Descent

1994-Dec
 1995-Mar
 1996
 1997
 The first game in the series, DESCENT: First Strike, features 30 levels, including 3 secret levels; the shareware release contains the first 7 levels.  It has modem, serial, and LAN netgame support, as well as many options for graphics and sound (e.g., the CD-ROM version has a "-640x480" command-line switch for high resolution gameplay).  Joysticks including the MS Sidewinder, CH Flightstick Pro, Logitech Wingman Extreme and Gravis Gamepad, as well as the standard mouse, are supported.  It also seems to have virtual reality headset support, but I've never seen one, nor do I know where to find one.

 Minimum System
IBM/compatible running DOS 5.0+, 386/33+, 4MB+ RAM, hard disk
486/66+, 8MB+ RAM, SoundBlaster or compatible sound card with General MIDI
7MB (shareware) / 16MB (CD-ROM)
 Network Game Support
**Requirements:**Null modem cable (for serial play); 9600+ baud modem and ISP (for Internet play), or network card and an IPX-compatible network driver (for LAN play).
Notes:
**•** For IPX netgames in Win9x, simply installing Microsoft's IPX/SPX protocol does the job; if you want to run DESCENT in DOS mode instead of Win9x, once in real-mode type "net start nwlink" at the command prompt to enable IPX.  (I believe Windows for Workgroups 3.1x also supports this command.)
**•** For DOS 6.22 and earlier, IPX support is a bit more complicated; you need a minimum of three drivers to create the IPX "stack"—LSL.COM, IPXODI.COM, and a DOS driver for your network card.  I'm not sure exactly where to get them, but searching Google for "ipx dos" should help.
**•** DOSBox, of course, has its own IPX support built-in, so you might want to go that way instead of hassling with ancient network drivers and hardware to run the game.
 Where to Find It
**Shareware:**  Piece of cake; RGB Classic Games has versions 1.1-1.4 (just download 1.4).
**Full Version (CD-ROM):**  You're not likely to find it in an actual brick-and-mortar retailer unless you're lucky enough to know a place that sells old used software.
Some places to look online:
**•** You can search for "descent pc cdrom" or similar on eBay (I bought a copy there) or other online merchants like Amazon.com; the same search should return hits for DESCENT II as well.  If you're lucky, you'll find one with the manual included.
 Playing under DOSBoxDESCENT works well under DOSBox, as of version 0.73; both the shareware and CD-ROM/GOG versions are supported.
**•** I usually use a CPU setting of core=dynamic and cycles=max, with EMS enabled.  However, YMMV depending on the speed of your computer.
**• Using DOSBox IPX:**  In an IPX game using DOSBox, one computer on the network needs to be the server and all others to be clients.  On the server computer you would type "IPXNET STARTSERVER", then run DESCENT and host the game.  Clients would type "IPXNET CONNECT <hostname or IP of server>", then run DESCENT and join the game.  For more information, read the DOSBox documentation.

 OS's Supported
Windows XP/Vista/7 (32- and 64-bit), Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, any POSIX-compatible OS (build from source)
The original game's data files: DESCENT.HOG and DESCENT.PIG; these can be from the shareware, CD-ROM, or GOG versions; an OpenGL-capable graphics card.
 Features

 Macintosh PPCNearly identical to the DOS versions; requires a Macintosh PowerPC with Mac OS 7 or later.  (I do not know if it will run in OS X Classic Mode, but I doubt it would work well if it did.)  The CD-ROM version (distributed by MacPlay) requires the CD to run, as it uses Redbook audio, like DESCENT II.
**Notes:**
**•** I have yet to find a key layout on the Mac that suits my style of play; complicating matters is the fact that it's a PowerBook, and thus has a slightly different KB layout to begin with.
**•** With OS 8.5, USB support, and GameSprockets (or an actual gameport, if there is such a thing for Mac), you might be able to get a USB joystick to work, but I haven't tried yet.
**•**With third-party software such as MacIPX, you can play netgames between Macs, or (I suppose) other IPX-connected computers.
 Sony Playstation (PSX)Despite my classic gaming background, I don't have a Playstation 1 (or PSX, if you prefer), nor do I have plans to find one used, as I already have 4 old Nintendo systems to juggle (SNES, N64, GC, and GBA); nevertheless, I was slightly intrigued when I read that a version of DESCENT was made for the Playstation.  From what I've read, it's the same as the DOS version.
**Availability:**  I suggest checking eBay or Amazon.com; you might be able to find it.

#### LEGAL STUFF:

The beveled panels, buttons, and page design are ©2011 Thomas Keith / Insectoid.
The fonts for the banners and dark grey sidebar buttons are TrueType versions of the fonts from DESCENT II; ©1997 Harald Koenigsperger (Wild Style GraphX).
DESCENT is a registered trademark of Interplay Productions.
DESCENT, DESCENT II, and all related content and images are ©1995, 1996 Parallax Software Corporation.
DXX-Rebirth and D1X-Rebirth are ©Christian Beckhaeuser.
All other copyrights and trademarks are property of their respective owners.

31 Aug 2012
©2012 TK