[ck3D]

Download as user map: https://www.moddb.co...taearly-release

V. 0.96 episode 7-level demo: https://www.moddb.co...v-096-earlybeta

Project still missing: level 5 interlude, level 9 secret, and then later general finalization but episode is now traversable.

[NNC]

I finished L3 and L4 and man, this thing got on my nerves with it's nonstop audiovisual noise. So far, out of the 4 maps, the only one that I actually enjoyed was the 2nd map, and even that one had issues. I, for once, would love to see something more casually approachable stuff, with less flickering colours, less ear rape ambient sounds, less drones in ambush places, less respawns, no tiny newbeasts, etc.

[Dr.Panico]

Yay! Just in time for my birthday!

The beginning is REALLY brutal. Enemies shooting from all directions, no clear sign of where to go, but it does get things on track eventually. Getting through the latrines was a pain in the ass because Duke just doesn't feel like climbing sometimes (though you can just skip that part and emerge near the Mess Halls, and then deal with the cells later).

Right now I'm stuck: I've blew up the reactor, went up the hole with my Jetpack, dealt with pretty much every enemy there, but I don't know what to do after that. It doesn't let me go further up, and I haven't found any switches - not helped by the fact I've wasted my Boots and Scuba Gear in the process.

Another thing: that glitch involving the Freezethrower you reported on another thread? It's happening with me as well. I wonder if it's a problem with the current Eduke32 code, or just another case of the Build engine being weird. I'm far from a programming expert, but shouldn't the code maintain the weapon sprites as they're presented in the Tiles? Never seen something like this before (the closest thing was a glitch on the old JFDuke3D where the game would load the wrong sprites for some reason)

[ck3D]

Dr.Panico, on 01 June 2026 - 08:50 AM, said:

Right now I'm stuck: I've blew up the reactor, went up the hole with my Jetpack, dealt with pretty much every enemy there, but I don't know what to do after that.

Happy birthday!

Spoiler

Yeah I figured this part may be a bit too obscure in its current state. Once you've reached that room you no longer can go up indeed; now I don't know if it's obvious in practice (tried to make it with the enemy spawns), but you can shoot out of the sides.

If still stuck, the first combat phases are 1/ blast giant Overlord silhouette in the distant base with an explosive, 2/ will result in an explosion that will expose a switch you can shoot. Then (hopefully) the rest will speak for itself. Obviously I'm not super happy with how the player barely gets feedback from that part of the sequence (especially the switch can be problematic) but I'm also not going to touch Build again for a while right now so figured yeah, good enough and for now people can work it out. There is a hidden stash of inventory, ammo, and even air in the main room too that can be found by having 'good luck with the floor' of the purplelava sector, so in theory if you've used up everything around the arena is going to be tough but you can still make it.

[Dr.Panico]

Okay, I've just beat it! Took me 40 minutes, with one secret missing.

Yeah, admitedly the last part is pretty tough and confusing; but I guess at this point in the episode, no one should expect a walk in the park. Shooting the button in the distance was a problem, because the button is encased in shadows; so you don't know if you hit it or not (not helped by the distance and the Pistol's generally unreliable aim). Figuring out the rest was a tad easier, but you still need to pay close attention to your surroundings.


With that over, I guess that means...

Spoiler

... that the "mental ward" level is going to be the secret one?

[ck3D]

Dr.Panico, on 01 June 2026 - 09:42 AM, said:

With that over, I guess that means...

Spoiler

... that the "mental ward" level is going to be the secret one?

Spoiler

Yes. The one thing regarding the original Duke Nukem V story I stole I was skeptical about was (possibly) mandatorily ending on that note, when it is a delicate topic to handle and felt wrong to picture as the (full) closure of something linear and destructive. 'Penetencury' [sic] seemed more on point for that instead, in spite of originally being listed as penultimate by the original writer(s). As secret level of some sort on the other hand should work really well, and tie cooler into the story.

Parts of it already exist (some of them big), I do not know when it will be done though, I definitely am taking a clear pause now that the episode is (mostly) out. I don't know how perceptible that is from player POV, but from mapper POV the deal with Build is, it lets you do whatever you want but chews on your brains the whole time in exchange, and then once you're done just kind of spits you out. This was supposed to be a one, two month project tops and it ended up costing me six; so I'll just leave it hang dry here for a bit and come back once I've rested.

About the dark button that is my main concern with it too, I actually kept revising it but it was never good enough due to being low on resources and thus options (only viable one would have been killing the sector lights and losing the style/concept), but I might remake that whole little building corner thing in the final version eventually - managed to recoup about 60 spare walls super late into beta that could be put towards improving that whole sequence a little.

[todd2]

Sorry for the delay, site problems/slowness has kept me from posting.

Dukeplus has an incompatibility with the ending. Finishing off the boss doesn't end the level. It doesn't seem to stay put within the slowly raising shield either. Unsure if these are related and just fyi.

Works great in the same version of eduke32 in a fresh directory (nothing but DNLVL8.map, duke3d.grp and eduke32.exe). Really cool TROR work! Challenging as hell, haha!

[ck3D]

Delay? No such thing, feedback happens if/whenever it does. Thanks for playing,

DukePlus comment is an interesting one, I'll have a solution up eventually, I know people still like and play that mod quite a bit (it does still have its merits, and also Imperium). Ideally DukePlus players won't be the only ones to get an optimized version either. But don't hold your breath re: timing.

Boss can get off stayput sector occasionally, usually ends up getting back on, I thought that was cool even though technically a bug here just means it will occasionally venture onto the 'track', hang in there for a bit then usually get picked up by the platform again like it is surfing. Should still play well and not even look off, but of course I want to hear it if it breaks.

Curiosity/fun fact that is best kept in spoilers until one has beaten the boss:

Spoiler

There are more possibilities to the arena/level set-up than I ultimately left open. For instance boss can be made non-stayput, and reactor platform outside can be made explodable (it has the starting position/execution room/now exposed water pool below); rigging the sequence like that is kind of cool (perforates through the entire level) but also plays worse, as it means most of the fight would happen underwater in the Meat Disposal instead, that is really cramped. So I think right now is the best compromise, but it is possible I will keep thinking about the fight and later tweak how it plays like that. Conceptually having to lure the boss out of the pocket dimension, and into the real world meat grinder to defeat it would be great, but practically not so sure.

[todd2]

I'm clueless. Is the person in the orbiting chair a reference to a specific character?

[ck3D]

stillTodd, on 02 June 2026 - 04:12 PM, said:

I'm clueless. Is the person in the orbiting chair a reference to a specific character?

Spoiler

https://dukenukem.fa...wiki/Dr._Proton

[ck3D]

Just tweaked the boss fight a little, now uses pal 0 boss to make sure won't clash with (most?) mods, and boss switch no longer is annoying to see/use.

Files have been updated, same links.

[todd2]

(double post)

[todd2]

Boss death ends level in DukePlus, and the (edit: removed spoiler) button seemed easier to trigger. It looks like there's now a wall that blocks un-triggering, unless I missed that in the original version.

I like the blacked out original boss a bit more, but that's superficial of course

[ck3D]

stillTodd, on 04 June 2026 - 05:36 PM, said:

Boss death ends level in DukePlus, and the (edit: removed spoiler) button seemed easier to trigger. It looks like there's now a wall that blocks un-triggering, unless I missed that in the original version.

I like the blacked out original boss a bit more, but that's superficial of course

Yup, with (rested) perspective now I reckon you could say the fight wasn't completely finished in the original version in that sense, technically worked but slept on some crucial QoL. Finalizing this map/v. 0.96 knocked me out for three days straight, didn't realize I was running on an empty tank due to being so into it, so what happened is as soon as it was completable I released it then momentarily died figuratively. But should be cool and more fun now that I've caught up.

About the original boss me too, but both the base game and mods tend to do weird stuff to/around this specific boss actor; this version will do for now, but if/when I ever make 'optimized' versions of the episode for various mods I probably will add unique twists to mine too depending on what the code allows. Here 'base' boss is a compatibility compromise, but also kind of works better with the story in how it doesn't look different.

[ck3D]

Updated MSDN review of the episode (current state): https://msdn.duke4.n...vdukenukumv.php

[ck3D]

Mikko's report of a bug with the forcefields at the end of level 7 was correct, full demo had an incorrect version of the file for some reason. I went and fixed it and updated the files (individual map downloads + demo, although version number isn't budging). Same link as before just file name is (automatically) different: https://www.moddb.co...v-096-earlybeta

Changelog (quick edits, zero time/focus for Build right now):

Level 1 elevator better signaled (honestly just split a sector and threw blinking lights around, not the most brillant way on Earth but for now will work);
level 2 maskwall error fixed (in one of the secrets);
level 7 now traversable regardless of wherever/however you got it;
also made sure the demo included the right version of level 8 seeing as I am under the impression the old one with unfinished boss somehow kept going around too.

No idea when I'll update next or touch the editor so please don't lose sleep over it.

Did do another full episode run pretending I didn't know the levels/routes and playing the old versions. My times (casual and doing whatever felt natural to do, rushing, exploring, testing etc.):

https://i.ibb.co/RTnbnCX0/duke0610.png (used secret pipebomb from garage to skip RPG, allowed for fast route but made me miss Shrinker, Dev, etc.)
https://i.ibb.co/3Yp1rwXx/duke0628.png (skipped yellow key underwater cave with jetpack, managed to get the secret second one on the split second I hit 0% on the first one)
https://i.ibb.co/Wvn1Ch54/duke0652.png
https://i.ibb.co/YYgRVRY/duke0691.png
https://i.ibb.co/TQrhJBx/duke0706.png
https://i.ibb.co/VpPBhxq6/duke0724.png
https://i.ibb.co/4ZcHt6q3/duke0780.png (was playing old outdated version that was more difficult even knowing what to do, less items during last fight etc.)

[Telee]

I want to start playing some user-made content again and thought this would be a good starting point. Played only level 1 so far and had a good time - my complaints have already been echoed by others, but:

1) The red keycard slot confused the hell out of me. I used it on the slot inside the strip club and got no visual feedback of anything as far as I could tell, so I got stuck for a bit. Eventually I got to the end by taking an elevator up to that TV room and making a running jump out the window to land on the girders up there, but not sure if that was the intended route?

2) Too many loud ambient sounds everywhere, which might be fine by themselves but with the new music track it started giving me a headache. I sometimes like having more ambient noise than the base game did, since it helps immersion, but it felt like too much here.

3) Weapon progression was a bit weird, I was stuck with the pistol for a while against pigcops and enforcers (not sure if intended for difficulty?), took quite a while to find a chaingun and never found the expander. I never ran out of ammo and health was plentiful so I didn't have too many problems, but given that the map is a bit open in layout, not sure if I just didn't go the right way to unlock more powerful weapons sooner.

4) Some indoor areas, like the upstairs rooms of the strip club, feel too cluttered with props. I think this is something that's affected a lot of modern-day Duke mapping though with the greater expectation for detailing. Wasn't too much of a hindrance.

What I liked:

1) The general vibe, gives me Lameduke vibes almost? More cyberpunk feeling with all the colorful lights and such. Very creative use of stock assets.

2) Good placement of enemies, with hitscanning enemies mostly being indoors while the large outdoor combat consists of liztroops and sentries.

3) The double-stacked half-shielded turrets in the vents were a bit of a PITA but in a good way. Felt like a creative way to add a new enemy type.

4) The vending machines spawning items is a neat trick I might steal 😄

Looking forward to level 2!

[ck3D]

Thanks for playing,

Spoiler

Yes jump out of the window was the intended path. Red keycard situation altogether is confusing, the keypad is (canonically) broken, it can actually fail to work, you can always get around it... I just hate locks this much Turns out a lot of people love them, or at least trust them even more so than I assumed would be the norm. They really don't expect having to question one, even if visually it is this off. I like how to most players it seems to work as that map's main thing, not so much the keycard itself or finding it, but actually getting the door to work even if you can just go around and technically complete the level.

Shrinker gun is inside of the building neon, you can ride that one elevator with the squished Enforcer up (strip club top floor, after the vents). Then use in the dressing rooms to reach a secret. Leaving parking lot and getting out on the streets with just pistol is interesting, it never really occurred to me someone would do that unless they would choose to jump out of the first window and miss out on exploring the parking lot building (speedrun style, viable), otherwise I think there are at least two Freezethrowers in there, chaingun I am pretty sure, and there should be at least one shotgun (maybe two or even three total) around the exits of the building, plus the secret pipebomb you can get from the locked door (so one can skip the RPG later). Parking lot essentially teaches you to use the inventory/NVG's (will be very useful in this episode) and works as a place to stock up as compensation for playing it right, although of course it's also possible/fun to just barge through it and stock up later. The maps do do fun weapon things, as much as I love the staples myself, shotgun, chaingun etc. I like to make them count and sometimes encourage using different guns for a while, otherwise feels too procedural.

The clutter in one of the hallways (the one to the bathroom in the cinema) is on purpose (if that was one of the annoying bits). It needed to feel super impractical and cumbersome to reach, like a proper flaw in the building design and management (as one would expect from 'Million Dollar').

All of the vending machines throughout will work.

IIRC right now the title and first level music are the loudest tracks, I would describe the rest as mellower, and there are some references too.

[NNC]

I still haven't played 6-7-8, but of the first 4 maps, 2 is by far the best experience and so far my favourite ck3d map along with some of BR stuff, like Norilsk or Paris.

[ck3D]

NNC, on 23 June 2026 - 11:18 PM, said:

I still haven't played 6-7-8, but of the first 4 maps, 2 is by far the best experience and so far my favourite ck3d map along with some of BR stuff, like Norilsk or Paris.

My 'proudest' maps in the episode from most to least satisfactory (not just shameless indulgence but might or might not result in entertaining/interesting reactions):

Spoiler

8
4
7
3
6
1
2

Episode has a bit of an 'hourglass' flow to it so it makes sense in a cool way that you're 'stuck' where you're 'stuck', on a literal (DN)V shape you would be at the bottom point. Looking forward for if/whenever it is you decide to find the next switch to raise the water levels.

[NNC]

ck3D, on 24 June 2026 - 07:54 AM, said:

My 'proudest' maps in the episode from most to least satisfactory (not just shameless indulgence but might or might not result in entertaining/interesting reactions):

Spoiler

8
4
7
3
6
1
2

Episode has a bit of an 'hourglass' flow to it so it makes sense in a cool way that you're 'stuck' where you're 'stuck', on a literal (DN)V shape you would be at the bottom point. Looking forward for if/whenever it is you decide to find the next switch to raise the water levels.

So you actually think

Spoiler

2

is your worst map? In this case, looking forward to play

Spoiler

6

.

[ck3D]

NNC, on 25 June 2026 - 03:07 AM, said:

So you actually think

Spoiler

2

is your worst map? In this case, looking forward to play

Spoiler

6

.

Spoiler

I think 2 has charm but is the most rushed one (of the episode), and the rocket part probably should have been done inside of a test map first as a sketchy experiment, then cleanly remade here. But just as level 1 is an entry level city map (with restraint but bonus confusion around the red key, which hopefully is under finer control now and just odd enough; the elevator should be tough to miss now, but the utility of the key itself remain a bit of a suspension), for an early level that is part of an episode it is simple enough to serve its duty. I am fine/satisfied that it feels a bit LameDukey and conveys what I want but some of the sections like the ice cave are somewhat debatable, again in the vein of some LD stuff just that means equally fillerish (not bad if one likes loose nooks and crannies I guess). It is fresh to discover once but then as you've said it is tempting to skip a lot in it once the jetpack found and probably more fun that way, which may be a miss, but I also may be underestimating what that means in terms of replay value/speedrun interest (having to reach from first to second jetpack almost always seems to be perfect timing), in that sense it's a bit like E1L2 in both good and bad. 'Speedrun' playthrough actually is quite enjoyable too, as long as you expect it (and you maybe should) is somewhat spectacular and dramatic to just snag the keycard like that, spawn in all of the enemies/trigger all of the events and just rush to the finale (also convenient, yet epic-feeling option for less skilled players). And that's probably good the ice caves exist, since they teach you a mechanic that will need to become common practice later (vertical observation for destructible map layers). So if you no longer need it upon replay(s) is kind of good if you can skip it.

I think in (current form) 2, the purple lava/shifting 'sands' (with blue key) can still downright squish you too which I need to fix ASAP. Whenever I do I also will edit level 4 so that the system of tubes around the start isn't mostly one-way, I figured that would be interesting to see how it plays out for a while and how confusing, but upon replays I don't think I like it at all, one-way passages are quite unD3Dish in general.

I think I am looking at it from technical/mapper POV too, for instance level 4 does a lot of stuff under the hood, central room with several TROR stacks, rotating column and rising water levels all around with windows in/out of central column literally requires a pocket dimension and perfect heights to work this well, in comparison rocket (whilst fun too) feels gimmicky. 4 also has features like the TROR water tunnel loop(s) that is something I thought as a modern take on/tribute to Aqua (on a micro scale) when making it. But from gameplay POV too (and it is fine that you will highly disagree with it), 3 is one of my favorite levels I've ever made, but I know it is disorienting on first plays/attempts before the player realizes the solution literally is to 'blast anything bright!' (and use the NVG's a lot). In order to do new things means the levels have to have some kind of learning curve to them, or trick to figure out, in this day and age that is very unpopular (e.g.. intentional simple puzzle or clearly conscious antidesign choices now are way more simply just regarded as flaws) but I do not want to compromise to the point where the player doesn't have to either think or try a little. In general I find people have an increasingly adverse reaction to 'new'/foreign over time (instead the trend seems to be appreciating rehashes/representations of the reassuring familiar), I would rather reward looking into it and being humble enough to know when/what to learn. To first time D3D players everything in the original episodes is new, just earlier today I was skimming through bits of streams of someone obviously younger than the game and just like most of us in 1996 having to figure out so much on the fly means even the most famous E1 levels can take 30/45 minutes and lots of reloads to complete as the player is soaking up the entire environment, logic and controls, not just selected parts and mechanics. I am not saying (and it absolutely wouldn't be up to me to say) I am being successful with it at all here but I like the idea of somehow achieving the same thing 30 years later regardless of how familiar the individual player may be with the game. E.g.. maybe you stopped dying to the first crouching Pigcop around the corner or the enemies in the dark hallway in E1L2 two decades ago since you've learned the game, but I'm going to try and find a new equivalent again, as a test of what in your approach is repetition and what is adaptation. As you may expect, that is a tricky line, it takes understanding the established language of the game in order to be able to decide where to follow, contort, update (risky) or subvert it, since you're building on top of something timeless and charged, and even then you are still (always) learning not to overlook stuff and progressing. The idea is to draw people towards being stimulated, involved, curious and grow confident (but never conceited), rather than subject them to a more apathetic experience that is not an attitude I am interested in feeding and other gaming niches fill in that space anyway (and profit off that direction whereas to most Build mappers/modders including me, mapping is a cost - albeit, AFAIC, my own choice as much as one believes in free will - thus I'm not going to waste everybody's time with tired tropes).

One aspect I am satisfied with regarding this episode is the layout work in general starting from level 3+ is some of my most coherent and at the same time technical work, all the while reasonable scale wise to the point where I'm not sure where I'll even go next now if anywhere at all.

Also maybe you will not enjoy 6 so much in the sense that it is closer to 3 with how it has a gimmick (but a more tolerable one)

Spoiler

seeing dead corpses before meeting the corresponding ghosts, in part inspired by how you once suggested silhouette enemies should be added to Blast Radius, which I decided against not conceptually but as out of context

but 7 and 8 hopefully will be further up your alley, a little.

[Telee]

Just played map 2 and enjoyed it more than map 1, surprised to see it at the bottom of your rankings but makes me excited for what's next I guess! The TROR rocket was very impressive and escaping it with the jetpack was a really cool setpiece. Not sure what the point of the Bunker of Lag was, though? Just an optional area for exploration? I just flew to the top and was easily able to avoid the explosions without needing to seek shelter in there. The final area was crazy though, I took out the mini-battlelords and was trying to clear the others out, but when I saw just a shit-ton of Octabrains still coming in the horizon I just high-tailed it to the exit and left. Didn't seem like there was any point in dealing with them.

In terms of criticisms, some of the sprites like coral and seaweed should've had blocking removed, they just got in the way (particularly in the underwater rocket areas) without adding to the experience. Also, getting sniped by pigcops from a mile up on top of a mountain was annoying. But overall, solid map.

I am curious what the storyline is supposed to be like at this point (since this was based on a 3DR plotline). I checked the text files but didn't see anything. So far it is very abstract and alien-feeling, haven't really a clue what's going on lol.

[ck3D]

Thanks for the feedback, happy you liked the rocket, the Bunker of Lag being needed completely depends on the player's hardware I guess (wasn't even sure zero lag would be possible until your post), if they are anything like me on an old machine with no graphics card, rocket explosion can cause 10 to 15 seconds of lag, easily, and I didn't want anyone to get killed by loose enemies within that timespan during such a situation so I turned it into a gameplay trope, so that if your machine is slow, you can still make it but 1/ need to spot and explode the entrance of the bunker first, and then 2/ remember to lock the door behind you once/if you do use it as shelter so enemies can't catch up during the freeze. I added it last minute and it is comical but it does work, so far no death reports or even complaints due to lag so I reckon it is speaking to who it designed to speak to. Myself I know if I saw something like that in someone else's map I would immediately know what's up, so I made it so that if anyone ever needs it like I do, they will recognize it. Someone with a machine any younger than two decades probably will just laugh it off as a curiosity and I think that's cool too, it is like an artefact. Or I guess what you could be saying this whole time is that it's possible to remain safe by keeping flying away from the rocket and sure in most cases the bunker won't be required. But in case of unavoidable game freeze that is not the only position that should be available given all the fresh enemy spawns, including hitscan.

Interesting to know that out of all the events, spawns... at the end it was the Octas in particular that triggered retreat, maybe was because of out of adequate weaponry? Could easily imagine spamming RPG/Dev/Freezer on the foreground action enemies and only realizing the Octas are there too late (but I'm kind of fine with that, the silhouettes in the fog give them away, just it takes looking back). I'm satisfied that they looked initimidating. One thing that seems to be big about player discovery of this map is how they choose to access everything past the rocket, whether they jetpack around/to the last key or decide to remain on foot. On-foot approach allows for better filtering of the enemies (and sequencing of some spawn points) as they appear, jetpack mode makes the yellow key trivial but at the expense of waking up the whole level. You mentioned the story; it actually is somewhat fitting for Duke to decide to just bounce, here (anyone bothered by that is welcome to call it a visionary strat), realizing the invasion may be a little more serious and urgent than anticipated (it's not like he didn't just find and sabotage half a dozen nuclear missiles). Which the next two levels should confirm on the gameplay side. Two of my favorites but everyone so far hates them

The coral and seaweed sprites are blocking/hittable on purpose, they always were such destructible objects in the base game, whenever I want intangible decoration I do just use something different that is not blocked. They will be all around the levels and sometimes intentionally difficult or precisely annoying, but (in theory) never unfair. In case that can help readability, my coral, seaweed, boulder sprites always are blocked/hittable/destructible; hanging slime variants always intangible; E4 'root' sprite always blocked/indestructible/sometimes to be used for platforming.

I didn't make the story explicit for now. The episode does follow a plot that is public, really not so deep (in the public form it's been presented), but I did cobble something out of it, eventually I might include more details in the final .txt or manual of the final version. When it comes to the playable work though, I very much prefer showing (or hiding) over telling, the way I personally see it, instructions only exist to make up for flaws in the design (and so you have to literally spell them out for the user which is not good). The environments themselves should be designed for the player to make the story happen in it, I think that's a lot cooler. For plot justification and resolve in this specific map set, though, there is one late moment where you will get it. To me it is a good sign that players are uncertain what to feel and left wondering.

Otherwise all of the levels are full of clues as to what may be going on, for instance level 1 has a small detective investigation that is possible if one wants to tie all of the level events together but only that kind of player profile will bother tracking down all of the detail. I never told anyone they would be instructed, but I made something they get to soak in if they want.

P.S.. whenever I hear someone new has played level 2 I can't help but wonder whether or not they've found Assault James Bond. Also the most tedious thing about making the rocket was setting up all of the dynamic lights (no one Cycler/SE in any sector nor layer is the same as in the previous one and everything is gradient be it shade and/or timing).

[duke64nukem]

I jumped into this map randomly here. Without following the entire episode or info, just short on time these days. I plan to play the others soon.

This level was real high in difficulty imo, but it also has a lot of ammo and health. I felt like it was tough and I died quite a bit before punching in. Some of the sniping aliens from distances can be hard hits to our hp and we might not even see the enemy. It still seems to have a balance though. The areas that eat your HP like lava are extra tough through the 1st/2nd attempt. But I also feel like this is similar to how many of your maps difficulties are, so it's expected at the same time. An attempt or two and the player can figure it out. I play maps as if they're DN64 (no saving) One go from start-finish.

The level showcases modern effects that show me how much things have advanced in the editor since my old days in mapping lol. The design and architecture are very nicely done with that aesthetic you are always able to make, its a signature look for you atp.Making the level something special and personable. It also has some contrasted colors some pal uses and colors to give it more atmosphere. I'd like to point out that room that was rotating underwater, that was nice seeing. The level has shading and design that is very solid and signature. I like the outside map views and how the level seems to be vertically inspired. I imagine this upward and downward layout was not very easy. Every area seems to have some kind of little or large touch to it.

*The enemy riding a chair around the outside of the map was crazy. And you shoot at him to proceed huh. That was interesting.

Aside from the difficulty (remember I play like DN64 start to finish maps, no saving between. This makes it harder lol, my fault I know). This was a very interesting map to play here.

I'd give it a 94.5/100 area, with an urge to go upward, but some lag happened, naturally with dn3d with this much design weight. Either way. Thanks for another random map to play.

[ck3D]

Ooh I am glad you in particular found and played this, thanks, also for the detailed comment.

I actually find your playstyle super interesting to learn from, as there always is this suspended question 'will the game try to lose/kill me' between player and game maker and then it is up to the latter how loaded they make it. Now this map is less excessive than Blast Radius end game but yes starting out with Duke's execution, it's not going to pull punches at the beginning, only the most reactive and quick-witted and -footed players immediately will register crack/pipebomb but also step off the main platform, and possibly see/grab the Atomic Health next to the 'power' textures. It is just a couple of seconds reset that at least in theory shouldn't take more than a few tries to get right and then going. I still want to enlarge those toilets a little, already rescaled them before too, they are a bit annoying but at least they all work now (used to be some had been built too narrow and Duke just barely couldn't fit through at all, now he sometimes struggles a little but can do it).

Most levels in the episode thematically are combos of specific influences, in this one Death Row x Lunatic Fringe I think is on-the-nose but another inspiration was the DN64 MP exclusive map Shaft (which I know you've reworked, I actually watched someone's playthrough of your version at some point when making this level, to make sure I remembered it). Countless hours spent in that one with friends at the time (and also in Fahrenheit). DN64 design also inspired some other bits around the other levels here and there although less directly so, sometimes LameDuke concepts/styles too and various touches that may or may not resonate depending on player profile. There is one particular map in the pack I feel like you will appreciate just exists even if it turns out you don't like it, maybe two but mostly one and so I am curious if/when you will find it.

Going in blind with zero info and any idea about map order... etc. is fine, there is a continuity (typical level-begins-where-former-one-ended type progression) but I haven't found time to write down the story yet and so the levels themselves just showcase the events and leave in blanks the imagination gets to fill. Out of context you will see a lot of events happening, there are dots to connect, but to enjoy as one-off pieces and individual user maps is just as cool as should take nothing away.

Chair enemy is Duke Nukum/Nukem I Dr. Proton.

Spoiler

Originally built him for a different area of the map, he would have been circling around the prison but then I cut him because was going to be hell to make look right in a TROR environment all the while not really playing right and so I officially stamped him out and to the side as undercooked. Then later got the idea of the pocket dimension and realized his fate had been to belong there the whole time and imported him back in. His death animation actually is in a semi-broken state right now, it is supposed you blast him in the balls, his brain pops, and then the whole chair collapses a few moments later, but right now it's only doing the brain part and I have been leaving it in like that because it may be funnier that way.

[duke64nukem]

Oh that's even crazier that Shaft has inspirations to this also, I can definitely see that theory. That is actually interesting. I need to work on my reviews layout some again, very rusty here. Also, the map being a final battle map makes it harder to review as a singular map when its obviously increased to be a proper final battle type scene. The proper review would be the mod overall. But still; I think this map as a solo map scores high. And a good one to do after a long gap in reviewing.

Jumping through the toilets was crazy technical. I jumped through every single one; except there is one that was proving difficult. But I figured you access it later. Which you do, when you reach the outer layer of that area with all the switches to open them.

I figured that was Dr. Proton also. I need to eventually go through the episode some more and check the others that are available.

[ck3D]

duke64nukem, on 08 July 2026 - 02:07 PM, said:

Oh that's even crazier that Shaft has inspirations to this also, I can definitely see that theory. That is actually interesting. I need to work on my reviews layout some again, very rusty here. Also, the map being a final battle map makes it harder to review as a singular map when its obviously increased to be a proper final battle type scene. The proper review would be the mod overall. But still; I think this map as a solo map scores high. And a good one to do after a long gap in reviewing.

Jumping through the toilets was crazy technical. I jumped through every single one; except there is one that was proving difficult. But I figured you access it later. Which you do, when you reach the outer layer of that area with all the switches to open them.

I figured that was Dr. Proton also. I need to eventually go through the episode some more and check the others that are available.

The Shaft reference is a bit subtle since it's slightly smaller scale, but I essentially reused the concept of underwater layer around a central column of sorts (that goes through the entire level; like I've said before I could have all of the layers explode when the boss spawned so that the fight could prolong itself either outside on the rooftop, or down the central water tank in case the boss falls all the way down, but the latter would have sucked for fighting - maybe not? With the fence maskwall distribution around the tank could have been interesting but space would have been quite tight anyway in that scenario and thus over-the-top hard). I am sure that is what you've seen but really if I had the time (I have so many new level ideas right now and that is the reason why I am taking a relative break - waiting to see which ones stick long term otherwise making them all as more keep coming wouldn't be feasible so I need to put up a filter), making Shaft 202x Remix would totally be one of the most fun exercises right now for me to take a stab at, same layout idea but maybe larger scale, more complex, involving TROR because it would be 202x and thus it would exist. Would be a bit redundant though since now this is around, and maybe another map in the pack also borrows the central column idea somewhere in a style that is not so Shaft-like but plays a bit similar (really it is closer to a Toxic Dump thing).

Thanks for letting me know the precise situation about the toilets ( ), honestly whole project was so spontaneous I can't remember whether or not I intentionally left one a bit too tight so that you could only access that one cell (and what's inside of it) from the top layer, I do remember I did consciously consider that for a bit but not sure if it still intentionally is in, will double check if everything is as it should for the next update (might be eons from now).

If curious about the map I think you might enjoy in particular it is

Spoiler

7, and so maybe one thing you could do since you started with the end point is keep going in reverse order and let me know how that goes? That would be super interesting, all the more so given your playstyle but also a challenge as the overall difficulty will decrease, but also some of the surprises the earlier maps serve to gradually introduce would start out in full swing for you and then progressively slow down and so as a series might feel off balance (not necessary a bad thing). That is if you feel like keeping playing the levels as user maps which is totally fine and open, even in completely random order I would be interested in what any player thinks. Otherwise playing as full episode starting from level 1 onwards... as set up by the .con (the errors it will throw are base game ones and harmless) would be the 'traditional'/'intended' experience which are two things one is free to do whatever they want with as far as this project is concerned).

[Telee]

Not sure if I should be posting in the individual map threads or using this as a megathread of sorts? But anyway I completed map 3 (Pussycat Lounge) and generally agree with NNC about the "ear rape". Makes it hard to enjoy the new midis. But it was an enjoyable map, I'd still rank level 2 above it but had fun. I did get stuck for quite a while not knowing how to get to the red keycard because I kept walking past the monitor showing where the hidden switches are. I'd chalk that up to me just being a dummy but the visual/audio overload of the level also maybe played a role. Once I found that it was smooth sailing.

Using the yellow keycard as a secret to unlock a stash of goodies was a cool idea that I don't recall seeing before, but I also haven't played a lot of usermaps since I was a kid so...

Also the elevators seemed to be bugged. They would start to go up and then immediately spit me back down, if that makes sense. I'm guessing others have experienced this?

Going to try to play map 4 tonight.

[ck3D]

Telee, on 15 July 2026 - 08:26 AM, said:

Not sure if I should be posting in the individual map threads or using this as a megathread of sorts? But anyway I completed map 3 (Pussycat Lounge) and generally agree with NNC about the "ear rape". Makes it hard to enjoy the new midis. But it was an enjoyable map, I'd still rank level 2 above it but had fun. I did get stuck for quite a while not knowing how to get to the red keycard because I kept walking past the monitor showing where the hidden switches are. I'd chalk that up to me just being a dummy but the visual/audio overload of the level also maybe played a role. Once I found that it was smooth sailing.

Using the yellow keycard as a secret to unlock a stash of goodies was a cool idea that I don't recall seeing before, but I also haven't played a lot of usermaps since I was a kid so...

Also the elevators seemed to be bugged. They would start to go up and then immediately spit me back down, if that makes sense. I'm guessing others have experienced this?

Going to try to play map 4 tonight.

Thanks for playing and posting. I reckon using this thread as megathread is fine for centralization purposes if that is one's preference, format of the project is a bit of an exercise in openness also like that (rather than in the level design itself). Bumping the individual threads is fine too as those all equally qualify as standalone user maps, in a way I wanted to see how far I could push the accepted limit between the two classic formats.

I think one of my quirks is I just so happen to personally have high tolerance to experimental/extreme sounds (i.e.. there isn't much that would sound excessive to me, I just hear more detail rather than more noise if that makes sense) and also I am so used to the available D3D soundscape I probably don't realize what I am doing with it anymore in some funny regard. I will revisit the sounds around that map given the criticism eventually, surely now that I have more points of reference. For what that is worth the map already is considerate in how most ambient sounds only turn on after specific events around the level have been triggered, but I think the most annoying one is the central neon sound, because well, it is central and so spills into all of the lower floors, I actually intended that but didn't realize it would get this mind-numbing to the point of annoying. Maybe just elevating that one group of MSFX's will magically fix everything

TBF the map is intended to be somewhat loud due to being Las Vegas (and deceptively small scale for that theme too, it is more of a conceptual layout exercise that I personally consider absolutely successful because YouTube blocks posting screenshots of the automap). I am surprised no one has been picking up on the SFII Balrog ('Boxer') references but maybe they just aren't that good or well executed, I personally thought they would be in your face (the music, 'Nin-Nin Hall'... I do like that the map sounds sort of obscure the .mid but maybe does so too much).

Am more concerned about the elevator thing, I tested those extensively (they were a PITA to keep track of) and never managed them to break in the end, by that I mean the functional ones and not the 'out of order' ones that all have their own kill trap trick with bait inside. Those do go nowhere/add to the confusion and are supposed to be squish hazard or play some kind of farce, I am hoping that is what it is otherwise I guess I'll just investigate the elevators again sometime.

Good luck with 4. One thing I can say that is not a spoiler since I want to revise it and it will just save you time and improve your experience is, there are some one-way exits around a network of tunnels around the start that I want to rectify to be a bit less complex to navigate (by removing the one-way logic). To avoid that 'wall' entirely can just make sure to have shot all of the underwater switches before you surface and so you won't have to struggle a little to figure out the 'exceptional' way back underwater again. Also if that's any encouragement, in general the excess around the maps slows down a little past level 4. 5 (so far unfinished) is supposed to be a halfway mark miniboss fight/shift of mood but it isn't ready yet and I hate that I even made it