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Author Topic: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions  (Read 23111 times)

Offline TechPro

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #30 on: April 03, 2011, 07:52:54 PM »
I see that nobody has ever noticed that there is a trap door in D2 at the very beginning and the same thing in D3 at the very beginning.
Actually, I'd bet that most players (players who've played both D2 and D3) are very aware of those trap doors you speak of, we just didn't mention them.

Offline Scyphi

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #31 on: April 04, 2011, 05:15:52 AM »
Exactly what I thinking. Furthermore, we all probably take them for granted so much that the thought didn't cross our minds (it didn't with mine).
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Offline Kaiaatzl

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #32 on: April 04, 2011, 06:14:50 AM »
Well, if we're on that topic, level 1 in both D1 and D2 have the red door in the starting room.

Offline Shroudeye

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #33 on: April 04, 2011, 06:58:58 AM »
At third level of all the games, a robot with rockets (Homing/Dumb-fire) is introduced...
D1: Medium Hulk
D2: Sidearm&Sidearm modula
D3: Stinger

Also note that the rocket-bots of D1 and D2 first appear behind the Red door...

Offline Kaiaatzl

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #34 on: April 04, 2011, 08:43:48 AM »
lol, I can't believe I forgot that one.  :D
But it's not true in D2 Vertigo - ITSCs on level 1.

In any mission where Medium Hulks and/or Diamond Claws exist, they appear first on level 3.  True in D1 First Strike (Medium Hulks on level 3, no diamond claws), D2 Counterstrike (Diamond Claws on level 3, no Medium Hulks), and D2 Vertigo (both Diamond Claws and Medium Hulks on level 3).

Offline Shroudeye

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #35 on: April 05, 2011, 12:19:25 AM »
Hehe, I wasn't counting the expansions...

Speaking of them, they have rocket bots in first levels...
D2V: ITSC
D3 Merc: Stingers, even cloaked.

Hey, speaking of cloaked bots:
D1-The cloaked lifter
and
D2-The cloaked D-Claw
first appears on fifth level! (if you do not count the D2-1st secret level, but I'm a bit unclear)

Offline Kaiaatzl

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #36 on: April 05, 2011, 04:02:19 AM »
Cloaked lifter actually appears on D1 level 4... there are 2.

Offline Shroudeye

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #37 on: April 05, 2011, 04:41:42 AM »
*facepalm* ow, yea. they were in blue area and in the yellow area entries... Am I aging or what? :P:D

Offline Infamus

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #38 on: April 15, 2011, 03:44:08 PM »
A running list of some interesting coincidences and general odd stuff in D1 First Strike, D2 Counterstrike, and D2 Vertigo.  I may have mentioned some of these before.  D2 Counterstrike has far more strange coincidences than any other Parallax-made mission.

If you play with the default midi music enabled, and don't count secret levels, the most dangerous robot in the game that only appears in this game will always be faced for the first time on the last level with the level 1 music.  D3 does not count because it never reuses music, doesn't use midi music, and it's very hard to tell what the most dangerous non-boss robot actually is.

In D2 Counterstrike, which robot is on more levels, the Diamond Claw or the Thief?
I tallied them and it depends entirely on whether you count cloaked diamond claws as diamond claws.  There are just enough levels that contain cloaked diamond claws but not regular diamond claws to swing the balance.

On the fourth planet in D2 Counterstrike all four levels have diamond claws but only two have a thief.  On the next planet all four levels have a thief but only two have diamond claws.

The only times you face smart-mine laying robots in D2 Counterstrike are on boss levels in the planets that have no lava.

Level 19 of D1 is highly similar to level 4 - in fact, there are some metal textures that are only ever used on those two levels.

Why do so many of the later levels in D1 have signs that say "Mercury Solar Lab"?  That was level 6!

And why is Europa portrayed as a smoky, fiery hell?  It's Europa!

No matter what anyone says about Alien 1, I still say Baloris Prime is a desert.  A fiery, alien desert maybe, but still a desert.

BPer bots were originally found only on Baloris Prime in D2.  In D2 vertigo and Descent Maximum, suddenly they're everywhere.  It's especially funny because the name stands for "Baloris Prime Excavation and Refinement".  Talk about a robot out if its element!

Speaking of the BPer bots, the design for the Old Scratches from D3 seems to mirror them.

Bulk Destroyers are harmless on Trainee, but deadly on any other difficulty.  Their design seems to be "A Class 1 Driller with gauss cannons".

Actually, no. If they hit you at a certain angle, you will take little to no damage. This is because gauss rounds do not do impact damage whatsoever, they only do splash damage, so if it is deflected because of a vertor miss-match nothing will happen. You may hear the damage sound, but no damage is done.

It's always best to Crazy-Ivan them. Also, they are nasty on Ace if you sit still.

Quote
In D2's last secret level, why does destroying the first reactor start the countdown, but destroying the other reactors make it longer?  Logically they should stabilize the system while they still exist, and the countdown should shorten when they stop existing.  Gameplay reasons, pffft.

The first reactor isn't completely destroyable, so it's core remains intact enough to go critical. However, the smaller ones can be destroyed harmlessly releasing whatever energy they might have. This causes a system-wide discharge that removes energy from the still-going-critical reactor, fundamentally increasing the time required for it to build up a substantial charge to vaporize the mine.

Yes. I just explained that. Why? How? Because I'm awesome.

Quote
D2 actually has at least two miniboss robots: Red Fatty Junior is a mini red fatty boss, and Boarshed is a mini water boss.

How the @#!& did the Fox Attack bot get its name?  It makes no sense, unless its an acronym.

All the planets in D2 Counterstrike except the first one have their own themed robot that only appears on that planet.  The list - Quartzon: Class 2 Supervisor; Brimspark: TRN Racer; Limefrost Spiral: Ice Spindle; Baloris Prime: BPer; Omega/Puuma Sphere & Tycho Brahe: Spider, Spawn, and Boarshed.  Also, the systems that only have one name/planet have only one themed robot.  The system with three names (Puuma Sphere and Tycho Brahe are the different locations, Omega is the entire thing) has three themed robots.

Boss levels in D2 Counterstrike often have a reoccurence of a robot from the previous planet that didn't appear on this planet up till now.  The more notable ones are Brimspark - a couple of sidearm modula and sometimes an ITSC, and Limefrost Spiral - Red hornets.  The most subtle one is Quartzon - level 8 is actually the only water level with Internal Tactical Droids.

In D2 Counterstrike, if Seekers are going to appear on a planet, they'll never ever appear on the first level of that planet.

In D2 Counterstrike, level 16 is the last appearance of many robots in the original game.  Ice Spindles, Fox Attack bots, Seekers, and Sidearms.  Not Sidearm Modula though, you'll face them again briefly on level 24.

A couple coincidences that also include D3:
No matter the game or mission, level 11 is always going to be a lava-themed hellhole.  At the very least, it will have a mine section that's lava themed (like in D3 Retribution).

In D1, Titan Mine is portrayed with gray and pink rock.  In D3, Titan is portrayed almost the same way - except it's the facility that's made out of gray and pink concrete!  The rock itself is yellow!

Every sequel in the series has a robot with the same name as a robot in the previous game.  In D2, it's the Spider.  In D3, it's the Pest.

Yeah, and the both have similar weaponry.
The Spider in D1 has spawn, same as the one in D2.
The PEST in D2 is fairly weak and doesn't move much. Same with the D3 PEST.

Quote
Some of the most powerful D3 robots look eerily similar to the later bosses from D2.  For example, the Thresher looks like the Alien 2 boss.

No, the thresher's spine goes down, while Mr. Green's spine goes straight back. Not to mention the horns.

Quote
The squids in D3 are redesigned Fox Attack Bots.  Ironically, they look more like jellyfish than actual squids.

Nope. Spindles. Take a look at the formation of the 'tentacles' and cannon placements.

Quote
Edit: I just thought of another devious one in D2 Counterstrike.  Opposite planets.  And there's a pattern to it.  The first three planets are the opposites of the last three, in reverse order.  I'll explain.
Zeta Aquilae vs Omega (systems 1 and 6/7): Zeta Aquilae has a mishmash of texture schemes, to the extent that the differences between the levels in the system are determined more by texture scheme than by actual structures.  There is sometimes a little lava.
Puuma Sphere and Tycho brahe are incredibly monotonous, taking the colour green to the extreme where it's used like shades of grey in an old black and white movie.  There's some white and blue as well, but even they have a greenish tinge.  Even the robots are almost all green coloured.  Also, at one point in level 22, you find some water - the level is designed so that you have to find it.

Quartzon vs Baloris Prime (systems 2 and 5): Tropical, water themed, very earth-like (from the intro movie and the exit cutscenes) planet versus a fiery, arid alien wasteland covered with an eerie mist and strange spires.  Enough said.

Brimspark vs Limefrost Spiral (systems 3 and 4): Fire vs Ice.

Offline Kaiaatzl

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #39 on: April 15, 2011, 06:20:01 PM »
QUOTE
Some of the most powerful D3 robots look eerily similar to the later bosses from D2.  For example, the Thresher looks like the Alien 2 boss.

No, the thresher's spine goes down, while Mr. Green's spine goes straight back. Not to mention the horns.
QUOTE

I didn't say it was exact :P.

QUOTE

The squids in D3 are redesigned Fox Attack Bots.  Ironically, they look more like jellyfish than actual squids.

Nope. Spindles. Take a look at the formation of the 'tentacles' and cannon placements.
QUOTE

Fine they're a cross.
Superficially their shape looks more like the FOXes - you can't deny that.  Also the single eye.

(I need to learn how to use the quote function here).
« Last Edit: April 15, 2011, 06:21:34 PM by wazzazzle »

Offline Scyphi

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #40 on: April 16, 2011, 08:15:33 AM »
Quote from: Infamus
Yes. I just explained that. Why? How? Because I'm awesome.

You're probably like me then, who'll sit down and find explanations for these sort of things just because I can and because it irks me that there is no already existing explanation. :P

In all serious, though, I think the secret levels count as being more along the lines of the developers having fun with the game's programming than actually trying to create a level with a feasible explanation behind it.  ::)

Quote from: wazzazzle
(I need to learn how to use the quote function here).

Translates to...

[ quote = "wazzazzle" ] (I need to learn how to use the quote function here). [ /quote ]

Remove the spaces, and there you go. :)
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Offline Kaiaatzl

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #41 on: April 16, 2011, 11:01:22 PM »
At third level .............. a robot with rockets (Homing/Dumb-fire) is introduced...
D1: Medium Hulk
D2: Sidearm&Sidearm modula
......
Also note that the rocket-bots of D1 and D2 first appear behind the Red door...

Actually an extension to this, in the non-expansion campaigns for D1 and D2 the second missile bot appears on level 5 (Red Hulk/those #@!% ITSCs), and the third on level 7 (Boss 1/Seeker).  Go figure.
Of course I'm being a little inconsistent counting the first D1 boss but not the Red Fatty! :P

(Red Fatty is so easy I've beaten him on Ace).

Highlight the line!
« Last Edit: April 16, 2011, 11:03:21 PM by wazzazzle »

Offline Shroudeye

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #42 on: April 17, 2011, 05:17:59 AM »
Wazzazle, You forgot the Lou Guards at level 4...

Offline Kaiaatzl

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #43 on: April 17, 2011, 06:00:55 AM »
Dang...  :D

Offline Kaiaatzl

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Re: Interesting coincidences I've noticed in D1/D2 official missions
« Reply #44 on: April 19, 2011, 06:21:06 AM »
Ever notice that the Red Fatty Boss looks like a kernel of popcorn?

I did because the sound file for the red fatty jr's voice (red fatty jr is also the same colour as butter) is called popcorn.wav.
The Smelter II from Vertigo also uses that voice (and it also looks kind of like popcorn).

 

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