DescentBB

Basically what the title says. Focus here is on gameplay/enjoyability more so than any other aspect.

i picked counterstrike simply because there is more levels
that is also why im excited for descent 1.5

Vertigo has better level design with more memorable encounters instead of robots being scattered haphazardly around the map, but I don't like any of the new robots, either in a appearance or behavior--they look ugly, most of them do the same things other robots already did (do we really need another lifter?). and they tend to have way too many HP, making them tedious to clear out. So I'm torn.

Woolie_Wool wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:15 am I don't like any of the new robots, either in a appearance or behavior--they look ugly, most of them do the same things other robots already did (do we really need another lifter?). and they tend to have way too many HP, making them tedious to clear out. So I'm torn.

You can delete the 'z' from the mn2 and get D1 robots. That makes it interesting too.

Mm... They're certainly not tied for me, but I'm never sure which one I like more either. Depends on the moment.
So that's an option right?

BTW if I were you I'd keep this thread and ask for the others to be closed.

Well technically you could argue if you prefer one half the time and the other half the time, that's a form of tie, albeit an unusual one.

The other thread (in Level Spotlight) can be closed or deleted if desired.

Flash hulks in Vertigo (or whatever they're called) have way too much HP compared to their physical size.

Hunter wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2018 12:00 am Flash hulks in Vertigo (or whatever they're called) have way too much HP compared to their physical size.

Lots of D1 robots had this trait, like the gophers and the missile platformers, same deal with the plasma drillers.

True, but that was ok in D1 - it seemed out of place in D2 though when you consider giants like the sidearm or Lou guard can appear in the same level.

The Lou Guard actually isn't all that big to be perfectly fair

at least there is no level where there is both the sidearm and the yellow fatty from what i remember

I prefer Vertigo:
- CS gives me Brimspark Fatigue
- Vertigo has better geometry
- I have yet to see anyone else speedrun it

Brimspark fatigue may be a thing, but in retrospect I actually really enjoy the red system. Might inspire me to make a red level of my own

As far as geometry and texture use go, I think I prefer Vertigo. It did go adventurous at times. As far as gameplay and difficulty go, I'll be able to tell after I get to playing the mission on Insane with no deaths. I'm leaving that for after Counterstrike.

D1 Mars did red fine; but D2 Brimspark took it out too far and too long.

CS in general suffers badly compared to almost any other (decent) mission - official OR fanmade - in terms of keeping things fresh and varied between/within levels. Even other missions with themed units did not do it to this length and extent. (Yes, of course L1/5/9/13/17/21 are excluded, and maybe all of Zeta Aquilae, but they make you be dying for a change by the time you get there.)

On the one hand you're quite right, but on the other hand attempting every level on Insane with no dying makes you appreciate all their intricacies and the levels start standing on their own after you've spent so much time in them. They are also a bit more varied within each theme than people give them credit for, though indeed the levels are a bit too enslaved to their theme for their own good - Vertigo remedies this very nicely. Zeta Aquilae is an obvious exception - frankly I wouldn't mind in the slightest if all of Counterstrike looked like it did - it looked fresh, modern, exciting, alien-like - basically everything that you'd expect from a continuation of Descent. While I used to underestimate the subsequent systems more than I do now, they definitely cannot match up to Zeta Aquilae's texturing. They do look much more uniform throughout, which is inevitable I guess. I'll say though that I really appreciate the texturing in Baloris Prime's level 2, it's quite varied and refreshing.

And you're right, having 4 levels of a single theme in a row is a bit too much. Descent 1 itself was not as jarring, even though its levels only loosely followed themes of any sort and some tropes repeated themselves throughout the entire mission. Vertigo is definitely the best in this regard, though it could afford to be longer.

Well as for that last point, 20 medium size levels isn't that short, and I tend to not rate things down simply because of its length, unless it is unreasonably short or ridiculously long (i.e. too long for its own good).

Insane might dull some of the repetition issue in CS, because it is much more important to learn the level and stay on your toes than to look at the texturing. Plus for true challenge seekers, longer levels = bigger challenge to do without saves/deaths (unless difficulty itself is significantly lower).

Still, as I mention, there isn't any other quality mission of any kind (official or custom) I can think of that stays hooked to the same theme over as much real estate in a row as CS does.