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CourtTV visits 3D Realms
On Wednesday, Court TV was here at 3D Realms Headquarters to interview Scott Miller & George Broussard about violent computer games. We did take a couple of pictures of this, but unfortunately, due to the strange lighting they had set up for the taping, the couple of stills I took came out really bad.
Once we find out some more details on when this will air, we'll be sure to pass that along!
Update May 2005: This never aired, unfortunately. If you have proof otherwise, please let us know.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Charlie Wiederhold Joins 3D Realms
3D Realms welcomes our newest employee, Charlie Wiederhold, who will be part of the Duke Nukem Forever team.
Charlie joins 3D Realms bringing his experience as a level designer after having spent this year working on Ritual Entertainment's highly touted 3D shooter, Sin. Previously to joining Ritual, Charlie had worked on several Duke Nukem level packs, such as Duke it out in D.C.
Shown to your right, Charlie started on Thursday, and is getting acquainted with his new surroundings. This picture was from his first day while he was getting set up. As you can see, he's already been captured by our crack Digital Camera squad (but it's not the first time, there's a shot of him at E3 on our site, too).
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Next Generation Does Time to Kill
For all of Duke Nukem's machismo and loveable sexism, you would think that the mega multiplatform commando franchise man would just stay right where he's most comfortable -- in the realm of the first-person shooter. Well, on the PlayStation this fall, you'd be wrong.
That's the start of Next Generation's Time to Kill review of Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, the new Duke game out on the Sony Playstation. We won't hype it anymore, here's another quote from the full review.
The apocalyptic environments spilling over with strips joints and dire nights are joined via time travel with landscapes from imperial Rome, medieval Europe, and America's wild west, to name a few. Frankly, it's kind of weird to see Duke in a white cloth with high-strapped sandals, but hey, Charleton Heston never looked that good in bed sheets either, and he got away with it.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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3D Mark '99 Launches
"3DMark is a gamers� tool that will tell the truth and expose the hype about 3D card performance. Gamers and the industry need a standard benchmark, and this one is it."
That is what Scott Miller of Apogee/3D Realms has to say about 3D Mark '99. What is 3D Mark '99? Here's a bit from the 3DMark Web Site..
3DMark� 99 - The Gamers' Benchmark is a diagnostic suite that analyzes, tests and reports your system's 3D performance. In the fast moving world of 3D-acceleration, working out which 3D accelerator is best for your system is a difficult job. There is an endless stream of advertising with numerous products claiming that they are the latest and greatest solution.
Futuremark Corporation helps you to cut through the jargon and judge for yourself with 3DMark� 99, an advanced diagnostics and testing tool based on MAX-FX� Technology.
3DMark� tells how to maximize your 3D performance by producing one easy to understand result from a balanced testing methodology that includes image quality, rendering speed, CPU capability and an Internet information base.
3D Mark's official Launch is today at 4PM (US Pacific Time), so make sure to head on over to the 3D Mark Web Site and check it all out, and download yourself a trial copy later this afternoon!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Time to Kill Tips & Tricks
Tips & Tricks magazine has an extensive Duke Nukem: Time to Kill strategy article in their current November issue. In it, they have some great comments about the game:
"Duke's back on the PlayStation, and he's looking better than ever! The creators of this game should take a bow; Lara finally has some solid competition. The lighting effects and fluid animation can really get you going, and Duke's off-the-cuff remarks are hilarious, making references to a ton of sitcoms and movies. If you're a Duke Nukem or Tomb Raider fan, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. You sure won't run out of things to see or hear!"
For those who may not know, Time to Kill is the first totally original Duke Nukem game since Duke Nukem 3D released early in 1996. 3D Realms was extensively involved with the making of this game, along with n-Space. This game has all of the Duke Nukem attitude, humor, action, interactivity, babes and hardcore edge you'd expect from a Duke Nukem game. We broke a few rules getting this game by Sony's censors and suits, so you'd better get your copy fast before they realize what we've done!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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The Virtual Tour Returns!
The 3D Realms Virtual Tour is back online!
That's right. You're tired of seeing that construction sign, aren't you? Well, guess what? It's not there anymore if you click on "VR Tour". Our Virtual Tour is back online! It's all new, and much better than what used to be here, if you remember that. This one requires that your web browser have Java & Javascript (turned on, of course) in order to see everything. To check out the tour, click on the "VR Tour" menu button on the menu to your left. All of our offices are in here, so check them out today!
One thing, though, please make sure to read the text on the intro page before going on to the tour. It might help you avoid confusion once you actually start on the tour.
One small technical note. Due to the implementations of Java in both Netscape & Microsoft Internet Explorer, I've found that the tour runs a bit faster if you use MSIE instead of Netscape.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Max Payne
Online Gaming Review has an article online entitled "Third Person: The Next Perspective", which is a follow-up of sorts to their recent article about first person perspective games. In this new article is a short blurb about Max Payne. This is what OGR had to say about this forthcoming game from Remedy Entertainment and 3D Realms...
When a new, deadly drug hits the streets of the near, grimy future, the Drug Enforcement Agency sends Max Payne to stop its makers. And the ones who are responsible are�the Mafia (yes!). Of course the action heats up when Max is framed for the murder of his own boss (damn that Mafia!), and you must fight DEA agents and cops, too. With realistic guns, ultra-violent encounters, and top notch graphics, this is actually looking to be one of the more original coming shooters. Sure Sin has a similar plot, but it is so much more grounded in fantasy. The game will use cutscenes done in grim, dark, comic book style, and is fully 3rd person. Grim and gritty with a flavor that crosses film noir and John Woo, this one looks good. For mature audiences only.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Duke Nukem Forever
George Broussard was interviewed by Gamespot UK as part of their "Duke Week" feature. George had a few things to say about Duke Forever, so make sure to check out the full interview! Here's a small bit of what he had to say..
Gamespot UK: Lara Croft is scrambling to add intelligence and respectability to a female character where Duke presumably still plays on the hung ho not-too-bright maschismo. Isn't that getting dated now?
George Broussard: I think Eidos is screwing up by changing Lara. You can't try to please everyone and in the end they will have such a watered down politically correct action hero, nobody will care. You shouldn't change the one thing that made Lara popular. Her body. As for Duke, I don't think it's getting dated at all. People seem to want more and more of him. There are versions of Duke games coming out on the PSX (Time to Kill) and an exclusive title under development on the N64. I think Duke represents the ultimate macho action hero, and he's someone that most people want to play and listen to for a couple of hours.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Time to Download
Coming to a store near you any day now is Duke Nukem: Time to Kill. As part of the promotion around the game's release, there is a TV commercials airing for the game. If you haven't seen it (or even if you have), we now have available for download two QuickTime Movie files of the commercial.
* ttkcomm1.mov - 30 second commercial @ 160x120 (4.47Mb)
* ttkcomm2.mov - 30 second commercial @ 320x240 (9.75Mb)
Both of these files are the same, the only difference is the size of the video.
Time to Kill should be in a store near you soon. Look for the Time to Kill Standup at a computer store near you. The picture to your right is a shot of the one we have in our conference room (you can click on it for a huge version of the picture).
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Get Digital with Duke!
How would you like to get a free copy of Duke Nukem: Atomic Edition while at the same time get one of the coolest digital cameras around? 3D Realms has teamed up with Nikon to bring you the Duke Nukem Coolpix Celebration promotion.
No rebates, no mail-ins - a FREE Duke Nukem� 3D Atomic Edition CD game in every Nikon Coolpix 900s box from October 15, 1998 until December 31, 1998 or while supplies last.
A sure-fire holiday season hit, the bonus Duke Nukem 3D�: Atomic Edition is the newest and most comprehensive edition of the action-packed computer game. A $40 value, the special Duke disc is included with every Coolpix 900s camera. Nikon will publicize and energize retail sales of this new Coolpix 900s package with a series of "Get Digital with Duke" days at selected retailers across the country. Highlighting these exciting in-store promotions are personal appearances by Duke Nukem himself: armed, dangerous and in the flesh. (If and when we get information about specific cities that Duke will be appearing at, we will pass that on to you.)
We've been working with these cameras for a little while now, and we love them. Our development teams have been using them for our games, and can't say enough about them. If you'd like to learn more about the Nikon Coolpix 900s digital camera, check out Nikon's Web Page for the Coolpix 900s. There is also a press release online about the "Get Digital with Duke" promotion.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Interview with Chris Hargrove
Chris Hargrove, one of Duke Nukem Forever's programmers was recently interviewed by perplexed.com about programming. It's somewhat short interview, but still worth a read. Here's a very interesting quote by Chris from the full interview when asked what he thought the state of the industry is..
There's too much crap and too many excuses. My thing is this: If you're a developer, and you have an idea for a game that doesn't bring anything new to the genre it's for (and/or create a new genre, which is the best scenario but exceptionally rare), then don't waste your time and other peoples' time with the game. Make something new, something interesting. Publishers also need to wake up and realize that taking the time to make a good game is far more important than releasing that game at a particular (wintry) time of year. The difference between 10,000 and 500,000 copies is often nothing more than a little bit of polish, and publishers need to let developers take advantage of that fact in order to make things better for everyone involved... the consumers, the developers, AND themselves.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Gathering of Developers
The Dallas Morning News newspaper has a section they publish every Tuesday entitled "Person@l Technology". It usually covers technology and computer items, but today they have a rather large article on both the Gathering of Developers and Terminal Reality. Both of these companies are ones that we have a relationship with (TRI being the author of our 1995 game Terminal Velocity, and Gathering being the publisher of Max Payne).
The article also briefly talks about 3D Realms as well as Scott Miller. Here's a quote from the full article...
Max Payne will be a departure from the sweet and low-key Jazz Jackrabbit and the mind game Railroad. The title character, an undercover cop on the run, is framed for the murder of his boss. His family has been killed, and he is on a mission of revenge. Gathering, which showed video clips from Max Payne at the e3 software show in Atlanta in the spring, wants Max to be its franchise character.
There is lots more to read in this article, so make sure to head over to the Dallas Morning News site and check it out.
They also have a second tidbit you'd be interested in, this time an interview with Mike Wilson, the President and Founder of Gathering of Developers in which he talks about his time at id Software, and some behind the scenes workings over at the Gathering.
Both of these are good reads, so you should head over to the Dallas Morning News Web site and check them both out today! (A note, you should do it soon, since the Dallas Morning News Web site tends to move things around on their site somewhat quickly, and if you wait too long, the links might not be accurate any more).
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Gamecenter Max Payne Preview
Gamecenter has a pretty cool (and long) preview online for Max Payne. In this preview, they talk about the game technology, items of game play, various aspects of the environment, the technology.. pretty much everything. :) Make sure to head over to Gamecenter to read the preview today! Here's a small tidbit from their preview...
As far back as the original Spacewar, fantasy and science-fiction settings have long been the mainstay of PC games. Thankfully, now that the game industry has matured, new themes and stories are emerging. Leading this charge is Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment. The company's latest title, Max Payne, introduces the third-person shooter to the gritty urban crime drama.
The title character is a DEA agent who looks like he's been on the wrong end of one too many beatings. Max is one of those classic roguelike law enforcers who bends the letter of the law to make sure justice is served. Yeah, he's got a chip on his shoulder. You would, too, if you were him: his wife and kids have been slain by junkies who were high on a new designer drug. And, if that wasn't bad enough, he's framed for the murder of his boss. Max soon finds himself on the run from both the police and the Mafia. And guess what? He's carrying lots of really big guns...
If you'd like to learn more about Max Payne, visit the Official Max Payne Web Site today!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Duke Week on Gamespot UK
To celebrate the release of Duke Nukem: Time to Kill this week, Gamespot UK has a feature on their site all week entitled simply "Duke Week". They have special Duke features running all week (they actually started this last Friday). Here's some of the highlights of their Duke Week:
* Duke Time To Kill Competition Starts - We Have Ten Copies Up For Grabs
* Get Some Hot Duke Pix
* Duke Nukem - A Full History Of Mr. Nukem
* Interviews With The Duke Team pt1 & 2
* Behind The Scenes Of Time To Kill pt1
* Interviews With The Duke Team pt 3
Plus lots more! The Duke Week contest for the Time to Kill giveaway has already started, so if you're interested in picking up a copy of this game for free, make sure to head over to their contest page and enter today!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Duke Nukem Time to Kill Update
We've got some news about Time to Kill:
* Electronic Boutique (EB) has already gotten major pre-orders from fans. And the number we're told is a strong indication that the game is going to be a big hit.
* The game is expected to be in stores starting next weekend, and is expected to sell out very fast.
* TV ads for the game start Monday.
* The technology of Time to Kill is more advanced than previous third-person games.
Remember, Time to Kill is strictly a custom designed Playstation game, developed to take advantage of the Playstation in every way. There will not be ports of the game to the PC or other consoles. This game has much of the mature content and attitude of Duke Nukem 3D, so it's not your typical kiddie game. It's got Duke's attitude, gags, and kickass action. Buy it at your own risk.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Code on the Cob
This week's loonygames brings us another column in the Chris Hargrove article, "Code on the Cob". If you didn't know, this is an article where Chris is writing a program before your eyes in the article. If you'd like a very interesting read, make sure to check out the full article. Here's a tidbit from the article...
First, the bad news. It looks like I'm not going to be able to do the 3D billiards-esque game after all. Actually, it looks like I'm not going to do a 3D game of any sort (at least not for this column). Surprisingly, the reason doesn't have to do with time or complexity, but rather a conflict of interest. The 3D wrapper that I wrote (simply called "UniRender", with a "ur_" prefix), which was going to be the wrapper I used as the 3D example in this column, has started getting used for some programs here at the office. Because of this, it's also starting to get maintained by more than one person, not just myself. Once that started happening, it was no longer a side project that I could openly distribute; instead it became work-related source code. While most of the subsystems I cover or plan to cover in this column are relatively small, 3D graphics was not going to be one of them (UniRender took me several days to get the Glide driver hammered out alone, let alone the D3D driver). Since I'm quite happy with the results, I can't justify spending several more days minimum to write a publicly-available equivalent. Even if I did, it would look almost identical (I like OpenGL so UniRender's API is extremely similar to it, and I doubt I'll change from the OpenGL paradigm anytime soon). So writing a second D3D/Glide/OpenGL-independent layer specifically for this column is pretty unlikely at this point.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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George Broussard on a Desert Island
No, we haven't run George out of town, he is not dancing around in a bathing suit & a Hawaiian shirt (shudder), and we haven't killed him (sorry, no fake death shot available here), but he is part of a new Gamecenter article entitled "Developers on a Desert Island". The article takes eight of today's top game developers and plop them down on a desert island with a computer and their three favorite games. Which games would they choose?
The developers in this article are Peter Molyneux, Sid Meier, Bruce Shelley, our own George Broussard, John Romero, David Perry, Richard "Lord British" Garriott , and Roberta Williams.
Make sure to check out the entire article for what George had to say his 3 "desert island" games are.. His answers may surprise you.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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The Birth & the Death of the 3D Shooter
Online Gaming Review has a new article online entitled "The Birth & Death of the 3D Shooter". In it, they talk about the first 3D shooter games, today's crop, and where the genre is headed in the future. It's a really great read, and they have this to say about Duke Nukem 3D:
But the Duke was special. It featured a wisecracking hero ("Come get some"), almost ludicrous enemies, (Pig-Cops?) and more action and tongue-in-cheek fun than any game since. Duke was unabashedly offensive; it featured strippers you could actually throw money at, an entire level devoted to porno theaters and 'skin flicks', and some truly brilliant level design. It also was the birth of the most used game engine to date, the one known as BUILD.
This is a really good read, even if it seems to cover more on the future than the past (for an article titled "Birth & Death"). It's most definitely worth a read, though. Check it out over at OGR's site.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Time to Kill Strategy Guide
 Following up on yesterday's Duke Nukem: Time to Kill Update, we told you about our new Duke Nukem: Time to Kill section.
Today we bring you news of the Duke Nukem: Time to Kill Exclusive Strategy Guide. This book is published by GW Press, and everything you need to rage through the ages as the Duke of Carnage annihilates ancient Rome, conquers the Dark Ages, and tames the Wild West. Unlock all the secrets, collect everything, be the master of Time to Kill!
Click on the book image to be taken to our Books Page, where you can read some more about the book, and order it today! The book is not actually out yet, but you can pre-order it (through Amazon.com), and it will be shipped to you when it is ready.
Bonus: Also added to the books page today are the guides for Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown and Duke Nukem 64. You can order these two books off of our web site as well, by going to visit our Books Page today!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Duke Nukem Time to Kill is Revolutionary
Absolute Playstation rates Duke Nukem: Time to Kill as "Revolutionary"! Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, expected to hit stores later this month, is off to a fast start, getting nothing but rave reviews. Absolute Playstation just posted their review of Duke (final rating: 94%) and had several cool things to say about the game and The Man:
"The greatest action hero in gaming is back in an all-new, revolutionary third-person frag-fest, exclusively for the Playstation game console...proving once more that the only good alien is a dead one!"
"Time to Kill involves guiding the Duke through 28 massive levels that are located in Modern Los Angeles, Roman Times, the Old West and the Medieval Era. Not only does the Dukes clothes change to accommodate each world but his weapons also move along with the times."
"...a dynamic CG intro that will take your breath away."
"Each world that is visited looks visually impressive and the intelligent use of lighting creates a realistic 3D environment that supersedes past efforts. Just wait until you feast your eye's over the Roman and Western worlds. The variety of textures and colors that comes out of the Playstation is amazing. You won't be disappointed."
"...the superb background music complements the action superbly."
"There are also rope swings, crates to push, collapsing floors...and plenty of babes!"
Playability rated: 48 out of 50!
Value rated: 19 out of 20!
It doesn't get much better than this! Make sure to check out our Time to Kill Pages here on 3drealms.com for info, screenshots, and more on Time to Kill!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Duke Manager 98
In more Duke Nukem News, Duke Manager 98 v3.15 has been released. What is that? Here's the description from the program's home page...
Well, it's more than just another launch utility. DM98 was designed to be an all inclusive Duke3D management tool that includes almost everything needed to maximize the Duke3d gaming experience. The current version of DM98 is still FREEWARE and is only available for Windows 95/98, English language.
ZDNet (Ziff-Davis) awarded this utility an "Editor's Pick Award" for software excellence. Make sure to swing by the Duke Manager 98 site to pick up your copy. If you use a lot of Duke user files and maps, then you should have this.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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Duke Nukem Time to Kill
We have a new addition to our web site today. We've added a section for Duke Nukem: Time to Kill to our Product Catalog. In it, you can find some info about the game, ordering information, and view screenshots! In fact, to commemorate the opening of this new area, we've placed forty-five screen shots online in this new area - several are new, exclusive screen shots!
Duke Nukem: Time to Kill is currently slated to be out on October 15th, 1998. Just a reminder that GT Interactive is offering a free Duke Nukem Action Figure if you pre-order Duke Nukem: Time to Kill direct through them. Click on the graphic to your right to go to the special sale area, and click on the Time to Kill Logo to get to our Time to Kill pages. You can also get to a complete list of our games and other products by clicking on "Our Games" on the menu to your left.
Look for more about this hot new game in the weeks ahead!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 PM
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3D Portal brings us this news of an offer for folks in the UK to obtain free Duke Nukem sunglasses with their copy of Time to Kill...
