D2X-XL v1.18.5 is released. D2X is a port of Descent 2 to OpenGL. It is an open source project and has received a lot of enhancements compared to Descent 2. My work on this project would not have been possible if hadn't been for the people who initially implemented the OpenGL and SDL code in D2X, so my thanks to them: It is for them that we can still play this great game on modern hardware. My thanks also to the many people who have provided input for this project, be it in the form of bug reports, great ideas, logos, encouragement, or other.

Descent 2 is a pretty old game, and further development has slowed down; so there are a few issues - some still stemming from the original Descent 2 - that have never been adressed or solved in D2X.

As I still like Descent 2 pretty much, I was always looking for a way to get rid of the things that plagued me most in Descent 2. Getting hold of the D2X source files and being able to create a MS Visual C++ 6 project for D2X finally enabled me to fix these annoyances.

D2X-XL v1.18.5 Changelog:
- Improved: The cloak effect for player ships and robots now looks much better when glow is enabled
- Improved: 3D shield spheres now have a black outline in cartoon style render mode
- New: Added a lightning effect for 3D shield boosts
- New: Increased the number of lightning quality settings in the effect options menu (maximum now enables the shield boost lightning effect)
- Fixed: 3D shield boosts didn't have a glow effect
- Fixed: The hires reticle got a black outline in cartoon style render mode

Download: D2X-XL v1.18.5
Source: Here