I know it seems kind of sacrilegious to have descent come out on a console, but i dont want to have to keep updating my computer to play. So do you think the new one should be on several platforms? Or would it ruin the gameplay?

Why would it be sacrilege? The first two were on playstation.

I don't care so long as the game is developed for PC and ported over to console, not the other way around.

Keep it on the PC but you should bring it to the consoles. With all the internet gaming people are doing, people will buy it and hopefully keep the series going. But if it does come out on a console they should come out with a joystick or another space orb. Heh imagine flying around tilting a WII controler. But then again, it will then come down to button layouts. You could easily setup an alright layout on XBOX/Playstation controlers though with out the space orb or joystick, it just wouldn't be the same... Truth begins in lies...

I agree that it needs to be done for PC first, then ported over to the consoles if the consoles will see a version of the title. The PSone had D1 and D2 released.

I had all the Descent games on my (now obsolete) PC's. But if D4 comes out multiplatform I would buy it for PS3 to play on my HDTV screen. I think a controller layout like the one for Colony Wars would suffice on the Playstion, since the ships in that game were boosted with ship momentum and moved through space as you would expect them to in real life similar to Descents movement/physics.

If it does come out on the console(s), may I suggest one thing?

Fully customisable controls. 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 that I hold a similar opinion. Descent needs to be made for PC first (and Mac as well) and then ported to console. Peter
"Another one bites the dust!"

I'll add one more vote for developing and releasing it first on computers. As far as consoles go, why not port them? They'd make more money that way and spread the game to even more people.

I have a PC gamepad that I've tried on descent and it's ok although some of the movement controls are a bit clunky to use. I'm sticking with joysticks, but a game pad does work.

I own d-max for ps1 and its hella hard to maneuver. I think it would be a good idea to port it to a console to open descent up to a larger crowd, but if a gamepad/controller user went up against someone who uses a mouse or joystick... they would get pwned
Give us a D4 beta

Not necessarily true. It's been found that players on the keyboard are only 5-10% more efficient then players on the gamepad. I've been playing D3 on the Xbox 360 controller recently, and came up with:

Left anologue stick: Move forwards, backwards; strafe left, right.
Right anologue stick: Pitch up, down; turn left, right.
Left trigger: Fire secondary.
Right trigger: Fire primary.
Left button: Bank left.
Right button: Bank right.
A button: Afterburner.
B button: Contermesure.
X button: Use inventory item.
Y button: GuideBot menu.
D-Pad left: Cycle inventory items.
D-Pad up: Cycle primary weapon.
D-Pad right: Cycle countermeasures.
D-Pad down: Cycle secondary weapon.
L anologue button: Move down.
R anologue button: Move up.
Back: Automap.
Start: Menu.

It's alright so far, but it's taken ages to get used to flying up and down with it. I am better with a keyboard and mouse (have never used a joystick. Is it worth it?), but I'm not bad with the gamepad either. 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

try putting the bank controls on the anolog stick-press buttons, slide up and down on the left bumper and left trigger, and fire missile on the right bumper. That works pretty well on my gamepad. I still don't like the gamepad as mush as a joystick, but it's tolerable.

You know, I never thought of that! Will try when I get home. Thanks. 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 that it would be great to have it also on a console, simply because more casual gamers play on consoles more often than on PC's. (consoles aren't as expensive as a high end gaming PC) However D4 should be designed for the PC and then transfered over to the consoles. It should work fine on the PS3 or 360, though by the time D4 is released it probably would end up being on a new console from Microsoft because the 360 has already been out for a long period of time. I don't think it would work on the Wii though, simply because the Wii controller doesn't have enough buttons for strafing, primary, secondary, countermeasures, item inventory, use and flares. It would be great if D4 was released immediately as Microsofts new console was released, because many people would buy the console and there would be very few games to play on it, thus giving D4 a lot of publicity right away. A must if gamesas is going to survive as a gaming company. Also since D3 was released almost 10 years ago, the current generation of young gamers hasn't heard about it, and is bent on playing Halo and gears of war all of the time. I am positive D4 would kick the pants of those games.

Well, um, dont get me wrong descent would be very nice but, i like gears and halo... descent kinda doesnt have a bow that shoots exploding arrows that blow up inside people...

im scared now...
this is probably high treason on gamesas's site
Give us a D4 beta

Nah, I like exploding arrows too. However, I prefer the Tek Bow.

It's not just the matter of whether Descent IV kicks the pants off of Gears, Halo, CoD4 and the like: It's whether people will actually go out and buy it. It could be the best game in the world (I know, the series already is ), but unless people actually go out and buy it no one will care. Apart from bloated, over-opinionated review sites. 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

You know after thinking about it more... I don't think it would be appreciated on a console the same way. Then again, alot of the games for wii have been VERY disapointing. (lazy programmers?) but i have to say if you can't make it the way it was meant to be played on a console, it prob isn't worth it. I really feel alot of people won't like the 6DOF with a gamepad.

I think you may be right. As I have said, the controls can be transferred to the gamepad, but slide up and down and bank are a little awkward at best.

The problem could be solved with a good joystick peripheral (maybe make it compatible with Ace Combat and other games to help increase sales). after all, they do make a 360 racing wheel for driving games, why not a flightstick?

The problem could be solved by making keyboard and mouse compatibility software on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The former supports it to a limited extent, the latter has no chance of happening.

Oh, and joysticks won't be out for consoles because there are very few games out on the that would benefit from a joystick. Also, people don't use them as often as they used to. 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

People bought Rock band and all its custom peripherals. Granted Rock band is more popular than I think Descent would ever be, but those instruments cost what? $100? and people still pay it to get the full experience. A good joystick these days can be had for $25-$30. I think that a piece like that would be in the affordable range for those people who are curious about the game but have never played it.

Also, people don't use joysticks as much these days because there aren't many high profile games that would benefit from them. It would be nice if this changed and we were inundated with tons flying and space games.

I have to say no. Perhaps if it's ported over to the console in addition to the PC version, it might not be so bad. But I don't want any of the game mechanics or controls compromised for the low standards of a console. This is a complicated game, and it the controls should reflect that. I'm not sure a console can handle it.