'Descent' Franchise Finally Returns To PC

[Quixit]

Wow seems like people here don't enjoy puns...

That was a really bad yet good pun, have my upvote for it

Well aren't the worst puns usually the best ones?

No, there is no such thing as a good pun.

 

[Merry_Blind]

Wow seems like people here don't enjoy puns...

That was a really bad yet good pun, have my upvote for it

Well aren't the worst puns usually the best ones?

No, there is no such thing as a good pun.

So in a way... you're saying there is no such thing as a bad pun, right?

 

[Merry_Blind]

Wow seems like people here don't enjoy puns...

That was a really bad yet good pun, have my upvote for it

Well aren't the worst puns usually the best ones?

No, there is no such thing as a good pun.

So in a way... you're saying there is no such thing as a bad pun, right?

 

[bit_user]

So thats why they stopped Sol Contingency from making a free to play style Decsent game! Shame on them, they even sent them a copy of there updated beta and then they sent them a cease and desist letter lol

Well, if someone used the trademarks or copyrights in a game without securing permission from the rights owners, then that's just asking for trouble.

Nothing is stopping them from making a similar game, however. You can't copyright or trademark ideas, and you can't patent the concept of a 6-DoF space shooter.

 

[bit_user]

I loved this game. It was one of the only games that supported my 3D CyberMan mouse.

Descent was great for HW support. It supported my SpaceOrb 360 (6-DoF controller), my CrystalEyes LCD shutter 3D glasses, and some of the first 3D graphics cards. I think they even supported Aureal 3D sound in Descent II.

Before I got the SpaceOrb, I'd play it with two joysticks. It made the game sooo much easier.

It was the first and only game I really played over the modem, too. I don't remember any that worked too well before I started playing quake over the net.

And it was a good game, too. I think Descent II was one of the first games with a CD soundtrack (okay, can't remember if Quake was first) by a big name band (Skinny Puppy). I'd sometimes pop the game disc in my CD player. But I was actually most impressed with the Midi tracks on my WaveBlaster II.

It was definitely one of the first games with full, texture-mapped 3D graphics. I think they used BSP trees. I remember reading about it on comp.graphics.algorithms, back in the day. I think the fact that the levels were divided into rooms was integral to making Decent 1 run at playable speeds.

 

[RedJaron]

The definition of a trademark ( and copyright to some extent, ) also requires the holder to aggressively defend it. If they let one infringement slide, even if it's the smallest thing, that can unfortunately set precedence for a bigger infraction down the road to the point that they no longer own the trademark

The webcomic "Schlock Mercenary" had a parodied take of the "7 Habits" books in the strip, this one for space pirates and mercenaries. Even though it was a loving parody, Franklin Covey still had to send a cease and desist letter ( though Howard Tayler, the cartoonist said it was worded as politely as possible. ) Say they hadn't and someone else infringed on "7 Habits" more maliciously. That could go to court and the Schlock example could be brought in as evidence against Franklin Covey showing that they must not care much about their trademark since they let someone else use on prior occasions.

 

[bit_user]

had a parodied take of the "7 Habits" books in the strip, this one for space pirates and mercenaries. Even though it was a loving parody, Franklin Covey still had to send a cease and desist letter ( though Howard Tayler, the cartoonist said it was worded as politely as possible. )

Satire is a valid exception to copyright infringement, so long as the except isn't excessive. I'm a bit surprised about trademarks.

In any case, I assume they should be able to get around it by simply changing it to something like "8 Attributes of Brutally Ruthless Space Pirates". Otherwise, it seems like trademark would be too restrictive on free speech, because then you couldn't parody or comment on anything that was trademarked.

But that's really beside the point. Someone can make a Descent clone, as long as they avoid the trademarks and copyrights. If they really want to use the IP, then they should try to license it legitimately.

 

[RedJaron]

Yes, satire and parody are allowed, but you're not allowed to use the actual trademarked name, or something that's too close to the name. Hence Spaceballs is just fine for Star Wars, but saying 7 Habits of ___ is not because "7 Habits" is a registered trademark. And yes, he did get around it by changing it to 70 Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.

 

[Unolocogringo]

Descent was another world when it came out,.not only could you travel in all directions ,if Im not mistaken it was one of the first games to introduce 8 player lan support.
The college computer lab got some heavy use in the evenings running 8 player games.

 

[Aaron Conaway]

I played the original a lot, I remember it was a first in 360 3-D, the game was amazing, quiet, could hear a pin drop, you'd fly around a corner and have to run and fight, it was really fun

 

[Zaubermancy]

Join Descendent Studios and make this stellar reboot a reality!

Descent was a classic in 1996; it was a space shooter with innovative gameplay and a spaceship that could fly in multi-directional zero gravity. Shootouts are much more exciting and strategic when you can dodge and juke in six different directions. It's a fun game, and it needs to come back to modern gaming.

Visit our Kickstarter page (link available in the story) and help support us! We just announced a new ship available by Stretchgoal: The Torch KS.

If you love space games and fast-paced combat, or just an excuse for fun deathmatches with your friends, come pledge!