DescentBB

Not sure if this topic may exist in another forum, but just thought it would be nice to have a thread for anyone with Descent videos they'd like to share, as well as for related commentary.

I've been recording Descent myself lately for the first time with a cold start (might exempt Level 25 here though), casual, Hotshot, no saves playthrough of TEW in progress:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT ... Xe9fNVzhDq

All commentary is welcome (either here or on YT)!

Anyone knows how to make youtube videos easier to find in Google or other search engines? Still have problem finding my own videos by keywords like "Descent", "Enemy Vignettes", "level 12", "Insane difficulty" etc.While I cannot find other's videos by similar keywords easily. I specified meaningful name for the video and good set of keywords for it. Here is the video.

I am going to start uploading my Inane difficulty walk-through of Enemy Vignettes and Lost Levels for D2 (along with some old cold-start videos for CS and TEW) as soon as I find a way to solve this problem

The best way is to crack Google's relevance algorithm - however a video (rightly IMO) discouraged that practice. The only other way is to boost popularity for the videos.

People are doing insane runs of my levels? You people be CRAZY!

Your levels are the best

As for videos, they're not mine but my recommendation would be for Calmarius (now CalmariusDescent)'s very high-skilled playthroughs - Insane, full rescue/no death/100+ HP at exit. He's done D1, D2, Vertigo, LOTW, Vignettes, and TEW and is currently working his way through everything on the DMDB. Currently in the midst of the Anniversary Edition Level Design Contest stuff - got some real 1996 architecture in there

Well I found that a) my channel is still not Verified b) There are less than 3 public videos. Maybe that's why it is not still searchable. Hope this will go be fixed after I'll do verification and upload more. Will start from Lost Levels however; then Enemy Vignettes (finished Insane full rescue no death no save runs for both).
I agree completely, DFW levels are among the best i've played, as are Sirius and Darkhorse's. Especially if you want some real challenge. About Calmarius, I'd like to see how he will manage LL and EV on cold start! Or AF. Well, even non-cold start! Also I'm looking at AE stuff he posts, unfortunately the level design is much inferior even to First Strike IMO (except maybe Grant's levels and Colossus).

Yeah those levels are from around 1995-1996 (as is the LOTW stuff). That was the era where you'd get CDs like D!Zone with "thousands of levels!" many of which crashed the game or had no exits or things stuck in walls or geometry that rendered the level unplayable. It's not hard to believe that the AE/LOTW stuff really is the best that was available around that time. Also I think the tools were much more primitive - I don't recall much about messing around in DMB except that there were many, many crashes.

Good luck with Youtube m8! I just searched "Descent enemy vignettes" (without quotes) and you were the first result so it looks like you're all good.

Here is the playlist with my Lost Levels for D2 Insane no save no death full rescue runs (with weapon mods off starting from level 5).
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... oWP4l_kDY3
Only 2 levels uploaded now, but I plan to upload a few every day (they are already recorded), and also add another playlist with similar Enemy Vignettes play-trough very soon. BTW I did not found any Insane of even Ace difficulty walk-thoughts of Lost levels and virtually nothing on Enemy Vignettes on youtube! So hope it will be interesting to watch.

A lot of missions lack a high-difficulty walkthrough. I think the major ones Calmarius did like TEW and the original Vignettes for D1 set are actually more an exception than a rule. I can't think of any other major unofficial missions that have one off the top of my head, though I can't guarantee I'm not forgetting about one. It had actually led me to think that perhaps Insane (or maybe even Ace) is hardly ever even played in Descent (II).

Well, considering by and large and everything, Descent II is hardly ever played.

But yeah. I don't think anyone here can really speak for anyone else. Because a lot of these people are pretty private folks who don't like to record videos of every little thing.
And yes, on the internet that's basically sacrilege, but it is what it is.

Here is my new list for Enemy Vignettes Insane no death no save play-through.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... lymer=true

Two new playlists with videos started (all Insane difficulty no death no save full rescue as usual):
Plutonian Shores Demo
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... NCYsXPDkUn
D2 Counterstrike 100% cold-starts for diffucult levels
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... aCTbKXHstQ
LL uploaded up to L17 now (even managed to record two boss levels - 4 and 16 - on Insane without saves that I thought were nearly impossible to do), EV up to L13.

New playlist for Obsidian (Insane no death no save as usual). All vids are recorded, will upload regularly.

Another playlist added - Entropy (by Luke Schneider) - Insane no death no save, secret level included.

New playlist for me as well, single levels and short missions for Descent (II):


Ignore the highlighted video past 19:20, for some reason the recording software didn't stop and I didn't catch it immediately.

Even more for today...

What are you using for midi? It sounds like a Yamaha keyboard more than anything else I know of.

MIDIYoke + VirtualMIDISynth + savihost

Also all commentary is very welcome, either here and/or on YT

Latest video. This is for Obsidian playthrough - not a single level video:

Played on Ace (for now)!

Alter-Fox wrote: ↑Tue Dec 26, 2017 3:17 pm What are you using for midi? It sounds like a Yamaha keyboard more than anything else I know of.

In fact it is the same Yamaha S-YXG2006LE software synth that I use myself. Actually Yamaha is my fauvorite brand of synthesizer even "in hardware" (liked it way better than Casio for example). Never played Roland and any studio electronic keyboards or synths, however, prefer old fashioned acoustic piano, because I mainly play classical music for my own enjoyment.

Now this one is tough! Acolytes, Legionnares, Golems, and Komodos galore! Plus Pipers and Terapiners. I can't even remember any other robot types at all except the (very special) matcen in the Reactor room and the area that includes all the Mantids, visible from the start. At least no robots that haven't been introduced in the main mission yet (Kalki, Bolas, Warlords) and no mini-bosses.

Missiles were disposed at start of run to emulate cold start.

BTW I am now uploading Insane no death no save walkthrough of Apocalyptic Factor. With all important secrets shown. Hope you enjoy this most difficult mission, I consider it a summit of difficulty and classic level design, and selected very good music for it, too! Now 4 levels uploaded.

Four boss levels (2,3,5,7) recorded in two parts (the level itself and the boss part), because level 3 is incredibly difficult, and the other level's bosses are extremely hard to beat.

Also for ones who missed it, Orion Nebula Project for D2 is uploaded (very interesting mission, for it's level design and challenging gameplay, despite only D1 robots and weapons)


And also Encounter at Farpoint 2, another nice mission, with very deadly robots and "survival puzzle" style gameplay. Also I played it because of original level design and good music

Might watch one of those... Don't want spoilers but maybe I can figure out what I'm doing wrong in level 2.

Level 2 of AF? I've heard 2 and 3 are some of the nastiest.

Yeah but since folks with not much more skill than me are breezing through it two difficulty levels above where I'm trying I've got this feeling I'm missing something.

Use my weapons mod. Some of the bosses may screw you over, but a cloak and some shakers Novas should fix things.

I kind of feel like if you're going to install a weapons mod on a mission that wasn't designed for it, you might as well just use cheat codes.

Alter-Fox wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2018 7:44 pm Yeah but since folks with not much more skill than me are breezing through it two difficulty levels above where I'm trying I've got this feeling I'm missing something.

Ironically this level mostly needs skills and good reaction to get through. Right use of cloaking devices and luring in some places where you simply cannot attack head on. And LOTS of luck... And I still don't know how to reliably beat the boss room, those 6 cloaked drillers can drive you nuts... As well as the boss itself, if you cannot catch it quickly when being invulnerable you have no chance on Insane skill.

I want to ask Sirius, is there any better way to beat the L2 boss than I did?

And about L7 boss (and L5, but to a lesser degree) is there some meaningful strategy do beat it on Insane skill without doing tens of attempts on the boss? Probably there are some tricks, in SP or maybe co-op exclusive tricks?
And how it happened that L3 (and L2, too) was so evil, when all later lavels can be beaten no death no save on Insane (excluding L5,7 bosses)?

Beating AF on Insane with few saves in incredibly impressive, IMO, no matter how many attempts. And definitely a lot of good endurance! It surprised me too when I first heard Levels 2 and 3 are most evil, usually a mission only gets harder as you go further. But you don't have Gauss, that could be part of it...

@Alter-Fox Perhaps Lost Levels weapons might make it easier? Not meant for AF, but not hard to install. Just be aware of some boss' weapons (because they are player weapons) and robots firing Mercury Missiles (even robot variant is more deadly than before). Or Fusion Hulks (it homes some). And don't try cold starting AF - was not designed for it, many levels next to impossible to cold start especially if going for no death.

Thanks! Yes, no Gauss is one thing making L2,3 harder. Another one is very cramped geometry, which is rare in later levels. About using non+standard weapons, I consider it a kind of cheating, too. As it changes the gameplay and level's flow (even apart of making the game much easier). About the coldstarts in AF, this is another question for Sirius, were they intended at least for some levels or not?

Oh boy. Apologies in advance for the quote spaghetti.

AlexanderBorisov wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:19 am I want to ask Sirius, is there any better way to beat the L2 boss than I did?

No significant change in tactics, that was more or less what I'd do. Although the trick to draw a few of the robots to the red door is interesting, haven't seen that before.

AlexanderBorisov wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:19 am And about L7 boss (and L5, but to a lesser degree) is there some meaningful strategy do beat it on Insane skill without doing tens of attempts on the boss? Probably there are some tricks, in SP or maybe co-op exclusive tricks?

Maximize the time you get out of invulns and cloaks, make sure you have enough ammo, figure out where the boss tends to spawn and how to get there quickly... really nothing foolproof. People die a lot in co-op on those bosses too; given it was meant to be a challenge there, that was more or less just an accepted consequence. Part of the calculation was how many lives you were likely to have by that point. The bosses are probably going to take a few, especially on high difficulties.

AlexanderBorisov wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:19 am And how it happened that L3 (and L2, too) was so evil, when all later lavels can be beaten no death no save on Insane (excluding L5,7 bosses)?

...yeah, I would say Gauss. It makes a big difference to difficulty. And level 3 had the resource deprivation thing going on, which makes everything just that little bit tougher.

AlexanderBorisov wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:40 am About the coldstarts in AF, this is another question for Sirius, were they intended at least for some levels or not?

I think we actually tested most of the levels that way. You can do it, it's just not easy. Especially if you're trying to meet a no-death stipulation - on levels 2/3 I had difficulty doing that myself. As long as you don't game over you're doing well

@Sirius How are you supposed to handle Level 2 cold start no death? I can't even come close, even on Hotshot. Can't even reliably clear way to the energy center.

To Sirius :
Ok then I will assume I did a decent job with AF . I mainly wanted to ask why it was designed that a bit "anti-climactic" way - L2, 3 being very diffucult, and for example L 14 and L15 not too hard... Was there any idea behind the difficulty progression and level order here?

Yes L2 is very bad (chances to clear the first big room with red lasers are very slim even on Ace), but on L3 getting to the energy center is plain impossible on cold start - how you are supposed to fight those dangerous enemies with red lasers? To get the Vulcan you need to clear that big room with 2 sidearms with each spawning a horde of flash modulas, and other enemies,... Even starting it with 15000 Vulcan rounds, I had barely enough to get to the energy center. Then it becomes easier, of course. More on cold starts, L12 cannot be coldstarted at all on Insane, I believe. You simply don't have enough missiles to kill the boss. L11, also don't quite understand how you get out of the starting room without the Phoenix. Although this should be at least possible with few spare lives, and you have those 4 guided missiles.