[Fox]

I think that the renderer is too simplistic to scale components individually.

[Helixhorned]

MrFlibble, on 15 June 2013 - 05:17 PM, said:

I've got a question to the tech savvy guys here about the DOS Build games (...). The SVGA modes for most of the games have a choice between 640x400 and 640x480 (...). What I'm interested in is how the engine handles the 640x480 mode. In the 640x400 mode, the entire output is stretched by the hardware. In the 640x480 mode, on the other hand, I assume that the game engine does the stretching to maintain aspect correction. Does it stretch the entire screen, or does it scale individual components of the image (sprites, textures, HUD) separately?

There's no special logic for drawing the scene with different aspect ratios at all. The engine maintains a variable yxaspect which finds its way into the various rendering routines.

The key idea to keep in mind is that rendering proceeds in a "reverse" fashion: for each pixel on the screen^[1], you calculate coordinates for the texture you want to map, so it's just a question of a multiplication somewhere in the data flow chain. Ken had an informative post about that on the JonoF forums when they were online, maybe it has survived somehow?

Edit: by the way, you can check out the effects of yxaspect interactively in Mapster32. When a.m32 is loaded, the keys [8] and [9] will "slide" it smoothly in 3D mode. Keys [7] and [0] change the related viewingrange variable.

^[1]More exactly, for that portion which was determined as necessary to be covered, of course.

[Darkus]

Hi all! It's been a long time I did not post something here...
I was doing some research, and I came across a video from a french magazine, showing the best Console and PC games of 1996. And of course it show a beta version of DN3D.

Unfortunately, the quality is not great, It's a rip from a tape...
http://www.youtube.c...6j0g8GqE#t=2887 (it's at 48:07)

There's also some scans of the magazine in question (scans coming from abandonware-magazines.org):
Player One P094
Player One P095
Player One P096
Player One P097

Commecial in the magazine

I'll keep looking, I think they may have the same video in better quality...

[Lunick]

So we have an interesting ground effect in Red Light District Hollywood Holocaust


The entrance at the start of level looks different. There is also a weird item in the Inventory. Some sort of light or Holoduke?


A different entrance to the strip club with a different layout too since the guy is using the card to get in the door instead of the destruction.


I remember seeing this green floor in Hollywood Holocaust in a different Beta screenshot. The toilets here are also on a different side.


This switch is not liked the leaked 0.99 beta.


The health pickups are different. The player also seemed to have no problem killing the pigcops with just the pistol.


The game room in Hollywood Holocaust is different.


Looks like the check in area for Red Light District.


Some sort of bar area. Probably Red Light District.


Death Row looks different.


When using the melee kick, the screen shakes up and down with the kick.

I don't know if it is the bad quality of the video but in some pictures above, the bottom right of the HUD looks like a nuke symbol.

Edit: From the Magazines:

I don't think there has been public shots of the _zoo.map before?

In magazine shot 2 there is a shot of the Spacesuit being used in a location that isn't space? Red Light District

No idea about the wall of door textures in the screenshots on the same page too. Could be Freeway/Red Light District?

In magazine shot 3 there is green carpet but in the other shots there is red carpet. Was there multiple colours in this beta or did they get two different copies of Duke3D?

In magazine shot 4 there is a clear picture of the Snakehead enemy!!!! There is also a weird pod looking thing.


Edit2: The beta is the same as the video that was with John Romero here http://www.youtube.c...pdzL7koI#t=126s (was also in this thread).

[Micky C]

The game room just looks more empty, that's all. Are you sure that ground effect in the first shot isn't an earthquake?

[Fox]

I just loved the Snake Head. I have seen that early Green Slimer before in the manuals.

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

So we have an interesting ground effect in Red Light District

That's Hollywood Holocaust.



You can also see that second bathroom in this image too. Edit: At 48:38 you also see the bathroom in the bottom left.

[Lunick]

Micky C, on 18 June 2013 - 06:15 AM, said:

The game room just looks more empty, that's all. Are you sure that ground effect in the first shot isn't an earthquake?

Well yeah it's an Earthquake but there wasn't one like that in Red Light District before Hollywood Holocaust before

Edit: Got a date on that photo Fox?

Edit2: The "game room" in that map has the missing wall that isn't in the picture I posted above.

[Fox]

Here is where I found it:
http://forums.duke4....dpost__p__83760

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

Darkus, on 18 June 2013 - 05:54 AM, said:

Player One P095

In magazine shot 2 there is a shot of the Spacesuit being used in a location that isn't space?

No idea about the wall of door textures in the screenshots on the same page too. Could be Freeway/Red Light District?

Both are from Red Light District. That area is left in 0.99 despite not being used anymore.

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

In magazine shot 4 there is a clear picture of the Snakehead enemy!!!! There is also a weird pod looking thing.

[Lunick]

Nice, I wonder why the space suit was in there though. Interesting to see the Beta egg pod too.

Edit: I am going to say that because of the cheats used in the video/screenshots anyway, the reviewer flipped over to the space suit anyway. I'd also say that is the start of the level since in the 0.99 beta there is the elevator there.

[Fox]

Yeah, it seems for me that was some sort of fire station. Which explains the ending of E1L1?

[Fantinaikos]

Quote

In magazine shot 4 there is a clear picture of the Snakehead enemy!!!! There is also a weird pod looking thing.

It's very disheartening see how it is almost totally different from what I and Jet N. we did ...

At least we got it right on the color. To anyone interested if I made a new version based on this profile?

Quote

Wouldn't it look better if the snake was green?

JIMMY U éç*°: NOOB!!!

[Jimmy]

Hoooooly shit. Nice catch, dude.

Also that Protozoid Slimer pod is the same as the one from LameDuke.

[Cage]

Darkus, on 18 June 2013 - 05:54 AM, said:

I was doing some research, and I came across a video from a french magazine, showing the best Console and PC games of 1996. And of course it show a beta version of DN3D. (...) There's also some scans of the magazine in question (scans coming from abandonware-magazines.org)

You sir have made my day.

EDIT:

Not that bad considering the source:

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

[Darkus]

Ok, I've found a better quality video, but the problem is that you must download it, and it's quite huge (the zip file include two versions of the same video) so you must be patient.
http://www.abandonwa...=351&images=oui(click the yellow floppy disk at the right)

I made some screenshots of some detail that I noticed:

The start of E1L1...


...the sky look like a dusk version of the usual night L.A. sky.


E1L2, entrance of the shop. Notice that the security camera is white instead of black.


Inside the cinema. The Sister Act poster is different, the art look bigger and the title is not the same, but I can't read what's written...


... but the Bleached Blonde poster is clearly visible, and the title say: "Debbie Does Duke"


Inside of the projection room. Thats me, or the font of the pickup messages is the same in Doom?


After cleaning up the show room. The portable medkit has a different logo on it. Notice also the barstool is gray instead of red.


Entering the arcade room. I did not notice immediately, but it look like a trooper is using the unused shooting animation:



I also found lots of scans of DN3D. They are perhaps not so interesting that I had found, but some screenshot are worth it:

Scans from Joystick N70: It's look like they used the V1.1 version (see scan below), but there are also some screens of the beta DN3D lying around...

Page 48(the official artwork )
Page 49(some screens of DN3D...)
Page 50(there are a screen with a lizman using flamethrower)
Page 52(more screens. Also a screen with a Battlelord in a unknown level)
Page 53(Showing weapons. Including the flamethrower. Notice also the shrinker explosion sprite is rotated horizontally)
Page 54(more screens, featuring the amazing 'adult mode on/off')
Page 56(Interview with Greg Malone)
Page 57(more screens, and a screen of a Battlelord in the beta _zoo.map)
Page 58(a screen showing GAME.CON opened with EDIT.COM)
Page 60(Duke's evolution.)

Scans from Joystick N61: there are some interesting beta screens from Apogee:
Page 144(Ruins: return of the Gods)
Page 145(Beta Duke 3D)
Page 146(Xenophage and Shadow Warrior. The snake boss look impressive here)
Page 147(Terminal Velocity)

And finally, one last scan that intrigues me: It's a commercial with only two screen of beta DN3D. The first screen is either E1L1 or E1L2, but the second screen more intersting because we can see Duke carrying a different shotgun model...
http://download.aban...ril%201996).jpg

Well I think that's all for today...

[High Treason]

I am downloading this video, these are all great finds. I shall then edit together the duke3d footage that is in there and YouTube it (Credits to Darkus for finding it in the description) unless you beat me to it... My internet is slow so someone probably will.

[High Treason]

Bump, consider it done;

[MrFlibble]

Great findings!

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

Some sort of bar area. Probably Red Light District.

Somehow this reminded me of Hotel Hell but I'm not sure.

Darkus, on 18 June 2013 - 01:22 PM, said:

Inside the cinema. The Sister Act poster is different, the art look bigger and the title is not the same, but I can't read what's written...

I think it simply says "Coming Soon".

[Edit] I just noticed that "Coming Soon" is actually preserved on the final version of the poster; there's indeed some title text under it, seems like in red, but the text is too blurred to be legible.

[leilei]

I think it says "1ST TIMERS"

[Fox]

Pictures you missed Darkus:

Another image of the Snake Head:
http://download.aban...0Page%20072.jpg

The Flamethrower in acton:
http://download.aban...0Page%20074.jpg

Enforcer with flamethrower, unknown level:
http://download.aban...0Page%20075.jpg

Early Battlelord, unknown level:
http://download.aban...0Page%20076.jpg

Anknown level:
http://download.aban...0Page%20077.jpg

Early Freezethrower:
http://download.aban...0Page%20078.jpg

Early Expander:
http://download.aban...0Page%20079.jpg

Early Battlelord:
http://download.aban...81996-06%29.jpg

[Lunick]

Page 72
The Snakehead in _zoo.map sort of confirms that it was not just a concept. I really want to see it in action now!

Page 74
Oooo you can see the different health pickups and a tiny spacesuit. This is also again looks like a different beta because Red Light District looks normal. Flamer looks cool.

The early Batttlelord looks really weird too.

Can anyone read this magazine? I am getting this weird feeling that because there are both Beta and almost Final screenshots mixed here, they could also be comparing them...

Read for me Plagman ;D

[Fox]

They are mixing screenshots from different versions.

[NNC]

That snakehead is really awesome and it's shame they removed it. It also explain the sound used with Drone explosion.

The lost area of E1L2 is awesome, and should have been left in the game. I remember seeing that in the Beta, and the Coop sprites had been changed to Doomed sprites there.

The toilets of the beta E1L1 was interesting. It seems they separated the "men" and "women" locations. The one in the final version was intended to be the women's part, although it has pissoirs now.

[Cage]

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

Some sort of bar area. Probably Red Light District.

It's simillar (but definitely not exact) to the bar area from Lameduke. The martini glass neon is there too, also the grey stools:

Darkus, on 18 June 2013 - 01:22 PM, said:

E1L2, entrance of the shop. Notice that the security camera is white instead of black.

LameDuke strikes again! I'm sure it's the camera from LameDuke, but the sprite could be cleaned up, no idea, can't see.

Darkus, on 18 June 2013 - 01:22 PM, said:

Inside of the projection room. Thats me, or the font of the pickup messages is the same in Doom?

I'm pretty sure it's the same font as in here:

Fox, on 18 June 2013 - 07:09 PM, said:

Early Battlelord, unknown level:
http://download.aban...0Page%20076.jpg

This might be an early version of E2L5 (Occupied Territory), but it's just a guess - seems a bit similar to me

Fox, on 18 June 2013 - 07:09 PM, said:

Early Expander:
http://download.aban...0Page%20079.jpg

I'm sure it's just Shrinker in a red paletted (pal 2) room.

As far as the different health pickups: The big health kit (I think it's not portable medikit due to the _ZOO screenshot featuring both of those) looks kinda similar to SW's portable medkit, as for the small medkit, it can be seen in some beta shots and I've managed to rip it out for the Beta TC (I guess it's the last sprite from it I've forgot to post )



Some others I've noticed recently:

Different scuba sprite in the inventory in one of the beta-presspack shots (name: D3d30.pcx)


The quality sucks, but take a close look at the floor - i think it's the reflective floor effect from LameDuke in action


Realized this when I saw the flame/freezethrower with a blue light - all the weapons in some of the shots have some kind of a blue element, plus the ammo counter features a blue dot - both of those are red (IIRC) in some of the shots - since the blue range has most remaps to different color in the palette lookup, and Duke's pants are blue for recoloring for other players - I think it's an indicator of the player's color. It doesn't make any sense in singleplayer I guess, but we've already seen the kill counter in singleplayer in the beta screens, so...

[Lunick]

Oh awesome, this version might be closer to Lameduke than I first thought unless they are also showing different versions in the video too.

The colour changing on the Flamer (it's called a Flamer in the magazine above) could be like the sticky bomb in Shadow Warrior changing colour depending on your multiplayer colour.

I've decided so far that there are at least 4-5 main Beta versions in the order of Lameduke, x, x, x, 0.99 and there are probably some small ones too.

[Fantinaikos]

The "NOT L.A.R.D." RPV with the beta enforcer was another great (and challenging) discarded enemy idea. The written below the pigcop one does not give you the idea that has been "pasted" on at the last moment?

[High Treason]

One thing I am still trying to figure out it the nuke icon that pops up in the bottom right every so often. I kinda wonder if it is like the floppy icon in the Blood alpha which indicated things were loading.

[MrFlibble]

High Treason, on 19 June 2013 - 02:05 AM, said:

One thing I am still trying to figure out it the nuke icon that pops up in the bottom right every so often. I kinda wonder if it is like the floppy icon in the Blood alpha which indicated things were loading.

Hmm, maybe. IIRC this is a feature originally found in Doom, right? (the floppy icon I mean)

[Hendricks266]

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

The entrance at the start of level looks different. There is also a weird item in the Inventory. Some sort of light or Holoduke?

I think it's the HoloDuke, but it could be related to this from 0.99:

// Inventory stuff
define GET_STEROIDS     0
define GET_SHIELD       1
define GET_SCUBA        2
define GET_HOLODUKE     3
define GET_JETPACK      4
define GET_BSUIT        5
define GET_ACCESS       6
define GET_HEATS        7
// define GET_ALCHOCOL     8
define GET_FIRSTAID     9
define GET_BOOTS       10

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

I don't know if it is the bad quality of the video but in some pictures above, the bottom right of the HUD looks like a nuke symbol.

In the John Romero video, the things on both sides flickered. IIRC our best guess was some kind of dev indication of disk usage.

Lunick, on 18 June 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

In magazine shot 4 there is a clear picture of the Snakehead enemy!!!!

Mind = blown.

Reminds me of the Rhinocerocket chimera from MOTHER 3.

Cage, on 19 June 2013 - 12:07 AM, said:

Different scuba sprite in the inventory in one of the beta-presspack shots (name: D3d30.pcx)

Nice find! The red and blue colors are confusing me though. I would think anything extra would be green like the beta goggles.

[LAW]

Even though I have lost interest in retail Duke Nukem, I am very interested in these unreleased things. Can someone please kindly sum it up for me?

1) What versions before 1.3D are available for download and what are the major things in them?
2) Are these unreleased things playable (DosBox, Eduke)?
3) Some people (including Hendricks) tried to make a mods out of these unreleased things. How many of them were actually released? (I remember something like LameDuke Deluxe)

Very interesting stuff. I am mostly amazed by things which mix LameDuke and 1.3D.

[Plagman]

I read through the Joystick review and the only bit that seemed noteworthy was a mention that the Enforcer flamethrower made you catch fire. The one-page Beta preview also mentions the Expander and describes how it works.