jeodc/portmaster-descent3

A port of Descent 3 tailored to retro handhelds, via gl4es and PortMaster!

Descent 3 for PortMaster

Notes

This fork of Descent 3 is tailored to retro handhelds via gl4es and PortMaster. Build instructions can be found at the fork repository. The provided binary was built with debian bullseye to support older GLIBC. You can build your own binary with newer GLIBC using bookworm, if your CFW supports it, but performance gain may be minimal.

The following patches have been applied to this release:

• Revert the framebuffer object render code (deviate from upstream), which was necessary to make the game render with gl4es
• Load GL functions after context creation, which allows the custom libGL library to be loaded
• Adjust viewport and scissor to automatically scale properly among various resolutions and aspect ratios
• Add PortMaster branding to title screen to differentiate between upstream and other forked builds
• Make mouse cursor invisible in menus in Release builds (still visible and usable in Debug builds)
• Change level select menu to a listbox with pretty names for core levels
• Add pregenerated .Descent3Registry and Pilot.plt files with default controls using analog joysticks if available and gptokeyb to emulate keyboard presses for buttons
• Prefill savegame dialog with current level number if blank slot or different level than existing slot
• Reveal secret levels on campaign completion
• Put core campaign missions at the top of the mission list

Installation

Unzip to ports folder e.g. /roms/ports/. Purchase the full game from GOG or Steam, or use CD game data patched to v1.4. Then, add the following files to descent3/gamedata:

Filelist for full versions:
├── descent3/gamedata
│ ├── missions/
│ │ └── any mission files (.mn3) and d3voice1.hog and d3voice2.hog if they came with your game
│ ├── movies/
│ │ └── any movie files (.mve) that came with your game. If you have the Linux Steam version, use steamcmd to get the windows movie files
│ └── d3.hog
│ └── extra.hog (this may be merc.hog depending on the platform you used to purchase the game)
│ └── extra1.hog
│ └── extra13.hog
│ └── ppics.hog

Configuration

The included pilot file is tailored to retro handhelds with a combination of joystick and gptokeyb controls, since the port does not use gamecontrollerdb.txt. The launchscript selects this pilot file by default, but you can modify the name by opening the file in a text editor.

You can modify game options in d3.ini or ingame using buttons--R1 to scroll options, START to confirm.

If you need to invert joystick axis, open descent3/config/joy.gptk and change the line r1_hk = f8 to r1_hk = /. Save the file and open the game, and in the config options you can use HOTKEY + R1 to open the invert dialog. If you don't care about the ship log, you can keep things this way, otherwise change joy.gptk again after you're done.

Multiplayer

You can play multiplayer via PXO. Go to https://pxo.nottheeye.com and register an account, then validate your email. Then, on the account details page, copy your game credentials and paste into d3.ini. When you start Descent 3 and try to connect to PXO, your login detals will be filled automatically and you can just press Start to log in. Now you can host or join games!

You can also play multiplayer via Direct TCP-IP. In d3.ini, specify an IP address to connect to. Then, load your game, choose the Direct TCP-IP multiplayer protocol, and it will be prefilled for you.

Default Gameplay Controls

You can use the D-PAD buttons in menus to select items and scroll pages.

Button	Action
A	Rear View
B	Use Inventory Item
X	Toggle Headlight
Y	Fire Flare
L1	Fire Secondary Weapon
R1	Fire Primary Weapon
L2	Scroll Primary Weapon
R2	Scroll Secondary Weapon
L3	Afterburner
R3	Unassigned
D-PAD UP	Look Up
D-PAD DOWN	Look Down
D-PAD LEFT	Turn Left
D-PAD RIGHT	Turn Right
LEFT ANALOG	Accelerate/Reverse & Slide Left/Right
RIGHT ANALOG	Look Around
START	Start / Accept / Enter
SELECT	Back / Escape
SELECT + Y	Previous Inventory Item
SELECT + A	Next Inventory Item
SELECT + B	Guidebot Menu
SELECT + X	Cycle Left Window
SELECT + L1	Open Telcom (Briefing and Objectives)
SELECT + R1	View Ship Log
SELECT + L2	Load Game
SELECT + R2	Save Game

Thanks

fpasteau
InsanityBringer
Descent Developers Team
Testers and Devs from the PortMaster Discord
Outrage Entertainment