[Fenrir]

Lost my copy of Silent Threat somewhere along the line, but I still have the discs for FS1 and FS2. Never owned or even played any of the Descents. Maybe I'll pick them up.

[Klaustrophobia]

it all started with descent.  play you must.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

I still see D3 + Mercenary being sold at my retailer.

[Shivan Hunter]

Descent = awesome.

Also, Freespaces > Descent 1 >= Descent 2 > Descent 3.

[Mongoose]

Psh.  At least D3 had you doing more in singleplayer than getting the same damn keys 30 times in a row.

[Klaustrophobia]

i did enjoy d3's story and objectives outside of the doom-style levels

[Unknown Target]

I have them all. And I like Marbles.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Psh.  At least D3 had you doing more in singleplayer than getting the same damn keys 30 times in a row.

The weapons were terrible, though. Most of my time in SP and Merc SP was spent spamming Plasma/Vauss/Super Laser.

[Commander Zane]

And it wasn't like that on Descent or Descent 2?
I beat Descent 2 using only the Gauss (Obviously first starting with Laser, then using the Vulcan when I found it).

[Androgeos Exeunt]

The thing about the weapons in Descent and ][ is that they are quite different, but all of them have almost the same killing rate. I've tried both games before, and I'm forever switching weapons between kills. In Descent 3, though, I usually use only the Super Laser, Vauss and Plasma.

[Klaustrophobia]

i rather enjoyed sniping with the mass driver.

[Timerlane]

My outlook:
D2: Supers, Gauss, Helix(Oh, the sweet, sweet DPS; why couldn't we have kept this instead of Napalm/Microwave?), situational Fusion.

IMO, Plasma wastes energy compared to Supers, and up close where the damage rate could really matter, I'd rather cut loose with Helix. Now and then, maybe I'll use the Omega on the Thief out of boredom/annoyance.

D3: Supers, Vauss, Plasma(energy efficient spam/for stationary targets), Mass Driver, Napalm for random fun/Sickles, EMD for occasional Orbot, occasional Fusion.

While I do like D3's mission-objective variety(and not wasting several minutes killing off the Thief at the beginning of most levels), I think I like slower-speed D2 combat better. On any difficulty above Rookie, there really is no such thing as long/mid range combat in D3, unless you're using Vauss/MD(or wasting energy on EMD). With the exception of Tubbs and Sparky, even the weakest bots almost effortlessly dodge most guns unless you're practically ramming the barrel down their(proverbial) throats.

Also, I kinda like how D2's bots don't automatically come running when they hear you shooting. While it means they don't gang up on you as much, I think individual D1/D2 bots are generally more capable of causing real "oh crap" moments whenever you stumble upon them(apart from the super-Stingers/Tailbots and 'Blackjack' MD troopers EDIT: And the Napalm Gyro), and you can't as easily 'drag' them away to a more convenient spot to finish them off.

OTOH, D3 does have some more fun/creative missiles(Frags, Impact Mortars), and the Vauss was a lot more balanced(and arguably cooler-sounding) than the Gauss.

[Klaustrophobia]

i honestly can't remember what the vauss sounds like, but i do remember the gauss sounds wicked awsome.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

The Vauss doesn't sound as heavy as the Gauss, that's for certain. The best way for me to describe it is "low-pitched pop".

[Timerlane]

I think the Vauss is a good bit more loud/bass-y(the fact that I used to have a subwoofer hooked up to my computer, back in the day, might have something to do with my perceptions, but still).

The Gauss sounds more like a shotgun/cannon(kind of a 'chunk-chunk-chunk'), while the Vulcan is probably the most tepid minigun to ever exist in the history of FPS/demi-FPS gaming.

I don't know; I'd say the Vauss has 'more dakka'(so to speak), where the Gauss is a somewhat more muted cannon that somehow reloads way too fast for a gun that kills most bots in 3-4 'bursts'.

[Klaustrophobia]

the gauss was essentially a heavy gatling gun if i remember correctly. 

the first time i ever played D2, i remember the vulcan sounding a lot different from the one in D1, and more like an actuall machine gun.  almost exactly like those tiny robots that are armed with one.  after reinstalling it later on a different PC, that sound was gone and it sounded like the D1 kind of static sound again.

[Timerlane]

It definitely looks like a gatling gun. The way it functions(and given it's called a Gauss cannon), I have a weird little Fanon concept of it being some sort of automatic coil-volley gun: rather than fire them, it hurls Vulcan ammo out of multiple coilgun barrels at once; the now-unused propellant charge in the shells detonates on impact, attempting to explain why a) Gauss bursts have an minor explosive area effect when the Vulcan has none at all, and b) Gauss bursts do so much more damage with the exact same ammo(and yet are still more ammo-efficient).

Just my Wild Mass Guessing, though.

[CP5670]

I like both the Gauss and Vauss sounds. The Vulcan does sound lame though.

I have the D2 strategy guide and recall that it describes the Gauss as the "world's largest shotgun." The Gauss is really too ammo efficient given how powerful it is. I changed this and some other weapon stats in my D2 install that balance out the weapons better for singleplayer.

Also, I kinda like how D2's bots don't automatically come running when they hear you shooting. While it means they don't gang up on you as much, I think individual D1/D2 bots are generally more capable of causing real "oh crap" moments whenever you stumble upon them(apart from the super-Stingers/Tailbots and 'Blackjack' MD troopers EDIT: And the Napalm Gyro), and you can't as easily 'drag' them away to a more convenient spot to finish them off.

The D3 bots are generally much more mobile and dodge your fire more aggressively than the D2 ones. I like this better since it feels more like a multiplayer game and makes the fights more elaborate and drawn out.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

For reference, I've attached the Vulcan, Gauss and Vauss sounds to this post.

I have the D2 strategy guide and recall that it describes the Gauss as the "world's largest shotgun."

Huh. I thought that was a better description for the Helix Cannon.

[attachment deleted by ninja]

[watsisname]

I own all of them.  (Got Mercenary from a friend though).
I also own Vertigo.
And the Descent Novels.
I LOVE MARBLES.  I LOVE TO ROLL THEM ON MY HARDWOOD FLOORS.

D1 >= D2 > D3.  However, multiplayer in D3 is A1-supar.  Easily the most fun multiplayer experiences I've ever had.

Gauss >> vulcan.  THUMP THUMP THUMP (robot suddenly jerks to the side, spins, then pops with a satisfying burst of flame and swirling debris).

D3's "Vauss" cannon is decent, seems to lean more toward the gauss side of the equation.

D2's flash missiles were hilarious to use in multiplayer.  I miss them in d3.  Also D3 doesn't have the WILDFIRE cheat.

D2 + Multiplayer + enable cheats for everyone + invuln+rapidfire+allweapons+homingweapons+bouncyweapons = LOL WUT

WTF D3's omega cannon!?  What were they thinking?!

FS1 > or < FS2 ?  That might deserve its own thread.

Screw Silent Threat.  My cheese farts are quieter and more threatening.