Duke Nukem Forever 2001 Restoration Project [WE WANT YOU!]

[indigotyrian]

UPDATE: Come Get Some! Our First Slice is OUT NOW! The entire first chapter of the game restored, with many more to come! https://www.moddb.com/mods/dnf2001-restoration-project/downloads/duke-nukem-restoration-first-slice-10

 

As you are no doubt aware, last May the so-called "2001 Build" of Duke Nukem Forever was leaked and released to the public. This is the version of the game that was seen in the now-infamous E3 2001 trailer of the game, featuring the Las Vegas skyline at night, Duke powersliding a motorcycle under an 18-wheeler, incredible facial animation that wouldn't be bested until Half-Life 2 years later, and a certain old coot prospector who has some very specific tastes regarding eyewear. Classic FPS fans the world over, still bearing heartbreak from the disappointing eventual release of the game in 2011, were enamored.

 

While the "2001 Build" is far from a complete game, many of the core gameplay elements are solid, the assets that are present look great, and the game even in this state had some tricks up its sleeve that we didn't even expect from the original trailer. But it only made the pain in our hearts deeper. What if Duke wasn't stuck on a treadmill to show up everything else on the market? What if 3D Realms believed in their product instead of being too insecure in the face of Doom 3? What if this game, the promising darling from the turn of the millennium, was finished and put on store shelves?

 

The Duke Nukem 2001 Restoration Project is our attempt to take the leaked 2001 Build and apply passionate modder know-how, 20 years of foresight, all the concept art and interviews and design documents we could scrounge up, and the undying dreams of classic FPS fans everywhere in order to correct one of gaming's biggest mistakes. In short: we're reconstructing the Duke Nukem Forever of the Good Timeline:

 

 

We've already made a bunch of progress, including a new Direct3D 9 renderer along with an OpenGL renderer in the works, fixed-up map editor and mesh editor, finishing the half-completed levels from the leak, realizing and designing planned characters, new sound and audio design, and more! Check out the latest update for more info:

https://www.moddb.com/mods/dnf2001-restoration-project/news/september-update31

 

Our current goal is to have a "First Slice Update" by the end of the year; this means having the entirety of the first chapter complete for people to play through and experience in a near-finished state. From there we'd like to offer continuous updates, both in the form of progress updates like the one above, as well as periodic releases, until the game is in a retail state.

But while we've accomplished a lot in a short amount of time, we've still got a lot of work ahead of us. We need people like you -- master level designers, seasoned programmers, skilled artists, meticulous playtesters, and evocative voice actors -- to help us make our dream a reality. If you're interested in signing up, please check the below links:

3D Art/Modeling - https://forms.gle/x5VFkRPQt7y4gXQK8
Level Design (Experience with UnrealEd a plus but not necessary; we'll help you learn) - https://forms.gle/TSJD9GSfwB4bu1r8A

Programming (Looking specifically for folks knowledgable in C/C++/Unrealscript) - https://forms.gle/2rAogqC7Spt3x7GKA

Playtesting - https://forms.gle/rx2H6VqZN39ZXoA47

Voice Acting - https://www.castingcall.club/projects/duke-nukem-forever-2001-restoration-project-a09b4dcd-aa10-4354-9bef-5b8e30627094

 

And check out our project here:

 

ModDB: https://www.moddb.com/mods/dnf2001-restoration-project

Linktree (Links to our social media): https://linktr.ee/restoreduke4ever

Community Discord: http://www.discord.gg/RRuT32bzze

 

ALWAYS BET ON DUKE!

Edited December 21, 2022 by segfault

[Dweller Dark]

I'm not familiar with most of things needed for the project, so I wouldn't be of any use there, but is there a place to voice ideas and suggestions for things to include (IE, level inspiration, dialogue quips, cultural references, etc)? I have a couple Matrix-themed ideas in mind already, if there's room for them.

[indigotyrian]

30 minutes ago, Eddie 2077 said:

I'm not familiar with most of things needed for the project, so I wouldn't be of any use there, but is there a place to voice ideas and suggestions for things to include (IE, level inspiration, dialogue quips, cultural references, etc)? I have a couple Matrix-themed ideas in mind already, if there's room for them.

 

Our community discord has a whole channel dedicated to suggestions and such. We'd love to hear your feedback!

[Dweller Dark]

2 minutes ago, segfault said:

 

Our community discord has a whole channel dedicated to suggestions and such. We'd love to hear your feedback!

 

It should be "restoration-suggestions", right?

[hybridial]

I would very much hope for modern controller support if such a thing is possible, it would open up the game's accessibility. 

[ReaperAA]

Among all the new retro FPSes coming out, this project is the one I am most excited about. As someone who is already in the restoration's discord server for a good while and following all the articles on moddb, the work being done by the team is great.

 

@segfault I would also recommend to post this on OldUnreal, UT99.org and other Unreal 1/UT99 (or even Deus Ex) related forums and discord servers. There is a good chance you will find some people experienced with UE1 and willing to work on this project.

[ETPC]

i mostly lurk on doomworld but i've been following this project since may 10th and after years and years of what-ifs regarding DNF 2001, i feel extremely good about the future of duke nukem in the hands of this team. i've been lucky enough to get to know a few of them and i've gotten zero bad vibes from any of them in any way. this team is more than capable of doing the impossible, and speaking as someone part of it, we'd love to have more people join us. duke nukem is going to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. 

Edited October 1, 2022 by ETPC

[Rudolph]

Any news on the legal side of things? Is 3DRealms okay with the project?

[Gez]

39 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

Any news on the legal side of things? Is 3DRealms okay with the project?

They can realistically only adopt one of these two stances:

1. Throw C&Ds at everyone being "u r infringing muh eye pee"
2. Pretend very hard to ignore about its existence

Let's make it easier for them to choose the right option and just proceed without giving a fig about 3DRealms' legal department.

[Rudolph]

I hope you are right. With the announcement of Phantom Fury, I cannot help but be reminded about the time Nintendo C&D'd Another Metroid 2 Remake, only to later announce their own Metroid 2 remake on the 3DS.

Edited October 1, 2022 by Rudolph

[ETPC]

i don't think we have anything to fear from gearbox or epic or embracer. it would be pr suicide for nu-3dr to try to kill squash the resto and they have no legal rights to do so, anyway. 2k is who we are scared of. 

Edited October 1, 2022 by ETPC

[mrthejoshmon]

I have been following this project with great interest for a while now, I would love to assist however I am not particularly familiar with the tools required.

 

I would opt to playtest but unfortunately due to working in retail I am unable to commit much time to anything nowadays.

 

I'll be watching the progress you all make; I wish I could do more than this but unfortunately not at the moment.

[indigotyrian]

Our stance on a possible C&D is to keep our head down and carry on and not worry about possibilities. While corporations are like ghosts or dogs in that they sort of just do things arbitrarily, we figure that the 2001 Build leaking had sufficient eyes on it via the media that any action that would happen would've already happened by now. At the end of the day this sort of thing only ends up helping the Duke brand anyway.

[Rudolph]

Had it not been for Phantom Fury, I would have suggested entertaining the possibility of rebranding it as a Bombshell game, like it was done with Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. In any case, I hope it does not come to that and I look forward to the finished product!

Edited October 1, 2022 by Rudolph

[Herr Dethnout]

Quote

... We need people like you -- master level designers...

Awww, If you need me... I WILL DO MY BEST!!!!
 

Quote

Experience with Unreal 1/2 editor or DukeEd?

Basic understanding of Unreal Script?

... Danmmit

Anyway, good luck everybody involved with the project. Hopes to resurrect this piece of history on his maximun glory!

Edited October 2, 2022 by Herr Dethnout

[ETPC]

3 minutes ago, Herr Dethnout said:

Awww, If you need me... I WILL DO MY BEST!!!!
 

... Danmmit

Anyway, good luck everybody involved with the project. Hopes to resurrect this piece of history on his maximun glory!

 

fwiw, we've had multiple people on the team go from having zero experience with unreal to making maps pretty fast! if you're familar with doom builder or trenchbroom, we can get you set up real quick.

Edited October 2, 2022 by ETPC

[Herr Dethnout]

26 minutes ago, ETPC said:

 

fwiw, we've had multiple people on the team go from having zero experience with unreal to making maps pretty fast! if you're familar with doom builder or trenchbroom, we can get you set up real quick.

Oh, so I can give a try c:

[indigotyrian]

I'm part of the Level Design team. When I started I had zero experience with UnrealEd and nowadays I consider myself decently competent (though I am learning new things every day!). We've got tutorials and reference material to help you study up if you're interested in joining.

[Herr Dethnout]

6 minutes ago, segfault said:

I'm part of the Level Design team. When I started I had zero experience with UnrealEd and nowadays I consider myself decently competent (though I am learning new things every day!). We've got tutorials and reference material to help you study up if you're interested in joining.

Welp, I send my application few minutes ago. c:

[Biodegradable]

I wish this project the best of luck. :^)

[Somniac]

While I doubt I'd be of any use on the modding side, the fact that this actually is happening is just wild. Good luck!

[lokbustam257]

While I'm not gonna join you guys in any way shape or form, I wish you all luck, and I hope you guys too doesn't stuck on treadmill for a decade.

Edited October 2, 2022 by lokbustam257

[Shanoa]

It's amazing to see that this is happening and the amount of folks working together to make that game a reality. Wishing you folks all the luck, i'm always reading up on the monthly updates. My significant other is also super excited to possibly be playing the proper DNF in this lifetime.

[Murdoch]

19 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

I wish this project the best of luck. :^)

 

Yes, they are going to need it. I hope it makes it to fruition but the Sword of Cease and Desist will always be over their heads.

 

23 hours ago, segfault said:

At the end of the day this sort of thing only ends up helping the Duke brand anyway.

 

Corporations seldom think that way. Ultimately you are using their IP which to the strictest letter of the law you shouldn't be doing. I don't care personally, and very much hope you succeed.

[DeathWolf1982]

At least it's better than the one we got in 2011.

[Rudolph]

1 hour ago, DeathWolf1982 said:

At least it's better than the one we got in 2011.

I would say that expectations are considerably lower this time around and as such whatever issues remain with the finished product will be much more forgivable. I do not doubt for a second that the Restoration Project team is doing everything it can to finish the game, but salvaging what was meant to be an AAA title is still a massive undertaking and at the end of the day, there is really so much a team of volunteers can do using a dated engine.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Rudolph

[BGreener]

2 hours ago, DeathWolf1982 said:

At least it's better than the one we got in 2011.

Yeah, but to be fair they set a really low bar. It’s also a good example showcasing that some things aren’t better than nothing…!

 

The unintentional silver lining is it lead to some super cheap collector’s editions so you were at least able to buy a chunk of decent Duke merch for a decent price. Some of it may be stained by the DNF association but on the other hand: A cool Duke bust is still a cool Duke bust.

[Rudolph]

I am looking forward to see DNF2001RP's take on Bombshell.

[dasho]

2 hours ago, Rudolph said:

I am looking forward to see DNF2001RP's take on Bombshell.

 

If they are smart, they won't. Bombshell is still being used in recent and currently developed games.

[Murdoch]

1 hour ago, dasho said:

Bombshell is still being used in recent and currently developed games.

 

Yeah. The Duke IP is, if not dead, then definitely comatose. Using Bombshell would upgrade this project from "slightly tempting fate" to "kicking fate in the balls and daring it to chase you".

Edited October 4, 2022 by Murdoch