: alt.games.descent
Subject: Has it really been four years?
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 15:50:25 -0500
Organization: Volition Inc.
Lines: 75
Message-ID: <35E9BB11.2DDEB0E@Volition_inc.com>
Reply-To: Dan@Volition_inc.com
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I've been reading enough here lately to feel compelled to give my input
as to why several of us are still playing a game that is "4 years old."

The very first time I saw Descent was at the '93 Winter CES show at
McCormick Place in my home town of Chicago Il. It was far from being
fully playable but I was immediately awestruck by its atmosphere. The
only other game at the time that made nearly the same impression was
Origin's System Shock.

The reasons I feel that Descent 1 and 2 have lived so long, (and thank
God they have) are as follows.

1) When it first appeared, the average machine (486-66) could barely
manage to keep up with it. Thus the game was a bit ahead of itself in
terms of technology. I know several people who continually upgraded
their systems specifically to play Descent better.

2) Kali/Kahn. The concept of on-line multiplayer games, and the internet
itself where still very young when Descent first came out. I'll never
forget the first time I experienced multiplayer Descent. No other game
makes me sweat... Multiplayer Descent _still_ does. - Scary ain't it?

    I attribute this to two things...

2a) While Descent has a slightly steep learning curve, few games are as
rewarding once you begin to master them.

2b) No matter how good you think you are, there's always somebody out
there that will make you feel like a newbie all over again. This is true
of many games, but nowhere have I seen it more apparent than with
Descent.

3) Hardware acceleration. About the time Descent 2 started to show it's
age, and any other game would have probably faded away, hardware
acceleration kicked in to beathe new life into the game. I think it's
great to see outside projects like D1X and D1_3dfx taking shape as well.

4) The numerous level editors and utilities that have sprouted up over
the years, and the hundreds of homebrew levels they have produced are,
no doubt,  a huge reason Descent has lived so long.

5) Lack of clones. Up until recently, nobody's really done the same
style of game, so there's really been little alternative. Personally, I
applaude those that have for providing us with something to add to this
list.

People will take sides, but this is to be expected. It happened with
Duke Nukem and Quake, it's also happening with Descent and Forsaken. But
I think the bottom line is this; Competition is a very good thing. It
encourages evolution, and forces the next generation of titles to be
that much better.

But I don't buy for a second, that the alleged isolation or "ghettoism"
of the Descent community, is the result of the player's unshaken loyalty
to the game. I know a lot of hard core gamers who play several types of
games, but keep returning to Descent. - Myself included. But I also
still play Herzog Zwei for the Sega Genesis. Heck my wife caught me
playing Cruel Solitaire last night! What else can you say, a great game
is a great game. No matter how many times you play it.

So pat yourselves on the back if you "still play Descent." You have
nothing to be ashamed of.
And a rich reward awaits in the form of Descent 3.

A friend of mine once drew an analogy that I found very interesting;
"Quake is to the Marines, what Descent is to the Air Force. Both require
a unique set of required skills. But while nearly anyone can pull a
trigger while running, few can do it as accurately while triple
chording."

The above are solely the opinions  of...

Dan Wentz
Volition Inc.