1.0 - What is Duke Nukem Forever?
Duke Nukem Forever is the upcoming First Person Shooter (FPS) from 3D Realms. It is part four in a series of games featuring Duke Nukem as the hero. Parts one (Duke Nukem) and two (Duke Nukem 2) were sidescrollers / platform games, and part three, Duke Nukem 3D, was an FPS. Duke Nukem 3D became one of the top selling games of all time and is a very important part of FPS gaming history; it is one of the few "legendary" titles together with Quake and Doom. There have also been console versions of Duke Nukem games, but these are not direct sequels to Duke Nukem 3D as Duke Nukem Forever will be.
1.1 - About the Title
This FAQ will mention DNF throughout, as an abbreviation for Duke Nukem Forever. For the purposes of this FAQ, 3D Realms wanted it made clear that the title of the game is Duke Nukem Forever, not Duke 4, Duke4Ever, DNF, or any other title. The title of the game will be Duke Nukem Forever. Nevertheless, they have been known to use its abbreviation of DNF from time to time.
1.2 - Who is developing DNF?
The Garland, Texas-based company, 3D Realms. They developed the world famous Duke Nukem games and many other successful and well-known titles like Shadow Warrior and Rise of the Triad. For more information we suggest you just visit their site, especially their corporate profile.
1.3 - Who is publishing DNF?
It was recently announced in a press release that the Gathering of Developers has acquired publishing rights to Duke Nukem Forever. Prior to that their publisher was Infogrames, who bought GT Interactive as well as the DNF rights.
1.4 - Who is Duke Nukem?
Do we really have to tell you this? Well, if we must. . . Click here to learn who Duke Nukem is.
1.5 - Wasn't 3D Realms once planning another game under the name Duke Nukem Forever?
Yes, the game now known as Duke Nukem Forever was originally referred to as Duke Nukem 4 in early 1997, while 3D Realms considered the idea of a new side scrolling Duke title which was referred to as Duke Nukem Forever. 3D Realms' George Broussard once described the original Duke Nukem Forever side-scroller as "a really cool 3D side-scroller like Donkey Kong Country."
When plans for the side-scroller were abandoned, its name was too good to let go to waste, so Duke Nukem 4 has ever since been known as Duke Nukem Forever.
The abandoned 3D side-scroller version will never be released due to legal reasons, nor will any screenshots. Sorry.
1.6 - Will DNF be available for any platforms other than Win98SE/ME/2000?
Duke Nukem Forever will initially be released for Windows 98SE/ME/2000 only. It is also *possible* that Duke Nukem Forever will be ported to the Macintosh, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and other popular gaming systems that can handle the game's system requirements, however the decision on what to port DNF to (if anything) has not been made. It all depends on whether or not DNF sells well enough.
1.7 - Will DNF be released for the Microsoft Xbox?
There is a possibility that it might be ported over. In an interview dated October 10, 2000, Scott Miller said that they would "be crazy not to do that, in fact, simply because it's so easy to make an Xbox version once you've got a PC version." It is still unknown whether or not there will be an Xbox release or not.
1.8 - Will DNF be available on DVD?
This still has not been decided yet, more information will be available as the game nears completion. It's important to note that DVD's are not mainstream yet, at least not in the software industry, so 3D Realms would have to have DNF on both CD's and DVD's if they decided to do so. It has also been discussed to ship the game in a DVD box, similar to what DVD movies are packaged in, but once again, nothing has been decided yet.
1.9 - Why has DNF been in development for over 2 years?
DNF originally started with a full team after 3D Realms got the Quake 2 engine in December 1997. Prior to that 95% of 3D Realms was working full-time on Shadow Warrior. The reason why they're late or seem to be late is because they switched engines in the middle of development to the Unreal/Unreal Tournament engine and have added lots of new features to it. This obviously takes its toll on the timeframe. The only thing that remained the same when they made the switch to Unreal was textures, all maps and meshes were redone.
1.10 - When can I pre-order the game?
While there is no exact date yet, you can expect to be able to pre-order the game roughly 30 - 60 days before its release. Also note that some online stores are already taking orders for DNF, these guys just want your money now. There is no real price set yet, and there is no release date.
1.11 - When will DNF be released?
DNF will be released "When It's Done." What this means is that 3D Realms will not release the game until they are sure it is the best first person shooter ever. There is no exact date, and any dates currently offered by anyone are purely speculation.
1.12 - Why is DNF taking so long?
While this question constantly comes up from concerned fans, the fact is that the game is not taking as long as it may seem. As stated by several 3D Realms employees numerous times, quality games simply take time. What has been taking the most time is all of the optimizations and additions 3D Realms has been making. In the words of George Broussard, "The fact is that we're not massively delayed. Going to Unreal did set us back, but mainly because we refused to be a TC and not advance tech. We added LOD, skeletal animation, motion capture, and tons of other little enhancements to the Unreal engine to make it more interactive. That all takes time."
Level designer Stephen Cole has also commented on this issue: "If DNF was a TC, it would be done by now. Levels, art, models, all are easy and quick to produce. If you want a rehashed TC, that is. If, however, you want something you haven't seen before, it takes time. If you want something that won't be outdated when it comes out, it takes more time."
1.13 - When will we see some more screenshots of DNF?
This is another question that constantly comes up. 3D Realms has not been releasing large amounts of screenshots because they don't want fans to see too much of the game before it is released. This takes away from the overall experience of playing the game, and more specifically, it makes sure the fans are surprised while playing the game.
3D Realms does not plan to release any new shots until right before the game is released. To see more of the game be sure to check out the E3 2001 video at http://www.planetduke.com/features/articles/e301/
1.15 - What editing tools, if any, will be released with DNF?
DukeEd, 3D Realms' modified version of the multipurpose UnrealEd, and all related editing tools will be included free on the DNF CD for all of your level design, art importing, and scripting needs. This has been 3D Realms' policy for quite some time now.
"There will likely be several add-ons for DNF. I doubt 3DR will be doing any directly because we want to immediately jump into a new game. But we will monitor and enforce the quality of the add-ons for DNF, and make sure they are better than the ones done for Duke
3D. We'll know more when we get closer to the release of the game."