Those who’ve never had the opportunity to float about in weightless conditions–pinging around the interior of an orbiting space shuttle, for example–may find Graphic Simulations’ Descent 3 a bit disorienting. After all, like other gravity-free environments, Descent 3 lets you maneuver on all axes, and it’s often difficult to determine where “down” stops and “up” begins.
Descent 3 by Outrage Entertainment. Publication date 1999 Topics Windows games, Vintage computer games, Action games.
The Great Outdoors Descent 3 breaks from past versions of the action game by allowing you to take your troubles outside. |
- The game's success spawned expansion packs and the sequels Descent II (1996) and Descent 3 (1999). It also led to the crowdfunding of Descent, a prequel to the original due to release in 2019. Descent is a first-person shooter and shoot 'em up game wherein the player pilots a spaceship through labyrinthine mines while fighting virus -infected.
- For a number of years the game Descent from Outrage has been a meeting place on the internet. The basis for Descent on the Internet is PXO - (ParallaX Online) - where it is possible to chat and find the servers that provides the service of running a Descent multiplayer game.That's all fine - especially after the arrival of other other chat programs than the build-in chat in Descent.
Descent is a name familiar to longtime Mac gamers. Descent I and II–3-D shooters that placed you behind the controls of a laser- and missile-equipped spacecraft sent to battle nefarious robots–were very popular titles on the Mac. At first blush, Descent 3 looks like more of the same. As in the earlier games, you buzz through robot-infested environments, blasting anything that moves and most likely succumbing to the vertigo induced by jinking your craft around in spaces where you have no real sense of direction.
Once that first blush wears off, however, you’ll realize that Descent 3 has more in common with modern shooters such as Quake than with earlier iterations of Descent. In the original Descent, your object was to locate a reactor, blow it to pieces, and then quickly find your way out of a labyrinthine mine before the whole works exploded in your face. Descent 3 is more Quake-like: it asks you to carry out a series of tasks–locate a security key, for example–in order to progress through a mission. Descent 3 also differs from the original in offering outdoor environments.
Descent 3’s modern system requirements include 3-D-acceleration hardware–via either some kind of 3dfx Voodoo card or an ATI Rage Pro or Rage 128–and a 233MHz or faster G3 Mac.
If your Mac meets or–even better–exceeds these requirements, the look of the game won’t disappoint you. Descent has never been more attractive. And the benefits of this lush look are more than skin deep: thanks to Descent 3’s enhanced graphics, you can actually make out enemy robots hovering at a distance.
Regrettably, the OpenGL version of Descent is far from stable. Even after we upgraded the original and very buggy version with the 1.3.1 updater, we had problems in OpenGL mode–blocks of graphics disappeared and the game occasionally locked up. We hope Graphic Simulations will address these problems in another update. In the meantime, if you have a Voodoo card, play the game in the more stable Glide mode.
Macworld’s Buying Advice
Descent 3 is a great game marred by bugs. Those with Voodoo cards, fast Macs, and a love of frenetic action will have a blast. If your ATI-equipped Macintosh lacks a Voodoo card, either add one or wait for the next game update.
April 2000 page: 66
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Class 1 Drone | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 1 | Size 3 meters | Weapon 2 pulse rock cutters | |
Threat Low | Points 100 | Often Drops Energy Boost | |
Doesn't fire very fast except on higher difficulties. Almost always travels in groups. Occasionally seen dropping Proximity Bombs (first seen on Level 11); these are distinguished by their camouflage texture. | |||
Class 2 Drone | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 1 | Size 4 meters | Weapon 2 argon welding lasers (LL3) | |
Threat Low | Points 200 | Often Drops Shield Boost | |
Slightly more dangerous. | |||
Small Hulk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 1 | Size 5 meters | Weapon 2 heavy argon lasers (LL4) | |
Threat Low | Points 500 | Often Drops Shield Boost | |
Seems a lower threat than even the C1D's, but there's usually 2-3 of them at one time. | |||
Medium Hulk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 3 | Size 7 meters | Weapon 2 missile launchers (Concussion) | |
Threat High | Points 500 | Often Drops Concussion Missiles | |
Don't let these guys surprise you, or you'll be sorry. | |||
Medium Lifter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 4 | Size 5 meters | Weapon 2 diamond plated swingarms | |
Threat Medium | Points 500 | Often Drops Shield Boost | |
Travel in packs, and screech just like C1D's. | |||
Cloaked Lifter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 4 | Size 4 meters | Weapon 2 diamond plated swingarms, cloaking device | |
Threat Low | Points 1000 | Often Drops Cloaking Device | |
Annoying, but they often drop Cloaking Devices. | |||
Super (Heavy) Hulk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 5 | Size 7 meters | Weapon 2 missile launchers (Homing) | |
Threat Very Very High | Points 1500 | Often Drops Homing Missiles | |
Your nemesis. DO NOT let one of these get on your blind side! They increase in quantity with every level, and often guard the reactor. | |||
Class 1 (Vulcan) Driller | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 6 | Size 5 meters | Weapon Uranium mass drivers (Vulcan Cannon) | |
Threat Very High | Points 1000 | Often Drops Vulcan Cannon / nothing | |
Their screech will surely send shivers down your spine (or you flinching away from the screen) on higher difficulties. With the Vulcan Cannon (which fires VERY fast), they can take 20-30 of your shields in seconds. You should catch them by surprise if at all possible (preferably with a Homing Missile). | |||
'Spider' Processing Robot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 6 | Size 8 meters | Weapon 3 mass driver rifles (rock cutters) | |
Threat Medium | Points 600 | Often Drops Baby Spiders | |
This unique robot often spawns Baby Spider robots (or even clones of itself!) when it's destroyed. | |||
Baby Spider | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 6 | Size 2 meters | Weapon Laser (LL1) | |
Threat Medium | Points 100 | Often Drops nothing | |
Quite an annoyance if you lose one in your blind spot. | |||
Boss #1 (Level 7) | ||
|---|---|---|
Size 28 meters | ||
Weapon Smart Missiles, cloaking device, teleport | ||
Threat Very Very High | ||
Points 5000 | ||
Do not take this boss lightly! Its Smart Missiles are very damaging, and will kill if they hit you directly. See the Level 7 walkthrough. | ||
Advanced Lifter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 8 | Size 5-6 meters | Weapon 4 tungsten swingarms | |
Threat Medium | Points 800 | Often Drops Shield Boost | |
More dangerous than Medium Lifters, as they are nearly silent and have twice as many claws. | |||
Secondary Lifter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 8 | Size 4 meters | Weapon 1 heavy laser (LL1) | |
Threat Medium | Points 400 | Often Drops nothing | |
More dangerous than either of the other Lifters. These Crows always travel in groups of two or three. | |||
Descent 3 Game
Class 2 Supervisor Robot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 8 | Size 4 meters | Weapon None | |
Threat Low | Points 400 | Often Drops Varies | |
These appear rarely, but if you're lucky, you may get a nice powerup (or some robots, if you're not so lucky) for destroying it. Supposedly, the Supervisors are programmed to increase the awareness of nearby robots, but I don't recall seeing that really happen. | |||
Alien Breed 3 Descent Gameplay
Cloaked Hulk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 10 | Size 7 meters | Weapon 2 missile launchers (Concussion), cloaking device | |
Threat Very High | Points 700 | Often Drops Concussion Missiles | |
Slightly more heavily armored than their visible counterparts, and thus much more dangerous. | |||
Class 1 Heavy (Plasma) Driller | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 10 | Size 8 meters | Weapon Plasma Cannons | |
Threat Very High | Points 1000 | Often Drops Plasma Cannon / Energy Boost | |
Obviously, the Plasma Drillers are very dangerous, and are more heavily armored than Vulcan Drillers. Don't turn your back on them. | |||
Miniboss | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Secret Level 1 / Level 23 | Size 11 meters | Weapon Fusion Cannons | |
Threat Very Very High | Points 2000 | Often Drops Fusion Cannon / Energy Boost | |
Takes a Mega Missile and another missile (two Megas would be wasteful), two Smarts, or a steady stream of cannon fire to dispose of. Don't let one catch you by surprise—Fusion fire can rob you of 60 shield units per hit! | |||
PTMC Defense Prototype | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Secret Level 1 / Level 13 | Size 3 meters | Weapon 4 argon cannons (Quad LL4s) | |
Threat Medium | Points 1500 | Often Drops Quad Laser / Energy Boost | |
These fire REALLY fast, but for the point value, they certainly aren't as deadly as Super Hulks. | |||
Descent 3 Game Download
Class 2 Platform Robot (Laser) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Secret Level 1 / Level 16 | Size 5 meters | Weapon Rapid-fire argon laser (LL3) | |
Threat Medium | Points 300 | Often Drops Shield Boost | |
Piece of cake. Laser Platforms fire faster than C2D's, in 3-bolt bursts. | |||
Class 2 Platform Robot (Missile) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Secret Level 1 / Level 16 | Size 5 meters | Weapon Rapid-fire missile launcher (Concussion) | |
Threat Very Very High | Points 800 | Often Drops Concussion Missiles | |
NOT a piece of cake. Missile Platforms fire in 3-missile bursts, and thus are a serious threat if you're not careful. | |||
Class 3 Gopher Robot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Level 17 | Size 5 meters | Weapon Proximity Bombs | |
Threat Low | Points 200 | Often Drops Energy Boost | |
They take lots of shots to kill, they drop bombs everywhere, and they occur in large numbers. Needless to say, extremely irritating. Ordinarily, Gophers use the same lasers as C2D's and Laser Platforms, but all of the ones in First Strike are programmed to drop bombs. | |||
Cloaked Vulcan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Secret Level 1 / Level 22 | Size 5 meters | Weapon Uranium mass drivers (Vulcan Cannon), cloaking device | |
Threat Very Very High | Points 600 | Often Drops Cloaking Device | |
Pray you have a Cloaking Device or Invulnerability handy when you face one of these. | |||
Boss #2 (Level 27) | ||
|---|---|---|
Size 32 meters | ||
Weapon Mega Missiles, cloaking device, teleport | ||
Threat Insane | ||
Points 10000 | ||
Very, Very Bad. Mega Missiles will kill on impact if you have less than 180 shield units! See the Level 27 walkthrough. | ||
Split Pod (Red Triangle) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
First Appears Not in First Strike | Size 5 meters | Weapon none | |
Threat Low | Points 100 | Often Drops nothing | |
The Red Triangle is included in the DESCENT engine but not used in First Strike. It can be found in many fan-made levels, often as a bomber; in bomber mode, Red Triangles fly very fast—much like the Omega Guppy in DESCENT II, but with weak armor. | |||