Descent (shareware): How it runs on a 1994 PC - Pentium 90 MHz / ATi Mach 64 / AWE32 / Roland SC-88

[@F2bnp]

Great stuff as always. I tried Descent once on a 486 DX2-66 and was astounded by how slow it was, so the Pentium 90 performing like this makes a lot of sense. I wonder how much better it runs with a faster chipset, such as a 430FX with PB cache.

[@dipshidian]

It got me curious so I looked up the system requirements on the Descent retail box and noticed that a 386/33 (!) is a minimum requirement, 486/33 is recommended. I’m not really expecting most applications from ‘94 (let alone ‘93) to make the most of the Pentium’s architectural additions but I’m still curious how that clock speed difference will manifest itself performance-wise in Descent.

[@dipshidian]

Recently, I managed to acquire an early Roland SC-88 module. Don’t get me wrong, the AWE32 is fine as a MIDI card, especially for games that make great use of SoundFonts. There are, however, some games that *really* benefit from a good Sound Canvas and I thought this box would do the trick. This certainly won’t be the only capture featuring it.

[@MNN-s2h]

Talking about portals... this one is great, saw this back in 95 or 96 on a Intel 100Mhz. Mind blowing. 30 years already? I always thought this game deserved more credit. Thanks for the video and information about this awesome game.

[@dipshidian]

Aw thanks for your feedback! I found myself getting into the groove of this game and had fun in short bursts. Those enemies with Vulcan cannons are f*ckin’ tough! They sure kicked my ass LOL