Descent Fixed mod on steam workshop:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=246015799

Is descent broken? Or does it just seem that way to some people? Does changing descent to be less rushable on horizontal spawns make it a more sensible map, or does it just reduce variety in play? Is what I've proposed above a viable improvement to descent? If not, is there some similar modification which could improve it?

These are all questions I'm interested in hearing your answers to. This is sort of an amalgam of ideas, none of which were really mine. I don't claim to know the map or game well enough to make this sort of call. So the more feedback the better. Ideally all levels of competitive players could weigh in here as sort of an informal survey.

I've also created a complementary thread on the uwe forums:

http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/134603/fixing-descent?new=1

Seriously, descent is just being used wrong. Most teams are trying to play it like summit/biodome which is just wrong.

These vents and lanes allow a much more holistic strategy approach. Marines now have options to avoid detection. Likewise, Aliens too have more routes to exploit. Zoning on descent is much much much more about anticipation and strategy.

Think you see a route open to a base rush because of a vent? BAM a marine sitting in Crew Quarters just begging you to overcommit and rush so he can pop back in, wipe you with mines and AR whilst the rest of his team wipe your naturals.

The rotation of marines around that focal point of hydroanalysis into watertreatment/fluid transfer/receiving leads to lifeform traps, skulk zoning, sneaky marine pressure. This focal point is how you should balance your marines on your lanes. Starting launch control and have marines in fluid? Pressure top lane and rotate south lane more defensively. Respond to pressure or lack of pressure by rotating marines to force an open route on north side but have the south lane rotate back to base.

On descent you're begging aliens to base rush and these vents only serve as bait if you play it right.

im not exaclty sure what this build changes if this removes the 2 vents to mono and launch hell i want it otherwise i dont get it yet ^^ plz explain

to be clear this mod currently reroutes the launch vent so that it runs from receiving to gravity control. the gravity exit is above the eastern entrance hallway high enough so that marines should be able to shoot skulks peaking from the vent while on the extractor.

it also moves the exit of the monorail vent down to the floor on the same wall so that it should be able to mine and deal with in general.

i'm going to make an update to this mod which will remove both of these vents entirely. so it will be no receiving vent, and water treatment will still go to depot but not mono. i'm also going to change it to actually override ns2_descent directly instead of creating a new map.

here's hoping for continued discussion. hopefully somebody actually plays with this mod sometime soon :P

Updates:

Remove launch contol to receiving vent entirely, no gravity control vent.
Remove monorail branch of water treatment to depot vent entirely.

This currently overrides the existing ns2_descent when active.

So what does everybody think of this version? The caps are sorta ugly right now, just wanted to iterate quickly.

Really my only irritant with the map is that you can't mine the launch vent. If you found a way to make it mineable, it would be fine. Personally, I like the way the map plays when you don't have a launch marine spawn and my only real complaint with launch is that unmineable vent.

IRONF1ST says

Really my only irritant with the map is that you can't mine the launch vent. If you found a way to make it mineable, it would be fine. Personally, I like the way the map plays when you don't have a launch marine spawn and my only real complaint with launch is that unmineable vent.

4 marine tower, job done.

Or mine the other side?