Jump to page:
Sponsors:
(thanks to Seth Delackner (dax@rahul.net) for this)
KALI INFO:
Kali is a program which allows a computer on the Internet to join in any game in progress on the Internet. It requires a TRUE TCP/IP connection (either direct ethernet or SLIP/PPP). Note that TIA, the TCP/IP emulator,
DOES NOT WORK with Kali (at least, not yet). However, SLiRP does.
The home page for Kali is at http://www.axxis.com/kali.
Pramod Gumpeni (pbg@acpub.duke.edu) has written an extensive FAQ on Kali gameplay. You can find it at the following FTP site: kali.jedi.net in /pub/kali/kaligame.faq
It is also posted to alt.games.descent and on the IRC #descent QuickBot server. It is intended for use AFTER Kali is set up. The docs for setting up Kali itself are available in the same directory.
COMPUSERVE INFO:
You can play one-on-one Descent on Compuserve! Go to MTMLOBBY, and type
"CHALLENGE DESCENT". Then, leave your terminal program and run
Descent, choosing null modem link.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is there a good place to meet other players?
On the IRC (Internet Relay Chat), there is always someone willing to play in the #descent channel. Of course, they vary in degrees of skill, but you can often find someone good to play with.
Also, you're bound to find a listing of IP numbers where Kali games are being played. Also you're bound to find someone who wants to play IHHD.
Just ask!
If you have no Internet access: Interplay has set up a Descent Player's
List. Send mail to support@interplay.com with your email address, city, state, country, phone area code, if you are running the shareware or retail version and level your of expertise in the text of the message to get put on the list!
There are also two Descent Ladders out there. A ladder is a device for measuring relative skills at Descent. To check these out, look at the WWW sites: * http://fiction.isdn.uiuc.edu/~jeske/descent/ * http://www.hsr.no/~glenn-h/UFoDP/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A note about networking and Descent
(Thanks to mdmbkr on #descent on IRC for writing this section.)
Like most multi-player games, Descent uses packets to communicate with other players in the network. Each packet contains information that each other player in the network uses to determine the coordinates and other aspects of the players. For example, say you are playing in a 2 player network game. Your computer will broadcast packets to the other player's computer, and the other player's computer will broadcast packets to your computer.
Like we mentioned above, Descent allows all computers in the network to run at their full speed, unlike Doom. Doom slows down the entire network to the speed of the slowest computer attached. It does this by forcing synchronized transmission to and from all of the players. Descent, on the other hand, does not require synchronized transmission. This is why all of the computers will run at their maximum speed, and that certain delays (such as those associated with IHHD) do not affect the playing speed of the game.
However, in some cases, long delays in the reception or transmission of packets can yield unusual results. Please do not be alarmed; this is normal, especially if you are using IHHD or Kali.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
How can I play those neat Chaos levels by myself?
In registered/retail Descent, there exist 5 new levels called "Chaos levels". They are intended for maximal enjoyment when playing multiplayer games. However, if you can't play with other people, don't fret! Load the
CHAOS.MSN file into any text editor; there is one line that says "Type = anarchy". Change this to "Type = normal". Now when you select "New Game" under the Descent main menu, it will give you a choice of missions. Select
Chaos and enjoy! Note that this works only in the registered/retail version of Descent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
What are some multiplayer tactics suggestions?
Carl Gilbert writes in alt.games.descent:
* If you need to get away from someone, don't forget to use the bombs.
We rarely actually damage each other with them, but they slow the pursuer down.
* With 3 or more players, make a secret pact with another player and form an alliance.
* If you're playing at work, get all players on a conference call. After a few minutes, you'll swear you're using ship radios.
* If you're low on shields, find a good hiding area, kill yourself, and then return for your loot.
* Recognize when your enemy slides horizontally. Remember The Wrath of
Khan? Horizontal SLIDING is 2D thinking - exploit it.
* Pretend to run out a door, but then do a way cool rotate-while-sliding maneuver and double back on your opponent.
* If someone blows the reactor, wait in/near the exit doorway.
* Never pick up that useless Fusion cannon.
* Leave some goodies floating in the middle of a room and wait in the dark (said the spider to the fly).
* Vulcan cannon doesn't have tracers. Helps keep you hidden."
What about specific moves you can use in multiplayer? Dan Gentry writes in alt.games.descent:
"Since we've been playing against each other, I've noticed several distinct types of moves that one can do, and I thought I'd share them with you in hopes of getting some new ideas:
* Ambush Type 1: Basically, hide in a hole in the ceiling/wall/floor and wait for the other guy to blast by. Pop out and send a missile up his tailpipe. Also works with secret doors.
* Ambush Type 2: Find a large open space and situate yourself under an overhang - preferrably in shadow - where you can see all of the exits to a room. Wait for enemy to flyby and let the fun begin.
* Jousting: In a long corridor, make passes with guns blazing. Repeat as necessary."
Darren Pong Lo continues the thread:
* Circle of Death: Especially in two-player battles, I find that a commonly evolving pattern is that the two players just circle around and around, guns blazing, until one dies or runs out of energy. Some opponents like to break out of the circle and try to fly to where the other person will be, but then what usually happens is that the circling resumes -- in the opposite direction.
* The Millenium Falcon Evasion tactic: I refer to the scene in The
Empire Strikes Back, where the Millenium Falcon escapes a fleet of
Star Destroyers by plastering itself to the hull of one, and then flying away with the garbage. Basically, if you glue yourself flat against the wall near a door, somebody coming out won't see you. Then you can do one of two things: shoot them, or run through the door they've so kindly opened for you.
* Guerrilla Warfare: Another behavior that often emerges in two-player games is that they will get stuck on opposite ends of a short corridor. They will both pop out around a corner, fill the air with lasers, then hide quickly. This goes on until one decides to charge.
The second player can then: o kill the first player (duh) o back off, at which point the sniping begins again in a new corridor o try to fly around the first player (so that the positions of P1 and P2 are switched) o die. :)
* Exit-Guarding (CHEAP): If the reactor on the level is blown, you KNOW where your opponent will come running..."
Meghan Mendenhall contributes:
"Open the door first, shoot some flares into the room, then go in
BACKWARDS. This will beat most ambush attempts. An awesome tactic, if you can find a room with a grating, is to fly behind the grate and wait for your opponent there. If you use the vulcan cannon, they'll never know where the shots came from! One thing I notice is that when I deal with the class 2 drones they tend to blend in well with the purple walls. If you can find a spot where the underside your ship blends in, you have a great ambush spot. Obviously it helps to get to know the level before doing multiplayer."
Check the newsgroup "alt.games.descent" for more information along these lines...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TROUBLESHOOTING
This section is different from the rest of the FAQ. It will eventually hold a comprehensive list of questions and answers.
If you have a question for the FAQ, please e-mail it to me, and I'll do my best to answer it here. Unfortunately, due to the high number of requests, personal responses cannot be sent.
Please refrain from asking highly technical questions (i.e. How come
Descent II doesn't run on platform X?) -- instead, save those questions for
Interplay Support.
List is currently empty.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER LINKS
Other sites on the Internet with relevance to Descent:
* Interplay Home page -- home of Interplay Software, the distributors of
Descent and Descent II. (http://www.interplay.com)
* Parallax Software -- home of Parallax Software, the creators of
Descent and Descent II. (http://www.pxsoftware.com)
* Kali Home Page -- Click here to learn more about Kali, the program to enable multiplayer games over the Internet. (http://www.axxis.com/kali) * http://pcvr.kasan.co.kr -- Kasan's 3D-MAX 3D glasses home page * http://wwwrzstud.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~ubdb/index.html -- Home page for
DEVIL, the Descent Level Editor * http://sdg.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~rvestal/descent_edit.html -- Information on
a Win32 Descent editor
Personal home pages:
* Pooterman's Home Page (http://www.pooterman.com) * http://doomgate.cs.buffalo.edu/descent/ -- Sven's Descent page * http://www.eskimo.com/~stickman/descent -- Level Alpha Descent Home
Page * http://web.one.net/~cjs/descent.html -- CJS's Unofficial Descent WWW
Page * http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/~phuer /descent/descentindex.html --
Phuer's Descent Page * http://cec.wustl.edu/~are1/descent.html -- Descent & IPTunnel (on playing Descent via IPX routers) * http://www.vr-atlantis.com/home_vr/3d_games/html/descent.html --
Atlantis Cyberspace has some more Descent related links
Usenet newsgroups: * alt.games.descent: Discussion on Descent * comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action: Discussion on PC games as a whole * alt.3d: Discussion on 3D aspects
FTP sites: * ftp.funet.fi in /pub/msdos/games/interplay: site for shareware * ftp.cdrom.com in /pub/descent: site for shareware * kali.jedi.net in /pub/kali: site for Kali & Kali FAQ
If you have a link which you'd like to see on this section, please e-mail me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To contact me, send me mail at .
This document copyright (C) 1995-96, John D. DeCuir. All rights reserved.
Users are free to distribute this FAQ freely, providing that its contents are not changed.
KALI INFO:
Kali is a program which allows a computer on the Internet to join in any game in progress on the Internet. It requires a TRUE TCP/IP connection (either direct ethernet or SLIP/PPP). Note that TIA, the TCP/IP emulator,
DOES NOT WORK with Kali (at least, not yet). However, SLiRP does.
The home page for Kali is at http://www.axxis.com/kali.
Pramod Gumpeni (pbg@acpub.duke.edu) has written an extensive FAQ on Kali gameplay. You can find it at the following FTP site: kali.jedi.net in /pub/kali/kaligame.faq
It is also posted to alt.games.descent and on the IRC #descent QuickBot server. It is intended for use AFTER Kali is set up. The docs for setting up Kali itself are available in the same directory.
COMPUSERVE INFO:
You can play one-on-one Descent on Compuserve! Go to MTMLOBBY, and type
"CHALLENGE DESCENT". Then, leave your terminal program and run
Descent, choosing null modem link.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is there a good place to meet other players?
On the IRC (Internet Relay Chat), there is always someone willing to play in the #descent channel. Of course, they vary in degrees of skill, but you can often find someone good to play with.
Also, you're bound to find a listing of IP numbers where Kali games are being played. Also you're bound to find someone who wants to play IHHD.
Just ask!
If you have no Internet access: Interplay has set up a Descent Player's
List. Send mail to support@interplay.com with your email address, city, state, country, phone area code, if you are running the shareware or retail version and level your of expertise in the text of the message to get put on the list!
There are also two Descent Ladders out there. A ladder is a device for measuring relative skills at Descent. To check these out, look at the WWW sites: * http://fiction.isdn.uiuc.edu/~jeske/descent/ * http://www.hsr.no/~glenn-h/UFoDP/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A note about networking and Descent
(Thanks to mdmbkr on #descent on IRC for writing this section.)
Like most multi-player games, Descent uses packets to communicate with other players in the network. Each packet contains information that each other player in the network uses to determine the coordinates and other aspects of the players. For example, say you are playing in a 2 player network game. Your computer will broadcast packets to the other player's computer, and the other player's computer will broadcast packets to your computer.
Like we mentioned above, Descent allows all computers in the network to run at their full speed, unlike Doom. Doom slows down the entire network to the speed of the slowest computer attached. It does this by forcing synchronized transmission to and from all of the players. Descent, on the other hand, does not require synchronized transmission. This is why all of the computers will run at their maximum speed, and that certain delays (such as those associated with IHHD) do not affect the playing speed of the game.
However, in some cases, long delays in the reception or transmission of packets can yield unusual results. Please do not be alarmed; this is normal, especially if you are using IHHD or Kali.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
How can I play those neat Chaos levels by myself?
In registered/retail Descent, there exist 5 new levels called "Chaos levels". They are intended for maximal enjoyment when playing multiplayer games. However, if you can't play with other people, don't fret! Load the
CHAOS.MSN file into any text editor; there is one line that says "Type = anarchy". Change this to "Type = normal". Now when you select "New Game" under the Descent main menu, it will give you a choice of missions. Select
Chaos and enjoy! Note that this works only in the registered/retail version of Descent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
What are some multiplayer tactics suggestions?
Carl Gilbert writes in alt.games.descent:
* If you need to get away from someone, don't forget to use the bombs.
We rarely actually damage each other with them, but they slow the pursuer down.
* With 3 or more players, make a secret pact with another player and form an alliance.
* If you're playing at work, get all players on a conference call. After a few minutes, you'll swear you're using ship radios.
* If you're low on shields, find a good hiding area, kill yourself, and then return for your loot.
* Recognize when your enemy slides horizontally. Remember The Wrath of
Khan? Horizontal SLIDING is 2D thinking - exploit it.
* Pretend to run out a door, but then do a way cool rotate-while-sliding maneuver and double back on your opponent.
* If someone blows the reactor, wait in/near the exit doorway.
* Never pick up that useless Fusion cannon.
* Leave some goodies floating in the middle of a room and wait in the dark (said the spider to the fly).
* Vulcan cannon doesn't have tracers. Helps keep you hidden."
What about specific moves you can use in multiplayer? Dan Gentry writes in alt.games.descent:
"Since we've been playing against each other, I've noticed several distinct types of moves that one can do, and I thought I'd share them with you in hopes of getting some new ideas:
* Ambush Type 1: Basically, hide in a hole in the ceiling/wall/floor and wait for the other guy to blast by. Pop out and send a missile up his tailpipe. Also works with secret doors.
* Ambush Type 2: Find a large open space and situate yourself under an overhang - preferrably in shadow - where you can see all of the exits to a room. Wait for enemy to flyby and let the fun begin.
* Jousting: In a long corridor, make passes with guns blazing. Repeat as necessary."
Darren Pong Lo continues the thread:
* Circle of Death: Especially in two-player battles, I find that a commonly evolving pattern is that the two players just circle around and around, guns blazing, until one dies or runs out of energy. Some opponents like to break out of the circle and try to fly to where the other person will be, but then what usually happens is that the circling resumes -- in the opposite direction.
* The Millenium Falcon Evasion tactic: I refer to the scene in The
Empire Strikes Back, where the Millenium Falcon escapes a fleet of
Star Destroyers by plastering itself to the hull of one, and then flying away with the garbage. Basically, if you glue yourself flat against the wall near a door, somebody coming out won't see you. Then you can do one of two things: shoot them, or run through the door they've so kindly opened for you.
* Guerrilla Warfare: Another behavior that often emerges in two-player games is that they will get stuck on opposite ends of a short corridor. They will both pop out around a corner, fill the air with lasers, then hide quickly. This goes on until one decides to charge.
The second player can then: o kill the first player (duh) o back off, at which point the sniping begins again in a new corridor o try to fly around the first player (so that the positions of P1 and P2 are switched) o die. :)
* Exit-Guarding (CHEAP): If the reactor on the level is blown, you KNOW where your opponent will come running..."
Meghan Mendenhall contributes:
"Open the door first, shoot some flares into the room, then go in
BACKWARDS. This will beat most ambush attempts. An awesome tactic, if you can find a room with a grating, is to fly behind the grate and wait for your opponent there. If you use the vulcan cannon, they'll never know where the shots came from! One thing I notice is that when I deal with the class 2 drones they tend to blend in well with the purple walls. If you can find a spot where the underside your ship blends in, you have a great ambush spot. Obviously it helps to get to know the level before doing multiplayer."
Check the newsgroup "alt.games.descent" for more information along these lines...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TROUBLESHOOTING
This section is different from the rest of the FAQ. It will eventually hold a comprehensive list of questions and answers.
If you have a question for the FAQ, please e-mail it to me, and I'll do my best to answer it here. Unfortunately, due to the high number of requests, personal responses cannot be sent.
Please refrain from asking highly technical questions (i.e. How come
Descent II doesn't run on platform X?) -- instead, save those questions for
Interplay Support.
List is currently empty.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER LINKS
Other sites on the Internet with relevance to Descent:
* Interplay Home page -- home of Interplay Software, the distributors of
Descent and Descent II. (http://www.interplay.com)
* Parallax Software -- home of Parallax Software, the creators of
Descent and Descent II. (http://www.pxsoftware.com)
* Kali Home Page -- Click here to learn more about Kali, the program to enable multiplayer games over the Internet. (http://www.axxis.com/kali) * http://pcvr.kasan.co.kr -- Kasan's 3D-MAX 3D glasses home page * http://wwwrzstud.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~ubdb/index.html -- Home page for
DEVIL, the Descent Level Editor * http://sdg.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~rvestal/descent_edit.html -- Information on
a Win32 Descent editor
Personal home pages:
* Pooterman's Home Page (http://www.pooterman.com) * http://doomgate.cs.buffalo.edu/descent/ -- Sven's Descent page * http://www.eskimo.com/~stickman/descent -- Level Alpha Descent Home
Page * http://web.one.net/~cjs/descent.html -- CJS's Unofficial Descent WWW
Page * http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/~phuer /descent/descentindex.html --
Phuer's Descent Page * http://cec.wustl.edu/~are1/descent.html -- Descent & IPTunnel (on playing Descent via IPX routers) * http://www.vr-atlantis.com/home_vr/3d_games/html/descent.html --
Atlantis Cyberspace has some more Descent related links
Usenet newsgroups: * alt.games.descent: Discussion on Descent * comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action: Discussion on PC games as a whole * alt.3d: Discussion on 3D aspects
FTP sites: * ftp.funet.fi in /pub/msdos/games/interplay: site for shareware * ftp.cdrom.com in /pub/descent: site for shareware * kali.jedi.net in /pub/kali: site for Kali & Kali FAQ
If you have a link which you'd like to see on this section, please e-mail me.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To contact me, send me mail at .
This document copyright (C) 1995-96, John D. DeCuir. All rights reserved.
Users are free to distribute this FAQ freely, providing that its contents are not changed.
Jump to page:
Sponsors:
Other files from this game:
- Descent 2 editor by System on 14/03/2006, 06:30
Please read ds2ged.txt for instructions - Descent 2 cheats by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50
- Descent 2 FAQ by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50