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Duke Nukem 3D On Unreal Engine 3

Posted by Soulskill on 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."

28 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. Awesome. by boarder8925 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is how you get people to like your company. Instead of suing or shutting them down, or both, let them enjoy your work.

    --
    Keep your eyes to the sky.
    1. Re:Awesome. by hansamurai · · Score: 3, Informative

      Add Square Enix for their treatment of Chrono Trigger Resurrection and Crimson Echoes.

      http://www.opcoder.com/projects/chrono/
      http://crimsonechoes.com/

      --
      Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
    2. Re:Awesome. by Hylandr · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So we have a list going for people *not* to buy from, how about a list in the other direction? Where should I buy my next game from?

      - Dan.

      --
      ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
    3. Re:Awesome. by AndrewNeo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Valve is on the short list of developers that still release tools (and super-encourage) the community to mod and make content for their games.

    4. Re:Awesome. by Cryolithic · · Score: 2, Informative

      Gearbox now owns all IP related to ALL things Duke. http://www.google.com/search?q=gearbox+duke+nukem+ip

  2. Cool by MBGMorden · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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).

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    1. Re:Cool by DeadPixels · · Score: 2, Insightful

      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.

    2. Re:Cool by retchdog · · Score: 2, Insightful

      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 basically the limits of the Doom-type rendering technology, they were free to focus on gameplay elements, and it paid off greatly.

      --
      "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
    3. Re:Cool by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      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 my opinion, far superior with its use of Pipebombs, holograms, Cameras/Screens, and all the little things about its gameplay, like being able to quickly look over your left and right shoulder while moving. It was less about getting the best gun for the level and owning it up and more about getting what weapons were best for your style of play - and owning it up.

      And the single player - is there really any contest? Strippers make everything better.

    4. Re:Cool by Low+Ranked+Craig · · Score: 2, Funny

      Your face, your ass, what's the difference?

      --
      I still cannot find the droids I am looking for...
    5. Re:Cool by rm999 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      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.

    6. Re:Cool by twistedsymphony · · Score: 3, Insightful

      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.

      --
      Collector's Edition
    7. Re:Cool by pandrijeczko · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't think that you can make that level of comparison.

      The Quakes have traditionally only ever been "reasonable" single-player FPS games but bloody fantastic multi-player games - Duke 3D stood on it's own as a great single-player FPS game but was only okay as multi-player.

      I think the award for best "all-rounder" (great single- AND multi-player) FPS games of the time has to go to Shadow Warrior & Blood. Both of them were also on the Build engine but had enough "wacky" weapons (like the "sticky bombs" in Shadow Warrior and the "flaming aerosol" in Blood) to make them both a real hoot for network play.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
    8. Re:Cool by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Shadow warrior:

      Wang: You wanna wash wang? Or watch Wang wash wang?
      Girl in bath: You pervert! *pulls out guns and shoots Wang*

      I sort of thought Shadow warrior and Duke were the same engine and written by the same people. Both games can be played for the humor aspect.

    9. Re:Cool by lattyware · · Score: 2, Interesting

      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.

      --
      -- Lattyware (www.lattyware.co.uk)
  3. I will believe it by Chas · · Score: 2, Funny

    Only after it actually ships.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
    1. Re:I will believe it by Desler · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Exactly since is the same person who promised to remake another video game using a newer engine and that was never released either.

    2. Re:I will believe it by somersault · · Score: 2, Interesting

      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.

      --
      which is totally what she said
  4. How's this more "real" than Forever? by JSBiff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  5. Coolest game evar! by null+etc. · · Score: 4, Funny

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

    1. Re:Coolest game evar! by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yes, I have not been this impressed since the release of Derek Smart's Desktop Commander.

      --
      I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
  6. In the meantime by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

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

  7. Re:Bye-bye cross-platform Duke... by Cwix · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm a big supporter of linux, but this is the type of whining that gives linux fans a bad name.

    I run Linux on my desktop, laptop, and now that I think of it my phone. Perhaps you could either fix it yourself, or offer some sort of support for the authors of wine. Perhaps throw a few bucks in their paypal, perhaps sit on their forum and help newbs, perhaps write documentation, or find bug fixes. Coming to slashdot and whining about it isnt gonna get you anything, but mocked by the /. crowd, and earn disdain from the developer.

    --
    You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
  8. Uh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    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.

  9. Re:Bye-bye cross-platform Duke... by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So run the UT I II and III games native in linux. you can still download the binaries.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  10. Eduke32 by Chelloveck · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just one word: eduke32.

    Oh yeah. That, and "groovy".

    --
    Chelloveck
    I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
  11. Dukeworld - Realistic Disneyland TC for Duke3d! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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/

    and read the ReadMe File 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.

  12. Re:It will never happen by Ant+P. · · Score: 2, Funny

    How did you get here, Youtube commenter?