Old game -
new soul
D2X-XL is an improved and modernized version of the classic 3D shooters Descent 1 and Descent 2. It allows you to play both games with a single program.
D2X-XL
Carefully crafted enhancements in every area of the game, while still preserving the gameplay of the originals.
Installation Manual FAQ Multiplayer How-to Modding All D2X-XL pagesDLE
The Descent 1 and 2 level editor, with many advanced editing functions.
Introduction General UI Lighting How-To Music How-To Version History Download DLELevels
My collection of hand picked single and multiplayer levels for Descent 1 and 2.
Single Player Multiplayer Architectural Level Spotlight 3rd Party Missions HintsWorklog
Notes on features and problems from the development of D2X-XL, newest first.
Featured levels
Hand picked single and multiplayer levels for Descent 1 and 2.
Sirius
Year Of The Tiger
Fantastic D2X-XL mission with impressive architecture!
Yokelassence
The Sphere
Stunning 4 level D2X-XL mission with awesome architecture and effects
DarkFlameWolf
Descent Vignettes
Beautiful 25+2 level Descent 1 mission featuring "Descent In A Nutshell"
DarkFlameWolf
The Enemy Within
A massive and awesome multi-author Descent 2 mission.
News
D2X-XL v2.0.6 and DLE v1.13.1 are out! Download it.
- optimized renderer
- the raytracing now does full raytraced lighting (not just shadows as before)
- the DirectX version failed or crashed when rendering fog (which can only be present in d2x-xl levels)
- the DirectX version could crash when baking lightmaps
- the savegame dialog didn't accept mouse clicks or hotkeys and overwrote the autosave slot even when not loading a savegame
- increased lightmap baking speed when hardware ray tracing is available
- fixed a few more sources of potential rendering errors and instabilities
- DLE didn't show all rock textures when filtering by rock
D2X-XL v2.0.5 is out! Download it.
- D2X-XL's hires ships didn't get loaded any more
- removed a startup message about missing vertigo files
- added an occasionally appearing donation message
D2X-XL 2.0.4 is out! Download it.
- fixed rotation thruster activation on hires ships
- cockpits are now visible during level fade-in
- hud icons are integrated in the full cockpit now
- ship doesn't bounce at every wall or floor contact anymore, but slides as it should
- added 3D cockpits for PyroGL, PhantomXL and Wolf
- blue shockwave will only be rendered for boss, mini boss and player ship explosions
- submodels of flares containing these weren't rendered
- compiled shaders will now be stored in an api specific subfolder of cache/shaders
- now delivering windows executables as d2x-xl-directx.exe and d2x-xl-vulkan.exe
d2x-xl.exe is now just a launcher that preferably starts d2x-xl-directx.exe (it doesn't have the Vulkan version's stutter at the start of the first level and is just as fast as Vulkan). If it doesn't find d2x-xl-directx.exe, it will try d2x-xl-vulkan.exe.