Tips to get D3 working on modern systems

[Salvorite]

1. When starting the game and going through the initial setup, click on the Video tab to bring up a device selection. Check OpenGL and uncheck Direct3D and 3Dfx Glide, then click the Scan for the Selected Video Devices button. Performing this step will allow the settings from your video card's control panel to be applied in-game.

2. Click on the Speed tab. Click on the drop down tab and select Very High. Auto-detect doesn't work right on modern systems.

3. If you plan on playing multiplayer games, make sure to update your network settings on the Network tab.

4. When you are done click OK and then you can launch the game with the Play button.

NOTE: If you get an OpenGL warning, ignore it. Modern video cards are much more compatible with OpenGL than when D3 originally came out.

---------------------------------------

Addendum:

By default, resolution options will be limited. There's also a very restrictive FPS cap. You can fix these issues with command line switches.

-framecap <fps> Caps the framerate to the FPS specified. The default, oddly, is 50 FPS! Go ahead and set this to 999 if you don't want a cap.

-width <width> Sets the screen resolution to the specified width, if possible.

-height <height> Sets the screen resolution to the specified height, if possible.

-aspect <value> Specifies the screen aspect ratio for widescreen displays. 16:9 displays, such as 1920x1080, should use a value of 1.78.

-vsync Turns on vertical sync to prevent screen tearing.

[gizmomelb]

thanks for the info!

[Crix]

Doesn't GOG offer the same game but everything is install and play?

[pcmikeoftheup]

Very informative, thank you.

[DeV]

Originally posted by Crix:

Doesn't GOG offer the same game but everything is install and play?

Steam will make you work for your money.

[seifenstein]

exception right after dolby surround intro
windows 8.1, 64 bit using settings above
also disabled nw as a test

tried several compatibility settings

Call stack:
------------------------------------------------------------------
main.exe 0056fa7c()
KERNEL32.DLL 76e9495d()
ntdll.dll 773f98ee()
ntdll.dll 773f98c4()
------------------------------------------------------------------

[[dse]Circlestrafe]

Originally posted by Crix:

Doesn't GOG offer the same game but everything is install and play?

They sure do! But then...you wouldn't have it on Steam, would you? Think of it as a learning experience if you buy it on Steam, rather than how much easier it may be if purchased from a different vendor. Any way you slice it, it's still much easier to install and play on any platform today than it was when these games were released. High memory, Extended memory, batch files, IPX emulators, autoexec.cfg, config.sys, config.cfg, finding and downloading the correct .exe for your 3D accelerator...

Personally, I picked up the entire series on GOG just recently during a sale, even though I've got the original disks right here on my desk, which I've owned since their initial releases. Installing from disks...let's just say the convenience of digital distribution is more than worth buying the Descent Trilogy a second time.

[fickó]

For those of you with 360 controllers, Descent 3 does natively support it, but it isn't preconfigured for one, so you'll have to configure it yourself. You won't be able to fit every single thing to it, so during the singleplayer you'll still have to use the keyboard for giving commands to the guide bot, and navigating menus.
Here's a list of key/stick binds that will cover everything you'll need to play the game's multiplayer though, modeled after standard console shooters (i.e., left stick for movement, right stick to look, shooting with the shoulder buttons; to invert an axis, you need to press the "?" next to the <assign key> button in the JOY/MOUSE config menu). Note that the triggers can not be set to fire weapons, only to be used as an joystick axis, so I guess this is more appropriate if you hook up an Dualshock 3 controller than an 360 pad:
Fire Primary: Right Button
Fire Secondary: Left Button
Fire Flares: R3 (pressing the right stick)
Cycle Primary: Y
Cycle Secondary: X
Headlights: D-pad Up (POV-U)
Next Item: D-pad Left
Next Countermeasure: D-pad Right
Use Item: D-pad Down
Auto-map: Select
Use Countermeasure: Start
Throttle: Left stick up/down
Slide Horizontal: Left stick left/right
Slide Up: A
Slide down: B
Pitch: Right stick up/down (defaults to inverted, like in flight/space combat sims, press ? to 'invert' if you want to play it like a regular FPS)
Turn: Right stick left/right
Bank: Triggers (press ? to invert, otherwise pressing the left trigger will bank you right and vice versa)

You can map whatever you want to L3 (pressing the left stick), I tend to use it for rear view.

[Meowsma]

I suggest setting up the nGlide wrapper on your system and running the 3DFX version. The game looks SO much better.

[Dragon God]

Hell all i keep getting is this
Call stack:
------------------------------------------------------------------
main.exe 0056fa7c()
KERNEL32.DLL 7575919f()
ntdll.dll 7738a8cb()
ntdll.dll 7738a8a1()
------------------------------------------------------------------
no matter what i try. works on Windows 8 my ass

[Pangolin Legends: Arceus]

I had quite a few issues with the gog version actually.

[VicVic]

How canI run it at my desktop resolution?

[VicVic]

You were right about the 3dfx wrapper and now I can play the original unreal as well. Now I cannot seem too get the wacky mouse sensitivity under control.

[Echo]

I get the same as Dragongod and Seifenstein. It says there is an "access violation". Not impressed

[Crix]

Originally posted by dseCirclestrafe:

Originally posted by Crix:

Doesn't GOG offer the same game but everything is install and play?

They sure do! But then...you wouldn't have it on Steam, would you? Think of it as a learning experience if you buy it on Steam, rather than how much easier it may be if purchased from a different vendor. Any way you slice it, it's still much easier to install and play on any platform today than it was when these games were released. High memory, Extended memory, batch files, IPX emulators, autoexec.cfg, config.sys, config.cfg, finding and downloading the correct .exe for your 3D accelerator...

Personally, I picked up the entire series on GOG just recently during a sale, even though I've got the original disks right here on my desk, which I've owned since their initial releases. Installing from disks...let's just say the convenience of digital distribution is more than worth buying the Descent Trilogy a second time.

I've never had any issues back in the day installing PC games to that extent. But ok. It was pretty easy and imo easier because today you've to run emulator programs to run old school games. That's why I think it's best to just buy from GOG. You don't have to jump through hoops, it's plug and play per se.

There really isn't any advantage to buying it on Steam, it doesn't record your game time hours and there are no achievements. So it's really pointless and not worth it if you've to go through a lengthy guide to get it to run when these old school games are on GOG and it's install and play. Done enjoy.

[Madd the Sane]

I have heard, although I haven't verified it, that they will be updating the Descent games here on Steam. Perhaps they will add wide-screen support for all of them, as well as updating the first two to run natively on Windows, with 3D acceleration support.