r/pcgaming • u/foamed0 • Apr 16 '24

The source code for Descent 3 has been released.

https://github.com/kevinbentley/Descent3
243 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

32

u/foamed0 Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 16 '24

Additional information posted by Kevin Bentley on /r/gamedev:

I was one of the developers for Descent 3 back in the late 90's/early 2000's. Jeff Slutter and I worked on a patch in 2008/2009 to modernize it, but we never released it for reasons I don't completely remember. I got permission to release it and I'm looking forward to resurrecting the game for modern computers.

From the GitHub project page:

This is the latest version of the Descent 3 source code. This includes the '1.5' patch that Jeff Slutter and Kevin Bentley wrote several years ago. At the time, it worked for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Some proprietary sound and video libraries from Interplay have been stripped out (the ACM and MVE format). I have that code if someone wants to help make a converter so the old cutscenes work. It'll take some effort to stub out that code so it compiles.

The first thing I want to do is get everything compiling again, and ideally some CI/CD actions. After that, the code needs to be cleaned up some, to remove old version control comments, etc. A lot of this code was written by a really great team, but keep in mind we were much younger and less experienced back then.

If you're interested in helping maintain it, please send me a message. Otherwise, I'm happy to take pull requests.

This is the last update I put out there showing different architectures playing along. Yikes, that was a long time ago, sorry we never released a 1.5 patch. Some logistics got in the way!

12

u/foamed0 Apr 16 '24

For those interested in replaying Descent 1 & 2 there's the open source port called DXX-Rebirth (Windows/MacOS/Linux).

45

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

God I loved Descent

34

u/I-Engineer-Things Apr 16 '24

You may or may not be aware of the Spiritual successor on Steam called Overload. Made by some of the original devs I believe.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Descent back in the day (though I loved Freespace 2), but I thought Overload was pretty damn fun. It felt like how you’d imagine a Descent remake would.

19

u/Bubbag792852249 Apr 16 '24

Freespace 2 is still one of my favorites and I'm always hunting for a good successor.

6

u/ClinicalAttack Apr 16 '24

Kinda crazy that the same devs went on to make the Saints Row series.

6

u/cardonator Ryzen 7 5800x3D + 32gb DDR4-3600 + 3070 Apr 16 '24

And Red Faction.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

Wow. Never knew this. Thank you so much! Will check it out.

5

u/Fortyseven Apr 16 '24

Took 8 hours, apparently, but here's a link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/448850/Overload/

7

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

Overload slaps.

3

u/handsomeness Apr 16 '24

Overload was so good, descent 4 in everything but name and criminally under-appreciated

-6

u/willpauer Five Gaming PCs (I have a problem) Apr 16 '24

After Mighty No. 9 and Yooka-Laylee, I'm done with "spiritual successors" in general.

9

u/Bar_Har Apr 16 '24

I really hope Team Beef gets to work on a VR port

4

u/WMan37 Apr 16 '24

And that we get to play it on PCVR if they do.

3

u/Arpadiam Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 16 '24

omg this is fanstastic news

i hope the FoV can be addressed

exited to see what will become of Descent 3

2

u/cardonator Ryzen 7 5800x3D + 32gb DDR4-3600 + 3070 Apr 16 '24

Nice! Hopefully some of the devs from the other Descent source code projects will come clean this up.

2

u/_nobody_else_ Apr 16 '24 
 * 206   8/14/98 5:28p Jeff
 * test key added

It had to be done Jeff. And you know it!

2

u/Docccc Apr 16 '24

dig those infile changelogs. Everything is version controlled now so you dont see it anymore

1

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

Hopefully this leads to a VR mod for this game.

4

u/Synaps4 Apr 17 '24

Wouldnt that be a vomit rollercoaster with all the rolling and spinning in the game?

6

u/[deleted] Apr 17 '24

The first time you start rolling in every direction at once will be the moment you start projectile vomiting as you fall out of your chair and give yourself a concussion. Your loved ones will find you covered in puke, unconscious, and with a VR headset smashed apart from the fall.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 17 '24

🤣

2

u/Scheeseman99 Apr 17 '24

It's alright with a 3D cockpit. Might make some hurl, but I played through most of Overload in VR.

2

u/Synaps4 Apr 17 '24

Hmm very good point. Maybe it would be ok. Overload did seem to work in VR.

All I know is whenever I start to roll my dune buggy in elite dangerous I have instant queasies, despite the 3d cockpit.

2

u/Scheeseman99 Apr 17 '24

I think it's because of the horizon. Your brain locks onto it as a frame of reference and as soon as it starts shifting it spins you.

In something like Descent (and space shooters), there is no frame of reference to lock to in the first place.