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Duke Nukem Forever FAQ Updated
Thanks to several readers for pointing to a significant update to the Duke Nukem Forever FAQ over at PlanetDuke, which isn't 'official', but is linked from the 3D Realms site. The FAQ collates handy information such as the current engine choice ("DNF will be using an extremely enhanced version of Epic Games' Unreal engine"), release date ("DNF will be released 'When It's Done.' What this means is that 3D Realms will not release the game until they are sure it is the best first person shooter ever"), and the labyrinthine publisher list for the game ("Take 2 Interactive Software is publishing DNF. Prior to this.. [it was] Gathering of Developers... Prior to that, their publisher was Infogrames (now known as Atari), who bought out GT Interactive.. [who] had bought the rights from FormGen.")
...3D Realms will not release the game until they are sure it is the best first person shooter ever.
3D Realms will not release the game until their publisher gets fed up with footing their bill without any resulting product. 3D Realms will be forced to foot their own bill, and go broke or finish. See Ion Storm for more information.
And also some comments by Joe Siegler: "If we had wanted some quickie piece of crap, it would have been out ages ago. It takes time to innovate - it doesn't take any time to shovel any old crap out there. Since we are not a publically held company, we aren't beholden to the same things that some big companies hold their development teams to, hence we can afford to take the time to make a quality product. Besides, once it's released, no one will care how long it took, they'll care that they have a cool fun game."
Quality products have been made, recieved sequals, and fallen into squallor in the time that 3D Realms has been working on this title. Quality takes time: 3 years. But quality also takes luck. In the now 7 years of development that Duke Nukem Forever has been undergoing, 3D Realms could have released 3 FPSs, one of which might have had that elusive magical all-togetherness that makes games great.
You can't simply throw more development time at the problem of quality... at some point you need to throw out what you have done and start over. You can do this as the DNF people have been doing and release nothing, or you can release what you have done, and move on with your life.
The ______ Agenda
the reason 3DRealms is able to not produce anything for years is because they already foot the bill themself. DN3D was so succesful that they can still make money with their rights to it, and its characters
if they would be funded by a publisher, they probably would have been forced to release something years ago
Don't forget that they also get money from Max Payne, for whatever it is they do for that title (has anyone figured that out yet?)
--Moo.
The HURD isn't _all_ waporware. Not in the same league as Duke Nuke'em Forever.
;-)
I mean, HURD publicly available, and somewhat functional.
For all we know Duke Nuke'em Forever still only exists as a design document and a Power Point presentation
"First lesson," Jon said. "Stick them with the pointy end."
This isn't a "significant" update to that FAQ. I used to check that site, until I found that they'd announce an "updated FAQ" every month or so, with no real updates.
/. And the only reason _that's_ up there is because of the recent "25 Worst Moments of Gaming" article. Otherwise, no screenshots, no system specs, not even an "official word" from 3d Realms.
The only new material on this FAQ is stuff that's turned up in discussions here at