Download Duke Nukem 3D: Blast Radius (last update: 03/04/2024; v. 5.0.2)
Ready to rock? The newest Blast Radius update unlocks the work-in-progress episode 2: Zero Zone via a surprise six-level demo introducing its own lot of new monsters and items, and a potential couple of hours of extra gameplay. What are you waiting for - Duke Nukem Vengeance?
Thank you again for all the enthusiasm about and around the project.
Version 2.0.0 doesn't retouch much of the previous v.1.1.3 of Blast Radius (it does clean up some code and fix some base game bugs in boss monster behavior), but it adds the demo of a new sequel, sister episode: Zero Zone.
That means six brand new levels to traverse, all populated by a wide range of 20+ new enemy variants (building off the original Blast Radius roster, granting bonus screen time to some of the formerly end game foes, and introducing brand new attacks). Zero Zone also introduces some new items Duke can pick up: different colored atoms will restore or swap health for various effects.
Compared to the original Blast Radius maps, Zero Zone is mostly intended to be a bunch of smaller, shorter, more streamlined levels for faster sequencing in an equally experimental, but more humbly focused fashion and just as high, when not higher speed run-and-gun action. (The true source of the blast has been found, after all.)
This demo ends after Duke completes level 6 ("Octastrophe"), but the ideal goal for the final episode is about 30 maps. These days I am running out of the luxury that is time for mapping so actively and so I intend to keep adding to the demo in "slices" as they eventually come together - whenever that is - over time.
You can play Zero Zone even if you've never completed or played Blast Radius, but if not used to the Blast Radius enemy variants and general fast pace, you may find some of the combat exceptionally difficult.
The story so far: after all the progressive deconstruction and, then, (seemingly) final events of Blast Radius, Duke Nukem has not just realized, but accepted and embraced his merely symbolic reality as a titular video game character - which, in return, grants him the authoritative power to warp spacetime at will, within his dedicated universe, for as long as he exists.
By design, he naturally uses this newly understood ability to reach into formerly forgotten dimensions as he can now perceive them all, drawing into each like a first-person lucid dreamer, and thereby fulfilling his fate that is the constant pursuit of more asses to kick.
Single Player, Dukematch, Co-Op, difficulty settings - it's all in and, this time around, the 32-bit Polymost renderer shouldn't cause major issues.
Also, only Slayer MIDI's.
More info regarding the new enemies and items on the way; in the meantime, please enjoy the surprises.
And last but not least, my apologies to anyone who grabbed the updated file early, today: there were some issues with the original archive, all of which should be fixed now.
So, feel free to go rip 'em a new one.
Download Duke Nukem 3D: Blast Radius (last update: 03/04/2024; v. 5.0.2)
Wow, dude, you're unstoppable! Loved Blast Radius to bits. Can't wait to try out Zero Zone.
Thank you, happy to hear you had a great time with it. Zero Zone does things a bit differently but I believe is rooted in the same basic spirit. I hope you enjoy it!
What makes your mod stand out from other mods is how seamlessly it extends Duke Nukem 3D's universe. It doesn't feel like you're play a mod at all. Apart from "fun" part of it, to me at least, it also brings the feeling of nostalgia I can't quite explain. I'm not an avid gamer in any way, but for some reason I keep coming back to good old Duke every few months and quality content always makes my day(s), and your work is always a treat not to be missed. Thanks for all the effort! One can hope that you will truly extend this one to 30 levels. ;-)
That made my day to read, that at least some players would feel the exact way you describe was a big part of my intent in all of the design in spite of the experimental aspect and so it's really satisfying the style worked on you. Thank you for playing, the kind words and the encouragement. Inspiration for more maps isn't a problem, could easily keep going... Just running out of time at the moment with other priorities to sort out, but distance from the editor has been known to fuel inspiration; helps ideas and visions mature, so all in due time really. Cheers!
Just fixed a couple of important things relative to zzl6.map ("Octastrophe" / Zero Zone level 6) in v. 2.0.2: included the lost MIDI (oops), fixed a handful of broken items, and readjusted the Flashback enemy in the code to make it a tiny bit less deadly and frustrating.
Good timing. I just got to Octastrophe and ouch does this level hurt (I'm playing Come Get Some). I am also experiencing a bug (or maybe it's intentional?) that the buttons can not be pressed easily. You have to approach them from a certain weird angle (sometimes even only midjump) in order to activate them.
Out of all the levels in the set so far that one is the roughest for sure (for now), the map order follows the chronological one in which they were built which means as the last one of the demo it's also been tested the least and is where the demo state still shows most. The button thing I'm aware of (thanks for reporting nonetheless), I keep adjusting them a little to try and alleviate what I think is an issue that after all really may be inherent to that switch type, I ran out of time before I could sort it out completely but I will. I'll keep polishing that map in particular through the occasional update, rest might get refined a little but generally feels quite final minus some detail. I just ran through Octastrophe myself to test the changes (I also play on Come Get Some), I think the challenge is a little less broken now, the Flashbacks used to be close to insta death, now Duke gets a few extra seconds to escape; still very tough but I'll strike a more decent balance with time. Some of the formerly broken grey atoms have been changed into Atomic Rushes as well which is instant health refill in some strategic spots (plus steroids boost). I think the gimmick for that map and mechanic of needing to prioritize getting rid of spawn sources before getting overwhelmed with the spawns all the while strategizing safe ways around the island theoritically can work well but the definite execution needs some more grease I intend to put in.
I've tried to change my strategy and now the level doesn't seem so impossible. I've been doing it all wrong. I like how it forces you to change the pace. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish this level in the next couple of days. I feel sorry for speedrunners though. :-) If you're looking for map beta testers, I'll be happy to oblige. Just send me a message.
I think that is what I like about the concept of the map, it's tempting to start planning paths but the very next second then there's a possibility your decision may be jeopardized and you might need to jump down and around the island to escape somewhere else entirely in case of an unexpected wave of Octas (all the while watching boots %). I think echoes pretty well with the Octabrains-as-spawners mechanic where it's tempting to shoot the new hazards but they should never become the main focus, both sort of play with attention span. In that level I usually end up doing exactly what I just described typically happens for a bit, jumping from plan to plan, path to path around the island and killing the Octas until I've 'eaten' into enough bits and the land has become a lot safer. The switches are a tantalizing sight all along but it's some work actually getting close to any of them. There also is a secret jetpack somewhere on the island that the player can't see because it's submerged somewhere that otherwise would be a loose end in the map. For speedrunning that may be the optimal solution. Difficulty is more tolerable now with the Flashback nerf in the update too, can't understate how the original version really was unfair and hardcore, it was basically draining three times the HP and I'll keep refining the code there when I can. Good luck and thank you for your offer, I have noted it. Always interested in your general observations any time anyway since the Zero Zone demo is playable but still in a rather early test stage of dev (was only two, three weeks of work before I needed to pause for a while).
FWTW, I just updated that map again to a state that should remove a lot of the artificial difficulty and fix various issues. Now there are Holodukes, more items and platforms, the secret jetpack is easier to see for a split second, some cosmetics have been fixed and last but not least the switches can now be shot. Should alleviate quite a bit all the while introducing new possibilities.
Neat, I was actually able to complete the level before this update and was able to find the jetpack after your hint. Picking the right strategy is definitely make or break in this map. I'm not sure if it was intended or not, but it seems that those spawned duke heads just fly all the way to the upper bound of the map and just idle there after you kill the Octabrain that had spawned them. They never attack you. Maybe that would make sense for them to vanish as well at some point so that they won't consume the resources. Maybe make them all throw an Octabrain attack in random direction as the host dies.
Thanks for the feedback, I'm aware of that behavior of the Duke heads (the 'Flashbacks'), their code is rather rudimentary as of now, in fact it does comprise an internal timer after which they should vanish that never worked and I need to look into fixing sometime; for a while I had changed my mind about it, thinking it might be neat to have them possibly haunt the player's literal memory until actively confronted and defeated, but just the other day realized that might mean pretty hardcore lag when using Polymost (hard to evaluate for me as I'm restricted to the classic renderer) and so I'll have to implement a time constraint just for that. In the meantime whenever too many pile up towards the sky it's still possible to shoot a rocket or two and possibly destroy dozens if not hundreds at once in just one shot, they will also hurt one another with their own death projectile spawns and so you get to create massive ripple effects. For now they already are coded to shoot Octabrain psychic attacks when dying (I can't easily link each Flashback to the specific Octa that spawned it and so implement a sophisticated interaction although I like the idea) but will also 'reflect' whatever they were hit with, bullets, freeze ray; rockets and shrinker being the toughest ones to avoid in return. I'm not certain they actually get stuck on top of the map, too, right now they are coded to fly around but mostly upwards until they reach a ceiling check and then they might come down again, which in the context of the verticality of the level can play tricks. So it could be that some get stuck and/or that it's just a continuous cycle of different ones. Either way, dissecting it on the table just like this is giving me some ideas of ways of refining that enemy, I agree it needs an extra layer of love at some point. Congrats on beating the map pre-update; definitely was rough in that version.
Just pushed another update which should fix the Flashback concerns (its movement but I also nerfed its HP, plays a bit better), as well as another bug the Lobster Tank still had where it would fire undesired projectiles, I also addressed the formerly rough look of some of the boundaries of zzl2.map while I was at it. Experience should be a lot smoother from now on.
EDIT: one hour later, fixed switches around zzl6.map I had just broken.