[Nuke]

im really starting to like the fact that the multiplayer tracker for dxx-rebirth actually works, and the game runs stable (d2xxl is more stable than it was, it only crashed on me 4 times today ). i played some d1x this morning and some d2x this afternoon. i just need some players that havent spent the better part of the last 18 years playing it. i just wish it had a map downloader built in, ive missed a couple games cause i didnt have the maps and had trouble finding them.

[jr2]

Anyone have a universal map pack?  If so, throw it up on gameupdates.org, or post a link and I'll upload it there for you.  FWIW, I made a map/mod pack for Descent 3 which can be had here.

[Nuke]

id we do another community wide descent event, that would be the way to go. but as it stands youre luckey to see games only a few hours a day, and then most of the time you can google the map and download it, sometimes you cant find it though.

[Gold Leader]

Well I Co-Founded the Descent Task Force to give the Descent Community a place to play their games, I myself am still the Inferno Collector of the games mainly, I play them to keep games hosted for the players, but hey I never see it all to serious xD It's just called haviing fun and keeping others occupied in what they love doing most

If I die a million times, it never bothered me, you respawn anyways right, so there is never something to be worried about! lol,

[Hawkins]

One quick solution with classic (and cuby mostly) levels, accounted most frequently but seriously no exclusively in games on tracker (unfortunately, since there are many modern-perspective levels being made out there as we speak and yet they are ignored in favor of ole-time simple classics) are the map packs the Descent Rangers use, for Descent (500kB) and Descent II (5MB).*

Other than that, keep checking in with the Descent Mission DataBase for what's latest in the level building world and well as the historical big entries like The Enemy Within SP campaign. There are other sources like Descent Valhalla. That's a bout a big head-start. Enjoy.

*selections made by Icewolf with feedback from the Rangers

[Nuke]

map packs help. i found dmdb yesterday while googling a map. and valhalla gives me an extra source. thanks.

[Gold Leader]

here some other great places to get good maps from:












Click the pics to go to the websites 

[jr2]

So, it would be nice to get all of the maps, 7z the crap out of them, and make a pack.    Maybe I'll do that sometime this week or next.

[Enzo03]

I dunno...

There are a lot of bad, never played maps.  Some of the ones rival Descent Levels Of The World's level of nonsensicality/nonsensicalism/whatever.

[jr2]

That's why I was hoping the community had a map pack of quality maps already selected and in a pack.

[Nuke]

it would be better if dxxrebirth had a map download feature. so you could just join a game and the map downloads from the host. i mean the average descent map is a few k, and the game was meant to be played on a 56k modem or over a serial cable. the bandwidth requirements for a few k download which will complete in half a second is there. d2xxl has this feature, i just wish it worked

[Gregster2k]

Re. D2XXL: I do not recommend using it for multiplayer.  Even on my modern system the latest version is still unstable and crashes at least once per (single player) playthrough.  Also, mixing source ports (some players in a game using D2XXL and others using Rebirth) in a single game is a very bad idea and can lead to a lot of weirdness in terms of game balance, missile behavior etc.  The two developers are not collaborating with each other if memory serves (in fact I remember the two of them getting into massive flame wars).  If Gold Leader mandates DXX-Rebirth, stick with that.

Given how quiet the Descent community is these days, it's easiest to just throw the levels you'll be using for a game revival event / tournament into a public Dropbox folder and share them that way before the event.

[Enzo03]

Don't tell Diedel/Karx11erx that.  He will go aggro on you hardcore because he does not like people talking good about Rebirth or bad about his port.

Tried for a long time to keep from taking any sides on that issue but... 

[Nuke]

the descent community is really conservative. where he fs community is always trying new things with the engine and keeping it alive with new mod content. the descent community is kept alive with pure nostalgia. even going as far as hacking their old joysticks to work on their new computers. so in that community diedel is more or less an anomaly. you got to respect the guy though, hes doing, more or less by himself, what were doing with freespace. im sure if he had more users posting bug reports and more programmers submitting bugfixes, his version of the engine would be more stable.

[Mongoose]

It would also help if he wasn't a hugely antagonistic guy with a massive ego.  I think most people in the community were initially very impressed by his work, but the personality issues drove them away from it.

And hey, there's good reason for the 3D Pro adapters.  That stick is as smooth as buttuh.

[Nuke]

yea they dont make em like that anymore. really they dont. to get a stick which is just as accurate you really need to shell out for a $400+ hotas. its sad how expensive joysticks have gotten over the years. but its a tribute to nostalgia that they build an adapter for their stick from scratch.

[Mongoose]

I've been meaning to pick up a backup for mine, in case it ever bites the dust.  I know there's an old site out there that gives a method for fixing the increased amount of physical deadzone that the stick picks up as it ages.

[Nuke]

it shouldnt pick up any deadzone, it uses an optical sensor. you might just need to go in there and clean the optics with a swab and some alcohol.

[Mongoose]

"Deadzone" isn't really the right term...I mean the increased amount of physical sway that the stick acquires around the center as it ages and gets broken in.  This site had a procedure that involved putting a ring of latex-type substance around the bottom of the interior arm mechanism, to tighten things up.

[Nuke]

damn, thats impressive. honsestly one of the first things i do when i get my 3d printer is design a joystick from scratch. its going to have everything from 16 bit resolution to buck skin grips.