Games PC DESCENT II User Manual

For Windows®95

respective owners.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

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

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DESCENT™I I

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

INSTALLING DESCENT

REQUIRED: IBMTM/ TandyTMor 100% compatible 486-DX50 or faster with 8 Megabytes of RAM (16mb if running under Windows 95

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: Pentium RAM, stereo 16-bit sound card with General MIDI support, a quality joystick and lots of spare time.

SUPPORTS: Microsoft 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.

), hard drive and Windows 95.

Mouse or compatibles. Sound

processor, 16MB

INSTALLING DESCENTTMII

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 instructions.

The Descent II Installer will first play a test movie to

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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 during playback.

After the movie test, the Installer will give you the

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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.

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.

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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

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offered a choice of hard drives to install to and the space free on each.

DESCENT™I I

INSTALLING DESCENTTMII

RUNNING DESCENT

The default subdirectory for the installed files is

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\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” gadget 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 concerning 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.

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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.

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RUNNING DESCENTTMII

RUNNING DESCENT

Movies and Music

Descent II offers full-motion cinematic cutscenes with driving 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 during 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).

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 information.

THE MAIN MENU

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.

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The Main menu offers the following choices:

NEW GAME

Start a new game of Descent II. You may begin on any level you have reached in previous games.

LOAD GAME

Resume a previously saved game. Saved games are stored in your pilot file, so be sure the proper pilot is selected.

MULTIPLAYER

Allows you to start a game of Multiplayer Descent II using a modem, serial cable, or IPX network. See the Multiplayer Games section below.

DESCENT™II

THE MAIN MENU

OPTIONS MENU

OPTIONS

CHANGE PILOTS

VIEW DEMO

HIGH SCORES

CREDITS

QUIT

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.

OPTIONS MENU

FX VOLUME

MIDI MUSIC VOLUME

Changes the volume of sound effects. Changes volume of music played using MIDI

sequences.

CD MUSIC VOLUME

REVERSE STEREO

BRIGHTNESS

CONTROLS

DETAIL LEVELS

SCREEN RESOLUTIONS

CALIBRATE JOYSTICK

TOGGLES

PRIMARY/SECONDARY AUTOSELECT ORDERING

Changes CD volume of music played directly off the Descent II CD.

Allows you to reverse the stereo sound channels. This is sometimes necessary for earphones, 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 hitting <SHIFT> <F7>.

This menu contains several toggle options for Descent II.

These menus allow you to choose the “preferences” 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

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.

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 information.

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.

DETAIL LEVEL MENU

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DETAIL LEVEL MENU

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:

TOGGLES MENU

OBJECT

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.

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.

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:

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.

COMPLEXITY: This affects the number of poly-

ALL DETAIL: This option determines at what distance

ALL RENDER DEPTH: This will change the maximum

In addition to visuals, sound can

These checkbox items control various game settings.

AUTOLEVELING: If this is on, your PyroGX ship will

SHIP 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 cam” view in your secondary weapons display. When a missile is not in the air, the weapons display will work normally. This option is enabled by default, but can be disabled 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 manually.

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.

: When enabled, this will show a “missile

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DESCENT™II

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TOGGLES MENU

KEYS

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.

KEYS

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.

G G G G G G

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Abort game

Help screen

Options

Toggle cockpit on/off

Drop marker

Record demo

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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 format.)

S S S

Cycle left camera view window

Cycle right camera view window

Bring up Guide-Bot Command Menu

through

Rename Guide-Bot

Guide-Bot commands

The following keys are active only during multiplayer games:

Allow player to join restricted game

Toggle between multiplayer HUD displays

Send message

through

DESCENT™II

F12

through

Send Taunt macros

F12

Select team for new player

Define F9-F12 taunt macros

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KEYS

A/A

A A

Options/Controls menu. The defaults are shown here:

Flying controls:

The following keys can be reassigned in the

Toggle display of player names on HUD

Change player name display on HUD

Drop flag (Capture the Flag games only)

Turn left, right

Rotate up, down

Slide

Slide left/right

z q

& e OR( s

Weapons:

Space

b f

Reverse

Bank left

Bank right

Afterburner (with Power–up)

Fire primary

Fire secondary

Drop proximity bomb/smart mine

Fire flare

Drop currently -selected primary weapon

slide

-+ a

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Slide up/down

Forward

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DESCENT™I I

Drop currently-selected secondary weapon

Cycle primary/ secondar y weapons

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KEYS

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

1 Lasers/SuperLasers (used as laser levels

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

Weapon 1 Weapon 2

5 & 6)

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.

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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.

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• [Ctrl-D] Deletes selected marker.

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KEYS

PLAYING DESCENTTMII

The following keys are active when using certain VR

devices. See below for information on using these devices.

A A A A A A

F10

Toggle VictorMaxx mode

Cycle VR resolution

Switch left/right eye displays

Cycle head tracking sensitivity

Cycle headset type

Toggle HUD

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!

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The Guide-Bot

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+ 25 hidden pages