
                      ͻ
                                               
                          RELEASE NOTES FOR    
                              DESCENT 2        
                        INTERACTIVE DEMO v1.0  
                                               
                      ͼ

                  
                   THIS DEMO IS FREELY DISTRIBUTABLE
                      FOR NON-COMMERCIAL PURPOSES

                     see section 13 for full details
                  


                         ͻ
                          TABLE of CONTENTS 
                         ͼ

                      1. VERSION CHANGES

                      2. DESCENT 2 FEATURES
                            a. Feature List
                            b. Notes on New Features

                      3. MANUAL ADDENDA

                      4. PLAYING DESCENT 2
                            a. System Requirements
                            b. Installation & Setup
                            c. Descent 2 under Win95
                            d. Menus
                            e. Powerups
                            f. Doors
                            g. PTMC Mine Centers
                            h. Keylist

                      5. MULTIPLAYER DESCENT 2
                            a. Features/Rules
                            b. Modem/Serial Games
                            c. Network Games

                      6. DEMOS & SCREENSHOTS

                      7. TIPS for NEW PILOTS

                      8. COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS

                      9. USING SPECIAL JOYSTICKS & CONTROLLERS

                     10. VR HEADSET INFORMATION

                     11. TROUBLESHOOTING & COMMON PROBLEMS

                     12. TECHNICAL SUPPORT

                     13. DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION




                          ͻ
                           1. VERSION CHANGES 
                          ͼ

DESCENT 2 INTERACTIVE DEMO

1.0  - Original release

See following section for Feature additions since Descent 1.



                         ͻ
                          2. DESCENT 2 FEATURES 
                         ͼ
ͻ
 2a. Feature List 
ͼ
The following is a somewhat-complete list of full-version Descent 2
features.

NOTE: Many of these features are not available in the Interactive Demo.


Major features:

30 new levels
30+ new robots, including new bosses

10+ new weapons/powerups
  afterburner
  full-map powerup
  ammo rack powerup
  energy->shield transfers
  flash/stun missiles
  guided missiles
  smart mines
  headlight powerup
  more!

Redbook CD soundtrack featuring Ogre from Skinny Puppy
full motion, high-resolution cinematics
new anarchy levels
flowing water, lava, and seismic disturbances
advanced AI including thieves, snipers, and escort robots
640x480 support with high resolution cockpit, as well as other hi-res modes
enhanced lighting effects (blastable lights!)

new multiplayer features:
        option to disallow any weapon
        play by kills or time limit
        player handicapping
        flexible player limits
        improved slow-packet handling
        restricted game mode

Minor features:

new redbook, MIDI, FM soundtrack with new digital sound effects
automap markers w/text descriptors
minefields
new control boxes, forcefields and triggers
multiple HUD camera views including teammates, missiles, and markers
custom weapon autoselection priorities
advanced secret level system
ability to drop weapons

Robot AI bahaviors:
   GuideBot
   Thief
   Snipers
   Energy Drainers
   More advanced Brain behavior
   Robots which fire two different kinds of weapons
   Robots which attempt to get behind the player in battle
   More dynamic robot behavior, more complex strategies based on the player.


ͻ
 2b. Notes on Descent 2 Features 
ͼ

THE GUIDE-BOT

New to Descent 2 is the Guide-Bot.  He's an automated scout robot that has
been smuggled into the mines to help you.  He's small, blue, and can be found
on each of the Demo levels.  He's usually imprisoned in a little cell near
the entrance of each mine.  You can choose to free him by blasting open the
door to his cell and use his help, or leave him be (you will not be
penalized).

Once the Guide-Bot has been released, you can bring up his command menu by
hitting SHIFT-F4.  The following Guide-Bot commands are available:

    0. Find next goal
    1. Find Energy Powerup
    2. Find Energy Center
    3. Find Shield Powerup
    4. Find any Powerup
    5. Find a Robot
    6. Find a Hostage
    7. Stay away from me
    8. Find my Powerups (Powerups you dropped after dying)
    9. Find the Exit
    T. Suppress messages

All of the numbered commands can also be issued during play by pressing
the shifted number of the command.  For example, SHIFT-1 for "Find Energy
Powerup."  The "Suppress messages" will only work from the menu.

Once you issue a command, the Guide-Bot will attempt to follow it until
another is issued, or you have achieved the goal.  The "Find next goal" is
his default behavior.  Under this behavior, he will help you locate any
access keys needed, find the reactor, and then help you find the exit.
While the Guide-Bot is small and fast, he will die if exposed to enough
combat.

If you fall far behind the Guide-Bot, he will come back looking for you.
He will not open secret or restricted access doors to attain a goal, but
will do so in order to find you.


THIEF-BOTS

Not all new robots are designed to help you.  Thief robots are fast and
evil robots, designed to steal your weaponry when you least expect it.
If you kill a Thief robot, he will drop items he has stolen from you.  If
he's stolen more than a few items, however, there is always the chance one
or two have been destroyed.


GUIDED MISSILES

Guided missiles can be a great weapon in any single- or multi-player game.
When you fire one of these, your pitch/bank controls will control the
flight path of the missile.  Remaining controls (throttle, sliding) will
still control your ship.  You will continue to control the Guided missile
until it runs out of fuel (30 seconds), it hits an object or wall, or until
you hit the fire key again (at which point the Guided missile will "home"
like a Homing missile).

By default, the Guided missile view will be displayed in the secondary
weapons display.  The view can be enlarged by using the appropriate toggle
in the Options/Toggles menu.


THE AFTERBURNER

New to the Descent 2 display is the Afterburner.  In Cockpit mode, the new
gauge appears as a red energy bar on the left side (the key display has been
moved to the right side).  This new energy bar will only activate if you
are currently carrying the Afterburner.  In Status Bar mode, it appears
below the main Energy Gauge.  In Full Screen, it appears as a percentage
above the Energy/Shield display on the left (if Afterburner is available).

The Afterburner uses a separate energy bank, which charges from your main
Energy.


AUTOMAP MARKERS

Also new to Descent 2 are Automap Markers.  You may drop these by hitting
'F4' from the game.  In single-player games, you have a limit of 9 Markers.
In multiplayer, you have only 2 markers.  When dropped, you will be prompted
for a short message to place in the Marker.

In the mine tunnels, Markers appear as glowing green icons.  If you collide
with one, it will show you its message.  In the Automap, Markers appear as
glowing numbered dots.  Hitting the 1-9 keys will allow you to select
the Markers on the map.  CTRL-D will delete the current Marker.

In Multiplayer games, you have the option of allowing Marker Camera Views
(used with the SHIFT-F1/F2 displays).

Automap Markers cannot be destroyed in Multiplayer games, but will delete
themselves to make room for newly placed Markers.


AUTOSAVE/RESTORE BACKUPS

New in Descent 2... When you save over an existing savegame, it will copy
the old one to a backup file.  This allows you to restore the old one in
case you accidently overwrote it.  The backup game appears as
"[autosave backup]" at the bottom of the Restore Game list.

Likewise, whenever you Load a saved game, the game will save your current
game in the backup slot.  This will allow you to "undo" the restore in
case it was accidental.  Thank Mike for this welcome addition to Descent 2!


MULTIPLAYER HANDICAPPING

Also new is Multiplayer handicapping!  If someone wishes to handicap
themselves, they may use F8 to send the following message: "handicap:xxx"
where xxx is a number from 10-100.  From that point on, the player who sent
the message will have xxx shields when they reappear after dying.  When a
player changes his/her handicap, a message is sent to everyone to announce
the fact.


BOMB DISPLAY

A new ProxBomb/SmartMine display has been added to your screen.  It appears
as a red or gold "B:xx" counter somewhere on your screen.  In Cockpit
mode, it appears in the lower right corner.  On the Status Bar, it's in the
lower left of the Secondary Weapons display.  In Full Screen, it's above
your current weapons display on the right.  If you have no ProxBombs or
SmartMines, this display will be blank.

This display tells you what weapon will be dropped when you hit the Drop
Bomb key (default is 'B').  If the display shows a red-colored "B:04" it
means you have four ProxBombs ready to be dropped.  A gold-colored display
indicates SmartMines.  Note that this does not indicate that the weapon is
"armed" as a Secondary weapon, and only refers to the Drop Bomb key
functionality.

NOTE: This display will reflect the ProxBomb/SmartMine positions in the
Secondary Autoselect Ordering menu, even if they appear below the "Never
Autoselect" line.  Example: Both ProxBombs and SmartMines appear below the
"Never" line, but ProxBombs appear higher.  The "B:xx" display will change
to ProxBombs over SmartMines if you have some of each.



                          ͻ
                           3. MANUAL ADDENDA 
                          ͼ

The following are supplemental items/changes to the Descent 2 manual.
If your you can find no information regarding a problem you're having,
Section 11 below lists several sources of Descent 2 support.


DESCENT 2 and KALI

Descent 2 has several new features that allow playing games via KALI
easier.  This includes improved powerup handling.  While high latency
connections over KALI will always be problematic, gameplay should be
generally smoother with Descent 2.  Useful features include the Max Players
slider, and the Restricted Game mode, and a system to help control the
"reproducing powerups" problem seen in many KALI games.

While Interplay and Parallax cannot provide technical support for KALI
and similar tools, more information can be found at the Official KALI
homepage at http://www.axxis.com/kali.

See Section 11 for additional ideas and suggestions.


DESCENT 2 and INTERNET HEAD-TO-HEAD DAEMON (IHHD)

While playing Multiplayer Descent 2 through the IHHD software is possible,
it is not recommended.  The delay in packet delivery will almost
certainly lead to strange results.  You may see players jump around
suddenly, or even disappear for several seconds at a time.  You may also
witness players not dropping powerups when killed, staying cloaked too
long, or other unfavorable results.  See Section 11 for additional ideas
and suggestions.


CTS/RTS HANDSHAKING IN MODEM/SERIAL GAMES

In shareware 1.2 and registered Descent, CTS/RTS handshaking was
added as the default.  We have had several people report problems
with modem/serial games after upgrading to shareware 1.2 or 
registered Descent, so we took it out and added it as a command-
line option (-CtsRts).  So, if shareware 1.2 and registered Descent
worked fine for you, but registered version 1.4 doesn't, then try
using the -CtsRts command line.


DESCENT AND NOVELL'S NETX

When playing network games, all players should either have NETX loaded 
or all players should not have NETX loaded.  If one player has NETX 
loaded and the other player doesn't, this will cause noticable 
slowdowns and delays when starting netgames.


DESCENT and OS/2

To get Descent to run under OS/2, just increase your DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT
to 8 megs or more.  Descent should then run perfectly with full sound.
If your joystick behaves strangely under OS/2 try using the "-JoyPolled"
command line option.  Keep in mind that Descent does not officially
support OS/2.


DESCENT and Windows 3.1x

Use the following settings in your PIF file:

   Optional Parameters:  -JoyPolled
            EMS Memory:  KB Limit -1
            XMS Memory:  KB Limit -1
         Display Usage:  Full Screen
             Execution:  Exclusive

If you use a joystick, the -JoyPolled option uses an alternate method of
joystick reading that should increase performance under Windows.
Keep in mind that Descent does not officially support Windows.


SCREENSHOT VIEWER

Included in your game directory is PCXVIEW.EXE.  This is a standalone
utility that allows you to view any .PCX screenshots taken in Descent 2.
PCXVIEW.EXE is public domain and freely distributable.  See your Descent 2
Manual for more information on screenshots.


PLAYING NETGAMES OVER ROUTERS

If you want to play someone that is on a different network branch or
across a router, then you need to tell Descent 2 how to find that person.
The simplest way is create a DESCENT.NET file that contains all the 
networks that people will be playing on and have everyone that wants to
play put that file in their Descent 2 directory.  You can find all the 
network numbers by running Descent 2 with the -showaddress command line
switch or by running the Novell utility, userlist, with the /Address
parameter.  Do this for each user so that you can find all nets.
The network address will be an 8-digit number.  It is usually shown as
XXXXXXXX/YYYYYYYYYYYY, where the X's are the network address, and the 
Y's are the node address.  Here is the one we use at Parallax:

; DESCENT.NET -This can contain up to 64 networks. Semi-colons comment.
00000002       ; West Side (Matt,Mike,Adam)
00000003       ; East Side (Jasen,Mark)

If this doesn't work for you, then do the same thing as the above, only
create a DESCENT.USR that contains the full addresses of all the people
that you want to play Descent 2.  Here is an example based on the above
Parallax example:

; DESCENT.USR -This can contain up to 64 users. Semi-colons comment.
00000002/0001e8c49bb8  ;Matt
00000002/0002e8c49bb8  ;Mike
00000002/0003e8c49bb8  ;Adam
00000003/0001e8c49358  ;Mark
00000003/0002e8c49358  ;Jasen




                        ͻ
                         4. PLAYING DESCENT 2 
                        ͼ

So you thought Descent 1 was the ultimate in edge-of-your-seat action?
You thought it couldn't get any better?  You thought wrong.  Sit down,
disconnect the phone, send the kids to bed.  You're in for quite a ride.


ͻ
 4a. System Requirements 
ͼ

REQUIREMENTS:
       - IBM PC compatible 486-33 or faster
       - 8 MB RAM
       - DOS 5.0 or later

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED:
       - Pentium processor
       - 16 MB RAM
       - stereo 16-bit soundcard with General MIDI support
       - a quality joystick
       - lots of spare time

SUPPORTS:
       - Microsoft compatible mouse
       - Sound cards: Soundblaster Pro/16/AWE32/compatibles, ProAudio
         Spectrum Plus/16/Studio, Gravis Ultrasound/Max, Roland
         MT-32/LAPC-1/SCC-1 (MIDI music only)
       - Joysticks: 1 or 2 as well as Thrustmaster WCS/FCS/FLCS/TQS, Gravis
         GamePad/Phoenix, Logitech Cyberman/Wingman Extreme, CH Flightstick
         Pro/Throttle, Microsoft SideWinder/Pro
       - VR support: VFX-1, CyberMaxx, Virtual I/O i-glasses, and 3DMax


ͻ
 4b. Installation & Setup 
ͼ

To install Descent 2, use PKUNZIP to unzip the distributed files into a
temporary directory.  From that directory, type:

INSTALL <ENTER>

The Installer will uncompress the needed files.  It will then run SETUP
to allow you to configure your sound card(s).

To change soundcard configuration at any time, you can also type:

SETUP <ENTER>

Follow the prompts to configure your sound device(s).  Be sure you test
the sound and music!  If soundcard settings are incorrect, Descent 2 may
not work properly or even fail.

To start Descent 2 type:

D2 <ENTER>

After starting the game, you will be prompted to enter your PTMC pilot
name.  This will be the name Descent 2 uses to store your control
configurations and for tracking you in Multiplayer games and in high scores.


ͻ
 4c. Descent 2 under Win95 
ͼ

Descent 2 will run great under Win95 in a DOS box, as well as Win95
DOS mode.

If you are experiencing any problems running Descent 2 under Win95 (sound,
netgame difficulties, etc.), see Section 11 for troubleshooting tips, or
contact Interplay Technical Support.


ͻ
 4d. Menus 
ͼ

Use the arrow keys to move around menus in Descent 2.  Unless otherwise
noted, hitting <ESC> will accept the current menu's settings and return
to the previous one.  Some menus contain radio-type switches and checkboxes
that can be toggled by hitting <SPACEBAR>.  From the game you can always
hit the <F1> key to bring up a list of keyboard commands.  Hitting <F2>
from the game will bring up the Game Options menu.  Certain menus
have special control keys, and will be noted as such on the menus themselves.


DESCENT 2 MENU

NEW GAME - Start a new game of Descent 2.  You may begin on any level you
       have reached in previous games.
  
LOAD GAME - Resume a previously saved game.  Saved games are stored in your
       pilot file, so be sure the proper pilot is selected.

MULTIPLAYER - Allows you to start a game of Multiplayer Descent 2 using a
       modem, serial cable, or IPX network.  See Section 5 for details.

OPTIONS - Takes you to the Options Menu (see below).

CHANGE PILOTS - Allows you to change the current pilot or create a new one.
       All control configurations and saved games are stored in your pilot
       file.

VIEW DEMO - Lets you play a recorded demo file.  See section 6 for details.

HIGH SCORES - See Descent 2 High Scores.

ORDERING INFO - Shows how to order the full version of Descent 2!

CREDITS - See the list of people who created Descent 2.

QUIT - This will return you to DOS.


OPTIONS MENU

FX VOLUME - Changes volume of sound effects.

MUSIC VOLUME - Changes volume of the music.

REVERSE STEREO - Allows you to reverse the stereo sound channels.  This is
       sometimes necessary for earphones, speakers, or extension cables
       that are wired incorrectly.

BRIGHTNESS - Some monitors are darker than others.  If you have trouble
       seeing details on your game screen, try adjusting this slider.

CONTROLS - Takes you to the Controls Menu (see below).

DETAIL LEVELS - Allows you to adjust the Detail Level of Descent 2 (see
       below).

CALIBRATE JOYSTICK - If your joystick drifts, you probably need to calibrate
       it.  Also available in the game by hitting <SHIFT-F7>.

TOGGLES - This menu contains several togglable options for Descent 2 (see
       below).

PRIMARY AUTOSELECT ORDERING...    - see below
SECONDARY AUTOSELECT ORDERING...  - see below


CONTROLS

The Controls menu allows you to choose your prefered controls for Descent 2.
If you are using a Thrustmaster stick, the Gravis Phoenix, or a Logitech
CyberMan, see Section 8.

By choosing Customize Keyboard you can change the default keys to your
preferences.  Any changes are saved in your pilot file.  If you use a
Thrustmaster WCS, FLCS, or Gravis Phoenix, you should keep the keyboard
configuration in its default setup and alter the appropriate downloadable
device file.

JOYSTICK SENSITIVITY - Adjusts the responsiveness of your joystick controls.


DETAIL LEVELS

If you are running on less than a 486-50 with 8 MB RAM, you may wish to
lower your detail level to achieve better performance.  There are several
preset detail levels available to you, as well as a Custom Detail Level.
The following is a list of options availble under the Options/Details/Custom
menu:

OBJECT COMPLEXITY:  This affects the number of polygons used by objects
       like robots, player ships, and other 3D objects.  Lower values will
       increase speed, but simplify the shapes of many objects.

OBJECT DETAIL:  This determines at what distance an object changes from
       flat-shaded to texture-mapped details.  Setting this slider to a
       lower value will cause robots to be flat-shaded much closer.

WALL DETAIL:  This option determines at what distance walls appear flat-
       shaded vs. texture-mapped.  It also affects the accuracy vs. speed
       of the texture mapper.  If you notice wall textures "sliding" or
       "jumping" a little in the distance, this slider is set too low.

WALL RENDER DEPTH:  This will change the maximum distance you can see.
       Lower settings will increase the speed of Descent 2, but will cause
       flat-colored "walls" to appear across long hallways.  These
       boundaries do not affect weapons or other objects, only your visuals.

AMOUNT OF DEBRIS:  Changing this slider will determine how much debris is
       made when robots explode.  Setting this to a low value will make
       fewer pieces in heavy combat.

SOUND CHANNELS:  Sound can have an affect on the speed of your game as well.  
       This slider will change the maximum number of sounds that can be played 
       at once.

NOTE: To speed things up, you should also disable any/all secondary camera
      views you may have when playing (rear view, GuideBot view, missile
      view, etc.)

TOGGLES

SHIP AUTOLEVELING - If this is on, your PyroGX ship will attempt to align 
       itself with the curvature of the mine tunnels.  This is useful for 
       first-time Descent 2 players, but may be turned off once you're 
       accustomed to full 3D flight.

SHOW RETICLE - Allows you to turn the targeting reticle display on or off.

MISSILE VIEW - When enabled, this will show a "missile cam" view in your
       secondary weapons display.  When a missile is not in the air, the
       weapons display will work normally.  This option is enabled by
       default, but can be disabled for a small framerate increase.

HEADLIGHT ON WHEN PICKED UP - self explanatory.

SHOW GUIDED MISSILE IN MAIN DISPLAY - If enabled, this will show the Guided
       missile view in the main display (showing your ships view in the
       small window).  If disabled, it will work like a normal missile view.

AUTOSELECT ORDERING

These Primary/Secondary Autoselect Ordering menus allow you to choose the
'preferences' of your weapon Autoselection.  Items higher on the list will
be autoselected over lower items.  Weapons appearing below the "Never
Autoselect" line will not be autoselected, and must be manually selected.

When you use the 'B' key to drop ProxBombs/SmartMines, the game will prefer
the higher one on this list, even if they both appear below the "Never"
line.

ͻ
 4e. Powerups 
ͼ

ACCESS KEYS:  These access keys give you access to the different security
       levels of the mines.  They are color-coded to the doors they open.

ENERGY BOOST:  This will give your energy banks a boost, up to 200 units
       max.  Energy Centers can deliver recharge up to 100 units.

SHIELD BOOST:  This will give your ship's shields a kick.  By getting
       shield powerups, you can get your shields up to a maximum of
       200 units.

CLOAKING DEVICE:  Gives your ship cloaking ability for a limited time.

* INVULNERABILITY:  Makes your ship invulnerable for a short time.

* EXTRA LIFE:  Gives you a bonus life.

AFTERBURNER:  This gives your ship turbo-boosted thrusters.  Afterburners
       operate off of a separate energy reserve that charges itself from
       your normal energy banks.  The default Afterburner key is 'S', but
       can be modified.

LASER: Laser cannons have six power levels.  The laser powerup will give
       you the next available level.

SUPERLASER:  These beauties will give you an additional 2 levels of laser
       power.

QUAD LASER:  This powerup will modify your existing laser system to fire
       four bolts instead of the standard two.

HEADLIGHT:  Helps illuminate nearby mine walls.  Also makes your ship more
       visible to surrounding robots (and players!).  The default key for
       the headlight is 'H', and can be defaulted as ON or OFF in the
       Options/Toggles menu.  NOTE: While ON, the headlight will drain
       energy from your main energy reserve.  The headlight will not operate
       if you have less than 10 units of energy.

ENERGY->SHIELD CONVERTER - When you have more than 100 units of energy, this
       device will allow you to divert it to your ship's shields.  The
       default key is 'T'.  Every shield unit costs 2 energy units to
       convert.

VULCAN CANNON:  This weapon rapidly fires explosive-tipped shells.

VULCAN AMMO:  This gives you more ammunition for the Vulcan Cannon.

GAUSS CANNON:  Similar to the Vulcan, this weapon fires fewer, but more
       massive and devastating bursts of ammo.

SPREADFIRE CANNON:  This fires a spread of energy at your target.

HELIX CANNON:  The newest model of the Spreadfire line, this brings a
       shower of destruction down on anything in your path.

PLASMA CANNON:  Fires bursts of supercharged plasma.

* FUSION CANNON:  Fires destructive blasts of energy directly from the
       ship's fusion reactor.  Capable of punching through large crowds of
       robots before running out of power.

* PHOENIX CANNON:  A turbo-charged version of the Plasma cannon, the energy
       bursts from the Phoenix will ricochet off walls.

* OMEGA CANNON:  Casts an ultimately powerful beam of energy to your target.

CONCUSSION MISSILES:  All-purpose dumbfire rockets.  Come singly or in
       packs of four.

HOMING MISSILES:  Same size warhead as Concussion Missiles, these are
       equipped with a tracking device that can follow a target around
       most turns.  Come singly or in packs of four.

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.

PROXIMITY BOMBS:  These bombs are launched behind your ship, waiting to
       explode when something gets near.  Can be armed as a secondary
       weapon, or dropped directly by hitting the default key "B".

SMART MINES: devastating defensive device.  Spews forth globules of energy
       that track nearby targets.

SMART MISSILE:  When this missile detonates, it sends bomblets of
       heated plasma after the surrounding targets.

* MEGA MISSILE:  Stand back when you launch this earthshaker.

* MERCURY MISSILE:  ???

* EARTHSHAKER MISSILE:  The ultimate in mine-rocking destruction.  Treat
       with respect.

     * Only available in the Full version of DESCENT 2.  See ORDERFRM.TXT
       for ordering information.


ͻ
 4f. Doors 
ͼ

Doors in the mines can be opened by shooting them or bumping them.
If a door is locked, it needs the appropriately colored access key.
If a door is not color coded and cannot be opened, it is a special
door that may open by a motion sensor or control box somewhere in the mine.


ͻ
 4g. PTMC Mine Centers 
ͼ

ENERGY CENTER:  Designed for "on the fly" replenishing of robot's power
       cells, it will also recharge your own.  These will charge your
       ship's energy banks (up to 100 units).

ROBOT GENERATOR:  Automated centers that determine a mine's needs
       and assemble robots from surrounding minerals and metals.  Very
       dangerous.  Identifiable by its violet color.

MAIN REACTOR:  The power generator of the whole mine.  Usually in a
       secluded place away from day-to-day mine mishaps.


ͻ
 4h. Keylist 
ͼ

Following is the full keylist for Descent 2.


GAME OPTIONS KEYS


ESCAPE          Main menu/Abort game

1-5             Select Primary weapon (hit twice for D2 weapons)
6-0             Select Secondary weapon (hit twice for D2 weapons)

F1              Help screen
F2              Options
F3              Cockpit on/off
F4              Drop Automap marker

F5              Demo recording on/off
F6              Accept incoming player (multiplayer only, when prompted)

F7              Cycle kill list display (multiplayer only)
F8              Send typed message (multiplayer only)
F9-F12          Send taunt macros (multiplayer only)

ALT-F2          Save game
ALT-F3          Load game
ALT-F4          Toggle teammate/player ID display
ALT-F6          Toggle teammate IDs (team mode only)

SHIFT-F5        Drop primary weapon
SHIFT-F6        Drop secondary weapon

SHIFT-F1/F2     Cycle camera views (Rear view, GuideBot view, Teammate view,
                  Marker view)

SHIFT-F4        GuideBot Command Menu
SHIFT-1 thru 0  Issue GuideBot Menu command x
SHIFT-F7        Calibrate joystick

SHIFT-F9        Define F9-F12 taunt macros (multiplayer only) 
  thru
SHIFT-F12

PAUSE           Pause game (disabled in multiplayer)
+/-             change window size
PRINT SCREEN    save screen shot 

SHIFT-ESC       Quick exit


DEFAULT CONTROLS

The following assignments may all be modified in the
Options/Controls/Customize menus


JOYSTICK:  
                   dive

                    /\
                    |        Button 1: fire primary
                    |        Button 2: fire secondary

                ----------
               |          |
               |          |
               |    --    |
 turn left <-- |   |XX|   | --> turn right   
               |    --    |
               |          |
               |          |
                ----------

                    |
                    |
                    \/

                   climb


KEYBOARD FLIGHT


ARROW KEYS      ship rotations

A               forward
Z               reverse
S               afterburner (when acquired)

Q or PAD 7      bank left
E or PAD 9      bank right

LEFT ALT        slide on
PAD 1           slide left
PAD 3           slide right
PAD -           slide up
PAD +           slide down

R               rear view
TAB             automap

H               headlight on/off
T               transfer energy->shields (if converter acquired and energy
                  is over 100 units)

WEAPONS:

CTRL            fire primary
SPACEBAR        fire secondary
B               drop ProxBomb/SmartMine (if available)

                NOTE: the color and count of the "B:" display on the
                      cockpit/statusbar/HUD indicates the type and
                      availability of ProxBombs/SmartMines.

WEAPON SELECTION

Each selection key will switch between its main and alternate weapons.
Descent 2 will remember which of the two weapons you last selected, and will
return to that one when you return to that entry.  Certain weapons are not
available in the Interactive Demo.

   key   main                alternate (D2 weapon)
   ---   ----------          ---------------------
    1    Lasers/SuperLasers  (used as laser levels 5 & 6)
    2    Vulcan Cannon       Gauss Cannon
    3    Spreadfire Cannon   Helix Cannon
    4    Plasma Cannon       Phoenix Cannon
    5    Fusion Cannon       Omega Cannon

    6    Concussion Missile  Flash Missile
    7    Homing Missile      Guided Missile
    8    Proximity Bomb      Smart Mine
    9    Smart Missile       Mercury Missile
    0    Mega Missile        EarthShaker Missile

    ,    cycle primary
    .    cycle secondary

NOTE:  The two cycle keys will select the next available weapon of that
       type.  The order of the list can be changed under the new
       Options/Autoselect Ordering menus.


AUTOMAP


Flight controls            Rotate/zoom map
+/-                        Change display distance from ship
1-9                        Select Automap marker
CTRL-D                     Delete selected marker


DEMO PLAYBACK CONTROLS


UP ARROW        play
DOWN ARROW      stop
RIGHT ARROW     single frame forward
LEFT ARROW      single frame reverse

SHIFT-RIGHT     fast forward
SHIFT-LEFT      fast reverse

CTRL-RIGHT      go to end
CTRL-LEFT       go to start


VR HEADSET OPTION KEYS


ALT-F5          toggle VictorMaxx mode
ALT-F6          cycle VR resolution
ALT-F7          switch left/right eye displays
ALT-F8          cycle head tracking sensitivity
ALT-F9          cycle headset type
ALT-F10         toggle HUD




                     ͻ
                      5. MULTIPLAYER DESCENT 2 
                     ͼ

NOTE:  DESCENT 2 multiplayer games are incompatible with DESCENT 1.
       Therefore, DESCENT 1 network games will not show up on your
       DESCENT 2 join screen, nor vice-versa.

ͻ
 5a. Multiplayer:   
     Features/Rules 
ͼ

   >>  NOTE:   ONLY ANARCHY MODE IS AVAILABLE IN DEMO VERSION.    <<
   >>  SEE ORDERFRM.TXT TO RECEIVE THE FULL DESCENT 2 EXPERIENCE! <<

There are several features available to players of Multiplayer Descent 2
not used in normal single player games.  Here is the rundown:

Multiplayer Keys

ACCEPT PLAYER ENTRY (F6):  Available only in Restricted games.  When a new
       player attempts to join, an in-game player is given a message and
       the option of hitting 'F6' to accept him/her into to the game.
       If no acceptance is made in 5 seconds, the new player is denied.

TEAMMATE ID DISPLAY (ALT-F6):  Available in Network Team games only.  If
       enabled, this will show a teammate's name if he is in your sights.
       Hitting ALT-F6 will turn this on/off.

KILL LIST DISPLAY (F7):  This toggles the Multiplayer Kill List on/off.
       In Network Team games, this alternates the display between Player
       Kills, Team Kills, Efficiency Scores, and no kill display.  The
       efficiency score is defined as KILLS/(KILLS+DEATHS).  Therefore,
       a player with 5 kills and 0 deaths would have a perfect 100%
       Efficiency Score.  Someone with 5 kills and 2 deaths would have a
       71% Efficiency Score.

SEND MESSAGE (F8):  Lets you type a message to other player(s).  Addressing
       the message to specific player(s) can be done by using a colon.
       For example, sending the message "ST:YOUR TIME IS NEAR!" will send
       the message "YOUR TIME IS NEAR!" to any players with "ST" as their
       name or first characters.  This would include the players STEVE or
       STACY.  If there is no address, the message will be sent to
       everyone.  If there is an address but no match, it will not be sent.
       In Team Anarchy, addressing messages to "1:" or "2:" will send
       them only to Team 1 and Team 2, respectively.

TAUNT MACROS (F9-F12):  This works the same as above, but lets you
       send one of four predefined messages with one keypress.  By using
       SHIFT, you can define or re-define what F9-F12 will send.  For
       example, hitting SHIFT-F10 will let you change what F10 will send
       when you hit it by itself.  Message addressing using ":" is
       available in macros as well (see above).  Taunt Macros are stored
       in your pilot file for future games.

MARKER CAMERAS (F4):  In addition to the normal Automap Marker functionality,
       these double as a serveillance technique.  After dropping a marker
       in a Multiplayer game, you can view from it's location by selecting
       it with the SHIFT-F1 or -F2 camera views.  These may be disallowed
       in the Start Netgame/More Options menu.


Multiplayer Rules

Some special rules apply to Multiplayer Descent 2 Games.  Here is the
rundown:

     o NEW TO DESCENT 2: Multiplayer handicapping!  If someone wishes to
       handicap themselves, they may use F8 to send the following message:
       "handicap:xxx" where xxx is a number from 10-100.  From that point
       on, the player who sent the message will have xxx shields when they
       reappear after dying.  When a player changes his/her handicap, a
       message is sent to everyone to announce it.

     o When players are killed, they drop their weapons and powerups!
       This also means that if there is only one Spreadfire Cannon placed
       in a level, only one player can have it at a time.  If you want
       a certain weapon, you may have to beat it out of someone!

     o When you fire secondary weapons in a multiplayer game, a new powerup
       of that type is created randomly somewhere in the mine.  This keeps
       the number of weapons in the game constant.  If you see a weapon
       suddenly appear in front of your ship, consider yourself lucky!
       Cloak/Invulnerability replacements are created when these effects
       wear off of a player.  Concussion Missiles do not replace themselves.

     o Bringing up a menu in Multiplayer Descent 2 does NOT stop the action.
       Your ship is still vulnerable to attack.  If you need to spend
       time in a menu, find a place to hide.  If you're attacked while in
       a menu, the game will automatically return you to the game so you
       can defend yourself.  It will also return you from menus if the
       reactor is about to explode.

     o After finishing a level in Multiplayer Descent 2, there may be
       a waiting period while other players escape the mine.  Everyone
       will then enter the new mine together.  The waiting delay may be
       up to 60 seconds.  If you wish, you can exit the game entirely by
       hitting <ESC> at this screen.

     o Reactor Invulnerability - A new slider has been added to Descent 2.
       It allows the person starting a multiplayer game to keep the reactor
       indestructible for a predetermined amount of time.

ͻ
 5b. Multiplayer:       
     Modem/Serial Games 
ͼ

>NOTE:  If you experience any problems, see Section 11 for troubleshooting
        tips and solutions.

Modem/Serial Setup

Before attempting to start a Serial game, both users should check
the Com Settings menu to verify that the options are correct.  Any 
changes are saved for future games.

NOTE:  Games using a null-modem cable require that both machines use the
       same baud rate in the Com Settings menu.  Modem games, however, do
       not require this.

If your machine has a 16450 UART, you should choose 9600 or 19200 baud.
The higher the baud rate, the better Descent 2 will perform.  If your
computer has a 16550 UART, you can use 38400 baud rate for optimum
performance.  If you are unsure what type of UART your machine has, you
can try selecting the 38400 baud rate option.  Descent 2 will tell you if
it does not detect the 16550 UART required for 38400.

For modem users, note that changing the baud rate in the Com Settings 
menu actually sets the rate of communication between the computer and the
modem.  Even though many modems do not support actual baud rates above
14400, it is still better to choose a 38400 baud rate in the menu.
This will allow Descent 2 to spend less time communicating with the modem,
and will increase game performance.

Modem Descent 2 requires at least a 9600 baud modem with an error correction
protocol (preferably v.42).  Data compression is also helpful, and
should be enabled in the modem (v.42bis is preferable).  The modem should
respond to a drop in the DTR control line by hanging up.  Fortunately,
most modern modems have adequate factory settings for playing Descent 2.

If you receive good performance at 9600 baud or above when using your
modem for things like on-line services, no special initialization string
should be necessary to run Descent 2 ("ATZ" will do nicely).  If your modem
is something more exotic, you may wish to use an init string of "AT&F"
to reset it to factory defaults, which should work great with Descent 2.


Connecting

>> NOTE: If you are using a serial port with a non-standard IRQ, you will
need to use the Custom option in the Com Settings menu.  Pressing return
on this checkbox will allow you to change the settings.

Starting a game of Serial Descent 2 is a two-stage procedure.  First, a 
link must be established between two machines.  This is accomplished 
differently depending on what type of game you are playing.

If you are establishing a null-modem cable link, both players must select 
"Establish Null-Modem Link" from the serial game menu.  After the two 
computers have established a connection over the null-modem cable you 
will be returned to the menu and should have new options available to you.
If the two machines fail to achieve a link, check the serial parameters 
on both sides.  The baud rate settings must be identical on both sides for 
them to communicate properly.   After establishing the null-modem link, 
one machine is designated as the master and the other is the slave.  This 
is not visible from the menu, but when you go to start game, only one of 
the two machines will prompt for the game settings to use.  See Starting 
a Game below for more information.

If you are starting a modem game, one person must select Dial Modem 
from the serial game menu and the other must select Answer modem.
After the modems connect, you will be returned to the serial game menu
and new options will be available to you.


Starting

You should now see the "Start Game" option on your menu.  The blue line
should indicate if you are connected or not.  When selecting Start Game,
one player will be offered a menu of game options such as start level
and game mode.  If a modem is being used, the person who dialed
will need to choose the game options, while the other waits for him/her
to start.  In null-modem games the starter is randomly determined.  After
this, both players will be placed in the mine and the game begins.

After the game is finished or if one of the players decides to leave the 
game, both players are returned to the serial game menu.  The 
communication link is STILL ACTIVE, however.  If you want to play 
another game, perhaps with different settings or a different starting 
level, just select Start Game once again.  If you want to hangup the 
modem or release the null-modem connection, select Close Link.  

Another feature of the modem game is the ability to send messages back 
and forth between connected players before they are in the game.  
You can do this by selecting Send Message from the Serial Game menu.  
This option is only available once a connection has been established.  
This is useful if you do not have an extra phone line for voice 
communication while playing and you need to negotiate the terms of the 
game.  Another feature is automatic notification when a game is starting.  
If one player selects start game but the other does not, the person who 
didn't start will be informed that the other player is ready.  If the
user isn't prepared to start yet, the first user will be notified.  

Make sure you select Close Link or exit the serial game menu if you're 
finished with the modem game.  If you do not, the modem will remain
connected to the other player.


Phone Book

A small phonebook is available from the dial menu of the serial game 
menu.  This lets you store the names and phone numbers of your 8 most 
frequent opponents.  To edit the phonebook go to the Dial menu and 
select Edit Phonebook.


ͻ
 5c. Multiplayer:  
     Network Games 
ͼ

Netgame Requirements

Descent 2 is designed to run on networks using the IPX protocol.  
To use IPX protocol on your LAN-connected PC, you must be loading the 
IPX.COM driver provided by Novell, in addition to lower-level drivers 
required by your particular brand of network card.

Netgame Setup

Descent 2 supports up to 12 simultaneous network games on a single socket.  
If you need to run more than 12 games on a single LAN, players can use 
the Socket option in the Start Netgame/More Options menu.  Joining players
will need to change to the same socket from the Join Netgame menu.  
Descent 2 uses a default socket number of 5110(Hex).  This option can be
used to avoid socket conflicts with other network services should they
arise.

Also, if you are on a large network with many games playing, you can use
a different socket to run the game from.  Hitting PGUP/PGDN from the Join
menu will allow you to find such games.  

One person playing must select Start Netgame from the Multiplayer menu.
The starting parameters are explained below:

Starting a Netgame


START NETGAME MENU:

  DESCRIPTION:  The name of the game, literally.  This is merely for other
       people will see this when they are choosing games to join.

  LEVEL:  The level the game will start on.  Play may progress to other
       levels during the game.

  MODE:  Determines type of game to be played:

                  ANARCHY:  A human-only free-for-all battle to the death.
                            The goal is to accumulate the most kills.

           * TEAM ANARCHY:  Same as Anarchy, but with teams.

           * ROBO-ANARCHY:  Same as Anarchy, but with robots thrown
                            in.  The goal is still to kill your human
                            opponents, but the robots have their
                            own agenda... Robots are also a good source of
                            powerups.

            * COOPERATIVE:  Humans vs. the robots.  Save humanity!

* Only available in the full version of Descent 2.
  See ORDERFRM.TXT for details.


  OPEN GAME:  Open games allow any new players to join the game in-progress.

  CLOSED GAME:  Determines whether or not new players will be allowed
       to join once the game has started.  If you have checked the
       Closed Game box, only the starting players will be in the game.
       Note that even in Closed games, the starting players are allowed
       to leave Descent 2 and rejoin at any time. 

  RESTRICTED GAME:  This new Descent 2 mode operates the same as Open games
       with one change.  When a new player attempts to join a Restricted
       game, one of the current players will be sent a message, giving
       him/her the option of hitting 'F6' to accept that player.  If the
       acceptance isn't given within 5 seconds, the player is denied
       entry.  Denied players may attempt to join as often as they wish.

  MAXIMUM PLAYERS:  This slider allows you to limit the maximum number of
       players allowed in the game.  Cooperative Mode only allows 4
       players max.


MORE OPTIONS MENU:

  DIFFICULTY:  This determines many factors from robot awareness and
       deadliness to time for mine destruction countdowns.  If the
       slider is to the left the game will be easier, to the right it
       will be harder.

  REACTOR LIFE:  Determines how long, in minutes, the reactor will be
       invulnerable.  Until this time limit has expired, no one may
       advance the level.

* MAX TIME:  Determines the time, in minutes, each level will be allowed.
       At the end of this time period, the reactor will detonate itself
       and advance the level.

* KILL GOAL:  Determines how many kills to allow before advancing the level.
       Once a player has achieved this number of kills on a level, the
       reactor will detonate and advance the level.  The player that reached
       the kill goal will be given a shield bonus at the beginning of the
       following level.

  ALLOW CAMERA VIEWS FROM MARKERS - This toggle will enable/disable the
       players' ability to use the SHIFT-F1/F2 camera views from markers
       he/she has placed.

  INDESTRUCTIBLE LIGHTS - prevents players from blowing lights out.

  SHOW ALL PLAYERS ON AUTOMAP:  self explanatory.

  SET OBJECTS ALLOWED... This screen allows the person starting the game
       to disallow any Descent 2 weapons and objects.  Disallowed objects
       will be replaced with shield powerups.

  NETWORK SOCKET - This allows you to start the netgame on a different
       socket number.  NOTE: joining players must change to the same socket
       number in the Join Netgame menu.

  PACKETS per SECOND - This will change how many network packets each
       machine sends per second during the netgame.  If your netgame appears
       slow or suffers from problems related to lost packets (players
       jump around, hits not registering, removable walls not disappearing)
       lowering this number will help.  You can raise this number (to a
       maximum of 20) if all players are on the same subnet and you desire
       a smoother game.  The default value is 10.

* Only available in the full version of Descent 2.
  See ORDERFRM.TXT for details.


Once parameters are set, hit <ENTER> from the Start Netgame menu.  The next
screen is player selection.  As each player selects your game from the Join
Game screen, his/her name will appear on your list.  By default, all
players wishing to join will be selected, but you can deselect them by
pressing the spacebar on their checkbox.  Press <ENTER> to start the action.

Team Selection

If you've chosen Team Anarchy mode, the next screen will be Team Selection.
Team names can be modified in the text boxes.  Pressing <ENTER> on a
player's name will move him/her to the other team.  Team 1 ships will be
colored BLUE and Team 2 ships will be RED.  Press <ESC> to accept the teams
and start the game.  

Team play is unavailable in the Descent 2 Interactive Demo.

Joining a Netgame

Choose Join Netgame from the Multiplayer menu.  The next screen will show
you all active netgames on that socket.  Below each game is listed the
current level number, number of people playing, and game status.  Netgame
status can be:

                  FORMING:  Game is in player-selection phase.
                            Anyone may attempt to join a forming netgame.

                     OPEN:  This means the game is in progress, and you
                            may join at any time.

                   CLOSED:  The game is playing, but closed to new players.
                            This is because there are 8 players in the
                            netgame already, or the game was started
                            as Closed.

           BETWEEN LEVELS:  The game is in progress, but the players are
                            rushing for the escape tunnel.  If you wait
                            for the level to advance, it will change to
                            JOIN and you can then hop in.  Closed netgames
                            will never show this message.

NOTE: If the game you're joining is being run on a non-default socket,
      you will need to use PGUP/PGDN to match that socket number.
       
Rejoining a Netgame

If you leave a netgame for any reason, you may rejoin the ongoing game
when you're ready.  Although you lose accumulated items, you will
retain your ship color and kill count (unless you've been gone long
enough for someone new to have taken your spot).  Make sure you rejoin
from the same computer using the same pilot name so the game knows
you as a previously-joined player.

The person who started the game is also free to leave and re-join the 
game at will; there are no special restrictions for this person once
the initial parameters have been chosen.

Anarchy Summaries

At the end of each level, an Anarchy Summary screen will come up.  This
shows a Kills matrix, with the Total kills and Efficiency Score on the
right.  The efficiency score is defined as KILLS/(KILLS+DEATHS).
Therefore, a player with 5 kills and 0 deaths would have a perfect 100%
Efficiency Score.  Someone with 5 kills and 2 deaths would have a 71%
Efficiency.  Players with no kills will show N/A in this field.




                       ͻ
                        6. DEMOS & SCREENSHOTS 
                       ͼ

Sorry, DESCENT 1 Demos are incompatible with DESCENT 2 playback.

Demos

Descent 2 has a fully integrated demo recording and playback system.  This
recording will work in single or multiplayer games, so you can have
a permanent record of blasting your friends to pieces.  Hitting F5 in the
game will turn on recording.  Hitting it again will turn it off and
prompt you for a filename.  If you press <ESC> from the filename box, the
demo will NOT be saved.  The demos will record the advance from one
level to the next; however, the escape sequences will be skipped in
playback.

Demo files are saved in the Descent 2 directory and have the filename
extension ".DEM".  Of course, Descent DEM files may be distributed freely.

>>NOTE:  Descent .DEM files can become quite large on disk.  This is
         especially true when recording heavy combat.  Make sure you have
         adequate disk space before recording.  If you have less than 500k
         free on disk, you won't be allowed to record a demo.

To view a recorded demo, choose View Demo from the Descent 2 menu.  During
playback, the following keys are available:


   Arrow keys:                 Also:   SHIFT-LEFT ARROW  = fast reverse
                                       SHIFT-RIGHT ARROW = fast forward
                                       CTRL-LEFT ARROW   = go to start
            play                       CTRL-RIGHT ARROW  = go to end
             /\
             ||                        PRINT SCREEN      = save screenshot

  rewind <=      => forward

             ||
             \/
            stop


Certain gauges and other trivial items won't display accurately in demo
playback in order to minimize the space needed for demo files.


Screenshots

Hitting the PRINT SCREEN key will save a screenshot.  The files are
written to the Descent 2 directory with the name convention SCREENxx.PCX.
The number xx will automatically increment as long as you're in Descent 2.
If you leave the game, then return, the numbering will start over and
overwrite existing screenshots.  The pictures are in .PCX format.




                       ͻ
                        7. COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS 
                       ͼ

The following DOS command-line options are available in Descent 2.
Upper/lowercase is not significant.

NOTE: Some options pertain to features not included in the Interactive
      Demo.

 General Options:
  -Verbose        Shows initialization steps for tech support
  -LowMem         Lower animation detail for better performance with low
                    memory
  -NoLowMem       Force high animation detail even when low memory
  -NoMemCheck     Disables memory requirement checking
  -NoDOSCheck     Disables DOS version checking
  -NoVesa         Disables VESA linear frame buffering
  -NoFileCheck    Disables the file handles check
  -Missions <dir> Search the specified directory for add-on missions

 Input devices:
  -NoMouse        Disables mouse drivers
  -NoJoystick     Disables joystick support
  -JoyPolled      Poll joystick w/ counter.  Use for Windows, OS/2
  -JoyBios        Use the system BIOS for joystick.
  -JoyNice        Joystick poller allows interrupts to occur
  -GamePort       Use Colorado Spectrum's Notebook Gameport

 Sound & Music:
  -Volume <v>     Sets sound volume to v, where v is between 0 and 100
  -NoSound        Disables sound drivers
  -NoMusic        Disables music; sound effects remain enabled
  -NoLoadPats     Disables patch loading for Gravis UltraSound

 VR Devices:
  -Iglasses       Enables Virtual I/O Iglasses! stereo display
  -VioTrack <n>   Enables Iglasses! head tracking via COM port n
  -3dmaxHi        Enables Kasan's 3dMax stereo display in high res
  -3dmaxLo        Enables Kasan's 3dMax stereo display in low res.
                    3DBios must be installed for 3dMax operation.
  -CyberMaxx      Enables CyberMaxx helmet display
  -MaxxTrack <n>  Enables CyberMaxx head tracking via COM port n
  -VFX            Enables VFX helmet stereo support
  -VFXTrack       Enables VFX head tracking (VFX1.COM must be resident)
  -LCDBios        Enables LCDBIOS for using LCD shutter glasses

 Network & Modem:
  -CtsRts         Enables CTS/RTS handshaking during null-modem games
  -NoNetwork      Disables network drivers
  -NoSerial       Disables serial drivers



                       ͻ
                        8. TIPS for NEW PILOTS 
                       ͼ

Here are a few things that help new players adjust to the fully 3D world
and intelligent robots of Descent 2.  Heed these tips and you'll soon be
blasting robot hordes (and your friends!) with ease.

     o Use a quality joystick.  Thrustmaster, Advanced Gravis, and
       CH Products provide full lines of controls well suited to 3D
       flying.

     o If you use a two-button joystick, try keeping one hand on the
       A and Z keys to control your FORWARD and REVERSE.

     o If you're up against a wall, try using REVERSE to back away 
       instead of turning around.

     o Learn how to SLIDE well.  Using vertical sliding instead of pitching
       will help keep you upright.  If your joystick has a Hat Switch, 
       use it to slide.

     o Rescue the hostages!  If you rescue all hostages in a mine, you
       receive a full rescue bonus.  But be sure you make it out after
       picking them up - if your ship's destroyed, so are they.

     o Try clearing a path to the exit before you attack the Main Reactor.
       You may run out of time if you're battling hordes of robots on
       your escape!

     o Look for secret doors.  Weapons and ammo are often behind them.                      
       They can be a different color, or have small seams running down
       them.  Keep in mind, Descent 2 is fully 3D, and secret doors aren't
       only in the walls...

     o DON'T SIT STILL.  The best way to stay alive is to keep moving.
       Using SLIDE to circle a target while you're firing is very
       effective.

     o Learn to use your ship's Automap.  It can reveal things your
       eyes may miss.




               ͻ
                9. USING SPECIAL JOYSTICKS & CONTROLLERS 
               ͼ

Thrustmaster, Gravis Phoenix, CH, and Logitech controls are fully supported
by Descent 2.  The device control files (DESCENT2.ADV, DESCENT2.M50,
D2WCS.M50, D2TQS.M50, DESCENT.PHX, and DESCENT.KEY) can be found in the
\CONTROLS subdirectory.  If you have a Wingman Extreme, Flight Force Pro,
or other FCS-style stick, you should use the "Thrustmaster FCS" option.

       Thrustmaster FCS:  Choose "Thrustmaster FCS" under Options/Controls.
                          This is for players NOT using the WCS.  If you
                          use the WCS throttle with the FCS, follow
                          instructions for the WCS below.

     * Thrustmaster WCS:  Load the DESCENT2.ADV file into your WCS.  In
           Mark II        Descent 2, choose "Joystick" under
                          Options/Controls.  Now choose "Configure Above"
                          and change the THROTTLE entry to respond to the
                          WCS (the Y2 axis).

    * Thrustmaster FLCS:  Load the D2FLCS.B50 file into your FLCS. 
                          If you also use a WCS throttle, no program should
                          be loaded into the WCS.

     * Thrustmaster TQS:  Load D2TQS.B50 into your FLCS.  This will
                          automatically configure your TQS for Descent 2.
                          Follow directions above to configure your throttle
                          entry in Descent 2.

         Gravis Phoenix:  Load the DESCENT2.PHX file into your Phoenix. In
                          Descent 2, choose "Joystick" under Options/Controls.
                          Now choose "Configure Above" and change the
                          THROTTLE entry to respond to the throttle
                          slider (the Y2 axis).

      Logitech Cyberman:  You must have the Cyberman MOUSE.COM driver loaded
                          before you run Descent 2.  If you have a standard
                          mouse connected as well, you will need to use the
                          "/dual" option when you load MOUSE.COM.  See
                          Cyberman docs for details.  

       NoteBook GamePort: Run Descent 2 with the -JoyBios command line switch
                          and everything should work like normal.  Make sure
                          that you have the joystick TSR installed.

Calibration Note:  When using one of the analog throttles listed here or
                   the CH Flightstick, you will be prompted to calibrate
                   your throttle as well as your joystick.

*  >> NOTE TO WCS and FLCS USERS:  Because these devices intercept the
      keyboard signals, your ship may fly strangely when you also hold down
      keyboard keys (like 'A' and 'Z').  If you keep the WCS or FLCS on
      your system, it's recommended that you use those devices for throttle
      control and sliding, not the keyboard.




                       ͻ
                        10. VR HEADSET INFORMATION 
                       ͼ

Descent 2 fully supports most VR Head Mounted Displays.  

To enable support for a given VR device, use the SETUP program.

During the game, the following keys are used for VR settings:

    ALT-F5          toggle VictorMaxx mode
    ALT-F6          cycle VR resolution
    ALT-F7          switch left/right eye displays
    ALT-F8          cycle head tracking sensitivity
    ALT-F9          cycle headset type
    ALT-F10         toggle HUD

If you have questions about the headsets, the manufacturers can be 
reached at the following numbers:

      - VFX-1 Head Mounted Display, by Forte Technologies, Inc.
        tel: 716-427-8595
        fax: 716-292-6353

      - CyberMaxx HMD, by VictorMaxx Technologies, Inc.
        tel: 1-800-279-6880
        fax: 708-267-0037

      - i-glasses!, by Virtual I-O
        tel: 800-646-3759
        fax: 206-382-8810
        net: vio@vio.com

      - 3D-Max shutter glasses
        US: Chinon America: 
            tel: 310-533-0274 x570
            fax: 310-533-1727
        Europe: Kasan
            tel: 011-46-18-187777




                 ͻ
                  11. TROUBLESHOOTING & COMMON PROBLEMS 
                 ͼ

Regardless of configuration, you should have no trouble running Descent 2.
But in the unlikely case you do have problems, here are some helpful
pointers:
      
General Problems

=> Q:  I CAN'T GET SOUND TO WORK PROPERLY UNDER WINDOWS95.

   A:  Make sure you have a sound device installed under Win95.  Check the
       System Control Panel, or Multimedia Control Panel for your sound
       card (if there's no Multimedia Control Panel, Windows 95 doesn't
       know you have a sound card.)  Also remember that if your sound card
       isn't supported by D2 for DOS, the same is true for running D2
       under DOS mode or in a DOS box.  D2 isn't a Windows95 game, but it
       has been tested under Windows 95.  On some systems, the Multimedia
       Control Panel's volume slider has an effect on the volume of
       digital sound, on other systems it has no such effect.  If problems
       persist, try running Descent 2 from full DOS mode.

=> Q:  I CAN'T PLAY MY FRIEND OVER A NETWORK WHEN RUNNING UNDER WIN95.
       WE ARE BOTH ON THE SAME NETWORK, BUT DESCENT 2 JUST WON'T FIND HIM.

   A:  Only IPX games are supported in Descent 2.  Make sure you have the
       Network Control Panel in your Control Panel window.  Check it to
       see if you have an IPX network installed (it should read "IPX/SPX
       compatible protocol" or "IPX-ODI protocol").  Win95 will load the
       appropriate network drivers when booting up.  The network should
       then be available to a DOS box then, and Descent 2 will recognize it.

       If you're running from DOS mode, you need to edit your DOSSTART.BAT
       file in your Windows directory and load in the DOS network drivers
       (LSL.COM, NE2000, etc).

=> Q:  I GET "CANNOT FIND MOON01.BBM" (OR OTHER FILE) ERROR WHEN I RUN
       DESCENT 2.  WHAT'S WRONG?

   A:  Descent 2 requires that you specify FILES=15 or higher in your
       CONFIG.SYS.  If you are having problems saving/loading games, then
       make sure that you're not doing a clean boot by holding down the F5
       key during the Loading DOS process.  Adding FILES=15 to your
       CONFIG.SYS should clear this up.

=> Q:  DESCENT 2 DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE SOME OF THE COOL SOUND EFFECTS
       IT USED TO.  FOR EXAMPLE, MY FLARES MAKE LASER FIRING SOUNDS.
       WHAT HAPPENED?

   A:  If there is less than 5 MB of available physical memory, Descent 2
       "recycles" sound effects to save memory.  Increase your available
       physical memory above 5 MB, and all sound effects will be loaded.
       Another option is to run with the -NoLowMem command line option.
       This forces Descent to use all sound effects regardless of available
       memory.  However, Descent may run slower with this option.

=> Q:  I HAVE LESS THAN 10MB OF RAM, AND I'M LOW ON DISK SPACE.  DESCENT 2
       HANGS/CRASHES ON ME.  WHAT CAN I DO?

   A:  If Descent 2 doesn't have enough free RAM available, it uses hard
       drive space instead of RAM.  If this is the case, make sure you
       have plenty of free disk space (at least 8-16MB free).

=> Q:  MY MUSIC SLOWS DOWN SOMETIMES WHEN THERE'S A LOT OF DISK ACCESS
       UNDER WINDOWS95.

   A:  Machines with less than the required amount of memory will use
       virtual memory.  This may produce a conflict between Descent 2 and
       Win95's virtual memory usage.  To solve this, you will need to run
       Descent 2 in DOS mode.

=> Q:  DESCENT 2 RUNS SLOWLY ON MY MACHINE, ESPECIALLY IN LARGE BATTLES.
       WHAT CAN I DO?

   A:  Try one or all of the following:
        - Using F3 and +/- to shrink your 3D window size
        - Lowering any/all of the detail level sliders in the
          Options/Detail level screen.
        - Use SHIFT-F1/F2 to remove any secondary views you may use.

=> Q:  I HAVE A SMALL GAME WINDOW AND A LOW DETAIL LEVEL, BUT DESCENT 2
       STILL LOADS AND RUNS SLOWLY.

   A:  Check your sound card settings in SETUP.  Incorrect settings
       can cause significant slowdown.

=> Q:  THE WALLS IN MY GAME SEEM TO JUMP AROUND IN THE DISTANCE.  WHY?
=> Q:  I GET A COLORED WALL IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TUNNELS.  WHAT IS THIS?

   A:  These are due to the Detail Level being set below the highest
       setting.  Consult your Descent 2 Manual.  

=> Q:  MY COMPUTER HAS 4 MEGS OF RAM.  THE GAME IS SLOW AND ACCESSES THE
       HARD DRIVE ALL THE TIME.

   A:  Descent 2 requires 8 megs of RAM to run.  If you have less than 8
       it is unlikely you will be able to run it well.

=> Q:  DESCENT 2 LOCKS UP WHEN I RUN IT.

   A:  Try running Descent 2 with the "-nosound" option.  If this works,
       then chances are it's a sound card problem.  Run SETUP and make sure
       your card settings are correct.  If you don't hear digital sounds or
       music when you test them in SETUP, try Autodetection.  If this
       doesn't help, refer to your sound card manual for troubleshooting
       instructions, or call Interplay Technical Support.    

=> Q:  MY COMPUTER LOCKS UP WHEN AUTODETECTING SOUND CARDS IN SETUP.
       WHAT'S WRONG?

   A:  Due to hardware conflicts, autodetecting for sound cards is a
       risky process.  If you know the brand, port address, IRQ, and
       DMA of your sound card(s), it is recommended that you manually
       configure these items.  Lockups are also common when autodetection
       is used when no sound cards are installed.

=> Q:  I CAN'T SELECT THE RIGHT PORT/IRQ/DMA FOR MY SOUNDCARD IN SETUP.

   A:  If the proper selections don't appear in the SETUP, then you can
       always select them manually by editing your DESCENT.CFG file
       located in your DESCENT 2 directory.  While we tried to account for
       every possibility, some of the more exotic configurations may not
       be listed.  Contact Interplay if your setup is not listed.  

=> Q:  WHY DON'T I HEAR ANYTHING WHEN I TEST MY SOUND IN SETUP?

   A:  You may have the wrong sound card selected, or incorrect port,
       IRQ or DMA settings.  Volume may be set too low in your sound
       drivers (or the volume slider on the back of your sound card).
       Hardware conflicts or loose cables may be to blame as well.
      
=> Q:  MY JOYSTICK ISN'T RESPONDING IN THE GAME.  WHAT'S WRONG?

   A:  Be sure you have JOYSTICK selected in the Options/Controls menu,
       and that it's calibrated.  If your joystick connects to your
       soundcard, make sure the joystick port jumper is ENABLED on the card.
       Some soundcards have this disabled by default.

=> Q:  HEY!  SOME OF MY POWERUPS DISAPPEARED.  WHAT HAPPENED?

       Certain powerups will remove themselves from the game if they have
       been around 4 or 5 minutes.  This only happens to Concussion
       Missiles, Energy, and Shield powerups dropped by a dead player.
    
=> Q:  WHY DOES DESCENT ACT STRANGELY WHEN I RUN IT UNDER WINDOWS?

   A:  While Descent 2 may run under Windows, it isn't recommended.  You
       will probably get odd behavior and slowdowns due to timer conflicts.
       GUS users may get no sound at all under Windows.  If you are having
       joystick problems, try using the -JoyPolled command line option.

=> Q:  I HAVE A THRUSTMASTER WCS HOOKED UP WITH A JOYSTICK.  WHEN I USE
       THE STICK TO FLY, AND THE 'A' AND 'Z' KEYS TO MOVE FORWARD AND
       BACK, I START FLYING OUT OF CONTROL.  WHY?

       Holding down keyboard keys will produce erratic results when the
       WCS or FLCS controls are installed.  See note in Section 8 for
       details.

=> Q:  WHY ISN'T MY MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON WORKING IN DESCENT?

   A:  While Descent 2 supports three-button mice, you still need to load
       a mouse driver that supports three buttons.  Typically Microsoft
       mouse drivers support two and Logitech drivers use three.

=> Q:  I HAVE A GATEWAY 2000 P75.  THE COLORS IN DESCENT 2 ARE COMPLETELY
       MESSED UP.  WHAT CAN I DO?

   A:  Do a hard reboot of your computer and enter the BIOS setup.
       Find the "VGA Palette Snoop" option and disable it.  This should
       fix the problem.

=> Q:  DESCENT 2 LOCKS UP AT THE TITLE SCREEN.

   A:  Turn off the "Hidden Refresh" option in your BIOS Advanced settings.
       Also make sure RAMBIOS.SYS does _not_ appear in your CONFIG.SYS
       and that "Hardware Video Shadowing" is turned off in BIOS.


Modem/Serial Problems

=> Q:  WHEN PLAYING A MODEM/SERIAL GAME, MY GAME FREEZES ON THE "WAITING
       FOR OPPONENT" SCREEN.  WHAT GIVES?

   A:  This screen will appear if you have died in/escaped from an
       exploding mine.  If the other player is still flying there can be
       up to a 60 second delay.  This is normal.  However, if your game
       sits at this screen much longer, chances are something is wrong.
       Likely culprits:  opponent is having technical difficulties,
       interference with unshielded serial cables, loose cables,
       baud rate set too high, or uncorrected errors in the modem
       transmission.

=> Q:  MY MODEM GAMES ARE MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL ONE-PLAYER GAMES.

   A:  Try using a higher baud rate in the Com Settings menu.  If your
       computer does not have a 16550 UART, acquiring one will allow
       up to 38400 baud when communicating with the modem.  Consult your
       Descent Manual for details.

=> Q:  STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN IN MY MODEM/NULL-MODEM GAMES.  WHAT CAN
       I DO TO HELP THIS?

   A:  This may be a result of dropped serial characters.  Some examples
       of "strange" things:  players not dropping powerups when killed,
       ships jumping from place to place on screen, or ships flying
       through doors that appear closed.  If you get error messages during
       play or during the "waiting for opponent" screen, this could be
       the cause as well.

       These problems may occur for several reasons.  Serial play adds an
       additional burden to the CPU when playing the game, so a computer
       capable of playing the game in single-player mode may have
       difficulties with modem or serial play.  If you are using a
       4-megabyte machine, the disk activity needed to run the program in
       a small memory space can cause lost characters.  A lot of sound
       activity can also cause lost serial characters.  Increasing the RAM
       for the game or reducing the number of sound channels in the detail
       settings menu can sometimes help.  Of course you can also reduce
       the baud rate in the Com Settings menu to slow down the game
       somewhat while improving reliability.  Also try setting your music
       volume slider to 0 in the Options menu.

       The best thing you can do to improve serial performance is to equip
       your machine with a 16550 UART.  However, even with this UART 38.4k
       baud rate can still be problematic if you have the burden of low
       RAM or heavy sound activity, so don't be ashamed to run a 16550
       UART at 19.2k baud if need be.


Netgame Problems


=> Q:  STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN WHEN PLAYING DESCENT 2 UNDER KALI/IHHD.
       HITS DON'T REGISTER ON MY OPPONENTS, THEIR SHIPS SEEM TO "JUMP"
       AROUND A LOT, ETC. WHAT CAN I DO?

   A:  While Descent 2 isn't really designed for slow connection games
       such as these, you may be able to improve them.  One thing that may
       help is starting the netgame with a lower Packets per Second
       value (under Multiplayer/Start Netgame/More Options).

=> Q:  I HAVE A ZEOS PANTERA P60 WITH A SOUNDCARD AND WHEN I TRY PLAYING
       A NETGAME IT LOCKS UP.  WHAT CAN I DO?

   A:  Instead of doing a full login to your server, try loading only the
       IPX drivers.  Descent Netgames only require this to function
       properly.

=> Q:  I'M GETTING AN ERROR SAYING MY IPX DRIVERS AREN'T LOADED PROPERLY.
       WHAT DO I DO?

   A:  First, make sure you have a reasonable amount of low memory
       available.  Although Descent 2 uses a DOS extender to avoid low-
       memory hassles, some low memory is still needed for network buffers.
       If this fails, make sure your IPX.COM and other network drivers
       are loaded properly.  A good way to test this is to logon to
       a network server, if one is available.

=> Q:  MY NETGAMES SEEM SLOW AND UNRELIABLE.  WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

   A:  Try using a different socket number.  It's possible that some other
       application on your computer uses socket 5110h and this is
       preventing Descent 2 from opening a proper network connection.  Try
       large values for the socket number (like 32 or 100).  Remember,
       your opponents will need to use the same socket you do.  Also try
       lowering the Packets per Second value in the Start Netgame/More
       Options menu.

=> Q:  DESCENT 2 TELLS ME MY NETWORK CARD IS MISSING PACKETS.  WHAT THE
       HECK DOES THAT MEAN?

   A:  This can be a result of a slow network card, heavy traffic on the
       network, or software conflicts in your system.  If you get this
       message, you can rejoin the game and try again.  If the problem
       persists, one of the following could be to blame:

       - Too many packets being sent.  Descent 2 is optimized for play over
         LAN-based networks.  Slow LANs or WAN-based games (like KALI or
         IHHD) may be too slow to guarantee processing of all packets.
         Lowering the Packets per Second value in the Start Netgame/More
         Options menu (to a number less than 10) may improve things.

       - Loose cables.  Happens to the best of us.  Check the plugs on
         the back of your computer, specifically the ones running to/from
         your network card.

       - Too many players.  While 8 players is offered as the maximum
         in Descent 2, it's possible that your LAN or computer configuration
         can only support 4-6 players reliably.

       - Bad network card.  Some cards drop IPX packets even without
         heavy loads or interference.  If you suspect your LAN card, try
         swapping it with one from another computer.

       - Software conflicts.  Other drivers may be running that cause
         problems with the network interrupts.  These conflicts may not
         emerge when performing other LAN tasks that either don't use
         IPX or have layers of error-checking.  Try removing unneeded
         drivers from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.

       - Router problems.  Playing Descent with players on different sides
         of a router may cause lost packets or delays.  Playing this way
         is not recommended because it creates a significant load on the
         router that may disturb other LAN users.




                         ͻ
                          12. TECHNICAL SUPPORT 
                         ͼ

=> Q:  I CAN'T GET DESCENT 2 TO RUN PROPERLY!  THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS ARE
       TAUNTING ME.  WHAT CAN I DO??

   A:  Don't panic.  Interplay Technical support is happy to help with
       with any problems you have.  Help is available 24 hours a day
       through our Automated Customer Service system, with representatives
       available during normal business hours.  Here's how to contact us:

                     ͻ
                        Interplay Technical Support  
                            & Customer Service       
                                                     
                               714-553-6678          
                     ͼ

   Please try to have your system information available and be near your
   computer if at all possible.

   Other ways to get help:

   Interplay Productions   Interplay Web Page: http://www.interplay.com
   attn: Customer Service               email: support@interplay.com
   17922 Fitch Avenue           Interplay BBS: 714-252-2822
   Irvine, CA  92714           America Online: keyword INTERPLAY
                                                or email to "IPTECH"
   For UK, write to:                    GEnie: type "M805;1"
    Customer Support               CompuServe: GO GAMBPUB, under INTERPLAY
    Harleyford Manor                  Prodigy: email to "PLAY99B"
    Harleyford
    Henley Road
    Marlow
    Bucks
    SL72DX
    England

   UK telephone: +44 (0) 1628 423666



                    ͻ
                     13. DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION 
                    ͼ

See Software License below for specific distribution information on the
Descent 2 Interactive Demo.

The DESCENT 2 INTERACTIVE DEMO (as well as current updates) can be found at
the following locations:

             
              Interplay web page:  http://www.interplay.com
              Parallax web page :  http://www.pxsoftware.com
             

     - Interplay BBS: 714-252-2822

     - CompuServe: GO GAMBPUB, under INTERPLAY

     - America Online: keyword: INTERPLAY

     - Software Creations BBS: 508-368-4137 or telnet to swcbbs.com

     - Redeye BBS: +49.89.5460535, Munich, Germany

     - some Internet sites to check:  (please notify us with site changes)

          ftp.wustl.edu            in /pub/msdos_uploads/descent
          janus.library.cmu.edu    in /pub/msdos/descent
          ftp.cdrom.com            in /.5/descent
          ftp.gatech.edu           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

Check the following locations for other Descent/Descent 2-related goodies:

          the alt.games.descent & alt.binraies.descent newsgroup,
          the #descent IRC channel, or:

          http://www.eskimo.com/~jhroyer/
          http://www.eskimo.com/~stickman/descent/
          http://doomgate.cs.buffalo.edu/
          http://www.primenet.com/
          http://fiction.isdn.uiuc.edu/~jeske/descent/
          http://www.prairienet.org/~jslagel

        PLEASE notify us with site location changes or additions.



              SOFTWARE USE LIMITATIONS AND LIMITED LICENSE 
 
This special 3-level preview version of Descent 2 (the "Software") is
intended solely for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use.
You may not decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble the Software, except
as permitted by law.  Interplay Productions and Parallax Software
Corporation retain all rights and title in the Software including all
intellectual property rights embodied therein and derivatives thereof.  You
are granted a revocable, nonassignable limited license to create derivative
works of this Software solely for your own personal noncommercial home
entertainment use and may publicly display such derivative works to the
extent specifically authorized by Interplay in writing.  A copy of this
authorization, if any, will be provided on Interplay's World Wide Web site
(http://www.interplay.com), and may also be obtained by contacting the legal
department at Interplay at (714) 553-6655.  The Software, including, without
limitation, all code, data structures, characters, images, sounds, text,
screens, game play, derivative works and all other elements of the Software
may not be copied (except as provided below), resold, rented, leased,
distributed (electronically or otherwise), used on pay-per-play, coin-op or
other for-charge basis,  or for any commercial purpose.  You may make copies
of the Software for your personal noncommercial home entertainment use and
to give to friends and acquaintances on a no cost noncommercial basis.  This
limited right to copy the Software expressly excludes any copying or
distribution of the Software on a commercial basis, including, without
limitation, bundling the product with any other product or service and any
give away of the Software in connection with another product or service. Any
permissions granted herein are provided on a temporary basis and can be
withdrawn by Interplay Productions at any time.  All rights not expressly
granted are reserved.  


        DESCENT COPYRIGHT (C) 1995 PARALLAX SOFTWARE CORPORATION
                           ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

        ALL TRADEMARKS ARE PROPERTY OF INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS, INC.
    INTERPLAY PRODUCTIONS IS THE EXCLUSIVE LICENSEE AND DISTRIBUTOR.


-END OF FILE-
