I have enjoyed Descent since I was a five year-old kid who would sit in his daddy's lap and hit the fire button whenever he saw a bot. When I learned gamesas had Gone out of business, I discovered it was because they had not properly marketed the game. I know now how they can change Descent and make a profit beyond basics like upping the graphics. The key is to put a spin on it that immerses the player the way that first person shooter games like the 'Halo' series did.
I have not played many such games, but speaking from what I know of what makes a successful game, I know that there are three things Descent 4 (if they make it) should have:

1. A story that gives the player a good, wholesome role as the protagonist.
We know D4 is about the invasion of the virus and its true origin. This will be no trouble to the writers so long as the player is a GOOD GUY! Almost nobody who plays for the story wants to be evil.

2. The gameplay should further immerse the player.
One of the shortcomings that Descent could never quite bridge was that the inside of a cockpit, while flashy, was not very personal, nor the levels very epic. If the designers of D4 make the players interaction with the cockpit like in "Metroid prime" where one can look about the interior of his fighter at the displays, then the game can ensnare a lot of people who "just want to be in the thick of it."

3. Surprise us!
We know there's always room for new weapons, but the Virus is finally rearing it's ugly head, right? You have the potential to surprise the living stuffing out of us. These robots could develop organic tissue and acquire unorthodox weapons to shoot you down with and look like a nightmare from a dark fantasy. Destroyed ships could be reanimated by massive virus infestations and have the virus launching flying corpses of ships or bots. This is only the beginning if done right. I hold out for good weapons and have a few ideas myself, but If D4 can make us feel like we have to get out of that little cockpit and breathe... Then it can sell as an incredible game.
I'm not saying that what it has improved upon in the past has been good, but I recently noticed that the coming trend for console and computer games is stories. I think a proper script for this act will send it into a place of fame... like it's predecessors. I have high hopes and crossed fingers that this rather tall order can be met.

What would make it epic? The fact that they could produce a quality game within a year is epic on its own.

I liked what Aggressorprime said:

(I want) Planet/Space Transportation. Descent 3 introduced the outdoors, Descent IV might as well introduce space.



I am somewhat in agreement with this, The idea of having fighters and interceptors flying into other capital ships to destroy them from within sounds like a fun use of space... And it could make for some very interesting level objectives.

I don't really like the thought of spaceflight in a Descent game but if it ends up happening, then why not have it be the beginning of the Vasudan/Terran war? Maybe the computer virus is mistaken for being Vasudan by the CED when it was actually Shivan. that is really the only way to incorporate Space combat without gamesas repeating themselves. After all, Freespace is pretty close to what you describe.

What would make it Epic for 2009 is if Descent 4 was actually in the stores for sale in 2009.

Lets not do D4 in space. I want my 360 degree ship on a planet. I want to continue to be able to use the joystick/keyboard combo. gamesas fill in the rest and try and get it done before your fan base dies. Descent 3 is already got the Grimm Reaper making house calls on the hard core D3 holdouts!

Wrong story. Freespace and Descent are unrelated games. The prefix "Descent" was added for copyright issues.

I think you both have a point, but the kind of space combat I was actually thinking of was like a boarding party scenario, where two ships may be severely damaged, so unable to duke it out as capital ships, fighters begin flying in to finish them off. I think of it somewhat like the D3 dreadnought, where you can fly only a short distance from the ship, but far enough to make it retain an outdoor feeling, i just think flying in and out and around another floating object could make for a good game: single player or multiplayer.

I agree that this would be fun, but I still think that it should be relegated to a different game. Descent's atmosphere is all about dark enclosed spaces. I felt that D3's outdoor areas were a bad move and that space could be even worse.

I see the difficulty that would follow if space were introduced, but do also keep in mind die hard fans, gamesas is going to sell what makes money, the key is to keep the old fan base, but also introduce new blood into the mix (after all we vets need noobs to shoot down). The game can only make it if the creature changes with the environment. Space can show up no more than once for all it's worth, but it will be another place that the player can interact with the story. What I'm saying is that gamesas needs to make the game worthy of high graphics... that takes effort and makes popular games. (yes space has to be done up right if it is done at all)

On a separate note: the Joystick is not going anywhere. I am certain we will not lose any strafing, twisting, stomach busting moves they may even become more intense this way. If the player can peer around the cabin of his ship and interact with it, then the mouse may have it's hands full, enter the joystick. The mouse moving the pilot and the stick the ship, there is potential to make the game encapsulate you like a formal FPS while still retaining it's flight sim aspects.

Be careful... There's a tradeoff here. The more you try to make Descent IV into something that will be more popular, the more you lose the existing Descent fanbase. My stand is the same. If you change too much, don't even call it Descent--it will just disappoint Descent fans and drive away those who are prejudiced against Descent. I'm not against another 6DOF game that incorporates other ideas--that would be awesome. I have tons of non-Descentish ideas I'd like to see in a 6DOF game. But Descent IV should be a Descent game.

Descent is not the problem. People lacking appreciation for a great game is the problem. Don't corrupt Descent because of them. I do think, though, that Descent 3 strayed too far from its roots, and it would be unwise to follow trends started in the game that caused the demise of the series (e.g. taking outdoor further to include space).

I'm thoroughly intrigued, what do you think should be done to bring D4 back into the present? ( by the way, that is why I entitled it "epic for 2009," it's my thought for it's future) My goal when writing this was to show that D4 can have more variety than D1 and D2 did building it from the basics of it's predecessors. So in order to add to the fan base without adding new features, (E.G. moving personal view within cabin, capital ship battles, etc.) what do you propose instead?

- I ask because it sounds like you have an idea-

As i've mentioned in another post, if they really want to just sell the game then they are going to have to find a way to make it playable comfortably with the consoles. PC gamers don't seem to be as widespread anymore. It's a shame too. People still don't relize, gee, what made this console game? dur a computer? you put ANY console game on the pc and it always always always looks and plays better. It plays differently usually with controls because you don't have to compensate for a semi ok framerate and response. Example The halo series. Controls are MUCH smoother on pc and look much better. Maybe it's just a sign of people getting more lazy. They would rather just flip the on button and play over waiting 15 seconds to boot and maybe a minute to load. I will always be a PC over console gamer but todays majority don't seem to feel the same way. (even more surprising how cheap you can make a sweet gaming computer for now)

I sure hope they dont try and migrate Descent into the console world. It was tryed once before and, well, we all know how that went.

If they do continue with the outdoor environment, they better have a thick jungle to navigate... that would be cool...retain the tight bounds of the world like in the mines.

A thick jungle would definitely be a very cool way of integrating the outdoors without losing the descent feel. When I first found out that D3 included the outdoors I was excited. However once I played outdoors my opinion changed. Without obstacles to avoid, the outdoors turned into either a long range sniping match or a short range circling match. Also, if you wanted to escape there was no place to hide, and and all you could do was try to fly to a mine entrance without being killed.

The beauty of Descent is the fact that you have constrained freedom. With a thick jungle you would still have the freedom to fly wherever you wanted, while still having that constrained feel as you dive under branches and fallen trees or bank around a tree or rock to seek shelter.

The thick forest would also make open areas feasible. Open areas, such as clearings, riverbeds,and regions above the tree tops would help to add a level of game play because you could choose to take a slower and safer path through the trees or take a faster and more dangerous route through a clearing. You would risk being seen and shot, but you would also always have the option of diving back into the trees for cover.

Concerning the ideas about space combat, I have about the same opinion on space as I do the outdoors in D3. Unless you were constrained to a Dreadnought style map where the majority of the mission was played inside and the rest consisted of flying around external appendages as you tried to reach the next airlock, I think that the mission would turn into more D3 style outdoor game play. When in danger, When in doubt, Run in circles, Scream and shout!

I'm thoroughly intrigued, what do you think should be done to bring D4 back into the present? ( by the way, that is why I entitled it "epic for 2009," it's my thought for it's future) My goal when writing this was to show that D4 can have more variety than D1 and D2 did building it from the basics of it's predecessors. So in order to add to the fan base without adding new features, (E.G. moving personal view within cabin, capital ship battles, etc.) what do you propose instead?

I was just warning that trying to add to the fan base may alienate some of the existing fans. Since Descent hasn't been mainstream for many many years, how are we to know that there aren't now additional gamers out there that would appreciate D1 and D2 as they are gameplay-wise? The reason they aren't yet Descent fans is because they weren't exposed to Descent when it was popular and wouldn't now take a game that old seriously.

Also, it is possible to take ideas from different games and build off of them in an entirely new game. That is something that I think would do awesome taking a lot from Descent. But for a sequel, it almost has to have certain things in common with its prequels to fit in with the series. For instance, if you made a Star Wars game and took out the force, lightsabers, jedi, etc., would it really be a Star Wars game? It certainly wouldn't feel like one when you played it. It might be a great game that many people would like, but Star Wars fans would be alienated. They would probably detest such a game as not staying true to the franchise.

There's a fine line between enhancing Descent with new features and changing what makes it Descent. Yeah, outdoor can be cool, but does it really work with Descent? Yeah, space is cool, but would it really fit in a Descent game? When I think about Descent, I think of flying through tunnels and small rooms. What I want to see with D4 is new life breathed into an underappreciated game series, not a mostly different game loosely based on Descent. Descent is not what needs to change. Yes, updated graphics, etc. are a must--it needs to be a modern game. But stop trying to change everything. Add to it, yes, a little something that will make it different from 1-3, worth playing for a long-time Descent player. But make it a Descent game!

hm thought i replied to this.

I think descent 4 will need a good marketing campaign, though i believe it can be succesful. gamesas was a juggernaut in the industry and I think it releasing descent 4 can be some big news.

Regarding as to how d4 should be developed, i think it should stick to the mines. It wasn't all that cool flying around in descent 3. I think D1 and D2 gameplay was better, also i feel that level design was superior to that of D3. D3 didnt have that same closed space appeal that d1 and 2 had. Also, some of the weapons were gone :/. Anyway, hopefully D4 will come out.

I'm excited to see what moves gamesas makes.

I personally think it should focus on getting the multiplayer perfect. Would be interesting.

I think this goes without saying, but feel the need to say it. Sticking to the mines, then they better make the mines actually LOOK like mines. I know The old games had limitations due to their age, but now with more advanced technology, I demand mines that actually look like mines... Like flying through lava tunnels and not being able to see when flying through steam vents fogging up your window...

I can see it now... a new pickup... the windshield wipers!

I think we need to trust gamesas's judgment more and not try to give them specific demands. Think about it, they probably have hundreds of fans trying to tell them exactly how they want D4. It can't possibly satisfy all of them. I would rather stress principles that I think most of us can all agree on, such as:

* Don't corrupt Descent to try to make it more popular.
* Stay true to the series. Make it feel like Descent.
* Make it so we can immerse ourselves in the game. (e.g. adaquate realism, modern graphics, etc.)
* Improve upon the D2 single-player the way D2 improved upon D1 by retaining many of the same elements while adding new challenges to make things interesting. (Not necessarily sticking strictly to the keys-reactor-exit formula, but incorporating it.) A deeper story-line wouldn't hurt.
* It would be hard to go wrong with multi-player based on D2&3. But since it will remain an important part of the game, it should rock!

What else?

The fans are here on the official site. If gamesas is going to listen to us then this is probably the best place to post to be heard. After looking through many of the forums, it seems that most of us are asking for the same thing (return to the mines) and that seems hopeful. As long as they're actually reading the boards, then, they will hear an overwhelming agreement from us fans.