Topic: I'm finally gonna do it...

[Kaiaatzl]

Yeah 12 is a pretty high difficulty jump.  Pretty small though, and some good music while you slog through...

[Scyphi]

It also eases off a little for the next couple levels before the difficulty starts going back up again.

Out of curiosity...did you skip the secret level accessible in level 10?

[D2Disciple]

I did skip that secret level. Been there, done that... Not a huge fan of that secret level, what with the fusion hulk traps and all near the yellow key.

Plus, I always seem to come away with less ammo than I started with in that secret level. 

[Scyphi]

Probably so, but I had always liked that secret level simply because it wasn't just a freebie handed over to you but a level you had to work to beat. Thus when you finish it successfully, you feel like you've earned it, and whatever you gleaned out of it in the process.

Plus, it helps to make the next several regular levels that follow seem not quite as tough.

[D2Disciple]

Oh, it's definitely a good mission (as well as one of the hardest), I just didn't feel like dealing with it at the time since I've played it several different times. Truth be told, for a long time I always took the secret exit in level 10, only because I didn't actually know where the regular exit was. The secret exit is so convenient it's hard to miss it on the way out. 

[D2Disciple]

Okay, so level 21 has the most ridiculous reactor room ever, with two friggin' Matcens that spawn Supermechs and Medium Hulks, three doors that open to reveal Smart missiles, and a door that opens to reveal a cloak when one of the smart missile rooms is entered, and the doors surrounding the reactor only open when that room is entered. It took me about six or seven minutes in that room just to figure out how to knock the reactor out.

Otherwise, I've found the levels had gotten a bit easier up to this point, but now I'm on level 22 where there are so. many. Class 1 Drillers. Save/load/save/load/save/load/save/ohcrapi'lljustdothislater. This is, by the way, further than I've ever made it through this game.

As much as I love Descent, I'm starting to get to the point where I kinda want it to end. I love hardcore games, but this is almost too long for it's own good... I don't recall Descent II becoming such a drag near the end.

That said, I've been impressed with some of the level geometry, especially level 18.

EDIT: Made it to level 25 tonight. Stupid Fusion Hulks (Minibosses?)... Why, oh why did I go with Hotshot difficulty??

[Kaiaatzl]

What's so special about 18's geometry?  As I recall it's mainly cubic tunnels and mazes with just a couple of rooms.

[Scyphi]

As much as I love Descent, I'm starting to get to the point where I kinda want it to end. I love hardcore games, but this is almost too long for it's own good... I don't recall Descent II becoming such a drag near the end.

To each their own. For me, it's the complete reverse, as I'm usually bored of D2 by then, whereas I'm perfectly content to keep on chugging through D1 at the same pace.

[D2Disciple]

HAHAHAHAHA! HAHA! HA! HAHAHA! HA! HA! HAHA! EAT THAT, DESCENT! HAHAHAHA! HAHA! HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHA! HA! I WIN! HAHA! HAHAHAHA! HAHA! HA! Okay I'm done now

In all seriousness, I finally beat it, on Hotshot, no less... You just don't get the same sense of accomplishment from most modern games... I can tell this was from an era where beating a game was considered an accomplishment, not an expectation. It got far more intense than I expected... I got nervous rounding every corner, saving almost entirely too frequently, constantly watching my shields and energy and checking out the map. I even got mildly jump-scared by a few stalking robots. I also had a metric crap-ton of fun doing it. Onward to Retrovirus, when my new card ships in. 

[-<WillyP>-]

Congratulations! To be sure hotshot is no easy game.

I was just reading somewhere, something I suspected, is that most games these days adjust the skill required to the player. I guess that's ok in a way, as it gives poor players a chance who would otherwise quit, but it does diminish the accomplishment. I prefer knowing the skill level.

[D2Disciple]

I've found that most games these days don't really escalate in difficulty... If they have an easy, medium, or hard setting, it's easy or medium or hard from moment one until the very end. I like games that increase the challenge and really force the player to adapt over time. I can now safely say Descent does this... Level 26 was probably one of the most intense challenges I've ever faced in a game before.

[-<WillyP>-]

From what I understand, let's say you are fighting a boss and loosing badly. The boss will become slightly easier maybe on successive tries at beating it, so eventually you can succeed. The difference is subtle, so you think you got better at fighting the boss.

[Scyphi]

I'm not terribly well versed on modern games, but from what one's I've seen, that's only true of some games. I've played some games that don't seem to do that at all. Portal 2, for example. I want to say Sonic Generations is another...but it's been a little while since I've played it in depth, so I could be remembering wrong.

[-<WillyP>-]

Unless you had some objective comparison, or looked at the code, you wouldn't know.

[tueidj]

Have you played the New Super Mario Bros. games? They're not subtle at all - if you die too many times attempting a level the game takes over and completes it for you, basically leaving you to watch a video walkthrough.