SaveDukeNukem.com - Is the Saga Really Over?

[badsectoracula]

Check out also the excel sheet leaked. The dates shown in properties are interesting: this is a copy/paste from this 3DRealms forum post [http://forums.3drealms.com/vb/showthread.php?t=35640]:

Didn't no one notice the the dates of the file?

Take a look at this:

I know it's in Spanish, but below are the translations:

Organization: 3D Realms
Creation date: 09/03/07 0:28
Last modification date: 29/07/08 23:04(Marked in red)
Last printed: 29/07/08 22:50

By that time, the supposed percentage of the game levels was about 60,8%

I've been playing with these dates on Excel, and found out this:

If I'm right, the last day developers were able to work on the game was on 05/05/09 (The previous day before 3DR closed down). If the dates in that file are correct and if we take them as reference (From the first day it was created, until the last day it was modified), in 508 days a 60,8% of the game had been developed. That is an approximate average of 0,119% from the total of the game levels creation per day.

It's been 280 days since the last update of that file on 29/07/08. If we follow the approximate level creation average per day, we'd obtain that an aproximate 30%~35% of the total of the game levels have been created by the day 3DR closed.

That is, ladies and gentlemen, the state of the levels was about 90%~95% finished the day 3DR shut down!!!

I can't believe they left the game when there was only 5%~10% of content left.

Its actually less than 5%-10%, as i replied:

This is a linear calculation, however if we add crunch time in the equation where people work more hours at the end of a project so they will produce a bit more, we can assume that the game has reached if not 100% (completed) then at least something above at least 98%.

EDIT: i recalculated assuming the last three months they did a 55h/week cycle with the last 15 days a 75h/week cycle:

a=60.8/508
b=a*(55.0/40.0)
c=a*(75.0/40.0)
p=698*a + 75*b + 15*c

p is 99.24%

Ok, assuming your calculations are correct (since i based mine on yours) and getting the above with a little grain of salt, then they're extremely close to completion now. If not finished.

3D Realms might be closing (maybe, but it can be a publicity stunt - they made the whole industry and press and basically everyone look at them and George Broussard has said at the past that once the game is finished you will know it in a big way), but i find it very hard to believe that the game is cancelled.

 

[Erana]

If this game ever comes out it's going to be crushed under the weight of the hype.

To be honest, I would prefer it not to be made. That way it will go down in history as the great game that no one got to play.

This.

Of course, this entire thread is why I love the Escapist. These are the nerds who actually logically think things out.

 

[ProjectileVomit]

Maybe because I have never been exposed to gaming that is before last-gen, I don't see why is everybody caring about a 12 year old vaporware and a attention-whore developer who does everything but developing the game.

 

[CuddlyCombine]

I'm not a conspiracy weirdo by any measure but the whole thing sounds awfully dodgy to me. I don't expect to ever see Duke Nukem Forever actually hit the shelves; on the other hand, until someone rams three Klingon pain sticks into it and says "Sonchi," I'm going to have a hard time believing that the Duke - and this story - is really dead.

For even more fun, check out this juicy bit. Whois shows no registrant information, but it does say one thing; the site was registered on March 13, far before 3D Realms ever mentioned closing.

 

[Adventerous3]

if you look at all these people who posted the duke nukem forever gameplay videos online, its a quite telling fact that many of these people who were the first to post the clips have BLANK PROFILES, no avatars, and not a single other video posted, and all have simple and short things in their descriptions of sed video, like "epic game." Now how do you suppose these people, who obviously are not dedicated youtubers, got a hold of duke nukem forever gameplay previews? Well edited ones, no less.

; )

 

[skitzo van]

this is turning out to be the Chinese Democracy of games

 

[Andraste]

It's dead. The former 3drealms employees are looking for jobs. Some have already found them. 3drealms is no more.

Doesn't mean there will never be another Duke Nukem game. Not really clear who owns the development rights. I think Take Two has the rights to publish the next game, if not the next few. I don't know the details of that arrangement, ie. if that's only with 3drealms or if that would transfer to someone else.

If someone does take up the console DN game banner, I bet they'd start from scratch. Simply, the game was in development for a decade. I'm sure there's good stuff in there - they had some talented people on it. But to have a game in development for 10 years, and it's not close enough to finished so as to be able to get another studio to buy it out and finish it? Or that Take Two would rather cut their losses after funding it for however long than to just see it through? It's got to be a mess.

WHY MUST YOU CRUSH MY DREAMS

Awww. I'm sorry. I totally get it. It's really a hard thing for me to wrap my head around, too, that 3D Realms is no more. But sadly, it is true.

As for Duke Nukem, the complex rights and ownership for the franchise make it look like there's not going to be another one, at least not until someone is willing to cough up a lot of cash. It would involve someone to either to get the IP from ... whomever owns it now, since 3d realms is defunct (as it is suspected that 3d realms still held the IP) or someone buying the publish license from Take Two. Ugly stuff.

Love the charts and calculations though. If only...

 

[badsectoracula]

@Andraste:
There isn't any kind of complex rights and ownership: Duke belongs to 3D Realms (which means it belongs to Scott Miller and George Broussard). According to Joe Siegler (the webmaster of 3D Realms' site and basically the community person), while the company is practically closing, typically it remains a legal entity. The site will remain functional, including the e-shop, the forums, etc. 3D Realms did not filed for bankruptcy or anything similar. They will still get the royalties from their games, such as those coming from Apogee LLC (which made the dukeisback site btw) and these will go to Scott and George's pockets. They are simply closing office and stopping any kind of development, but the company legally still exists.

At least thats the story told in the forums by Joe Siegler. Its the only official word we have so far from the whole thing.

EDIT: i forgot to mention that while the Duke Nukem franchise belongs to 3D Realms, they can license it to others like they did with Duke Nukem Trilogy, the mobile phone games and the older console games.

 

[Vern]

@Andraste:
There isn't any kind of complex rights and ownership: Duke belongs to 3D Realms (which means it belongs to Scott Miller and George Broussard). According to Joe Siegler (the webmaster of 3D Realms' site and basically the community person), while the company is practically closing, typically it remains a legal entity. The site will remain functional, including the e-shop, the forums, etc. 3D Realms did not filed for bankruptcy or anything similar. They will still get the royalties from their games, such as those coming from Apogee LLC (which made the dukeisback site btw) and these will go to Scott and George's pockets. They are simply closing office and stopping any kind of development, but the company legally still exists.

At least thats the story told in the forums by Joe Siegler. Its the only official word we have so far from the whole thing.

EDIT: i forgot to mention that while the Duke Nukem franchise belongs to 3D Realms, they can license it to others like they did with Duke Nukem Trilogy, the mobile phone games and the older console games.

Yes, but Take-Two owns the rights to Duke Nukem Forever. I suppose they could rename it to Duke Nukem Foralways, but there might be a copyright case there.

 

[Vern]

Maybe because I have never been exposed to gaming that is before last-gen, I don't see why is everybody caring about a 12 year old vaporware and a attention-whore developer who does everything but developing the game.

Mainly because it was a very fun game, and it advanced the first person shooter genre quite drastically. It had rooms above rooms, interactive objects, inventory system, in game dialogue, and plenty of weapons. Strife had some of the features, but the Build Engine expanded on it quite a bit. It was a huge technological advancement, and it was rather funny. Plus the rose tinged glasses nostalgia effect helps. If you weren't playing PC games from 92 on, you might not understand the hype, but it's been a big deal, and a big joke since 1998. I've always preferred Doom, Blood, and Hexen above Duke 3D, but I always hoped DNF would see the light of day. And after watching the gameplay demo that was released it didn't look half bad.

Yes, I'm aware of the double post, I just didn't feel like editing the first one to contain a quote from Projectile Vomit that I didn't put in the first one.

 

[Jack and Calumon]

Duke? Duke?! IS that you?!?

I thought that you were in the Unemployment line [http://roosterteeth.com/comics/strip.php?id=694]

 

[shMerker]

Mainly because it was a very fun game, and it advanced the first person shooter genre quite drastically. It had rooms above rooms, interactive objects, inventory system, in game dialogue, and plenty of weapons. Strife had some of the features, but the Build Engine expanded on it quite a bit. It was a huge technological advancement, and it was rather funny.

An inventory system was neither novel nor an advancement when it was employed in Duke Nukem 3D. Heretic, Hexen, and others had done it years earlier. Also note that the most popular FPSs to come after, the Quake series, Half Life, and Halo, do not employ a similar feature, because it breaks up the flow of play.

 

[Lovelocke]

I saw the gameplay footage and tech demo that was leaked... it appeared to take on a life completely opposite of most FPSes out there today: No tight corridors, no "stumble upon" one or two enemies, simply walking into a structure wouldn't necessarily shield you from the onslaught of baddies... very gonzo-action oriented.

The story will be shit, but surely that's not what we're interested in playing it for?

The closest true "Duke Nukem" game we've had for years has been Serious Sam... large locales, hordes of baddies, no reloading: Preposterone.

Anyone remember Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? I was very much interested in the game, but when 3DO closed its doors, nobody picked it up because it was still "$2,000,000 away from completion". Fact is folks, game studios just don't have $1,000,000 to toss around... if someone picks up Duke Nukem, they'll spend say, $200,000 for the name and likeness then spend as little as they can on as few programmers as possible to "stitch it up and get it on the shelf".

Then again, publicity stunt? Could be... always bet on Duke.

 

[Deathsong17]

Hey the name abbreviated is DNF... Also commonly used as did not finish...

Just sayin'

 

[ultimateownage]

If this game ever comes out it's going to be crushed under the weight of the hype.

To be honest, I would prefer it not to be made. That way it will go down in history as the great game that no one got to play.

This guy got to play it: http://www.3drealms.com/news/2008/06/jace_hall_show_and_dnf.html

 

[CNKFan]

no, this game was not meant to be played by mortals!

I am no Mortal

I AM UNIQUE, I AM CABAL

My name is Legion
For we are Many

 

[badsectoracula]

Yes, but Take-Two owns the rights to Duke Nukem Forever. I suppose they could rename it to Duke Nukem Foralways, but there might be a copyright case there.

No they do not. The Duke Nukem franchise (including Duke Nukem Forever and every "Duke Nukem" game) belongs to 3D Realms. Some companies have licensed the "Duke Nukem" name from 3D Realms to produce games for other platforms (like the Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, the playstation games, the mobile phone games and the upcoming Duke Nukem Trilogy), but they do not have full rights over the Duke Nukem franchise.

What Take-Two owns is the publishing rights to Duke Nukem Forever, nothing else. This means that if the game ever comes out, Take-Two are those who will publish it. Unlike most games published today, Take-Two do not own the IP because it was developed totally by 3D Realms (and the franchise was created back in 1991) and they never funded it. They got the rights when they bought Gathering of Developers (G.O.D. Games) back in 2000. G.O.D. Games got the publishing rights 1-2 years earlier from 3D Realms but again this was only the publishing rights, not the IP.