Main Launcher Menu
Main Launcher Window

Welcome to the main menu of the Descent 3 Demo Launcher!  From here, you can play the demo, configure your game settings, view related information, and even automatically update your version of the Descent 3 Demo to the newest available version.

The following buttons allow you to access these different features:

Play

Pressing the Play button will launch the Descent 3 Demo.  Make sure you have configured your game from Setup before pressing the Play button!

Setup

The Setup button takes you to the Setup Window where you can configure your options for the Descent 3 Demo.

Auto-Update

The Auto-Update button takes you to the Auto-Update Window where you can update your current version of the Descent 3 Demo to the newest available version.

View ReadMe

Pressing the ReadMe button will cause the ReadMe text file to be displayed.  The ReadMe file contains important game-related information, so it is a good idea to check it out.

Install DirectX

Although not available in the Demo version, the full version of Descent 3 will allow you to install DirectX 6.0 directly from the Launcher.  For now, however, you can download it from Microsoft’s web site.

Visit Us!

This button will take you to the Outrage Entertainment Web Page where you can learn more about the people who brought you Descent 3.

Play D3 Online!

The PXO button will take you to the Parallax Online Web page.  Parallax Online allows you to play multi-player Descent 3 for free over the internet.


Auto-Update Window

The Auto-Update window allows you to automatically download and patch your Descent 3 Demo to the latest version.

The Message of the Day

At the top of the window is the Message of the Day.  This will relay information regarding new versions.

Version Number Display

This display allows you to easily compare your version of the Descent 3 Demo with the newest version currently available.

Status Window and Messages

The status window and messages are initially used to inform you when there is a new version of Descent 3 available for download.

If a new version is available, you can download the patch and apply it by pressing OK.

Once you press OK, the Site Selection Window will appear.  Choose the site you wish to download the patch from and the download will begin.  Once the patch has finished downloading, it will automatically start to update your version.

After the patch has completed, you will receive a message stating that the patch was successful.  Most of the time, the launcher will need to be updated as well.  After you click OK on the Auto-Update window, you will be notified if this is the case.  The launcher will then shutdown, update itself, and restart.


DirectX Setup

The DirectX Setup displays the current version of DirectX installed on your system.

The status box will let you know if your version of DirectX is sufficient to play Descent 3.  The Descent 3 Demo requires at least DirectX 3.0 in order to play.  If you are playing under Windows 95/98, it is recommended that you download DirectX 6.0 and install it on your system.

The button at the bottom of the DirectX Window will take you directly to the Microsoft DirectX download page.


Video Setup

The Video setup window displays the currently selected rendering device.

The Descent 3 Demo supports three types of renderers: 3Dfx Glide, Direct3D, and OpenGL.

A hardware accelerated 3D card is required to play the Descent 3 Demo.

The button at the bottom of the window will allow you to redetect certain devices and select a new renderer.

IMPORTANT:

You must make sure that you have installed all the latest drivers for your video card(s).

Also, some systems may cause problems when attempting to detect more than one type of device from the Video Selection Dialog at the same time.  If this occurs, try only selecting the renderer you wish to use (i.e. Glide, Direct3D, or OpenGL).  Finally, if you do not have a Voodoo Graphics card, it is recommended that you disable the option to detect Glide since this has been known to cause problems on a few systems.


Audio Setup

The Audio Setup allows you to select both an audio playback device and a mixer.

Current Sound Device and Mixers

If you want to hear sound in the Descent 3 Demo, make sure you have selected a sound device from the pull down menu (choose a device that supports at least one sound mixer).

Once you have chosen an appropriate sound device, choose one of the available mixers for that device:

•	Software – uses the CPU to mix all sounds (recommended for high end machines with an ample supply of RAM)

•	DirectSound – uses DirectSound for all sound mixing (this may provide better performance for low end machines with minimal amounts of RAM)

•	DirectSound 3D – not available in the demo version (will be present in the full version)

•	Aureal 3D – not available in the demo version (will be present in the full version)


Joystick Setup

The Joystick Setup window displays your current joystick.

It also has a button that will take you directly to your system’s Joystick Settings/Calibration window.

If you wish, you can have setup redetect your current joystick by pressing the Redetect Current Joystick button.


Speed Setup

The Speed Setup window allows you to specify a default detail level for your system.

You can manually choose a setting from the pull-down list box, or you can press the button at the bottom of the window to have Setup choose one for you (based upon your system properties).

Once inside the game, you can custom tailor each of the various detail level settings as you see fit.


Network Setup

The Network Setup window allows you to specify your network connection type and speed.  This information is used only in multiplayer.

IMPORTANT:

Inaccurate network settings will hinder performance.


Miscellaneous Setup

Keyboard Type

This window allows you to select the type of keyboard you are using (has no effect in the demo).

Command Line

The window also has an area that allows you to enter special Descent 3 command line parameters.  You will most likely want to leave this field empty.


Site Selection Window

The site selection window allows you to choose a Patch download site.

Simply select the site you wish to download the patch from and click OK.


Setup Window

The Setup Window allows you to configure your Descent 3 Demo options.

It contains the following sections:

•	DirectX

•	Video

•	Audio

•	Joystick

•	Network

•	Misc