<s>
Descent	B-Application
to	I-Application
Undermountain	I-Application
is	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Interplay	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
the	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
setting	O
of	O
Undermountain	O
in	O
the	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
,	O
it	O
casts	O
the	O
player	O
as	O
an	O
adventurer	O
out	O
to	O
explore	O
the	O
treasure-filled	O
recesses	O
of	O
the	O
Undermountain	O
dungeon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Descent	B-Application
"	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
name	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
3D	O
rendering	O
engine	O
from	O
the	O
1995	O
game	O
Descent	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
to	I-Application
Undermountain	I-Application
had	O
a	O
troubled	O
development	O
cycle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Descent	B-Application
engine	O
turned	O
out	O
to	O
be	O
unsuited	O
for	O
a	O
role-playing	O
game	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
ballooning	O
budgets	O
and	O
protracted	O
delays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
to	I-Application
Undermountain	I-Application
uses	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
mechanics	O
as	O
Advanced	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
to	I-Application
Undermountain	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Chris	O
Avellone	O
,	O
Scott	O
Bennie	O
,	O
John	O
Deiley	O
,	O
Robert	O
Holloway	O
,	O
and	O
Steve	O
Perrin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
partially	O
derives	O
its	O
title	O
from	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
3D	O
graphical	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
bring	O
PC	O
role-playing	O
into	O
a	O
3D	O
environment	O
:	O
Bethesda	O
Softworks	O
 '	O
Elder	B-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
series	I-Application
and	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
Studios	O
 '	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
series	O
preceded	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
true	O
3D	O
engine	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
a	O
sprite-based	O
2.5D	O
solution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
engine	O
presented	O
immediate	O
difficulties	O
for	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
early	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
,	O
creative	O
director	O
Michael	O
McConnohie	O
commented	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
combat	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
difficult	O
thing	O
for	O
us	O
now	O
because	O
the	O
collision	O
spheres	O
used	O
in	O
Descent	B-Application
are	O
further	O
out	O
from	O
your	O
craft	O
,	O
and	O
do	O
n't	O
lend	O
themselves	O
to	O
up-close	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cover	O
art	O
,	O
"	O
Spellfire	O
"	O
by	O
Clyde	O
Caldwell	O
,	O
was	O
previously	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
cover	O
art	O
for	O
Ed	O
Greenwood	O
's	O
1987	O
novel	O
Spellfire	O
and	O
Westwood	O
Studios	O
 '	O
1992	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
Order	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Griffon	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
to	I-Application
Undermountain	I-Application
was	O
generally	O
poorly	O
received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decision	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
graphics	O
engine	O
was	O
cited	O
as	O
a	O
design	O
issue	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
required	O
heavy	O
rewrites	O
to	O
the	O
code	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
support	O
an	O
RPG	O
setting	O
such	O
as	O
Undermountain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
the	O
"	O
quick	O
change	O
"	O
to	O
Descent	B-Application
's	O
rendering	O
engine	O
proved	O
to	O
be	O
extremely	O
challenging	O
which	O
exceeded	O
the	O
technical	O
understanding	O
of	O
the	O
corporate	O
leadership	O
who	O
were	O
resolved	O
to	O
predetermined	O
delivery	O
dates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Julian	O
Schoffel	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
Australian	O
PCWorld	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
woeful	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
hope	O
that	O
the	O
following	O
release	O
,	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
,	O
might	O
"	O
redeem	O
"	O
Interplay	O
as	O
a	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
GameSpy	O
,	O
"	O
Descent	B-Application
to	I-Application
Undermountain	I-Application
had	O
only	O
one	O
virtue	O
-	O
it	O
made	O
everybody	O
forget	O
about	O
Gorgon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Alliance	I-Application
and	O
the	O
entire	O
previous	O
two	O
years	O
of	O
atrocious	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
games	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interplay	O
acknowledged	O
this	O
poor	O
reception	O
with	O
an	O
easter	O
egg	O
in	O
the	O
computer	O
role-playing	O
game	O
Fallout	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
released	O
a	O
year	O
after	O
Undermountain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
these	O
is	O
"	O
Yes	O
,	O
we	O
KNOW	O
Descent	B-Application
to	I-Application
Undermountain	I-Application
was	O
crap.	O
"	O
</s>
