[ck3D]

I didn't expect to make this because it is delicate, but yesterday morning DNSKILL's post in the Robert P. thread inspired an exercise, which then in turn bursted into a thing.

Was constructed almost exclusively to the DN2 soundtrack but this .mid is from a different game.

Simple 10-, 15-minute level, never really difficult. Requires EDuke for sloped sprites (cosmetic issues only without, not functional/gameplay ones), and sprite limit +. See .txt. Have fun if you can.

[Dr.Panico]

Creative little map, and a nice tribute to boot! Took me 24 minutes.

Gameplay was fun and challenging - and a little tricky with those holes sending you to slime or purple lava. Gotta watch your step!

I admit the ending got me a little confused...

Spoiler

...as I didn't know I was supposed to step forward during the "one minute of silence" segment. Also, were the rockets at the end supposed to be fireworks, or was that a loose Commander disrespecting the moment of silence?

[todd2]

Just started out with it using DP. Double pistol right off the bat, woohoo!

Edit: nice and difficult in DukePlus/CGS. Double shotgun pigcops especially

[ck3D]

Dr.Panico, on 20 July 2026 - 07:54 AM, said:

Creative little map, and a nice tribute to boot! Took me 24 minutes.

Gameplay was fun and challenging - and a little tricky with those holes sending you to slime or purple lava. Gotta watch your step!

I admit the ending got me a little confused...

Spoiler

...as I didn't know I was supposed to step forward during the "one minute of silence" segment. Also, were the rockets at the end supposed to be fireworks, or was that a loose Commander disrespecting the moment of silence?

Thanks! So,

Spoiler

I am not sure what exactly you mean by stepping forward, could be two things, if it is the leap of faith into the last halo from the moving platform that is ambiguous with the signage, that is fair enough, I can see it being conflicting; otherwise, once you are inside of the halo is nothing to do but wait exactly one minute before the level ends (it is not tied to movement but may match). That sequence is a bit strange, originally meant it to play the other way around, column of light would have started as full beam and low platform and risen (with you) into a halo, so you would elevate away like that. But due to how I wired things up (probably could be cleaner SE proxies with more time), I had to either change sequencing order, or forget about the minute delay, and opted for keeping the latter. So I guess now you immediately ascend once you've trusted the halo, and then the level slowly puts you to rest, I really was intending to keep the original take until I tested the current scenario and realized it worked just as well. Round sector shape coming down is like light coming in as an eyelid is closing and then it ends, figured I liked it just as much if not better.

About the explosions yeah there are some disruptors that spawn in the distance. They shouldn't have enough time to actually catch up, and their shots shouldn't be able to reach you since you're constantly coming down and offsetting in Z, but it's possible to blast them away with rockets in the very final moments if one wants to break the silence themselves (they don't have to, it's a moral dilemma).

@stillTodd I suppose this type of level should lend itself to DukePlus quite well. I have yet to test it like that but I suspect it's quite fun in AA using all of the different characters, none would have the same means of traversing and reaching each checkpoint but also wouldn't be downright cheese either, and regardless of choice might play somewhat fairly balanced.

[todd2]

Yes, it's tough (given CGS, and because I'm playing almost exclusively keyboard only) and lots of fun.

DP enables enemies to attack more effectively from afar, for those not accustomed to playing that mod. I'm guessing AA does some of this too.

[ck3D]

stillTodd, on 20 July 2026 - 01:48 PM, said:

Yes, it's tough (given CGS, and because I'm playing almost exclusively keyboard only) and lots of fun.

DP enables enemies to attack more effectively from afar, for those not accustomed to playing that mod. I'm guessing AA does some of this too.

Oh AA revamps and boosts a lot of the OG enemies' capabilities and also throws in more realistic behavior such as Battlelord being able to dodge rockets and jump around (also much more precise with grenades that now bounce around), Overlord being able to use back-mounted device to propel forward and dash attack, some things are more subtle e.g.. Pigcop hitbox when ducking actually changing. And that isn't even counting on one hand, all of the various traits/modes/specific capabilities each enemy can inherit based on tag or pal decided by either mapper or game; and on the other hand all of the other new enemies, minibosses and bosses that also come in variants... A lot of them robotic/machines too which just so happens to be to my liking (wish that direction wouldn't have been mostly ditched by the franchise from D3D onwards).

Anyway there is a specific, red Octabrain variant that I love using as leaders of big packs (usually my big packs of Octabrains come in eight's or multiples of 8, my silly logic being since it is an enemy whose defining force is 8x computing power/brains, I like to imagine even in groups it will operate according to that logic); it has the ability to move the player around the room (really mostly just draw them towards them/the pack/hazard when combined with clever design...) using telekinesis. In this level it would be an absolute threat; what's funny is right now I can't remember if by default/in which exact circumstances AA assigns random traits to enemies when playing user maps. So when I finally test the level in AA there is a 50% chance it will play somewhat safe and 50% I will be surprised by things like that.

[ck3D]

Here is a microscopic update to the map to fix one flickering light that was off somewhere (invisible in normal situations, isn't worth updating if you got the map,... but now technically is correct).

I've also made a special Alien Armageddon version with most textures and some enemies swapped (some red Octas, miniboss changes). I am including it now even though I haven't thoroughly tested it yet, but it should be fine regardless of if playing as Duke, Shelly, Wes, Mando or Deanova. The sky probably doesn't tile properly and more AA features could creep in but would rather not.

Attached File(s)

•  BOBBY.rar (48.7K)
  Number of downloads: 31

[Paul B]

ck3D, on 22 July 2026 - 02:01 AM, said:

Here is a microscopic update to the map to fix one flickering light that was off somewhere (invisible in normal situations, isn't worth updating if you got the map,... but now technically is correct).

I've also made a special Alien Armageddon version with most textures and some enemies swapped (some red Octas, miniboss changes). I am including it now even though I haven't thoroughly tested it yet, but it should be fine regardless of if playing as Duke, Shelly, Wes, Mando or Deanova. The sky probably doesn't tile properly and more AA features could creep in but would rather not.

Crazy fast how you can pump these maps out. Nice work on the map! Bobby @ Dukemaps.net

[todd2]

I tried AA out again last night using this map, and (as expected) my system isn't performant enough. Kudos to the Alien Armageddon folks for all the updates, however!

Awesome to have the keyboard version of the SC88, as another tribute to Robert, as part of the ending.

[ck3D]

I have updated the AA version of the map, including new/final one with this post. It adds more diversity to the enemy roster (some Armored Pigs in Pigcop zones, some Newlizmen instead of Lizmen around the end part...), fixes a boss trigger that was off and cleans up the messed up sky. Sorry for the reuploads/downloads that might mean, I didn't expect to give it another more thorough pass but was worth it.

Base D3D version didn't/shouldn't budge.

For curiosity's sake, screenshot differences between the two versions:

Spoiler

stillTodd, on 22 July 2026 - 09:18 AM, said:

I tried AA out again last night using this map, and (as expected) my system isn't performant enough. Kudos to the Alien Armageddon folks for all the updates, however!

Awesome to have the keyboard version of the SC88, as another tribute to Robert, as part of the ending.

Only reason why I can get AA running at all on this machine is it actually works remarkably well in classic mode/the software renderer at least for me, even though it isn't designed for it, that's an available option you always can try as a hail mary if you desperately want to get into the whole mod; should only result in a few glitchy colors when getting hit by a couple of very specific, somewhat rare new enemies, and lock you out of the Polymost-only content that for the most part is cutscenes. Even some of the occasional models have classic renderer placeholders that do just fine at this point.

Attached File(s)

•  AABOBBY.rar (48.93K)
  Number of downloads: 29

[ck3D]

Made a Blast Radius version: https://www.moddb.co...kem-3d-user-map

_

"Blast Radius edition of my Robert Prince tribute map. EDuke32 required (and obviously a working Blast Radius install or the new enemies will not perform).

Also available: the original, base Duke Nukem 3D (Atomic and up) version, and the special Alien Armageddon edition, both of which can be downloaded here.

Compared to the original version of the level, the Blast Radius edition is harder, seeing as it puts some of the exclusive enemy variants to use, but there also is one extra Shrinker to find somewhere that should compensate. And, the music is different."

[ck3D]

MSDN: https://msdn.duke4.net/hotbobby.php

[Danukem]

That part about stepping off at the end also had me confused as I was just waiting on the platform with nothing happening. Seems like it should be possible to signal to the player that they are supposed to take the leap of faith -- since it looks like a drop, a player such as myself will assume they are not doing the minute of silence if they take the leap.

[ck3D]

Danukem, on 27 July 2026 - 01:59 AM, said:

That part about stepping off at the end also had me confused as I was just waiting on the platform with nothing happening. Seems like it should be possible to signal to the player that they are supposed to take the leap of faith -- since it looks like a drop, a player such as myself will assume they are not doing the minute of silence if they take the leap.

Thanks again for playing.

Spoiler

In terms of level design language, the observation absolutely is on point, I can take responsibility for that choice that is mostly artistic. I don't want to tell the player to have faith, I want them to find it in themselves

To be clear, that is faith in its strictest sense without any external association or branding. I do mean the personal quality itself. In more profane words could be phrased as a test of proactive skills. The level hands you all of the keys in a way that is almost suspicious, yet that is only to lead you in a position where you are stuck and isolated for as long as you do not take the initiative to try and make it out by evaluating then trusting your own judgment. However long that takes is intentional process, the duration of which is bound to differ from one individual player to the next.

[Danukem]

ck3D, on 27 July 2026 - 02:32 AM, said:

Thanks again for playing.

Spoiler

In terms of level design language, the observation absolutely is on point, I can take responsibility for that choice that is mostly artistic. I don't want to tell the player to have faith, I want them to find it in themselves

To be clear, that is faith in its strictest sense without any external association or branding. I do mean the personal quality itself. In more profane words could be phrased as a test of proactive skills. The level hands you all of the keys in a way that is almost suspicious, yet that is only to lead you in a position where you are stuck and isolated for as long as you do not take the initiative to try and make it out by evaluating then trusting your own judgment. However long that takes is intentional process, the duration of which is bound to differ from one individual player to the next.

Spoiler

That sounds profound but in reality it's not so much that the player has an epiphany and decides to trust their judgement; it's more that you realize the level didn't end like it seemed like it should have so you just start doing stuff in the hope that it ends and the most obvious thing to start with is walking off the edge.

[ck3D]

 Danukem, on 29 July 2026 - 02:18 AM, said:

Spoiler

That sounds profound but in reality it's not so much that the player has an epiphany and decides to trust their judgement; it's more that you realize the level didn't end like it seemed like it should have so you just start doing stuff in the hope that it ends and the most obvious thing to start with is walking off the edge.

Spoiler

Yes, but that's not mutually exclusive with what I said, if anything (to me) only confirms it. Because the solution is so simple and yet obscure means it takes precisely the level and type of initiative I want the player to check to win. I am not interested in spectacular epiphanies, I prefer instilling what I want via little things and basic yet original situations (sometimes buried under so much fluff ). You yourself just used the term 'in the hope that', and described the expected reaction perfectly, so apparently it really is working.

[Aleks]

Played the map yesterday and I really liked it - worked well as a Build-pixel art (better than the Octabrain level in Zero Zone) and seeing the colours around, I was fairly sure of what it will be before looking at the automap - very nice use of textures. I also liked the sloped palm trees and hope/expect they will become a new "fire made out of 8 flat sprites" thing for at least a while.

Gameplay-wise, I liked how it was based around respawns and "waves" of enemies and as always, it is fun to have commanders and octabrains "infighting". The large open space made the commanders especially work well as they never got stuck and kept spamming with their rockets, but never in a "dickish" way. Also, the whole map was not as "cramped" with blocking sprites as I had feared when seeing the all the trees at the beginning, which made movement/dodging a lot nicer (this is something I hated in the first Zero Zone map in particular, since I brought it up). I spent an extra bit in the map before inputting the keys since I couldn't locate the shrinker, but all the ammo ensured me it's going to be somewhere out there in plain sight. The finale was nice as well - for a moment, I thought you are just going to have Duke trapped there and let him die through commander spam from afar, but it did "descend" to the end-game screen fairly soon.

[ck3D]

Aleks, on 29 July 2026 - 12:54 PM, said:

Played the map yesterday and I really liked it - worked well as a Build-pixel art (better than the Octabrain level in Zero Zone) and seeing the colours around, I was fairly sure of what it will be before looking at the automap - very nice use of textures. I also liked the sloped palm trees and hope/expect they will become a new "fire made out of 8 flat sprites" thing for at least a while.

Gameplay-wise, I liked how it was based around respawns and "waves" of enemies and as always, it is fun to have commanders and octabrains "infighting". The large open space made the commanders especially work well as they never got stuck and kept spamming with their rockets, but never in a "dickish" way. Also, the whole map was not as "cramped" with blocking sprites as I had feared when seeing the all the trees at the beginning, which made movement/dodging a lot nicer (this is something I hated in the first Zero Zone map in particular, since I brought it up). I spent an extra bit in the map before inputting the keys since I couldn't locate the shrinker, but all the ammo ensured me it's going to be somewhere out there in plain sight. The finale was nice as well - for a moment, I thought you are just going to have Duke trapped there and let him die through commander spam from afar, but it did "descend" to the end-game screen fairly soon.

Thank you for playing and commenting, Aleks! Trips me out to think we have been giving each other feedback for about twenty years now.

Yeah Octastrophe can be a rather difficult map, not just because of the blocking sprites (IIRC they were rather reasonable) but mostly due to all of the 'negative' or 'tradeoff' Atomic Healths everywhere (Zero Zone has different Atomic Health types, the normal type, one that gives you 100 HP and instant roids rush, one that swaps health for Expander ammo refill, one that swaps health for Shrinker ammo refill, and one called Diet Pepsi that is just plain mean HP malus). Zero Zone in general is strange/experimental and clearly over the top (it is an exaggeration/caricature of Blast Radius end-game gameplay, after the episode has crumbled from hardcore into downright chaotic), which is the very reason why I paused dev on it. If I ever go back to it will be when I have wisened up, but I also am not interested in that direction anymore, 6 speed maps was enough to demonstrate (to myself first and foremost) what works and doesn't work about the formula, it doesn't need to reach the state I was originally envisioning (which was 24+ more maps ) to make its point, so permanent demo state is actually quite fitting for it since I've moved on to different things.

Bobby actually is my third 'pixel art map' (not counting all the oulipo I always do now). There also was Large Ham in Alien Armageddon HTTKB that is a Pigcop level (with matching soundtrack by Juvenite - PIGRAP). Large Ham technically and conceptually is the most advanced one, as it is the only one that you win by animating (unlocking the exit makes the automap Pigcop start shooting). That direction really is a 'new' spin on the concept of 2.5D.

Blast Radius version has an extra Shrinker, in retrospect probably should have existed in all versions, but that such small yet important differences exist between them is also cool (hopefully!).

Happy you had fun and liked it!