[Cat Slayer]

Hey all, greetings and salutations, says the newbie here.

I had a question for fellow Duke enthusiasts but also for those more intimately acquainted with the history of DNF (which should really get a documentary on its development):

The 1996 build that came out a while ago, is there any concrete evidence that this was considered by the team as initial work on Duke Nukem Forever, and wasn't intended as the start of a spin off / side project?

I ask because while I personally LOVE the 3D side scroller aesthetic of it, I feel like fans in 1997 would've balked at going back to 2D after 3D had been such a smash success for a mainline entry.

Again, I'm new here, if someone from that team did confirm it was an early sketch for DNF, I'd be curious to see their comments.

PS - I am NOT an actual Cat Slayer. I have a gorgeous girl I love dearly. But it's a funny name nonetheless.

Greetings.

[UltravoxSapphire]

This article has some good info on it. https://www.apogeeen...ith-darrin-hurd

[Altered Reality]

Cat Slayer, on 25 May 2024 - 08:27 AM, said:

The 1996 build that came out a while ago, is there any concrete evidence that this was considered by the team as initial work on Duke Nukem Forever, and wasn't intended as the start of a spin off / side project?

The sidescroller was supposed to be named Duke Nukem Forever, as proven by this mention of "Duke Nukem Forever" as an Apogee (i.e. non-3D) game in December 1996, and this thread in alt.games.duke3d from February 11, 1997 (but reporting an interview from before Christmas 1996), where Scott mentions the Duke Nukem Forever sidescroller.

When that name was used for the sidescroller, it did NOT refer to the sequel to Duke3D. In the same interview, George says "There will be a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D", and Scott says "We are ALSO making Duke Nukem Forever", meaning they were two separate projects.
In addition, the first page 3DRealms ever uploaded about the sequel to Duke3D, on April 3, 1997, called it "Duke Nukem IV" and not Duke Nukem Forever.

It was only on April 28, when the two press releases were issued, that the name was reused for the first-person shooter we now all associate it with.