Games PC DESCENT II User Manual

Name: Games PC DESCENT II
Brand: Games PC
SKU: 1119338
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

5 (2)

respective owners.

For Windows

INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

INSTALLING DESCENT II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

RUNNING DESCENT II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Movies and Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

THE MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

OPTIONS MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

CONTROLS MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

DETAIL LEVEL MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

TOGGLES MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Weapon Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Other Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Automap Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

PLAYING DESCENT II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Robots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The Guide-Bot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Powerups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Control Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Main Reactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Hostages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The Automap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Secret Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Energy Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Force Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Robot Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Cockpit and HUD Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Missile Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Camera Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Cockpit View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Rear View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

DEMOS & SCREENSHOTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Using Special Joysticks & Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

VR Headset Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

MULTIPLAYER GAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

IPX Network Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Team Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Joining Netgame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Rejoining Netgame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

TROUBLESHOOTING &

COMMON PROBLEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

General Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Modem/Serial Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Netgame Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS

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REQUIRED: IBM

/ Tandy

or 100% compatible 486-DX50 or

faster with 8 Megabytes of RAM (16mb if running under

Windows 95

), hard drive and Windows 95.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: Pentium

processor, 16MB

RAM, stereo 16-bit sound card with General MIDI support, a

quality joystick and lots of spare time.

SUPPORTS: Microsoft

Mouse or compatibles. Sound

Cards: Sound Blaster (Pro, 16, AWE32) and compatibles, Media

Vision Pro-Audio Spectrum (Plus, 16, and Studio), Gravis

Ultrasound/Max, Roland SCC-1 (MIDI Music Only). 1 or 2

Joysticks supported as well as ThrustMaster

WCS/FCS/FLCS/TQS, Gravis Game Pad/Phoenix, Logitech

Cyberman/Wingman Extreme, CH Flightstick Pro/Throttle,

Microsoft SideWinder Pro. VR support: Forte VFX-1,

CyberMaxx, Virtual I/O i-glasses and 3D Max.

For best results, do not run under Microsoft Windows 3.x. If

you wish to run under Microsoft Windows 3.x, please refer to

the README.TXT file in your Descent II directory for instruc-

tions.

From Windows 95:

Insert your Descent II CD into your CD-ROM drive, and

click on the Install gadget on the Autorun dialog box that

pops up. Or, click on the Install icon on the CD.

•

The Descent II Installer will first play a test movie to

determine the abilities of your system. When the test is

completed, it will suggest either High or Low resolution

movies.

WARNING: If you choose High resolution movies

when the Installer has recommended Low, you will

probably experience sound and video problems dur-

ing playback.

•

After the movie test, the Installer will give you the

choice of several install options, and the disk space

required based on your movie resolution. These options

are:

•• SMALL - Copies only a bare minimum to your hard

drive. There will be longer delays starting

Descent II and between levels using this install.

•• MEDIUM - Copies all game-related data to the hard

drive, leaving the cinematics on the CD. This is the

recommended level of installation.

•• LARGE - Copies all game-related data and level

cinematics to the hard drive. The intro and

endgame movies remain on the CD.

•• CRAZY - The mega-install! All game files and cine-

matics are installed to your hard drive. Note: the

Descent II CD will still be required at game start-up.

NOTE: If the installer recommends Low-resolution

movies, you may try switching to High resolution

and using Large or Crazy install. This will install the

movie files to your hard drive, which may improve

the movie playback to an acceptable level.

•

Once you have chosen an install size, you will be

offered a choice of hard drives to install to and the

space free on each.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

INSTALLING DESCENT

INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS

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•

The default subdirectory for the installed files is

\GAMES\DESCENT2 on the chosen drive. You can

change the sub–directory name by entering a new

name in place of this.

From Windows 95:

If you’re running Descent II from Windows 95, double-click

on the Descent II icon, or click on the “Run Descent II” gad-

get on the Autorun menu that appears when you first insert

your Descent II CD.

Descent II will start and play the introductory movie. The

movie gives background information and narrative concern-

ing events following the conclusion of Descent 1: First

Strike.

NOTE: If the intro movie appears “jerky” or the

sound skips, consult the Troubleshooting section

near the back of this manual for help.

If this is the first time you’ve started Descent II, you’ll be

asked to enter your pilot name. This name is used to save

your settings and to identify yourself during multiplayer

games.

You will then be asked to choose an input device. Use the

up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to move the

highlight and then press <Enter> to select the highlighted

option.

You will now be at Descent II’s Main Menu.

To jump right into the game, press <ENTER> to select New

Game and choose a skill level (Rookie is recommended for

first–time players). After a short movie you will be given a

briefing from PTMC and find yourself in Level 1.

INSTALLING DESCENT

RUNNING DESCENT

INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS

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Movies and Music

Descent II offers full-motion cinematic cutscenes with dri-

ving digital soundtracks. They can be displayed in 640x480

VESA, or 320x200 (see install notes at the start of the manual).

Based on the install tests, it should suggest which resolution is

best for your system. If you experience playback problems dur-

ing these movies, consult the Troubleshooting section near the

back of this manual.

Descent II also has redbook music tracks, featuring original

tracks from Ogre (of Skinny Puppy), Type O Negative, and

other artists. The redbook songs are essentially regular audio

CD tracks stored on your Descent II disc, and can be played

with any CD player.

If you have difficulties getting the redbook tracks to play

during Descent II, contact Interplay Technical Support (714-553-

6678).

Menus

Use the arrow keys to move around menus in Descent II.

Unless otherwise noted, hitting <ESC> will accept the current

menu’s settings and return to the previous one. Some menus

contain checkboxes and radio-type switches that can be toggled

by hitting <SPACEBAR>. Slider-type items are changed used

the left and right arrow.

When in the game, you can hit the <F1> key to bring up a

list of keyboard commands. Hitting <F2> from the game will

bring up the Game Options menu. Certain menus have special

control keys; see the descriptions of those menus for more infor-

mation.

The Main menu offers the following choices:

NEW GAME

LOAD GAME

MULTIPLAYER

RUNNING DESCENT

Start a new game of Descent II. You may

begin on any level you have reached in pre-

vious games.

Resume a previously saved game. Saved

games are stored in your pilot file, so be

sure the proper pilot is selected.

Allows you to start a game of Multiplayer

Descent II using a modem, serial cable, or

IPX network. See the Multiplayer Games

section below.

THE MAIN MENU

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CD MUSIC VOLUME

REVERSE STEREO

BRIGHTNESS

CONTROLS

DETAIL LEVELS

SCREEN RESOLUTIONS

CALIBRATE JOYSTICK

TOGGLES

PRIMARY/SECONDARY

AUTOSELECT ORDERING

OPTIONS MENU

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OPTIONS

CHANGE PILOTS

VIEW DEMO

HIGH SCORES

CREDITS

QUIT

FX VOLUME

MIDI MUSIC VOLUME

THE MAIN MENU

Takes you to the Options Menu (see below).

Allows you to change the current pilot or cre-

ate a new one. All control configurations and

saved games are stored in your pilot file.

Lets you play a recorded demo file.

See Descent II High Scores.

See the list of people who created Descent II.

This will return you to DOS/Win95.

Changes the volume of sound effects.

Changes volume of music played using MIDI

sequences.

OPTIONS MENU

Changes CD volume of music played directly

off the Descent II CD.

Allows you to reverse the stereo sound chan-

nels. This is sometimes necessary for ear-

phones, speakers, or extension cables that

are wired incorrectly.

Some monitors are darker than others. If you

have trouble seeing details on your game

screen, try adjusting this slider. This will not

affect the movie playback.

Takes you to the Controls Menu (see below).

Allows you to adjust the Detail Levels of

Descent II (see below)

Allows you to change the screen resolution

used. For resolutions above 320x400, we

strongly recommend a Pentium (or better)

system.

If your joystick drifts, you probably need to

calibrate it. Also available in the game by hit-

ting <SHIFT> <F7>.

This menu contains several toggle options for

Descent II.

These menus allow you to choose the “prefer-

ences” of your weapon Autoselection. When

you pick up a weapon in the game, it will be

selected if it appears higher on the list than

the weapon you are currently using.

Weapons appearing below the “Never

Autoselect” line will not be autoselected, and

must be manually selected. To move the

position of an item in the list, use the arrows

to select that item, then hold down the SHIFT

key and use the arrows to move the item.

Release SHIFT when the item is in the

desired position.

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CONTROLS MENU

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CONTROLS MENU

Select the device you plan to use by pressing <SPACE>.

After choosing your device, you can select the Customize

Above option to change the function of the various buttons and

other controls on that device. Note that your keyboard will

always be available. To reassign key functionality, choose the

Customize Keyboard option.

If you have a Thrustmaster WCS, Gravis Phoenix, or other

programmable device, see the README.TXT for more informa-

tion.

To change an entry in the Customize Above or Customize

Keyboard menus, select the function you want to change, and

press ENTER. Then press the key or button you want to assign

to that function. For axis entries, press ENTER, then move the

new joystick axis.

Use this menu to select and configure your input device.

Supported devices are keyboard, mouse, and joystick. Various

enhanced joysticks have their own items. All changes are saved

to your player file for future use.

DETAIL LEVEL MENU

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These checkbox items control various game settings.

SHIP

AUTOLEVELING: If this is on, your PyroGX ship will

attempt to align itself with the curvature of the mine tunnels.

This is useful for first-time Descent II players, but may be

turned off once you’re accustomed to full 3D flight.

SHOW RETICLE: Allows you to turn the targeting reticle

display on or off.

MISSILE VIEW

: When enabled, this will show a “missile

cam” view in your secondary weapons display. When a

missile is not in the air, the weapons display will work nor-

mally. This option is enabled by default, but can be dis-

abled for a small increase in game speed.

HEADLIGHT ON WHEN PICKED UP: When this option is

checked, your headlight will default to ON when the

powerup is picked up. You may then turn it on or off manu-

ally.

SHOW GUIDED MISSILE IN MAIN DISPLAY: If enabled,

this will show the guided missile view in the main display

(showing your ship’s view in the small window). If disabled,

the guided missile view will show in a small window.

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Select one of the five detail level settings. Lower settings

will give faster screen updates in the game; higher settings will

give better graphics quality.

You may also chose the Custom Settings option. There are

six different settings you can adjust in the Custom Details

menu:

OBJECT

COMPLEXITY: This affects the number of poly-

gons used by objects like robots, player ships, and other 3D

objects. Lower values will increase speed but simplify the

shape of many objects.

OBJECT DETAIL: This determines at what distance an

object changes from flatshaded to texture-mapped details.

Setting this slider to a lower value will cause robots to be

flat-shaded much closer.

ALL DETAIL: This option determines at what distance

walls appear flat-shaded vs. texture-mapped. It also affects

the accuracy vs. speed of the texture mapper. A low setting

here can cause walls to become jittery and/or warped-look-

ing.

ALL RENDER DEPTH: This will change the maximum

distance you can see. Lower values will increase the speed

of Descent, but will cause flat-colored “walls” to appear in

long hallways. These boundaries do not affect weapons or

their objects, only your visuals.

AMOUNT OF DEBRIS: Changing this slider will determine

how much debris is made when robots explode. Setting this

to a low value will make fewer pieces in heavy combat.

SOUND CHANNELS:

In addition to visuals, sound can

have a minor effect on the speed of your game as well. This

slider will change the maximum number of sounds that can

be played at once.

DETAIL LEVEL MENU

TOGGLES MENU

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Cycle left camera view window

Cycle right camera view window

Bring up Guide-Bot Command Menu

Guide-Bot commands

Rename Guide-Bot

The following keys are active only during multiplayer games:

Allow player to join restricted game

Toggle between multiplayer HUD displays

Send message

through

Send Taunt macros

through

Define F9-F12

taunt macros

Select team for new player

KEYS

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ESCORT ROBOT HOT KEYS: When this is turned on, you

may command the Guide-Bot using the <SHIFT> -1 through

<SHIFT>-0 hot keys instead of selecting a command from

the Guide-Bot menu.

This section describes keys that are active during game

play. Many of the keys can be reconfigured in the

Options/Controls/Customize Keyboard screen.

For information of key usage in menus, see above.

Abort game

Help screen

Options

Toggle cockpit

on/off

Drop marker

Record demo

TOGGLES MENU

KEYS

Calibrate joystick

Save game

Load saved game

Pauses the game in

single-player games.

In multiplayer games,

this will display a

game info screen.

Change window size

Save screen shot.

(Saved in PCX for-

mat.)

through

F12

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Reverse

Bank left

(

Bank right

Afterburner (with Power–up)

Weapons:

Fire primary

Fire secondary

Drop proximity bomb/smart mine

Fire flare

Drop currently -selected primary weapon

KEYS

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Toggle display of player

names on HUD

Change player name display on HUD

Drop flag (Capture the Flag

games only)

The following keys can be reassigned in the

Options/Controls menu. The defaults are shown here:

Flying controls:

Turn left, right

Rotate up, down

Slide

Slide left/right

Slide up/down

Forward

KEYS

slide

Drop currently-selected secondary

weapon

Cycle primary/ secondar y weapons

Space

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Other Keys:

Select rear view

Transfer energy to

shield– only wor ks

if Energy > 100

Toggle headlight

on/off, if player has

the Headlight power-up

Automap

Automap controls:

• To rotate the Map, use the ship turning keys.

• To move the Map, use the ship sliding keys.

• To move in and out of the Map, use the forward/reverse

keys.

• To show more or less of the Map, use + or - keys.

• To reset the default Map view, use the primary weapon

firing key.

• 1-9 selects marker.

• [Ctrl-D] Deletes selected marker.

KEYS

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Weapon Selection:

Each selection key will switch between the two weapons

assigned to that key. Descent II will remember which of the two

weapons you last selected, and will return to that one when you

return to that entry.

Key

Weapon 1 Weapon 2

1 Lasers/SuperLasers (used as laser levels

5 & 6)

2 Vulcan Cannon Gauss Cannon

3 Spreadfire Cannon Helix Cannon

4 Plasma Cannon Phoenix Cannon

5 Fusion Cannon Omega Cannon

6 Concussion Missile Flash Missile

7 Homing Missile Guided Missile

8 Proximity Bomb Smart Mine

9 Smart Missile Mercury Missile

0 Mega Missile EarthShaker Missile

[

,] Cycle primary weapon

[.] Cycle secondary weapon

NOTE: The two cycle keys will select the next available

weapon of that type. The order of the list can be changed

under the new Options/Autoselect Ordering menus.

KEYS

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Following is a description of the features and gameplay

options in Descent II.

When you play Descent II, you find yourself thrown into

alien worlds populated by deranged robots, determined to

destroy you. It is your mission to fight through the robot hordes

to each mine’s Main Reactor. Destroying this reactor and

escaping is your primary mission!

In the following you’ll find brief descriptions of the robots,

weapons, powerups, obstacles, and other challenges you’ll

encounter on the way.

Robots

The mines in Descent II are populated with a dizzying array

of robots, nearly all bent on destroying you. They will use a

variety of weapons and defenses against you, and use them

with varying amounts of intelligence. Some will charge you

directly, others will hide or attempt rear attacks. Some robots

will carry weapons you can use, and will drop these when you

destroy them, as well as other powerups. Some will even steal

your weapons from you!

The Guide-Bot

PLAYING DESCENT

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The following keys are active when using certain VR

devices. See below for information on using these devices.

Toggle VictorMaxx mode

Cycle VR resolution

Switch left/right eye displays

Cycle head tracking sensitivity

Cycle headset type

Toggle HUD

KEYS

F10

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