Duke4.net Forums: Duke Nukem 3d Novelization - Duke4.net Forums

I know this might be a weird and probably stupid idea, but would anyone be interested in a novelization of Duke Nukem 3d? For example, the first episode, L.A. Meltdown could be 6 chapters (one for each level). I personally think it'd be a cool thing to experiment with, but I think it would be pretty hard to do, because in order for people to enjoy it, it has to be written well, and the storyline to Duke doesn't give you much to work with (the author would have to fill in the gaps).

I'm just wondering what everyone's opinion on it would be?

There's a lot to work with in terms of plot development.

The entire pre-game story that is featured in the help screen could be novelized and expanded on, for example. Hollywood Holocaust has a lot of stories to tell in it's design. (An old, run down theater in the middle of Hollywood. Duke could have something to say about that.) They key to writing Duke's stories is to keep it strictly in the first person and present tense. Just as the old Doom novels were written.

Some of the plot points of Episode 1

• Duke returns to Earth after being abducted by Rigelitans
• Duke learns via distress call that the LAPD have been transformed into mutant pigs.
• Duke encounters and blasts his way through a small contingent of these new invaders.
• Duke encounters women in cocoons.
• Duke comes upon a strip club in the red light district where the girls are apparently performing for the aliens. (Either under mind control, or being forced at gun point? This could be expanded upon.)
• Duke is summarily captured by the Pigs and taken to prison, wherein he manages to come to and escape before being electric chaired to death.
• Duke fights through the prison, encountering a holographic image of the Battlelord who taunts him(this could be expanded upon.)
• Duke discovers a hidden passage that takes him to a secret submarine pen.
• Duke uses the submarine to escape, only to discover the aliens have booby-trapped the sub!
• Duke fights through a toxic waste facility, encountering a lot of "Brains" and has the sneaking suspicion he's closing in on the Alien operation.
• Duke arrives out of the toxic waste dump into San Andreas.
• After exploring the caverns and canyons, Duke discovers the San Andreas Fault Line where an Alien ship has either landed/been buried, and fights his way down into the Hellish lava flows beneath as the entire planet seems to be breaking apart around him. (Metaphorically.)
• Duke finds an entrance into the battle lord's ship does battle with the large creature, and puts him down.
• After dispatching the BL, Duke explores the alien ship some more, finds the main computer and discovers that the aliens are stealing our chicks. In anger, Duke sets the self destruct and is on his way.
• The epilogue could feature Duke meeting up with the military, and them sending him into space aboard an EDF shuttle. The book would end with Duke sneering "Nobody steals our chicks... And Lives!"

On the subject of Duke Nukem Fan Fiction and Stories, there is of course:

http://www.angelfire...n_Asskicker.htm


Also, I wrote this one some years ago with the help of Steve "Cybopath" Ward.

https://www.fanficti...em-Novelization

It's not Duke 3D related, but there's the Duke Nukem: Glorious Bastard comic series. That may gives an idea. It's the one available in the Balls of Steel edition.

https://read.idwpubl...ics-series/6183

About relating Duke 3D levels themselves, it would simply not work imo. The very first rule when you're trying to adapt something on a different media is not to follow the exact same story and events depicted in the original form. It's the same for movies, video-games and books. I don't have any example of comic series directly adapted from video-games storyline (the very same story and events), especially old-school first person shooters, but there's a lot of (bad) examples for books > cinema adaptation. The most obvious being Shining imo, while Kubrick doesn't "respect" the original material, he made a great movie with it's own ideas, Stephen King directing is own TV-adaptation of his own book fucking suck and it's not photography / casting / quality related (these are why House of the Dead sucked ) , it's just the storyline that is directly transcripted that doesn't work at all on screen.

It's certainly different for video-games to comic books, but you get the idea. As Commando Nukem mentionned above, i'd much prefer a storyline focusing on pre-Duke 3D events, or additional elements of what happened between episodes / levels (Red Light to Death Row ? Death row to Toxic Dump ?), after the game or something like that. We already played the game and know all about the events in it, it's much more interesting to learn things that are not explained, or could not be explained.

I don't read novels often at all... but I have read several of them relative to gaming... the novels relative to Tekwar, Shadow Warrior, and DooM. I think it could be done... I think there is a LOT of material to work with in the levels of Duke Nukem 3D. I agree with most of the above points relative to expanding on aspects of the game.
It can be done, and I would like to see it.

MrBlackCat

I think it would be very interesting. As long as it's done right. I didn't like the original "Doom" novels because they strayed too far from the game (I liked the first two, but the second two were horrid). I liked the "Doom 3" novels for staying true to the game.

Duke Nukem doesn't get enough love these days (especially after "Forever"), so I think a novel would be perfect. As long as, like I said, it's done right. Too many people like to take liberties and add their own twist, but then it ruins the connection to its source material and just feels like another this or that (book, movie, etc.).

I like to read, so I'm all for it.

I don't have much to say on the topic but I do think it would be a very cool idea. It would have to be written very clean and thought out. But I can see the ideas are very planned here on the thread already. Maybe just Duke 3D doesn't have to be the only one I think I would enjoy a novel about the Duke though. As long as he kicks some ass in it, it should be okay.

This is all I've written so far. I think I'm going to start it over from scratch, though.

Ah man that is pretty bad ass goes up to him and says "damn you're ugly" hey pretty good job so far really it's interesting. Good job on pointing out the memorable parts such as killing the alien in the start, in the toilet, and even using the toilet lol.You should take your time to finish the hole thing but please I don't want to wait over 10 years heheh. I think be pretty bad ass if you released entire thing with cover art, credits, and stuff of that nature. Make it a free book shit I would buy it but then we will be in trouble with gearbox hehe. Anyway I have been drinking and I was able to read it and was fun man.

Thanks man! And of course it'd be free, it's only a fan writing after all

Ha, that was good. I'd like to read more, as well as see how certain events are described and unfold.

I really do want to stress that I feel emphasizing Duke's thoughts and feelings in the situations is what's going to make people interested. It's all about capturing the personality and voice of his character. I like what you have there so far, i'd just say bringing more of that into it in the future might be a good idea.

Yep... it can be done. Not saying this is "it", but certainly a noteworthy start.

And I want to stress...

Commando Nukem, on 20 January 2015 - 11:16 PM, said:

I really do want to stress that I feel emphasizing Duke's thoughts and feelings in the situations is what's going to make people interested. It's all about capturing the personality and voice of his character. I like what you have there so far, i'd just say bringing more of that into it in the future might be a good idea.

This...

Putting Dukes thoughts into it is going to be "touchy" as you will be defining what makes the Duke 3D Character. To emulate into text the personal thoughts of the Duke character is what will make or break this... the impact of leading the reader through the game on a Dukes Thoughts Personal Walkthrough is something I have considered for years myself. When I think back now to my early thoughts and a few notes, poems and short stories, I realize just how much expressing my own Duke Character interpretation has evolved... into something more accurate to at least MY perception of the Duke Nukem 3D character.

I wish you luck.

MrBlackCat

Duke killed an alien and said "blow it out your ass". Directly after that he took out his RPG from his pants and blew up five aliens at once while saying "what a mess" as their gibs rained down. Then Duke shot some more aliens and pressed the end of level button that nuked the whole map killing everyone including the women that he failed to save, but Duke figured that if they can't save themselves then fuck'em. However, he was very sad to realize that he missed a secret location that contained more ammo for is RPG, Mr. BoomBoom. The End.

ReaperMan, on 22 January 2015 - 01:52 PM, said:

That was... different. As for the actual thing, I think it's good. A great idea that I've been waiting for someone to do for a long time. Keep it up, looking forward to the rest.