How should the robots look in Descent 4, especially if we get re-occuring robots from past Descent games?

I think the majority of the Bots should maintain their menacing looks, but obviously updated with some new graphical glitz 'n' polygon glamour. If D4 was to be a remake of D1 or the D1 and 2 stories, then the Diamond Cutters like the "Medium Lifter" from D1 and the brown four armed "Diamond Claw" from D2, should really make you jump when you see them in D4! Those were real scary moments in my youth back in those days, especially since that robot tried to silently sneak up behind you most of the time...

Disscuss...

The robots should look like they were designed to be in a mine. Some should have drills, others should have cutting lasers, some should be security bots.

I agree with you. Diamond Claw is one of the scariest robots in Descent 2 because its claws are very sharp.
And that's why my nickname is DiamondClaw!! All we need is sisu, sauna and salmiakki... Hyv? Suomi!!

Dimond claws always used to scare the s*** out of me. Because of either their red eyes, their tendancy to sneak up on you, or their sound effects.

Or all of the above.

As long as I can recognise them I'll be happy. However, they must have the sounds. Descent isn't Descent without the robot sounds! A massive thank you to EA for:
- Producing great quality games time and time again
- Providing excellent technical support
- Never destroying any highly acclaimed studios for profit
- Never ripping people off
- Never wasting people's time

Agreed, they should have more mining distinctions to their designs, but retain something in their looks/detail that makes you remember the older versions instantly?! the leap in technology would certainly allow for this...

Maybe some of the infected robots could continue with their jobs until they spot you, would make for a interesting singleplayer experience e.g. the first mine you enter the bots in the initial areas are mining away, but eventually turn on you, maybe it would be worth seeing some bots turn onto the virus in real-time??!

Sounds must remain as close to the original as possible, but obviously improved. Like you say, without the sounds, it's not Descent! I would love it if the Mines self destruct sequence had the same voice and sound effects, but I'd want the reactors to emit more noise to emphasize it's power!!!

I really like the idea of using the virus as part of the story, and this fits right in. I like the idea of being able to reprogram robots and to have them infected with a virus and have to fight them. Imagine a level where you are trying to defend something, say your mothership/base/resupply ship, while robots are repairing /rearming /transferring personell/ etc... While you are doing this, someone or something is reprogramming the bots working on the ship to damage it or go after you so you have to either destroy them or whatever is causing the problem, or keep programming bots to go back to repairing. It could work, it could not, it's just an idea. Maybe they just get infected as you are going through the mine. THere should be a reason to not destroy them though if this is the case.

Why stop at a reprogramming virus? After all the Virus may have only shown up in small strains, but that can change. I said it in another forum, The Robots are like Night of the Living Dead for Robots, then why stop at just miner bots. The virus could group from sets of single cell organisms, into multi-cell, tissue, we could have robots adding to themselves make monstrosities that can have the weaponry of many different of bots, like the Homonucleaus from D3.

Think of it: bots that have to lose parts to hit a vulnerable weakspot, and this is just the kind of thing current games can now pull off. Robots, with virus based tissue, put together from the pieces of their fallen. Now that could be scary!

I personally would like to see a comeback of the classic robots from Descent 1.

Heh, I agree with parricc on that one; Introduce a whole new slew or robots but include a lot of the classic older ones too (remember the huge purple fusion-pumping ones?). I liked how the little brown dudes from descent 1 made a small appearance in D3 but it seemed like they didn't have much of a role.

Question is, if we have the old robots in will they be updated? Or will we have the old polygon-style classic robots (drone 1 in Descent 3 as an example).

Or will we have both? Say, not all robots have been updated yet? A massive thank you to EA for:
- Producing great quality games time and time again
- Providing excellent technical support
- Never destroying any highly acclaimed studios for profit
- Never ripping people off
- Never wasting people's time

What about Military Robots? Not even necessarily infected, but sent in by the CED or whoever to quiet a robotic rebellion?

Not sure about military robots, but there are already a large number of security bots. I'd imagine military bots just to have better technology and intelligence than their security "cousins".

Oh, and of course bigger guns! A massive thank you to EA for:
- Producing great quality games time and time again
- Providing excellent technical support
- Never destroying any highly acclaimed studios for profit
- Never ripping people off
- Never wasting people's time

I think there should be lots of variation. There should be massive amounts of small drones like in the first two descents, those reporting to "mothership" larger drones that would delegate their assignments in the mines. It would be kinda cool if there were also walker droids that clunk to the walls/floors, kinda like the replicators from "Stargate SG-1".

Seeing all the old bots would be great for the old gang. New grahpics should include wear and tear as if they were actually IN a mine and still working. Some of them should still be working just to show the "ranked" bots are trying to maintain some type of tyrannical rule.(The old saying that the "silent" types are the most dangerous. Disgruntled worker drones nnow have additional AI due to the virus and misbehave.) Perhaps have marks that show infighting amongst the ranks. Some can even still be shiny from being unused or in storage till needed. Perhaps have some that show signs of modifications made after the virus took effect. Having the original eyes I think is a must for that "old style" connection. Glare and bloom for effect!

Ok, my 3.5ct.

Ciao,
Urungus

If the old robots are incorporated into Descent IV (and I think they should be) then how will they be updated? Will they become more curved (I always thought the ITD was supposed to be ellipsoid with guns at either end) or simply have more polygons?

I agree; the eyes should stay. I'd like to see a bit where the lights go out and the robots eyes are all you can see from all angles. Strangely enough, I still haven't had a Descent related nightmare about that. Meh, I'm sure it will occur soon enough now I've mentioned it.

Oh, and I've said it before, but I want the sounds we all remember!

Why would the robots be infighting? If the virus took them over then it might act like a hive consiousness (think borg) and there would therefore be no infighting. I do think that there should be marks on them, whether from wear and tear or accidents in the mines (collapsing roofs, etc.).

I'd like to see if robots would react to having half their ranks blown away in a certain amount of time, like they have the ability to weigh up whether it is better to hold you off or regrup further down the mine. A massive thank you to EA for:
- Producing great quality games time and time again
- Providing excellent technical support
- Never destroying any highly acclaimed studios for profit
- Never ripping people off
- Never wasting people's time

Yes, more polygons due to todays graphics engines. Dents and other damage perhaps due to the bots having a more diabolical determination and less of a saftey concious behavior.

I would like to think that the virus AI would try to actively evolve. Perhaps those evolutions could start to disagree with their older coded counterparts. One side argues with the other, a coup perhaps? Naturally you couldn't get that much help (enemy of my enemy) and one side would be defeated quickly. It could also serve as a distraction as you plunge deeper into your mission.

So many variables... So many situations...

Perhaps different strains of the virus give different mindsets to the robots it inhabits? That way we can have bots actively fighting each other. A massive thank you to EA for:
- Producing great quality games time and time again
- Providing excellent technical support
- Never destroying any highly acclaimed studios for profit
- Never ripping people off
- Never wasting people's time

...or perhaps have our buddy Wingnut give us a one time opportunity to change the virus in some form ourselves. Small puzzle, viral code of our own, something.

Perhaps the little bugger (I like him honest!) could become infected itself and the cure we devise for him helps disable the other infected. Or something like that. As long as it isn't an "I picked up something old and worthless that is actually the key to our salvation" type thing. That would really frustrate me. A massive thank you to EA for:
- Producing great quality games time and time again
- Providing excellent technical support
- Never destroying any highly acclaimed studios for profit
- Never ripping people off
- Never wasting people's time

I'd like to see robots which are able to regenerate their lost parts (like Piccolo and Cell in Dragon Ball Z). It would be very scary, if for example somekind of "Spider" robot could regenerate its lost parts!

Your opinion? All we need is sisu, sauna and salmiakki... Hyv? Suomi!!