Duke Nukem Forever 6 - Game over

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Hey gang..

While I don't work at 3DR anymore, I did participate in what I'm about to talk about before I walked out the door. The project will be finished by Bryan Turner (who is still at 3DR for the time being), but I was given the OK to talk about this.

As I've kind of hinted at in other forum posts, there is a big update coming for the 3D Realms Online Store. For the last two days I worked at 3DR, I did nothing more than one final major remaster of the product line. I took all the files that we were selling as downloadable items and remastered them. I put DOSBox wrappers around them. This is probably less of an issue for folks on these forums, but the majority of tech queries we got were from people who had zero idea on how to install a DOS program, much less run it. So they all got DOSBox wrappers.

But it didn't stop there. I took all the games that we sold as CD media only, and created downloadable installs for them, too. That includes Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Death Rally, & Terminal Velocity. So these games will be available in our store.

But it didn't stop there, either. I also hit some other games. We will be selling Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project as a download for the first time, and we will also be selling something we have not sold in several years now. BALLS OF STEEL! This is basically every game that we can still sell that hasn't been released as freeware. They'll all be available in the new store update that is coming.

But I saved the best for last. Long time 3DR forum members will remember me talking about a ROTT CD master that never got made. It was to combine the Site License ROTT CD with the EROTT CD, as well as a pile of user created things. Well, that CD never got pressed, and the version we've sold in the store for awhile was a lesser version. NOT NOW! This new ROTT download (which is 48.3Mb) has everything you can think of. It's every single stinkin thing that Apogee ever released for ROTT back in the day. It also includes a pile of user created things. Also, given my personal love for ROTT, I tossed in a few surprises for people who buy that.

Redoing the product line with a DOSBox wrapper, as well as bringing back and/or adding several things to the online store was my final act as an actual employee of 3DR. I saved ROTT for last. It was mastered between about 6:40PM and 8:15PM Central time on Friday May 22nd.

Now the part I have to say I don't know is when. It's supposed to be this week, but I can't tell you exactly when - and I won't be involved with the actual launch, either. My part in all this was to remaster the product line. That was quite a challenge, as I had to learn a new install program, go over the whole product line, make sure everything was there, build the installs, test them - it was QUITE the whirlwind, I tell you.

These downloads come with those PDF manuals and the hint sheets (where available), as well as with Windows icons, it's all quite nice. It was a freakin whirlwind for me to get 26 game files remastered. I did one and a half on Thursday (mostly to get the structure right, and to learn the install program), and did the remaining 23 and a half on Friday. Man, that was one long day. But it was my last, and I've always considered game installs my baby, so I'm glad I got to do this one final time, and make the installs something nice.

The complete list of stuff that will be available for sale through the new 3D Realms store site update is:

Balls of Steel
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold
Commander Keen Galaxy
Commander Keen Vorticons
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
Crystal Caves
Death Rally
Duke Nukum
Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
Hocus Pocus
Math Rescue
Monster Bash
Mystic Towers
Paganitzu
Planet Strike
Raptor: Call of the Shadows
Realms of Chaos
Rise of the Triad (or as I call it, Ultimate ROTT)
Secret Agent
Shadow Warrior
Terminal Velocity
Wacky Wheels
Wolfenstein 3D
Word Rescue

I have no idea what the pricing on this stuff will be, so don't ask. That was all stuff handled this week, after I've left. I was just given permission to talk about the remastering stuff and that it will be available shortly.

This will be in a new store - Yahoo store won't be active anymore for new sales once the new stuff goes up. But at this point, you're probably better off waiting for the new store downloads.

From a technical standpoint, I used the Inno Install program, which uses LZMA compression routines, so things are packed more efficiently. This is an in issue as I'm including DOSBox with every install, too.

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Duke Nukem series creator 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. has responded to publisher Take-Two's lawsuit over the incomplete state of Duke Nukem Forever, revealing that 3DR is continuing to work on the long-delayed title alongside word that a previously unknown separate Duke game was in the works at a "well-known videogame developer."

Duke Nukem Forever
The new effort, titled "Duke Begins," was part of the October 2007 Agreement that saw Take-Two provide 3D Realms with $2.5 million. That sum was paid July 2008 in order to "help fund the development of the DNF game," with 3D Realms having previously said the money was "in connection with another agreement for an unannounced game."

The Take-Two-published Duke Begins was slated for release by mid-2010, with development set to begin within 2 months of the October 2007 agreement and 3D Realms stating that it needed to approve "any changes to that [development] schedule."

"All development work by the third-party game developer" on Duke Begins was halted in April 2009, 3D Realms claims "upon information and belief." However, 3D Realms says that "Take-Two...simply denied [the stoppage]," with a later letter to Take-Two VP Dan Emereson regarding the game's status said to have been "ignored."

As 3DR believes that Duke Begins "has been delayed by 12 months or longer," the company says that the push has harmed both 3DR and the Duke franchise, and will "delay any royalty payments...from sales of the Duke Begins game and prevent Apogee from being able to repay the [$2.5 million] advance when it becomes due in 2012."

Furthermore, 3D Realms believes that Take-Two is "taking such actions with a goal of pressuring [3D Realms/Apogee Ltd.] to sell the Duke Nukem franchise rights to Take-Two for less than their true value."

Since 3DR was not consulted regarding its perceived delay of Duke Begins, the company accuses Take-Two of breaching the October 2007 contract, and is demanding a jury trial, with damages believed to "be far in excess of $75,000, excluding interest and costs, including lost royalties and damage to the Duke Nukem franchise rights."

3D Realms adds that the October 2007 Agreement also served to "extinguish any right Take-Two had to any sequel to the DNF game or any videogames based upon a Duke Nukem movie."

On Duke Nukem Forever

The developer also shed additional light on negotiations with Take-Two regarding a 3D Realms-developed Xbox 360 edition of the then-PC only Duke Nukem Forever. Along with the Xbox 360 port, the negotiations included the addition of multiplayer and the funding necessary for 3D Realms to complete Duke Nukem Forever PC within 12 months.

3D Realms says that it requested $6 million to "cover the costs to complete both the Xbox 360 and PC versions" of the notoriously long-in-development title, with Take-Two supposedly agreeing to this amount. However, Take-Two lowered the amount of $5 million, and, "at the last minute (on April 22 [2009])" further lowered it to $2.5 million.

This coincides with 3D Realms' previous statement that Take-Two "materially changed the parameters of the proposed funding agreement" into something 3D Realms could not "financially afford," with 3D Realms then rejecting an "unacceptable" proposal Take-Two made for the franchise and development team.

3D Realms adds that Take-Two couldn't have been "unsure of the development progress" for the game, as Take-Two claimed in its filing, because Take-Two "stated it was impressed with the gameplay and pleased with the development progress on the game" when 3D Realms visited the company in April 2009.

The negotiations ceased on May 1, 2009, according to 3D Realms, with the company laying off "most of the DNF game development team" a few days later on May 6. 3D Realms claims that "Take-Two was fully aware this was going to happen weeks before this date is a funding agreement was not reached."

In addition, 3D Realms denied allegations that it has "a substantial amount of funds deposited in an off-shore account."

Lastly, 3D Realms says that "Take-Two in not entitled to any relief on its claims" for various reasons, including "unclean hands," noting that "Take-Two has no right to access the source code for the PC Version of the DNF Game until the game is completed by [3D Realms/Apogee Ltd.]," the "DNF License Agreement does not provide a deadline," and "the option [for Take-Two] to develop such 'Console Versions' of the DNF game is not exercisable unless and until the PC Version of the DNF game is released at retail."

Surprisingly, 3D Realms explicitly notes that it continues to work on "the development of" Duke Nukem Forever, though "it released the majority of its employees working on the development" because of a "lack of funding to sustain the high level of development."

"[3D Realms/Apogee Ltd.] admits that it has continually worked on the development of the DNF for many years, and continues to do so," reads the specific clause.

"3DR has been in nearly a dozen lawsuits (including against Warner and Fox)," 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. founder Scott Miller said of Take-Two's pending litigation exactly one week ago. "We're always innocent, and we always win. This one is no exception. Give it a year, then the truth will come out."

At the time, Miller added that "filed lawsuits are entirely one-sided statements, based on knee-deep BS and with more spin that[sic] a top."
_bron

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Op vrijdag 10 juli 2009 13:11 schreef appelsientje het volgende:

[..]

zouden ze er dan toch weer mee verder gaan?? ach hoop doet leven

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Duke Nukem series creator 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. has responded to publisher Take-Two's lawsuit over the incomplete state of Duke Nukem Forever, revealing that 3DR is continuing to work on the long-delayed title

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Op dinsdag 14 juli 2009 18:44 schreef Gamer_V het volgende:
Dat zou een awesome eindbaas geweest zijn