Release Notes 0.0.838p

The triple-I (III) team at Descendent Studios is happy to welcome players to the first Proving Grounds test of Descent: Underground!

This test is open to backers whose package rewards include Proving Grounds access and members of The Underground.

This test is public and we are happy if people want to share on Twitch and YouTube- however, we do ask you to remember:

In the event that something is running poorly or breaks while you're streaming, please let your viewers know that this is an early pre-alpha that you are playtesting. It is NOT the final retail release.

If you do plan to stream, you may need to run your streaming software as an administrator.

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Getting In The Game

In order to participate, you will need to download the installer from your client area:

Click on the "Descent: Underground" tab and "Redeem" one of your game packages to get a download link:

MAKE SURE THE PACKAGE YOU REDEEM IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO KEEP!

Redeemed packages are locked to your account and become ungiftable.

If your game package included the Proving Grounds reward, you should be credited with one
complimentary year of membership to The Underground at the same time.

Download the installer. Windows is running (most of the time), but Mac and Linux versions are not reliable at this time.

Run the installer. You should be able to run the installer on Windows. The launcher may need to be "Run As Administrator" to work, but if you are not logged in as that administrator account, the shortcuts may appear on that account instead.

Run "Descent Underground" (which is the Launcher)

• Log in with your DS web site username and password (and Google Two-Factor Authentication if you enabled it)
• If asked for environment, you want the "Proving Grounds" environment unless told otherwise
• If you're running for the first time or a new version is available, the new version will be downloaded.

Please note: If you do not have Proving Grounds access, the launcher will not download the game.

Click "Start" if you don't need to change any of the defaults.

Click "Quick Match" to start a game. Quickmatch is the only matchmaking mode in this version. More detailed options are planned.

Because Proving Grounds has a relatively small number of players, you may have long wait times for matches.

We recommend voice chatting on the DS Official Unofficial Teamspeak server when

playing or looking to set up a game.

The Game Manual forum contains additional information, including default controller maps and more information on control customization.

Bug Reporting

Please report bugs in our bug reporting forum with as much specificity as possible. If you can provide screenshots, that's awesome!

We've also compiled a list of known issues so that you can skip those when reporting bugs.

Patch Notes

• Ship stats have been updated and are being tested.
• Quickmatch matchmaking is live and being tested.
• Ship movement prediction is live and being tested, some "rubber banding" is possible.
• Minor tweaks and bug fixes.

• Client-side weapon prediction is not implemented:
  • Weapon shots occasionally still hang in mid-air or are invisible during heavy lag.
  • Weapons fire is sometimes delayed in firing.
• Controller customization issues are being experienced by some users.
• Installer & Launcher need to be run as administrator.
  • Streaming software may need to run as administrator to capture video.
• Most menus do not work correctly in VR or on gamepad controllers.
• Players who die right before the end of the match may not see the score screen and may return to the start screen instead.
• Respawn menu can appear over the scoreboard if a player dies right at the end of a match.
• Occasionally, in-game scoreboard can get stuck behind the HUD.
• Sometimes the respawn screen disappears without spawning a new ship.
  • Pressing <Y>, <U>, <I>, or <Shift+X> on the keyboard will still spawn a ship if this happens.
• Players can sometimes still control a ship in the background at the end of a match.
• Clicking "Drone Bay" on the end of match Score screen can return the player to the level for a brief time.
• Laser levels 1 & 4 have art, levels 2 & 3 do not have their own bolts yet.
• Control customization screen can get stuck if player dies while changing settings.
• Some sounds are audible everywhere and need attenuation.
• Shield and hull hit sounds and visual effects are not clear enough in many cases.
• Some placeholder sound effects were accidentally replaced with a different set of placeholder sounds.
• Matchmaking sometimes puts players into matches that are about to end.
• Homing Missiles can sometimes fail to home correctly
• Teams can become unbalanced if a player drops and rejoins the game before their player state is purged
• Team scores are negatively impacted by player departure
• Default mouse sensitivity needs work
• Selecting your ship on death in VR requires a bit of work due to the way 3D widgets work - look directly at the ship you intend to fly next and click with the mouse, without moving the mouse itself
• The in-game options menu and the drone bay options menu are out-of-date and haven't been unified with the one used in the main menu. For now, to adjust your settings correctly, use the options menu from the start screen
• The axis configuration menu is somewhat clunky and uses too-technical language (power changes the curvature of the sensitivity curve, factor scales the sensitivity curve)
• The mid-game and endgame scoreboards do not have separate sections for teams
• After a match, players return to the Start screen. They should go to the Drone Bay.
• All servers are currently in the U.S., other locations are planned.
• Quickmatch currently does not report your status in the matchmaking queue.
• The Typhoon description has a weird word wrap issue that causes the description to jump around.
  • Players may have to wait a long time because Proving Grounds has a relatively small number of players.