Descent 3 Patch 1.4.0a Sept 26, 2000 This patch for Descent 3 for Linux contains the following improvements upon version 1.4.0 of the game: - If the default libGL or user-specified libGL fails to load, 1.4.0a will try libGL.so.1 as a last resort... - Other minor GL tweaks. - The tech support number listed with --help has changed. - Added Jeff Slutter (Outrage) and Mark Bainter (beta tester) to the in-game credits. - Fix to allow Mercenary movies to play. - Multitexture fix: Whether the user requested multitexture extensions or not, and whether the game expected to find them or not, Descent 3 would try to load them, and would abort when it couldn't. Now Descent 3 only attempts to find the extension's symbols if needed. - Support for the COBRA chair. (--cobra on the command line). - Support for foreign keyboards. There are some 90+ keys (the SDL "world" keys) that are now available for use in Descent3. - The game now makes idle calls while waiting for a new CD to be inserted, so it won't eat up all available processor time. - Added "--timetest" and "--fastdemo" options for benchmarking. - Added "--tempdir" option for a few odd cases. - Newer SDL used, which fixes some various issues. - DRI-based systems no longer automatically crash. - Gamma support. Systems with xgamma support can change the game's brightness in the video options section off the main menu. - Added option to play at 1152x864 resolution. (You're welcome, Metz.) - Startup menu checks the rendering speed, and if it's too slow, the game aborts with a polite message explaining what's up. - Missions can now be placed in $HOME/.loki/descent3/missions/, and they will be detected with the other missions, and can be loaded. - Some people had problems with CD-ROM drives and strange directories being created. This is fixed. - Other minor fixes and tweaks. IMPORTANT NOTES This version should NOT break compatibility with the Windows clients and servers. Save game, demo, and other file formats have not changed, either. INSTALLING THIS PATCH Either use the Loki Update Tool, or manually install the patch by typing "sh " at the command line: $ sh descent3-1.4.0a-x86.run CONTACTING LOKI SOFTWARE, INC. For information about this and other products, visit our website at: http://www.lokigames.com/ Technical support is available from Loki Software, Inc. at: FAQ: http://faqs.lokigames.com/ Website: http://fenris.lokigames.com/ Email: support@lokigames.com Phone: 1-714-508-2140 Telephone support is available between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. PST You can also communicate with other Descent 3 enthusiasts at: Usenet: news://news.lokigames.com/loki.games.descent3 SPECIAL THANKS - the beta crew - andy mecham, finder of my printf debugging artifacts - mike phillips, frenetic cyborg techie - matt matthews, for unwitting patch testing under the mask of benchmarking // end of README-1.4.0a ...