Well, I've been updating this for a couple of days now. The FAQ is being absorbed into the official DESCENT FAQ, so this will be the last time I'll post this. See the FAQ for the location of the official FAQ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DESCENT II - INTERACTIVE DEMO Frequently Asked Questions Version 1.3 December 20, 1995 There are no planned updates to this FAQ. It has been aborbed into the OFFICIAL Descent FAQ. The official FAQ "lives" at: http://www.primenet.com/~decuirjd/faq/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail additional questions, comments, corrections, etc. to: descent@mindcrime.mit.edu 1. WHAT a. What is Descent II - Interactive Demo (D2ID)? b. What are the new features? c. Is there a Macintosh version? d. What are the system requirements for D2ID? 2. WHEN a. When was it released? b. When will the full version of D2 be released? 3. WHERE a. Where can I get D2ID? 4. HOW a. NEW WEAPONS a1. What are the new weapons in D2ID? a2. How do I get the Helix Cannon in level 2? a3. How do I get the Gauss Cannon in level 3? a4. How do I get the Phoneix and/or Omega Cannons? a5. What the heck do flash missiles do? b. NEW BOTS b1. What are the new bots? b2. GUIDE BOT (GB) b2a. How can I use the GB? b2b. Where is the GB? b2c. Can I kill the GB? b3. THIEF BOT (TB) b3a. What does the TB do? b3b. Can I kill the TB? b3c. What is a good way to kill the TB? b3d. Hey, I killed the TB, but where's all my stuff? b4. EVIL BOT (EB) b4a. What is the EB? c. What are the new cheat codes? d. MINI WINDOWS d1. What are the mini-windows? d2. What things can I see in the mini-windows? d3. What can you do in multi-player mode? d4. How do I switch what's in the mini-windows? e. Is there a way to get out of level 2 without getting wrecked by the creation zone near the exit? f. Are there any secret levels in D2ID? 5. MORE INFORMATION a. How do I buy Descent II? b. How do I contribute to this FAQ? c. Who contributed to this FAQ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DISCLAIMER: This information has been compiled by Jesse Kornblum, a private individual. This FAQ is intended to help people who have purchased legal copies of Interplay products or obtained free copies of Interplay demo products. The information contained in this document is NOT made by Interplay nor is it condoned by them. Mr. Kornblum assumes no responsibility for ANYTHING that may happen to you as a result of using the information in this document. Anything you try is at your own risk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. WHAT a. What is Descent II - Interactive Demo? In case you've been living in a cave for the past year, Interplay and Parallax released a game called "Descent." In this game, you fly around in a spaceship clearing interplanetary mines of crazed robots, who are trying to kill you. It's similar to DOOM, in concept ("If it moves, shoot it.") but has the advantage of being totally 3-D. (That is, instead of being able to go left, right, forward and back, you can go left, right forward, up, down, and any combination there-in.) Mines were 3-D. Descent II - Interactive Demo, referred to as D2ID, is a demo of an upcoming sequel to Descent, namely Descent II. (D2) D2ID contains three levels, presumably the first three levels in D2. b. What are the new features? The new features include (but are never limited!) to: ten new weapons, thirty new levels, thirty new robots, flowing lava and water, a CD soundtrack featuring Ogre from Skinny Puppy, afterburners, full-map powerup, ammo rack powerup, energy->shield tranfers, flash missles, guided missiles, smart mines, headlight powerup. full-motion high- resolution cinematics, new anarchy levels, SVGA support, blastable lights, and lots of multiplayer options! Not all of these features are found in D2ID. c. Is there a Macintosh version? Sorry, there is no Mac version of D2ID. d. What are the system requirements for D2ID? You must have an IBM/Tandy 100% compatible clone, running a 386/33 or higher. A 486 or better is recommended. 256 Color VGA or SVGA monitor. 6 MB of RAM, although 8 MB is recommended. DOS 5.1 or higher, and 4MB of HD space. All major sound cards are supported. 2. WHEN a. When was D2ID released? D2ID was released at 11pm on December 15th, 1995. b. When will the full version of D2 be released? The official word from Interplay is "First Quarter 1996," which means "anywhere from January to March in 1996." According to Mike Kulas of Parallax Software on alt.games.descent, the release date is scheduled to be March 14th. This, however, is unofficial and still set in Jell-O. 3. WHERE a. Where can I get D2ID? D2ID is now on a new D2 web page. The URL is: http://www.interplay.com/website/descent2.html D2ID is also currently available from the following sites: World Wide Web: http://www.pxsoftware.com <-- PARALLAX SOFTWARE SITE http://www.umn.edu/nlhome/g129/ottxx006/descent.html http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/descent http://www.portal.com/~deckage/descent.html http://www.hevanet.com/grimshaw/descent.htm http://wwwpub.utdallas.edu/~vicor FTP: ftp.pooterman.com in /descent2 wuarchive.wustl.edu in /pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/descent ftp.wustl.edu in /pub/msdos_uploads/descent janus.library.cmu.edu in /pub/msdos/descent ftp.cdrom.com in /.5/descent ftp.gatech.com in /pub/dos/games/descent ftp.uwp.edu in /pub/incoming/games ftp.funet.fi in /pub/msdos/games/interplay csc.mc.edu in /pub/games/descent bell.ecs.soton.ac.uk in /pub/pc/games/demos ftp.uml.edu in /msdos/games/temp ftp.demon.co.uk in /pub/ibmpc/games/misc ftp.leo.org in /pub/comp/platforms/pc/games doomgate.cs.buffalo.edu in /pub/descent ftp.prairienet.org in /pub/software/descent *** Be aware that the full of version of D2 is NOT Shareware, freeware, *** or otherwise o.k. to distribute freely. It will be a commericial *** product. Please support Interplay and Parallax. Don't copy their *** software illegally. Report piracy to the SPA! 4. HOW a. NEW WEAPONS a1. What are the new weapons in D2ID? The new weapons are the Gauss cannon, the helix cannon, and the super laser. Here are descriptions of the weapons. Laser Cannon - Yes, this was/is the primary weapon in Descent. It comes it strength levels, and you can get quad lasers, which doubles its firing power. The difference is that the laser now goes up to level six. (In original Descent it only went up to level four.) It does not go above six. After this, D2ID says "Your laser is maxed out!" Each level of laser is higher in destructive power, but consumes the same amount of energy. Therefore, the higher level laser you have, the better kill/energy ratio you have. Some promotional materials have mentioned a "super laser". It is unclear whether this means a new type of laser or just the extra laser levels. Gauss Cannon - The Gauss is a beefed up vulcan, and makes cool noises. It uses Vulcan ammo, so be sure to stock up. It's powerful enough to destroy most enimies with a single shot. Be careful, though, if you get too close to a Gauss blast, you can hurt yourself! Helix Cannon - A devastating weapon that can fill a room with nasty fire very quickly. It fires six shots at a time, and rotates 30 degreees per shot. It is the big brother to the spreadfire. Be aware that it also consumes huge amounts of energy, about one per shot. Pheonix Cannon - You can't use this weapon in D2ID, but it should be a part of the final release. In the mean time, however, some of the robots carry and use it. The shots will bounce twice before being destroyed, so stay away from fighting these bots in small rooms. Guided Missiles - These missiles are guided by the pilot until detonated or until the fire key is pressed again. At that point, they become normal homing missiles. When you fire a guided missile, either a mini-window will appear or your main screen will be replaced with the view from the guided missile. (This can be set from the Options menu). You can use the direction keys (or joystick, mouse, whatever) to control the missile. Slide keys and eccelleration keys still control your own ship, so that you can do some basic dodging while controlling the missile. Although guided missile are VERY cool. There are two minor problems with them. First, they are hard to control until you get the hang of them. Try saving your game and playing with them until you get the hang of it. Secondly, they don't do very much damage. Smart Mines - Like a proximity mine, these are defensive weapons that wait for some poor unsuspecting person/robot to smack into them. Unlike a standard proximity mine, however, these spew forth globules of energy that track nearby targets, like a smart missile. It looks like a gold proximity bomb. Be aware that these are not all of the weapons that will be available in the full version of D2. Parallax has also promised a few other weapons and a few more kinds of missiles. a2. How do I get the Helix Cannon in level 2? Good question. There are several ways to get the helix cannon. I'll list them from easiest to hardest. For the purpose of clarity, let me name the rooms here. There is a room where you can see the helix cannon but can't get to it. This is the Viewing room. The room with the cannon in it is the Helix Cannon Room. The opposite room, where the cloaking device is found is Cloaking Room. The long corridor that starts parallel to the Viewing room with the "pillars" in it is the Corridor, and the big room that connects the Corridor and the Viewing Room is the Big Room. And now, without further delay, are the methods: METHOD 1: LIE LOW SHEEPIE - Anybody can do this... First, go to the viewing room. Inside the Helix Cannon room is a control panel. Blast it. A door will open up inside the Helix Cannon room. Now go to the Corridor. There are two ceiling doors which you need to find. They are both in the center of the ceiling. The first is just off the big room and leads to the Helix cannon, but you can't open it. The second is most of the way down, and leads to the Cloaking Room. Make sure you find the first before continuing. Go to the Cloaking room. There will be a control panel there. This will open the door to the Helix Cannon Room, but it ONLY OPENS ONCE! The way to get around this is: Lay a proximity mine or smart mine next to the panel and go back to the first door. When the mine goes off, it will blow the control panel and open the door. You should then be able to easily move up and get the helix cannon. METHOD 2: LIE NOT SO LOW SHEEPIE - Intermediate players or better Identical to Method 1, but don't use a mine. Shoot the panel yourself and then burn rubber back to the first door. You have to be REALLY fast to do it. (Afterburners help...) METHOD 3: SKILLS - Advanced Descent Players First, go to the viewing room. Inside the Helix Cannon room is a control panel. Blast it. A door inside will open up inside the Helix Cannon room. Here's the tricky part. You need to fire a guided missle between the bars and down Helix Cannon room so that it hits the door on the floor, opening it. Once this is done, burn rubber to the Corridor and get inside the helix cannon room. Afterburners are VERY helpful... a3. How do I get the Gauss Cannon in level 3? First, shoot out the control panel in the small hallway where the Gauss cannon is. This will unlock the blank side panel on the wall parallel to the small hallway. This leads to small passage which goes to the entrance of the hallway where the cannon is. (Be sure to get the robot in this passage. You'll need to shoot open the door to the corridor from the outside, then go inside the passage and around into the corridor. CAUTION: The Gauss cannon can hurt you if whatever you shoot is too close to you. (Such as a door!) a4. How do I get the Phoneix and/or Omega Cannons? You don't. They're not in D2ID. The same goes for the Fusion Cannon. a5. What the heck do flash missiles do? Flash missiles cause a small amount of damage to enemies (and other players). In addition, they cause your screen to "white out" for a few seconds, the intensity and duration depending on how good a hit a it was. If you hit a robot with a flash missile, he will become disorientated and easy to hit. b. NEW BOTS b1. What are the new bots? There are several new "bots" in Descent. They are the guide bot (abbreviated GB) and the theif bot (TB). b2. GUIDE BOT b2a. How can I use the GB? Ben Damm writes: "The guide bot (GB) is your personal slave, and it helps you in return for freeing it. In order to use the guide bot, you must locate it's prison, and set it free by blowing up the door. Then it will automatically start looking for the keys, reactor, and exit. If you don't follow it, it will stop and come back to you. Messages from the GB are shown at the top of the screen. Also, the guide bot can look for an assortment of useful things, such as power ups, energy centers, hostages, etc. Or, you can tell it to go away. you can issue commands by pressing shift-F4, which brings up a menu of commands." b2b. Where is the GB? The guide bot is nearby the starting point on all three levels. On level one, he is in the little alcove to the right just forward of of the starting position. In level two, he is in the room directly ahead of the starting point, on the ground. On level three, he's in a small chamber, relatively close to the starting point. You need to go straight one room. Turn left, go into the big room. (Watch out for the "eagle" bot!) Turn right at the first intersection, and then left. b2c. Can I kill the GB? Yes! The GB will die if you hit him enough. Hitting directly is impossible. He either has to be hurt by enemy shots (hard), or by exploding lava or proximity mines. After the GB dies, he leaves behind a marker which states: "RIP: Guide-Bot". b3. THIEF BOT b3a. What does the TB do? Like all thieves and most politicans, the TB robs you blind. He zips around very fast and erratically. If he touches you, he will steal some of your weapons. (Get used to it. The full version of D2 will the same kind of thing, but will also work on your energy and shields.) b3b. Can I kill the TB? Yes. It takes a good number of shots, which is hard to do because he zips around so fast. But it is possible. When he dies he gives off three shield power ups and three energy power ups along with all of your stuff back. BEWARE: The explosion of the TB is fairly violent and can hurt you if you get too close! b3c. What is a good way to kill the TB? One good way I've found is to hit him with a flash missile (a little difficult, but possible.) This will stun him and make him hold still for a little while, during which you can pound the snot out of him! b3d. Hey, I killed the TB, but where's all my stuff? If the TB has your stuff for a while, some of it is "lost" and cannot be found again. Therefore it is in your best interests to kill the TB ASAP! b4. EVIL BOT (EB) b4a. What is the EB? Nobody is quite sure. EB is described on the web page as "The Guide Bot's nasty twin." EB does not appear in D2ID, but will most likely appear in the full version of D2. Our *guess* is that EB is a droid that will attempt to mislead you, impersonating the GB. c. What are the new cheat codes? Whatever you do, don't try GABBAGABBAHEY (The cheat code from the original Descent. It says "Take that cheater!" and reduces you to shield one energy one. It does, however, enter you into a cheat mode, where your score is zero. Nobody knows if there are any real cheat codes yet. A developer from Parallax claimed "We forgot to implement cheat codes!" on alt.games.descent, but he is probably lying. So far, nobody has found any real cheat codes. However, we have found the following code: BITTERSWEET - Responds with "Going up!" and makes the walls appear "hazy" or "wavy". If typed a second time, D2ID responds with "Coming down!" and the walls return to normal. (This is probably a reference to being 'high'.) This code does NOT enable the cheat mode. Actually, this code enabled an alternate texture-mapping algorithm, which allows the textures to "flow" more than they normally do. There is hope on the horizon, however! Ben Cantrick, on alt.games.descent found a number of messages inside the d2demo.exe file. These include the known messges "Take that...cheater!", "Going up!", etc. and also the following phrases. "Hi John!!" "Bye John!!" "Bouncing weapons!" "Accessories!!" "Full Map!!" and "Homing Weapons!" It is not yet known if these are actual messages for cheat codes that work in the demo... d. MINI WINDOWS d1. What are the mini-windows? The mini windows are two small display areas near the bottom of the screen (when not in cockpit mode) that can be used to display alternate views of the game. d2. What things can I see in the mini-windows? The windows can show a "missile eye view" from outgoing missiles, a rear view from your ship, and what the GB sees. d3. What can you do in mulitplayer mode? In multiplayer mode, you can enable "Monitor Views" which allows you to view from a dropped marker. (Useful to see when an opponent is coming around a corner!) :) d4. How do I switch what's in the mini-windows. The control for the mini-windows cycles through all available views. Use SHIFT-F1 for the left window and SHIFT-F2 for the right window. e. Is there a way to get out of level 2 without getting wrecked by the creation zone near the exit? Yes. Just inside the exit tunnel is a control panel. When you shoot it, it creates a force field over the creation zone, conveiently trapping all the bad guys inside. No, it's not possible to hit the control panel before you blow the reactor, although it is possible to trip the creation zone and simply destroy robots until it stops producing them. f. Are there any secret levels in D2ID? Yes and no. There is a teleporter to a secret level hidden on level 3, but when you fly into it, D2ID says, "Transporter to Secret Level Disabled in Demo Version." To find the transporter, go to the energy zone near the red door. Turn away from the red door, and fly straight until you hit the first wall. Turn left. Forward and up into the small alcove. Turn to the right. There is a hidden door in front of you; shoot it to open it. Inside is a guided missile, some flash missiles, and, of course, the teleporter. 5. MORE INFORMATION a. How do I buy D2? You can't actually buy a copy right now. (It's not for sale yet...) However, you can order a copy from Interplay by calling 1-800-INTERPLAY. (The web page tells you to mention code DTW1 for a "special price." More details on this as time passes...) You can also write to Interplay via snail-mail at: Interplay 16902 Millikan Ave. Irvine, CA 92714 USA b. How do I add to this FAQ? Send e-mail to the author at descent@mindcrime.mit.edu c. Who contributed to this FAQ? This FAQ would not have been possible without help from the following people: Joe Vandeweert, Ted Yang, Ben Damm, Aaron Teitlebaum, and Steven Cox Special Thanks to Parallax for making such a great game!