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Duke Nukem Forever Due This Year?
nz17 writes "Under the original deal, 3D Realms was to receive some $6 million from Take-Two to develop the title. Now the Texas-based developer will receive only $4,250 for the oft-delayed game when it is completed. Just the same, 3D Realms has a fairly large incentive to get Duke Nukem Forever done by the end of the year; Take-Two has offered the studio $500,000 in the form of a promissory note if the game sees commercial release by December 31, 2006."
Sorry folks, this is over 2 months late.
So you /do/ confirm that DNF will ship before Windows Vista?
My first program:
Hell Segmentation fault
haha, $4,250 for it. Freakin' hilarious! I'm sure I'm not alone in the "like I even give a rat's ass about this supposed game anymore" club.
Should Take Two even bother submitting this game for a rating or simply slap on a AO right away?
There are basically three positions you can have with respect to Duke Nukem
1: It will never be released, in which case no, not this year.
2: It is honestly being worked on, in which case maybe.
3: It's about to be done, any day now, in which case yes.
Obviously these positions are rather broad, and one might even say baseless, but that is just the point. We don't have any way to distinguish between them, we can only guess. All we know is that they keep saying that they are working on it and making progress, but honestly that is compatible with all three positions. Personally I hope Duke Nukem will never come out, for if it does I will have to re-write all my vaporware jokes.
Philosophy.
Prey went from vaporware to a title that people loved at E3. It is actually going to ship. 3DRealms has to make money to stick around.
DNF will ship. Who knows how good it will be, or what condition it will be in. They can make money after the fact with expansions.
The only thing that surprises me is that 3DRealms is making any money at all after how they have handled this. If I was the publisher, I would have canceled the project and taken it to another development house long ago.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
$1 for each day of development?
The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.
Is it really a good idea to give a company this kind of an incentive? I mean, if they don't release it by the end of the year, they basically get nothing. If they release it by the end of the year they get a decent amount. Maybe not as much as the original deal but $500,000 compared to less than $5000 is a pretty decent incentive. Are there stipulations as to the quality of the software? I mean, they could just crank out some crappy version or one with way too many bugs, but they released it before the end of the year so they get their money. I'm hoping the contract specifies a few things like this.
But why is the rum gone?
Nope
That they've just renamed it to Monopoly: Duke Nukem Forever Edition.
Forget about it. Really. It isn't delayed because it is too much work, but because they are unable to pull it together into a game.
It's being released because MS Vista is taking the throne of the vaporware-kingdom.
If Microsoft was mass, stupidity would be gravity.
I am working on an amazing response to this article. Trust me, it'll be great--not just funny, but incredibly insightful. It will take your breath away. It is destined to be the most talked-about Slashdot posting of 2006. Unfortunately, it's not ready to post yet, but it will be ready within about 10 minutes. I just wanted to give everybody a heads up. Look for it here!
Arr! Read The Government Manual for New Pirates!
It's more than just $4,250: on the 10-Q, all dollar figures (with the exception of per-share amounts) are listed in thousands. Quoting the financial statement notes, the "In March 2005, the Company renegotiated a $6,000 contingent obligation due upon delivery of the final PC version of Duke Nukem Forever through the payment of $4,250 and issuance of a promissory note in the principal amount of $500." That would actually, then, be four-and-a-quarter million dollars rather than a paltry 4K.
What a cold day man...
Satan
Having to boot into Linux just to play some Duke3D has gotten really old. I gotta say though that its worth it. There's a lot of seriously neat and fun gameplay packed into that game.
The amount of Linux play I get out of the Duke3D Platinum Pack that I picked up for $10 is phenomenal. For a "DOOMish" type game, it is just superb.The http://www.icculus.org/duke3d Linux engine is really good.
Hail to the King baby!
Clickety Click
Holy shit! Any developer with any intelligence @ all would've hopped jobs at this point.
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
n/t
I guess today is a passable day to die.
yeeeeah riiight, and now everyone believes that we'll acually see the game some day.
From the pc.ign.com article on this;
"In a section describing Commitments and Contigencies, Take-Two states it has renegotiated its obligation regarding the title. The company had originally promised to pay $6 million upon delivery of the PC version of Duke Nukem Forever. In March, Take-Two changed the deal: the company will pay $4.25 million for delivery -- but with a bonus promissory note of $500,000 if the game arrives by December 31, 2006."
http://pc.ign.com/articles/712/712012p1.html
You can't post this on slashdot. You are simply not allowed to... No.
2006: Duke Nukem Forever Due This Year. .. .. ..
2007: Duke Nukem Forever Due This Year.
2008: Duke Nukem Forever Due This Year.
2009: Duke Nukem Forever Due This Year.
2020: Duke Nukem Forever Due This Year.
Unlike Microsoft, the DNF folks have been consistent. They haven't changed their stance over several years....
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
I doubt that DNF will be any good. For a very simple reason.
... 5 years? Longer? Don't remember. But what I remember is the way software development works. Think back 5 years, and the way games were back then. Forget graphics for a moment and just think of gameplay. Would you play a game with 5 year old gameplay?
The game has been "under development" for
Because that's what DNF will have. The idea, the plan, the layout, it's 5 years old. Yes, of course they will "add" stuff to make it "current", but it will be plugged into it and feel attached rather than a core part of the game.
Graphics will probably be current. It's not a big deal to adjust an engine, even though you have to rewrite some parts of the code over and over.
And, finally, they already sunk a ton of dough into it. In other words, it has to be finished cheaply, so it can at least come close to breaking even. Whoever is in the unhappy position to finish this game is very short on funds. And probably also quite frustrated, and as odd as it may sound (for a game that's been delayed forever, hence the name, I guess) under heavy time pressure. If it's announced that "it's being worked on", people do expect it SOON, simply because "hell, they already worked SO long on it, it's gotta be almost done".
My guess is that they want to get that albatross off the ramp, no matter whether it flies or not.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Guns n' Roses will release Chinese Democracy, Take Two will release Duke Nukem Forever...
Does anybody else feel like there must be a large comet headed our way? If you see the Phantom mentioned in the coming months, drop what you're doing and head for the hills.
Guys! Don't you know? The only reason they took so long developing it is because they had to recode the whole thing for its exclusive release for the Infinium Labs Phantom!
Duh!
This has become such an icon of the game industry, the company could put a blank CD in a box and still sell it, if the box was pretty enough. It need not have any intrinsic value. This would work in the same model as printed Enron shares, which, although worthless, sold quite well as souvenirs.
I think it will just ruin the name and the good memories we have from his first post . ,but it won't be that interesting or half as fun to read as the original .
His first post was a classic , no hype , no betas or previews , it was just fun to read . Heck , I even enjoyed the first reply . But something tells me that not only the next post will be delayed
I'll still read it though...
My Starcraft 2 Blog
Finland won the Eurovision song contest. I am pretty sure that since it is possible for hell to freeze over then Duke Nukem might acctually have a change get out by christmas...
-Seeing the problem is ½ of solution-
of when or why or how it ships. The gamers self-produced hype is just too much. There is no way that whoever is developing it now can live up to the expectations of peoples own imaginations. It doesn't matter how awesome the graphics or sound is, or how amazing the gameplay is. There is no way that they can live up to the expectations of pretty much anyone on planet Earth.
Had they managed to squeeze this one out a few years ago, then maybe. It would've been like Doom3, lots of talk and generally a fun game but nothing to lose sleep over. However, since DN3DF has been in development for like a decade it's gone from being a game and becoming some kind of mythic beast instead.
Sure, it might sell a few units, but it will be on novelty value alone.
I enjoy large posteriors and I cannot prevaricate.
3DR comments on this: http://forums.3drealms.com/vb/showthread.php?t=183 00.
Joe Siegler
Webmaster - 3D Realms & Black Sabbath Online
I gotta say it: you nailed it. Funniest DNF joke (I've seen yet). Are you going to go on?
...
Wish I had mod points for this thread
In related news...
Windows Vista is to ship this year.
We will no longer have to wait for Godot.
The second coming of Christ will come this year.
The US will pull out of Iraq this year.
The US will find Osama.
What you say?
Why do I M2 everything negatively?
So one of the, if not the game that has been in development longest is going to be rushed in the end?
> It is actually going to ship. 3DRealms has to make money to stick around.
That premise is only consistent if we assume that 3DRealms *are* going to stick around.
Duke Nukem is a stupid concept that has been dead for long.
Suppose we see Dai Katana 2?
Take off every 'ZIG' !!
Cripes, you can buy game developers cheap. Check out this quote from the 10-Qa meset.aspx?dcn=0001125282-06-003343&Type=HTML
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/fetchFilingFr
Shit - anyone know of any other game companies for sale at firesale prices?
I hate it when the publishers push the developers to release a game before it's finished. With most games developers would only need a few more months to polish a game, but this might be a special case so I guess it could drag on a little longer... and longer... and longer...
Hobby Robotics
I am so over Duke Nukem Forever, and it hasn't even been released. This will be the worst flop in the history of video games.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
[Dr. Evil voice:] If your firm is able to deliver this massive software project by the end of this calendar year, I am prepared to offer a financial incentive package of Five Hundred Thousand dollars. Think it over.
I heard they decided to go with AJAX, that is why it took so long to get it out. On the plus side, at least we know it will run on other OS's. Well that is of course if it ever sees the light of day anytime soon...
Duke Nukem, Forever Due 'This Year'...
Mozy, free online backup service
--
Yeah, sure... It'll come out when DUKE NUKEM FOREVER comes out...
I put the 't' in electrical engineering.
If someone wrote a book about the making of DNF, I'd probably buy it with real money. I like books like that, my fave is 'tales from development hell' about big name movies and how they can take 10+ years to get made.1 /qid=1149948630/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6139415-7876916?_ encoding=UTF8 :D
Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1840236914/sr=8-
Especially now I got the hell out of mainstream gamedev, its fun to look back on the car-crash that is gamedev management and have a good chuckle. Masters of doom was a good book, but the best bits are about Daikatana
Maybe they should bundle a 'making of' book with the game. Thats the only way a lot of people would be tempted.
DRM-free indie games for the PC and Mac: Positech Games
In other news just to hand, Zonk will stop posting dupes! :P
Makes more sense eh? I've got to learn to use the preview button
"I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google"
I heard something about it back in 1963.
I remember Broussard in an interview stating quite distinctly that DNF would require, for a really high-end gaming experience, 6 MB of video memory tops. I am eagerly expecting that statement to be honored. Seriously.
My book, podcast
I saw the official response by George B on the 3DRealms forums, but I don't get it. It says here http://www.planetduke.com/duke4/faq/general.shtml# 1.3 that the game will be released "when it's done". How can Take Two make this statement that George B. et.al. essentially shrug off?
Perhaps 3DRealms will use digital distribution like Steam. Maybe George B. isn't worried because they outlast all of their publishers.
will it run on Vista?
because there's a ton of Doom, Quake, and DN3D ports and extensions due to the source being available. Those are free.
So by the virtue of them being free 3DRealms wouldn't in their right minds release DNF unless ita underpinnings at least as high quality as those engines. There's some leeway here... I'd probably buy it just for the art resources and the single player gameplay if it's original and reasonably entertaining.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
Odd that DNF is usually what shows up on college transcripts as Did Not Finish, ain't it?
What's really interesting about this game is that it's a strange carryover from a bygone era, an era when people actually fantasized about a video game (and how neat it was going to be) prior to releasal.
DNF is probably the last sentence in that chapter of video game history (which I guess has strangely been placed in the next chapter).
Personally, I'm going to enjoy the nostalgia when it comes out.
Now we're going to have to find a new joke...
anybody else here see this as TakeTwo spitting in the face of 3DRealms' face? kinda like "We all know you guys won't be able to finish DNF, so you won't even get chump-change from us..."
I really don't see $500,000 as a big incentive when they've invested $7.5 million so far (via ApogeeGames.com).
I guess the concern is that 3D Realms is/were/will be in financial trouble, but from the sounds of the article in my previous link, they're doing pretty well from the Max Payne franchise.
on my new AMIGA then I'm gonna be pissed.
Honestly, all I can see from DNF right now is a HL2 clone of their scripting and physics engine, but just add AO content galore.
Read my sig! That's right, keep reading...
Maybe someone already mentioned this ... but havent you guys noticed that DNF, in the racing community, stands for Did Not Finish ?
I guess its starting to mean the same thing in the game programming circles... :-P
http://frag-legion.uk.net/wiibar/mario-5732799551
I see the posters of this thread are about as serious as the developers are about getting the game done.
Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling a pig in mud. Soon, you realize the pig is dirty, and he likes it.
Yes - all of them.
This is how Electronic Arts grows. EA has cash, but it hasn't really innovated since 1984. As someone who's previously worked in the games industry and still has lots of friends at EA and other game companies, let me lay it out for you:
The games business is a hit driven business, with most innovative titles coming out of small publishers (with only one exception right now - Blizzard).
Step 1: Small publisher (Origin, Jane's, Crystal, etc...) comes out with a hot new title. It sells like gangbusters.
Step 2: The now 'successful' publisher, hires up more people to work on their next hot title. Founders become 'industry visionaries' and appear on many CGDC panels. One of three things happen with this next 'hot' title...
2a) The title ships in time for Christmas and is a big success. Great! Return to step 2 and try again. The odds of this happening is low.
2b) The title ships in time for Christmas but is a flop. Advance to step 3.
2c) The title misses the Christmas ship date and has to go out in the spring, where volumes are much smaller. Advance to step 3
Step 3: You now have a payroll crunch because of lots of employees/investors to feed and no new income (remember, this is a hit driven business). EA will come to you and say, "I'm going to write a number on a piece of paper - I think you'll agree it's fair." Hint: It's not fair. You'll say no, because you just need to get that second 'backup' title finished and you'll be okay again.
Step 4: If the backup title succeeds, you've dodged a bullet - go back to step 2 and try again. Otherwise, EA will come back to you and say "I'm going to write a number on a piece of paper. It's not going to be as large as last time, but I think you'll agree it's fair." Hint: It's still not fair - its going to be much lower than last time. Unfortunately, you'll have to take it because you are out of cash. Congrats: You are now an executive producer for a new division in EA. Most likely, you'll never be allowed to make an 'risky' game again.
The chances of repeately doing step 2 successfully are very low.
It's WOULD HAVE, or WOULD'VE... I'll say it again: WOULD HAVE, or WOULD'VE. How damn difficult is it?
Sorry for ranting... It's just that I'm not even a native English speaker and I spot that mistake right away. Why the hell is it so difficult for the americans?
I'm sure there are plenty of good pages about English grammar out there. Google around for a bit and you'll find one that explains the difference between "than" and "then".
No more jokes, sorry. I really miss Duke, especially the Mac version where you could turn on Apple's old "1984" commercial in the movie theatre.
Beauty is in the beholder of the eye.
This still isn't out yet? I don't know whats more amazing... the fact that they haven't finished it yet or the fact that they are still trying.
Netcraft replied that "it's too early to tell, but we should have the numbers after some more lead time."
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
I'll believe duke nukem (takes) forever when the soviet union and berlin wall collapes..... Wait, didn't that already happen? I think one of the signs of the end of the world will be when duke nukem forever comes out. LOL
Ok, well I was still going to write the post, but then I saw all these other hillarious posts with cogent points and witty remarks. Since this new technology came up, and my post still wasn't ready, I decided to start all over and come up with an entirely new post. Now, some of my fans will be upset by the aditional wait, but the final quality of the post I will release will justify this decision. Why release a post now, or immediately in the future that is clearly now dated when compared to the other posts here in this story? Trust me, the new witty remarks and cogent points are going to be well worth it, and of course my post is going to have the original "crhylove post" feel that made my original post such a classic. Plus, for the other crhylove fans, I've been posting plenty on other stories, and they seem to have been well received. Most of the Slashdot industry has modded my posts as positive, and you can even check out my karma in the latest Postspot, or on PlanetPost.
Come get some!
I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
I'm pretty often around in the 3D Realms Forums and I can tell you: there is absolutely no way! Noone at 3DR will give in to this! they haven't delayed this game for so many years (in order to make it perfect) just to publish it unfinished now, just because of a monetary offer... I've heared that it MIGHT be finished at the end of 2007... MAYBE! but 3DR has enough own money to finish the game on their own, so get used to it:
"it's coming, when it's done"
The MAFIAA is a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes
... and plenty of others, like... nevermind, in Soviet Russia, jokes find you. Frist Psot.
Step 1: List all the tired old Slashdot jokes.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
It's a shame, but I think they should really leave the Duke Nukem brand alone now, they have done almost irrepairable damage with DNF and it will take a lot of time for consumers to stop seeing the developers and the series as a franchise as a joke. Never mind the motive for ripping the game to shreds critically once it comes out due to the massive waiting time. It's a shame to see such a promising title go down, but they have done it too wrong. One of the major lessons for future game studios?
Business Voyeur
TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. and SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
In March 2005, the Company renegotiated a $6,000 contingent obligation due upon delivery of the final PC version of Duke Nukem Forever through the payment of $4,250 and issuance of a promissory note in the principal amount of $500. The payment of the promissory note is contingent upon the commercial release of such product prior to December 31, 2006.
In other news just to hand, Zonk will stop posting dupes! :P
Makes more sense eh? I've got to learn to use the preview button
My suggestion would be that you've got to learn English first. Whoever uses "just to hand"?
The original duke 3d is still the FPS I most enjoyed playing. But its unlikely DNF will be any better than the jokes about it never being released, I will miss that too.
Firstly it's obvious after a decade that this has game _NOT_ been in development.
Secondly the companies/[eople responsible for this situation squandered a great opportunity.
Lots of folks (me included) found the cheeky, irreverent & slightly racy tone of this game to be a refreshing change from the deadly serious juvenile stuff that was around at the time. DNF's big contribution was it injected _FUN_ into the gaming experience. Sadly missed...
Actualy, they are looking forward to replacing Solitaire in vista with it ;)
Australia qualifying for the World Cup....
oh well.
beware the jabberwock, my son! the jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
need to be Call of Duty, BF1942, World of Warcraft, Age of Empires, HL2, Counter Strike, HL1, Warcraft III, Empire at War, Guild Wars, EQ2, Lineage 2, F.E.A.R., a roller coaster, Mike Birbiglia, and all of the Quake and Unreal Tournament games wrapped up in one shiny package. Good luck Duke...
I was tought in elementary school to check that your results were reasonable. IF you multiply 13 by 19 and get 1,234,567, you throw out your result as not possibly being correct.
If you read an article that says the compensation for developing a video game was $4,250, you should recognize that that number can not possibly be correct and NOT blindly put it in your own coverage.
paintball
If it's Good, it will sell like hotcakes and 3D Realms will be vindicated.
If it's Bad, it will still be purchased for the kitsch value, like owning a share of Enron, DVDs of Gigli and Showgirls, and keeping a copy of the
"leaked" Kevin Federline track.
n/t
Those 3D Realms guys are pretty darn clever. They just tell everyone they are making Duke Nukem Forever, issue a press release every so often and then wait for people to start offering them money. If they wait long enough they could be offered even bigger sums of money up-front. Then just accept and release whatever crap they've got. They make massive sums of money on the offer and sales.
I personally think it would be hilarious if they did finally release it and it was worse than even the most horrible movie tie-in title.