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seit 24.09.2000
The Scorpion's Lair
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The Scorpion's Lair Sirius 14 February 2005 Introduction It's yet another of those occasions when I finish a level after a long break in the midst of which, if you had asked me whether any more would be forthcoming, I would have shrugged my shoulders and said, "Who knows, but probably not." My last Descent 2 level, Helium, was built for the 40th Descent 2 Revival, the last run by its creator Stealth, and at the time apparently the last ever. But after Phaser took up the flame the Revivals started anew, after a break of several months, and recently have begun to regain popularity. However, unlike the old Revivals the levels played are not chosen prior to the event; they are decided during play. This means it is not necessarily possible to design levels 'for the Revival', as it was before. Nonetheless, with the upcoming D2 Revival set to feature Stealth's creations, this rule doesn't appear to be set in stone. So it may be possible to, at a later date, feature this level in the Revivals; thus I tried to give it a play style that would suit it. The real reason I built this level is as something of an experiment; it is to determine whether established design principles work well with the process of creating levels. More specifically, to find out just how much they can improve it. To do this I started from basics, took a step back and thought about the levels I see played and what tends to happen in them, then tried to determine why and how the designer can influence them. With this in mind I developed a layout that would cause the level to flow how I wanted it to rather than leave it to chance; after that was done I moved on to detail and what certain rooms should look, feel and play like. So, while the end result, the Scorpion's Lair, should permit some fairly intense dogfights it should also make hit and run an option; it allows for the tactics of tunnel ratters to some degree, and those who like to strike from the shadows; finally, it should also allow for some good old fashioned chases around the level. I picked the weapon balance (which can be viewed further down) so that it would be comfortable for both casual players - who tend to prefer fairly heavy weaponry, quick kills and less trickery - and the experienced sort who just like to dominate with raw skill. I also ran for a fairly decentralised layout in an attempt to prevent the action happening in just one place; while such a scenario isn't inherently problematic, it does tend to cause weapons to accumulate in one site, which can be unfair for the less skilled players that may be nearly dead by the time they get their hands on them. Make no mistake though; this is a big level and would be best with 8 players. This number of players causes some problems of its own for powerup balance; you need enough that they won't be scarce when all players join at once such as in Rangers games - but also few enough that there isn't a problem with flooding when people start playing before others join, which tends to duplicate weapons. I also didn't skimp on the architecture; for the last little while, each new level I've built progressively squeezed more out of the Descent 2 engine than the last, and the Scorpion's Lair represents a new high point. The downside of this level of detail, though, is that you'll need at least a reasonably powerful machine to get decent framerates in heavy firefights in the central rooms. While modern machines are very unlikely to be taxed, older machines that some people keep for the express purpose of playing Descent 1 and 2 may struggle to cope. Finally, have fun and I hope you enjoy this latest effort. Weapon count Plasma Cannons: 6 Vulcan Cannons: 6 Quad Lasers: 4 Super Lasers: 8 Gauss Cannons: 4 Spreadfire Cannons: 2 Fusion Cannons: 2 Phoenix Cannons: 2 Vulcan Ammunition: 20 4x Mercury Missiles: 4 4x Flash Missiles: 2 1x Homing Missiles: 4 1x Smart Missiles: 4 Afterburners: 8 Ammo Racks: 2 Energy to Shield Converters: 2 Flags: 2
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