New Project Website:

Episode 1: THE LUNAR INCIDENT

When an interstellar mining corporation’s plans for profit go horribly awry, they unleash a devastating infection that turns their mechanical workers into armies intent on nothing less than the total subjugation of humanity. Our last hope for survival: a squad of highly trained ex-marines must enter the company’s mines and blast their way through the robotic menace that lurks within.

Teaser Trailer:

But who created this virus? And what does the company really want? As you dive into mines throughout the solar system and beyond, you’ll uncover layers of conspiracy that burrow deeper than anyone could possibly imagine.

This is the Sol Contingency, Material Defender. Prepare for Descent!

SOL CONTINGENCY is a re-imagining of Interplay’s classic action game DESCENT. Upon its release in 1994, Descent was unique and innovative because it featured true three-dimensional gameplay with movement in all directions, called “six degrees of freedom” or 6DOF. Descent’s legacy includes three full-length games as well as several expansion packs and hundreds of fan-made levels. Descent is still played today by a small yet active community, in part because no further 6DOF games have recently been created that come close to Descent’s quality of gameplay. With Sol Contingency, our goal is to change that.

Technology

Sol Contingency is made with the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), harnessing the power of Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 to give the game a current look. It allows us to create an engaging scenery that will immerse you in the world of Descent like never before. High-resolution models of robots and ships from the original game, beautiful particle effects for weapon fire and detailed texturing of the mines are all part of the presentation.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Sol Contingency is very close to Descent. Fight menacing robots in zero gravity using all three axes of the 3D space, speed down claustrophobia-inducing tunnels and mine shafts, fire powerful energy-based weapons and missiles, charge up your shields to survive the continuous onslaught, and finally blow up the fusion reactor of the mine after clearing it out.
However, Sol Contingency is not just about running and gunning. The game will challenge you with small puzzles, outdoor areas, mining machinery and key characters that need to be found and rescued to let you advance further. With completely dark areas and danger from any direction, you will be on your toes a little more than you ever were in Descent. Combat will be fast paced and adrenaline pumping like in other modern action games, but with the added complexity of 6DOF.

Release schedule

The game will arrive in an episodic format, allowing us to get new content into your hands quicker and taking player feedback into account for upcoming instalments. Episode 1: THE LUNAR INCIDENT marks the beginning of a story that takes you to familiar locales from all three Descent games, but will also surprise you with completely fresh chapters.

Expect to start your descent sometime in 2013.

This journal entry has been "Quoted from a mix of content" of the new website:

'Sol Contingency: The Lunar Incident' for the 'Descent To UDK' project.

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