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RELEASE NOTES FOR DESCENT (TM) 3 Version 1.1.0 ___________________________________ ! DO NOT DISTRIBUTE THIS GAME ! DESCENT 3 IS A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT See Section 13 for details ___________________________________ ______________________ TABLE of CONTENTS ______________________ 1. Introduction 2. Version Changes 3. System Requirements 4. Manual Addenda 5. Keyboard Controls 6. Multiplayer Game Types 7. Command-line Options 8. Compatibility 9. Maximizing Performance 10. Troubleshooting 11. Customer Service 12. Reporting Bugs 13. Legal Information ______________________ 1. INTRODUCTION ______________________ This file contains information about Descent 3 that is supplemental to what's in the manual. It includes information on version changes, troubleshooting, and reporting bugs. It also contains information about changes to the game made after the manual went to press. ______________________ 2. VERSION CHANGES ______________________ 1.0.0 - Initial release 1.1.0 - Win32 update; Linux dedicated server update New features for Version 1.1.0: - Added the -bumped command-line option to enable hardware bump-mapping on cards that support it, such as the Matrox G400. - Added the -NoRenderWindows command-line option. Some cards do not correctly render partially-transparent windows. If windows do not work correctly on your card, use this switch to cause all windows to be fully transparent. - The Pilot Info function on the PXO chat screen now shows the numerical ranking required to achieve the next named rank. - Increased the maximum joystick sensitivity. - In co-op, spewed powerups no longer time out. - Added the -deadzone0 & -deadzone1 command-line options to specify the size of the deadzone for a joystick. See the description in Section 7, Command-line Options. - Overhauled the PXO ranking system. One major effect is that players should no longer lose rank even when beating someone of lower or equal rank. - Reduced the delay between shots for the Fusion Cannon. - Added the -z32bit command-line option for cards that support a 32-bit z-buffer, such as the Matrox G400. - Added enhancements for Pentium III systems. - Added the "outlinem" cheat code to turn on outline mode (for level designers). - Added "renderstat" cheat code to see rendering statistics (for level designers). - A sound is now played when a player disconnects or leaves the game. - Added delete buttons to the ship configuration dialog to delete logos and audio taunts from within the game. - The user's pilot is now highlighted on the F7 stats screen. - Kills, deaths, and suicides are no longer reported to PXO for Co-op games. - Added several new features to the DMFC SDK; see the SDK Readme file for more information. - Added the "$scores" server command for Entropy and Team Anarchy games. - Added a token system for taunt macros. See the description in Section 4, Manual Addenda. - The typing icon is now not displayed to other players when entering a team message using Ctrl-F8. - Added the -autoexec command-line parameter. See the description in Section 7, Command-line Options. - Added Remote administration of a server via a client. See the description in Section 4, Manual Addenda. - Added the "$wait" server command. See the description in Section 4, Manual Addenda. - Added the "logout" server command to terminate a telnet connection. - In multiplayer games with a level time limit, a countdown timer is displayed starting 10 seconds before the level ends. - The status of the small rear view is now saved in the pilot file. - Added better support for the Madcatz Panther XL. Configuration is specified in the file PANTHER.CTL. - Added better support for the SpaceOrb 360. Configuration is specified in the file SPACEORB.CTL. - This version will work on systems running non-English versions of Windows. - Added a dedicated server command for Hoard to set the minimum number of hoard orbs needed to score. Usage: "$mincount <count>", where 'count' is between 1 and 12. - Room wind is now loaded from the level file (for compatibility with D3Edit). - Improved Aureal 2.0 support. - Added code to unzip auto-downloaded mission files. For details, see Section 4, Manual Addenda. - Added the -nooutragelogo command-line parameter. See the description in Section 7, Command-line Options. - The framerate is now capped at 50 by default. To remove this cap use the command-line option "-framecap 999". - Added the -httpproxy command-line parameter. See the description in Section 7, Command-line Options. Fixes for Version 1.1.0: - Corrected the legal text in Section 13 of the Readme file. - Fixed the section numbering in the Readme file. - Fixed z-buffer rendering problems under OpenGL and on cards that don't support w-buffering. - When running a small install, restoring a saved game no longer requires inserting CD 1 if the level is stored on CD 2. - Music now works properly in the automap. - In multiplayer games with a time limit, the timer now does not start until after the "Waiting for Players" dialog has been closed. - When typing a private or team-only message that's longer than one line, the continuation line is now only sent to the recipient(s) of the first line. - Fixed glitches when the multiplayer game list screens updated. - The auto-download system for missions now works. - When going to a new level in a multiplayer game, the reticle is now reset correctly. - Removed the Matrox M3D from the list of supported video cards in the Readme file. - Fixed crashes on servers left running for a long time. - In multiplayer games, time spent in observer mode now doesn't count as time alive. - Fixed several crashes and other bugs in the demo system. - Fixed an occasional crash when clicking on the "Return to Chat" button on the PXO game list screen. - The program NETTEST.EXE, mentioned in the manual, is now included. - The GuideBot now does a better job of staying out of the way of player shots. - The GuideBot should not get stuck as often. - Improved anti-cheating code in the server. - Fixed parsing of the command line on dedicated servers to allow certain punctuation marks. - Fixed "$scores" command for CTF and Monsterball to list the team scores also. - Fixed the post-level results screens for CTF, Monsterball, Team Anarchy, and Entropy to display connected players before disconnected players. - Fixed F7 stats screen for CTF, Monsterball, Team Anarchy, and Entropy to display connected players before disconnected players. - Fixed the multiplayer post-level results screen to prevent text from going off the bottom of the screen. - Fixed a memory bug in the connection DLLs that could cause a crash. - Fixed a memory bug in the UI system that could cause a crash. - The D3 temporary directory (custom/cache) can now only be used by one process at a time. When running multiple copies of Descent 3 on the same machine, use the -tempdir command-line option to specify an alternative directory. - Fixed a Hoard bug that sometimes gave the player points when killed in the goal. - The key used to invoke the automap now will also exit the automap. - Mouse control no longer varies with framerate. - The game now works correctly on systems with multiple CD-ROM drives. - Fixed some odd behavior when the afterburner was mapped to more than one button or key on the same device. - Changed a multiplayer kill messages that wasn't gender neutral. - Changed the GuideBot's "Exit Ship" menu item to "Release GuideBot". - Keyboard sensitivity is now set correctly from the selected pilot file when starting the game. - In multiplayer, the typing indicator icon now draws correctly under Direct3D and OpenGL. - Fixed a bunch of memory leaks. - Fixed the manage system to support multiple add-on table files. - In DMFC, the timer interval function was called twice per frame. Fixes for Version 1.1.0, Linux dedicated server: - Fixed server shutdown when a client quits out of a telnet administration session. - Fixed crash due to typing certain keys, such as a colon. - Improved keyboard handling for non-SVGALIB keyboard processing. - Removed nearly all library dependencies. Libraries are now dynamically loaded when needed. - Fixed excessive redraw with 'raw' console support by not using the ncurses library. - Fixed backspace problems with 'raw' keyboard support. __________________________ 3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS __________________________ The following minimum system configuration is required to run Descent 3: A 200MHz Pentium processor Windows 95, 98, or NT 32MB RAM 3D accelerator video card with 4 MB of texture RAM 4x CD-ROM drive 210 MB hard disk space DirectX 6 certified sound card If you have Windows 95 or Windows 98, DirectX 6.1 software If you have Windows NT 4.0, Service Pack 3 or greater The following hardware is recommend for a good Descent 3 experience: A Pentium II 300MHz processor 64MB RAM 500 MB hard disk space Of course, the faster the CPU and the more RAM your computer has, the better performance you'll get in Descent 3. We've tried to make Descent 3 work on a wide range of machines, so don't be suprised if you can't use the highest detail settings if you don't have the very latest hardware. _______________________ 4. MANUAL ADDENDA _______________________ The following are supplemental items and changes to the Descent 3 manual. CHANGES & CORRECTIONS Weapon Precedence: We've changed the way weapon precedence selection works. With the new system, you first click on the item you want to move, and then click on the spot where you want the item. The item will be moved to that spot, and the other items will slide down to make room for it. SUPPLEMENTAL ITEMS PDF Manual: A PDF version of the Descent 3 manual is provided on CD 1. The file is D3Manual.pdf and is located in the root directory of CD 1. You can view this file with Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded from Adobe's web site at: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html Brightness Control: Some video cards do not allow applications such as Descent 3 to adjust the card's brightness (gamma) setting. If you try to adjust the brightness in D3 and get no response, try adjusting the setting in the Windows Control Panel (under Display). Guide-Bot: Shift + the number keys (1 - 9, 0) will command the Guide-Bot to perform specific actions. See a the list in Section 5, Keyboard Control. FindFast: Microsoft Office installs a program called FindFast that makes it possible for Office applications to open files more quickly. This application, FindFast, runs in the background on your machine indexing the contents of your hard drive. If FindFast is running while Descent 3 being played, the game's performance can be significantly reduced. For this reason, the Descent 3 launcher will detect the presence of FindFast when the game is started and give you the option of disabling it. We STRONGLY recommend that you disable FindFast when starting Descent 3. If you terminate FindFast it may take your computer slightly longer to open files, but everything else will work normally. FindFast will be re-enabled the next time you start your computer. Shift Keys: Windows 95 & NT do not differentiate between the left and right shift keys when informing Descent 3 that one of these keys has be released. If you press both shift keys at the same time, Descent 3 will think that one key is still held down even after both have been released. Because if this, you may want to be careful when assigning the shift keys to functions in Descent 3. HEAT.NET: Descent 3 features direct support for HEAT.NET. To play a game of Descent 3 on HEAT.NET, select HEAT.NET from the Multiplayer menu in Descent 3, or use the Start Menu shortcut "Play Descent 3 Online at HEAT.NET". Multiplayer: CTRL-F8 can be used to send messages to your teammates in a team multiplayer game. This works just like the F8, but only your teammates will see the message. In a non-team game, everyone will see the message. When you receive a team message, the sender's name will be in brackets (e.g., "[Crucible]: look out!"). When using F8 to send a message, you can send a private message to a specific player by starting the message with the player's pilot name, followed by a colon. For example, typing "spike: look out!" would send the message "look out!" to the player Spike. You only need to type as many characters of the player's name as are necessary to differentiate it from other player names. When you receive a private message, the sender's name will be in angle brackets (e.g., "<Crucible>: look out!"). Level 13 ("CED Expediator Dreadnaught"): Because the way this level is scripted, it cannot be played in anarchy or other non-cooperative modes. If you attempt to play this level in an anarchy mode, the level will immediately terminate and the game will advance to the next level. DirectPlay Update: If you want to play Descent 3 over a modem or serial connection, you should download the DirectPlay 6.1a update from Microsoft. This is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/directx/developer/downloads/dplay.asp This update drastically improves the performance and reliability of DirectPlay and is highly recommended. PXO Stats: For games played on Parallax Online (PXO), the service keeps track of the kills, deaths, and suicides for each pilot. Since some types of multiplayer games are scored primarily on points or goals rather than kills and deaths (Entropy, Capture-the-flag), you may not want kills and deaths to be recorded when playing one of these. In this case, we suggest using an alternate pilot for those games. PXO Rankings: For games played on Parallax Online (PXO), Descent 3 supports a ranking system that computes a lifetime rank for each player. This system is similar to the rankings used in chess; here are some of the features of this system: * New players start at 400. * Your ranking will increase with each win and decrease with each loss, but will increase more if you beat a player with a higher ranking than you, and will decrease more if you lose to a player with a lower ranking. * The numerical rankings correspond to named ranks. Note that it may take a very long time to reach the higher ranks. The numerical rank needed for each named rank is shown below. 0: Cadet 600: Ensign 900: Lieutenant 1200: Lt. Commander 1500: Commander 1800: Captain 2100: Commodore 2400: Rear Admiral 2600: Admiral 3000: Demigod * When you achieve a new rank, you'll be notified via a HUD message. * You can see the rank of each player in a multiplayer game on the player list, viewable by pressing the F7 key. * You can view a list on PXO of all Descent 3 players sorted by numerical at http://www.pxo.net/. Dedicated Server: There is a new dedicated server command, "AudioTauntDelay <time in seconds>". Use this command to set the time in seconds the a user must wait after sending an audio taunt before he or she is able to send another. You can set the difficulty level of a game in the dedicated server config file. Use the command "SetDifficulty = <level>", where <level> is the difficulty, ranging from 0 (trainee) to 4 (insane). If you're running multiple dedicated servers on the same computer, you need specify the an alternate GameSpy port number for the additional servers. Use the "-gamespyport" command-line option. FreeSpace 2 and Klingon Academy Preview Movies: The \Stuff directory on CD 2 contains preview movies of the upcoming Interplay titles FreeSpace 2 and Klingon Academy. Taunt Macro Tokens: Certain game-specific values can be automatically placed in taunt macros by using the tokens listed below. When a message is sent, the game will replace the token with the specified value. Token Replaced With $$e your current energy $$s your current shields $$virus your current virus count (Entropy only) $$flag names of flags you are currently carrying (CTF only) Note that the author of a new multiplayer games can add new tokens specific to that game. Remote Server Administration From a Client: A game server can be administered from a client by using the following commands with the F8 message system. $remoteadminpass <pswd> Sets a password for remote administration. $remoteadmin <on/off> Turns on or off remote administration. $remote <cmd> <args> Sends a remote command to the server. $remoteadminlogout <id> Logs out the specified player. If no id is specified, lists the players currently administrating remotely. Examples: $remote login buffy Logs in with the password "buffy". $remote logout Logs out. $remote $endlevel Tells the server to end the level. $wait Server Command: The $wait server command will suspend a multiplayer game. This can be used at the start of a game to allow all players to join before starting play. Usage: $wait <on/off> Forces clients to stop/start moving immediately $wait <seconds> Forces clients to wait for the specified number of seconds at the beginning of each level. Auto-downloaded missions: The system to auto-download missions now supports zip files. If a mission file specifies a zip file (one with the extension ".zip") in the mission URL, the mission file will be extracted from the zip file after downloading. Note: This system works only with the default level of Zip compression. Thanks to Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler for the zlib unzip code. ____________________________ 5. KEYBOARD CONTROLS ____________________________ Keyboard Controls While playing the game, press F2 then click on Customize keyboard to customize your keyboard and joystick controls. To change a particular key, click the box next to a command, then type the key you want to use for that command. You can assign up to two keys to each function. Below is a list of the defaults, and a few other controls that you will find helpful. A Accelerate Z Reverse S Afterburner Left Turn left Right Turn right Up Pitch down Down Pitch up ALT Slide sideways while using arrow keys Ctrl Fire primary weapon Spacebar Fire secondary F Flare H Headlight R Rear view Tab Automap Q Bank left E Bank right Pad7 Slide left Pad9 Slide right Pad- Slide up Pad+ Slide down - Shrink screen (speeds up game) + Enlarge screen Print screen Take a screenshot(TGA format) 1 Laser & Super Laser 2 Vauss & Mass driver 3 Napalm Cannon & Microwave 4 Plasma Cannon & EMD 5 Fusion Cannon & Omega 6 Concussion Missile & Frag Missile 7 Homing Missile & Guided 8 Impact Mortar & Napalm Rocket 9 Smart missile & Cyclone 0 Mega Missile & Black Shark F1 Help screen F2 Game options F3 Show/hide cockpit F4 Guide-Bot menu F5 Record Demo F6 Multiplayer: Show/hide menu F7 Multiplayer: Show/hide stats F8 Multiplayer: Send message to all F9 Show/hide message log F12 Drop Marker Shift F1 Toggles Rear view camera/Marker camera/Guide-Bot camera on the left. Shift F2 Toggles Rear view camera/Marker camera/Guide-Bot camera on the right Shift Tab Access the level briefing/objectives/automap Guide-Bot commands: Shift 1 Find Next Active Goal Shift 2 Find Spew Shift 3 Find Powerup Shift 4 Find Energy Shift 5 Escort Ship Shift 6 Use Extinguisher Shift 7 Use Wingnut Powerup Shift 8 Use Guardian Powerup Shift 9 Use Anti-virus Powerup Shift 0 Return to Ship ____________________________ 6. MULTIPLAYER GAME TYPES ____________________________ Descent 3 offers a variety of multiplayer games. Here is a description for each game type. ANARCHY - If you are looking for nothing but nonstop action, then this is the game type for you. ANARCHY pits you up against everybody else in the game to see who is the best. CO-OP - CO-OP stands for COOPERATIVE. This game type only works on Descent 3 Retribution levels. Join with your friends and battle through all of Descent 3's levels. CTF - CTF stands for CAPTURE THE FLAG. In the Fury Collection, only two teams are supported (Blue and Red). We recommend a max of 8 people for this series. In the Bedlam Collection, up to 4 teams are supported (Blue, Red, Green and Yellow). CTF is also supported in the Dementia and Frenzy missions; these both offer two-team support and up to 16 players. ENTROPY - Entropy is a teamwork-oriented game that emphasizes both action and strategy. The object is to gain control of your opponent team's rooms while defending your own rooms. In Entropy each contested room will be either a laboratory, an energy center, or a repair zone. The number of these three types of rooms will vary by level. The object is to take over all of your enemy's laboratories, energy centers, and repair zones. You take over an opponent's room by infecting it with virus samples. These samples are created in your laboratories; to infect a room you must carry five or more samples to an opponent's room and remain still in that room for three seconds. Your repair rooms allow you to repair damaged ships on your team, and your energy centers allow you to replenish your ships' energy reserves. Entering any of your opponent's rooms will damage your ship. You are allowed to carry two virus samples for every opponent you kill without dying yourself. When you die the count is reset and you must kill more opponents in order to pick up more samples. You can destroy an opponent's virus sample by colliding with it. Virus samples are created every 20 seconds in a laboratory room. There can be only four samples in a lab room at one time, and a maximum of 16 samples in play at once for each team. Score is kept for both individual players and for teams. When a player takes over an opponent's room, he or she gets five points and his or her team gets three points. If all of an opponent's rooms are captured, the capturing team gets 10 points. If a team has no lab rooms left but does have a energy or repair center, one of the latter rooms will be converted into a lab. HOARD - Hoard was introduced in Descent II: Infinite Abyss. In this game, players gather Hoard Orbs by killing their opponents, gathering the Orbs and scoring in specified scoring zones. The more Orbs you have the higher your score will be. For example, 1 Orb = 1 point, 2 Orbs = 3 points etc. HYPER ANARCHY - Hyper Anarchy is a new game to the Descent series. In this mode, all Anarchy rules apply. The new twist is a powerup that adds to your kills. MONSTERBALL - Monsterball is our version of Soccer. This is a two team game with all the rules of Anarchy thrown in for fun. Score by hitting the ball into the goal with your team's color. ROBO-ANARCHY - This mode is for Descent 3 Retribution only. It plays just like ANARCHY, except the levels have all their native robots that would be in a single player game. TEAM-ANARCHY - Team Anarchy is a two team game where the points for kills are added to the team totals. ____________________________ 7. COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS ____________________________ The following command-line options are available in Descent 3. You can set command-line options on the Misc. tab of the Setup section of the Descent 3 launcher. Case is not significant in command-line options. General Options: -lowmem Uses scaled-down textures and lower quality (8-bit) sounds to conserve memory. -superlowmem Uses the "-lowmem" settings and further scales down textures to conserve memory. -himem Forces normal operations even when low memory conditions are detected. -vsync Turns on Vertical Sync. The flag will be enabled in the registry so it will be on when the game is run again. -mouseman Enables special handling for the Logitech MouseMan. -chpro Enables a CH Flightstick Pro or compatible joystick. -width <width> Sets the screen resolution to the specified width, if possible. -height <height> Sets the screen resolution to the specified height, if possible. -nonetwork Disables all network multiplayer functionality. -nosound Disables all sound, including music. -nomusic Disables music. -nolightmaps Disables lightmaps. This will improve performance on low-end video cards. -forcelightmaps Forces the use of lightmaps, even the Default Detail Level is set to Low in the launcher setup. -nomultitexture Disables single-pass multitexturing. This option could fix problems due to buggy drivers on future video cards. -nooutdoorfog Disables fog on the terrain under Direct3D. This may improve performance on some cards. -setdir <path> Specifies the working directory for Descent 3. -useexedir Tells Descent 3 to use the directory in which the executable is located as the working directory. -alternatejoy Caused DirectInput to be used for the joystick or other game controller, instead of standard Windows API. Some joysticks need this option to work with Descent 3. -pilot <name> Specifies the pilot to use, skipping the pilot selection dialog when the game starts. -aspect <value> Specifies the screen aspect ratio for non-standard displays, such as wide-screen TVs. The aspect value is the width of the screen divided by the height, so if you want to play Descent 3 on a 16:9 wide-screen TV, use "-aspect 1.78". -framecap <fps> Limits the framerate to the number of frames per second specified. Descent 3 defaults to a cap of 50 FPS. To remove the cap, use the command-line option "-framecap 999". -makemovie Causes the demo system to save a screenshot of every frame during playback. These saved frames can be used with video creation software to make a movie. NOTE: When recording a demo for use in making a movie, you should use the "-framecap" command-line option to specify the framerate of your movie. -fastdemo Causes a demo to play back at the highest speed your computer is capable of, and to display some performance information when it's done. -timetest <file> Causes Descent 3 to play back the specified demo file upon startup. When the demo is done, the game will exit and create a file called fps.txt which contains detailed performance information. -highvidmem Causes 2 MB Voodoo 1 cards to behave as if they had more memory. This will increase visual quality but may cause framerate problems. This option has no effect if you use OpenGL or Direct3D. -subpixelcorrect Adjusts for subpixel correction under Direct3D for cards that do not support it. You can tell if subpixel correction is not supported if your main menu initially has lines in it like a tic-tac-toe board. -nocompress Turns off S3TC texture compression for cards that support it (such as the Savage3D and Savage4). Texture compression is on by default for these cards. -bumped Enables hardware bump-mapping on cards that support it, such as the Matrox G400. -NoRenderWindows Causes all windows to be fully transparent. Use this option if your card does not correctly render partially-tranparent windows. -z32bit Enables the 32-bit z-buffer on cards that support it, such as the Matrox G400. -autoexec <file> Specifies the the full path and file name of the multiplayer config file (eg., autoexec.dmfc) to be loaded and executed when a multiplayer game is initialized. This is useful when running more than one dedicated server on one machine. -deadzone0 <k> Specifies the size of the deadzone for a joystick. -deadzone1 <k> k is a value from 0.0 to 0.5 sets the deadzone to the specified fraction of the total joystick range. -deadzone0 sets the first joystick and -deadzone1 sets the second. For example, "-deadzone0 0.2" sets the deadzone for joystick 0 to 20% of its total range. -nooutragelogo Disables the Outrage logo that is normally displayed for five seconds at the start of a multiplayer game. Multiplayer Options: -gspyfile <config file> Specifies a GameSpy configuration file to use (default is gamespy.cfg) -gamespyport <port> Specifies a port for to listen for GameSpy requests. The default is 20142. -useip <IP> Binds Descent 3 to this IP address. Use this option to tell D3 which IP address to use if your computer has multiple IP addresses. -dedicated <config file> Starts a dedicated server. -nomultibmp Disables sending or receiving in-game custom bitmaps for ships. -useport <port> Specifies the port that TCP/IP and IPX will use. The default is 2092. -audiotauntdelay <time> Sets the time in seconds the a user must wait after sending an audio taunt before he or she is able to send another. This option is only active when starting a server. -playermessages Disables all weapon-related HUD messages in multiplayer games. -httpproxy <addr> Specifies an HTTP proxy server. Descent 3 -httpproxy <addr:port> uses HTTP to auto-download a mission; use this option if your ISP requires the use of a proxy server for HTTP connections. If the first form is used, the port value defaults to 80. _________________________ 8. COMPATIBILITY _________________________ Descent 3 is compatible with a wide range of computer hardware. However, due to the limitations of some devices and the requirements of Descent 3, some hardware is fully or partially incompatible with Descent 3. In this section, we have listed all the devices that have compatibility problems with Descent 3. Wherever possible, we have offered suggestions on getting the best results possible with the given device. If a device is not listed here, it either works fine or has not been tested with Descent 3. This section is divided into three parts: 3D APIs, Video Cards, and Controllers. 3D APIs ------- If you're having a problem with your video card, please also check the "Video Cards" section below.. Descent 3 works on 3D accelerator cards that use the Glide, Direct3D, and OpenGL APIs. By choosing the best API for your card, you will get better performance and visual quality in Descent 3. Glide: If you a have card with a 3Dfx Voodoo chipset, you should use the Glide API. You will definitely get the best performance. Because Glide disables your 2D video output, certain critical Windows error messages ("blue screens") are not visible when playing under Glide. If you remove your CD from the drive while Descent 3 is reading from it, for example, Windows will display a full-screen error message that will not be visible. You can continue playing D3 by replacing the CD and pressing Enter. OpenGL: OpenGL does not support specular reflections, which are used in Descent 3 to make some surfaces shiny. Direct3D: If you're using older drivers that are not certified for DirectX 6, you may notice certain graphical errors, such as distorted fonts or a grid-like pattern on the main loading screen. You can correct this problem with the "-subpixelcorrect" command-line switch. VIDEO CARDS ----------- If you're having a problem with your video card, please also check the "3D APIs" section above. We've organized the list below by 3D chipset. For each chipset we've listed some common cards that use that chipset; however, we were not able to list every card. If your card isn't listed, find out what 3D chipset it uses and see that section. ATI Rage PRO: Cards: 3d Charger All-in-Wonder Pro Graphics Pro Turbo PC2TV Xpert LCD Xpert @play 98 Xpert @work Xpert 98 Xpert XL This card requires that Vertical Sync be turned ON. If you've run the game with another video card and turned Vertical Sync off, you can turn it back on again with the "-vsync" command- line option. This card does not work properly under OpenGL. We recommend using Direct3D. Tested with Direct3D driver version w82440en. ATI Rage 128: Cards: All-in-Wonder 128 Rage Fury Rage Magnum Xpert 128 Xpert 99 The current driver only supports Direct3D. Tested with Direct3D driver version w86076en. Intel I740: Cards: Diamond Stealth II G460 Hercules Terminator 2x/i Read3D Starfighter OpenGL does not work well with i740 cards; we recommend using Direct3D with these cards. Make sure to download the latest drivers from Intel. Several cards have reported problems with texture corruption. If you experience problems, try adding the '-nolightmaps' option in the Misc. tab of the Descent 3 launcher setup and disabling Dynamic Lighting in the Options/Details menu. Matrox G200/G400: Cards: Millennium G200 SG Millennium G200 SD Millennium G200 LE Millennium G200 Millennium G200 SD PCI Millennium G200 SD Marvel G200-TV Millennium G400 Millennium G400 MAX Millennium G400 SH Millennium G400 DH No known problems. Tested with Direct3D driver version 1677_451. nVidia RIVA TNT, TNT2: Cards: Asus V3400 TNT Canopus Spectra 2500 Creative Labs Graphics Blaster Riva TNT Diamond Viper v550 Elsa Erazor II Hercules Dynamite TNT Leadtek WinFast 3D S320 Prolink PixelView STB Velocity 4400 Yuan AGP-520T Yuan AGP-500T We recommend playing under Direct3D with the current Detonator drivers. Enabling auto-mipmapping (via the Control Panel) on TNT cards can cause textures to render incorrectly in Descent 3. If you experience problems, adjust the Direct3D properties for your card as follows. Open up the Control Panel, then Display Properties, RIVA TNT, Advanced Properties, and finally Direct3D. For "Automatically generate XXX mipmap levels", enter zero. For "Auto-mipmap method", select "Binlinear". For "Mipmap deatil level", select "Best Image Quality" The nVidia Detonator drivers built on 02/17/99 cause serious screen offset problems under OpenGL. If you choose to run under OpenGL, we recommend the .48 reference drivers available from nVidia. nVidia RIVA 128: Cards: ASUS 3d Explorer Canopus Total3d 128V Diamond Viper 330 STB Velocity 128 Yuan AGP-300S The Riva 128 doesn't perform well with lightmaps on large polygon faces. If you experience problems, try adding the '-nolightmaps' option in the Misc. tab of the Descent 3 launcher setup. Orchid Righteous Voodoo 2: Orchid Righteous Voodoo 1: The current drivers are for DirectX version 5 only and will only function under Glide. Rendition v2000: Cards: Diamond Stealth II S220 Hercules Thriller 3d The Rendition v2000 doesn't perform well with lightmaps on large polygon faces. We recommend adding the '-nolightmaps' option in the Misc. tab of the Descent 3 launcher setup. The Rendition v2000 works with Direct3D only. S3 Savage3D: Cards: Hercules Terminator Beast Be sure to use the latest reference drivers for this card, which are available from http://www.s3.com. Movies may not play back smoothly on some systems. S3 Savage4: We recommend using Direct3D with driver version 8.03.11 or later. You can get the latest drivers from the S3 web site (http://www.s3.com). At the current time the 8.03.11 drivers are under the "Sneak Peek" Betas section. If you do not have the suggested drivers, you should use the "-subpixelcorrect" command-line switch. Movies may not play back smoothly on some systems. 3Dfx Voodoo: Cards: Ask Innovision Cyber 3Dx5000 A-Trend Helios Voodoo Best Data Arcade Fx Biostar Venus 3D Graphics Canopus Pure 3D Deltron Flash 3D Diamond Monster 3D Express 3D Acceleration Gainward Dragon 1000 Guillemot Maxigamer 3D High Tech His-Arcade3D-G Miro Hiscore 3D Modular Orchid Righteous 3D Quantum 3D Obsidian 50-Series Quantum 3D Obsidian 100Sb Series Skywell Magic 3D Techworks Power 3D Village Tronics 3D Overdrive 2 MB Voodoo1 cards may not perform well. We recommend at least 4 MB of texture RAM. To compensate for the 2 MB limitation, Descent3 will automatically scale down all bitmaps. To turn this behavior off, use the "-highvidmem" command line switch. You might also want to try using the "-nolightmaps" command line switch if you are having framerate problems with this card. We have seen occasional texture corruption problems on this card, which can result in the wrong textures being drawn in some places. If you see this problem, you can reset the card's textures as follows: Press F2 to bring up the Setup menu; select Video; change the MIP Mapping flag (i.e., disable it if it's turn on, or enable it if it's turned off) and exit the Setup menu. If you want, you can re-enter Setup and change the MIP Mapping flag to its original state. 3Dfx Voodoo Rush: Cards: Biostar Venus 3D Rush Britek Viewtop 3D Voodoo California Graphics 3D Emotion Deltron Flash At3D Rush Fountain Tech. Gainward Dragon 2000 Hercules Stingray 128 I/O Magic Rush Jazz Adrenaline Rush 3D Joytech Raptor Rush Kadatco Aristo Megafame Ventura Intergraph Intense 3D Voodoo Descent 3 does not work on Voodoo Rush cards under Direct3D; we recommend playing under Glide on these cards. 3Dfx Voodoo Banshee: Cards: Gigabyte Ga-630 A-Trend Helios 3D-Banshee Edition Creative 3D Blaster Banshee Diamond Monster Fusion Elsa Victory Ii Guillemot Maxi Gamer Phoenix Melco Buffalo Wgp-Fx Metabyte Wicked 3D Vengeance Pace 3D Edge Quantum 3D Raven Sky Well Magic Twinpower We recommend playing under Glide on all 3Dfx Voodoo cards. 3Dfx Voodoo3: Cards: Voodoo3 2000 AGP/PCI Voodoo3 3000 AGP Voodoo3 3500 TV We recommend playing under Glide. Tested with driver version 1.02.03. Tested with Glide drivers posted 5/8 on 3Dfx site. 3Dfx Voodoo 2: Cards: Aopen Pa2000 Voodoo2 Canopus Pure 3D Ii Creative 3D Blaster Diamond Monster 3D Ii Deltron Flash 3D Guillemot Gamer 3D2 PCI Metabyte Wicked3D Micro Conversions Game Wizard Miro Hiscore Dll Quantum3D Obsidian2 S-Series Quantum3D Obsidian2 X-Series Single Board SLI STB Blackmagic 3D Techworks Power 3D Ii Village Tronics 3D Overdrive 2 We recommend playing under Glide on all 3Dfx Voodoo cards. SLI support works but has not been extensively tested. CONTROLLERS ----------- Key Tronics Keyboards: Using the left shift key in combination with keys on the keypad can cause the right shift key to appear to be pressed. Pressing and releasing the right shift key will fix the problem. Logitech MouseMan: To use a Logitech MouseMan with Descent 3, use the "-mouseman" command-line switch. Logitech Wingman Force: The drivers for this joystick automatically disable the auto-centering spring whenever a force effect is played. This means that you cannot use auto-centering and force feedback at the same time. If you disable force-feedback support, auto-centering works fine. Logitech has informed us that version 3.2 of the Logitech Wingman software (not available at the time of this writing) will contain an option to keep centering on even when force effects are played. Visit http://www.logitech.com/ for more information. CH Flightstick Pro To use a CH Flightstick Pro (or compatible) joystick with Descent 3, use the "-chpro" command-line option. ______________________________ 9. MAXIMIZING PERFORMANCE ______________________________ Descent 3 will play great on some systems, and more slowly on others. The speed you achieve depends on your CPU speed and the amount of RAM in your computer. In general, of course, you'll get better performance with a faster CPU and more RAM. Assuming you can't run to the store and buy a maxed-out system, here are some ways you can improve the game's speed. 1. Turn your detail level to "Low" or "Medium". To do this: a. Press F2. b. Click "Detail Level Settings". c. Click the "Low" or "Medium" button. d. Click "OK". Then click "Done". 2. If the game is slow in the outside terrain, go to the Detail Level Settings menu (see #3 above) and reduce the Render Depth distance. 3. Reduce your screen resolution to 512x384. You can do this in the "Graphics Settings" menu (accessible from "Options" on the main menu). This may help in particular with cards using the 3Dfx Voodoo 1 chipset, and we have also seen improvement with several older cards that use the Direct3D API. 4. If the game is still too slow or jerky, try turning on the "low memory" or "super low memory" options. To do this: a. Double-click "Descent 3.exe". b. Click "Setup". c. Click "Misc.". d. In the text field "Optional D3 Command Line Switches", type "-lowmem" or "-superlowmem" (without the quotes, and don't forget the dash) and click OK. e. Click OK, click Play, and play the game again. The -lowmem option will reduce the size of textures in the game, and the -superlowmem option will force all textures to an even smaller size. This will improve the ability of lower-end 3D cards to render, and the lower memory usage in main memory will improve general game speed on machines that are cramped for memory, regardless of the 3D card you use. 5. While playing the game, press the - key several times to reduce the area the game will take up on your screen. This may help with certain video cards. _______________________ 10. TROUBLESHOOTING _______________________ Q: The game looks funny! A: You may have out-of-date drivers for your video card, or your video card may not be compatible with Descent 3. Check the Compatibility Information section of this Readme, and be sure to get the latest drivers from the manufacturer of your video card. Q: All I do is bump into the wall! I'm frustrated! A: Relax. Hold down Z to back up a bit. This is our #1 tip for novice Descent pilots. You'll get a better perspective on the room and your situation. You can adjust the ship's auto-leveling if you press F2 and click "General Settings". Q: The robots keep killing me! They are too hard! A: In the pilot configuration menu, you can lower your difficulty level to "Trainee" for an easier experience. Q: My game is too slow! A: See "Maximizing Performance", above. Q: Help! I can't see! The game is too dark! A: First, adjust the brightness control on your monitor. You may also want to adjust the "Brightness" control in the Graphics Settings menu. You may need to use the Display control panel to change your card's brightness (also called gamma) setting -- this control panel will probably override any changes you attempt to make in Descent 3's Graphics Settings menu. Q: I get a horrible sound problem where it plays part of one sound over and over and over! A: From Setup, click the "Audio" tab and choose DirectSound. Machines that have lots of memory should use the Software mixer for better performance, but if you don't have a ton of RAM, use DirectSound. Q: The sound effects play late! A: This is a known problem under Windows NT with DirectX 3. It's not something we can fix. Sorry. Q: My ship spins around and around when I'm not touching the controls! A: Adjust the trim controls on your joystick. Also calibrate your joystick in the Descent 3 Launcher. If these steps don't work and you have a Thrustmaster joystick, there is a "centering utility" available that can fix this problem. Visit the Thrustmaster web page at http://www.thrustmaster.com. Q: When I am in piggyback observer mode in multiplayer, the display is very jerky! A: Piggyback mode only displays a frame each time you receive a position update packet from the player you are piggybacking. The frequency of update packets determines the speed of the observer piggyback display. Q: Network play is jerky and slow! A: Set packets per second to 5. Try a different type of game: change to peer-to-peer, or change to client-server. Make sure the server is a fast machine that experiences a good frame rate while playing, or try using a dedicated server. If some clients don't have lots of RAM, try playing "The Core" multiplayer level, which is fairly small. (See the Multiplayer Readme.txt file for more information.) Q: The game crashes on my machine! A: If you've found a serious bug, chances are someone else has also found it and we've already fixed it. Use the Auto-Update feature or visit our web site (http://www.outrage.com) to get the latest version. If that doesn't fix it, see the Customer Service and Reporting Bugs sections below. __________________________________ 11. INTERPLAY CUSTOMER SERVICE __________________________________ TROUBLESHOOTING DOCUMENTS ONLINE! Interplay Productions Technical Support now offers troubleshooting guides with complete installation and setup instructions as well as information that will help you overcome the most common difficulties. If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can find these at http://www.interplay.com/support/. Here you will find troubleshooting information on as well as information on regular system maintenance and performance. DirectX http://www.interplay.com/support/directx/ Joysticks http://www.interplay.com/support/joystick/ Modems and Networks http://www.interplay.com/support/modem/ Descent 3 http://www.interplay.com/descent3/ If you have questions about Descent 3, our Technical Support Department can help. Our web site contains up-to-date information on the most common difficulties with our products, and this information is the same as that used by our product support technicians. We keep the product support pages updated on a regular basis, so please check here first for no-wait solutions: http://www.interplay.com/support/ If you are unable to find the information you need on our web site, please feel free to contact Technical Support via e-mail, phone, fax, or letter. Please be sure to include the following information in your e-mail message, fax, or letter: Title of Game Computer manufacturer Operating system (Windows 95, DOS 6.22, etc.) CPU type and speed in MHz Amount of RAM Sound card type and settings (address, IRQ, DMA) Video card CD-ROM Mouse driver and version Joystick and game card (if any) A copy of the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from your hard drive A description of the problem you're having If you need to talk to someone immediately, call us at (949) 553-6678 Monday through Friday between 8:00AM-5:45PM, Pacific Standard Time. 24 hour, 7 days per week support is available through the use of our automated wizard. Please have the above information ready when you call. This will help us answer your question in the shortest possible time. When you call you will initially be connected with our automated wizard. For information pertaining to your specific title, press "1" on the main menu and listen carefully to all prompts. All titles are listed alphabetically. After you have selected your title, the most common difficulties will be listed. If the difficulty you are having is not listed or you need additional assistance, you may press "0" on your games main menu, and you will be transferred to a Technical Support Representative. No hints or codes are available from this line. Interplay Productions Technical Support Voice: (949) 553-6678 Fax: (949) 252-2820 Internet E-mail: support@interplay.com World Wide Web: http://www.interplay.com FTP: ftp.interplay.com Mail: Interplay Productions Technical Support 16815 Von Karman Avenue Irvine, CA 92606 FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE WITHIN THE UK AND EUROPE: Write to: Customer Support Interplay Productions, Ltd. Harleyford Manor Harleyford Henley Road Marlow Buckinghamshire SL7 2DX ENGLAND Voice: +44 (0) 1628 423723 Fax: +44 (0) 1628 487752 Email: Europe@interplay.com Limited Warranty: If within the first ninety days of purchase you have any problems with this product please return it to the retailer. After ninety (90) days, you may return the software program to Interplay Productions, provided the fault is not due to normal wear and tear, and Interplay will mail a replacement to you. To receive a replacement you should enclose the defective medium (including the original product label) in protective packaging accompanied by: 1) A cheque or postal order for 10 pounds sterling (to cover postage and packaging). 2) A brief statement describing the defect. 3) The original receipt or address of the retailer 4) Your return address Registered mail is recommended for returns. Please send to: Warranty Replacements, Interplay Productions Ltd., Harleyford Manor, Harleyford, Henley Road, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 2DX, ENGLAND ______________________ 12. REPORTING BUGS ______________________ If you can't get Descent 3 working on your system, double-check all the wonderfully helpful information in the "Troubleshooting" section, above. If every piece of software works on your computer except for Descent 3, then try Interplay customer service, above. Before reporting a bug, you should make sure you have the latest version of the game, because the bug you've found may already be fixed. Use Descent 3's Auto-Update feature or visit our web site (http://www.outrage.com) to get an update patch if one is available. If you would like to report a bug, send e-mail to d3bugs@outrage.com. In your e-mail, please report the following: 1. What product and version (in this case, "Descent 3 Version 1.0"). The version number is shown in the lower-right corner of the main menu screen. 2. What speed and type of CPU you have (example: "Pentium II at 300MHz") 3. What operating system you have (example: "Windows 98") 4. How much RAM you have (example: 128MB) 5. If this is a multiplayer bug, mention your network configuration and whether you are behind a firewall. 6. List the bug with any information you think is relevant. ___________________ 13. LEGAL STUFF ___________________ SOFTWARE USE LIMITATIONS AND LIMITED LICENSE This version, Descent 3(the "Software"), is intended solely for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use. You may not decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble the Software, except as permitted by law. Interplay Productions and Outrage Entertainment, Inc. retain all rights and title in the Software including all intellectual property rights embodied therein and derivatives thereof. You are granted a revocable, nonassignable limited license to create derivative works of this Software solely for your own personal noncommercial home entertainment use and may publicly display such derivative works to the extent specifically authorized by Interplay in writing. A copy of this authorization, if any, will be provided on Interplay's World Wide Web site, located at http://www.interplay.com, or by contacting the legal department of Interplay Productions in the US at (949) 553-6655. The Software, including, without limitation, all code, data structures, characters, images, sounds, text, screens, game play, derivative works and all other elements of the Software may not be copied (except as provided below), resold, rented, leased, distributed (electronically or otherwise), used on pay-per-play, coin-op or other for-charge basis, or for any commercial purpose. Any permissions granted herein are provided on a temporary basis and can be withdrawn by Interplay Productions at any time. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. Modem and Network Play. If the Software contains modem or network play, you may play the Software via modem transmission with another person or persons directly without transmission through a third party service or indirectly through a third party service only if such service is an authorized licensee of Interplay. For the purposes of this license, a third party service refers to any third party service which provides a connection between two or more users of the Software, manages, organizes, or facilitates game play, translates protocols, or otherwise provides a service which commercially exploits the Software, but does not include a third party service which merely provides a telephonic connection (and nothing more) for modem or network play. Authorized licensee services are listed on the Interplay Productions World Wide Web Site located at http://www.interplay.com. This limited right to transmit the Software expressly excludes any transmission of the Software or any data streams thereof on a commercial basis, including, without limitation, transmitting the Software by way of a commercial service (excepting those specific commercial services licensed by Interplay) which translates the protocols or manages or organizes game play sessions. If you would like information about obtaining a pay-for-play or commercial license to the Software, please contact Interplay Productions in the US at +(949) 553-6655. Nothing in this paragraph is intended to prevent you from downloading the Software from Interplay's Web site or from commercial service providers authorized by Interplay to provide the Software to you. Acceptance of License Terms. By downloading or acquiring and then retaining this Software, you assent to the terms and restrictions of this limited license. If you acquired the Software and do not accept the terms of this limited license, you must return the Software together with all packaging, manuals and other material contained therein to the store where you acquired the Software for a full refund and if you downloaded the Software, you must delete it. Trademark and copyright (c) 1999 Interplay Productions and Outrage Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.