DescentBB

Hi all, I may or may not have posted here before, I can't remember, but I have made progress in a mini project I have been working on and would like some help from the community. I have been researching Descent Online for a few years now, and I finally have the models to the Aggressor Prime and the Tigg-SB. However, as I am not a model maker or a skillful programmer, all I am able to do is use them as enemy robots. I also found a website that used to be run by someone named TBK recently with a link to the levels used in Descent Online. Unfortunately, the levels are no longer hosted. The file was called \"Engage.zip\" for \"Engage Online\", the company that ran Descent Online. If any one has downloaded this file and still has it, I would really appreciate it. I hope to get as close as possible to remaking Descent Online. The url for the file is listed below. Thank you.
Info for Descent Online: http://archives.descent.cx/d1/do.html
The website with the dead link to the mission I am requesting (listed at the bottom): http://descent.tbkhomeworld.com/descent1/descent1.html

Hey, Nuke. Your email arrived a while back, but I only check that account like once a month. Sorry for the delay! My memory is a bit hazy, the last update to the DA was in '03, and the last really major work on it was back in '01 I think.

Anyhow, I don't know if we have the Engage levels, but then again we didn't even know the name of them before. I'll have to see if there's some way to get into the D2 levels section(looks like that page is wacked). We do have the client side portion of Engage Game's program though. It's my understanding that most of the game code was server side, and that bit probably died along with Engage Games. I don't remember why we didn't post the client piece on the page. Probably because it didn't do anything with the servers down, but possibly because of some legal thing. It probably won't be good for much, but I'll email it to you anyhow.

I got your email and replied, but I don't know how often you check it, so I am posting here as well.
The .QT file you sent me is a quicktime file, so if you download Quicktime you can view it. It shows the Aggressor Prime in action and the ship select menu. I was able to get the client installed and I am looking into that now. It looks like I may be able to pull the ships and missions directly from that. I am thinking of emailing someone in Interplay to see about getting the server side released, seeing as how its 10 years old and they already released the D1/2 source code. Thanks a ton for your help! I'll keep you updated.

Doh. I probably should have know what a Quick Time file was...

Great to hear that I could be of some help.

I'm not going to be much help in your search but I am definitely interested in what you find and what you do with it. I spent a lot of time playing Descent Online for Engage games as a beta tester. That's actually where I met Capm and where Midnight Squadron was formed. Let me know if you get anything going or if I can help in any way (besides having the files since I don't have those). Good luck!

He has a thread on PlanetDescent that he posts to more regularly, check it out.

That is my website. I leave it up mainly for me to go back and laugh at from time to time as to how 'cool' i thought it was back then. Unfortunately I have lost most of the files in the process of it existence on multiple providers. I have a few of the descent 2 files that are on that same website http://descent.tbkhomeworld.com still there and available for download, but that is about it.

From my recollection when you downloaded Engaged Online it was all in a complete file, you simply connected to their service and played. I did enjoy having my option of three different ships though, which they later incorporated into D3. I even have a two avatars that I made for D3...one for 'TBK' and the other for 'lucifer'

Anyway, those are memories from long ago...still waiting for Descent 4 to come to life!

~TBK

Sorry about the delay. College sucks. Anyway, nice to hear from you TBK! I think I got the mission files I was looking for on your site from the client Mr. Perfect sent me. I post mainly on PlanetDescent when I have time to update. Thinking about making a site with everything I have so far, but I'd need to find space, etc. Anyway, I have posted on PlanetDescent with an update (small). Check it out.

I have all of the Descent Online files and information. I also have a copy of the models, tablefile and ship performance data.

I keep meaning to checkout the D2X source from CVS and add multi-ship support, but it's a very low priority these days.

Nice to hear from you Halcyon, and I am glad someone still reads these threads. I am very interested in any information or files you could send me. I was able to get my little project involved in D2X-XL, however, ship selection is still a long way off and a low priority for D2X-XL as well. I am still interested in trying to get the original client up and running. A while back I was able to pull the names of some of the coders of Descent Online out of the client that Mr. Perfect sent me. I was able to get ahold of one of them, and he barely remembered the project, and was unable to provide any help.

Last I looked (which was a couple months ago due to college) I was having problems with a driver file of some sort, even on an old Win98 machine. Summer is starting up here so I will have more time to invest in this and any help would be appriciated.

Halcyon, if you don't mind sending me what you have, it would be very helpful.

Well, if you're already that far along, sounds like you already have what I have, you just need to dig into the files a bit more.

As for how the client/server application worked, I haven't a clue. All I remember is that when you'd go to connect, you'd click a link on their website, it'd then download a small file, and Descent Online would startup.

I also remember it worked with Win3.1 and Win95. Win98 was still in beta at the time, as I remember the cab files were called win97*.cab, not win9x*.cab as they were later, so I'm thinking this was all done in early-mid 1996.

Good luck!

Anyone remember this guy? Loneranger? I still have a leather jacket hanging in my closet from the tourney I won sometime in the mid 90's. Email is jwright20@gmail.com