Duke Nukems are still my favorite games ever. One of the first game I played multiplayer with two laptops. I was 12ish years old. First game was actually retaliator, but that aside. Level design, graphics, sounds and the atmosphere was groundbreaking those days. Wish I was that age again.
It's a sort of duke roguelike with 100's of potential levels, you play through a a certain random number of them in a run. Also you unlock all sorts of power ups as you progress, enemies also get stronger and get random buffs. + Theyve added a load of mechanics, more weapons, enemies, more playable characters etc.
Hmmm. I do sometimes play old DOS games. And then the era
of games that followed, say ... from 1995 to 2005 or so,
give or take. Though quite rarely nowadays.
I'd wish there could be an improvement of some of the old
games. Not to change their character per se, but to make
some small modest improvements to e. g. gameplay, usability,
perhaps even the graphics - without killing the old flair
it had. Anyone remember Alone in the Dark? I liked the
polygons, even though nobody would use these today. So that
can probably not be improved a lot without ruining the old
feeling. But content-wise? Where is AI when you need it?
Can't AI autogenerate more content for those games AND also
improve them modestly?
Duke Nukem/BUILD was the first level editor that sucked me into level editing/mods, it is also the place where I spent the most hours. I later pivoted to more professional pursuits, however i killed a ton of time building new levels, and exploiting the engine to an obscene level.
I doubt I could get back into it these days, however, I hope the open source effort can inspire some awesome stuff!
Duke3D is one of those weird games where I don't respect it as much as Doom or Quake, but I have to admit I've had a lot of fun playing it at different points in my life. Some seriously great memories deathmatching with friends on the opening map, and the combat in the single player is often really good.
Blast from the past — I made the EDuke32 logo when I was teenager back in 2004. (I still have the PSD sitting around somewhere...) Back then there was quite an active community on the now defunct 3drealm's forums and I spent a lot of time contributing icons, logos, or web dev help to different Duke Nukem projects.
I don't think I ever properly played Duke 3D until recently, picking up the "Cursed Randy Version" version on Switch. But as a kid I was hooked on the level editor (and pixelated nudity.) Duke 3D's custom maps scene never eclipsed the popularity and duration of Doom or Quake, but there were some fantastic creations that really stirred the imagination and kept me in that editor for hours.
(There is also a port of the Duke Nukem 64 version, which whilst almost identical, does have a few interesting variations which makes it worth the try for a series fan.)
Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, and Dark Forces are my triumvirate of that era. Of all of them, Duke Nukem felt the most interactive. There are times I would clear a level of enemies, then play with all the gizmos the level designers put inside like the jail cell block doors of Death Row. The security cameras were so advanced at the time too! They rendered their view, in real time, on a wall TV. I wouldn't see that effect again until the 2000s. The levels felt intuitive too, at least the Earth levels, that I felt like an urban explorer in a way that Deus Ex would later capture.
Back then I got the game from a friend, who handled me a CD. It was apparently a pirated version because it has that sort of red color progress bar installer.
I actually never made through E1L3 back in 1997, because it was very confusing for someone who only had about 15-20 mins of play every night — and I had to dodge from my parents who absolutely thought and still think that games are bad things.
But I was hooked with the end game screen which promised loads of goods (I still remember this phrase ) on the CD to make my own levels. Wow! I was instantly hooked! Alas, as I said it was a pirated version, and there was no map editor in the installer file. Back then people tend to strip any unnecessary contents off from the games and zip them into a compressed file.
I didn’t find the map editor until much later in my life. By then I have lost the interest of level design (I used to dab into Half-Life mapping because the pirated version was mercifully the full set of the original CD so it contained worldcraft.exe).
Nevertheless, very good memory. I still play its mods from time to time. Doom, Quake, Duke3d and Blood all have long lasting communities that produce loads and loads of goods throughout the years. They also built better tools and ports for us to enjoy.
I played a lot of Duke Nukem 3D multiplayer in the 90s. We connected PCs with a serial cable, and later the game was available in a local “internet cafe”, except that cafe had no internet. Just games and a local network. I spent a lot of time there. Then, after several years, when I was studying IT in a different city, someone approached me and asked “hey, aren’t you by any chance “Phantom” from that cafe? We used to play together Duke Nukem.
random fact : duke nukem had this weird configuration bug where maxing sensitivity on the microsoft sidewinder strafe axis could make you go much faster than possible by moving in diagonal ( the sum of strafe + forward combined to a larger vector). That lead to everyone in our cybercafe buying one :)))
> [2] Any derivative works based on my Build source may be distributed ONLY through the INTERNET.
> [3] Distribution of any derivative works MUST be done completely FREE of charge - no commercial exploitation whatsoever.
> [5] The use of the Build Engine for commercial purposes will require an appropriate license arrangement with me. Contact information is on my web site.
Medium A: Modding community enables thought and expression P: Scripting extensions and mod creation tools support freedom of thought
Editorial
+0.15
Structural
+0.20
SETL
-0.10
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Extensive modding and scripting capabilities enable creative expression; community forums support idea exchange.
+0.38
Article 19Freedom of Expression
High A: Open source code availability enables information access P: Wiki, forums, and documentation provide knowledge sharing F: Community-driven development frames transparency
Editorial
+0.25
Structural
+0.30
SETL
-0.12
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
GPL licensing ensures source code visibility; extensive wiki and forum documentation; active information sharing infrastructure.
+0.33
Article 20Assembly & Association
Medium P: Discord and forum community structures A: Voluntary association in modding/development community
Editorial
+0.20
Structural
+0.25
SETL
-0.11
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Active Discord server and forums enable peaceful assembly and association; no restrictions on membership observed.
+0.07
Article 21Political Participation
Medium P: Community-based governance in development P: Accessibility limitations may exclude participation
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.15
SETL
-0.09
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Community-led development suggests participatory model; however, JavaScript-heavy interface may exclude some from full participation.
0.00
Article 22Social Security
ND
Editorial
ND
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
No observable content related to social security or economic rights.
+0.07
Article 23Work & Equal Pay
Low A: Volunteer-based development model P: Free software allows unpaid creative work
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.05
SETL
+0.07
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Community voluntary contribution; no coercion to work observed. However, limited content on labor conditions.
0.00
Article 24Rest & Leisure
ND
Editorial
ND
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
No observable content related to rest, leisure, or working hours.
0.00
Article 25Standard of Living
ND
Editorial
ND
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
No observable content related to food, clothing, housing, or medical care.
+0.17
Article 26Education
Medium A: Educational resources (wiki, forums, documentation) P: Free access to learning materials and modding tutorials
Editorial
+0.20
Structural
+0.15
SETL
+0.10
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Extensive documentation, wiki, and tutorials support education; free access removes economic barriers to learning.
+0.42
Article 27Cultural Participation
High A: GPL and open source licensing protect participation in cultural life P: Free software enables creative participation without cost F: Community modding and 20+ year development history frames cultural contribution
Editorial
+0.30
Structural
+0.35
SETL
-0.13
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
Explicit support for creative participation through modding; GPL licensing ensures cultural benefits are shared; extensive community participation in game creation.
0.00
Article 28Social & International Order
ND
Editorial
ND
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
No observable content related to social and international order.
+0.10
Article 29Duties to Community
Low A: GPL licensing specifies duties and community responsibility
Editorial
+0.10
Structural
+0.10
SETL
0.00
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
GPL license implies shared responsibility for code; community guidelines suggest collaborative duties.
0.00
Article 30No Destruction of Rights
ND
Editorial
ND
Structural
0.00
SETL
ND
Combined
ND
Context Modifier
ND
No observable content related to prevention of abuse of rights.