TABLE OF CONTENTS System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Installing Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Starting Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Options ..................................................5 Controls .
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS IBM/Tandy 100% compatible 386-33 or faster (486-33 w/8 Megs of RAM highly recommended) with 4 Megabytes of RAM. DOS 5.0 or later. Supports Microsoft Mouse or compatibles. Sound Cards Supported: Sound Blaster (Pro, 16, AWE32), Media Vision Pro-Audio Spectrum (Plus, 16, and Studio), Gravis Ultrasound, Roland MT-32/LAPC-1/SCC-1 (Music Only). 1 or 2 Joysticks supported as well as ThrustMaster WCS, FCS, FLCS, Gravis Game Pad, Phoenix, Logitech Cyberman, CH Flightstick Pro and Wingman Extreme.
STARTING DESCENT 1. Make sure you’re in the GAMES\DESCENT subdirectory. If you’re not sure what subdirectory you’re in, type CD\GAMES\DESCENT and press Enter. You should now be in the correct subdirectory. 2. Type DESCENT and press Enter. For special command line loading options, see the section called “Command Line Options.” 3. If this is the first time you’ve started Descent, you’ll be asked to “Enter your pilot name.” Enter a name and then press Enter. You’re then asked to choose an input device.
THE MAIN MENU NEW GAME Allows player to start a new game. LOAD GAME Player Resumes from Saved Game. Game can be saved during play at any time. MULTIPLAYER Takes player to a menu where he can choose to start or join a multiplayer network, modem, or serial game. OPTIONS Takes player to the options screen. CHANGE PILOTS Player can change login name. VIEW DEMO Allows player to view their Recorded Demos. HIGH SCORES Takes player to high score screen.
OPTIONS FX VOLUME Adjust sound effects volume using the arrow keys. MUSIC VOLUME Adjust music volume using the arrow keys. REVERSE STEREO Reverses left and right channel of the stereo sound effects in Descent. BRIGHTNESS Adjusts the Brightness level of the game. CONTROLS Takes player to controls configuration screen. DETAIL LEVELS Allows player to adjust detail level. Lowering your detail level is highly recommended if you are using a slower computer.
CONTROLS Here the player can adjust the fundamentals of their input device. All changes are saved in your pilot file for future usage. The controls can also be adjusted during game play. To change any of the keys, simply move the highlight with the arrow keys to the function you wish to change, press ENTER, then hit the new key you wish this function to be. For axis entries, press ENTER, then move the new joystick axis.
KEYLIST GAME OPTION KEYS G Abort game £ Cockpit on/off ¡ Help screen ¢ Calibrate joystick ™ Options ∞ Record own demo A-™ Save You may Save or Load at any time during the game. A-£ Load ¶ Toggle between multiplayer HUD displays • Send typed message (multiplayer only) ª-¤ Taunt macros (multiplayer only) S-ª Define F9-F12 taunt macros (multiplayer only) O Pause game (not in multiplayer) +/_ Change window size R Save screen shot. All screen shots are saved in PCX format.
DEFAULT CONTROLS The following assignments can all be modified in the Options/Controls menus.
KEYBOARD These settings are defaults, and can be changed.
OTHER CONTROL DEVICES Descent fully supports the following: Mouse * Gravis Phoenix Joystick (one or two) devices may be selected and customized under the Options/Controls menu Thrustmaster FCS * Thrustmaster WCS & FLCS * DESCENT2.ADV, DESCENT.PHX, DESCENT.B50 and DESCENT.M50 config files can be found in your DESCENT directory.
THRUSTMASTER THRUSTMASTER FCS & WCS Reverse ?W2@ O&@@ W2@@@@ ?W&@@@@@e?@?@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@?@@@ W&@@@@@@@@ ?@@@@?@@@@ ?W&@@@@@@@ ?&@@@@@@@@L? ?@@6K? ?I4@@@@? ?I4@ HAT - Slide Controls @6K? N@@@ ?@@@L? ?@?')X ?V')X? V')X ?V')X? W2@@@? V')X ?O&@@@5? ?V')X?he?O2@@@@0Y? V')XhO2@@0M ?V')X?fO2@0M? V'1?eO2@0M? ?N@W2@@0M? @@(M ?O2@@@U? ?O2@0M?B@@ ?O2@0Mf@@=? O2@@0Mg?B@@ ?W&KO2(R+Mhe@@L? W&@@@0Y?hf?B)X 7@@@ 3)X? @@6K @@@@ V')X I4@@?@6K ?V')X? V')K I46K ?V'@@@ I4@??@@6K? V'@@L? ?V4@@? ?I46K? ?I4@6K ?O@?@?@?@? I46K ?O2
COCKPIT VIEW To toggle the view of your cockpit on or off, press F3. When the cockpit view is off, it’s replaced by a status panel across the bottom of the screen. To get full screen view simply hit the + key at this point; the – key can reduce the window size to increase game speed. REAR VIEW To look out the rear of your ship, press R. If you hold down the R key you will temporarily look out the rear; when you release R you will return to the front view.
AUTOMAP The Automap keeps track of places you’ve been. As you move through new territory, your progress is drawn in by the Automap. To access the Automap, press the Tab key. To close the Automap, press Esc or Tab. • The center object is your ship. Other green objects are hostages. • The purple object is the mine’s entrance. • The red, yellow and blue walls are the locked doors. These doors require the use of corresponding color-coded access keys for passage. • Yellow areas are refueling stations.
POWERUPS Access Keys - These access keys give you access to the different security levels of the mines. They are color coded to the doors they open. Energy Boost - This will give your energy banks a boost, up to 200 units max. (Energy Centers can deliver recharge up to 100 units.) Shield Boost - This will give your ship’s shields a kick. By getting shield powerups, you can get your shields up to a maximum of 200 units. Cloaking Device - Gives your ship cloaking ability for a limited time.
Vulcan Ammo - This gives you more ammunition for the Vulcan Cannon. Spreadfire Cannon - This fires a spread of energy at your target. Plasma Cannon - Fires bursts of supercharged plasma. Fusion Cannon - Fires destructive blasts of energy directly from the ship’s fusion reactor. Holding down the Fire key will continue to charge the Fusion cannon until you release it. Doing this can double the damage, but can also damage your ship if you hold it too long. Concussion Missiles - All-purpose dumbfire rockets.
DOORS There are a variety of doors that can be found in the PTMC mines. Most can be opened by either bumping into them or shooting them. There are some though, that can only be opened if you have the appropriate access key. Others can only be opened if certain actions are performed or the Reactor is set to self destruct (i.e. the emergency exit). Hostage doors take several hits to destroy, and there are also doors that are hidden.
MINE CENTERS Energy Center - Designed for “on the fly” replenishing of robot’s power cells, it will also recharge your own. (up to 100 units). Robot Generator - Automated centers that determine a mine’s needs and assemble robots from surrounding minerals and metals. Very dangerous. Main Reactor - The power generator of the whole mine. Usually in a secluded place away from day-to-day mine mishaps.
HEADS UP DISPLAY ➈ ➉ ➀ 1B 1A ➃ ➄ ➆ ➇ ➅ ➁ 1) Aiming Reticle ➂ 6) Ship status indicator 1A Primary weapons arming status 7) Enemy missile lock alarm 1B Secondary weapons arming status 2) Primary weapons display 3) Secondary weapons display 4) Weapons energy status bar 8) Access key indicator 9) Current score 10) Ships remaining 5) Shield energy status indicator INTERPLAY 18
RECORDING AND VIEWING DEMOS RECORDING A DEMO Descent has a fully integrated demo recording and playback system that lets you keep a permanent record of blasting your friends to pieces. This recording will work in single or multiplayer games. Press F5 anywhere in the game to start recording; press F5 again to stop the recording. When you stop a recording, you’ll be prompted to enter a file name. If you press Esc at this dialog box, the demo will not be saved.
CAPTURING SCREENS You can capture (take a “snapshot”) of any screen in Descent by pressing the Print Screen key while at that screen. Each screen you capture is saved to a .PCX file in the GAMES\DESCENT subdirectory. When you press the Print Screen key, your computer’s hard drive light will flicker momentarily to indicate that it’s working to capture the screen; you will see an onscreen message. To view a captured screen, exit Descent. Then load a paint or draw program and open the .
CUSTOM DETAIL LEVELS Detail levels may be individually adjusted by selecting Options (from either the Main Menu screen or hitting F2 while playing a game), and then selecting Detail Levels. Custom settings can be made by choosing “Custom”. Object Complexity: This affects the number of polygons used by objects like robots, player ships, and other 3D objects. Lower values will increase speed, but simplify the shape of many objects.
NETWORK PLAY NETWORK REQUIREMENTS Descent is designed to run on a Novell network using the IPX protocol. To use IPX protocol on your LAN-connected PC, you must be loading the IPX.COM driver provided by Novell, in addition to lower-level drivers required by your particular brand of network card. To get optimum performance from network games, you should be connected on the same local network so its packets can be routed directly without intermediate processing by routers.
Mode Mode determines what type of game will be played: • Anarchy is a player-only battle to the death, where the goal is to accumulate the most kills by killing up to 8 other players. • Team Anarchy is the same as Anarchy, but in teams. The next screen you see is the Team Selection screen. Team names can be modified in the text boxes. To move a player to the other team, highlight his or her name and then press Enter. Team 1 ships are blue while Team 2 ships are red.
Closed Game This determines whether or not other players will be allowed into your game after it begins. If the Option box is checked, only players that were chosen for play at the start of the game are allowed in. Note: In a closed game, the starting players are still allowed to leave Descent and rejoin at any time. Difficulty This determines several factors, from robot awareness and deadliness to time for mine destruction countdowns. The farther the slider is to the right, the tougher the game will be.
If you leave a netgame for whatever reason, you can usually join in later and resume your game. Although you lose accumulated items, you will retain your ship color and kill count unless you have been gone long enough for someone new to have taken your spot. Make sure you rejoin from the same computer and use the same pilot name so the game can identify you as an existing player.
• Bad LAN card. Some cards drop IPX packets even without heavy loads or outside interference. If you suspect the LAN card of causing problems, try switching that computer’s card with another card. • Software conflicts. Other drivers that are running may cause problems with the network interrupts. These conflicts may not be apparent when performing other LAN tasks that do not use IPX or that have a built-in layer of error-checking and repeating. Try disabling other unneeded drivers in your CONFIG.
Shift + F9 to Shift + F12 Record Taunt Macros - You can create pre-defined taunts for your opponents using the message macro keys. To define or redefine a macro, press Shift + F9 through Shift + F12, type in a message, and then press Enter to save it. F9 to F12 Send Taunt Macros - To send a taunt macro, press one of the F9 through F12 keys. The macros are stored on a per-player basis so you only have to set them in your first game.
MODEM/SERIAL GAME SETUP DESCENT MODEM/SERIAL SUPPORT Descent supports serial and modem play. All of the information relating to network play also applies to modem and null-modem games, although the procedure for starting new games is somewhat different since only two players are involved. This section describes the ways in which the serial version of the head-to-head game differs from the network game.
38400 baud rate settings for optimum performance. This selection only sets the rate of communication between the computer and the modem if a modem is being used. Even though many modems do not support actual baud rates higher than 14400, it is still better to choose a 38400 baud rate if your UART will support it. This lets the program spend less time communicating with the modem, thus improving the frame rate.
CONNECTING A SERIAL GAME STEP1 Starting a game of serial Descent is a two-stage procedure. First, a link must be established between two machines. There are two ways to establish this link: null-modem cable link or modem (and phone line). This is accomplished differently depending on whether you’re using a null-modem cable or a modem. If you are establishing a null-modem game link, both players must select Establish Null-Modem Link from the Serial Game menu.
Once the parameters are set, both players will be placed in the mine and the game begins. After the game is finished or when one of the players decides to leave the game, both players are returned to the Serial Game menu. Please note that the communication link is still active. If you want to play another game - maybe with different settings or a different starting level - just select Start Game again. If you want to hang up the modem or release the null-modem connection, select Close Link.
MODEM PLAY TROUBLESHOOTING • If your frame rate is lower in modem games than in standard games, try setting your baud rate higher in the COM setup menu. The lower the baud rate, the more time the computer spends writing data to the serial port, and therefore the slower the game’s frame rate. If possible, outfit your computer with an improved 16550 UART which will enable COM speeds of up to 38400.
COMMAND LINE OPTIONS The following DOS command line options can be used when loading Descent. Type the command line after DESCENT and then press Enter to start the game (e.g., DESCENT -CyberMaxx). -CyberMaxx -MaxxTrak -VFX -VFXTrak -VFXMono -Volume -Socket -LowMem Enables CyberMaxx helmet display Enables CyberMaxx head tracking via COM port n Enables VFX helmet support Trak Enables VFX head tracking (VFX1.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Regardless of your computer configuration, you should have no troubles running Descent. Just in case you do have some issues, here are some tips. GENERAL PROBLEMS Q: I have a Gateway 2000 P75. The colors in Descent are completely screwed up. What do I do? A: Do a hard reboot of your computer and go into your Bios Setup. Find the “VGA Palette Snoop” option and disable it. This should fix the problem. Q: Descent runs slowly on my machine, especially in large battles.
Q: Why does my computer lock up during setup when autodetecting for a sound card? A: Due to hardware conflicts, autodetecting for sound cards is a risky process. If you know the brand, port address, IRQ and DMA of your sound card(s), you should manually configure these items. Lockups are also common when autodetection is used but no sound cards are installed. Q: Why don’t I hear anything when I test my sound in setup? A: There are several possibilities. You may have the wrong sound card selected.
Q: I have a Thrustmaster WCS hooked up with a joystick. When I use the stick to fly and the A and Z keys to move forward and backward, I start flying out of control. Why? A: Because these devices intercept the keyboard signals, your ship may fly strangely when you also hold down keyboard keys (like A and Z). If you keep the WCS or FLCS on your system, it’s recommended that you use those devices for throttle control and sliding, not the keyboard.
Q: What does it mean when Descent tells me my network card is missing packets? A: This can be a result of a slow network card, heavy traffic on the network, or software conflicts in your system. If you get this message, you can rejoin the game and try again. If the problem persists, one of the following could be to blame: • Loose cables. Happens to the best of us. Check the plugs on the back of your computer, specifically the ones running to and from your network card. • Too many players.
CREDITS Executive Producer Alan Pavlish Producer Jacob “Rusty” Buchert III Line Producers Raphael Hernandez William Church PARALLAX CREDITS Original Design Mike Kulas Matt Toschlog Programming Matt Toschlog Mike Kulas John Slagel Che-Yuan Wang Mark Allender INTERPLAY CREDITS Marketing & Package Design Jerry Luttrell Jim Veevaert Manual Design & Layout Ulises Gerardo Manual written by Parallax Zina Powers Raphael Hernandez Music Jim Torres Ken Allen Brian Luzietti Larry Peacock Art & 3D Models Adam Pletch
CUSTOMER SUPPORT If you have any questions about this, or any other Interplay product, you can reach our Customer Service/Technical Support Group at: Interplay 16815 Von Karman Irvine, CA 92606 Attn: Customer Service. Customer Service is available 24 hours a day through our Automated Customer Service system, with a Customer Service representative available during normal business hours at (714) 553-6678. Please have your system information available, or better yet, try to be at your computer.
LIMITED WARRANTY INTERPLAY LIMITED 90-DAY WARRANTY Interplay warrants to the original consumer purchaser of this computer software product that the recording medium on which the software programs are recorded will be free from defects in material and workmanship for 90 days from the date of purchase.
