Topic: Gradius themed mission for D2 by Scorch and Blademaster

[Sapphirus]

If anyone interested on looking for Gradius 3d for Descent 2.  I have the correct files within a zip.
Here's the file:
http://www.2shared.com/file/3b4yx9Jv/gradius_3d_defiance.html

Disclaimer: I did not create this mission, it was Scorch and Blademaster's level (I hope they don't mind if I upload their level here)

[NUMBERZero]

Oooh! I love Gradius! I can't check it out now, so how does it play?

[Sapphirus]

Here's what I found on the Readme file (I hope this is enough information):

This solo & cooperative mission for
Descent II combines the fun and action of an arcade space
shooter with the unique three dimensional environment of
Descent to create the ultimate 3D space shooter action
experience.  This mission takes Descent II to the limit;
not only are its levels exceptionally challenging and
absolutely _loaded_ with robots, but it also includes those
elements that help make a mission unique: custom textures, a
custom midi soundtrack, over 50 custom robot behaviors and 6
completely new robots.

In this mission, the robotic alien horde has been enraged by
the destruction of Tycho Brahe and is ready to exact revenge
on the human race.  What happens next?  Well, you'll just have
to play the mission and find out!  Have fun and Good Luck!!!

[NUMBERZero]

I am expecting the final boss to be a total pushover.

[NUMBERZero]

I gave it a shot today after I booted up my craptop laptop. The beginnings are extremely well done. It is straight forward (literally ). Space is well done. I just wish that once you get into the main part of the level that it would continue to be straight forward. Instead, it has you going down some different hallways in different directions. The first level was wield because I collected the red key before the yellow key making me think that I had missed the yellow key somehow, but I really didn't. I still collected it somewhere beyond the red door.

So far, I'd give it a rating of A out of 5.
A/5

[NUMBERZero]

Continued...

Destroying the purple hulks in the first level is always fun.

There is an abundance of missiles that the robots drop. That is good because missiles are a key piece in Gradius.

The MIDI could have been done a little better. IDK, it's just me, but I haven't heard too many different Gradius musics. Although the Bubble System Warmup theme/Gradius Galaxies Options theme would have been awesome for some menu music somehow.

Most robots should have been destoryed in one hit. Your ship should have been destoryed in one hit. The whole point of Gradius is to find the pixel that does not kill you IDK how you would include a frontal shield that protects against 10 shots or an all around forcefield that protects against 3 shots.

I was really hoping that the ship would have been changed to the Vic Viper, including the cockpit. That would have been really nice. I love the design of that fighter.

This levelset suffers from a "tons-a-bots" syndrome which causes lotsa lag (which usually happens when you destroy a boss or a miniboss) and sometimes your shots and the robots' shots disappear. My guess is that there are too many objects for the game to track.




I think that it would have been better for D3. Create a new ship model and cockpit to reflect the Vic Viper.

Then have your ship be pushed along by wind. When transferring through to the different sections of a stage, have a very thick cloud of fog separating the different areas. Robots would have to be uneffected by the wind somehow. Oh! And a custom Table file would have to be included. That file would have to enable each and every weapon in your arsenal to "use parent velocity." Otherwise you would end up passing your own shots (specifically being the plasma >.>)

Thanks to D3's dynamic ways of transitioning music, the different sections of a stage could have different theme songs. There are usually 3. One for the space section in each stage, one for the main body, and one for each boss of each stage.

It would be possible for each boss to have the classic "destroy the core" objective. A custom boss needs to have its default hull totally invincible. Using the "Alien Forcefield Generator" object, you could create the barriers that you have to destroy in order to shoot the core.

Still don't know how to create a shield or forcefield that doesn't involve some modifying of code in order to input powerups for that. Invulnerabilities might work as a substitution. There shouldn't be one near the beginning of the first stage. Maybe the end of the first, but definately in the beginning of the second.

[NUMBERZero]

Whew! What a ride. I finally finished (with only a mouse) and I destroyed the final boss, but he was not such a big of a pushover as I expected. It was like facing down the Terminator with nothing but a butter knife. I have never seen a more aggressive boss. If you grabbed one of he cloaks from a robot that was cloaked, he would start spraying his earthshakers all over! He would stalk you wherever you went, but once you got his health down low, he would cleverly stay away from you.

You first had to destroy his guardian boss, and then he is completely vulnerable from all angles. I was hoping that once you took out the final boss robot that a wall would open up and reveal a measly reactor.

Music on the final level should have been different. It was not very epic so I switched it with some remastered version from the gameboy advanced game Gradius Galaxies.
It should have been this:



Still, it gets my A out of 5
A/5