker-looking rooms in my first one. And some of my levels ideas in both missions integrate the concept-based design, but I've been trying to branch out, partly by extending the motifs through longer, more sprawling environments. You could always get inspired by another designer and try to put a spin on a certain concept or idea (just be careful not to plagiarize!), and over time you could form your own style.

That first level does look good for a beginner, judging by the screenshots. I'm really trying not to sound condescending when I say that, though, because everyone has to start somewhere, after all, and Descent 3-like quality is kind of too much to ask of somebody who's just starting out. For starters, the texture combos look pretty tasteful based on the screenshots alone; they're pleasing without being too distracting, which is a good thing to aim for when designing backgrounds. A couple texture thresholds seem a little unconventional, but other than that, the design from that perspective and with regards to the cube structures isn't bad at all for starting out.

If you want, though, I wouldn't mind giving a little more advanced critique as you continue with the levels, partly to help you figure out what single-player Descenters tend to prefer or expect and how the mission could be slightly adapted to that. Feel free to use a personal message with a link to an offsite upload if you want to keep some of the later levels secret prior to the release.

Okay, you're on the Operation Coyote Team. Also, i'm remaking Level 1 to look more like Descent 2 Level 1.

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2012 8:24 am**

DP - The new entry room looks like this.

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:53 am**

CAAAAAAAAAARL

I ★■◆●ing love how this level is coming out.

Posted: **Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:50 pm**

Okay y'all, here's the Thermoplis Levels

Freyja Gate
Schaftus Quarry
Kelvin Mine
Finnus Station
S1 - TDF Secret Research

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:55 pm**

Okay, who would like to compose for Operation Coyote? Also, i defiantly want level 5 to sound like Hornet Hole from DKC2, here's a link just in case. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rg6Ua-UYOM

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2012 7:49 pm**

I'm replacing the Planets, FYI.

Posted: **Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:27 pm**

Hey, project update. You can now can contribute levels! Here's the Levels and their name.
PLANET 1 - Nanryasaa
1. Chromis Outpost - ???
2. Tunplex Caverns - ???
3. Norawesley - ???
4. Pangaea Station - TheBenjaminStilton
PLANET 2 - Srira Viti
5. Dirtsai Fir - ???
6. Terra Nova - ??? ( I'll give you a Octopus if you get the name )
7. Nraiana Mine - ???
8. Akonis - ???
--
Yeah, that's the demo levels currently.

Posted: **Sun Dec 16, 2012 1:38 am**

Can you give a little more detail on the planets? It'd help potential contributors figure out what texture schemes or themes to use in their levels.

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:39 pm**

Here's the new planet names.

Apophis
Srira Viti
Netoon ( yeah, i'm bringing it back )
Cynrusin
Lasonia
Earaoana
Prometheus

And their themes.
Aphosis - Rock
Srira Viti - Rock/Water
Netoon - Fire/Ice ( Hey, Netoon is tidally locked. )
Cynrusin - Ice
Lasonia - Fire
Earaona - Alien
Prometheus - Artifical/Rock ( It's a station built in a Asteroid. )

Posted: **Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:52 pm**

Anyway, for the Composers of Operation - Coyote, here's Level 1's base music ( Music to base off ) and Level 2's. and Level 3's and finally, Level 4/Secret Level's

Posted: **Fri Dec 21, 2012 9:09 pm**

You know what DFW says, New Music = Nearing the end of the game. So, here's the new tunes.
Level 21 - Level 22 - Level 23 - And the final Level. Level 24 -

Posted: **Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:54 am**

There just isn't enough Mega Man music in Descent levels, so good choices.

But I should mention that in case of a lack of available composers, you'll want a backup plan to use the themes you've already picked out. There are sure to be free-use MIDIs or remixes of each floating around the internet if you do a proper search, so depending on which format you'd prefer, that could be your custom music right there.

Also, just a tip because I'm not sure how much of the other levels you've conceptualized, but it's especially tricky to have the music still match or highlight the mood of a level that you might be leaving up to a different designer to create. Trust me when I say it's easier to finalize the level design first and then address add-ons like custom music later, because the music should be chosen to suit the level, rather than the level being designed to suit the music.

Posted: **Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:16 am**

Here's the Aphosis Levels and the Srira Viti Levels.

Aphosis
1. SGC Outpost
2. Teal'c Mine
3. Cortana Operations
4. Apep Station
Srira Viti
5. Oceanfalls Excavation
6. Jarl Hangar
7. Hydrodrops Base
8. Dirtsai Fir

@NaphthaTurias Thanks, man. Mostly, the levels are focused on giant Dogfights rather than keyhunting. Well, there is keyhunting, but they're well hidden. But not in the first few levels, but that's when Guidebot kicks in. Okay, in the final level the music is supposed to represent that you're all alone, but not really. You're in close quarters with Apeshit Insane Mining Mechs.

Posted: **Sun Dec 23, 2012 3:53 pm**

Okay, i'm spitting out some robot ideas.
Idea 1
A medium-sized robot that shoots Homing Plasma ( Smart Missile Globules ) and Guided Missiles ( just only 1. Okay, let me explain them, they're WORSE than Homing Missiles. They follow your ship, but with a tad bit more speed than Homing Missiles. Did you remember your afterburner?

)

Posted: **Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:11 pm**

Here's one of the Cynrusin Mines name.
Glaciale Sors Refinery

Posted: **Tue Dec 25, 2012 12:00 pm**

Here's the rest of the levels.
Cynrusin -
9. Prunia Outpost
10. Tsurara Mine
11. Glaciale Sors Refinery
12. Prthviphrosta Caverns
Lasonia -
13. Lasonian Sulfur Catacombs
14. Yakearechi Mine
15. Motea Security Outpost
16. Andarion Foundry
Euraona -
17. Auslander Station
18. Hortus Mine
19. Roeswell Outpost
20. Oornus Murana Mine
Aulis - ( sorry, the tmeme is alien/rock )
21. Foldis Mine
22. Euclidian Robot Factory
23. Kryaanis
Prometheus -
24. Prometheus Asteroid Base

Posted: **Thu Dec 27, 2012 6:16 pm**

I'm thinking about doing a sequel. What do you think?

Posted: **Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:36 am**

Finish the first one first

. We don't even know how much we liked that one yet.

And a screenie is worth a hundred thousand level names.

Posted: **Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:27 pm**

Well, okay.

Posted: **Fri Dec 28, 2012 2:27 pm**

And here's some of the Aphosis Enemies!
--
Hobgoblin - Small, annoying. Whatever description you use. It's pretty weak and is armed with a Light Vulcan.
Gemini - A mainly flat enemy, that shoots Concussion Missiles. Otherwords, it's the cousin of the Trekken from Project Mandrill.
Urchin - Pretty annoying enemy, normally found guarding keys. They're soon to be Obsolete in Netoon, and replaced by Ymir Guardians. It's armaments is a Flash Missile, and a Light Vulcan.
Compact Smelter - Its.... a tiny smelter. Weapons are the same. Moving on...

Posted: **Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:10 pm**

Would anyone like to join the team?

Posted: **Mon Dec 31, 2012 9:09 am**

Here's the Aphosis Robots and the renamed levels. I want the new levels to sound more like Descent I/Vertigo level names. Aphosis stays the same, though.
--
Hobgoblin
RYN Droid
Golem
Mini Smelter
PTMC Attack Bot
Otho Defense Droid
--
Aphosis
1. SGC Outpost
2. Teal'c Mine
3. Cortana Operations
4. Apep Station
Srira Viti
5. Oceanfalls Excavation
6. Jarl Hangar
7. Moai Terminal
8. Atlantic Weapons Research
Netoon ( Kiss my ass, Cynrusin! )
9. Norastal Cold Fire Mine
10. Lazlo Evacuation Site
11. Exoticania PTMC Barracks
12. B2UB Radiation Containment
Lasonia -
13. Lasonian Sulfur Catacombs
14. Volcanic Gas Abyss
15. Motea Ore Refinery
16. Aragon Training Outpost
Euraona -
17. Manhattan Project
18. Euraona Military Colony
19. Red Sector A
20. Giant Stalagmite Tower Complex
Aulis -
21. Cicero Watchtower
22. Dion Slush Mine
23. Phyrrus Military Complex
Prometheus -
24. Prometheus Asteroid Base
--

Posted: **Mon Dec 31, 2012 12:00 pm**

Level 1's briefing.
--
PTMC DIRECTIVE LE009 101
TO: MD1032, APHOSIS ORBIT
FROM: PTMC HEADQUARTERS, EARTH ORBIT

WELCOME BACK TO YOUR MISSION, MATERIAL DEFENDER. LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN GET BACK TO YOUR OLD TRICKS. PROCEED INTO SCG OUTPOST 0051, AND PROCEED INTO LOWER LEVELS. PROCEED TO FIND THE RED AND BLUE KEYS. BE WARY OF GUIDEBOT AND ITS HOLDING CELL. LOCATE HIS HOLDING CELL FIRST.

DESTRUCTION OF PRIMARY REACTOR CORE IS IMPERATIVE. BEWARE OF HOSTAGE SITUATIONS AND PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
< MINE NOTES >
THE SGC OUTPOST 0051 IS SEPARATED INTO 3 DIVISIONS, THE FIRST ONE, WILL BE YOUR MAIN SITE, AND YOU CAN FIND THE RED KEY, IT IS HIDDEN REALLY WELL, SO TRUST GUIDEBOT WITH THIS ONE. THE THE SECOND ONE IS THE SUBLEVEL BASEMENT. GET THE YELLOW KEY AND DESTROY THE REACTOR. THEN PROCEED TO THE EXIT.
--

DescentBB

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