[TerminX]

There is a chance for future Build engine games if this is a successful product, sure. Whether 3DR publishes them probably depends on what level of success we're talking about. If you get some talented individuals together who happen to have years of experience with the engine, it's actually a pretty cost effective way to make games not too dissimilar from the retro stuff that has been popular for some time, with the difference that our product isn't going to be full of the weird quirks that stand out like a sore thumb in most retro styled games. There is something to be said for using authentic technology and adhering to what are mostly authentic limitations of the time period.

[HulkNukem]

What does the licensing situation currently look like?

[Micky C]

Considering that most of the main developers of eduke32 are involved with the project it would be relatively simple to pull off. They'd have to throw a percentage of it at Ken Silverman but he's always seemed open to it, and I gather he's got a good relationship with TX and co. Not to sure about all the people who made minor code contributions over the years though.

I take it that the Bombshell Prequel is going to have its own feel, much like how Blood and Shadow Warrior clearly feel like unique games in how physics and player movement work? Or maybe that the game is double Duke's scale to get higher resolution floor and ceiling tiles? Hopefully it doesn't just feel like a Duke TC with different art, sound, enemies and weapons.

[ashura252]

Just a heads up, but Bombshell is 70% off right now. For the next 33 hours or so. Seems like a good time to pick it up if you haven't already. Especially considering Deluxe includes Beta access to the prequel.

[Micky C]

Yeah but apparently beta access doesn't do a lot in terms of getting you access to the released version of the prequel.

Even if I bought Bombshell I wouldn't have time (or motivation really) to play it, so I'll let it slide.

[MetHy]

Glad to hear some news about the game.

How big can we expect it to be then, 20-25 levels like DN3D and SW?

Did the change of scale make you rethink the implementation of multiplayer?

How inclined are you to respect "authentic limitations" ? Do you use modern TROR and other things like that?

Mapping / modding support ?

Will it be PC exclusive ?

What about a special physical release with a big old cardboad box and cd-rom ?

[Lunick]

MetHy, on 04 September 2016 - 04:26 AM, said:

Did the change of scale make you rethink the implementation of multiplayer?

lol...

MetHy, on 04 September 2016 - 04:26 AM, said:

Will it be PC exclusive ?

I'm pretty sure it is PC Exclusive unless EDuke32 suddenly magically runs on consoles. We've already seen how long it took Gearbox to port Build to modern consoles.

MetHy, on 04 September 2016 - 04:26 AM, said:

What about a special physical release with a big old cardboad box and cd-rom ?

lol...

[MetHy]

Multiplayer was a big part of all major Build games. World Tour seem to be heavily based on EDuke32 and has multiplayer, I know it's probably not the same budget, but it means it's do-able.

For platforms other than PC, didn't someone find a way to run EDuke32 on Wii a while back, and wasn't (isn't?) HTTK planned for iOS and Android ?

For the physical release, I know it sounds crazy, and I was mocking someone in the World Tour thread for asking that. But let me explain, I'm not suggesting a full scale store release. I know that's impossible. I'm thinking more along the lines of a special, more costly, limited edition that you could order of the game's or publisher's website. Even if it's limited and only a handful of people could get it, something like this would make for insane advertising all over the internet, and it's a way to tell "You wanna do retro? Our shit is the real deal." The unboxing YT videos would have thousands of views. The extra cost could cover the extra fees, maybe...

[Lunick]

MetHy, on 04 September 2016 - 04:42 AM, said:

Multiplayer was a big part of all major Build games. World Tour seem to be heavily based on EDuke32 and has multiplayer, I know it's probably not the same budget, but it means it's do-able.

World Tour does not use EDuke32 code if they insist they built the port from the ground up from the "1996 source code" (even though the rewind feature exists in the port)

MetHy, on 04 September 2016 - 04:42 AM, said:

For platforms other than PC, didn't someone find a way to run EDuke32 on Wii a while back, and wasn't (isn't?) HTTK planned for iOS and Android ?

The Wii does not have the same infrastructure as what the PS4 and Xbox One does. I don't think HTTKC counts either since that was in development for over a year.

MetHy, on 04 September 2016 - 04:42 AM, said:

For the physical release, I know it sounds crazy, and I was mocking someone in the World Tour thread for asking that. But let me explain, I'm not suggesting a full scale store release. I know that's impossible. I'm thinking more along the lines of a special, more costly, limited edition that you could order of the game's or publisher's website. Even if it's limited and only a handful of people could get it, something like this would make for insane advertising all over the internet, and it's a way to tell "You wanna do retro? Our shit is the real deal." The unboxing YT videos would have thousands of views. The extra cost could cover the extra fees, maybe...

I could understand maybe doing an IndieBox release a few months after launch but, I don't think 3D Realms have the money to do a boxed release when Bombshell itself didn't have a physical release and their latest game is getting a Kickstarter...

[Lunick]

Lunick, on 04 June 2016 - 09:23 PM, said:

Well...

And

So, Steam updated its review system today which made it so games activated from a Steam key no longer contribute to the overall Steam score of a game (they are still listed in the review section)

Over half of Bombshell's reviews were written from people who bought the game from a different storefront or obtained a key by other means.

[MusicallyInspired]

So keys from Humble will no longer count towards review scores. Nice.

[Marphy Black]

This change also increased Super 3-D Noah's Ark's user score from 89% to 93%. Lousy non-pious key moochers!

[particle cannon]

and yet the reviews still are mixed. they can't fix a bomb.

[cosmonautcowboy]

I've got two copies of Bombshell I can gift on Steam, if anyone's interested. Send me a PM with your Steam ID, and I'll send it along.

EDIT: They're gone!

[NNC]

Who will be the leveldesigners for this game? Will AHB or Levelord participate in this project too? Or like other pros like Wieder?

[NightFright]

I don't believe that big names are required to be involved in this project. This community has proven many times they can pull off making great maps. If it's on the quality level of Duke Hard or Metropolitan Mayhem, I'm ready to put my wallet on the table for this.

[LkMax]

I agree with NightFright here, but now that Nancsi mentioned it, maybe Wieder can work on a expansion pack, for old times sake.
(one can dream, haha).

[NNC]

NightFright, on 06 November 2016 - 05:20 AM, said:

I don't believe that big names are required to be involved in this project. This community has proven many times they can pull off making great maps. If it's on the quality level of Duke Hard or Metropolitan Mayhem, I'm ready to put my wallet on the table for this.

Sorry, but none of those meet the quality standards of a commercial product. Some levels of Duke Hard might be, especially the construction site, Abstractech and Paul B's two floored map with some adjustments, but not in general. Metropolitan mayhem... I haven't played it in a long time, but Mikko's rooftop bosslevel was the only thing that looked truly well done there. The first couple of maps looked really crappy btw.

The closest thing to commercial addon was of course Duke Forever 2013, where all levels but the mine one reaches quality standards, although it would have needed shitload of fine tuning to meet that standards, including fixing the motorcycle, the boss wasn't very good, and other minor thingeys.

And from older TCs, Last Reaction would have been close, but the author should have dumped some unnecessary areas and puzzles, even some annoying levels lik Khaki Space, and should have made the whole thing into 1 episode to really get in there.

[NightFright]

Actually Water Bases was the real star in LRWB, not Last Reaction.

Anyway, ofc Bombshell would need more consistency than community projects which involve the efforts of many individuals. When it comes down to mapping, I guess it shouldn't take more than 2-3 people to have a coherent experience. That's just what I think, doesn't mean anything. I am not really worried about how many people it takes, though. Would just be nice to get some visible progress update.

[NNC]

NightFright, on 06 November 2016 - 09:20 AM, said:

Actually Water Bases was the real star in LRWB, not Last Reaction.

Anyway, ofc Bombshell would need more consistency than community projects which involve the efforts of many individuals. When it comes down to mapping, I guess it shouldn't take more than 2-3 people to have a coherent experience. That's just what I think, doesn't mean anything. I am not really worried about how many people it takes, though. Would just be nice to get some visible progress update.

LRWB started clicking in the level "Old LA on ice", and become topnotch in the level "Alienation". But that's offtopic here.

What matters, 1 or at worst 2 designer per episode is the best, as was the case in Duke's first 3 episodes, AWO, or the commercial addons. The more mix, the less delivery.

[HulkNukem]

I don't think it matters how many are working on a single level or episode, as long as everyone is on the same page and they work well together.
The new 5th episode of World Tour has hit or miss levels and the levels were made by two original level designers with AFAIK them working on their own levels.

[PsychoGoatee]

For me with the one exception of the final boss fight, all of World Tour is a hit, but it's all personal taste. Some of the best maps I've played in years. (though there are of course other great user maps I've played in that timeframe)

With that out, still pumped for Bombshell for another dose of build action.

[Mr. Tibbs]

If you're interested in wholly arbitrary top ten lists, Bombshell was ranked the 4th worst game of 2016 by WatchMojo. I don't agree with their list - especially the inclusion of Homefront: The Revolution, which I thought was a hidden gem - but it's kind of disappointing to see the game featured in such a hugely popular video, with the prequel on the horizon. They never mention Interceptor, just 3D Realms along with mandatory mention of DNF.

I have no doubt that Voidpoint's game will be well received (I'm betting it will get the best notices out of 2017's 'retro' fps line-up and will be the strongest game), but I hope the 2016 game doesn't impact the prequel in any negative fashion. I guess every series is just one great game away from being redeemed!

[TerminX]

Mr. Tibbs, on 19 December 2016 - 02:55 AM, said:

If you're interested in wholly arbitrary top ten lists, Bombshell was ranked the 4th worst game of 2016 by WatchMojo. I don't agree with their list - especially the inclusion of Homefront: The Revolution, which I thought was a hidden gem - but it's kind of disappointing to see the game featured in such a hugely popular video, with the prequel on the horizon. They never mention Interceptor, just 3D Realms along with mandatory mention of DNF.

I have no doubt that Voidpoint's game will be well received (I'm betting it will get the best notices out of 2017's 'retro' fps line-up and will be the strongest game), but I hope the 2016 game doesn't impact the prequel in any negative fashion. I guess every series is just one great game away from being redeemed!

A while back I came to the conclusion that leaving "Bombshell" out of the actual title of the prequel would be for the best in terms of avoiding any kind of pre-existing negative association with the Interceptor game. It's a shame that Bombshell was as poorly received as it was... the character is still worth something, but it's really hard to say concretely what the best decision is: direct association with a title generally regarded as a massive flop, or launching under a title nobody has ever heard of. We're going with the latter for now.

[Micky C]

Leaving Bombshell out of the title? That's surprising yet not surprising at the same time. At least we're not getting a name like "Bombshell's Build Tour" or whatever Gearbox would likely come up with.

[Mr. Tibbs]

TerminX, on 19 December 2016 - 01:30 PM, said:

A while back I came to the conclusion that leaving "Bombshell" out of the actual title of the prequel would be for the best in terms of avoiding any kind of pre-existing negative association with the Interceptor game. It's a shame that Bombshell was as poorly received as it was... the character is still worth something, but it's really hard to say concretely what the best decision is: direct association with a title generally regarded as a massive flop, or launching under a title nobody has ever heard of. We're going with the latter for now.

So TerminX, does that mean you and Hendricks266 get to play major roles in how the game will be marketed? I think Voidpoint's approach with the name is the right move in this particular instance.

Can you share a rough timeframe for when the game will be formally announced, or is everything still under wraps?

[Kawa]

Micky C, on 19 December 2016 - 01:37 PM, said:

"Bombshell's Build Tour"

Ah geez, Micky! I was planning to sleep well tonight!

[TerminX]

Mr. Tibbs, on 19 December 2016 - 01:49 PM, said:

So TerminX, does that mean you and Hendricks266 get to play major roles in how the game will be marketed? I think Voidpoint's approach with the name is the right move in this particular instance.

The marketing is supposed to be 3DR's thing, but nothing happens that isn't previously agreed on first. The game is totally a Voidpoint game and 3DR is essentially just the publisher. On paper, we have a license to the Bombshell IP, and 3DR is publishing the resulting product.

Quote

Can you share a rough timeframe for when the game will be formally announced, or is everything still under wraps?

Hoping to announce it sometime soon. Early next year maybe.

[HiPolyBash]

[DukeNukem64]

It's now 2017 and the game didn't release for consoles as promised. It even still says: Console release in 2016 on the Facebook page. I guess they are too busy with other projects.
Fred just posted something on Facebook regarding bombshell as an IP, which is interesting.

https://m.facebook.c...858609917487593