DescentBB

I've pledged already.

They are asking for $300,000 yet DU asked for $600,000. And Overload looks better already. Oh this year can't go fast enough.

Thanks for post and support, Merlin. We're really excited about the game and hope everyone likes what they see!

Cheers,
Luke Schneider
Lead Designer
Revival Productions

This is awesome! Looking forward to some more 6dof games.

Overload looks like it will be a lot like Descent 1 and 2 with a similar deformed cube level design, just modernized. And that it is being made by the original Descent developers is great plus.

Yeah I'm pumped. I know there is no MP yet but I'm sure they will include it if they get enough backing. So come people, back them up. They are the reason we are still here 20 years later.

God heard me.

pledged!

I'll give them money, because I'm pretty much obligated to, but I honestly don't like the focus on keys->reactor->exit they're pushing for. Even my far younger self back in the late 90s began to tire of that after ten or so levels, and nowadays I don't know that I'd have the patience for a whole campaign of it. And at least this early look isn't selling me super-hard on the art design. What does immediately grab my attention, though, is that they have people like Dan Wentz and Jason Scott (the writer of FreeSpace 2) onboard.

Despite all the moaning on the DU forums about the graphics in the Overload media, I'm still pumped for this title.
It has some really big names working on it - And while they might not have the on-screen charisma like Wingman and his team have, they more than make up for it in proven experience and skills in the industry. Not to mention the fact that for the first time in nearly two decades, the original Descent developers are back together (literally the heavy weights of Volition and Outrage). These are the guys that gave us great games like FreeSpace, Red Faction, Saints Row and so forth.

Top Gun wrote:I'll give them money, because I'm pretty much obligated to, but I honestly don't like the focus on keys->reactor->exit they're pushing for. Even my far younger self back in the late 90s began to tire of that after ten or so levels, and nowadays I don't know that I'd have the patience for a whole campaign of it.

This doesn't exclude the need or use of side objectives. "key>reactor>exit" is a very very basic flowmap. There is a lot of room for other stuff in the middle.

I'm actually excited to know that it will be similar to Descent 1, that is like the best game of all times!
And that includes key-reactor-exit scheme, cube-based engine, etc...

It excites it much more than D:U the first time I saw it.
Also, I'm a single player guy, so I find Overload first premise MUCH better than that of the current SolC and D:U (that focuses on Multiplayer first).

And the cartoony look makes it more similar to D1 but with a nice D3 and modern-day vibe to it, I'm loving it!
Will back it up as soon as I can!

Luke, no thank you for being involved. I just want Descent back and this is what I've been waiting for.

As soon as I saw Overload, I felt the breath of native element.
In my rating, Overload looks in the first place, SOLC in the second place, Underground in third place.

Sigma, ditto for me. Overload, SolC and then DU.

Hunter wrote:Despite all the moaning on the DU forums about the graphics in the Overload media...

Funny, when I saw the video I instantly believed it had more promise than D:U, despite the simplicity of the effects. Time will tell. I tend to think the end-product will have more graphical depth. Overload isn't making any grand promises, but they've got the recipe as far as I'm concerned. Backed.

sigma wrote:As soon as I saw Overload, I felt the breath of native element.
In my rating, Overload looks in the first place, SOLC in the second place, Underground in third place.

x3

sigma wrote:In my rating, Overload looks in the first place, SOLC in the second place, Underground in third place.

x4

These guy are in Urbana IL, right next to Champaign IL.

Too bad it wasn't called project Inferno.

Lighting and textures look a bit ordinary for the moment, but I was surprised just how much like Descent this managed to look for a game running on an engine so much more modern.

Very impressed with the idea behind level design - I'd never have thought of going down that route but it seems obvious when you think about it. The biggest thing that made Descent (and Minecraft) popular for longer than so many other titles was how accessible making your own content was. The second biggest thing was being able to play that content multiplayer, which Parallax will have to do with due urgency after release.

The other thing I like about that whole scheme is how it opens up extension based on ability. Learn to work the level editor and you can make levels easily. If you have experience with other tools you can put even more cool stuff in them. I'm hoping scripting is going to be supported as well, because that was the one bonus to D3 level building as opposed to D1/2 - the ability to change the way a level operated beyond just blue-yellow-red-reactor/boss. Designers tried to manipulate that formula in D2 often enough - Luke himself was one of the pioneers of that... but there's only so far you can go with triggers alone.

I've been weighing up renewing my Photoshop and Maya licenses this year. Think I've just got a good reason to go ahead.

Luke wrote:Cheers,
Luke Schneider
Lead Designer
Revival Productions

You made all my favourite levels.

Well I'll throw some money at them in a week or two. The concept art of the level has already made itself to my desktop background on my personal machine....

I like that they are keeping the distorted cube geometry. I think it's a fascinating idea and allows many people to make levels. So long as they don't have a 900 cube limit....

They won't take your money until the 30 days are up. I put it on my CC. I really can't wait for this game. I'm soooo pumped.

Descent is such a big part of my life. It's the game that got me into gaming big time back when I got the D1 demo. I couldn't play enough of it. I just wish I have started multi before 1997 when Kali 95 was made. I wasn't into IT back them so KALIDos scared me.

Forgive me if I take a jaundice view, but I've heard you guys go gaga over various iterations of the Descent format over the years. Why is this any different?

I've only gone gaga with SolC and DU and now Overload but in all honestly I haven't been impressed with DU so far. Since Overload is being made by the original team (most) then I'm happy to know it will be the more true successor to our beloved Descent series.

@woodchip
Because we are 6DOF fans who generally like:
- science fiction
- technology
- Computers
- spaceships
- space (I'm in space?)

This is the DescentBB, what do you expect?

I prefer the direction this is going to where D:U has gone.

woodchip wrote:Forgive me if I take a jaundice view, but I've heard you guys go gaga over various iterations of the Descent format over the years. Why is this any different?

Because it's being made by different people?

woodchip wrote:Forgive me if I take a jaundice view, but I've heard you guys go gaga over various iterations of the Descent format over the years. Why is this any different?

I'll give you the short version and the long version of why I am excited. The short version: This isn't an iteration of the Descent format, this is Descent by the creators of the game. It's the first true Descent game since D3 back in '99

Now the long version: There are a lot of factors that make up a great game. The original Descent nailed most of them (but not all). Every 6DoF variant has captured some of these elements, but all of them fail to provide the comprehensive experience that makes up the original series. From what I've seen, SoL comes closest in feel. Talon was a neat variation of D3 multi-player. Neon XSZ looks even better. Geocore? Meh. Null Operator looks great but the aesthetic is dramatically different than Descent. Still, I once described SubLevel Zero as the "pinnacle" of 6DoF games. But let me get down to my main point.

All these games have missed one crucial and overlooked factor: A solid single-player campaign with re-playability. That's how I define the original Descent series. There is something to be said about creating a user experience that generates tension through exploration. The multi-player games don't do that. Users are simply lumped together in a small space to shoot each other. Procedural games are at the mercy of randomness which can be frustrating, unforgiving, and sometimes quite boring. But creating a well-crafted level that explores size, shape, and color in order to directly impact the psychology of the user? That is what Descent got right and no one else has done it. This is where Overload is starting. It's truly different than all the others.

I have even more to say, but this is enough.

vision wrote:All these games have missed one crucial and overlooked factor: A solid single-player campaign with re-playability. That's how I define the original Descent series. There is something to be said about creating a user experience that generates tension through exploration. The multi-player games don't do that. Users are simply lumped together in a small space to shoot each other.

That is the strongest point of Overload indeed, and the atmosphere also plays an important role, and judging by what can be seen on the promotional video it seems they nailed it! Feels like a modern Descent 1 without loosing the magical touch of it.

And as a level developer myself, I'm pretty excited to know they will be using a modernized cube engine, as I'm pretty familiar with that style of building.

MAC & LINUX VERSION: We've added Mac & Linux to all reward tiers by popular demand! We'll have a new 1st stretch goal soon.

Pledged! (I originally didn't plan on pledging when Mac & Linux were a stretch goal because if the stretch goal wasn't met then I could have ended up paying for a game I couldn't play.)

To this day I still play D2 single because I loved it so much. I also have he converted D1 levels and play those in D2 also. Single player is very important to me as well.

Personally, I'd like to see all 3 projects do well.
I've dropped off the DU thing because it becomes over load. I'll wait until it's out.

I think each will have its charm and flaws. Even the original had their issues; we've just gotten used to them.

And to the "legal issue" mentioned by someone (Sigma I think). These guys, probably better than ANYONE, understand the ins and outs of that quagmire. They have locked horns with Interplay more than once so, personally, I'm not concerned.

(my 2 bits)
Wish I could drop some serious coin on this, but eating is pretty important. A little coin will have to do sadly. I also plan on supporting SC when they launch their Kickstarter.

By the way Revival Games (if you're reading these), Great kickstarter page. Very clean and clear. Nice goal and increment structure too. All the best guys, I hope you go well beyond what you are looking to achieve.

Yeah, a world where all of these projects succeed at the aspects they're focused on is the best thing for all of us. I mean if we can have dozens of big-budget FPS titles released every year, I think there's more than enough room for 3 or 4 different 6DOF games. Like I said before, Descent was always a multiplayer-focused series for me, as it's literally one of only 3 or 4 games ever that I've put substantial multi time into. My fondest memories of the series come from getting my ass handed to me in Halcyon or Varicose Veins, and taking part in the D2 Revivals. So I definitely appreciate D:U's focus on the multi side of things for now, but I'm also happy that the old Parallax team is back together to take on the more traditional singleplayer, even if it may not be my own favorite part. I also really liked Retrovirus's spin on the genre (though updates on it seem to have sadly petered out). I gave what I think is a modest pledge to this for now, and I'll see if I want to up it as the month goes by. The more the merrier, right?

http://www.pcgamer.com/overload-is-a-ne ... f-descent/

Nice article

There's some good back-and-forth in the comments of that article with Luke Schneider, but a valid point was not sufficiently answered, IMO. That point being, what is it about OVERLOAD that warrants them saying in their introduction video that this is the game they always wanted to make. Honestly, when I watched the video and heard that, my though was that this statement seemed to lack justification. Not that it won't end up being true, but just that there doesn't seem to be anything spectacular enough in the KS description to latch onto as a clear justification for this grand of a statement. Or maybe they just really wanted to make their game all along with 2016 technology.

Regardless, I can't say anything bad about this game as long as I'm satisfied that it really is a creative endeavor by these guys. What more could we ask than that the same folks who started the genre are back to give it another go? I'm excited to see what they do with it.

Live Revival Productions Twitch stream starts in 30! (2PM CST)

Hope I can watch it later as I'll be on my way home from work then.

Per Mike Toschlog, the live stream will be going up on the YouTube channel. (featuring some impressive piloting in D1 Rebirth and OVERLOAD by Luke Schneider)

Watching it now.

It is up on Twitch now - http://www.twitch.tv/revivalproductions/v/44120672

Looks like they have more of a game built than DU, so far. And I'm guessing those levels are just prototype arenas.

They have flares... 'nuff said.

Also their new $350,000 stretch goal has been posted: "Mod Tools & Editor Docs - Support for cusotm weapons and robots + better Level Editor documentation"