Slashdot Mirror


"Descent" Goes For a Crowdfunding Reboot (and a Linux Version)

New submitter boll writes A bunch of Star Citizen alumns have taken it upon themselves to resurrect the hit game franchise Descent, backed by a Kickstarter campaign. If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming scene, you may fondly remember how the original Descent was among the first to provide 6 genuine degrees of freedom during intense late night LAN gaming sessions." Reader elfindreams adds: It will be released as a PC/Mac/Linux game and will include a single player campaign and multiplayer with up to 64 combatants on a map! They are working with a number of members of the current D1/D2 community to make sure the flight/gameplay feels "old school" and they are updating the technology and game to a new generation.

149 comments

  1. Rift support? by HornWumpus · · Score: 3, Funny

    For maximum bazooka barfing!

    There was no game more puke inducing than Descent 2 on the VR headsets of the day.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    1. Re:Rift support? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      I never played Descent 2 quite as much...but the group I worked with during lunches would play Descent 1 every day...often a bit past the 1 hour mark.

      Our boss actually moved our group away from most other folks so our yelling and screaming wouldn't disturb them, and well...he wasn't that big a stickler for time clock, as long as we got code work and all done and in on time, he didn't care that much WTF we did.

      We played our own maps and took out all the monster so it was just us and weapons respawning.

      I'd buy this new game...just hope they keep it true to the old style. I was deadly with a mouse in one hand and keyboard on the other.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    2. Re:Rift support? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      I played 1 to the end. But this is not a VR friendly game.

      If anybody can make descent non-pukey they will have solved the VR puking problem.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:Rift support? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The funny part is that the Descent series were the only PC games with native VR support for 20 years...

    4. Re:Rift support? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      No. VFX1 support was hacked into Descent 2. Same as Janes ATF, Longbow, Falcon 3, Mechwarrior etc etc.

      They all had native head turn, which was hacked into with hardware debuggers. Patch files for the exes shipped from the VFX1 folks.

      Descent 2 also had stereoscopic graphics working. Which made it worse.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    5. Re:Rift support? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      non-pukey? The first sets wil be sold with space helmets; you so much as barf in there, you're on your own.

      Talk about realism. These sets with Occulus will be the future of anti-space sickness training programs.

    6. Re:Rift support? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Our boss actually moved our group away from most other folks so our yelling and screaming wouldn't disturb them, and well...he wasn't that big a stickler for time clock, as long as we got code work and all done and in on time, he didn't care that much WTF we did.

      I miss bosses like that... maybe more than I miss playing Descent.

    7. Re:Rift support? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I used to play Descent extensively and have never felt nauseous. I think you just have a mental or optic disability

    8. Re:Rift support? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wrong. Zephyr had native HMD support.

    9. Re:Rift support? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Did you play it with a VR headset?

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    10. Re:Rift support? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Descent 1 also had stereoscopic graphics working on the VFX1. Some friends of mine and I had 4 of them setup on 4 networked PC's (486DX/33s with 3Dfx cards) with Thrustmaster controls for each that we used to rent out for conventions, etc. in the 90's.

      While Descent made some of us slightly nauseous during the first few rounds testing, we all got used to it eventually. I'd expect the puke effect to be less on today's headsets since there's less input lag than we were getting on the VFX1 back in the day.

    11. Re:Rift support? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      I eventually hooked my VFX1 to a gig processor and a VooDoo rush card (where did you find 3Dfx cards with VESA feature connectors?).

      No matter the frame rate, Descent sucked. 15 minutes max.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  2. double dose of dimenhydrinate please by Dorianny · · Score: 1

    Just remembering that game gives me nausea.

    1. Re:double dose of dimenhydrinate please by markana · · Score: 1

      No kidding. This game gave me a tendency towards motion sickness while looking at fast moving FPS screens that persists to this day.

      Will the VR headsets come with vacuum facemasks to keep the room clean???

  3. 64? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why not 128 player maps?

    FPS's have been stuck at this 64-player server limitation since 2002. 13-years, move it to 128 player-servers.

    1. Re:64? by Higaran · · Score: 1

      64 people is a lot, sometimes too much, first you have the chaos for all the players, then if a couple of guys lag in an 8x8 game and its ok, but getting 64 people with a good internet connection in the same game is almost impossible some times.

    2. Re:64? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Even 64 player games are already "arm rocket launcher, fire blindly for maximum frags. Don't worry, you'll be dead before you're out of rockets" most of the time.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:64? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Idiot, you have no imagination. If they make the map a 20x20x20km cube, it's going to be hard to track the next guy down. Unless you have a Wingnut (TM) Guidebot.

    4. Re: 64? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Especially in Australia

    5. Re:64? by elfindreams · · Score: 1

      I think the fun part is it isn't just a 32x32 maximum, you can subdivide it and have 4 or 8 teams so 8 teams of 8 could be fun as hell.

    6. Re:64? by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Then it doesn't matter whether you play 64, 128 or 256 people. Making the playing field large enough that the population density becomes one per cube mile where I'll be essentially duelling the one guy I can find means that the number of players doesn't matter anymore.

      The point here is that at a certain cutoff it doesn't get better or more interesting anymore by adding more people and compensate it by stretching the maps. As soon as you can't sensibly put everyone into "viewing distance" anymore without making my scenario a viable one, you've reached the sensible limit of players. And I think 64 is pretty much where this is.

      Of course it CAN be done sensibly if you start adding logistics, strategic positioning and such where you are essentially starting to play a MilSim game. But that's a totally different ballpark. Think Quake vs. ArmA.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:64? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I always enjoy your posts - keep em coming :)

  4. No Single Player? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I remember long, cozy nights hunting robots through complex mine systems. This, though, seems like just another cheap multiplayer arena game, making yet another ever-broken promise of truly "destructible environments".

    Why such games get priced the same as things with 50+hr single player campaigns - and moreso if you look at how much it costs to fly more than the base ship - is beyond me.

    1. Re:No Single Player? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      The kick starter page clearly says it has a single player campaign as does the video.

      the summary didn't but who reads the article anyway

    2. Re:No Single Player? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want destructible environments, MinerWars 2081 had that. You could tunnel yourself straight to an astroid if you needed to. It was rather nonconsequential for the gameplay, as there was little reason to do so and it took quite a while, but it was there. MinerWars 2081 also had quite a great single campaign with a great story. As far as I am concerned, MinerWars 2081 already is that worthy Descent successor for singleplayer, little reason to kickstart another. Retrovirus is another Descent inspired game, but I haven't played much of that yet.

  5. Re:I predict... by aliquis · · Score: 1

    I backed at $30 early bird slot early just because I could but I can't see why one should ever back any video game on Kickstarter because indie ones seem to be like $15 and then sell for .. $2 in sales or bundles or whatever and while $30 may be better than say $40 retail if that would happen soon enough it will be much less anyway.

    Now if I could get "subscriber experience" for a fixed price then that would had been ok.

    Like I guess if people had an option to pay say $100 for unlimited World of Warcraft that would had been something.

    But I guess it wouldn't had been for Blizzard =P

  6. OMFG! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is truly the best news I have heard in a long time. I so want this to happen. The best multiplayer game EVER!

  7. Will it work... by TWX · · Score: 1

    ...with my Spaceball Avenger?

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Will it work... by damn_registrars · · Score: 1

      ...with my Spaceball Avenger?

      That would be awesome. I was never particularly good with any keyboard / mouse combination and always thought it would be better with a 3-d mouse with lots of buttons.

      --
      Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    2. Re:Will it work... by i.r.id10t · · Score: 1

      Who cares. I found my Loki Publishing copy of Descent3d a few weeks ago, and I have access to a planetarium dome projector that runs at 1600x1600 :) ....

      Gonna see if I can get it running on a current kernel w/ a relatively current (ie, only 6 year old) nVidia card, then see about at least recording and then projecting on teh screen if thats what it takes...

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
  8. RTFA by wickedsteve · · Score: 2

    "Peterson has big plans for Descent Underground, which will be both single- and multiplayer and will be set as a prequel, telling the story of how the games' Post-Terran Mining Corporation came to be. "

  9. Would they by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Would they touch a dookie at the $10 pledge level?

  10. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've heard they are specifically aiming to use it to break HOSTS files, though; so you better stay away.

  11. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Jax+Omen · · Score: 2

    Depends on your definition of "pure 64-bit"...

    Many games offer a 64-bit client, but they generally either default to the 32-bit client and you have to manually launch in 64-bit mode *or* they have a launcher that decides which client to launch for you.

    World of Warcraft, for example, has a 64-bit client.

  12. If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming scene by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1

    >> If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming scene

    Yeesh...I guess those of us who played Zork should be in a nursing home.

  13. Thanks for answering! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    THIS *may* have answered it for me though http://hardcore-games.azureweb... since SOME of those, I actually liked (Wolfenstein one for example).

    (See subject, & again - thanks!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Been wondering it for a while now - & your points ARE ones I will "look out for" etc. if/when I get into some of those in that link & what you mention too (not into World of Warcraft here though)... apk

    1. Re:Thanks for answering! by Jax+Omen · · Score: 1

      I just used WoW as an example because it's one I know off the top of my head.

      I don't play a large variety of games, and two of the three games I play don't support 64-bit at all >_>

  14. Re:If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming sce by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Three word commands, luxury.

    When I was a kid we played in squashed dodecahedral maps, and we liked it.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  15. Interplay's ENGAGE Games Online by kindbud · · Score: 2

    There was another version - Descent: Online - that was featured on one of the first online game services, ENGAGE Games Online, launched by Interplay in 1995. That was my second IT job. I think we supported up to 32 players in a single game, divided into two teams.

    I was more into Rolemaster: Magestorm (a multiplayer FPS/RPG from Mythic Entertainment, same studio as Dark Age of Camelot),.

    --
    Edith Keeler Must Die
  16. Meh... by RailGunner · · Score: 1

    FreeSpace (and expecially FreeSpace 2) were the better games.

    1. Re:Meh... by c4tp · · Score: 1

      Agreed. Both Freespace games are still ranked near the top in my lifetime of gaming experiences. I wish they get a sequel in some form (that is not Star Citizen).

  17. Re:If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming sce by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pssh in my day we watched the dot an' we liked it

  18. "Star Citizen alums"? by argStyopa · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How the fuck can you be an "alumnus" of something THAT ISN'T EVEN RELEASED YET?

    Seriously, the dizzying anticipatory (or desperately self-justifying, depending on how you view people pouring $70+ million into the kickstarter) hype has now apparently even crossed the bounds of 'pedestrian' chronology.

    Any day now I'm expecting the nostalgic articles about how "great" Star Citizen was, along with triumphal marketing videos about how it redefined an entire genre and 'set the standard' for all the games that followed.

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:"Star Citizen alums"? by PsychoSlashDot · · Score: 1

      How the fuck can you be an "alumnus" of something THAT ISN'T EVEN RELEASED YET?

      I have a similar reaction to everywhere I've read this headline today. They're Star Citizen drop-outs if their departure was voluntary, and rejects if it wasn't. The bit that they'll have most demonstrated is how to take money from folks.

      I'm a SC backer, and eagerly await its eventual release, and I'm totally comfortable with the economics involved with that product, but a team who DIDN'T bring it to fruition, who only did some immeasurable part, doesn't impress me. No, the currently released modules don't count.

      --
      "Oh no... he found the .sig setting."
    2. Re:"Star Citizen alums"? by Half-pint+HAL · · Score: 1

      So less "alumni", more "drop-outs...?"

      --
      Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
    3. Re:"Star Citizen alums"? by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      How the fuck can you be an "alumnus" of something THAT ISN'T EVEN RELEASED YET?

      There are lots of Albion Online alums.

    4. Re:"Star Citizen alums"? by elfindreams · · Score: 1

      This isn't a school where there is a mandatory graduation/etc. People enter and leave development projects all the time. In this case life priority differences got in the way of them continuing on Star Citizen (they didn't want to move to LA). If there were problems/bad blood why would Chris Roberts publicize their new kickstarter? They are neither drop-outs, nor rejects... they are game developers who moved onto a new project.

    5. Re: "Star Citizen alums"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      because he doesnt want to pay severence

  19. Multiplayer focus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It seems to focus on multiplayer, which is exactly what Descent wasn't focused on and exactly what that game wasn't about. Call my enthusiasm severely dampened. Especially about including "modern gameplay" elements. That sounds like "HEALTH REGEN BECAUSE IT'S TOO HARD" to me.

    1. Re:Multiplayer focus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They specifically mentioned there will be a "classic mode" for old-school Descent purists.

    2. Re:Multiplayer focus by dunkelza · · Score: 1

      The leads (Wingman and Rob) mentioned this in one of their discussions with the community. Basically, modern multiplayer games are less costly than modern single-player games. The plan was always to build a large single-player campaign, but they had to keep the cost low for Kickstarter and that required a scope-of-work that meant they could only include a short single-player campaign for the cost of the KS. The hope is to expand the SP component as they sell more. From the FAQ on the KS page: "Yes, single-player is a part of our roadmap."

    3. Re:Multiplayer focus by rogoshen1 · · Score: 1

      Kali was one of the first online gaming platforms (It was an IPX emulator letting you play LAN based games over the internet). Before battle.net, before steam, Kali was there.

      I spent *a lot* of time on Kali playing Warcraft 2 in the late 90's. You know what game on Kali had the most players back then? And is *still*, in 2015 being played there? It's not Warcraft 2.

      If not for the multi-player element, the user base for Descent would not be anything now. Hell people still play Doom & Doom2 (multiplayer) and share WAD's -- it survived usenet. But certainly not due to the single player game.

  20. Re:I predict... by Sowelu · · Score: 1

    Well, the obvious reason to back a project is so that it gets made at all. Nothing's stopping you from pulling your pledge once it hits the winning amount (unless it would bring it back under like 24 hours before the end). If you want to buy a game cheap and you don't care about new stretch goals, then by all means skip the kickstarter experience and you'll be better off. Higher tiers are pretty much never worth it--as a purchase--unless you really want the exclusive T-shirt or an NPC named after you or whatever. Otherwise just treat it the same as public TV/radio funding drives.

  21. Re:If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming sce by Chelloveck · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeesh...I guess those of us who played Zork should be in a nursing home.

    Man, can you imagine how AWESOME a Zork reboot would be? Think of what you could do with it these days. User-selectable fonts, boldface *and* italics, and... dare I dream?... SUB-PIXEL RENDERING! How spooky would it be when your torch goes out to have your text dim turn by turn until you're finally eaten by that grue! To have subtle changes in typeface be a clue in the maze of twisty passages, all alike? To bask in the awe-inspiring majesty of Flood Control Dam #3 as represented by 72pt text?

    Damn, where's the Kickstarter page? I wanna pledge NOW!

    --
    Chelloveck
    I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
  22. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Sowelu · · Score: 1

    Humor someone who's been out of the loop even longer: What's the advantage of making a game natively 64-bit, aside from addressing ridiculous amounts of RAM? Actually these days, maybe that is enough reason...is that it?

  23. GOOD question: I asked the same... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I found answers to it here also http://hardcore-games.azureweb... - to wit:

    "DICE's Rendering Architect Johan Andersson has warned that some of his company's 2013 games using the Frostbite engine will need the extra bits as a matter of course. The developer points to memory as the main culprit, as going 64-bit guarantees full access to 4GB or more of RAM as well as better virtual addressing of VRAM"

    * Oddly enough, from a DICE person (assuming it's the SAME 'dice' that owns /. now perhaps? Or is it some game company called "DICE" also?? I don't know, found THAT odd though!)

    APK

    P.S.=> There's more points there that make sense too, so enjoy the read... apk

    1. Re: GOOD question: I asked the same... apk by jmac_the_man · · Score: 1

      DICE is the company that makes the Battlefield series of games. Slashdot's Dice is different.

    2. Re: GOOD question: I asked the same... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Disney Interactive Consumer Entrainment

  24. Descent is pretty recent in my worldview by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now, please get off my lawn.

  25. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Half-pint+HAL · · Score: 1, Informative

    If you're running 32-bit software on a 64-bit processor, you're actually running an emulator -- WOW64.

    --
    Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
  26. Fair enough & "it's the thought that counts" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: You're much like myself, only playing a FEW games etc. & @ least YOU knew of more than I did, that's certain (lol - man, I have been "out of it" gaming, for a LONG time now imo).

    APK

    P.S.=> Perhaps I'll get back into it this summer, as I am looking to upgrade my system to a BRAND-NEW 'state-of-the-art' system vs. the older one I have now (Core I7 920 CPU, 4gb DDR3 RAM, & GeForce 470 GTX) - from what I've seen? TODAY's CPUs & Vidcards DUST mine... & I would like to keep my system as "64-bit" as is possible, including games ... apk

  27. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    You definitely can prove them wrong, and many people have, many times. However, arguing with schizophrenic is kind of like arguing with a toaster.... even if you're right, you're still gonna wind up with 3rd degree burns on your dick.

  28. Re:I predict... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

    I paid $50 for Albion Online, got to play about a month of the Winter Alpha, will get to play a month of the Summer Alpha, the betas, and when it launches it will be free-to-play.

  29. Exactly & Agreed 110%... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's fun seeing ac trolls like him "squirm" & run vs. http://games.slashdot.org/comm... though... lol!

    * How such absolute WORMS like that ac troll trolling me can sit there telling lies and live with himself is TOTALLY beyond me...

    APK

    P.S.=> I'd hate to be such a lowly douche as that worm personally (flacid, effete, & WEAK)... apk

    1. Re:Exactly & Agreed 110%... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those who live in glass houses...

      You're an AC troll too, in case you hadn't noticed. The difference between you and the other AC troll is that you are also a faggot.

  30. I'm a backer, but... by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    I loved Descent, I look forward to the return of 3D controllers again.

    However, one item concerns me about this Kickstarter - under the platforms they support, they point out all the platforms Unreal 4 supports.

    Well that doesn't really say what platforms they WILL FOR SURE support if the project is backed. Also it does not say what platforms the betas will be available in. You can guess just Windows, but who knows?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:I'm a backer, but... by dunkelza · · Score: 1

      Right now, the official platforms are Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/asse...

    2. Re:I'm a backer, but... by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      Good news, in the comments they say the Mac is supported for beta access. Not sure yet about Linux.

      I missed the infographic you linked to (though sadly your link is bad now, but it's right at the top of the Kickstarter story segment)

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    3. Re:I'm a backer, but... by elfindreams · · Score: 1

      http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/c... They plan on supporting Linux and Mac for the alpha and pre-alphas as well.

  31. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Parafilmus · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just HOW MANY & which games ARE pure 64-bit nowadays?

    There is a reason why most games are still 32-bit apps.

    The big advantage of 64-bit instructions is that they can handle large amounts of RAM. If you aren't using a ton of RAM, there's little benefit to switching instruction sets. Until recently, most high-budget games were targeted at consoles with tiny amounts of RAM.

    Even today, brand new computers are shipping with 4GB ram. I'm not just talking about Surface Pros and Macbook airs... Alienware is selling a dedicated gaming PC with only 4GB.

    PC game developers know that requiring more than 4GB would sacrifice a chunk of their audience. So why bother porting to 64-bit? They can't really take advantage until all those 4GB machines go away.

    Things are starting to turn around, though. Sony and MS have finally released consoles with 8GB ram, so we should expect to see 64-bit games appearing in the form of console ports.

  32. Sol Contingency by apharmdq · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not particularly a fan of what they're doing with this new Descent game. Tech trees? Mining? Monetization? I know they're trying to bring it to the "Modern Age," but if they're going to change so much, I'm not so sure it will be a Descent game to me.

    Sol Contingency, meanwhile, looks great and seems to be a lot closer to a proper Descent game, being made by fans who really know what they're doing. Sadly, although Interplay showed initial interest in them early last year, it seems they weren't enough of a "AAA" developer. So Interplay sent them a Cease and Desist. Fortunately, Sol Contingency is still being worked on, albeit with changes in the assets so that it doesn't infringe on the Descent IP. I'm a lot more eager to see what comes out of that game.

    1. Re:Sol Contingency by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hear! Hear! (in lack of an upvote)

  33. Old school? by war4peace · · Score: 1

    to make sure the flight/gameplay feels "old school"

    I don't want it to feel old school. I want it to feel modern, innovative, up-to-date. And yes, I played Descent 1 and 2 and loved them. But times a'changin' and technology allows for sky-limit innovation.that's what i want, an old game reinvented, not "let's make the same thing but in HD".

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    1. Re:Old school? by dunkelza · · Score: 1

      From what I've seen, the main hosted game is going full modern AAA. However, they are talking about having a "Classic" mode for people who just want something like the originals with updated graphics.

    2. Re:Old school? by war4peace · · Score: 1

      That would work.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  34. Here's 1 I found interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "DICE's Rendering Architect Johan Andersson has warned that some of his company's 2013 games using the Frostbite engine will need the extra bits as a matter of course. The developer points to memory as the main culprit, as going 64-bit guarantees full access to 4GB or more of RAM as well as better virtual addressing of VRAM" FROM http://hardcore-games.azureweb...

    The LATTER point being quite interesting & 1 I wasn't aware of it until I posted it to others here earlier...

    * There IS also the fact you don't have to marshall/summon the WoW emulation for 32-bit libs either (not as big as the VRAM part I noticed in the quote above though) so, that's less overheads in & of itself also...

    APK

    P.S.=> That page shows a few more, but that one stuck out as a fairly "BIG" benefit... apk

  35. So why not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... working with a number of members of the current D1/D2 community ...

    So are they building on Win32 freeware like 'Descent 1 rebirth' and 'Descent 2 X-XL'? Because there's no point starting from scratch. It's seem they should use the money to pay for a Win64/linux port and to improve the LAN play.

    ... include a single player campaign ...

    So who will own this software and new artwork? It's on track for a 'Winnie the pooh' ending: Where Disney privatized what was public and common property.

    1. Re:So why not by dunkelza · · Score: 1

      This game is a new AAA development built in Unreal Engine 4. The goal was not to port the originals, but to build a truly new game in the Descent universe that has core gameplay like the originals with many new features that gamers expect.

      The new software and artwork will probably belong to these guys. I don't think it will change the ownership of the original assets, since all of the assets in the new game will be totally new.

  36. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    On 64bit hardware 64bit a code base runs faster/smoother and/or consumes less power, as the 32 bit code is usually 'emulated' (well, that is not strictly correct) and needs to be 'translated' into 64bit equivalents (not strictly correct either :) but close enough for a layman)

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  37. Destination Quartzon! by gostu · · Score: 1

    From: PTMC Headquarters
    To: MD1032 [Inactive]
    Sbj: Further Career Opportunities at PTMC!

    Material Defender!

    It is our greatest pleasure to inform you about a new job opportunity at the Post-Terran Mining Company.
    We at PTMC strongly believe in securing our extraterrestrial operations. Safety is one of our core values, and as such we have always made the greatest efforts in securing best relations with our respected mercenary partners. Please find attached the draft version of your new Standard Mercenary Agreement.

    Yours faithfully,
    Dravis, CEO
    Post-Terran Mining Company.

  38. Decent 2 yes, Decent... meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I could see it working on the Oculus but in all honestly Decent was a boring, overly complicated game.

  39. Exactamundo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pointed out the same here (with OTHER bigger bennies imo)

    "* There IS also the fact you don't have to marshall/summon the WoW emulation for 32-bit libs either (not as big as the VRAM part I noticed in the quote above though) so, that's less overheads in & of itself also..." - http://games.slashdot.org/comm...

    APK

    P.S.=> The "emulation" is marshalling/summoning the entire 32-bit subsystem, creating overheads in & of itself, in doing THAT alone (along with creating the entire environs for it too) so, you were MORE than "close enough" imo @ least... apk

  40. *sigh* by arielCo · · Score: 1

    They are working with a number of members of the current D1/D2 community to make sure the flight/gameplay feels "old school" and they are updating the technology and game to a new generation.

    Which I hoped Firaxis would do with the X-COM series. Imagine, after the initial joy of seeing my shiny HD troop transport land, seeing that my guys can't pass, drop, throw or pick up an item, or do whatever the hell they want within their time. Which reminds me, I should check up on UFO:AI.

    --
    This post contains no rudeness or derision of any kind. All arguments are friendly. Terms and exclusions may apply.
  41. Yup: "Gathered that" after MORE reading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject, you're right of course: Just though it ironic & shows how LONG I've been "outta the loop" on gaming in general!

    * There WAS a time I knew most of the game production houses out there, but that was a long while ago (as I said, haven't really been 'into' gaming since, oh... Doom III/Quake IV era, if that is any indicator here!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Thanks for pointing it out though since, heh, even I found it "odd" that DICE (/. dice) would be into game development (but you never know how companies diversify) - they're a "headhunter" site for jobs afaik, @ least mostly so (unless others here can show me different)... apk

  42. Re:If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming sce by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We just played with ourselves and were quite content.
    Kids these days...

  43. How did they get the OK for this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    After Descent 3, loads of groups wanted to work on new games in the series, but interplay weren't having any of it.. What changed their minds?

    1. Re:How did they get the OK for this? by dunkelza · · Score: 1

      Interplay approached the lead (Wingman) because he was working on a "Descent-inspired" game. Nobody's entirely sure why, other than possibly Wingman's past track record of making AAA games and reputation for community-involvement. They worked out some kind of licensing agreement and the game became an official Descent title.

    2. Re:How did they get the OK for this? by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      That really should be mentioned in the Kickstarter page. I looked long and hard to find any information about them acquiring the rights to the Descent brand.

    3. Re:How did they get the OK for this? by elfindreams · · Score: 1

      Its in the FAQ on the Kickstarter isn't it?

    4. Re:How did they get the OK for this? by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Nope.

  44. D4? w00000ooooooooo...... by TiggertheMad · · Score: 1

    That was one of the reasons why Descent 1 was such a breakthrough; Even Doom 2 still required synchronized clients so if you had one of your 4 maximum players on a slow machine, the whole game would slow down. Descent allowed 16 players and they communicated in an non-synchronized fashion. A player on a bad connection did nothing to other players' performance.
    I played the game for hundreds of hours, I never experienced motion sickness. Only one data point, sure, but people I have encountered that have this problem have it with all 3d shooters.

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  45. Re:I predict... by aliquis · · Score: 1

    I don't really care for making it happen at all.

    The KS name kinda suggest that's the purpose but for so many projects it's more pre-order.

    Also I don't see why I rather than the developer / creator should risk their money.

    I totally know how KS work though.

    Though two days ago the page was broken for a short while and my manager got locked up in some between state so even if I tried to manage the pledge later I couldn't because KS said it was processing the old one so that sucked. (Especially since that project ended within that time (about 3+ hours after the site was up again otherwise.)

  46. Re:I predict... by dunkelza · · Score: 2

    The makers of this game are working with the competitive Descent community to make sure the important elements are in the new game. This set of developers has a really good track record of involving the community in design decisions.

  47. Time to Dust off my Gravis Firebird by VTBlue · · Score: 1

    I loved playing LAN games with the Gravis, even though most mouse/keyboard players were superior.

    1. Re:Time to Dust off my Gravis Firebird by dunkelza · · Score: 1

      Perhaps your... "Dravis" Firebird? ;)

    2. Re:Time to Dust off my Gravis Firebird by illumastorm · · Score: 1

      Perhaps your... "Dravis" Firebird? ;)

      Really? The "dravius" Firebird?

  48. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by CrustaceanSoup · · Score: 2

    You don't even get 4 GB of addressable memory. Windows will give you 2 GB, or 3 if the user enables the "3GB switch". And that's straight process addressable memory, you're not actually going to be able to utilize the entire thing. You can do the sorts of heavy-handed memory management that game engines do on consoles to avoid fragmenting it too much, but your addressable space is being chopped up in variable amounts by third party shared libraries (Nvidia's driver takes a bit of memory over here, Steamworks takes a bit over there...), so you can't count on reliably allocating large pools out of it.

  49. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    You also get access to *far* more registers in 64-bit mode.

    This has a large potential to greatly improve performance.

  50. Pointless without a "Space Orb" by msobkow · · Score: 1

    Unless someone resurrects the "Space Orb" controller, I can't see any version of Descent as being much fun. It was my old Space Orb that made the game at all *playable*.

    --
    I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    1. Re:Pointless without a "Space Orb" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Resurrect? I still have mine ... -Lt You

    2. Re: Pointless without a "Space Orb" by crypton · · Score: 1

      I kept two of the Logitech Cyberman II controllers, one unused, just in case this game was resurrected. I'd need to have a D9 to usb serial port adapter and driver that works. I'd contribute to another kickstarter just for that.

    3. Re: Pointless without a "Space Orb" by crypton · · Score: 1

      Oops - even worse than DB9 serial, it has a gameport connector. Oh, well.

  51. These things are like water! by myth24601 · · Score: 2

    Back in the mid 90s, I worked at a company that built protocol analyzers. During lunch break we would sometimes play Descent (2?). One day, a couple of us took a protocol analyzer and figured out which packet to push into the network to cause more mega missiles to appear (normally, there was only one or two in existence at a time).

    When we played at lunch that day, we had a hilarious time when the biggest super weapon in the game became the primary weapon. Once the other players figured it out it became a grab/shoot/die fest.

    One of the guys we pulled this on afterwords: "I picked up one mega missile and was like 'cool' then I got another, and another and another then I thought 'Holy Crap! These things are like water!"

    Good times. Now, get back to work.

    --
    No matter where you go, there you are.
  52. Reminder: Descent is not dead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Parallax released the source, and various source ports have kept Descent 1 / Descent 2 playable on modern hardware. See DXX-XL, DXX-Rebirth. If you lost your CDs and need the game data files, you can buy them cheap at Good Old Games. In my opinion, that's a better choice than betting on the Kickstarter, and much cheaper.

  53. it matters, but by gl4ss · · Score: 1

    sure it matters. you can start having new gameplay modes like turf war.

    but the real important question would be to ask do they have the license for descent or is this just a descent like game? there were couple of clones of descent back in the day.

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  54. Go for it troll (here's your opportunity) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where? Answer these questions - Can adblock do 16 things hosts do for speed, security, & reliability:

    1.) Protect vs. malicious sites/servers (beyond malicious ads: See 2-10 next)
    2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnets + stop communication to C&C servers
    3.) Protect vs. dynamic dns botnets + stop communication to C&C servers
    4.) Protect vs. DGA botnets + stop communication to C&C servers
    5.) Protect vs. downed DNS (adds reliability)
    6.) Protect vs. DNS redirect poisoned dns
    7.) Protect vs. trackers
    8.) Protect vs. spam
    9.) Protect vs. phishing
    10.) Protect vs. bandwidth caps
    11.) Get you past a dnsbl
    12.) Keep you off dns request logs
    13.) Speed up websurfing by adblocks & hardcoded fav. sites
    14.) Work on ANY webbound app (think stand-alone email programs) multiplatform.
    15.) Give you easily texteditor controlled data for the above
    16.) Do all that & block ads (better than addons) more efficiently in cpu cycles + memory usage

    * ANSWER ="NO" to each above on AdBlock doing it as well or at all!

    APK

    P.S.=> AdBlock does FAR less than hosts do & FAR less efficiently - hosts by way of comparison, do MORE w/ less + Hosts start w/ the IP stack before REDUNDANT inefficient addons BEGIN to operate (as 1st resolver queried):

    AdBlock's 4++gb & 100% CPU usage flooring inefficiency -> https://blog.mozilla.org/nneth... + ClarityRay defeats it + it 'souled-out' & is crippled by default paid off to not do its job http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/... & ABP too http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...

    AdBlock adds complexity/room for breakdown/exploit + from a slower mode of operations (usermode = more messagepassing overheads vs. hosts in kernelmode).

    For the BEST hosts file?

    APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit -> http://start64.com/index.php?o...

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

    ... apk

  55. True: Here's YET ANOTHER ONE I know of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I agree from 1st hand experience (albeit for procedure/function calls w/ "register" passing) in my APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit here http://start64.com/index.php?o...

    * E.G./I.E.-> The 32-bit version can ONLY pass functions or procedures up to a LIMIT of 8 of them that way (& they're FASTER that way) vs. the 64-bit version being able to pass them that way up to a LIMIT of 16 of them thus...

    (Yes - it is a BIG difference if you have heavy processing being done in them (looping ones especially)).

    IIRC, from "C/C++ speak"? Object-Pascal's "register" calling convention corresponds to "fastcall" in those languages (could be wrong/off though - been years since I kept "details" of THAT nature, between languages, "readily handy & accurate" here...)

    APK

    P.S.=> Even though the code is the EXACT SAME, line-for-line, there IS that single difference in them between 32 & 64-bit versions (how many functions &/or procs I can pass using "register" calling conventions, which are quicker)... apk

  56. Re: Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't forget ASR. Guaranteed to make it so you only have 100MB contiguous memory.

  57. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by rogoshen1 · · Score: 1

    this is the best post ive seen in years. thank you.

  58. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why do you refer to yourself in the third person, APK? We all know it's you and not some lackey who just happens to conveniently follow you around, defending you against every perceived slight.

    Holy fuck, you have got to be the biggest loser I have ever seen. I'm guessing you're a 40-something virgin who still lives with his mother, trying to perpetually rest on whatever laurels you think you deserve for making some crap little Visual BASIC utility twenty years ago. Grow up and get a life.

  59. I played its multiplayer online with Kali! by antdude · · Score: 1

    Kali is still alive even though outdated. Very fun!

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  60. Better Left Dead? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Life always sucks when you go past the summaries:

    Retail cost: $50
    Pay to unlock ships.
    In game currency for ship upgrades.
    Forum subscriptions.
    Map subscriptions.
    Ship subscriptions.
    Live design meetings (are they going to turn development into a reality show? Hopefully they completely ignore the camera and users.)
    They claim no DRM, but there's in-game paid content... I don't see anywhere where they say the game can be played offline. Single-player != offline play.
    Single-player is listed as a mini-campaign prologue. A full-blown single-player adventure is only planned if they can grow the studio and raise more money.
    The money they're asking for is to boot-strap development, not fund the entire thing.
    No mention of a demo.

    Original games: Shareware, meaning the first few levels were free and you were encouraged to make and distribute copies.

    Somehow I think the original Descent games will be better than their Descent 4. (Now where's the Magic Carpet remake?)

  61. We got payed to have fun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That was the description of those times. We would code in 6809 or 68HC11 assembler, produce some boards, schematics and play Descent on lunch breaks. I still remember the sound of pounded space-bars... time to fly and hide in case the missiles are coming your way!...how times changed...

  62. Analog Joysticks without a "dead zone" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The big problem for me when I try to play Descent is that analog joysticks without "dead zones" are seemingly no longer manufactured.

    I've tried playing in dosbox using modern controllers. It's pure torture. When I move the stick a little and nothing happens, it assumes it's because that movement was way too small and so it makes a much larger one to correct for that. So when I'm almost aimed at something and I just need to make a minor adjustment, I move the stick a little, but nothing happens, and so I instinctively move the stick a lot more and suddenly I'm turning at full speed. Eventually I give up and find something else to do as it just isn't any fun when I can't properly input my desires to the computer.

    Resolving the problem seems to be hopeless. The controllers implement a dead zone, then the OS implements one as well, then sometimes the games implement one, and the result is that an analog joystick has essentially no advantage over a direction pad.

    1. Re:Analog Joysticks without a "dead zone" by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The big problem for me when I try to play Descent is that analog joysticks without "dead zones" are seemingly no longer manufactured.

      ControlMK allows you to edit dead zones

      I accept free beer

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Analog Joysticks without a "dead zone" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No beer for you. You can't fix hardware problems in software. Once the hardware discards the small movements, there's no way for the software to know that they ever occurred.

    3. Re:Analog Joysticks without a "dead zone" by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      You can't fix hardware problems in software.

      You can configure out dead zones on saitek and logi joysticks, at minimum

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  63. 1st person..? by drkim · · Score: 1

    It's too bad they seem to be building it as a 3rd person perspective.

    This would be such a great game to play 1st person in 3D-stereo on the Oculus Rift, with maybe a force-feedback controller of some kind.

    1. Re:1st person..? by elfindreams · · Score: 1

      The videos are in third person, but they have confirmed it is 1st person with VR (Oculus support).

    2. Re:1st person..? by drkim · · Score: 1

      The videos are in third person, but they have confirmed it is 1st person with VR (Oculus support).

      Oh, thank goodness! I got worried when I saw those 3rd person videos.

      I've been HMD gaming for about 9 years, and I'm also a big Decent fan; so this should be great!

  64. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by daid303 · · Score: 1

    Actually, compiling for pentium 4 or better already gets you most of these. Which is hardware that everyone has these days. But 64bit (system/OS) has only about a 70% market right now (for my application that is, which is a general desktop application)

  65. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

    4GB is a ton! I've seen music videos less than 4k.

    The artists are in charge, not the designers or the programmers, or the mappers, or the character designers, or the writers. THE STUPID ARTISTS.

    I don't feel like running in 800x640 to have competitive level framerates.


    Crysis level graphics came out a while ago and were good enough.

    There's no evidence that photorealistic textures are being taken from, well photographs which would cut game production costs considerably.

    We need to get Carmak to attend to this. Everything is based off his work. Still.

  66. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    64 bit on x86 isn't all about the adressable memory. It's all about the additional registers available compared to 32bit code - compared to only 8 (ish) general purpose registers, 16 registers are really good news for compilers. The larger pointers required for 64 bit addresses are detrimental, since moving them around eats memory bandwith.

  67. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    The big advantage of 64-bit instructions is that they can handle large amounts of RAM. If you aren't using a ton of RAM, there's little benefit to switching instruction sets.

    Bollocks. You see a 10-15% performance improvement on typical code when simply recompiling to 64 bit. I don't call that "little benefit". That's actually quite massive. Meanwhile, RAM is cheap. If you're running out, buy more.

    PC game developers know that requiring more than 4GB would sacrifice a chunk of their audience.

    A truly minuscule percentage. People who play a lot of PC games are going to tend to build a pretty butch PC. Pretty much nobody who would have bought a title which requires more than 4GB won't already have more than 4GB.

    So why bother porting to 64-bit? They can't really take advantage until all those 4GB machines go away.

    Uh, what? Show me the 64 bit game that requires more than 2GB RAM, let alone 4GB. Skyrim with HD textures, maybe. It uses about 3. There are maybe two games on the market that actually require 4GB.

    Things are starting to turn around, though. Sony and MS have finally released consoles with 8GB ram

    Uh yeah, quite some time ago now.

    8GB is just not a lot of RAM any more. Any gamer who can afford to buy games can be expected to have that much.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  68. Re:Go for it troll (here's your opportunity) by dave420 · · Score: 1

    And can your HOSTS files block the torrent of spam you unleash upon Slashdot? No, they can not. I don't know why you keep advertising in a manner so annoying, yet which can not be blocked by the product you're attempting to publicise.

    Please seek help. You really need it. Trolling Slashdot like some crazed stalker is not healthy.

  69. Are you on topic? No. You're a troll Dave420 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Eat your words" Dave420 or prove me wrong http://slashdot.org/comments.p... (which you've failed TONS of times @ & you always ran from that completely FAIR challenge to you, just like the trolling weasel you clearly are...)

    * Tell us: How do those words of yours taste flavored with the "bitter taste of SELF-defeat" & washed down with your foot in your mouth ramming them down your throat? R O T F L M A O...

    APK

    P.S.=> You called me ALL KINDS of names: Well, since you're technically incompetent & the above link will just prove it again? Live up to a fair challenge put to you (of course, a TROLL WEASEL like yourself never will - & as usual, I win - getting to make a FOOL out of you publicly, yet again also, "bonus"... lol!)... apk

  70. Real convincing calling him faggot (not) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You ran from a fair challenge coward vs. http://slashdot.org/comments.p... He's no troll. You are, clearly projecting you're a homosexual also.

  71. Dave420, you're stalking him here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You've also been called out for trolling & ran? Hahahahaha (loser). Proper sentences also don't start with conjunctions like "And" either stupid. You're obviously an illiterate public dole case too.

  72. original copys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Glad I still have my copy!!!

  73. It's not polite to talk w/ your mouth full by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Your mouth's full of your words you're eating http://slashdot.org/comments.p... after you were fairly called out and RAN. You *really* need to change your diet Dave420! Eating your words != GOOD NUTRITION!

    Tell us, how does eating your words taste, flavored with the bitter taste of SELF-defeat, rammed down your throat since your foot's in your mouth?

    (Amazing you can still talk your gibberish bullshit, actually, considering your mouth's full, as you "eat your words" (lmao))

  74. Others' opinions of YOU, Dave420, quoted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject + this (which says it all about you, punk) -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

  75. Others' quoted "high opinions" of you Dave420 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do Nothing Dave420 - take a read http://slashdot.org/comments.p... and you don't fool anyone but yourself vainly trying to defend yourself posting by anonymous coward now either Dave420. It's got to be a horrible life for you being such a "ne'er-do-well" trolling fool, lol, on your end.

    * I sort of understand you now, after seeing what others think of you... quoted in THEIR OWN WORDS.

    APK

    P.S.=> You're just plain shit, online & otherwise, and it really shows... apk

  76. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This one's better (Dave420 & others' thoughts on him) http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

  77. IF all that's true, why run from a challenge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Keep "running", Forrest -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    * :)

    (Especially considering you're just another "ne'er-do-well" ac troll, doubtless Dave420 again, who everyone here has "such a HIGH opinion of" here (lol, not) -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

    APK

    P.S.=> You're welcome to prove me wrong, but it's obvious you can't (since you're a flacid, effete, & technically weak incompetent in the field of computing) - all you have now is your b.s. & that only makes ME, look GOOD... & yourself, by way of comparison? Well... lmao, "not so good" (see the 2nd link above, Dave420 - read 'em & weep, while you "eat your words" being totally held in check by truth & facts I post you can NEVER, ever overcome validly - I love it!)

    ... ak

  78. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd like to know why all you troll bitches run from apk and this http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ? Is it since he's proving he's better than you on every level there is? I'd say so.

  79. 6 degrees of separation? by dacaldar · · Score: 1
    I fondly remember this - it was way better than Doom, and the only game I really ever played a lot and mastered, thanks to my own customized keyboard layout that let me move in several combinations of those "6 degrees" at once.

    I assume by 6 degrees they mean the 3 ways of sliding/strafing (forward-backward, up/down, and left-right), + the 3 ways of rotating (pitch, yaw, roll).

    It just sounds funny to hear "6 degrees" - it makes me think of 1/60th of a circle - not exactly freedom.

    (Loved using the University's networks to play with a few friends late at night.)

    1. Re:6 degrees of separation? by elfindreams · · Score: 1

      Yes, "Degrees of Freedom" defines the number of ways a rigid body can move in three dimensional space... so in this case rotate x, rotate y, rotate z, translate x, translate y, translate z.

  80. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Parafilmus · · Score: 1

    8GB is just not a lot of RAM any more. Any gamer who can afford to buy games can be expected to have that much.

    Actually, take a look at the Steam Hardware Survey.

    Last month, 47% of steam users had 4GB or less.

    That's not a survey of general PC owners. Those are people on steam last month.

    It may be true that people with more ram buy more games... but what developer is going to ignore half the potential audience?

  81. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Parafilmus · · Score: 1

    Bollocks. You see a 10-15% performance improvement on typical code when simply recompiling to 64 bit.

    Games aren't typical code. Performance tends to be GPU-bound, not CPU-bound.

    Which means you incur the cost of re-testing everything, plus the cost of replacing the one fiddly library that won't play nicely with 64-bit (there's always one). And your payoff is... quite possibly nothing, because your bottleneck was in the GPU.

  82. Re:Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Parafilmus · · Score: 1

    Things are starting to turn around, though. Sony and MS have finally released consoles with 8GB ram

    Uh yeah, quite some time ago now.

    Only about a year ago. That's not very long.

    At this point, cross-platform games are still releasing for the Xbox 360, which means they need to squeeze into half a gig.

    The situation will change as the new consoles displace the old ones. But right now, games like Far Cry 4 and Battlefield:whatever are still worrying about the Xbox 360's tiny memory footprint.

  83. Re: Will it be OpenGL & 64-bit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Haaaaah :\

  84. Eric Peterson (the CEO) is doing an AMA by elfindreams · · Score: 1
  85. AMA by elfindreams · · Score: 1

    WINGMAN is doing an AMA http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/c...

  86. Re:If you are a semi-oldtimer on the PC gaming sce by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

    To have subtle changes in typeface be a clue in the maze of twisty passages, all alike?

    I feel the need ... the need to tweet "Drop the bird!"

    Plugh!

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"