Descent (computer game)

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Descent
Descent-logo.svg
Studio Parallax software
Publisher Interplay Productions
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 1995
platform Linux , MS-DOS , Mac OS , PlayStation , Acorn Archimedes
Game engine Segment (cube) based
genre Ego shooter
Game mode Single player , multiplayer
control Keyboard / mouse , joystick , game controller
system advantages
preconditions		 IBM / Tandy or 100% compatible 386-33 or faster, 4 MB RAM, DOS 5.0 or newer
medium CD-ROM , 3.5 " floppy disks , download
Age rating
USK released from 12

Descent is a computer game released in 1995. It is the first in the Descent series . Descent was developed by Parallax Software and distributed by Interplay Entertainment . The game was designed for DOS , but also appeared for the PlayStation . While on the PC under Windows 95 / 98 could be played more easily, this was achieved with later versions of Windows sometimes only with technical tricks. Since the source code has now been published, there are Linux versions of the game as well as a modification that enables Descent to be played over OpenGL and thus to use the accelerated graphics card drivers.

action

Aliens have taken control of the Post-Terran Mining Corporation (PTMC) mining robots in their mines on the moon and the planets of our solar system. The few human employees were captured or killed. It is the player's task as the mercenary Material Defender to clear the mines of the robots, to free the prisoners and to destroy the main reactors of the mines.

Gameplay

The game consists of 27 levels , each representing a mine, and three secret levels, which can be reached through hidden exit doors. The player begins at a fixed starting point behind a stylized entrance door. The mandatory goal is to destroy the reactor or boss of the mine and then - before the countdown has expired - to escape from the mine through the emergency exit. In order to reach the reactor, several keys usually have to be collected in different areas.

Furthermore, the player is instructed to free the hostages by picking them up and leaving the mine safely, which is rewarded with a lot of points.

If the player dies, he loses a life and can continue at the starting point. However, his equipment and previously rescued hostages are lost. Weapons and powerups that are left behind when the spaceship is destroyed can, however, be picked up again.

Weapons and powerups

The player starts with the Laser Cannon Level 1, the standard weapon, and some ballistic missiles. In the course of the game he can pick up additional cannons and projectiles as well as powerups, which fill up the shields and energy, upgrade the laser or make the player invulnerable or invisible for a short time. The five primary weapons differ considerably and have strengths and weaknesses depending on the situation. The secondary weapons are missiles of various strengths with and without target direction finding function and mines. In addition, the player has flares available to light up dark rooms.

opponent

The opponents represent the degenerate robots. For the most part, they use the same weapons as the player. Some also attack with blades. You are capable of some tactical behaviors, such as: B. Dodging bullets or lurking around corners. At higher difficulty levels they primarily fire larger volleys and become more agile. The reactor is a stationary object that also fires at the player. The bosses are particularly large one-off robots with powerful weapons that can teleport and produce small enemies.

Multiplayer

Two players could play via modem or up to eight players in the network using the IPX protocol. Games over the Internet were made possible by additional programs such as KALI or KAHN. Descent offers the game modes cooperative (maximum of four players), anarchy ( deathmatch , everyone against everyone) and team anarchy (two teams).

technology

Full freedom of movement (360 degrees), even if only within the limited space of mine tunnels and chambers, high speed and groundbreaking graphic features made Descent a milestone in the era of three-dimensional computer games. Many events were controlled by hidden switches and, once triggered, took place independently of the player's actions. In Descent, for example, there were numerous places where robots penetrated the wall and attacked as soon as the player moved past a defined point. Unlike in comparable games at the time, such as Doom , the opponents were not just two-dimensional sprites, but three-dimensional objects, which made them look much more realistic. The control of the enemy robots was sophisticated and superior to other games in this genre. Nevertheless - or maybe because of it - Descent was only left with a niche existence compared to the popular 3D shooters, in which one moved along two axes, with a comparatively small number of fans who deal with the disorienting freedom of movement and the correspondingly more complex controls knew.

Differences between the PC and console version

Thanks to the superior technology of the PlayStation at the time and the large capacity of the data carriers used, it was possible to integrate videos into the PlayStation version that were missing in the PC version, as well as for the PlayStation and Macintosh versions Studio music is used while the PC is using MIDI music.

reception

reviews
publication Rating
DOS PS
Fun generation k. A. 9/10
Mega fun k. A. 71%
Next level k. A. 85%
PC joker 81% k. A.
Power play 81% k. A.
Video games k. A. 84%

Descent was largely received positively by the trade press and players, for example it achieved a “super” rating with 81% points in the Power Play Review 3/95.

The game sold more than 300,000 copies by September 1995 and is considered a commercial success. Minnesota-based Lasersoft launched an unlicensed extension called Dimensions for Descent , which Interplay took legal action against.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alan Dunkin: Descent Source Code Released ( English ) In: Gamespot . January 26, 1998. Retrieved June 11, 2020: “ Parallax Software, the software developer that created the popular three-dimensional action games Descent and Descent II, has released Descent's source code (version 1.5) to the public domain for noncommercial purposes. "
  2. ↑ a b c Volker Weitz: Completely detached - Descent . Power Play (magazine) 3/95. March 1, 1995. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Through 3D worlds in a VR helmet: Cybermaxx & Descent
  4. ↑ Completely weightless: Descent
  5. ↑ Descent
  6. ↑ Descent
  7. ↑ Descent
  8. ↑ Irvine Games Maker Challenges 'Add-On': Computers: Interplay Productions is seeking a court order against the software creator of 'Dimensions for Descent.'