My wife is the developer of a mod for a 20-year-old game [0], which she forked from another mod about a year ago.
The reason for the fork? The other mod made missiles follow slightly wider turning arcs, so they were harder to dodge by going around corners. It seems like a tiny difference, but high-level competitive players want their missiles exactly right because different missile tracking leads to different viable tactics. "That shot into that tunnel is a sure kill" turns into "that shot is unlikely to hit"; "I can dodge that" turns into "I have no option but to run". The primary developer of the other mod was not a high-level competitive player and did not see this as a problem. Merely suggesting the fix (which my wife originally coded as a patch to the other mod), with simulations, a mathematical proof of correctness, and uniformly positive feedback from many top-level pilots, was enough to touch off a flamewar that wasn't settled for weeks.
That's awesome, I'm glad to hear there are still folks playing Descent. Truly an underrated multiplayer game. I loved playing it on IPX over TCP with a modem way back in the day.
If you were active on Kali or Kahn and want to reconnect with old friends, also check out https://www.facebook.com/groups/kalikahn/ . We've recently had an influx of early online players (kiln, Scoundrl, Grax, Lioness, Dtile, Arch_Angel!, R2D2, Vlider, Moon, Merl, and the list goes on.)
The flip side of being fanatical about our game: we run into people we used to play with/against 20 years ago, and we're instantly friends.
Wow, didn't know people still played Descent. It was one of the first multiplayer games i ever played in the mid 90ies over null modem connection with a friend sitting next to me as LAN wasn't that common back then. Good times :)
It was one of the first multiplayer games i ever played
Not the first for me, but Doom 2 and Descent were the first one that have been successful in my circles. I remember having played Descent 1 and 2 for long hours, completing both solo and played Descent 2 coop with friends, then on a whim, tried to hop into Kali and tore basically everyone apart, as most people were clueless about 3D ambushes and dogfight mechanics.
The descent series were underrated, innovative gems. That D2 intro had some of the most memorable lines to me[0]. Still have the original (badly scratched) disc somewhere.
Comments
My wife is the developer of a mod for a 20-year-old game [0], which she forked from another mod about a year ago.
The reason for the fork? The other mod made missiles follow slightly wider turning arcs, so they were harder to dodge by going around corners. It seems like a tiny difference, but high-level competitive players want their missiles exactly right because different missile tracking leads to different viable tactics. "That shot into that tunnel is a sure kill" turns into "that shot is unlikely to hit"; "I can dodge that" turns into "I have no option but to run". The primary developer of the other mod was not a high-level competitive player and did not see this as a problem. Merely suggesting the fix (which my wife originally coded as a patch to the other mod), with simulations, a mathematical proof of correctness, and uniformly positive feedback from many top-level pilots, was enough to touch off a flamewar that wasn't settled for weeks.
People can be fanatical about their video games.
[0] the game is Descent (1 and 2). Her mod can be found at https://github.com/CDarrow/DXX-Retro . The other mod is at http://www.dxx-rebirth.com/ . Current competitive 1v1 play is at http://descentchampions.org/ and group play is at http://descentrangers.com .
That's awesome, I'm glad to hear there are still folks playing Descent. Truly an underrated multiplayer game. I loved playing it on IPX over TCP with a modem way back in the day.
It's still just as fun. Come join us. Players of all skill levels welcome. http://descentchampions.org/new_player.php will get you started.
If you were active on Kali or Kahn and want to reconnect with old friends, also check out https://www.facebook.com/groups/kalikahn/ . We've recently had an influx of early online players (kiln, Scoundrl, Grax, Lioness, Dtile, Arch_Angel!, R2D2, Vlider, Moon, Merl, and the list goes on.)
The flip side of being fanatical about our game: we run into people we used to play with/against 20 years ago, and we're instantly friends.
Wow, didn't know people still played Descent. It was one of the first multiplayer games i ever played in the mid 90ies over null modem connection with a friend sitting next to me as LAN wasn't that common back then. Good times :)
Not the first for me, but Doom 2 and Descent were the first one that have been successful in my circles. I remember having played Descent 1 and 2 for long hours, completing both solo and played Descent 2 coop with friends, then on a whim, tried to hop into Kali and tore basically everyone apart, as most people were clueless about 3D ambushes and dogfight mechanics.
The descent series were underrated, innovative gems. That D2 intro had some of the most memorable lines to me[0]. Still have the original (badly scratched) disc somewhere.
[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT5U4LMiF7M&feature=kp
To be hones if this was a contract between the developer and the community he could have been sued for breach of contract.
Luckily it's just a promise but I still think that's a bit fucked up.