Games PC DESCENT 3 User Manual
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Getting Started……………………………………………….............
Basic Controls………………………………………………...............
Descent 3 Menus
Main Menu…………..……………………………………………
New Game……….….…………………………………………
Load Game…….……..……………………………………..…
Options......…………………………………………………........
Video....……….........................................................…......
Detail Level.....…..………………….………………………........
Sound……......………………………………………….............
General……….....……………………………………….............
Heads-Up-Display (HUD).......………..……………….…..........
Keyboard & Joystick Configuration……....………………..........
Weapon Selection Precedence……......…………………..........
Pilots………………………........……………......….….............
Multiplayer…………….....………………………………...……..
Credits…………......……………………………………….……..
Quit………….....………………………………………..………..
Piloting Your Craft
Instrumentation……………..…………………........................
Controls and Features……..……………………......................
Weapon Selection………..……………………........................
Markers……………………………………….........................
Payload and Supplies
Primary Weapons……………..………...................................
Secondary Weapons…………..………..................................
Countermeasures……………………....................................
Optional Equipment ………………………..............................
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Guide-Bot
Guide-Bot Commands…..………………................................
Guide-Bot Supplies…..…………………................................
TelCom System
Automap…………………………….....................................
Briefings……………………..………..................................
Objectives………………………………….........................
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The Descent Universe
Doors……………………………………...................................
Switches…………………………………..................................
Glass……………………………………...................................
Force Fields……………………………....................................
Energy Centers....................................................................
Materialization Centers…………………..................................
Crates……………………………………..................................
Frag Crates……………………….……….................................
Napalm Barrels…………………………..................................
Multiplayer
General Multiplayer Info….………………................................
Starting a Multiplayer Game………………..............................
Parallax Online…………………….....................................
DirectPlay Modem……………….......................................
DirectPlay Serial…………………......................................
IPX……………………………….........................................
Direct TCP/IP……….........................................................
On-Screen F6 Multiplayer Menu…............................………...
Starting (Hosting) a New Game……...........................……….
Configurable Multiplayer Options…............................………..
Hints and Tips for Multiplayer…….............................………..
Miscellaneous Tactics……………….............................………
Description of Items in On-Screen Menu….........................…
Multiplayer Control Commands…………….............................
Other Multiplayer Features………………............................….
Firewalls and Proxies…………………............................……..
Running a Dedicated Server……….........................………….
Gamespy Support…………….........................………………..
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Credits
Outrage Credits………………….…...........................…………
Interplay Credits………………...........................……………...
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Descent™3
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GETTING STARTED
1. Start Windows® 95, 98 or NT.
2. Insert Disc 1 of Descent™ 3, into your CD ROM drive.
3. When the setup program begins, follow the on screen instructions. If
the program does not autorun, then you can run it by double-clicking on
your ‘My Computer’ icon. Locate and double-click on your CD ROM
drive and then double-click on the file named Descent3AutoRun.exe on
Disc 1.
4. After the game has installed, you can then run it from the Windows
Start button, Program Files menu.
5. The first thing you will see is the launcher. From here you will be able
to run the setup program. The setup program must be run before
playing the game.
6. Click on the setup button within the launcher. Here you will be able
to verify that you have the correct version of Direct X, select a rendering
device, select a sound device, select and calibrate your joystick, set
your default detail level, and other misc. settings. You must select a
rendering device before playing the game.
7. Now click on Play from the launcher, and you will be able to create a pilot
8. Creating a pilot: This will be the first option you are presented with
when starting the game. Just enter your pilot name, and click on the
OK button.
9. You can then configure your pilot settings, or choose from a preset
configuration
10. To start a game, click on “New Game” from the main menu.
11. Training Mission: This will teach you the basics of controlling your ship,
and the basics of dogfighting in Descent 3. You can finish the training
mission, or by-pass it by pressing the ESC key.
12. Once you have finished the Training mission, you will be brought to the
briefing for level 1. You can flip through pages of the briefing by clicking
on the arrows on the bottom right hand corner. When you are done
reading the briefing, click on the Power button at the bottom right hand
side of the screen.
13. Now that you are piloting a ship, you just need to know the basics.
see the next section for the basic controls.
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BASIC CONTROLS
Here is a list of the default basic controls for piloting your ship. Some of
these controls can be reassigned in the option menu under config.
F1 - Press the F1 key at any time to bring up the help screen.
A - Accelerate
Z - Reverse
S - Afterburner
Left - Turn left
Right - Turn Right
Up - Pitch down
Down - Pitch up
ALT - Allows you to strafe/slide while using arrow keys
CTRL - Fires Primary
Spacebar - Fire Secondary
H - Headlight
Tab - Automap
E - Bank right
Q – Bank Left
Pad3 - Slide right
Pad1 - Slide Left
Pad- - Slide up
Pad+ - Slide down
F4 - Call on your Guide Bot.
Shift + Tab - Bring up your mission objectives.
This will be enough to get you started. The rest of the manual and the
reference card can help you with everything else.
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Descent™3
THE MAIN MENU
New Game Start a new single-player game or play from a
previously reached level.
Load Game Resume a previously saved game. Saved games
are stored (in you pilot file), so be sure the proper
file is selected.
View Demo Play a recorded demo file using the F5 key.
Options Adjust the many options in Descent 3
(See Options Menu).
Pilots Change the current pilot file or create a new one.
All control configurations and saved games are stored
in your pilot file.
Multiplayer Join or start a multiplayer Descent 3 game using a
modem, serial cable, LAN or Internet connection.
See the Multiplayer section on page 34.
Credits Check out the developers of Descent 3.
Quit Return to your operating system.
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OPTIONS MENU (After you choose ‘Options’ from the Main Menu)
Video Change video options, such as resolution,
brightness etc.
Details Adjust graphics quality, detail level, and speed.
Sound Adjust sound & music volume and other settings.
General Adjust brightness, resolution, and other graphics-
related options.
HUD Customize what is displayed on your Heads-Up
Display.
Config Configure your keyboard, joystick and/or mouse, as
well as set up weapon precedence.
Done Return to the Main Menu.
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Descent™3
VIDEO MENU
Resolution Lets you switch between 512x384, 640x480,
800x600, 960x720, 1024x768, 1280x960 and
1600x1200 resolution.
Bilinear Turns on a graphics smoothing option supported
Filtering by your 3D video card. Turning this option off
may result in a faster frame rate, but less smooth
textures.
MIP Mapping Turning this option on will improve the look of
textures in the distance and reduce any swimming or
sparkling effects you might see otherwise. However,
MIP mapping will take up extra memory in your
system RAM as well as your 3D video card's texture
RAM, and this may cause a slower frame rate.
VSYNC Enabled If turned off, draws frames as fast as possible, which
may cause monitor tearing or flickering. Leave this off
for maximum performance. If you get tearing or
Pilots Manual
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flickering effects on the screen, try turning it on and
see if you prefer the look.
Adjust Sets the brightness level using your 3D video
Brightness card's brightness/gamma controls.
Bit Depth Increases the amount of color resolution that you
have on screen and helps to eliminate the
banding - dithering effects of fog and lighting.
(Only available under - Direct 3D.)
DETAIL LEVEL SETTINGS
This menu lets you configure various graphical effects. If Descent 3 plays too
slowly on your system, you should turn off some of these graphical effects to
help your system play the game faster.
Level Details This is the first thing to try. Click "Low", "Medium",
"High", or "Highest" to automatically set all the other
items on this menu. To get a higher frame rate in the
game, select a lower setting, continue play, and see
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Descent™3
how you like it. If you are an adventurous technical
person, you can configure the options individually as
listed below.
Terrain Detail Controls the amount of terrain "popping" while
in outside areas. Lower detail settings may
increase your frame rate, but will increase the
amount of terrain "popping" that you see.
Render Depth Controls how far you can see while displaying outdoor
terrain. The higher the render depth, the farther you
can see, but the lower your frame rate.
Object Complexity Controls the detail level of powerup and robot
models. If you set this lower, powerups and robots
will appear with less detail at a distance, and your
frame rate may increase.
Specular Mapping Turns on or off the specular lighting effect. This
affects the shininess of walls and objects when light
reflects from them. Turning this effect off may
improve your frame rate.
Fast Headlight When using your Headlight, the "Fast Headlight"
takes much less CPU time but gives you a less
physically accurate headlight. Turning this option off
gives you a wider headlight that doesn't travel as far,
and is computationally slower.
Mirrored Surfaces Turns on or off the mirrored surfaces in the game. If
on, you can see reflections in the mirrored surfaces.
Dynamic Lighting Turns on and off dynamic lighting made by players,
robots, and weapons. Turning this option off has a
good chance of increasing your frame rate, but may
reduce the amount of light in the level.
Fog Turns fog on and off.
Light Coronas Turns on and off the coronas you see around lights. If
you don't like the look of these, you can turn them off
with this option.
Procedural Textures Lets you see animated procedural textures. If off,
these surfaces will not animate, but you may get a
better frame rate.
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Powerup Halos Turns on and off the light halos around powerups. If
you don't like the look of these, you can turn them off
with this option.
Scorch Marks Toggles the scorch marks that are created by weapon fire.
Weapon Effects Toggles specific effects created by weapons such as
blast rings and laser hits.
SOUND MENU
Sound Volume Sets the volume of all sound in the game.
Music Volume Sets the volume of all the music in the game.
Sound Quality If set to "Low", uses 8-bit sounds that are faster for
your computer to deal with. If set to "High", uses 16bit sounds which may sound better, but take the
computer longer to deal with. When in doubt, Set this
to “Normal”
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Descent™3
GENERAL SETTINGS MENU
Terrain Sets how much your ship tries to level itself while you
Auto-leveling fly around outdoors.
Mine Auto-leveling Sets how much your ship tries to level itself while you
fly inside the mines.
Missile View When you fire a missile that has a camera view, this
option sets the location (None, Left, or Right)
of the view on the HUD.
Mouse If on, the mouse is enabled as a control device. If off,
mouse movement and buttons will do nothing.
Joystick If on, the joystick (or other game controller) is
enabled. If off, the joystick and joystick buttons will
do nothing.
Show Reticle Allows you to play with or without an aiming reticle.
Guided Missile Switches the point of view to the guided missile
View when fired.
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HUD CUSTOMIZATION MENU
This menu allows you to customize your HUD ("Heads-Up Display")
Configuration. You can set each option to "Graphic" (the default), "Text", or
"None" to not display that item. If you find there's too much stuff on the
HUD, try setting all these items to "Text".
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Descent™3
CONFIG MENU
The Keyboard Customization menu and the Joystick and Mouse
Customization menu are virtually identical. You use these menus to change
your keys, joystick buttons, and mouse buttons. To customize, go to the
appropriate menu, click one of the boxes to the right of the function you
want to customize, then press the key or button you'd like to perform that
function. If you would like two different keys to do the same thing, set the
two boxes to the two keys you'd like. For instance, if you want both
(W) and (E) to engage the afterburner, set the two boxes next to
"Afterburner" to (W) and (E).
To clear the keys for an action, click on the (?) next to the action and click
on clear.
To reset all keys to their defaults, click the button "Reset To Defaults”.
The keyboard, joystick, and weapon tabs on the bottom of this screen jump
directly to the keyboard, joystick, and weapon auto-select configuration
menus. Click on exit when you are finished.
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These are the functions on the Keyboard Configuration menu:
Fire Primary Fire your primary weapon. (You start with lasers.)
Fire Secondary Fire your secondary weapon. (You start with
concussion missiles.)
Fire Flare Fire a flare to light up the area.
Cycle Primary Choose a different primary weapon. Each time you
hit this key, you'll cycle among the list of weapons
that you set on the "Weapon Selection Precedence"
screen.
Cycle Secondary Choose a different secondary weapon, cycling among
the list of secondary weapons.
Forward Move your ship forward.
Reverse Move your ship backward.
Afterburner Turn on afterburners for faster speed. Once you use
up your afterburner charge and let go of the
Afterburner key, the Pyro-GL will replenish your
afterburner charge by using energy.
Toggle Slide While this key is held down, the Turn keys will instead
cause you to slide left, right, up and down.
Slide Left Slide the ship to the left.
Slide Right Slide the ship to the right.
Slide Up Slide the ship up.
Slide Down Slide the ship down.
Pitch Up Pitch the ship upward.
Pitch Down Pitch the ship downward.
Turn Left Turn the ship left.
Turn Right Turn the ship right.
Toggle Bank While this key is held down, the Turn keys will
instead cause you to bank left and right.
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Descent™3
Headlight Turn on your ships’ headlight to light up the area
ahead of you. There are two headlights you can
configure; one may slow down your frame rate but
project a wider headlight that doesn't travel as far.
You can turn the fast headlight on and off in the
"Detail Level Settings" menu.
Rear View Hold down to see behind you.
Automap Bring up your Automap.
Prev Inv item Cycle to your previously available Inventory item.
Next Inv item Cycle to your next available Inventory item.
Use Inv item Use your available Inventory Item.
Prev Cntr Meas Cycle to your previously available Countermeasure.
Next Cntr Meas Cycle to your next available Countermeasure.
Use Cntr Meas Use the Countermeasure you have readied.
The Joystick and Mouse Customization menu includes all these options plus
several commands that can be defined by an axis. To define an axis for one
of the following actions, click the box next to action, then just move the
control along the axis. For instance, if you want the throttle to be controlled
by moving the mouse's Y axis, click the box next to "Throttle", then move the
mouse vertically. You can invert the control of the action by clicking on the
(?) next to the action then select Yes or No to invert the axis.
Throttle The axis for moving forward and backward.
Pitch The axis for pitching up and down.
Heading The axis for turning left and right.
Bank The axis for banking (the yaw of the ship).
Slide Vertical The axis for sliding up and down.
Slide Horizontal The axis for sliding left and right.
Pilots Manual
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WEAPON SELECTION PRECEDENCE MENU
This menu lets you configure how your ship switches between weapons when
(a) you hit the "Cycle Primary" or "Cycle Secondary" keys to cycle through
your weapons; (b) when you run out of ammo with one weapon and the ship
switches to another; and (c) when you pick up a new weapon.
To configure the weapons' priorities, click on one weapon and a window will
appear to allow you to select another weapon to have them switch places.
Items at the top of the column have the lowest priority.
For instance, if you want Homing Missiles to have priority over Frag Missiles,
click "Homing" and then click "Frag", so that "Frag" is listed higher in the
column than "Homing". This sets Frag to have lower priority. Now, if you
have Frag Missiles armed and you run across your first Homing Missile, you
will auto-switch to the Homing Missile. If you had set Homing Missiles to be
lower priority, then running across your first Homing Missile would not trigger
an auto-switch. To disable a weapon entirely from your weapon selection
press the TAB corresponding to the weapons name.
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Descent™3
PILOTS MENU
You can define several different pilots in Descent 3. This allows multiple
people to play the same copy of the game while maintaining their own
statistics and settings as well as their unique keyboard, joystick, and mouse
custom controls.
After clicking PILOTS from the main menu, the Choose Pilots screen
appears, listing all pilots and giving you four options:
Pilots Click a pilot in the list then click Select to make that
pilot active when you play a new game.
Add Add a new pilot to the list.
Delete Click a pilot in the list then click Delete to remove
that pilot.
Configure Click a pilot in the list then click Configure to
customize The keyboard, joystick, and mouse controls
for that pilot. Click Configure Ship to customize that
pilot's audio taunts and logo displayed on the ships
wing (You can import your own .WAV files as audio
taunts and .PCX and .TGA files as logos on this
screen as well). From the Configure screen, you can
also set the difficulty level from Trainee to Insane for
each pilot. The Training level features easier robot
enemies.
Profanity Filter Use this toggle to block any text profanity from
appearing while in a multiplayer game.
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MULTIPLAYER MENU
See the Multiplayer section later in this manual for all information on the
multiplayer menu options, and on how to play a game in general.
CREDITS MENU
Shows you the Developers of this great game.
QUIT
Quits the game and returns you to your desktop.
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Descent™3
PILOTING YOUR CRAFT
This flight manual will provide you with the basic information to get you up
and running and familiarize yourself with your new craft.
INSTRUMENTATION
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5
1
2
9
12
13
14
6
10
11
3
1. Indicates that the Guide-bot is currently located within the ship.
2. Current inventory item appears here.
3. Score
4. Reticle
5. Current Energy Number Increment
6. Current Afterburner Number Increment
7. Current Shield Number Increment
8. Countermeasure Display
9. Primary Weapon Display
10. Secondary Weapon Display
11. Visual Afterburner Status
12. Visual Energy Status
13. Visual Shield Status
14. Ship Status used to indicate Invulnerability or Cloaking.
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CONTROLS AND FEATURES
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.
Default
Key Action
Key Action
A Accelerate
Z Reverse
S Afterburner
Left Turn left
Right Turn right
Up Pitch down
Down Pitch up
Shift-Tab Show the level briefing
Ctrl Fire primary weapon
Space Fire secondary weapon
F Flare
H Headlight
R Rear view
Tab Automap
Q Bank left
E Bank right
Pad1 Slide left
Pad3 Slide right
Pad- Slide up
Pad+ Slide down
Alt Slide sideways while
using arrow keys
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
- Shrink screen
+ Enlarge screen
Print
Scrn Take a screenshot
(saved in .TGA format)
[ Cycle inventory item forward
] Cycle inventory item Back
\ Use inventory item
Shift F1 or
Shift F2 Will display a rear view in the HUD
Inventory
The inventory system is your on-board inventory and counter measures
itemizer. The inventory stores your counter measures (Gunboys, etc) so that
they are ready for release. It also keeps track of any mission critical items
you may find along your way. To use an item from your inventory, cycle
through to the item you want to use and then activate it with the use
key/button.
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Descent™3
WEAPON SELECTION
PRIMARY
KEY WEAPON 1 WEAPON 2
1 Laser Super Laser
2 Vauss Cannon Mass Driver
3 Napalm Cannon Microwave Cannon
4 Plasma Cannon EMD Gun
5 Fusion Cannon Omega Cannon
SECONDARY
KEY WEAPON 1 WEAPON 2
6 Concussion Missile Frag Missile
7 Homing Missile Guided Missile
8 Impact Mortar Missile Napalm Rocket
9 Smart Missile Cyclone Missile
0 Mega Missile Black Shark Missile
Enter Drop currently selected countermeasure (main keyboard Enter key,
not numpad).
MARKERS
Markers may be dropped at any point within a mission to help flag an area
as already being explored. To drop a marker, press the F12 key. You will then
be prompted to enter a brief line of text to be associated with this marker.
Hit ENTER when done with your message. Whenever you (or another player)
flies over the marker, that marker’s message will be displayed on your HUD.
A total of 8 markers may be dropped in a single player game.
In multiplayer games, each player may drop up to 2 markers. You can also
use the Shift-F1 and Shift-F2 keys to select camera views from your
markers
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PAYLOAD AND SUPPLIES
PRIMARY WEAPONS:
Laser Cannon:
Standard issue for the modern zero-gravity fighter
jock, your Laser Cannons are always there when
you need 'em. Small, but powerful, these twin
turbo-lasers are all that stand between you and the
unknown in the mines ahead. Use them with
respect, and you may just come out of your next
mission--alive.
Super Laser:
If blasting through hordes of robotic foes is your
line of work, then the enhanced firepower of the
Super Laser is the tool to get the job done. A
high-intensity weapon built for high-intensity
combat--the trigger and your finger are sure to
become close friends.
Vauss Cannon:
The new high-tech hybrid Vauss Cannon combines
the street-sweeping fire rate of a well-oiled chain
gun, with the high-caliber punch of a heavy artillery
cannon. Take aim and trigger a burst of hot lead,
and get ready to mow down waves of deadly
drones in a hail of tracer-fire like never before.
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Mass Driver:
Built with the sniper in mind, the powerful new
Mass Driver's telescopic range finder zooms in for
the kill while keeping you out of harms way. But
fire every round like it is your last--you may only
get that one perfect shot.
Napalm Cannon:
Blaze a path through the mechanized minions with
a searing new close-quarters incendiary weapon-the Napalm Cannon. Fuel your inner pyromaniac
as burning robots collide, ignite and explode--now
you're playing with fire.
Descent™3
EMD Gun:
Harness the arcing electro-magnetic energy of the
sizzling new EMD Gun. Watch as your enemies
dive and roll from the sudden strike of this supercharged hunter-killer. The tactical advantage of a
rechargeable homing weapon, without the
advanced warning--they'll never know what hit them.
Microwave Cannon:
Torture your adversaries with the scorching effects
of the wicked new Microwave Cannon. Fire superheated waves of energy into armies of crazed
machines and watch armor-plating buckle, hulls
bursting as they explode into vapor. The latest
device in an arsenal built for annihilation, this one
will make them squirm.
Plasma Cannon:
Preferred weapon of vicious shock troops, the
vintage Plasma Cannon serves up rapid-fire volleys
of accelerated plasma particles with deadly
accuracy. Pummel your opponents in a relentless
rain of damage with every twitch--score hit after hit
while the enemy cringes--for maximum mayhem,
there's no alternative to the Plasma.
Fusion Cannon:
The ultimate over-kill assault weapon, the mighty
battle-scarred Fusion Cannon is back for another
tour of duty. Charged-up 'til near bursting with
great big globs of purple anti-matter, this charming
challenger draws in daredevil dogfighters like
moths to a flame—Fusion Power.
Omega Cannon:
All the power of the original weapon, but with
cruelly advanced hardware developed with
formidable functionality. Peel away a robots
defense shields with devastating new energydraining capabilities, and give your own shields a
healthy boost. Losers everywhere learn the hard
way--this weapon totally sucks!
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SECONDARY WEAPONS:
Concussion Missile:
A devoted comrade in any firefight, the Concussion
Missile hurls a high-explosive warhead into the
enemy positions with deadly results. Crude, but
effective, this standard rocket attack will never let
you down.
Frag Missile:
Scour the enemy defenses from the mines with the
stinging flak of the chaotic new Frag Missile.
Campers beware, whether hiding around the corner
or waiting in a darkened corridor, there is no
escaping the shrapnel fury of the Frag.
Homing Missile:
Lock on target with the veteran dogfighter’s
weapon of choice—the Homing Missile. Sleek and
stylish, this magnificent infra-red tracking missile
can fly circles around all but the most agile
adversaries, and can down bogies with unmatched
reliability.
Guided Missile:
Stealthy brother to the Homing Missile, the
remote-piloted Guided Missile puts the flight
control in your hands. Steer this silent assassin
over mountain peaks and through twisting caverns
to attack your foes with the ultimate tactical
advantage—surprise.
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Impact Mortar:
The closest thing in your arsenal to a heavy bomb,
the new Impact Mortar is a gravity propelled highexplosive device designed to scratch that hard-toreach itch and reduce ground forces to a
smoldering crater. Send this baby tumbling down a
mineshaft for a tremendous blast that’s as fun to
use as it is functional.
Descent™3
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