[ck3D]

It took some brainstorming in parts but that was worth it and now the fourth map of my project is done, bar gameplay and a detail pass as I go. Have fun decrypting it if you can. (Also broke my personal sector count record)

[ck3D]

[ck3D]

Started work on new sector miniboss.

Spoiler

[Merlijn]

Great stuff ck, there's just no stopping you

I have good news, the Dover map is almost ready (currently being tested)

[ck3D]

Merlijn, on 03 February 2026 - 11:00 AM, said:

Great stuff ck, there's just no stopping you

I have good news, the Dover map is almost ready (currently being tested)

duke0206.png
duke0205.png
duke0195.png

That is so cool, I didn't realize it was this close to release. Please feel free to shoot it my way if you ever need someone else's check, I could use something fresh to play because in fact my sector miniboss has been doing okay at stopping me, I have been on it since my last post and am about 80% done with it but making little sector effector interfaces is so draining for every fraction of sequence to play out just right, and then on top play well. But also full of little lessons, for instance remembering that in most conditions you can trigger tangible explosions using RESPAWN instead of C9 in a sector that already would contain an interfering MASTERSWITCH, by shoving Babe Land cannonballs into things. That is the point we are at, so my brain could use a wee 2.5Dover vacation whether it is this week or if not, then whenever your new work is public. Very much looking forward to it either way!

[Merlijn]

ck3D, on 03 February 2026 - 04:27 PM, said:

That is so cool, I didn't realize it was this close to release. Please feel free to shoot it my way if you ever need someone else's check, I could use something fresh to play because in fact my sector miniboss has been doing okay at stopping me, I have been on it since my last post and am about 80% done with it but making little sector effector interfaces is so draining for every fraction of sequence to play out just right, and then on top play well. But also full of little lessons, for instance remembering that in most conditions you can trigger tangible explosions using RESPAWN instead of C9 in a sector that already would contain an interfering MASTERSWITCH, by shoving Babe Land cannonballs into things. That is the point we are at, so my brain could use a wee 2.5Dover vacation whether it is this week or if not, then whenever your new work is public. Very much looking forward to it either way!

I shared it in our discord chat, but IIRC you don't have discord installed right now? I can e-mail the map to you if you like, always appreciate your input.
There's no rush since I don't have a deadline in mind, except for "february 2026" )

And yeah, I made some really steady progress the last couple of weeks. So the map is pretty much finished, unless the beta testers find something seriously wrong with it haha

[ck3D]

Yeah last laptop died (after several months of inconsistently struggling, so I could see it coming) and there is no way I'm installing that app on my other machines. Please absolutely do email, I will play it and send my feedback in a flash either tonight or tomorrow.

To put things into perspective there is no way I would have had the focus to start my current project if I still checked every app there is. Such tools are useful to coordinate but also such a waste of potential.

One thing I forgot to say because I was too busy complaining about my own miniboss is one thing that I like is especially apparent in that selection of shots you posted is your appreciation of and gravitation around textures that look especially busy and gritty, and you have great taste with them (which isn't a given) and so that's neat.

(Now going back to 'programming' HP bars in the language that is SE13's.)

[Merlijn]

I totally get you when it comes to Discord, these apps are fun but they can also eat away your time (although social media like Instagram or Facebook are much, much worse).

Anwayz, I e-mailed you the beta. Have fun!
Also, can't wait to see that sector boss in action, sounds like it's going to be super intricate.

Quote

your appreciation of and gravitation around textures that look especially busy and gritty

I certainly have a love for the gritty textures, which may be why I like DN3D's texture set so much. Although in the case of the white cliffs, it's not like there's much to choose from

[ck3D]

Merlijn, on 04 February 2026 - 08:25 AM, said:

Also, can't wait to see that sector boss in action, sounds like it's going to be super intricate.

It isn't that complex compared to things some others have done, but it is true 95% of the map so far (still not done with the boss) is machines:



Also having played the beta of your map now, I am able to spoil the improbable: people are in for a treat

[quakis]

ck3D, on 05 February 2026 - 11:12 AM, said:

Also having played the beta of your map now, I am able to spoil the improbable: people are in for a treat

It's a Merlijn map, I have no doubts. That's like saying the sky is blue and water is wet!

[ck3D]

That it is a Merlijn map is an understatement that should be impossible and simultaneously there is so much to be said about this map that would be particular to it - which is especially interesting about it. But I'll reserve my thoughts for when it has dropped should go without saying.

[quakis]

ck3D, on 05 February 2026 - 07:37 PM, said:

That it is a Merlijn map is an understatement that should be impossible and simultaneously there is so much to be said about this map that would be particular to it

I always look forward to a new release by Merlijn and was aiming at praising his body of work as a whole but, wow, I think you somehow exceeded beyond that and convinced me even my line of thinking might have been too... stagnant of one's potential? even if that weren't the intent... Maybe the sky should be green and the water will eat me alive.

[ck3D]

quakis, on 06 February 2026 - 01:09 PM, said:

I always look forward to a new release by Merlijn and was aiming at praising his body of work as a whole but, wow, I think you somehow exceeded beyond that and convinced me even my line of thinking might have been too... stagnant of one's potential? even if that weren't the intent... Maybe the sky should be green and the water will eat me alive.

Again I refuse to spoil anything but, something I can say is one way my brain is processing my impression of the map is it's already subconsciously writing a review of it (for Paul B's website?), but it's not even out yet. I am looking forward to playing the final version quite a bit too even though it isn't often that I tend to get that urge from maps I help out on testing for.

Speaking of spoilers, I finally just got done with the mechanics of and around my sector miniboss and I'm just going to revenge link to how some of its interface looks butt naked because this bozo took me a week to make and I can't have it. Progressive list (from just funny stuff to hmm...) so one can choose when to stop the drowning of the surprise although it's not this much of a reveal in reality. Detail may still change, for instance some text is placeholder, am noticing too there is an element that should be built a different way but all of the tedious stuff is out of the way. I had to adjust as much as my sleep pattern for the week for my focus to be able to keep up with every step, and kept notes of organized tasks on so many random paper scraps. I haven't even tested it yet but one advantage of the method is there will be clarity for every existing piece of the machine that (inevitably) will break, so whilst I'm not looking forward to the debugging in every possible case it should be obvious what is wrong and to retouch. I am sure I will have to tweak a couple of mechanics too (for difficulty) but that eventuality also is accounted for to not be so hard.

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Now I just need to put one last sequence together in that map and it will be done (for the time being, but it already has full gameplay throughout). Then I already started rough layout for the sixth and seventh map a while back and have had the time to think about them a whole lot since, and so hopefully they come together really quickly. This fifth one was such a ballbuster to make (and speedrunners will breeze through it all in ten seconds), going back to something less technical for a while should feel like such a creative release. But it also was good warm up for the final map which I want to be a bit similar, and (now I know) a bit simpler.

[Merlijn]

ck3D, on 05 February 2026 - 07:37 PM, said:

That it is a Merlijn map is an understatement that should be impossible and simultaneously there is so much to be said about this map that would be particular to it - which is especially interesting about it. But I'll reserve my thoughts for when it has dropped should go without saying.

This really makes me curious about how the map will be percieved. In my mind it continues the general style of SG (just in a different setting) but it also became its own thing of course. I'm too close myself to properly judge it But I am very happy with the map myself, so I *think* most people are going to like it! Beta stage is almost finished, now I need to figure out a release date etc.

[ck3D]

Started active progress on level 6 of my thing today, built the whole intro section. 2D automap is cool because it doesn't show the layers so much. I think this one will be fast to make too so means it will grow soon.

[ck3D]

Some random shots from various existing areas before I add detail etc.







EDIT - yeah it is growing pretty fast, it is 800 sectors already now.

[Merlijn]

^
reminds me of The Thing for some reason, cool stuff!

Beta testing for my map is finished, release date: tomorrow

[ck3D]

Merlijn, on 11 February 2026 - 11:04 AM, said:

^
reminds me of The Thing for some reason, cool stuff!

Beta testing for my map is finished, release date: tomorrow
Cliffs1.png

Formidable news, looking forward to playing the final version!

Some more WIP shots from new areas. Map is nearing 10000 walls already, I want one more section after the current one and then it will be done, but it's going to be quite a bit of ground I'll want to craft there and so no idea how long that will take. Hopefully just a few days.

[ck3D]

Absolutely WIP, but started having some fun with this room. Map reached 11000 walls, I only have the last section of it to wrap up.

[ck3D]

TRORus Rex.

[ck3D]

Am just about done with the sixth map, it's in the same beta state as the others and so I'll just move onto the next one soon. Screenshots that aren't urban get 75% less hype and so here is some forest.

[Ninety-Six]

ck3D, on 17 February 2026 - 09:54 AM, said:

Am just about done with the sixth map, it's in the same beta state as the others and so I'll just move onto the next one soon. Screenshots that aren't urban get 75% less hype and so here is some forest.

I guess I wasn't paying attention. You're making a series?

[ck3D]

Ninety-Six, on 17 February 2026 - 09:05 PM, said:

I guess I wasn't paying attention. You're making a series?

I am making the scrapped 'Duke Nukem V' episode, the plot for which discretely exists in the Duke Nukem 3D source code. To this day, I am not too sure who exactly wrote it (could be Broussard, Blum, Miller, Replogle...).

[Telee]

I had no idea such a thing existed - very cool idea!

[ck3D]

Got started on map 7, wasn't going to share much of it but there is some 2D map oulipo that already is about to dissolve underneath more layers and so I guess I can show that whilst it's still somewhat legible.

Spoiler

[Merlijn]

There are some very interesting shapes in there!

Spoiler

is that a 2D map version of the Queen?

Definitely looking forward to your episode!

[ck3D]

Merlijn, on 24 February 2026 - 10:58 AM, said:

There are some very interesting shapes in there!

Spoiler

is that a 2D map version of the Queen?

Definitely looking forward to your episode!

Thanks for the encouragement, cool to hear people are starting to be excited for it.

Spoiler

On that screenshot there is 2D map Queen, Newbeast (idle version, around the Queen's crotch, top half only), slimer (northern section, x 6), and shrinker blast as Queen vagina. Also some dumb original room sketches like the eastern region has a dude just about to soccer kick the Queen's face in.

[ck3D]

Z axis slowly coming together...

[ck3D]

It's in the 15300 walls/3000 sectors somethings now; still not done, needs one last area and some more holes punched in but structurally almost there. I expected making this map would feel quite different from the former, being less technical and instead a lot wilder type design as the theme would call it; somehow it exceeded my expectations and instead of feeling liberating, became some kind of unique puzzle or little challenge of its own. I have praised the usefulness of taking screenshots of current map state(s) for mappers to look at when they are anywhere but in the editor as that seems great for perspective and thus inspiration, but here it turns out that is what most of the process was spent doing (more so than actively executing), in order to figure out the optimal layout, effort put into the level must have been 50% Mapster 50% looking at some .png deciding on what to do next. It's not even going to be a long map.

After that one is done, hopefully this weekend, it's going to be two more for sure and then heck if I know. Might want a secret one, don't know what I will do. Whole project has been one explosive burst but consuming me for two months now when I actually expected to be done much earlier. Getting a bit tired but so far decently satisfied with results.

[Puke Fukem]

Was sick, then did a break for several days now back in the zone but yet I need way more time to finish this, sorry! Playing around with SE49 and SE50 now...