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First Person Shooters (Games) Games

Duke Nukem 3D On Unreal Engine 3 118

Posted by Soulskill from the all-out-of-bubblegum dept.
Julefrokost writes "While we're waiting patiently on Forever, there's some real news in the Duke Nukem realm. Ars Technica has a story about a fan-made Duke 3D project on Unreal Engine 3. There's an awesome demo video up on YouTube. Created by hardcore fan Frederick 'fresch' Schreiber, we can hopefully expect to see an upgraded Duke 3D in the near future." The article also notes, "Gearbox ultimately decided to support the project, and gave Schreiber a personal, non-commercial license to Duke Nukem 3D. He can't sell the work or profit from it directly, but he can use the characters and design of the game without fear of being shut down."
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Duke Nukem 3D On Unreal Engine 3 More

Duke Nukem 3D On Unreal Engine 3

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  • Awesome. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by boarder8925 ( 714555 ) on Monday October 18, 2010 @02:26PM (#33935946)
    This is how you get people to like your company. Instead of suing or shutting them down, or both, let them enjoy your work.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by tucara ( 812321 )
      We should try to compile a list of a gaming companies that have shit on their fans when trying to add something to their community... I'll start with Games Workshop

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Well, I also think that wannabe knockoff creators should learn a thing or two from this guy. He reached out to the IP owners before he started making anything. This allowed him to talk to the people who actually run the company and make games. If you just go ahead without talking to anyone, the only people you end up talking to are lawyers who don't give a fuck about what you're trying to do.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by CAIMLAS ( 41445 )

      Gearbox, and Valve, have both benefited greatly from user-generated content. If it wasn't for Counter-Strike, it's questionable whether Steam and other Half-Life/Steam franchise games would have ever come to be, nevermind seen the distribution width that they have. Seems Steam was originally conceived to speed the distribution of things like CounterStrike add-ons and updates.

      • I'm not sure on what basis the permission was given. Take 2 as far as I know only had rights to DNF not the back catalog. And Gearbox is just involved with polishing and finishing DNF for sale.

        As far as I can tell the IP belongs to 3D Realms until such a time as the bankruptcy proceedings are finished and it's sold.

    • On one hand there's well-known content that doesn't earn money anymore but has a large following, on the other side there's free publicity for their upcoming game.
      Unfortunately it's rare for executives to actually connect the dots.

    • Re: (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward

      The funny thing is that someone tried this before (as a quake 3 mod, back when that was top of the line) and 3DRealms shut them down when they were a few levels into it.

      George Broussard even went on a rant about how all gamers where thieving irresponsible brats who need to learn to keep their mits off his IP. It's nice to see that Gearbox are a little cooler. (Especially since the DNF release might actually let them profit from owning the rights to Duke Nukem 3D). They're betting on goodwill instead of IP o

  • ...is a lie. And so is *any* Duke Nukem-based franchise, fan-made or not. It is the secret Curse of Monkey Island which keeps Duke Nukem products from being developed, I say!!

  • Cool (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MBGMorden ( 803437 ) on Monday October 18, 2010 @02:27PM (#33935966)

    Kudos to Gearbox for seeing this as a fan project that will only help publicity rather than something that must be stomped out.

    I'm sure it probably doesn't hold up as well as my memory sees it, but Duke3D *when it came out* was actually kind of cool. Considering that the last FPS I'd played when I seen it was Doom, the capabilities of that engine seemed to be a lot better. Sure Quake with it's actual 3d had something going for it, but Duke's engine was much more interactive and the graphics, though sprite based, still seemed to be higher in quality than Quake's at the time (considering that I was running Quake using the software renderer).

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by DeadPixels ( 1391907 )
      Major kudos indeed. I've never played anything by Gearbox but I'll be sure to check out what titles they sell as a way of saying thanks. When companies do things like this, I have no problem supporting them with purchases or at least a nice note and a recommendation to friends if their games aren't for me.

      • Re:Cool (Score:4, Insightful)

        by twistedsymphony ( 956982 ) on Monday October 18, 2010 @02:53PM (#33936360) Homepage
        check out Borderlands... seriously one of the more interesting games I've played in a long time... Imagine Fallout 3 but with a jump-in/jump-out co-op system and characters/storyline with the kind of humor you'd expect from Portal or Team Fortress. Gearbox just released a "Game of the Year" edition that includes all 4 expansion packs... and it also includes the Duke Nukem Forever demo from PAX.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by h4rr4r ( 612664 )

          Does it have turn based combat?

          I was hoping for more of that in Fallout 3.

          • Nah, it's real time first person shooting. The "RPG" elements are in the level-up mechanics (and related talent trees) and the loot grinding. Imagine a first person shooter version of an MMO set in a Fallout-like wasteland, without the persistent world and with a max of four player simultaneous play. The whole thing can be soloed, as well.

            And while that may be an accurate description, it's better than that makes it sound

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Barny ( 103770 )

              The whole thing can be soloed

              Yeah, try getting the "vincible" achievement solo without using the wall bug, and not playing a siren.

        • I might consider buying it from steam... When they remove their 30% markup for people living in Australia.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Barny ( 103770 )

            It was up for $10 or so the other month.

            Also, its not valve who put the Australia tax on there, its the publisher of the game.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by lattyware ( 934246 )
        Gearbox did Half Life: Blue Shift and Half Life: Opposing Force games, and also did the port of the original Halo to the PC. They are a pretty good Dev. They generally used to do other people's stuff, but are branching out a bit now. I'd call them the HTC of games companies.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by retchdog ( 1319261 )

      Duke still has that half-parody/half-serious "macho" charm going for it. Playing Duke3d is like re-watching Commando; maybe you don't admit it, but it's a lot of cheesy fun. Also the real-time scripted deformable environments (like the earthquake level in mission 3 I think) still hold up on their own, let alone how impressive they were back then. It was a very impressive feature which they didn't trumpet as a breakthrough, but just quietly used to increase immersion.

      Duke3d had heart; since they had reached

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Monkeedude1212 ( 1560403 )

      Sure Quake with it's actual 3d had something going for it, but Duke's engine was much more interactive and the graphics, though sprite based, still seemed to be higher in quality than Quake's at the time (considering that I was running Quake using the software renderer).

      That also ties into the whole timeless classic where gameplay over compensated for graphics, like when people hail Dwarf Fortress or one of the Super Mario Bros titles.

      Quake's graphics were actually pretty good at the time (I remember playing it without the software rendering necessary) - but the gameplay was definately not parallel to Duke 3D. Quake was more parellel to Doom, where it was more about getting the good guns and power ups and just rolling through opponents in a big bloody mess. Duke 3D was, in

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by rm999 ( 775449 )

        It's tough comparing quake/doom with duke. Quake was designed to scare you, duke was designed to make you laugh (and sometimes scare you). It's like the difference between a serious horror movie and a campy evil-deadish one.

        All three games were ground-breaking in their own way.

  • Will it be released before Duke Nukem Forever?

  • I will believe it (Score:3, Funny)

    by Chas ( 5144 ) on Monday October 18, 2010 @02:35PM (#33936092) Homepage Journal

    Only after it actually ships.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Desler ( 1608317 )
      Exactly since is the same person who promised to remake another video game using a newer engine and that was never released either.
      • Two other games. Daikatana and Sin. He did receive permission IIRC from Romero to do Daikatana, but got a cease and desist order covering Sin. If he doesn't finish it, perhaps he could hand over the assets to Gearbox and make it a part of the DNF GOTY edition.

        And yes, whatever year sees the shipment of DNF will be the same year it wins the GOTY for finishing it. Even if it isn't that great.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by somersault ( 912633 )

      Yeah, so far all I see is.. a roof. Wow. When I was moderately interested in mapping 10 years ago I could have "remade" Duke 3D as well using the Half-Life engine, in 10 minutes.

  • How's this more "real" than Forever? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by JSBiff ( 87824 ) on Monday October 18, 2010 @02:36PM (#33936098) Journal

    Ok, so we've got a project which we're being told is under development and which will be released "real soon", along with an "awesome demo video". This is sounding just . . . so familiar.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gmuslera ( 3436 )
      The needed technology is already there, apparently.. To release the Forever one, at least this demo [youtube.com] (skip to 5') seem to require a bit more time yet.

  • Coolest game evar! (Score:5, Funny)

    by null etc. ( 524767 ) on Monday October 18, 2010 @02:38PM (#33936120)

    Wow, this is the coolest rooftop simulator I've ever seen! If you ask me, this game is ready to ship.

  • In the meantime (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 18, 2010 @02:43PM (#33936176)

    You can enjoy an updated DN3D with the help of EDuke32 [eduke32.com] and the High Resolution Pack [duke4.net]. Be sure to grab the HRP preview for the new Polymer renderer if you want all of the latest visual goodies.

  • Uh... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    He made a 10x20 box map and played some Duke Nukem 3D sound effects... Why is this news? Most amateur level designers could accomplish that in a weekend.

    • He did accomplish that in more or less a weekend. And he's got screen shots indicating that he's got more than just that. Of course he hasn't released it so we're just speculating, but it's likely far more substantial than just what you see in the video.

      What you should realize is that he's been at this for a bit now, and the point in progress referenced in the article was from a couple weeks back. Meaning he hadn't been working very long on it at that point IIRC.

  • Considering that 3D Realms, long ago, released the source code to the build engine and we long ago had alternate engines coded running, using the official resources (.grp and .map files), this is not a big deal. We've already had plenty of high-res texture and model packs. This is just the same thing, taken to the next step.

  • Eduke32 (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Chelloveck ( 14643 ) on Monday October 18, 2010 @03:49PM (#33937422)

    Just one word: eduke32 [eduke32.com].

    Oh yeah. That, and "groovy".

  • Dukeworld - Realistic Disneyland TC for Duke3d! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 18, 2010 @03:54PM (#33937500)
    They should "hire" the individual or persons behind the Duke Nukem 3d Total Conversion called, "DukeWorld". It was one of the best Total Conversions, mapping out with sound and vision parts of Disneyland. You could ride some of the rides (Star Tours, Pirates ride, Haunted Mansion with stretching room, more!) complete with the sounds from the theme park. If you have Duke3d, try DukeWorld TC, you may download it here:

    http://dukeworld.duke4.net/classic%20dukeworld/tc/disney/ [duke4.net]

    and read the ReadMe File [duke4.net] before you download it. I would love to see this TC remade, it's worth buying Duke3D just to play this TC. Yes, it even has People Mover!

    Someone please post this to the Gearbox site forums so they can have a look at it.
  • $10 says it'll be done before Duke-Nukem 4Ever...

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