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| {{Short description|1995 first-person shooter game}} | |||
| {{split}} | |||
| {{ |
{{good article}} | ||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}} | |||
| {{Infobox CVG| title = Descent | |||
| {{Infobox video game | |||
| |image = ] | |||
| | title = Descent | |||
| |developer = ] (Descent 1 and 2)<br>] (]) | |||
| | image = Descent cover.png | |||
| |publisher = ] | |||
| | alt = The ''Descent'' cover art is a portrait image comprising two vertical halves: a pale red on the left and a dark gray on the right, with three antagonistic robots appearing in the background. In the center of the cover art is an inverted square containing a shield orb and above that the title "DESCENT". | |||
| |designer = | |||
| | caption = MS-DOS cover art | |||
| |engine = Portal Rendering System | |||
| | developer = ] | |||
| |version = | |||
| | publisher = {{Unbulleted list|]|] (Mac OS)|R-Comp Interactive (RISC OS)}} | |||
| |released = ], ] | |||
| | director = {{Unbulleted list|Mike Kulas|Matt Toschlog}} | |||
| |genre = ] | |||
| | producer = Rusty Buchert | |||
| |modes = ]<br>] | |||
| | programmer = {{Unbulleted list|John Slagel|Rob Huebner}} | |||
| |ratings = ]: Teen (PC-13) | |||
| | designer = {{Unbulleted list|Che-Yuan Wang|Mark Dinse|Jasen Whiteside}} | |||
| |platforms = ], (]), ], ], ], ] | |||
| | artist = Adam Pletcher | |||
| |media = ], ] | |||
| | writer = Josh White | |||
| |requirements = Minimum (Descent 1) | |||
| | composer = | |||
| * IBM/Tandy or 100% compatible 386-33 or faster | |||
| | series = | |||
| * 4 MB RAM | |||
| | released = {{Unbulleted list|'''MS-DOS'''|{{vgrelease|UK|March 3, 1995|NA|March 17, 1995}}|'''Macintosh'''|Late 1995|'''PlayStation'''|{{Video game release|JP|January 26, 1996|NA|March 12, 1996|EU|March 1996}}|'''RISC OS'''|Late 1998}} | |||
| * DOS 5.0 or later | |||
| | platforms = ], ], ], ] | |||
| Minimum (Descent II) | |||
| | genre = ], ] | |||
| * IBM/Tandy or 100% compatible 486DX-50 or faster | |||
| | modes = ], ] | |||
| * 8 MB RAM (16 MB required if running under Win95) | |||
| * Hard drive | |||
| * DOS 5.0 or later | |||
| * CD-ROM drive | |||
| |input = ], ], ], ] | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''''Descent''''' is a ] ] ] noted for popularizing the use of true ] technology and providing the player with six full degrees of freedom (often abbreviated "]") to move and to look around. ''Descent'' spawned two direct sequels (''Descent II'' and ''Descent 3''). The ''Descent'' name was used in an unrelated arcade space simulator called '']'', primarily due to copyright issues in certain regions. ''Descent'' was developed by ] and released in 1995. Although old by modern gaming standards, it is still cherished by a strong community of fans, particularly for online multiplayer, and new levels continue to be developed. | |||
| '''''Descent''''' is a ] (FPS) game developed by ] and released by ] in 1995 for ], and later for ], ], and ]. It popularized a subgenre of FPS games employing ] and was the first FPS to feature entirely ] graphics. The player is cast as a mercenary hired to eliminate the threat of a mysterious extraterrestrial computer virus infecting off-world mining robots. In a series of mines throughout the ], the protagonist pilots a spaceship and must locate and destroy the mine's power reactor and escape before being caught in the mine's self-destruction, defeating opposing robots along the way. Players can play online and compete in either ]es or cooperate to take on the robots. | |||
| The series has a strong following due to its unique type of gameplay, particularily its 6DOF and challenging trichording. However, because of that unique gameplay which usually required a high-end joystick to effectively master it, Descent never became a blockbuster like more conventional ground-oriented 3D first-person shooter games. Being regarded as a ] by casual gamers meant that Descent's unique aspects were often overlooked, confining it to a niche. Interplay's restrictions on modifications also didn't help, given that Doom and Quake could be extensively modified, spawning a large community of fan-made mods for the latter games. | |||
| ''Descent'' was a commercial success. Together with its sequel, it sold over 1.1 million units as of 1998 and was critically acclaimed. Commentators and reviewers compared it to '']'' and praised its unrestrained range of motion and full 3D graphics. The combination of traditional first-person shooter mechanics with that of a ] was also well received. Complaints tended to focus on the frequency for the player to become disoriented and the potential to induce ]. The game's success spawned expansion packs and the sequels '']'' (1996) and '']'' (1999). | |||
| The trademark for ''Descent'' was allowed to lapse by Interplay in 2002.<ref>{{cite web | title=USPTO entry for the Descent game trademark | url=http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=74527218}}</ref> | |||
| == |
==Gameplay== | ||
| ===Single-player=== | |||
| The original ''Descent'' runs under ] and is (with some tweaking) playable on ]-based ] at 33 MHz. With the release of the ], the performance requirements were no longer an issue. ''Descent'' was ported to ]'s ] in 1996 and both versions support multiplayer network play over a variety of protocols. A console port of ''Descent'' was created for the ] ], and a sequel entitled ''Descent Maximum'' followed. The Playstation version of ''Descent Maximum'' contained the same soundtrack as ''Descent II'', but had a completely unique level set, never released on any other platform. Like the Macintosh version, the Playstation version also features a ] audio soundtrack, something the original DOS ''Descent'' lacks (the soundtrack came as a MIDI score). | |||
| ], an enemy missile lock indicator, a colored key inventory, the selected primary weapon, the player ship's shields, the selected secondary weapon, and the score count.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=18}}<ref name="pcplayer-review">{{cite magazine|title=Descent Review|magazine=]|language=de|date=March 1995|pages=46–48, 50–52}}</ref>]] | |||
| ''Descent'' is a first-person shooter and shoot 'em up<ref name="pcmag"/> game wherein the player pilots a spaceship through labyrinthine mines while fighting ]-infected robots, using the ship's armaments. They must find and destroy each mine's reactor core, triggering a meltdown that will destroy the mine as the player escapes.<ref name="Jan1995-preview"/> For two levels, the reactor core is replaced with a ]. To obtain access to the reactor, the player must collect one or a combination of the three colored access keys for each level.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=14}}<ref name="GameFan-review"/> As a secondary objective, the player can also choose to rescue PTMC (Post Terran Mining Corporation) workers who were taken hostage by the infected robots.<ref name="Jan1995-preview"/> | |||
| ''Descent'' was released in 1994, one year after ]'s '']''. As was typical with those releases, ''Descent'' uses a software renderer due to the fact that affordable 3D ] (referred to as add-on videocards) were not mainstream as yet. While ''Doom'' uses sprites to render enemies, ''Descent'' features fully-3D-polygonal enemies. '']'' followed in the footsteps of ''Descent'' by displaying its enemies in 3D. Unlike ''Doom'' and its successor ''Quake'', ''Descent'' does not use ] trees to speed up rendering, but a system of connected cubes forming bigger rooms and tunnels connecting them. This geometry allowed for very efficient visibility culling, and one of the first true three dimensional rendering environments of its time. | |||
| ''Descent'' features 30 levels, of which three are ]s. Each level is based in a mine or military installation<ref name="pcgamerus"/> in various locations in the Solar System. The game demands that players keep their sense of orientation in a fully 3D environment with a flight model featuring six degrees of freedom in zero-gravity.<ref name="Jan1995-preview"/> It also provides a 3-dimensional ] ] that displays any area of the current mine visited or seen by the player. Variously colored lines indicate locked doors and zones such as energy stations and reactor areas.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=12}} These mines may contain hidden doors{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=16}} or robot generators that spawn enemy robots.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=17}} Flares and lasers light up dark areas of the mine.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=9}}<ref name="pcplayer-review"/> | |||
| === Graphics === | |||
| The original ''Descent'' uses indexed ] color in DOS's display ], using 320 × 200 resolution. The ] and later PC versions allow higher resolutions, such as 640 × 480. The default engine uses a software renderer in which the perspective transformation for texture mapping is only performed once every 32 pixels, causing textures to appear to pop or shift when viewed from certain angles. The software renderer also uses nearest-neighbor texture filtering, as opposed to ] or ] used by modern video cards. Nearest-neighbor texture filtering causes ], such as blocky or swimming textures. | |||
| Items are available as collectible ]s. They are either scattered throughout the mines or may be obtained by destroying robots.<ref name="pcgamerus"/> Weapons are split up into primary and secondary weapons. Primary weapons range from lasers to wide-range Spreadfire Cannons to the chargeable Fusion Cannons whose shots can punch through numerous enemies. They all consume energy as their ammunition, except for the Vulcan Cannon, which uses rounds of explosive shells. Secondary weapons include various missiles (both unguided and homing) including the Smart Missile which upon impact released several smaller guided bomblets, as well as Proximity Bombs that are dropped behind the player's craft to slow pursuing enemies.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|pp=14–15}} The player's spacecraft uses shield power as ], and can carry a maximum of 200 units of shields and energy each. Energy is replenished from energy power-ups or recharged to 100 units at permanent energy centers. Shields can only be restored by collecting blue shield orbs. There are also power-ups that modify the ship's status and weaponry. For example, Cloaking Devices temporarily render the ship invisible, Invulnerability temporarily inhibits receiving damage, and Quad Lasers modify the ship's laser system to fire four bolts of energy instead of the standard two.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=14}} Points are gained by defeating robots, rescuing hostages, and escaping the mine before its self-destruction.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=23}} If the player ship's shields drop to 0, the ship is destroyed, all acquired weapons are strewn about the area as power-ups,<ref name="prima-guide"/>{{rp|3}} and any rescued hostages aboard are killed.<ref name="ps-book">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DxXbRvOozJIC|title=PlayStation Games Book|publisher=]|date=June 1, 1996|volume=2|isbn=9781566865739|access-date=June 23, 2019}}</ref>{{rp|20}} The ship respawns at the cost of a ] and the player must navigate the mines to regain the power-ups.<ref name="PCZone"/> Players can record and later view their experiences in the form of demos, both in single-player and multiplayer.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=19}}<ref name="EDGE19"/> | |||
| The engine for ''Descent'' and ''Descent II'' operates on the premise of interconnected cubes. Sides of cubes can be attached to other cubes, or display up to two texture maps. Cubes can be deformed so long as they remain ]. To create effects like doors and see-through grating, walls could be placed at the connected sides of two cubes. Descent introduced an elaborate static lighting scheme as well as simple dynamic lighting, where the environment could be lit with flares or (in ''Descent II'') darkened by shooting out lights - another advancement compared to ''Doom''. | |||
| == |
===Multiplayer=== | ||
| ''Descent'' allows online competitive and cooperative multiplayer sessions. The competitive sector consists of "Anarchy", "Team Anarchy", and "Anarchy With Robots", three deathmatch modes whereby players attempt to destroy as many of each other's ships as possible. Team Anarchy assigns players to two opposing teams, and Anarchy With Robots adds hostile robots to the match. In Cooperative, players team up to destroy mines and compete for the highest score. Competitive modes allow a maximum of eight players and cooperative modes allow up to four.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=23}} Players can press a single key to type a message referred to as a taunt, rather than pausing to type in the full message.{{sfn|Instruction Manual|1995|p=27}}<ref name="PCZone"/> They can also ], particularly MS-DOS and Macintosh.<ref name="macworld"/> | |||
| {{spoiler}} | |||
| ==Plot== | |||
| === Descent: First Strike === | |||
| ''Descent'' is set in 2169.<ref name="Jan1995-preview">{{cite magazine|title=Descent Preview|last=Wells|first=Jeremy|magazine=]|date=January 1995|issue=22|pages=48, 50}}</ref> The story begins with a briefing between PTMC executive S. Dravis and the player's character, PTMC's best "Material Defender", who is hired on a mercenary basis to eliminate the threat of a mysterious alien computer virus infecting the machines and robots used for off-world mining operations.<ref>{{cite video game|title=Descent|developer=]|publisher=]|date=1995|scene=Introduction cutscenes|level=1}}</ref> | |||
| The player is one of the Post-Terran Mining Corporation (PTMC)'s Material Defenders. Unfortunately, Samuel Dravis, an executive at PTMC, sends the player on a mission to destroy PTMC's mines. An alien virus has infected the robots working there, and they've turned into killers. It's now the player's job to rescue any hostages, and destroy the mine, hopefully taking the robots with it when it explodes. | |||
| The PTMC developed numerous mines in the Solar System's planets and moons for a variety of uses, including resource extraction, science research, and military installations. Prior to entering a mine, the player receives an intelligence briefing upon the robots used there, however the computer virus has resulted in some existing robots either modified considerably or even new robots being produced that PTMC is unaware about.<ref name="lparchive.org">{{cite web | url=https://lparchive.org/Descent/ | title=Descent }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://insectoid.budwin.net/dos/descent/d1robots.html | title=DESCENT: Robots | access-date=July 15, 2022 | archive-date=September 18, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918053708/http://insectoid.budwin.net/dos/descent/d1robots.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The player starts with the mines on the Moon and later shift to Venus and to Mercury, where a boss robot has to be destroyed. Afterward, the mines progress further away from the Sun, as the player visits Mars, then the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and eventually to Pluto and its moon ]. The player accesses the three secret levels located in the ] using alternative exit doors hidden in specific levels.<ref name="prima-guide">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H0XwyEPIcZ8C|title=Descent: The Official Strategy Guide|last=Kunkel|first=Bill|publisher=]|date=1995|isbn=9780761500414|access-date=June 23, 2019}}</ref>{{rp|219}} | |||
| === Descent II: Counterstrike! === | |||
| After the player has destroyed all of the mines in the solar system in the original ''Descent'', he stops in the Asteroid belt for refueling. Dravis then contacts him and forces him to work some more: | |||
| After defeating the boss robot on Charon, the Material Defender is informed he cannot return to the PTMC's headquarters in Earth orbit, as there is a chance his ship may be infected with the same virus as the defeated robots. His employer also mentions that PTMC has lost contact with their deep-space installations outside the Solar System, setting the stage for the sequel.<ref name="D1_Lv27"/> | |||
| <blockquote>"If you've studied your standard mercenary agreement, you would notice that PTMC reserves the right to keep you on retainer for up to 72 hours, post-mission. '''''If''''' you choose to decline further service, we will consider you in default of your contract, and your fee will be suspended, pending litigation. Good luck Material Defender. Dravis out."</blockquote> | |||
| ==Development== | |||
| The player's ship is fitted with a prototype warp core and he is sent to clear out all of PTMC's deep space mines, the last of which seems to be some kind of artificial planet and/or alien spaceship. After completing all of this work, the player is ready to go home, but instead his warp core malfunctions, sending him to an unknown location... | |||
| ''Descent'' was co-created by programmers Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog. It has origins as far back as 1986, when Toschlog first joined the gaming industry at ], where he also first met Kulas. There, the pair worked on various simulation titles from '']'' to '']''. Toschlog left the company in 1988 for ], where he worked with ] to develop ''].'' Kulas joined the company in 1990 to develop utilities for ''Car and Driver''. The two had devised an idea of an indoor flight simulator that used shaded polygons. After working on '']'' however, they realized they could ] to the polygons for a spectacular effect. By April 1993, they finished a two-page sketch for what would become ''Descent''.{{efn|name=devhist|<ref name="gtm-155">{{cite magazine|title=Behind the Scenes: Descent|magazine=]|issue=155|pages=136–139}}</ref><ref name="gd-jj95">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/GDM_JuneJuly_1995|title=Descending to the Top|last=Antoniades|first=Alexander|magazine=]|date=June–July 1995|pages=57, 59}}</ref><ref name="gi-2011">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/03/30/the-secret-history-of-volition.aspx|title=The Secret History of Volition|last=Hanson|first=Ben|magazine=]|date=March 30, 2011|access-date=June 16, 2019|archive-date=November 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111160638/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/03/30/the-secret-history-of-volition.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} | |||
| {{quote box|align=left|width=30%|Our aim was to create an '80s-style arcade game with '90s technology. We wanted a full 3-D environment in which the player was surrounded by interesting structures and threats in all dimensions.|author=Mike Kulas|source=''Wired''<ref name="wired-1995"/>}} | |||
| === Descent 3: Retribution === | |||
| ''Descent'' took about 21 months to finish. According to Kulas,<ref name="gi-2011"/> the game cost around US$450,000 to make. The game's marketing budget was $1 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85840180/|title=Interplay:Firm Tempts Customers With Free Samples|newspaper=]|date=March 16, 1995|access-date=August 17, 2021|via=]|archive-date=February 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210135311/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/85840180/|url-status=live}}</ref> Deciding that their idea was too good for anyone else to develop it, Kulas and Toschlog left Looking Glass in June 1993 to form Parallax Software. They hired Che-Yuan Wang and John Slagel as their programmers, with Wang also being their level designer. They also hired Adam Pletcher as their artist. They set out to contact publishers, including ] of ], ]'s primary publisher, who was excited about their proposal and signed a contract with them. For the next seven months, Apogee invested in Parallax and shared with them experience they had gained from developing their own 3D shareware titles. Parallax would implement artistic and structural changes that Apogee requested. After those months, Apogee had numerous projects in the works, and Parallax's project became more expensive to create, so Apogee severed its involvement in the project.{{efn|name=devhist}} | |||
| The player is rescued and after recovering from the extreme radiation effects from the warp core, he learns that the warp core malfunction was no accident, instead it was a plot to destroy the material defender hatched by Dravis. He sets out to get revenge and his money from the PTMC. | |||
| Left without a publisher, Parallax spent the next three months to develop a mock-up prototype, continuing their coding. The project was originally titled ''Miner'', but Parallax presented their prototype in written letters to 50 game companies as ''Inferno''. Of those letters, three of them received a reply. One of them was from Interplay, who immediately signed the company up. Until the game's full release, Interplay's producer Rusty Buchert would oversee and guide the development of the project. Parallax hired three more people to finish the project: level designers Mark Dinse and Jasen Whiteside and story writer and 3D modeler Josh White.{{efn|name=devhist}} | |||
| == Gameplay == | |||
| === Navigation === | |||
| Although the keyboard interface for moving and rotating in full 3D space is easily learned, many players initially suffered from ] and confusion since any viewpoint became possible. With practice, however, most people found the game fluid and very enjoyable. A bigger annoyance for casual players was getting lost in the mines (some of which were very large and complex). Highly experienced players who could memorize the mine layouts became adept enough to play the game continually upside-down. | |||
| During level design, the idea of simple connected tunnels as the sole component of level architecture expanded to also include rooms and exits. As levels became more complex and confusing, the developers added an automap to address this problem.{{efn|name=devhist}} To design the levels, ''Descent''{{'}}s ] uses ], which uses collections of cubes to form rooms and tunnels. Within the game, sides of cubes can be attached to other cubes, or display up to two texture maps. Cubes can be deformed so long as they remain ]. To create effects like doors and see-through grating, walls could be placed at the connected sides of two cubes.<ref name="portal-peek">{{cite magazine|title=Peeking Through Portals|last=Perez|first=Adrian|magazine=]|date=March 1998|page=45}}</ref> Robots were drawn as polygonal models; ] were only used to represent the hostages and power-ups.<ref name="pcgh-retro">{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgameshardware.de/Retrospektive-Thema-214694/News/Apple-verklagt-Microsoft-und-Interplay-bringt-Descent-PCGH-Retro-17-Maerz-636195/|title=Apple sues Microsoft and Interplay brings Descent (PCGH Retro, March 17)|last=Spille|first=Carsten|work=]|language=de|date=March 17, 2019|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625033135/https://www.pcgameshardware.de/Retrospektive-Thema-214694/News/Apple-verklagt-Microsoft-und-Interplay-bringt-Descent-PCGH-Retro-17-Maerz-636195/|url-status=live}}</ref> This system was very efficient, and made possible the first truly 3D textured environment in a video game.<ref name="portal-peek"/><ref name="pcgh-retro"/> | |||
| Like ''Doom'', ''Descent'' provides a navigational ] map that will display any area of the mine visited or seen by the player. Since it is truly 3D, however, navigating the map can be challenging, especially so in the shareware demo. The commercial release of ''Descent'' made map navigation more intuitive. One helpful trick is to use the "-" and "+" keys to decrease or increase the scope of the wireframe map. | |||
| Another obstacle to overcome was adding online multiplayer. Parallax found it difficult to implement and were initially reluctant to do so. At the same time during development, they had learned of ''Doom'' and the popularity of its multiplayer. Interplay sent Rob Huebner to help Parallax program multiplayer. Near their project's completion, Parallax faced yet another obstacle: they needed to make sure that their highly detailed and complex game could run smoothly on computers. Although ultimately the requirements to run the game fast were high, an added option to adjust detail complexity did help.{{efn|name=devhist}} | |||
| Compared to other 3D shooter games, ''Descent'' never became particularly popular; probably due to its increased demand to the player's ability to keep his orientation in a fully 3D environment with a 6dof flight model. Also learning to effectively exploit ''(tri-) chording'' - increasing movement speed by simultaneously pressing the acceleration controls for several movement directions - steepened the learning curve. The challenge this poses attracted and still attracts players even 10 years after the first game of the franchise appeared. | |||
| {{Timeline of release years | |||
| ===Controllers=== | |||
| | 1995a = '''''Descent''''' | |||
| The primary method of playing Descent was with a high-end joystick that included programmable buttons and a hat switch in combination with a keyboard. This allowed for motion in all three axis simultaneously, fast weapon selection, and the ability to launch missiles and use the selected primary weapon quickly. This combination had a fast learning curve and was very effective, despite the advantages that other controllers had in complex maneuvers. | |||
| | 1996a = ''<small>Descent: Levels of the World</small>'' | |||
| | 1996b = ''''']''''' | |||
| | 1996c = ''<small>Descent II: Vertigo Series / The Infinite Abyss</small>'' | |||
| | 1999a = ''''']''''' | |||
| | 1999b = ''<small>Descent 3: Mercenary</small>'' | |||
| }} | |||
| ===Releases and ports=== | |||
| A basic joystick (2 or 4 buttons) was moderately effective for casual play, however it required extensive reliance on a well-mapped keyboard. | |||
| Parallax Software and Interplay followed the shareware model used by Apogee and id Software, and on December 24, 1994;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interplay.com/press/descshpr.html|title=Interplay's Descent Released As Shareware|date=December 27, 1994|publisher=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961220010604/http://www.interplay.com/press/descshpr.html|archive-date=December 20, 1996|url-status=dead|access-date=September 26, 2019}}</ref> uploaded a seven-level shareware demo as ''Descent'' both in retail and on the Internet.<ref name="lparchive.org"/> | |||
| The full game for MS-DOS was released in the United Kingdom on March 3, 1995,<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 4, 1995 |title=''Descent'' PC/CD-ROM//Interplay |pages=4 |work=] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/823117796 |access-date=December 30, 2023 |quote=The latest game to be inspired by PC classic, ''Doom'', is ''Descent'' -- a futuristic 3D extravaganza from Interplay on PC floppy and CD-ROM, due out in early March. |archive-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210135309/https://www.newspapers.com/image/823117796 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 4, 1995 |title=Dixon's Latest Releases for Sega, Nintendo, & PCs |pages=10 |work=] |url=https://www.newspapers.com./image/790506363 |access-date=December 30, 2023 |quote=New Release//''Descent''//New |archive-date=December 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231072556/https://www.newspapers.com/image/790506363 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in North America on March 17, 1995,<ref name="gtm-155"/><ref name="billboard">{{cite magazine|title=Hot Games Take Shareware Route|last=Atwood|first=Brett|magazine=]|date=April 22, 1995|volume=107|issue=16|page=76}}</ref> followed by a Macintosh port published by ] in December 1995.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Games Go High-Tech|last=Loyola|first=Roman|magazine=]|date=December 1995|page=50}}</ref> A modified version of ''Descent'' with ] was released as a bundle with ]'s SimulEyes VR 3D glasses.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Quick Hits |magazine=] |issue=89 |publisher=]|date=February 1996|page=17}}</ref> | |||
| Surprisingly, there were some players who became extremely proficient at using ''only'' the keyboard. | |||
| A PlayStation port was released in Japan on January 26, 1996, in the United States on March 12, 1996, and in Europe that same month, with ] being the Japanese version's developer.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/gamecriticismvol8april1996scan|script-title=ja:3Dゲ—ムの記念碑的な作晶、デイセント|title=Descent, a monumental crystal of 3D games|language=ja |last=Kondō|first=Kōshi|script-work=ja:ゲーム批評|trans-work=Gēmu Hihyō|magazine=Game Criticism|date=April 1996|access-date=April 13, 2021|volume=8|page=111 |isbn=4-944000-31-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/MacUserUSDec1995|title=You're going down, mate!|magazine=] |date=February 1996|issue=4|pages=20–21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-06-11 |title=Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com |url=http://www.vidgames.com/ps/software/release.html |access-date=2023-11-27 |archive-date=June 11, 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980611181118/http://www.vidgames.com/ps/software/release.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The PlayStation version replaces the still screens and text with ] ] incorporating voice acting.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyxU1bAuR-c | title=Descent 1 Ending | website=] | date=February 2012 | access-date=July 22, 2022 | archive-date=July 22, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722020255/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyxU1bAuR-c | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| High-end joysticks were costly, and even cheap joysticks had limited use, primarily for the niche market of flight simulators. As a result, Descent only managed to acquire a following among hard core gamers; more casual players preferred the ] which only required the standard keyboard and mouse. Interplay made this problem worse when it required the use of a joystick for Descent 3 (one could no longer use a mouse), which was seen as catering to the high-end joystick niche and didn't help to expand the fan base outside of the niche. | |||
| November 22, 1995 also saw the release of ''Descent: Levels of the World'', an add-on containing over 100 winning level submissions from a design competition held by Interplay, plus one level designed by Parallax Software.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-10-08 |title=Interplay Releases Descent: Levels of the World CD |url=http://www.interplay.com/press/dlowpr.html |access-date=2023-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971008234927/http://www.interplay.com/press/dlowpr.html |archive-date=October 8, 1997 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Descent: Levels of the World|magazine=]|volume=8 |issue=3|page=44|date=March 1996}}</ref> Also in March 1996, ''Descent: Anniversary Edition'' was released, which bundled ''Descent'', ''Levels of the World'', as well as additional exclusive levels. | |||
| Those players that used a mouse and keyboard would suffer greatly decreased gameplay and would become easy targets for both the game robots and other players. However, fan-made patches that allow Descent and Descent II to work with Windows XP have considerably improved the keyboard + mouse interface. | |||
| On October 29, 1997, Interplay published ''Descent I and II: The Definitive Collection'', a compilation containing the full versions of ''Descent'', the ''Levels of the World'' mission pack, ''Descent II'', and ''Vertigo'' mission packs, and a mission editor. Besides a choice of the original ''Descent II'' levels (subtitled ''Counterstrike''), or the ''Vertigo Series'' levels, the first ''Descent'' levels (subtitled ''The First Strike'') can be started in the ''Descent II'' game UI where robots adopt the ''Descent II'' sounds and improved AI. The original ''Descent'' program is included for players that prefer the unmodified ''The First Strike'', as well as to run ''Levels of the World''. There is also a preview for the upcoming ''Descent 3''.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://interplay.com/press/descent.html|title=Interplay To Ship Descent I & II: The Definitive Collection In Time For Christmas Rush|publisher=Interplay Productions|date=September 17, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980710171627/http://interplay.com/press/descent.html|archive-date=July 10, 1998|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| Some Descent players used a special controller, the ] to play the game. The SpaceOrb was basically a standard game pad, with a tennis ball mounted where the left hand goes. By twisting, and pulling the ball in different directions, the player had full six-degrees of movement, in a very intuitive manner. Players using the SpaceOrb had a significant advantage over keyboard users, or keyboard and mouse users. | |||
| ''Descent'' was later ported to ] by R-Comp Interactive in late 1998,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser202-Xmas98|title=Deeper and down|last=Nelson|first=Graham|magazine=]|date=Christmas 1998|issue=202|pages=52–53}}</ref> which received a 32-bit update in 2003.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser263-Sep03|title=Faster Descent|magazine=]|date=September 2003|issue=263|page=9}}</ref> | |||
| === Multiplayer === | |||
| Like ''Doom'', ''Descent'' offers excellent competitive multiplayer game play over a ]. ''Descent'' is also touted as being one of the first games that allowed on-the-fly joining of multiplayer games, whereas in ''Doom'' it is presumed that all players have to be queued prior to initiating the match. With the advent of Internet ] emulators such as ] and Kahn, which actually combined better compression for IPX games with its own ] for users to meet in a standalone client, more and more people began to play ''Descent'' and ''Descent II'' over the Internet. ''Descent II'' was especially popular online due to its support for short packets and variable packet rate -- options which were crucial for smooth Internet play. ''Descent III'' offers great gameplay with a friendly community willing to help new players discover the joys of 6dof gameplay. For a true "diehard" community with unabashed competition, visit the unofficial game tracker page that can be found at '''d3.descent.cx'''. Also, check out a program (made by a veteran Descent player from Germany) called Vortex which can be found at his teams website '''slyclan.de'''. It has chat features and tweak features for enhancing the ''Descent III'' experience.<br> | |||
| Perhaps the most important single factor for the online gaming community was the '''Invitational Descent Ladder'''. The ladder pitted the finest players in the most competitive enviroment available; 1 on 1 deathmatches. It should be noted that while the IDL accepted "Descent3" into its roster of games allowed to be played, it was not taken very seriously. It can be said that only the original "Descent" commonly known as d1 was taken seriously for competitors. The d1x project developed by Sekmu, significantly improved gameplay. | |||
| ====Cancelled ports==== | |||
| === Levels and robots === | |||
| A ] version of ''Descent'' was planned as the first console version,<ref name="EGM_Saturn"/> but it was never released. A ] version was showcased at ] and slated to be published by Interplay, but never came to fruition for unknown reasons.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_3_Issue_07#page/n40/mode/2up|title=E-3 The Biggest And Best Electronic Entertainment Show Ever! – 3DO|magazine=]|volume=3 |issue=7|date=July 1995 |pages=38–39}}</ref> Likewise, a ] version was also announced but never released due to the system's cancellation.{{efn|<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-012/page/n81|title=NG Hardware – 3DO M2 – Key Software|magazine=]|issue=12 |date=December 1995|page=81}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Edge_UK_024/page/n5|title=Cutting Edge – 3DO buoyant as M2 picks up speed – M2 launch software|magazine=]|issue=23 |date=September 1995|page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/3DO_Magazine_Issue_10_1996-05_Paragon_Publishing_GB/page/n33|title=Preview – Coming Soon – M2|magazine=]|issue=10|date=May 1996|page=34}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/3DO_Magazine_Issue_12_1996-07_Paragon_Publishing_GB/page/n3|title=News – E3 '96: 3DO? – M2 Dream List|magazine=]|issue=12|date=July 1996 |page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/3DO_Magazine_Issue_12_1996-07_Paragon_Publishing_GB/page/n33|title=Preview – Coming Soon – M2|magazine=]|issue=12|date=July 1996|page=34}}</ref>}} A planned ] version was cancelled because the programmers found that a straight port of the PlayStation version was not possible, and they did not think it would be worth their while to do a more elaborate port for the Saturn.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Descent Is Sent Down|magazine=]|issue=14 |date=December 1996|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Descent|magazine=] |issue=86|date=November 1995|page=186}}</ref> Interplay had plans dating to mid-1996 to port ''Descent'' to ] under the name ''Ultra Descent''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Dossier|magazine=]|language=es|date=July 1996|issue=44|page=45}}</ref> The port was delayed before it was eventually cancelled in 1998 in favor of ''Descent 3'', with Parallax's Jim Boone explaining that it never reached the design phase in development.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/26/update-ultra-descent|title=Descent N64 Update September 1997|website=]|date=September 25, 1997|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=November 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121072857/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/26/update-ultra-descent|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=In Search of the Requested Cartridge|magazine=Magazine 64|publisher=]|language=es|location=Barcelona|date=May 1998|issue=5|page=45}}</ref> In April 2010, Interplay partnered with independent developer G1M2 to release a ] version for Fall 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/04/interplay_straps_in_with_descent_for_wiiware|title=Interplay Straps In with Descent for WiiWare|last=Wahlgren|first=Jon|date=April 15, 2010|work=]|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415080527/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/04/interplay_straps_in_with_descent_for_wiiware|archive-date=April 15, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> It would have featured enhanced textures and a variety of controls, including motion controls of a Wii Remote and Nunchuk with a MotionPlus accessory and possibly a ].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-262-holiday-2010/page/34|title=Underground Revival|last=Hoffman|first=Chris|magazine=]|date=Christmas 2010|access-date=April 15, 2023|issue=262|page=34}}</ref> The deadline was missed, and the last time the developer publicly provided an update on its progress was in a response to a news inquiry in 2011, assuring that the project was still underway,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.giantbomb.com/articles/phew-descent-wiiware-still-in-developmentwait-what/1100-3141|title=Phew, Descent WiiWare Still in Development...Wait, What?|last=Klepek|first=Patrick|work=]|date=May 5, 2011|access-date=April 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415080050/https://www.giantbomb.com/articles/phew-descent-wiiware-still-in-developmentwait-what/1100-3141|archive-date=April 15, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> before it was ultimately quietly abandoned. | |||
| In the original ''Descent'', there are 27 levels corresponding to 27 different and unique mines (and also three secret levels). The first three begin on the ], the fourth on ], the sixth on ], and these levels also make up the shareware version. In the commercial release, the path continues out towards ] and on towards the moons of the ]s ], ], ], ], and finally until ] and ]. There are 3 secret levels, located in the ], which can be accessed by secret exits that are placed as an alternative to the regular exits in certain levels. | |||
| ===Mods=== | |||
| ''Descent II'' focuses on systems beyond the solar system. The planets are Zeta Aquilae, Quartzon, Brimspark, Limefrost Spiral, Baloris Prime, and Omega. The Omega system is subdivided into the Puuma Sphere and Tycho Brahe, with the latter being the final level of the game. Each system consists of 4 regular levels and 1 secret level. The secret levels are unique in that the player can travel back and forth between the regular levels (of the same system) via teleporters; however the player may not save nor open a game on the secret level. | |||
| ''Descent'' uses package files to store and load level data such as level structures, graphics, objects, and sound effects and music—similar to the ]. It also allows players to create their own such files containing the data, which can then be loaded and played.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Menus for HOGS and PIGS|magazine=]|date=October 1995|issue=135|pages=272, 275}}</ref> Later in 1997 on the ] commercial cycle came the release of the game's ], excluding the audio code. Parallax released the source code under the license that permits non-commercial uses only.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/descent-source-code-released/1100-2462520/ |title=Descent Source Code Released |date=January 26, 1998 |first=Alan |last=Dunkin |access-date=June 28, 2019 |website=] |archive-date=March 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306085802/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/descent-source-code-released/1100-2462520/ |url-status=live }}</ref> All of this, combined with the game's popularity, has resulted in a number of distributed ].<ref name="USgamer"/> | |||
| ===Re-releases=== | |||
| Some of these planets have notable characteristics: | |||
| ''Descent'' was re-released on modern ] services. It was one of the launch titles for the open beta version of ] on September 8, 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/54545/good-old-games-launches-public|title=Good Old Games Launches Public Beta Sept. 8|last=Faylor|first=Chris|work=]|date=September 3, 2008|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628211943/https://www.shacknews.com/article/54545/good-old-games-launches-public|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by a ] release on February 13, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014/02/13/classic-pc-shooter-descent-plots-a-course-for-steam/|title=Classic PC shooter Descent plots a course for Steam|last=Hinkle|first=David|work=]|date=February 13, 2014|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=February 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210135311/https://www.engadget.com/2014-02-13-classic-pc-shooter-descent-plots-a-course-for-steam.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the game was withdrawn from Good Old Games in December 2015 along with ''Descent II'' and ''Descent 3'', and later from Steam. A representative of Parallax Software responded to speculation on the Good Old Games forums regarding the withdrawal of the titles. Interplay owned the ''Descent'' trademark and the publishing rights to those games, but their developers still retained the copyrights to them. The latter pulled their games off because Interplay purportedly had not paid them royalties since 2007. As a result, they had terminated the sales agreement, disallowing Interplay from further selling them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/descent-games-pulled-from-sale-dev-claims-it-hasnt/1100-6433434/|title=Descent Games Pulled From Sale, Dev Claims It Hasn't Been Paid Royalties in Years |last=Makuch|first=Eddie|work=]|date=January 11, 2016|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627232205/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/descent-games-pulled-from-sale-dev-claims-it-hasnt/1100-6433434/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| *'''Baloris Prime''' is mostly desert. According to the writers, this is because its axis of rotation is exactly perpendicular to its plane of orbit, causing a total lack of seasons on the planet's surface. | |||
| *'''Tycho Brahe''' is actually a spaceship the size and shape of a planet, easily mistaken for one until its two hemispheres separate to reveal a mechanical interior. | |||
| However, in November 2017, Good Old Games announced that the Descent series would be available for sale again on their platform.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Welcome back Descent series!, page 2 - Forum - GOG.com|url = https://www.gog.com/forum/general/welcome_back_descent_series_ff934|website = GOG.com|date = November 24, 2017|access-date = June 27, 2019|archive-date = March 28, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190328124101/https://www.gog.com/forum/general/welcome_back_descent_series_ff934|url-status = live}}</ref> The game has also since resurfaced on Steam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/273570/ |title=Descent Video Game on Steam |website=] |publisher=Parallax Software|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217155044/http://store.steampowered.com/app/273570/|archive-date=December 17, 2017 }}</ref> | |||
| In certain levels, a boss robot replaces the reactor as the main objective. In the first ''Descent'', the seventh level (which was the end of the shareware version) and the final level are cited as the most difficult. Both have large ] robots that fire powerful weaponry (the shareware boss fires Smart missiles, the final boss fires Mega Missiles) and have the ability to cloak and teleport. The final boss also gates in other robots. These two robots have gone by various names throughout time but the two most popular ones among serious descent players stand. The level seven boss is often referred to as 'Spike', due to its appearance. The final boss is often referred to as 'Steve'. The name for the final boss, however, is controversial and has been also known as 'The Big Eye Guy' and 'Wiki Tiki'. | |||
| ==Reception== | |||
| ''Descent II'', however, places a boss robot on the fourth level of each system, giving a better thrill throughout the game. The first four bosses are particularly vulnerable to particle weapons (e.g. Gauss Cannon or missiles), while the fifth boss can only be damaged by energy weapons and the final boss can only be killed by hitting a glowing green spot on its back. Like Descent I, all bosses are capable of 'cloaked teleporting' and spawning robots when attacked. Their traits are listed as follow: | |||
| *'''Zeta Aquilae System''': Nicknamed the "Red Fatty Boss", this boss carries 3 missile launchers on its underside, which are capable of firing 2 flash missiles and 1 homing missile spontaneously. In the game, the boss is only 'released' when the player reaches the centre of the boss room. | |||
| *'''Quartzon System''': The "Water Boss" lays Smart Mines around its territory and fires multiple mercury missiles at his intruders. The hunch here is the limited space in the room makes it difficult to evade the missiles. It also makes the strangest robot sounds of all robots in the game. | |||
| *'''Brimspark System''': The "Fire Boss" has a Mega Missile launcher on one arm and an extra-rapid Phoenix Cannon on the other. The open grounds makes avoiding its Mega Missiles a challenge (both the warhead itself and also its large blast radius). | |||
| *'''Limefrost Spiral System''': The "Ice Boss" is possibly the next toughest boss in Descent II after the final boss. It has an Omega Cannon on one arm and a homing flash missile system on the other. The homing flash missiles are not only incredibly tough to evade, but also has a large blast radius and has a more powerful effect than the usual ones. You are practically under constant blindness after being hit with the first missile until your death. | |||
| *'''Baloris Prime System''': The Alien 1 Boss fires Gauss Cannon and Mercury Missiles. Its appearance is the coolest in the game. This boss is not too challenging, except for the fact that it is only vulnerable to energy weapons (though Parallax included Earthshakers into 'energy weapons' also). | |||
| *'''Puuma Sphere / Tycho Brahe System''': The Alien 2 Boss requires the most skill to defeat of all. Being the final boss, it can fire multiple Earthshaker Missiles, whose damage is not only fatal but also disorientates any navigation even if you did not receive a direct impact. It is designed in a way that it can be only damaged by hitting a spot on its back; this gained some infamy when a bug (subsequently fixed by a patch) made the boss completely invincible at higher difficulty levels. | |||
| ===Pre-release=== | |||
| Planets come with a complementary set of "themed" robots, instead of recyling enemies like ''Doom''. This is especially evident in ''Descent II'' and onwards; for example, Brimspark (a volcanic lava planet) bots fire yellow/orange blast or explosive weapons, while in Limefrost Spiral (an ice world) bots unleash blue/white bursts from their Spreadfire and Helix cannons. | |||
| Customer reception of the shareware version of ''Descent'' was very positive, with players praising the fully 3D environment and commentators noting perceived "loyalty and goodwill" that both Parallax and Interplay fostered.<ref name="wired-1995">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1995/06/scans-8/|title=The Doom Killers|author=Laidlaw, Marc|magazine=]|date=June 1, 1995|access-date=June 16, 2019|author-link=Marc Laidlaw|archive-date=September 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920053452/https://www.wired.com/1995/06/scans-8/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, it also garnered player complaints about a technical bug that would recharge each robot's shields whenever the player ship was destroyed (the problem was exacerbated on the last level of the shareware, where the power reactor is replaced with a boss and the gameplay thus becomes extremely difficult). It also received complaints for lacking the ability to save ''in-game'', instead saving the player's progress ''between'' levels. Parallax recognized the bug and the popularity of the save feature, so they released patches to address the issues.<ref name="gd-jj95"/> Mark Burgess of '']'' called it one of the best shoot 'em up games and wrote that it justified shareware, giving it a perfect five floppy disks out of five.<ref name="PCZone"/>{{rp|106}} ''Descent'' would later go on to become one of the games to inspire other retailers and software companies to look into and embrace the shareware model.<ref name="wired-1995"/><ref name="billboard"/> | |||
| ===Sales=== | |||
| The enemy ] was quite good for its time, with most robots being able to dodge a player's fire, making for challenging firefights and duels. There are special AI strategies that complement the bots' attacking style, with regular (firing) robots starting in sniping mode and often aggressively pursuing if the player retreated, close-combat robots which are highly manuverable and charge the player, and certain "cunning" or "lurking" bots that track the player and only attack when it will achieve surprise. | |||
| On ''Electronic Entertainment''{{'}}s charts in March 1995, the PC and CD-ROM editions of ''Descent'' appeared as Nos. 5 and 8 of the top-selling PC and CD-ROM titles before climbing to Nos. 4 and 3 the next month, respectively.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Leader Board|magazine=Electronic Entertainment|date=September 1995|volume=2|issue=9|page=18}}</ref> The game first appeared on ''PC Zone''{{'}}s charts of the top-selling games in May 1995, landing on Nos. 4 and 2 on the top full price and CD-ROM titles, respectively. The shareware version appeared as No. 3 on the top budget games.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gallup Charts|magazine=]|date=May 1995|issue=26|page=18}}</ref> In June 1995, the CD-ROM version dropped off, and the shareware version fell to No. 6 of the budget games and the full game to No. 9 of the full price games<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gallup Charts|magazine=]|date=June 1995|issue=27|page=18}}</ref> before dropping off next month. The full game rose back up in August 1995 to No. 19 of the top full price games, while the shareware version fell down to No. 7 of the top commercial titles.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gallup Charts|magazine=]|date=August 1995|issue=29|page=16}}</ref> The game dropped off ''PC Zone''{{'}}s charts altogether the next month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gallup Charts|magazine=]|date=September 1995|issue=30|page=20}}</ref> The Macintosh port also landed on No. 10 of the top Macintosh games in December 1995.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Leader Board|magazine=]|date=April 1996|volume=3|issue=4|page=20}}</ref> | |||
| Interplay estimated in March 1995 before ''Descent''{{'}}s full release that shareware copies of ''Descent'' were distributed 900,000 times via online services, on the Internet, or at retail.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-03-13-1995072109-story.html|title=A game that two comouters can play|last=Himowitz|first=Michael J.|work=]|date=March 13, 1995|access-date=June 29, 2019|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629231327/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-03-13-1995072109-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Official global sales of the game, together with its sequel, surpassed 1.1 million copies as of June 1998,<ref>{{cite report | date = June 22, 1998 | title = Interplay Entertainment Final Prospectus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226210148/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1057232/0001017062-98-001416.txt | url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1057232/0001017062-98-001416.txt | archive-date=February 26, 2017 | location=] | page=36 }}</ref> while ] estimated in 2015 that the actual sales figure of the original was as high as 25 million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/03/10/sci-fi-game-makers-aim-to-bring-back-the-3d-space-combat-of-descent/|title=Sci-fi game makers aim to bring back the 3D space combat of Descent|last=Takahashi|first=Dean|work=]|date=March 10, 2015|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702075825/https://venturebeat.com/2015/03/10/sci-fi-game-makers-aim-to-bring-back-the-3d-space-combat-of-descent/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| ''Descent II'' adds bots which are extremely small and fast, plus actively roaming bots such as the ''Bandit'' (commonly referred to as the Thief-Bot) which can steal the player's weapons or the ''E-bandit'' which can drain energy/shields. It also introduces a friendly robot called "Guide-Bot" which can help lead the way to your objectives. ''Descent 3'' improves on the AI significantly, leading to robots that effectively work in teams and go to fetch help if outnumbered. | |||
| === |
===Computer versions=== | ||
| {{Video game reviews | |||
| Each levels starts with the player in his ship materializing in a starting location within the mine. The player must then navigate through the mine destroying enemy robots and picking up powerups if his resources run low. The player's spacecraft has a fixed energy capacity and most weapons and tools require regular pickups of energy powerups to be able to continue firing. Killing opponents often releases such powerups. There are also permanent recharging areas called "energy centers" and players often make it a priority to seek these out first in order to give themselves an unlimited supply of energy. | |||
| | Edge = 8/10<ref name="EDGE19">{{cite magazine|title=Test Screen: Descent|magazine=]|date=April 1995|issue=19|pages=68–69}}</ref> | |||
| | GSpot = 8/10<ref name="GSpot"/> | |||
| | PCGUS = 96%<ref name="pcgamerus">{{cite magazine| author=Bennett, Dan | magazine=] | url=http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/333.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991115082344/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/333.html | archive-date=November 15, 1999 | title=''Descent'' | date=May 1995 | url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| | CGW = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="cgw">{{cite magazine| author=Vox Day | author-link=Vox Day |title=Vertigo to the Third Degree |date=June 1995 |issue=131 | magazine=] | pages=104, 106, 108 }}</ref> | |||
| | PCZone=94%<ref name="PCZone"/> | |||
| | rev1 = '']'' | |||
| | rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="macuser">{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990225083300/http://macuser.zdnet.com/mu_0696/personal/gameroom.html | url=http://macuser.zdnet.com:80/mu_0696/personal/gameroom.html | title=The Game Room | date=June 1996 | archive-date=February 25, 1999 | author=LeVitus, Bob | work=] | url-status=dead | access-date=July 20, 2019 }}</ref> | |||
| | rev2 = '']'' | |||
| | rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="macworld">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970809014714/http://www.macworld.com/pages/april.96/Reviews.1966.html |url=http://www.macworld.com/pages/april.96/Reviews.1966.html |title=''Descent 1.0'' | author=DeLisio, Fred |work=] | date=April 1996 | archive-date=August 9, 1997 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| | rev3 = '']'' | |||
| | rev3Score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref name="pcmag">{{cite magazine| author=Ryan, Michael | magazine=] | title=360° of War | date=August 1995 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010417204701/http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1414/pcm00135.htm | url=http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1414/pcm00135.htm | archive-date=April 17, 2001 | url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| | NGen = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="NG5"/> | |||
| | rev4 = '']'' | |||
| | rev4Score = 90%<ref name="pcplayer-review"/> | |||
| }} | |||
| The computer versions of ''Descent'' received near-universal acclaim, with reviewers widely comparing it to ''Doom'' and noting its unique use of free motion, as well as a fully three-dimensional environment.{{efn|<ref name="pcplayer-review"/><ref name="pcmag"/><ref name="pcgamerus"/><ref name="PCZone"/><ref name="rps"/><ref name="EDGE19"/><ref name="macworld"/><ref name="GSpot"/><ref name="cgw"/><ref name="macuser"/><ref name="NG5"/>}} The multiplayer aspect received equal acclaim.{{efn|<ref name="pcplayer-review"/><ref name="pcmag"/><ref name="pcgamerus"/><ref name="PCZone"/><ref name="EDGE19"/><ref name="macworld"/><ref name="GSpot"/><ref name="cgw"/><ref name="macuser"/>}} Michael Ryan of '']'' enthusiastically attributed the attention the game received to its unique gameplay and found no similar alternatives.<ref name="pcmag"/> '']'' remarked that "only one 3-D shooter adds a whole new dimension to the field: ''Descent''.", particularly noting the labyrinthine environments.<ref name="GSpot"/> ] of ''PC Zone'' noted the game's intense environment and similarities to ''Doom'' and praised its multiplayer and ability to taunt opposing players, with only minor criticism directed toward its slight repetitiveness.<ref name="PCZone">{{cite magazine|title=Descent review|last=Brooker|first=Charlie|magazine=]|date=April 1995|issue=25|pages=72–74}}</ref> Common complaints tended to focus on ''Descent''{{'}}s ability to disorient players, as well as potentially induce motion sickness.{{efn|<ref name="pcplayer-review"/><ref name="pcmag"/><ref name="pcgamerus"/><ref name="PCZone"/><ref name="rps"/><ref name="EDGE19"/><ref name="GSpot"/><ref name="macuser"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Games Online for Dummies |first=John |last=Kaufeld |publisher=IDG Books Worldwide |year=1998 |isbn=978-0764504341 |page= |access-date=November 20, 2012 |url=https://archive.org/details/gamesonlinefordu00kauf|url-access=registration }}</ref>}} | |||
| In the first two games, the player has limited lives. When the ship is destroyed, it respawned at the mine's entrance. However, all the powerups (weapons, etc.) acquired thus far will be strewn about the area of death waiting to be reacquired. There is also a complementary points system, which the player can earn by destroying enemy robots, picking up powerups, and detonating the reactor. The most points will be earned by rescuing the trapped PTMC workers in each mine and safely escaping with them after destroying the reactor. Accumulating enough points will result in an extra life. | |||
| '']'' particularly praised the graphics and animation, intelligent enemies, and wide array of power-ups, all of which it said would "keep most gamers glued to the screen for hours". They were however disappointed by the game's delayed release, asserting it led to the game being overshadowed by id Software's then-newly released '']''.<ref name="NG5">{{cite magazine|title=Finals|magazine=]|issue=5|date=May 1995|page=92}}</ref> Nevertheless, they rated it the fourth-best virtual reality game in September 1995 due to its 3D environment and graphics.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top 10 Virtual Reality Games|magazine=]|date=September 1995|issue=9|page=43}}</ref> In its third-highest-rated review,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Highest Game Ratings of the Year|magazine=]|language=de|date=January 1996|page=48}}</ref> '']'' also praised the intelligent enemies, as well as the lighting effects, the use of various graphical textures, and "genuine" 3D graphics.<ref name="pcplayer-review"/> '']'' remarked the ability to record demos that capture the player's experiences, but also criticized the slightly repetitive gameplay and noted the robots' basic algorithm of being only a little more than "fire and evade", despite their intelligence.<ref name="EDGE19"/> | |||
| In ''Descent'' and ''Descent II'', the goal of each level is to find a series of keys, usually in the order of blue, yellow, and red. Each key will correspond with a door of that color. Beyond the red door is the reactor. By shooting at the reactor, it can be detonated, setting off a countdown timer. The player will have to find the route back to the exit tunnel before the countdown expires and the reactor's meltdown vapourizes the entire mine. If the player cannot escape but he has extra lives to spare, he can proceed to the next level but be forced to start with minimal weapons. | |||
| The Macintosh port of ''Descent'' also received praise. Bob LeVitus of '']'' called it "one of the best Mac games ever released", attributing its popularity to its online multiplayer mode. His only criticism was the high system requirements (the port required a ] to play) and a difficult ].<ref name="macuser"/> '']''{{'}}s Fred DeLisio also praised the enemy artificial intelligence, realism and sense of immersion, and multiplayer for allowing cross-platform sessions between MS-DOS and Macintosh users and allowing players to join and quit anytime without ending the sessions for everyone else, but also criticized the high system requirements.<ref name="macworld"/> | |||
| ''Descent II'' has the same objectives of its predecessor but adds many puzzles and traps, some which are required to complete the level while others are used to guard valuable powerups and hostages. In contrast, ''Descent 3'''s objectives are more diverse, ranging from escort missions to an ironic mission where reactors must be defended. | |||
| Jeremy Parish of '']'' ran a retrospective feature on the game, saying ''Descent'' combined the genre of space flight simulator with a first-person shooter experience. He also attributed the game's popularity and modifiability to the continued development of fan mods.<ref name="USgamer"/> '']''{{'}}s David Lumb retrospectively likened the game's graphical innovations to the ] used in the 1995 film '']''.<ref name="spiritual-successor">{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/overload-game-revival-classic-shooter-descent/|title='Overload' revives the cramped combat of classic shooter 'Descent'|last=Lumb|first=David|work=]|date=May 31, 2018|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614190431/https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/overload-game-revival-classic-shooter-descent/|url-status=live}}</ref> '']'' rated it No. 4 on their retrospective "Top Five FPS" list for its truly 3D environment combined with the six degrees of freedom,<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Top Five FPS|title=Retro|publisher=]|date=2010|volume=3|page=88|isbn=9781906078560}}</ref> and '']'' ranked it No. 13 on its list of "The best space games on PC", citing the game's numerous innovations, speed, labyrinthine level structures, and the free range of motion.<ref name="rps">{{cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/02/01/the-best-space-games-on-pc/3/|title=The best space games on PC|work=]|page=3|date=February 1, 2018|access-date=June 8, 2019|archive-date=July 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727051252/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/02/01/the-best-space-games-on-pc/3/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| == Weapons == | |||
| {{Clear}} | |||
| The overall gameplay is enhanced by the wide variety of weapons the player can wield. Often, they are used for their novelty and variety instead of tactical considerations. Some such as the proximity bomb, smart mine, and flash missile, were designed specifically for multiplayer. | |||
| ====Accolades==== | |||
| ''Descent'''s handling of weapons in multiplayer differs from other first-person shooters. Instead of respawning primary weapons, which could potentially allow several players to pick up the same weapon over time, only one player can have it at a time, forcing his opponents to destroy him in order to acquire it. | |||
| {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Year !! Work !! Category !! Result | |||
| |- | |||
| |rowspan="6"|1995 | |||
| |rowspan="3"|]<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Year's Best Games|magazine=]|date=March 1996|volume=3|issue=3|pages=73–74}}</ref> | |||
| |Best Action Game | |||
| |{{won}} | |||
| |- | |||
| |Best Multi-Player Game | |||
| |{{won}} | |||
| |- | |||
| |Special Achievement in Innovative Design | |||
| |{{won}} | |||
| |- | |||
| |]<ref>{{cite magazine|title=After Hours|magazine=]|date=December 19, 1995|volume=14|issue=22|page=130}}</ref> | |||
| |Technical Excellence Award | |||
| |{{won}} | |||
| |- | |||
| |]<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Descent Review|language=de|last=Geltenpoth|first=Alexander|magazine=]|date=March 1995|issue=30|pages=32–34, 36}}</ref> | |||
| |Game of the Month | |||
| |{{won}} | |||
| |- | |||
| |]<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Most Valuable Products|magazine=]|date=December 1995|volume=8|issue=12|page=198}}</ref> | |||
| |Most Valuable Entertainment CD-ROM | |||
| |{{Runner-up}} | |||
| |} | |||
| === |
===PlayStation version=== | ||
| {{Video game reviews | |||
| The original ''Descent'' features ten weapons; five primary weapons and five missiles: | |||
| | EGM = 7.375/10<ref name="EGM80"/> | |||
| | rev1 = ''Maximum'' | |||
| | rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="Max5"/> | |||
| | NGen = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="NGen17"/> | |||
| | GameFan=83%<ref name="GameFan-review">{{cite magazine|title=Descent Review|author=K. Lee|magazine=]|date=1996|volume=4|issue=3|pages=10, 30–33}}</ref> | |||
| }} | |||
| The PlayStation port of ''Descent'' also received praise, which was often directed to the port's use of impressive lighting effects.{{efn|<ref name="GameFan-review"/><ref name="EGM80"/><ref name="Max5"/><ref name="NGen17"/><ref name="GamePro"/>}} Like its computer versions, criticism commonly centered on the player's disorientation.<ref name="GameFan-review"/><ref name="EGM80"/> The four reviewers of '']'' called it an outstanding conversion due to its extremely fast rendering speed and improved lighting effects. However, two of them felt that the gameplay lacked excitement.<ref name="EGM80"/> Major Mike of '']'' also judged it "an excellent conversion" due to its complex but generally easy to master controls, though he did complain of occasional severe slowdown.<ref name="GamePro"/> ''Maximum'' stated it "is one of the greatest games to grace the PlayStation, and rates alongside '']'' as one of the best ambassadors for the machine." They particularly applauded the labyrinthine level design and intelligent enemy AI.<ref name="Max5"/> Their subsequent feature on the game was more critical, saying that "the official PAL version of ''Descent'' features some of the most hideous letterbox PAL borders we've ever seen, with no sign of PAL optimization whatsoever." However, it also praised the game's use of the ].<ref name="Max6"/> | |||
| Primary weapons: | |||
| *Laser - precise and efficient energy weapon with four power levels with corresponding colors, and a 'quad laser' powerup which doubles the player's cannons to four. Its low energy consumption compensates for its slow speed | |||
| *Vulcan Cannon - non-energy primary weapon that uses ammunition which can be picked up; an instant-impact or hitscan weapon; very weak but rapid firing - uses up much ammo to kill enemies; useful for sniping since it leaves no tracers | |||
| *Spreadfire Cannon - a medium-close ranged weapon with three energy spheres per shot, alternates between horizontal and vertical spreads; fairly fast firing and devastating in close quarters | |||
| *Plasma Cannon - rapidly fires large, fast-flying, green colored plasma spheres in pairs; making it one of the most versatile and dangerous energy weapons although it has an extremely high energy consumption. Very popular due to its visually stunning effects and cool sounds. Referred to as the "Dogfighter's best friend" | |||
| *Fusion Cannon - hold down the firing button to charge the cannon, releasing the fire button unleashes a large purple blob. Also notable is that the ship will shudder when charging, and excessive charging will damage the ship. Very devastating when fully charged; only energy weapon with splash/radius damage. It can not only strike through multiple enemies, but its damage pile up by doing so! For instance, a tough robot may take 3 - 4 non-charged shots to kill, but if several of these are clustered together they can be eliminated in one shot! While this is a difficult weapon to master in multiplayer, due to the fact that the player's ship will move involuntarily when charging up the Fusion Cannon, it is extremely potent in the hands of a skilled pilot, who will be able to kill other pilots with just one charged-up hit | |||
| '']'' too praised the developers for adding a new industrial soundtrack to the PlayStation version rather than doing a direct port. Like Major Mike, they found the controls complex but easy to master. While criticizing that the game can be dry and repetitive, they concluded that "Overall, you still can't go wrong, and if you've got the ability to fly against someone else, it doesn't get much better."<ref name="NGen17">{{cite magazine|title=Descent |magazine=]|issue=17|date=May 1996|pages=90–91}}</ref> K. Lee of '']'' praised the sound and music and noted the game's difficulty due to the ubiquitous doors on walls, ceilings, and floors. He thought the automap was useful, though still found it too easy to become disoriented.<ref name="GameFan-review"/> | |||
| Missiles: | |||
| *Concussion Missile - basic dumbfire rocket; area damage; medium speed | |||
| *Homing Missile - less powerful but faster than the concussion missile, automatically locks on and follows a target ("fire and forget"); difficult it may be, but it can be evaded | |||
| *Proximity Bomb - stationary mine that explodes at timeout or on contact; useful for delaying chasers or setting traps | |||
| *Smart Missile - heavy missile that releases a group of five homing plasma spheres that detonate on impact or timed self-destruct, allows the player to target multiple enemies | |||
| *Mega Missile - megaton missile equipped with a weak homing ability, but its essence lies in its huge area effect; a single hit is enough to kill players and most robots (but make sure you stay way out of the blast radius) | |||
| == |
==Legacy== | ||
| ''Descent'' is credited with starting a subgenre of six-degrees-of-freedom first-person shooters, and remains an icon of the subgenre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-08-12-forsaken-remastered-the-return-of-the-six-degrees-shooter|title=Forsaken Remastered – the welcome return of the six-degrees shooter|last=Linneman|first=John|work=]|date=August 12, 2018|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=August 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803054044/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-08-12-forsaken-remastered-the-return-of-the-six-degrees-shooter|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2907922/reader-picks-15-more-classic-pc-games-you-should-play-again.html|title=Reader picks: 15 more classic PC games you should play again|last=Dingman|first=Hayden|work=]|date=April 10, 2015|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=July 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720052023/http://www.pcworld.com/article/2907922/reader-picks-15-more-classic-pc-games-you-should-play-again.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It holds a ] for being the first fully 3D first-person shooter,<ref>{{Cite web |title=First fully 3-dimensional FPS |work=Guinness World Records |date=2010 |access-date=2 July 2019 |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-fully-3-dimensional-fps |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924160758/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-fully-3-dimensional-fps |url-status=live }}</ref> and its popularity spawned two sequels: ] in 1996 and ] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131788/postmortem_outrages_descent_3.php|title=Postmortem: Outrage's Descent 3|last1=Derrick|first1=Craig|last2=Leighton|first2=Jason|work=]|date=October 8, 1999|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=February 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204014350/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131788/postmortem_outrages_descent_3.php|url-status=live}}</ref> It also led to a 1999 trilogy of ] novels based on the series, comprising ''Descent'', ''Descent: Stealing Thunder'', and ''Descent: Equinox''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgames.de/Descent-Spiel-21285/Videos/PC-Games-Meisterwerke-682442/|title=PC Games Meisterwerke: Heute mit Descent 1 und Descent 2|last=Thöing|first=Sebastian|work=]|language=de|date=April 24, 2009|access-date=June 14, 2019|archive-date=February 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210135312/https://www.pcgames.de/Descent-Spiel-21285/Videos/PC-Games-Meisterwerke-Heute-mit-Descent-1-und-Descent-2-682442/|url-status=live}}</ref> It brought about a handful of similar "''Descent'' clones", most notably '']'', which was released by ] in 1998 and had similar graphics and almost identical gameplay to ''Descent''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Special Preview: Forsaken|magazine=]|date=April 1998|issue=23|page=40}}</ref> | |||
| ''Descent II'' uses the same weapons as ''Descent'', and also adds upgraded/complementary versions of each. | |||
| In 1997, Interplay released '']'', a role-playing video game that used a modified version of the ''Descent'' graphics engine.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Descent to Undermountain: The Flame Sword of Lloth|magazine=]|issue=11|publisher=]|date=November 1995|pages=130–1}}</ref> | |||
| Primary weapons: | |||
| *Super Laser - extra upgrade levels five and six for the standard Lasers, although the first Super Laser pickup will instantly boost to level five regardless of current laser status. | |||
| *Gauss Cannon - upgraded Vulcan Cannon that uses less ammunition and does more damage, including radius/splash damage, although it can damage the player at close range. Extremely powerful weapon that can rip things up from long range. | |||
| *Helix Cannon - fast-firing rotating spread, similar to Spreadfire Cannon but has a spread of five bursts with four rotations, also higher energy consumption. | |||
| *Phoenix Cannon - energy bolts that bounce off walls, allowing the player to hit enemies around corners; capable of destroying player if fired carelessly. Has the highest energy consumption of all primary weapons | |||
| *Omega Cannon - rapid-fire homing bolts, like lightning, that temporarily blinds its targets; uses separate energy bank that charges from main energy. Even though it flies to home on its targets, it is practically impossible to evade due to its incredible agility. The separate energy bank makes sustained fire impossible, hence it is best utilized against single targets. This weapon initially caused much controversy during online play due to a bug that caused the number of bolts fired to be directly proportional to the speed of the weapon user's computer. This caused the weapon to often be removed from the online arsenal by the host, until a patch fixing the problematic bug was released. | |||
| Since ''Descent 3'', there had been plans and considerations to work on another game in the series. Those were either cancelled or abandoned in favor of other projects. ], the developer of the '']'' series, began work on ''Descent 4.'' Again, development was cancelled, as most of the company was interested in developing a fantasy role-playing game instead. It would have been a prequel to ''Descent'', and reportedly served as the basis for the 2001 first-person shooter ''].'' Similarities would have included plot points such as an evil faceless corporation and the mysterious "Plague" they are attempting to harness.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Preview: Red Faction|last=Price|first=Tom|magazine=]|date=September 2001|issue=206|pages=76–77}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Prima's Official Strategy Guide: Red Faction|last=Kolmos|first=Keith M.|date=May 22, 2001|page=2|publisher=], Random House Information |isbn=0761536345}}</ref> President of Volition Mike Kulas stated in an interview that the ''Red Faction'' and ''Descent'' universes are strictly separate, but also that the code intended for ''Descent 4'' had been used in ''Red Faction''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetdescent.com/site/articles/asrale/9-11-00-asrale-volition.asp|title=Volition Interview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120073243/http://www.planetdescent.com/site/articles/asrale/9-11-00-asrale-volition.asp|archive-date=January 20, 2010|date=September 11, 2000|access-date=May 15, 2012|author=Asrale|website=Planet Descent|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| Missiles: | |||
| *Flash Missile - low-powered missile that temporarily blinds/stuns its target; if used against players, a direct hit will turn his entire screen white, while near misses will cause a similar but lesser effect. | |||
| *Guided Missile - can be remotely guided by the player and hitting the firing button will turn it into regular homing missile; its damage is notable - roughly two times that of a homing missile. Particularly useful for scouting or sniping. | |||
| *Smart Mine - similar to proximity bomb, but releases homing golden energy pulses rather than a damaging explosion when triggered. These homing pulses are equally damaging as the Smart Missile weapon, making it extremely powerful. It can be used in a 'dive bombing' maneuver, where performed successfully it almost always results in an instant kill. | |||
| *Mercury Missile - fastest of all missiles, similar to Vulcan cannon in speed and virtually impossible to dodge, though it is not homing. | |||
| *Earthshaker Missile - excessively powerful warhead that gives a large blast radius (similar to the Mega Missile) and releases smaller homing projectiles upon impact, a feature similar to the Smart Missile but travels at much higher speeds with their afterburners; likely to destroy player if used carelessly. True to its name, the initial impact shakes the entire level and it is capable of disorienting a player even a large distance away from the explosion. It also causes any normal light sources within the level to flicker on and off, making navigation temporarily difficult. | |||
| A series revival was planned in the late 2010s when development of another ''Descent'' title was confirmed. On ] in March 2015, Descendent Studios announced a prequel to the original game, partnering with Interplay and using their intellectual property rights to develop it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-10-descent-is-being-rebooted-as-a-moba-on-kickstarter|title=Descent is being rebooted as a MOBA on Kickstarter|last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|work=]|date=March 10, 2015|access-date=March 24, 2015|archive-date=March 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323043023/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-10-descent-is-being-rebooted-as-a-moba-on-kickstarter|url-status=live}}</ref> Titled simply ''Descent'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/10/05/descent-underground-solo-title-change/|title=Descent: Underground resurfaces with a shorter title and more single-player focus|last=Tarason|first=Dominic|work=]|date=October 5, 2018|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702232842/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/10/05/descent-underground-solo-title-change/|url-status=live}}</ref> it would have been the first game since ''Descent 3'' to be released in the series. However, after a settlement in 2022, the game was renamed to '']'', dropping the ''Descent'' title altogether. Another game, ''],'' was announced on Kickstarter by Revival Productions and successfully crowdfunded in 2016. It included many of the former employees of Parallax Software, including co-founders Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog. It is a six-degrees-of-freedom tunnel shooter and a ] to the ''Descent'' games that released in 2018.<ref name="spiritual-successor"/> | |||
| === Descent 3 === | |||
| ==== Ships ==== | |||
| ] | |||
| Because the player's original ship - the Pyro-GX - was destroyed, he has been given a replica of the Pyro-GX, known as the Pyro-GL. The Pyro-GL is a good all-round ship which is relatively agile and can carry a good amount of ordnance. | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| On Level 5, the Red Acropolis Research Team's base of operations, the Red Acropolis Research Facility, was attacked and destroyed by the CED when the PTMC framed the player for assassinating its president, a terrorist act. During the attack, a CED Phoenix Interceptor crash-landed in a remote area of Mars. On the next Level, the player is assigned to recover this craft before the CED does. If he succeeds, he is rewarded with the usage of the Phoenix, a very fast and agile ship which suffers from weak shields and light payload. | |||
| {{Notelist}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| On Level 9, the Red Acropolis Research Team must prove to the CED that they are not terrorists. In order to do that, however, they will need to build a ship that is more heavily armed than both the Phoenix and Pyro-GL. The player is assigned to escort and protect a covert cargo transport that will trespass a PTMC spacecraft factory on ] in order to get the components required to build this new ship. If the player is successful, he is rewarded with another new ship; the Magnum-AHT. The Magnum-AHT is known in multiplayer groups as the 'Tank'. It is very large, heavy and slow, but as an advantage, it has stronger shields than the other two ships and can carry the most number of missiles out of all three ships. It can also fire triple bursts for some of its primary weapons. | |||
| {{Reflist|refs= | |||
| <ref name="D1_Lv27">{{cite video game |title=Descent|developer=]|publisher=]|date=1995|scene=Concluding cutscenes|level=27}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name="EGM_Saturn">{{cite magazine|title=Descent|magazine=]|issue=69|date=April 1995|page=88}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name="GSpot">{{cite web|title=Descent Review|url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/descent-review/1900-2538606/|website=]|access-date=July 12, 2015|date=May 1, 1996|archive-date=March 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150304051655/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/descent-review/1900-2538606/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name="EGM80">{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Descent |magazine=]|issue=80|date=March 1996|page=30}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name="GamePro">{{cite magazine|author=Major Mike|title=ProReview: Descent|magazine=]|volume=8|issue=4|date=April 1996|page=66}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name="Max5">{{cite magazine|title=Maximum Reviews: Descent|magazine=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=5|publisher=]|date=April 1996|page=154}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name="Max6">{{cite magazine|title=Descent: Interplay's 3D Classic on PlayStation!|magazine=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=6|publisher=]|date=May 1996|pages=68–70}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name="USgamer">{{cite web|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|title=Revisiting Descent, the Most Literal Interpretation of "3D Shooter"|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/daily-classics-descent-the-most-literal-interpretation-of-3d-shooter|website=]|access-date=July 12, 2015|date=March 16, 2015|archive-date=July 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702141243/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/daily-classics-descent-the-most-literal-interpretation-of-3d-shooter|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book |editor=Parallax Software |editor-link=Parallax Software |title=Descent Instruction Manual |year=1995 |publisher=] |url=https://archive.org/details/manual_Descent |access-date=September 13, 2024 |ref={{sfnref|Instruction Manual|1995}} }} | |||
| ''Descent 3: Mercenary'' would add yet another ship into the list, effectively making it four; the Black Pyro. This is the PTMC's rendition of the original Pyro-GX. It is relatively similar in specifications to the Pyro-GL and has a striking resemblance to the Pyro-GX, although it is slightly more agile than both ships and has slightly more missile space than the Pyro-GL. It can also fire triple bursts for one primary weapon, and is capable of dual-firing for some of the missiles, although the drawback to this second feature is that it cannot fire if there is only one missile left for these missiles. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| Unlike the original ''Descent 3'' campaign where the player can choose his ship at the start of the Level once two or more ships are available, the ''Descent 3: Mercenary'' campaign does not allow the player to do so. In addition, unless a modification called ''Black Pyro Justice'' is used, the Black Pyro cannot be used in the original ''Descent 3'' campaign in singleplayer mode. | |||
| {{wikiquote}} | |||
| * Descent on Steam | |||
| * Descent on Gog.com | |||
| * {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421175255/http://interplay.com/games/descent.php |title=Official ''Descent'' page}} at ] | |||
| * {{MobyGames|/descent}} | |||
| * {{IMDb title|0154392|Descent}} | |||
| * {{Internet Archive game|Descent_896|Descent Shareware|MS-DOS}} | |||
| {{Descent and FreeSpace series}} | |||
| All the ships are included in Descent: 3 including the Black Pyro, but the Black Pyro may not be acessed by the player unless he/she has the ''Descent 3: Mercenary'' expansion pack. A workaround known as ''Black Pyro Justice'' allows the Black Pyro to acessed by the player without the need of said expansion pack. | |||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Descent 1}} | |||
| ==== Weapons ==== | |||
| ] | |||
| ''Descent 3'' featured many new weapons but also discarded several of the "classic" ''Descent'' weapons, although the Laser, Plasma, and Fusion Cannons, plus the Concussion, Homing, Smart, and Mega Missiles would make it. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| The Black Pyro's Plasma Cannon fires differently from the other ships; instead of a regular firing rate, the Black Pyro features a faster, intermittent pulse-like fire. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| =====Primary Weapons===== | |||
| ] | |||
| *The Vulcan and Gauss Cannons have been replaced by the ''Vauss Cannon''. Vauss supposedly took the best aspects of both weapons, but left the weapon with a much-decreased firing rate.<br>The Vauss fires differently for the Pyro-GL and Black Pyro; instead of firing dual bursts, it fires in a sequential left-right order, effectively increasing the Vauss' firing rate but doing less damage. Requires special ammunition. | |||
| ] | |||
| *The ''Mass Driver'' is a powerful but slow-firing sniper weapon that requires special ammunition. | |||
| ] | |||
| *The ''Napalm Cannon'' shoots a stream of napalm that ignites enemies, but also the player if used carelessly.<br>The number of streams differ on different ships; one stream for the Phoenix Interceptor, two streams for the Pyro-GL and Black Pyro, and three streams for the Magnum-AHT. | |||
| ] | |||
| *The ''EMD Gun'' is a fast-firing but weak weapon that has a limited homing ability and also uses a lot of energy; it is considered by many to be the most disappointing weapon in D3. | |||
| ] | |||
| *The ''Microwave Cannon'' is a rapid-firing but slow-moving energy weapon that causes the enemy's view to become severely distorted.<br>Only the Magnum-AHT is capable of firing triple bursts for this weapon. Other ships fire in a sequential left-right order. | |||
| *The ''Omega Cannon'' is a very short-ranged weapon that drains an enemy's shields and also recharges the player's shields at the same time. Unfortunately the effect is nowhere near as powerful as it was in D2 and it consumes outrageous amounts of energy.<br>The Black Pyro is the only ship capable of firing three streams for this weapon. The other ships are only capable of dual streams. This weapon also has a limited ability to attack a player through a wall, such as on the other side of a glass pannel. | |||
| *The Spreadfire, Helix, and Phoenix Cannons have been removed from the game. | |||
| =====Secondary Weapons===== | |||
| *The ''Frag Missile'' blasts many tiny bits of shrapnel into nearby targets upon impact. Although it is possible to destroy an enemy by "fragging" its side, the effect, however, is highly random, making the weapon useless in open spaces. | |||
| *The ''Impact Mortar'' is a powerful bomb that bounces off walls until it is ready to detonate or hits an enemy, and it features tremendous explosive power. | |||
| *The ''Napalm Rocket'' is a missile used to set enemies on fire. This was commonly used to block off an enemy from a certain route. A direct hit from a napalm rocket is almost impossible to survive, as even the fire it leaves behind on impact often results in a kill. If a Napalm Rocket hits a wall, it will release small fiery projectiles that burn anything that touches them. | |||
| *The ''Cyclone Missile'' is essentially a ] missile. When it detonates, it features a number of projectiles that move towards the nearest targets. In theory, this is good for taking out a small group of enemies in quick order. In practice, the weapon was of very little use, either in single player or multiplayer mode. | |||
| *The ''Black Shark Missile'' is an experimental, extremely powerful missile. When used, it essentially creates a mini ] that sucks in surrounding objects, including the player if he is not careful. After a few seconds, the missile detonates, destroying all objects caught in the vortex. | |||
| *''Descent II'' weapons such as the Flash, Mercury, and Earthshaker Missiles and the Smart Mine have been removed from the game. | |||
| *The classic Proximity Bomb is now a ]. | |||
| The Black Pyro is capable of dual-fire for the Concussion, Homing and Cyclone Missiles, however it cannot fire if there is only one remaining missile. | |||
| ==== Countermeasures ==== | |||
| Countermeasures were added in ''Descent 3'' as a third weapon category but when the Proximity Bomb was included in this group, it only marginalized this type of weapon. The inherent difficulty in managing not two, but three different categories of weapon to be used simultaneously in a given situation resulted in countermeasures being given little to no attention in multiplayer. | |||
| *The ''Gunboy'' is a stationary turret that can be used to cover positions or alert the player of the presence of an enemy. It uses a laser to attack enemies. When an enemy comes within range, the Gunboy starts attacking it. | |||
| *The ''Bouncing Betty'' countermeasure is an all-but-useless weapon. When dropped, it falls to the ground and bounces at exponential velocities, gradually flying all over the place in a chaotic fashion. The problem with this weapon is that by the time it began moving fast enough to be useful, the battle was long over or had moved to a different location. Furthermore, it explodes shortly after reaching useful speed. Lastly, it causes very little damage. | |||
| *The ''Proximity Bomb'' was rarely used in the previous two games and the trend continues in ''Descent 3''. It does very little damage, even if an opponent is hapless enough to wander into one. Many people expected that it would have the attributes of the Smart Mine (causing little damage on initial explosion, but spewing powerful mini-warheads akin to the Smart Missile), since Smart Mines became highly popular and were very useful in ''Descent II''. | |||
| *The ''Chaff'' is a droppable packet which would attract any weapons locked-on to the dropping player. Although this theoretically makes it a rather useful tool in combat, it was rarely even available for pickup in most multiplayer maps. | |||
| *The ''Seeker Mines'' are essentially homing proximity mines that do even less damage than the stationary brand. They can be quite useful in large numbers, however. | |||
| ==== Flares ==== | |||
| All ''Descent'' games have also given the player a Flare to fire into dark areas for illumination. In ''Descent'', the Flare cost 1 energy per shot to fire and when energy was completely depleted from the player's ship, it was no longer available. In ''Descent II'', the cost to fire a Flare was lowered to one energy unit per two shots, but it could still be fired (at a decreased rate) even if the player no longer had any energy. Finally, in ''Descent 3'' the Flare costs one-third of a point of energy. Consistent throughout the series however, is the common use of the Flare as a weapon used to humiliate a near-dead opponent. Since a Flare could only cause one unit of damage even at the highest difficulty level, being killed by one is a humiliating experience. | |||
| == Sequels, Add-Ons and Expansions == | |||
| In chronological order of release: | |||
| === Descent Mission Builder (1995) === | |||
| A commercial ''Descent'' level editor, created by ]. Users can create their own single-player and multi-player levels with the program and then play them. | |||
| === Descent: Levels of The World (1995) === | |||
| A popular add-on for ''Descent'', containing all of the entries from a level design competition held by Interplay in 1995. A viewer is included, allowing the player to see a preview of each map, as well as selecting ones that received a "Top 10" award or an honorable mention. | |||
| === Descent: Anniversary Edition (1996) === | |||
| A bundle released on the one-year anniversary of the original game's debut, the Anniversary Edition featured Descent, the Levels Of The World add-on, and several additional levels created by Parallax. | |||
| === Descent II (1996) === | |||
| Originally planned as an expansion (and not a sequel) to ''Descent'', ''Descent II'' added more weapon types, different enemy types, different mines, laser-reflecting force field walls, and transporter areas. In response to complaints that ''Descent's'' levels were mostly dull and lacked creativity, ''Descent II'''s levels were designed with a theme in mind; as an example, Level 2 "Turnabout Bore" lives up to its name since the map resembles a figure-8. There is the inclusion of difficult puzzles; most to hide valuable powerups but some are required to complete the level. A notable addition was the Guide-Bot, a companion robot the player could use to aid in navigation and other tasks. Another major improvement was the enemy robot AI with some robots not only being able to dodge fire but also do hit-and-run attacks or roam through the level. Most infamous was the Bandit or Thief-Bot which was a fast-moving and hard-to-kill enemy that attempted to steal the player's weapons and equipment; the similar E-Bandit will drain the player's energy and shields. | |||
| Graphics were still 8-bit, but multiple resolutions were supported, and it was ported to the Macintosh. After its release a patch was issued to add support for early 3D accelerators running the S3 ] chipset. A patch (also from Parallax) added ] Voodoo support further down the line. The soundtrack was composed by range of musicians, from ] to ] and ] ]. An expansion pack featured remixes of some tracks from the original score. | |||
| While the first ''Descent'' had been released as ] with 7 levels, ''Descent II'' was released as a shorter 3 level ]. Another truncated version of ''Descent II'' was "Destination Quartzon" which featured the first 8 levels and was bundled with the Logitech Wingman Extreme joystick. | |||
| === Descent Mission Builder 2 (1996) === | |||
| An authorized, commercial ''Descent'' and ''Descent II'' level editor from ]. It gives users the tools necessary to design, create and implement levels for the commercial versions of ''Descent'' and ''Descent II''. It is also capable of converting ''Descent'' levels into ''Descent II'' levels. | |||
| === Descent II: The Vertigo Series (1996) === | |||
| An add-on for ''Descent II'' containing twenty user-made levels from a ] level design competition, plus the officially licensed Descent Mission Builder 2. Remixed versions of some music tracks from the original Descent II were also included on the CD in Redbook CD-audio format, an interesting addition to what is a simple level pack. It was lauded for its creative level design and the introduction of many exotic robots, although some levels also borrowed robots from ''Descent''. | |||
| === Descent II: The Infinite Abyss (1997) === | |||
| A 2-CD special release of ''Descent II''. The first disc contains ''Descent II'' with the latest patch applied (providing support for 3dfx and Rendition video cards), while the second disc is the original "Vertigo Series" add-on (with remixed versions of original music tracks from the first CD in Redbook CD-audio format). | |||
| === Descent 3 (1999) === | |||
| ''Descent 3'' natively supports the Direct3D, Glide and OpenGL rendering APIs and has a completely rebuilt engine, capable of rendering outdoor environments with an automatic LOD (level-of-detail) terrain system. The higher resolution and renderer change makes the textures appear flatter, however, and thus the game seems less ominous and spooky, rather being more colourful and brighter than its predecessors. Although reviewers praised and lauded it, gamers failed to take note, perhaps because of the high system requirements at the time, with badly timed and themed advertising. Many people also point out that the most common control scheme at the time - mouse+keyboard - was disabled by default in multiplayer modes, in order to appease joystick users. The gameplay style also differed significantly from its predecessors, with the 6DOF movement much more difficult to accomplish, and the inclusion of several badly balanced and overly powerful weapons. Ending up, ''Descent 3'' was not as successful as the developers were hoping for. | |||
| === Descent 3: Mercenary === | |||
| ] | |||
| ''Descent 3: Mercenary'' is an official expansion pack for ''Descent 3''. It adds a new single-player campaign featuring seven levels, as well as the Black Pyro, three new multiplayer modes, the Descent 3 Level Editor (which allows for the creation of new levels in ''Descent 3'') and a number of fan-made levels. | |||
| The storyline of the single-player campaign of ''Descent 3: Mercenary'' is a prelude to the actual ''Descent 3'', which explains the events after ''Descent II'' all the way up to the first half of ''Descent 3''. | |||
| The player is a pilot working under the CED's 'Special Ops' unit, and has been entrusted with the task of destroying the illegal colony that the PTMC was building on Mars. His original mission was to place a nuclear disruptor in the colony's primary reactor before being extracted from the area, but soon after he does so, the CED abandons him to the effects of a nuclear meltdown. | |||
| The player escaped by seeking refuge in the colony's waste-disposal system, which survived the blast. Soon after, Samuel Dravis himself personally takes the player under his wing for three missions: to wreak havoc on the CED, control the alien virus and take full control of the PTMC. | |||
| According to the Official D3 FAQ, 'some complained about this one as a cheap ripoff with not enough new features', although it has been praised for the complexity of the single-player levels.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Official Descent 3 FAQ | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20011007151321/http://descent-3.com/faq/01.html#1.7}}</ref> | |||
| === Descent (PlayStation) === | |||
| A version of ''Descent'' was also produced for the ]. It features the same levels as the PC version of ''Descent'', but adds a remixed soundtrack, prerendered cinematics, and colored lighting effects. | |||
| === Descent Maximum (PlayStation) === | |||
| ''Descent Maximum'' is the PlayStation counterpart of ''Descent II'' on the PlayStation. Unlike the first PlayStation ''Descent'' which was considered mostly a direct port, ''Descent Maximum'' was designed to better accommodate the console and contained 30 entirely new levels. These maps had similar themes to those in ''Descent II'', but were generally smaller than their PC cousins. | |||
| === Related titles === | |||
| It is widely believed that Volition was working on ''Descent 4'' only to have the decision changed to have the game finished and marketed as the first-person shooter '']''. Observant ''Descent'' fans may have noticed that ''Descent'''s opening briefing made a reference to the "Humans First" strike (see the Premise section above) where the miners rebelled against the new robot technology. This reportedly served as a basis for ''Red Faction'', although ''Red Faction'' does not directly relate to ''Descent''. In addition, several other plot points are similar to that of ''Descent's'', including nanotechnology, an 'evil', faceless corporation, and the virus they are attempting to harness. An archived copy of the official ''Descent 4'' website started by Volition is . | |||
| '']'' also used 3D acceleration. Because ''FreeSpace'' is a space shooter, a main difference was that no player-controlled ships could strafe (though some enemy-controlled ships could), requiring the player to adopt a different strategy for dodging enemy weapons fire. As the action took place entirely in deep space, it was harder to judge one's velocity since there were fewer frames of reference. ''FreeSpace'' has no direct connection to the ''Descent'' series, and was given the "Descent" prefix to avoid trademark issues (in Europe, it was released as ''Conflict: FreeSpace''). | |||
| ''Descent: FreeSpace'' had a sequel in the form of ''FreeSpace 2'' (without "Descent"), but like ''Descent 3'', it was not very successful despite positive reviews. | |||
| == Descent novels == | |||
| On a side note, the ''Descent'' series also spawned a trilogy of novels written by ] and sold at several major booksellers. The titles are ''Descent'', ''Descent: Stealing Thunder'', and ''Descent: Equinox''. The novels did not follow the games to the word, but expanded on the basic premise, and were very well received. | |||
| == Descent movie == | |||
| There were rumors of a ''Descent'' movie. ] commissioned a script for a TV movie but then decided to be adapted for movie theaters. ], the owner and publisher of the ''Descent'' games, created a division called ] that was going to develop the popular Interplay franchises of the time into movies, one of which was ''Descent''. The last known update was in 1999, so the plans are considered dead. Interplay Movies reportedly successfully got '']'' made into a film, although it was never released. | |||
| One thing that lends credence to this Descent movie is a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office of a 2000 abandoned trademark filing of Descent with the "Goods and/or Services" being listed as "International Class: 041 entertainment services, namely, production and distribution of live action theatrical, motion pictures and television motion pictures and animated and live action television series featuring action, adventure and science fiction stories."<ref>{{cite web | title=Descent movie trademark | url=http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75277732}}</ref> | |||
| == Source code == | |||
| ] | |||
| The ] to the original ''Descent'' (minus the audio code, which was replaced with the ]) was released in 1997. The source code to ''Descent II'' and ''FreeSpace 2'' have also been released. ] projects have sprung up around these source releases and can be found on the Internet, the most popular project being D1X. D1X was a modified executable file of ''Descent'', which added many new features such as the ability to change resolution, customizable primary and secondary weapon priority, and many other features that could be found in ''Descent II''. After the release of the ''Descent II'' source code, the D1X project sparked another project called D2X, which went on to enhance the gameplay of ''Descent II.'' D1X and D2X also made it possible to play the games on different platforms like ]. | |||
| Since work on the D1X and D2X projects became stagnant, a Windows specific development branch was spawned from the D2X project, fixing virtually all of the issues D2X still had and adding a lot of new features, such as the ability to play ''Descent'' missions in ''Descent 2''. Originally, this branch went by the name D2X-W32. It was ported to Linux and Mac OS X later on, and its name was changed to D2X-XL to reflect both the broader scope and greatly enhanced feature set of the project. | |||
| D2X-XL adds lots of features, yet retains full compatibility with the original game, and can be turned from having the original, pixelated retro look to fully smoothed and filtered with a mouseclick. It is the most complete, feature-rich and stable as well as due to many optimizations fastest Descent 2 version around. | |||
| Another Descent 2 source port called DXX-Rebirth has sprung up recently. It differs from D2X-XL insofar as its main goal is not to enhance the original game, but to simply recreate the original Descent 2 look and feel for modern operating systems. Development is currently in progress and is encompassing work on a software renderer allowing to port it to hardware like game consoles which do not offer OpenGL support. | |||
| Descent has also been ported to the ]. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
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| </div> | |||
| == External links == | |||
| * General Sites | |||
| ** | |||
| ** | |||
| ** The Descent Bulletin Boards - and | |||
| * Source Code | |||
| ** | |||
| * Game Archive and Review Sites | |||
| **{{moby game|id=/descent|name=''Descent''}} | |||
| ** | |||
| * Open Source Projects | |||
| ** | |||
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Latest revision as of 15:50, 13 September 2024
1995 first-person shooter game1995 video game
| Descent | |
|---|---|
 MS-DOS cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Parallax Software |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Director(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Rusty Buchert |
| Designer(s) |
|
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Adam Pletcher |
| Writer(s) | Josh White |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Mac, PlayStation, RISC OS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter, shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Descent is a first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay Productions in 1995 for MS-DOS, and later for Macintosh, PlayStation, and RISC OS. It popularized a subgenre of FPS games employing six degrees of freedom and was the first FPS to feature entirely true-3D graphics. The player is cast as a mercenary hired to eliminate the threat of a mysterious extraterrestrial computer virus infecting off-world mining robots. In a series of mines throughout the Solar System, the protagonist pilots a spaceship and must locate and destroy the mine's power reactor and escape before being caught in the mine's self-destruction, defeating opposing robots along the way. Players can play online and compete in either deathmatches or cooperate to take on the robots.
Descent was a commercial success. Together with its sequel, it sold over 1.1 million units as of 1998 and was critically acclaimed. Commentators and reviewers compared it to Doom and praised its unrestrained range of motion and full 3D graphics. The combination of traditional first-person shooter mechanics with that of a space flight simulator was also well received. Complaints tended to focus on the frequency for the player to become disoriented and the potential to induce motion sickness. The game's success spawned expansion packs and the sequels Descent II (1996) and Descent 3 (1999).
Gameplay
Single-player
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Descent is a first-person shooter and shoot 'em up game wherein the player pilots a spaceship through labyrinthine mines while fighting virus-infected robots, using the ship's armaments. They must find and destroy each mine's reactor core, triggering a meltdown that will destroy the mine as the player escapes. For two levels, the reactor core is replaced with a boss. To obtain access to the reactor, the player must collect one or a combination of the three colored access keys for each level. As a secondary objective, the player can also choose to rescue PTMC (Post Terran Mining Corporation) workers who were taken hostage by the infected robots.
Descent features 30 levels, of which three are secret levels. Each level is based in a mine or military installation in various locations in the Solar System. The game demands that players keep their sense of orientation in a fully 3D environment with a flight model featuring six degrees of freedom in zero-gravity. It also provides a 3-dimensional wire-frame automap that displays any area of the current mine visited or seen by the player. Variously colored lines indicate locked doors and zones such as energy stations and reactor areas. These mines may contain hidden doors or robot generators that spawn enemy robots. Flares and lasers light up dark areas of the mine.
Items are available as collectible power-ups. They are either scattered throughout the mines or may be obtained by destroying robots. Weapons are split up into primary and secondary weapons. Primary weapons range from lasers to wide-range Spreadfire Cannons to the chargeable Fusion Cannons whose shots can punch through numerous enemies. They all consume energy as their ammunition, except for the Vulcan Cannon, which uses rounds of explosive shells. Secondary weapons include various missiles (both unguided and homing) including the Smart Missile which upon impact released several smaller guided bomblets, as well as Proximity Bombs that are dropped behind the player's craft to slow pursuing enemies. The player's spacecraft uses shield power as health, and can carry a maximum of 200 units of shields and energy each. Energy is replenished from energy power-ups or recharged to 100 units at permanent energy centers. Shields can only be restored by collecting blue shield orbs. There are also power-ups that modify the ship's status and weaponry. For example, Cloaking Devices temporarily render the ship invisible, Invulnerability temporarily inhibits receiving damage, and Quad Lasers modify the ship's laser system to fire four bolts of energy instead of the standard two. Points are gained by defeating robots, rescuing hostages, and escaping the mine before its self-destruction. If the player ship's shields drop to 0, the ship is destroyed, all acquired weapons are strewn about the area as power-ups, and any rescued hostages aboard are killed. The ship respawns at the cost of a life and the player must navigate the mines to regain the power-ups. Players can record and later view their experiences in the form of demos, both in single-player and multiplayer.
Multiplayer
Descent allows online competitive and cooperative multiplayer sessions. The competitive sector consists of "Anarchy", "Team Anarchy", and "Anarchy With Robots", three deathmatch modes whereby players attempt to destroy as many of each other's ships as possible. Team Anarchy assigns players to two opposing teams, and Anarchy With Robots adds hostile robots to the match. In Cooperative, players team up to destroy mines and compete for the highest score. Competitive modes allow a maximum of eight players and cooperative modes allow up to four. Players can press a single key to type a message referred to as a taunt, rather than pausing to type in the full message. They can also join same servers across different platforms, particularly MS-DOS and Macintosh.
Plot
Descent is set in 2169. The story begins with a briefing between PTMC executive S. Dravis and the player's character, PTMC's best "Material Defender", who is hired on a mercenary basis to eliminate the threat of a mysterious alien computer virus infecting the machines and robots used for off-world mining operations.
The PTMC developed numerous mines in the Solar System's planets and moons for a variety of uses, including resource extraction, science research, and military installations. Prior to entering a mine, the player receives an intelligence briefing upon the robots used there, however the computer virus has resulted in some existing robots either modified considerably or even new robots being produced that PTMC is unaware about. The player starts with the mines on the Moon and later shift to Venus and to Mercury, where a boss robot has to be destroyed. Afterward, the mines progress further away from the Sun, as the player visits Mars, then the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and eventually to Pluto and its moon Charon. The player accesses the three secret levels located in the asteroid belt using alternative exit doors hidden in specific levels.
After defeating the boss robot on Charon, the Material Defender is informed he cannot return to the PTMC's headquarters in Earth orbit, as there is a chance his ship may be infected with the same virus as the defeated robots. His employer also mentions that PTMC has lost contact with their deep-space installations outside the Solar System, setting the stage for the sequel.
Development
Descent was co-created by programmers Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog. It has origins as far back as 1986, when Toschlog first joined the gaming industry at Sublogic, where he also first met Kulas. There, the pair worked on various simulation titles from Flight Simulator 2 to Jet. Toschlog left the company in 1988 for Looking Glass, where he worked with Ned Lerner to develop Car and Driver. Kulas joined the company in 1990 to develop utilities for Car and Driver. The two had devised an idea of an indoor flight simulator that used shaded polygons. After working on Ultima Underworld however, they realized they could add textures to the polygons for a spectacular effect. By April 1993, they finished a two-page sketch for what would become Descent.
Mike Kulas, WiredOur aim was to create an '80s-style arcade game with '90s technology. We wanted a full 3-D environment in which the player was surrounded by interesting structures and threats in all dimensions.
Descent took about 21 months to finish. According to Kulas, the game cost around US$450,000 to make. The game's marketing budget was $1 million. Deciding that their idea was too good for anyone else to develop it, Kulas and Toschlog left Looking Glass in June 1993 to form Parallax Software. They hired Che-Yuan Wang and John Slagel as their programmers, with Wang also being their level designer. They also hired Adam Pletcher as their artist. They set out to contact publishers, including Scott Miller of Apogee Software, id Software's primary publisher, who was excited about their proposal and signed a contract with them. For the next seven months, Apogee invested in Parallax and shared with them experience they had gained from developing their own 3D shareware titles. Parallax would implement artistic and structural changes that Apogee requested. After those months, Apogee had numerous projects in the works, and Parallax's project became more expensive to create, so Apogee severed its involvement in the project.
Left without a publisher, Parallax spent the next three months to develop a mock-up prototype, continuing their coding. The project was originally titled Miner, but Parallax presented their prototype in written letters to 50 game companies as Inferno. Of those letters, three of them received a reply. One of them was from Interplay, who immediately signed the company up. Until the game's full release, Interplay's producer Rusty Buchert would oversee and guide the development of the project. Parallax hired three more people to finish the project: level designers Mark Dinse and Jasen Whiteside and story writer and 3D modeler Josh White.
During level design, the idea of simple connected tunnels as the sole component of level architecture expanded to also include rooms and exits. As levels became more complex and confusing, the developers added an automap to address this problem. To design the levels, Descent's graphics engine uses portal rendering, which uses collections of cubes to form rooms and tunnels. Within the game, sides of cubes can be attached to other cubes, or display up to two texture maps. Cubes can be deformed so long as they remain convex. To create effects like doors and see-through grating, walls could be placed at the connected sides of two cubes. Robots were drawn as polygonal models; sprites were only used to represent the hostages and power-ups. This system was very efficient, and made possible the first truly 3D textured environment in a video game.
Another obstacle to overcome was adding online multiplayer. Parallax found it difficult to implement and were initially reluctant to do so. At the same time during development, they had learned of Doom and the popularity of its multiplayer. Interplay sent Rob Huebner to help Parallax program multiplayer. Near their project's completion, Parallax faced yet another obstacle: they needed to make sure that their highly detailed and complex game could run smoothly on computers. Although ultimately the requirements to run the game fast were high, an added option to adjust detail complexity did help.
| 1995 | Descent |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Descent: Levels of the World |
| Descent II | |
| Descent II: Vertigo Series / The Infinite Abyss | |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | Descent 3 |
| Descent 3: Mercenary |
Releases and ports
Parallax Software and Interplay followed the shareware model used by Apogee and id Software, and on December 24, 1994; uploaded a seven-level shareware demo as Descent both in retail and on the Internet.
The full game for MS-DOS was released in the United Kingdom on March 3, 1995, and in North America on March 17, 1995, followed by a Macintosh port published by MacPlay in December 1995. A modified version of Descent with stereoscopic graphics was released as a bundle with StereoGraphics's SimulEyes VR 3D glasses.
A PlayStation port was released in Japan on January 26, 1996, in the United States on March 12, 1996, and in Europe that same month, with SoftBank being the Japanese version's developer. The PlayStation version replaces the still screens and text with full-motion video pre-rendered cutscenes incorporating voice acting.
November 22, 1995 also saw the release of Descent: Levels of the World, an add-on containing over 100 winning level submissions from a design competition held by Interplay, plus one level designed by Parallax Software. Also in March 1996, Descent: Anniversary Edition was released, which bundled Descent, Levels of the World, as well as additional exclusive levels.
On October 29, 1997, Interplay published Descent I and II: The Definitive Collection, a compilation containing the full versions of Descent, the Levels of the World mission pack, Descent II, and Vertigo mission packs, and a mission editor. Besides a choice of the original Descent II levels (subtitled Counterstrike), or the Vertigo Series levels, the first Descent levels (subtitled The First Strike) can be started in the Descent II game UI where robots adopt the Descent II sounds and improved AI. The original Descent program is included for players that prefer the unmodified The First Strike, as well as to run Levels of the World. There is also a preview for the upcoming Descent 3.
Descent was later ported to RISC OS by R-Comp Interactive in late 1998, which received a 32-bit update in 2003.
Cancelled ports
A Sega 32X version of Descent was planned as the first console version, but it was never released. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was showcased at E3 1995 and slated to be published by Interplay, but never came to fruition for unknown reasons. Likewise, a Panasonic M2 version was also announced but never released due to the system's cancellation. A planned Sega Saturn version was cancelled because the programmers found that a straight port of the PlayStation version was not possible, and they did not think it would be worth their while to do a more elaborate port for the Saturn. Interplay had plans dating to mid-1996 to port Descent to Nintendo 64 under the name Ultra Descent. The port was delayed before it was eventually cancelled in 1998 in favor of Descent 3, with Parallax's Jim Boone explaining that it never reached the design phase in development. In April 2010, Interplay partnered with independent developer G1M2 to release a WiiWare version for Fall 2010. It would have featured enhanced textures and a variety of controls, including motion controls of a Wii Remote and Nunchuk with a MotionPlus accessory and possibly a Wii Balance Board. The deadline was missed, and the last time the developer publicly provided an update on its progress was in a response to a news inquiry in 2011, assuring that the project was still underway, before it was ultimately quietly abandoned.
Mods
Descent uses package files to store and load level data such as level structures, graphics, objects, and sound effects and music—similar to the WAD file format used for Doom. It also allows players to create their own such files containing the data, which can then be loaded and played. Later in 1997 on the end-of-life commercial cycle came the release of the game's source code, excluding the audio code. Parallax released the source code under the license that permits non-commercial uses only. All of this, combined with the game's popularity, has resulted in a number of distributed mods.
Re-releases
Descent was re-released on modern digital distribution services. It was one of the launch titles for the open beta version of Good Old Games on September 8, 2008, followed by a Steam release on February 13, 2014. However, the game was withdrawn from Good Old Games in December 2015 along with Descent II and Descent 3, and later from Steam. A representative of Parallax Software responded to speculation on the Good Old Games forums regarding the withdrawal of the titles. Interplay owned the Descent trademark and the publishing rights to those games, but their developers still retained the copyrights to them. The latter pulled their games off because Interplay purportedly had not paid them royalties since 2007. As a result, they had terminated the sales agreement, disallowing Interplay from further selling them.
However, in November 2017, Good Old Games announced that the Descent series would be available for sale again on their platform. The game has also since resurfaced on Steam.
Reception
Pre-release
Customer reception of the shareware version of Descent was very positive, with players praising the fully 3D environment and commentators noting perceived "loyalty and goodwill" that both Parallax and Interplay fostered. However, it also garnered player complaints about a technical bug that would recharge each robot's shields whenever the player ship was destroyed (the problem was exacerbated on the last level of the shareware, where the power reactor is replaced with a boss and the gameplay thus becomes extremely difficult). It also received complaints for lacking the ability to save in-game, instead saving the player's progress between levels. Parallax recognized the bug and the popularity of the save feature, so they released patches to address the issues. Mark Burgess of PC Zone called it one of the best shoot 'em up games and wrote that it justified shareware, giving it a perfect five floppy disks out of five. Descent would later go on to become one of the games to inspire other retailers and software companies to look into and embrace the shareware model.
Sales
On Electronic Entertainment's charts in March 1995, the PC and CD-ROM editions of Descent appeared as Nos. 5 and 8 of the top-selling PC and CD-ROM titles before climbing to Nos. 4 and 3 the next month, respectively. The game first appeared on PC Zone's charts of the top-selling games in May 1995, landing on Nos. 4 and 2 on the top full price and CD-ROM titles, respectively. The shareware version appeared as No. 3 on the top budget games. In June 1995, the CD-ROM version dropped off, and the shareware version fell to No. 6 of the budget games and the full game to No. 9 of the full price games before dropping off next month. The full game rose back up in August 1995 to No. 19 of the top full price games, while the shareware version fell down to No. 7 of the top commercial titles. The game dropped off PC Zone's charts altogether the next month. The Macintosh port also landed on No. 10 of the top Macintosh games in December 1995.
Interplay estimated in March 1995 before Descent's full release that shareware copies of Descent were distributed 900,000 times via online services, on the Internet, or at retail. Official global sales of the game, together with its sequel, surpassed 1.1 million copies as of June 1998, while VentureBeat estimated in 2015 that the actual sales figure of the original was as high as 25 million copies.
Computer versions
Reception| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Gaming World |   |
| Edge | 8/10 |
| GameSpot | 8/10 |
| Next Generation | |
| PC Gamer (US) | 96% |
| PC Zone | 94% |
| MacUser |  |
| Macworld | |
| PC Magazine | |
| PC Player | 90% |
The computer versions of Descent received near-universal acclaim, with reviewers widely comparing it to Doom and noting its unique use of free motion, as well as a fully three-dimensional environment. The multiplayer aspect received equal acclaim. Michael Ryan of PC Magazine enthusiastically attributed the attention the game received to its unique gameplay and found no similar alternatives. GameSpot remarked that "only one 3-D shooter adds a whole new dimension to the field: Descent.", particularly noting the labyrinthine environments. Charlie Brooker of PC Zone noted the game's intense environment and similarities to Doom and praised its multiplayer and ability to taunt opposing players, with only minor criticism directed toward its slight repetitiveness. Common complaints tended to focus on Descent's ability to disorient players, as well as potentially induce motion sickness.
Next Generation particularly praised the graphics and animation, intelligent enemies, and wide array of power-ups, all of which it said would "keep most gamers glued to the screen for hours". They were however disappointed by the game's delayed release, asserting it led to the game being overshadowed by id Software's then-newly released Heretic. Nevertheless, they rated it the fourth-best virtual reality game in September 1995 due to its 3D environment and graphics. In its third-highest-rated review, PC Player also praised the intelligent enemies, as well as the lighting effects, the use of various graphical textures, and "genuine" 3D graphics. Edge remarked the ability to record demos that capture the player's experiences, but also criticized the slightly repetitive gameplay and noted the robots' basic algorithm of being only a little more than "fire and evade", despite their intelligence.
The Macintosh port of Descent also received praise. Bob LeVitus of MacUser called it "one of the best Mac games ever released", attributing its popularity to its online multiplayer mode. His only criticism was the high system requirements (the port required a Power Macintosh to play) and a difficult learning curve. Macworld's Fred DeLisio also praised the enemy artificial intelligence, realism and sense of immersion, and multiplayer for allowing cross-platform sessions between MS-DOS and Macintosh users and allowing players to join and quit anytime without ending the sessions for everyone else, but also criticized the high system requirements.
Jeremy Parish of USgamer ran a retrospective feature on the game, saying Descent combined the genre of space flight simulator with a first-person shooter experience. He also attributed the game's popularity and modifiability to the continued development of fan mods. Engadget's David Lumb retrospectively likened the game's graphical innovations to the computer-generated imagery used in the 1995 film Toy Story. GamesTM rated it No. 4 on their retrospective "Top Five FPS" list for its truly 3D environment combined with the six degrees of freedom, and Rock, Paper, Shotgun ranked it No. 13 on its list of "The best space games on PC", citing the game's numerous innovations, speed, labyrinthine level structures, and the free range of motion.
Accolades
| Year | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | PC Gamer | Best Action Game | Won |
| Best Multi-Player Game | Won | ||
| Special Achievement in Innovative Design | Won | ||
| PC Magazine | Technical Excellence Award | Won | |
| PC Games | Game of the Month | Won | |
| PC Computing | Most Valuable Entertainment CD-ROM | Runner-up |
PlayStation version
Reception| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.375/10 |
| GameFan | 83% |
| Next Generation | |
| Maximum | |
The PlayStation port of Descent also received praise, which was often directed to the port's use of impressive lighting effects. Like its computer versions, criticism commonly centered on the player's disorientation. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly called it an outstanding conversion due to its extremely fast rendering speed and improved lighting effects. However, two of them felt that the gameplay lacked excitement. Major Mike of GamePro also judged it "an excellent conversion" due to its complex but generally easy to master controls, though he did complain of occasional severe slowdown. Maximum stated it "is one of the greatest games to grace the PlayStation, and rates alongside WipeOut as one of the best ambassadors for the machine." They particularly applauded the labyrinthine level design and intelligent enemy AI. Their subsequent feature on the game was more critical, saying that "the official PAL version of Descent features some of the most hideous letterbox PAL borders we've ever seen, with no sign of PAL optimization whatsoever." However, it also praised the game's use of the PlayStation Link Cable.
Next Generation too praised the developers for adding a new industrial soundtrack to the PlayStation version rather than doing a direct port. Like Major Mike, they found the controls complex but easy to master. While criticizing that the game can be dry and repetitive, they concluded that "Overall, you still can't go wrong, and if you've got the ability to fly against someone else, it doesn't get much better." K. Lee of GameFan praised the sound and music and noted the game's difficulty due to the ubiquitous doors on walls, ceilings, and floors. He thought the automap was useful, though still found it too easy to become disoriented.
Legacy
Descent is credited with starting a subgenre of six-degrees-of-freedom first-person shooters, and remains an icon of the subgenre. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the first fully 3D first-person shooter, and its popularity spawned two sequels: Descent II in 1996 and Descent 3 in 1999. It also led to a 1999 trilogy of Peter Telep novels based on the series, comprising Descent, Descent: Stealing Thunder, and Descent: Equinox. It brought about a handful of similar "Descent clones", most notably Forsaken, which was released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1998 and had similar graphics and almost identical gameplay to Descent.
In 1997, Interplay released Descent to Undermountain, a role-playing video game that used a modified version of the Descent graphics engine.
Since Descent 3, there had been plans and considerations to work on another game in the series. Those were either cancelled or abandoned in favor of other projects. Volition, the developer of the FreeSpace series, began work on Descent 4. Again, development was cancelled, as most of the company was interested in developing a fantasy role-playing game instead. It would have been a prequel to Descent, and reportedly served as the basis for the 2001 first-person shooter Red Faction. Similarities would have included plot points such as an evil faceless corporation and the mysterious "Plague" they are attempting to harness. President of Volition Mike Kulas stated in an interview that the Red Faction and Descent universes are strictly separate, but also that the code intended for Descent 4 had been used in Red Faction.
A series revival was planned in the late 2010s when development of another Descent title was confirmed. On Kickstarter in March 2015, Descendent Studios announced a prequel to the original game, partnering with Interplay and using their intellectual property rights to develop it. Titled simply Descent, it would have been the first game since Descent 3 to be released in the series. However, after a settlement in 2022, the game was renamed to Ships That Fight Underground, dropping the Descent title altogether. Another game, Overload, was announced on Kickstarter by Revival Productions and successfully crowdfunded in 2016. It included many of the former employees of Parallax Software, including co-founders Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog. It is a six-degrees-of-freedom tunnel shooter and a spiritual successor to the Descent games that released in 2018.
Notes
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- Asrale (September 11, 2000). "Volition Interview". Planet Descent. IGN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
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- Tarason, Dominic (October 5, 2018). "Descent: Underground resurfaces with a shorter title and more single-player focus". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- Parallax Software, ed. (1995). Descent Instruction Manual. Interplay Productions. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
External links
- Descent Descent on Steam
- Descent Descent on Gog.com
- Official Descent page at the Wayback Machine (archived 2018-04-21) at Interplay
- Descent at MobyGames
- Descent at IMDb
- The MS-DOS version of Descent Shareware can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
| Descent and FreeSpace series | |
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| Descent series |
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| FreeSpace series | |
| Companies | |
| Related | |
- 1995 video games
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