Descent 3 preview
Posted by
Adam Klein
on May 22, 1999
Descent 3 is the sequel to the Descent 1 and 2 titles. It has been a long time in between the release of Descent 2, so this game is going to show off a rather large improvement in almost every area that the previous titles have built upon. The 360-degree control and movement was unique when Descent 1 was first released. Descent 3 promises to give you that same freedom of control. However, a major aspect was missing with the previous
releases, variety to the objectives you needed to perform. Descent 3 will give you an interesting story to push you to go further and find more information about it rather than have you get tired of the same thing after a couple levels. Descent 3’s engine and graphical enhancements will impress you and add a new level of quality to the first person genre.
Back in the day of the original Descent the concept to control all 360-degrees of motion was one of the main features for it. Descent was unique in that the action would be taking place from just about every angle of you. Also, with the ability to move in all 360-degrees, the level design can be very unique as well. You will be able to fly up and down, left and right, through corridors. The game sold very well and spawned a sequel using the same
engine. Some Voodoo 2 boards had a bundled version of Descent 2 that utilized a DOS version of Glide. There was also a patch that enabled Glide support for the full version of Descent 2, but the graphics remained mostly the same as Descent 1. Now, a couple years later, there is a new Descent 3 release on the horizon and lucky Voodoo 3 owners will be able to preview a lot of the game before the full version is shipped.
 The Story
The previous Descent versions didn’t have a very strong story line. What you basically did was start on one side of a level, collect keys, destroy opponents, open doors, and destroy a reactor (which I admit got tiresome for me after a few levels). Descent 3 promises to have you do much more than just that. Descent 3 picks up where Descent 2 left off. After the warp-core breach that left you helpless in space, you are dragged to a planetary surface and told that your employer
is not the nice guy you think he is. With the aid of some scientists you are off to explore and find new clues that will help you discover the wrongdoing of the PTMC. Your goal will be to enter the mines and collect evidence that will put the PTMC out of business. Along the way, you will have to fight off robot resistance and navigate through complex levels. By combining the best of Descent 1/2 and including a great story line, this game will be a bid hit among Descent fans.
Gameplay
If you are familiar with the controls and movement of either Descent 1 and 2, you should have no problem with Descent 3. If you are new to Descent, it will take some time learning to navigate in a full 360-degree environment. The game comes with a very useful tutorial on how to navigate through the environment. If you are new to Descent this feature will help you out greatly. Your orientation will be easier to distinguish in Descent 3. The introduction of gravity and the
ability to adjust the autoleveling will help prevent you from getting lost. Some maps will remind you of Descent 1 / 2 while others will let you explore outdoor areas. When outside, you can see rain hitting the glass of your cockpit and trees swaying in the wind. While outside, you will encounter different robots able to maneuver along the terrain.
 Another thing you will notice is that it’s hard to hit your enemy. There’s a reason for this, the AI is great! Robots will slowly maneuver from behind a wall then quickly move away as they shoot at you. Some will hide in dark areas and come out to surprise you from behind. The AI of the later
robots in the game will be noticeably better than the AI of the robots you will first encounter. Enemies you see will have different attack patterns. If you are close to some, they will hit you with large metal fists. If you are far away, they will lock on to you and fire missiles. Small ones will dart back and forth really fast to avoid being killed with one shot. When outside they will converge into one massive mob and swarm around you to avoid being taken down easily one by
one.
A feature that seems to be missing from a lot of other first person games is the ability to fly coop. Thankfully Tantrum has added this ability. Other multiplayer modes include capture the flag, anarchy (deathmatch), team anarchy, and hoard (a tag type style).
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