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The Icon Bar: News and features: Descent II review (finally!)
 

Descent II review (finally!)

Posted by Richard Goodwin on 15:51, 9/11/2001 | ,
 
The Descent II review has been available to those of you who read all the forum messages, but we've held off posting it until now due to stability issues.

To be fair RCI have produced several upgrades since the first release, and have introduced network play at the same time. However, due to the fact that I can't get past level 3 without crashing back to the desktop it's fallen to Simon "Elite" Challands to write a solo review, as he can not only play the game, he can bug report problems on level 21...

Oh yes, and I sneaked an ID preview in while I was correcting things missing from the site.

Review: Descent II
 
  Descent II review (finally!)
  (16:33 9/11/2001)
  Richard Goodwin (16:57 9/11/2001)
    David McEwen (17:38 9/11/2001)
      Simon Challands (18:15 9/11/2001)
        David McEwen (19:15 9/11/2001)
          Andrew \'Exile\' Weston ( (21:20 11/11/2001)
            David McEwen (00:03 12/11/2001)
              Richard Goodwin (10:45 12/11/2001)
                Andrew Weston (15:18 12/11/2001)
                  David McEwen (22:45 12/11/2001)
                    David McEwen (04:13 13/11/2001)
                      Andrew Weston (09:39 13/11/2001)
                        Mark Quint (10:11 13/11/2001)
                          Andrew Weston (13:43 13/11/2001)
                            Max Palmer (18:48 13/11/2001)
                              Mark Quint (22:54 13/11/2001)
                                Andrew Weston (14:45 14/11/2001)
                                  David McEwen (17:37 15/11/2001)
                                    Andrew Weston (23:59 15/11/2001)
 
David McEwen Message #86876, posted at 16:33, 9/11/2001
Unregistered user Are you still having trouble with the game Rich ? Didn't the last upgrade help ?
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Richard Goodwin Message #86877, posted at 16:57, 9/11/2001, in reply to message #86876
Unregistered user Nope, crashed out at level 3 :( (although that's better than level 2 which was the previous high! :)) I was right at the exit to the mine too.

I thought I copied you in on the last email, maybe not. I got a problem with a black screen on start up when trying the new version, and then had a power cut, and so after a clean restart (forced by the powercut) the game worked okay until Level 3. Andrew seemed to think the black screen and power cut were slightly closer together than I'd reported however, so maybe he didn't take it seriously ;)
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
David McEwen Message #86878, posted at 17:38, 9/11/2001, in reply to message #86877
Unregistered user Can the crash on Level 3 be repeated ?
If so could you send me a save game so that I can try and recreate it... I'm not that hot at the game so it may take a while ;-)
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Simon Challands Message #86879, posted at 18:15, 9/11/2001, in reply to message #86878
Unregistered user IIRC I did have some problems with level 3 (crashed when trying to go on to the secret level - or was that Level 4?) I'll have to go back some day and see if they are still there.

At least RCI listen and do their best to help. Several of the updates have been due to me and bug reports :) I do feel a bit like a beta tester, though.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
David McEwen Message #86880, posted at 19:15, 9/11/2001, in reply to message #86879
Unregistered user The first version was a little rushed. However you have to understand that I have little or no time to sit down and test... and unfortunately RCI don't have any testers.

Due to the large number of changes required to get the game to run at the speed it does bugs crept in (other than those present in the PC release). Bear in mind though that the two of you are in the minority with regards to problems as I haven't heard of many others. As it stands though it is pretty solid. I've had it running for several hours without any bugs...
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew \'Exile\' Weston ( Message #86881, posted at 21:20, 11/11/2001, in reply to message #86880
Unregistered user Did you think any more about F16 David, amongst all your other work?
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
David McEwen Message #86882, posted at 00:03, 12/11/2001, in reply to message #86881
Unregistered user I spoke to Andrew about it, but he's on hols atm so it may be a while before anything happens.
There should be an interesting (non commercial) release rsn... as soon as I can fix a bug!
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Richard Goodwin Message #86883, posted at 10:45, 12/11/2001, in reply to message #86882
Unregistered user I haven't tried to replicate the error, but previous experience has shown it to be pretty much random :(
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Weston Message #86884, posted at 15:18, 12/11/2001, in reply to message #86883
Unregistered user A release of F16?
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
David McEwen Message #86885, posted at 22:45, 12/11/2001, in reply to message #86884
Unregistered user Andrew... you're a weenie bit obsessed aren't you ? ;-)

The project I'm working isn't F16... you should find out what it is soon enough.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
David McEwen Message #86886, posted at 04:13, 13/11/2001, in reply to message #86885
Unregistered user The project in question is a port of ScummVM and it is available now from my website :
http://www.acornemus.freeserve.co.uk
It enables you to play Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max,... natively on your RISC OS machine!
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Weston Message #86887, posted at 09:39, 13/11/2001, in reply to message #86886
Unregistered user I think the platform is in need of a flight-simulator and I'd like to see a modern one done on Acorn systems.
There's been no advance on Birds of War style-graphics since it was released in the early to mid-90s!
It would be an innovative, exciting step forward for the games market. I hope others agree.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Mark Quint Message #86888, posted at 10:11, 13/11/2001, in reply to message #86887
Unregistered user i can certainly see what you mean about the lack of flight-sims,
but i suppose the problem at the moment is not having any particulary advanced 3D engines,
but once some of these resources are here then perhaps someone may want to work one a nice new film sim :)
btw: the *newest* flightsim that i can think of working on RiscOS would be AirQuake, the plane sim mod for Quake :) - it works, but a little slowly :(
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Weston Message #86889, posted at 13:43, 13/11/2001, in reply to message #86888
Unregistered user F16 can be converted but may require re-writing which obviously needs time and hard-work.
The air-quake sounds good - where do you get it from?
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Max Palmer Message #86890, posted at 18:48, 13/11/2001, in reply to message #86889
Unregistered user David wrote :
The project in question is a port of ScummVM and it is available now from my website :
http://www.acornemus.freeserve.co.uk
It enables you to play Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max,... natively on your RISC OS machine!

That's amazing news !! Thanks for all your hard work David !

Max
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Mark Quint Message #86891, posted at 22:54, 13/11/2001, in reply to message #86890
Unregistered user umm Either have a search for info on it, on www.planetquake.com/quake1/ or goto http://www.planetquake.com/ikq/airquake.htm for the file. - theres also a Quake2 version there too :D
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Weston Message #86892, posted at 14:45, 14/11/2001, in reply to message #86891
Unregistered user Umm, thanks.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
David McEwen Message #86893, posted at 17:37, 15/11/2001, in reply to message #86892
Unregistered user Just thought I should clarify as a couple of people who read this thread seem to have gotten a bit confused. The ScummVM port has nothing to do with RCI. My comment about talking to Andrew was in reference to F16. I haven't got any commitments to RCI outside of Descent 2 atm.
I hope that clears things up.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Weston Message #86894, posted at 23:59, 15/11/2001, in reply to message #86893
Unregistered user All sounds promising anyway :-)
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 

The Icon Bar: News and features: Descent II review (finally!)