<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
(	O
stylized	O
as	O
Descent³	B-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Outrage	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Interplay	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
17	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
the	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
and	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
single-player	O
campaign	O
mode	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
features	O
an	O
online	B-Architecture
multiplayer	O
mode	O
where	O
numerous	O
players	O
can	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
eight	O
different	O
game	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
both	O
indoor	O
and	O
outdoor	O
environments	O
,	O
made	O
possible	O
with	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
hybrid	O
engine	O
that	O
combines	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
a	O
portal	B-General_Concept
rendering	I-General_Concept
engine	O
with	O
those	O
of	O
a	O
flight	O
simulator-like	O
terrain	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
holding	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
89	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
at	O
review	O
aggregate	O
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
praised	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
its	O
graphics	O
,	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
of	O
enemies	O
,	O
and	O
outdoor	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
official	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
:	O
Mercenary	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
3	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
subsequently	O
ported	O
to	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessors	O
Descent	B-Application
and	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
a	O
six	O
degrees	O
of	O
freedom	O
shooter	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
a	O
flying	O
ship	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
in	O
zero-gravity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aboard	O
the	O
ship	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
shoot	O
enemies	O
,	O
turn	O
on	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
afterburners	B-Application
to	O
temporarily	O
increase	O
its	O
acceleration	O
and	O
speed	O
,	O
and	O
fire	O
flares	B-Application
or	O
turn	O
on	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
headlight	O
to	O
explore	O
darkened	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
single-player	O
mode	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
complete	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
levels	O
where	O
multiple	O
enemies	O
controlled	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
will	O
try	O
to	O
hinder	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
progress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
single-player	O
campaign	O
mode	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
features	O
an	O
online	B-Architecture
multiplayer	O
mode	O
where	O
numerous	O
players	O
can	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
eight	O
different	O
game	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notable	O
game	O
types	O
include	O
Anarchy	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
kill	O
as	O
many	O
opponents	O
as	O
possible	O
,	O
Capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
Flag	I-Application
,	O
where	O
two	O
to	O
four	O
teams	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
to	O
capture	O
opposing	O
flags	O
,	O
and	O
Monsterball	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
must	O
shoot	O
and	O
guide	O
a	O
ball	O
into	O
their	O
opponents	O
 '	O
goal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiplayer	O
games	O
support	O
the	O
DirectPlay	B-Protocol
,	O
IPX	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
protocols	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	B-Architecture
gameplay	O
was	O
also	O
possible	O
over	O
Parallax	O
Online	B-Architecture
,	O
an	O
online	B-Architecture
gaming	O
service	O
which	O
kept	O
track	O
of	O
players	O
 '	O
statistics	O
and	O
rankings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
science	O
fiction	O
setting	O
of	O
the	O
Solar	O
System	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
cast	O
as	O
Material	O
Defender	O
MD1032	O
,	O
a	O
mercenary	O
working	O
for	O
a	O
corporation	O
called	O
the	O
Post	B-Application
Terran	I-Application
Mining	I-Application
Corporation	I-Application
(	O
PTMC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
begins	O
moments	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
Material	O
Defender	O
escaping	O
the	O
destruction	O
of	O
a	O
planetoid	O
where	O
he	O
was	O
clearing	O
PTMC	O
's	O
robots	O
infected	O
by	O
an	O
alien	O
virus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
Material	O
Defender	O
recovers	O
in	O
the	O
Red	O
Acropolis	O
station	O
on	O
Mars	B-Application
,	O
the	O
director	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
informs	O
him	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
been	O
investigating	O
PTMC	O
,	O
and	O
have	O
uncovered	O
a	O
conspiracy	O
:	O
one	O
of	O
her	O
acquaintances	O
in	O
the	O
PTMC	O
was	O
killed	O
by	O
a	O
robot	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
she	O
contacted	O
PTMC	O
about	O
it	O
,	O
they	O
denied	O
having	O
ever	O
employed	O
such	O
acquaintance	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
he	O
had	O
worked	O
with	O
them	O
for	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Red	O
Acropolis	O
had	O
tried	O
to	O
notify	O
the	O
Collective	B-Application
Earth	I-Application
Defense	I-Application
(	O
CED	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
large	O
police	O
group	O
,	O
of	O
the	O
PTMC	O
's	O
actions	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
took	O
no	O
action	O
,	O
not	O
daring	O
to	O
interfere	O
with	O
such	O
a	O
powerful	O
corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
director	O
also	O
tells	O
the	O
Material	O
Defender	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
he	O
was	O
clearing	O
the	O
mines	O
during	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
PTMC	O
executive	O
Samuel	O
Dravis	O
was	O
actually	O
testing	O
and	O
modifying	O
the	O
virus	O
and	O
deliberately	O
tried	O
to	O
kill	O
him	O
by	O
overloading	O
the	O
warp	O
drive	O
on	O
his	O
ship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
some	O
persuasion	O
and	O
offers	O
from	O
the	O
director	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
new	O
ship	O
and	O
an	O
AI	B-Application
assistant	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Guide-Bot	O
,	O
the	O
Material	O
Defender	O
accepts	O
to	O
help	O
the	O
Red	O
Acropolis	O
stop	O
the	O
virus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
missions	O
,	O
the	O
Material	O
Defender	O
and	O
the	O
Red	O
Acropolis	O
Research	O
Team	O
manage	O
to	O
develop	O
an	O
antivirus	B-Application
and	O
convince	O
the	O
CED	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
not	O
terrorists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CED	O
suggest	O
to	O
broadcast	B-Operating_System
the	O
antivirus	B-Application
through	O
their	O
strategic	O
platform	O
orbiting	O
Earth	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
results	O
are	O
unsuccessful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Material	O
Defender	O
is	O
then	O
sent	O
to	O
Venus	B-Application
,	O
where	O
Dravis	O
has	O
been	O
tracked	O
by	O
the	O
Red	O
Acropolis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
ensuing	O
confrontation	O
in	O
his	O
stronghold	B-Application
,	O
Dravis	O
is	O
mortally	O
wounded	O
by	O
the	O
Guide-Bot	O
'	O
s	O
flares	B-Application
and	O
the	O
Material	O
Defender	O
deactivates	O
the	O
virus	O
,	O
which	O
disables	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
PTMC	O
's	O
robots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
project	O
developed	O
by	O
Outrage	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
founded	O
when	O
Parallax	O
Software	O
,	O
creators	O
of	O
previous	O
Descent	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
decided	O
to	O
split	O
in	O
two	O
:	O
Outrage	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
Volition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Volition	O
would	O
focus	O
on	O
creating	O
the	O
combat	O
space	O
simulator	O
FreeSpace	B-Application
games	O
,	O
while	O
Outrage	O
would	O
continue	O
with	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
on	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
began	O
in	O
November	O
1996	O
with	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
eight	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
"	O
anarchistic	O
"	O
development	O
environment	O
worked	O
for	O
Descent	B-Application
and	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
because	O
they	O
were	O
developed	O
by	O
small	O
groups	O
that	O
worked	O
closely	O
together	O
and	O
often	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
room	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
was	O
intended	O
to	O
support	O
both	O
a	O
software	O
and	O
a	O
hardware	O
renderer	O
,	O
implying	O
that	O
the	O
rendering	O
process	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
could	O
take	O
place	O
either	O
in	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
or	O
dedicated	O
hardware	O
like	O
a	O
video	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
but	O
about	O
six	O
months	O
after	O
starting	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
decided	O
to	O
go	O
with	O
a	O
hardware-only	O
renderer	O
because	O
it	O
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
create	O
"	O
visually	O
stunning	O
"	O
graphics	O
and	O
maintain	O
a	O
solid	O
frame	O
rate	O
without	O
worrying	O
about	O
the	O
limitations	O
imposed	O
by	O
the	O
software	O
renderer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
computers	O
with	O
hardware	B-General_Concept
acceleration	I-General_Concept
were	O
not	O
common	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
the	O
decision	O
was	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fortunately	O
,	O
as	O
development	O
progressed	O
,	O
hardware	B-General_Concept
acceleration	I-General_Concept
became	O
more	O
popular	O
with	O
each	O
passing	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
natively	O
supports	O
the	O
Direct3D	B-Application
,	O
Glide	B-Operating_System
and	O
OpenGL	B-Application
rendering	O
APIs	B-Application
for	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
A3D	O
and	O
DirectSound3D	O
technologies	O
for	O
sound	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
technology	O
also	O
allowed	O
the	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
both	O
indoor	O
and	O
outdoor	O
environments	O
;	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
biggest	O
complaints	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
considered	O
too	O
"	O
tunnely	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
this	O
end	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
created	O
a	O
new	O
technology	O
which	O
featured	O
an	O
indoor	O
portal	B-General_Concept
rendering	I-General_Concept
engine	O
"	O
hooked	O
to	O
a	O
flight-sim-like	O
terrain	O
"	O
engine	O
,	O
collectively	O
called	O
the	O
Fusion	O
Engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
portal	B-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
permitted	O
designers	O
to	O
create	O
small	O
rooms	O
with	O
complex	O
geometry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
rooms	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
linked	O
together	O
via	O
shared	O
dividing	O
polygons	B-General_Concept
called	O
portals	B-General_Concept
to	O
create	O
a	O
portalized	O
world	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
fly	O
through	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
the	O
terrain	O
engine	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
initially	O
planned	O
for	O
another	O
game	O
and	O
whose	O
function	O
is	O
to	O
create	O
more	O
polygonal	O
detail	O
as	O
players	O
get	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
ground	O
and	O
decrease	O
polygons	B-General_Concept
when	O
they	O
are	O
farther	O
away	O
,	O
gave	O
designers	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
create	O
expansive	O
outdoor	O
terrains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Leighton	O
said	O
:	O
"	O
Some	O
people	O
used	O
3D	B-Language
Studio	I-Language
Max	I-Language
,	O
some	O
used	O
Lightwave	B-Device
,	O
and	O
one	O
designer	O
even	O
wrote	O
his	O
own	O
custom	O
modeler	O
from	O
scratch	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
D3Edit	O
editor	O
received	O
constant	O
updates	O
because	O
it	O
initially	O
did	O
not	O
feature	O
an	O
intuitive	O
interface	B-Application
for	O
designers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
changes	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
engine	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
decided	O
to	O
improve	O
the	B-Application
artificial	I-Application
intelligence	I-Application
to	O
give	O
each	O
enemy	O
a	O
distinct	O
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Matt	O
Toschlog	O
,	O
president	O
of	O
Outrage	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
lead	O
programmer	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
:	O
"	O
It	O
's	O
very	O
rewarding	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
meet	O
a	O
new	O
enemy	O
,	O
get	O
to	O
know	O
him	O
,	O
learn	O
his	O
quirks	O
,	O
and	O
figure	O
out	O
the	O
best	O
way	O
to	O
kill	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiplayer	O
games	O
were	O
heavily	O
tested	O
to	O
ensure	O
their	O
network	O
stability	O
and	O
support	O
IPX	B-Protocol
,	O
TCP	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
DirectPlay	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
was	O
presented	O
at	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
where	O
developers	O
showed	O
off	O
a	O
demonstration	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
months	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
publisher	O
,	O
Interplay	O
Productions	O
,	O
ran	O
a	O
program	O
that	O
allowed	O
Descent	B-Application
fans	O
to	O
submit	O
a	O
digital	O
photo	O
of	O
themselves	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
pilot	O
name	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
March	O
to	O
August	O
1999	O
,	O
Interplay	O
held	O
a	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
tournament	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
consisting	O
of	O
three	O
phases	O
where	O
numerous	O
players	O
could	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
matches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
was	O
initially	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
on	O
June	O
17	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
version	O
was	O
ported	O
by	O
programmer	O
Duane	O
Johnson	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
3dfx	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
and	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
was	O
ported	O
to	O
Linux	B-Application
platforms	O
by	O
Loki	O
Entertainment	O
Software	O
after	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
publisher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
titled	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
:	O
Mercenary	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
on	O
December	O
3	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
compilation	O
that	O
includes	O
both	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
its	O
expansion	O
pack	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
14	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
digital	O
distribution	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
video	O
game	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
praised	O
aspects	O
were	O
its	O
graphics	O
,	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
of	O
enemies	O
,	O
and	O
outdoor	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
praised	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
developers	O
replaced	O
the	O
wire-frame	B-Algorithm
automaps	O
of	O
previous	O
Descent	B-Application
games	I-Application
with	O
flat-shaded	O
polygons	B-General_Concept
because	O
they	O
"	O
provide	O
more	O
detail	O
and	O
make	O
it	O
easier	O
to	O
recognize	O
where	O
you	O
are	O
and	O
how	O
to	O
get	O
where	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
go	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
positive	O
reviews	O
and	O
the	O
commercial	O
success	O
of	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
disappointment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
writer	O
for	O
PC	O
Accelerator	O
remarked	O
that	O
this	O
figure	O
was	O
"	O
not	O
enough	O
to	O
keep	O
publishers	O
plugging	O
at	O
long	O
,	O
expensive	O
development	O
cycles	O
in	O
the	O
hope	O
of	O
scoring	O
a	O
Half-Life	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1999	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3s	I-Application
sales	O
had	O
risen	O
to	O
52,294	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Daily	O
Radars	O
Andrew	O
S	O
.	O
Bub	O
presented	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
with	O
his	O
"	O
System	B-Application
Shock	I-Application
Award	O
"	O
(	O
named	O
after	O
the	O
1994	O
game	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
same	I-Application
name	I-Application
by	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
Studios	O
)	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
difficult	O
"	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
better	O
game	O
that	O
under-performed	O
sales-wise	O
,	O
this	O
year	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
3s	I-Application
sales	O
were	O
similarly	O
low	O
in	O
the	O
German	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
study	O
published	O
in	O
2002	O
used	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
to	O
study	O
hawkmoth	O
flight	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
successful	O
attempts	O
at	O
studying	O
insect	O
flight	O
using	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
.	O
</s>
