[pcgames30]

I don't know why James Thies connected his OUT WORLD Map
to the Mystery Levels, but he did.

In fact, there are not two Mystery Levels, as I remembered it,
but five.

According to the
Duke Nukem 3D and Atomic Edition Secrets Guide,
their names are E1L7.map (FACES OF DEATH), E1L8.map (USER MAP),
E1L9.map (VOID ZONE), E1L10.map (ROACH CONDO) and E1L11.map (ANTIPROFIT).

The maps E1L7.map and E1L8.map are Dukematch Maps;
E1L9.map, E1L10.map and E1L11.map are Single Player Maps.

I added the map E1L11.map to the outworld directory and updated the
Map Pack.

While I was looking for it, I found another archive with
Duke 3D Maps.


pcgames30

[necroslut]

pcgames30, on 17 August 2017 - 02:09 PM, said:

I don't know why James Thies connected his OUT WORLD Map
to the Mystery Levels, but he did.

In fact, there are not two Mystery Levels, as I remembered it,
but five.

According to the
Duke Nukem 3D and Atomic Edition Secrets Guide,
their names are E1L7.map (FACES OF DEATH), E1L8.map (USER MAP),
E1L9.map (VOID ZONE), E1L10.map (ROACH CONDO) and E1L11.map (ANTIPROFIT).

The maps E1L7.map and E1L8.map are Dukematch Maps;
E1L9.map, E1L10.map and E1L11.map are Single Player Maps.

I added the map E1L11.map to the outworld directory and updated the
Map Pack.

While I was looking for it, I found another archive with
Duke 3D Maps.


pcgames30

What are these "mystery levels"? I don't remember there being any other levels in the outworld zip when I downloaded it back in the day. They certainly don't seem to be made by him, they're not at all his (quite identifiable) style.

[pcgames30]

Yes, You are right!

I only know the ENDWORLD.MAP, PIGWORLD.MAP and the OUTWORLD.MAP
by James Thies.

The Maps E1L9.map, E1L10.map and E1L11.map don't belong to the
outworld directory.

But it seems, that James Thies linked the end of the OUTWORLD.MAP
to the start of the E1L9.map and the Maps E1L10 and E1L11 are following.
This is the reason, why I put them in the outworld directory too.

I downloaded the OUTWORLD.MAP and other maps between 1998 and 2002.
So maybe I got a modified version with this special link at the end.

If You don't want to play these extra maps, You can stop at the end
of the OUTWORLD.MAP.

I found E1L9.map and E1L10.map at
Map Authors
under Unknown Author,
called E1L9: Mystery Level 1 (84/100) and E1L10: Mystery Level 2 (90/100).

At the Duke Nukem 3D and Atomic Edition Secrets Guide they are called Extra Maps.

The E1L11.map I got at
Duke 3D Maps a-e
as part of the biglight.zip by Billy Boy.

The name Mystery Level might refer to the Unknown Author,
but actually the Maps E1L9.map up to E1L11.map are Extra Maps.

You can use them, if You like, but You don't must.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

The E1L11.map contains many secret places.
It takes time to explore the map and find the Access Cards.

If You want to fly around and check the area, then You can save fuel by using
the Cheat Code dncornholio. This gives You Invincibility and unlimited Jetpack power.

On top of the Hospital are many enemies, ammo and some entrances to secret places.
The red trigger buttons in a 6-row seem to have no switching function.

If You can't find the Access Cards, then go to the end of the road
with the yellow-black barrier.
In the right building is the Red Access Card located
and in the left building the Blue Access Card.

You need to find the Red Access Card first.
If there are several doors, which require an Access Card of the same color,
then all these doors can be opened, after the first door is activated.

If You can't see the switch to open a sealed space,
then You can enter with the Cheat Code dnclip.

It seems to be no Yellow Access Card present.
The room, protected by the Yellow Access Card,
is accessible from another hallway too.

The last chamber which You should visit in this map,
is on a roof and shows a Radiation Sign.

The way to the Auto-Destruct Button can be found in the building
"RTD NORTH BOUND 3RD & FIGUEROA".


pcgames30

[necroslut]

pcgames30, on 19 August 2017 - 06:22 AM, said:

Yes, You are right!

I only know the ENDWORLD.MAP, PIGWORLD.MAP and the OUTWORLD.MAP
by James Thies.

The Maps E1L9.map, E1L10.map and E1L11.map don't belong to the
outworld directory.

But it seems, that James Thies linked the end of the OUTWORLD.MAP
to the start of the E1L9.map and the Maps E1L10 and E1L11 are following.
This is the reason, why I put them in the outworld directory too.

I downloaded the OUTWORLD.MAP and other maps between 1998 and 2002.
So maybe I got a modified version with this special link at the end.

If You don't want to play these extra maps, You can stop at the end
of the OUTWORLD.MAP.

Ah, I understand then. That is the regular way in Duke 3D - usermaps are loaded in the E1L8 slot, so when it is finished the player will normally move on to E1L9 except that map doesn't exist. He didn't point it to E1L9 specifically, it is just the default setting.

[pcgames30]

OK, then this OUTWORLD.MAP is the right one.

If You have played the OUTWORLD.MAP, the ENDWORLD.MAP
and the other maps and like to play another Map Pack,
then take a look at the moddb
Duke Nukem 1400 map collection.

The size of this Map Pack is 70.7 MB.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

Addendum to
Roland's_Duke_3D_Maps.

The best way to play "Secrets_of_the_Acropolis" is by using a link.

After putting the files into the "Duke3D" directory,
create a link to SOTA.BAT for Duke3D v1.3d
or to SOTAPPAK.BAT for Duke3D v1.4 Atomic Edition or v1.5.

Put the link on the desktop and start "Secrets_of_the_Acropolis"
only with this link.

Hint:
For a quick change between maps with several files,
copy the original Duke3D files into a backup directory
inside or outside the "Duke3D" directory.

When you're done with the map, You can delete the files
and copy the original Duke3D files from the backup directory
to the "Duke3D" directory.

This keeps the directory clean and preserves the original settings.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

I know it's crazy, but if someone likes to blow his mind,
then he can try the legacy.duke4.net
5,147 Duke3D Maps (All-In-One Package).

The size of this Map Pack is 511.75 MB.


pcgames30

[Forge]

pcgames30, on 10 September 2017 - 03:54 PM, said:

I know it's crazy, but if someone likes to blow his mind,
then he can try the legacy.duke4.net
5,147 Duke3D Maps (All-In-One Package).

I picked through that many moons ago; two issues:
1. the amount of doubles, triples, quadruples, etc - there's more like 2,000 maps, not 5,000 maps.
2. 90+% of it is trash - you're better off going to msdn, cgs, or any other map hosting site that has a fairly large & organized collection and download their top 200 maps individually, rather than trying to sort though this uncatagorized cluster.

[pcgames30]

Yes, You might be right!

Mass don't means quality.

In the last month I downloaded 353 maps from various sites
plus the 1400 and the 5147 Map Packs.

I picked the maps by rating and by size, the best and the biggest first.

But I also looked into the Map Packs and picked maps by name and size.
Peculiar and big first. So I found maps like ARKANGEL, Asteroid, citadel or Claymore.

In the Map Packs You can find interesting stuff, if You go by preference
instead of the alphabet. They are not as good, as a hit list, but You can add some
rare maps like ROADKILL or warz to your collection.


pcgames30

[FistMarine]

If you want to download a map pack, why not check out the Addon Compilation Pack? It includes over 100 addons and some of the addons are basically map packs. You can find the topic here: https://forums.duke4...on-compilation/

[necroslut]

Since the thread has derailed a bit anyway... Does anyone have suggestions for maps similar to James Thies' stuff? Not necessarily look, but the "feel".

[pcgames30]

Hello RunningDuke,

Thank You for this hint!

I didn't knew this Compilation.
Some interesting maps are lying inside these GRPs.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

Hello necroslut,

since August I collected many new maps and it takes time to play them all.

You can try the "25thcentury.grp".
I only started the first map, but it looks promising.

It is part of the
EDuke32 Addon Compilation v3.13,
mentioned by RunningDuke.

The size of this Map Pack is 635 MB and every GRP file houses several maps.

Maybe there are some maps, You might like.

The Map Pack contains the "addons" directory with 113 groupfiles
and the "addons.bat".

Just copy both into the "duke3d" directory, where the "eduke32.exe" is located,
and start them with the "addons.bat". You can put a shortcut to the desktop.

In the Main Menu choose "New Game" and "User Map".
Then start the "25C-L1.Map".

Hint:
If You want to look inside a GRP file, the tool
Group File Studio 3.1
shows You the content and extracts it to a directory of your choice.
I tested it with Windows XP SP3 and it works fine.

I play the "25thcentury.grp" with the
Duke Nukem 3D High Resolution Pack v4.0,
because I prefer to play old games with Windows XP.

The
Instructions
to complete and configure the High Resolution Pack v4.0
are helpfully too.

By the Way, I revised my
Map Pack
and put the original "E1L9.map" with Dukematch into the "2009_-_a_space_oddity"
directory.

As I recall now, some Duke Nukem 3D CDs contained this map.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

In the High Resolution Pack v4.0
in "Options" -> "Video Setup", the "Texture Filter" should be set to "Trilinear".


The EDuke32 Addon Compilation can also be played with
EDuke32,
but with a simple display.

Extract the 7z file with the freeware
7-Zip
to a new directory and name it "eduke32" for example.
Then put a shortcut of "eduke32.exe" to your desktop.

To play You need the DUKE3D.GRP file and sometimes the DUKE.RTS file,
which are also used for the High Resolution Pack v4.0.
You can take them from this
HRP_v4_Help file.
and put them in your "eduke32" directory.

For best display in EDuke32 go to "Options" -> "Display Setup"
and set "Texture Mode" to "Filtered".


Some of the maps in the EDuke32 Addon Compilation
seem to fit more to EDuke32.

These groupfiles are:

2000tc.grp
acropolis.grp
alienexterm.grp
alienvpredator.grp
armydeath.grp
castlequest.grp
cmdconquer.grp
countdown.grp
dn64revisited.grp
dukehard.grp
dukela.grp
dukeland.grp
dukenstein.grp
dukevr.grp
fbsp.grp
finalconfront.grp
fusion.grp
grinsdivinity.grp
haunted.grp
infestation.grp
infiltration.grp
layre.grp
lostduke.grp
metromayhem.grp
nuclear.grp
oblivion.grp
penthouse.grp
platoon.grp
red.grp
redrum.grp
stranger.grp
sunburn.grp
tamduke.grp
vacationcove.grp
wgrealms2.grp
wgrealms.grp
xmasproject.grp
zombiecrisis.grp

To start a map with EDuke32, You can extract the content of the GRP file
with the Group File Studio tool and put it into your "eduke32" directory.
Then start a New Game and User Map.

Hint:
Unpack "gfs31.zip" to "gfs31" directory
and put a shortcut of "GrpStudio.exe" to your desktop.
Now create the workdirectory "gfswork" for example.
Then start Group File Studio and click on "File" -> "Open".
Choose a GRP file and open it.
Then click on "Tools" -> "Extract All Files",
accept the warning and continue.
Choose your workdirectory "gfswork" as Extraction Destination.
This directory is now filled with the content of the GRP file.
Copy all files to your "eduke32" directory.
Start a New Game and User Map.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

The files acropolis.grp to zombiecrisis.grp work fine with Group File Studio 3.1,
but 2000tc.grp needs special treatment.


In the EDuke32 Addon Compilation v3.13 are 113 groupfiles.

108 groupfiles work fine.

4 groupfiles don't work properly on my PC.
They are complex.grp, dreamtrilogy.grp, kneedeep.grp, sharkscove.grp.

1 groupfile needs support files.
It is 2000tc.grp.
The support for 2000tc.grp
is here.


To avoid complications between different maps,
backup your "eduke32" directory.

When you're done with the map, delete all files in "eduke32"
and copy the backed files into "eduke32".


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

To lighten the display in EDuke32
go to "Options" -> "Display Setup" -> "Color Correction" -> "Gamma"
and set the knob with the mouse to 1.41 for example.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

Hello necroslut,

there is another Map Pack in the Addon Compilation,
which You can try. The name is "thegate.grp".


pcgames30

[CruX]

i can still appreciate it for what it is, but holy hell this map was better in my memory

[necroslut]

CruX, on 08 October 2017 - 04:23 PM, said:

i can still appreciate it for what it is, but holy hell this map was better in my memory

The follow-ups Endworld and Pigworld are quite a bit better, if you haven't played those.

[pcgames30]

If You like it relaxed, then take a look at "chronic.grp".

pcgames30

[pcgames30]

In EDuke32 with the High Resolution Pack the "thegate.grp" fails to load the Textures
for the GATE402.MAP.

So I unpacked the GRP with Group File Studio 3.1 and put the files into an EDuke32 directory
without High Resolution Textures.

There I start "eduke32.exe" and choose New Game -> User Map -> GATE402.MAP.
This works.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

The Map Pack alieninvasion.grp seems to be interesting,
because the environment changes in many maps.

The first Map contains an abandoned Space Station,
the second an underground Mall,
the third an ancient Mansion,
the fourth a modern City with a touch of Outworld,
the fifth a Polaris Outpost
and so on.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

If You play the first Mystery Level E1L9.MAP after the OUT WORLD Map,
then You can shortcut your way to the Red Access Card.

The Yellow Access Card is hidden underwater.
This opens the way to the Blue Access Card.

After You found the Blue Access Card just blow a hole in the wall,
by shooting the fire extinguisher downstairs.

In the back of the path is the Red Access Card behind two planks.
If You jump in front of the planks, then You can grab the Card
and move to the next level.


pcgames30

[pcgames30]

After 4 years of playing different Duke Nukem 3D maps,
finally I dived into 5,147 Duke3D Maps and picked 282 Maps.

Then I renewed my Duke Nukem 3D Map Pack and updated
Secrets Of The Acropolis to be played with EDuke32.

I also updated the EDuke32 Addon Compilation for better playing.

[pcgames30]

The EDuke32 Addon Compilation v3.13 was optimized
and the EDuke32 Addon Compilation v3.13 High Resolution Pack was added.

[pcgames30]

To simplify the download of maps, I have converted all downloads to ZIP.
The ZIP archives can be unpacked with all ZIP packers and with the zip function
from Windows XP SP2 to Windows 11.


pcgames30


282 Duke 3D Maps

Roland's Duke 3D Maps

Duke32 Addon Compilation v3.13 2022

EDuke32 Addon Compilation v3.13 HRP