RELEASE: The Imperium episode!

[Merlijn]

Just head over to this topic to download it: http://forums.duke4.net/topic/4764-the-imperium-released/

The Imperium is an 8 level episode for dukeplus, featuring new music, new art and new sounds as well. It also uses several dukeplus features, including an upgradable gun and the supertrooper, an elite liztroop coded by Muelsa.

HRP and Polymer are OPTIONAL, meaning you can play this in any way you like except 8-bit.
Polymer still has some visual errors though.

Screenshots:

[Merlijn]

And some more screenshots:

[Puritan]

Looks so sweet!
Thumbs up guys!

[Merlijn]

Thanks! Now go ahead and play it. 

[ck3D]

i wouldn't have noticed the release of this in a while if you hadn't posted a link on facebook, that's a great surprise, recently I had been finding myself pondering about how silent the community (DN-R, MSDN) had been lately especially in terms of new releases. I have been overwhelmed with work and responsabilities lately but rest assured that I am going to play this as soon as I can. Thumbs up to everyone for having had enough faith to continue the effort until the end

[Dan G]

Some people were shitting on the thread at duke4.net, so I'd like to say something here before that happens (not that I really expect it).  The Imperium is, for the most part, a good old-fashioned action based episode for Duke 3D.  It does utilize some models and coded effects, but it's not trying to be a modern story driven game or anything like that.  It's pretty much mindless action with some engrossing atmosphere and level design.  So if you are looking for puzzles, or a lot of story (there is some, but not a lot), or new gameplay mechanics, then you will be disappointed.  Well that's not completely true, there are a few puzzles and there's some stuff done with the nightvision appearing effect, but no one who played it thought it worth mentioning so obviously it's not a big part of the episode.

[Zykov Eddy]

I guess talking about your personal opinion is now called "shitting", right? 

[Merlijn]

Well, you openly admitted that you started cheating. That's pretty disrespectful.

[Zykov Eddy]

Well, I hope nobody will start hating me for this. I don't know how it's like to work on something for years and then reading dissapointed comments.

[Dan G]

I guess talking about your personal opinion is now called "shitting", right?  

Since you are going to act like an innocent victim who was just expressing his "personal opinion", I'll quote exactly what you said:

Just "played" through this, and I'm gonna be honest - I didn't liked it. Here's a couple of reasons of that:

1.I don't like big maps with lots of action. I hate sensless killing. The levels are huge and awesome, I would never make such a buty in my life, but the gameplay was just boring to me. I liked the beginning, but eventually I just started cheating to get through the big levels.

2.I'm tired of DukePlus features. It was cool when DukePlus was released first time, I liked the awesome step sounds, jumping system, effects, new projectiles, but now it's just annoying to me. Hearing the same sounds & seeing the same stuff is painful.

This is the same reasons as I didn't like WG Realms 2. You guys did a big job - the levels are beautiful, the use of new features are great, but I expected something like Red series, not this. Please sorry me.

The soundtrack, new weapons, the story - I liked it a lot, but I couldn't stand the gameplay.

You say you don't like big maps with lots of action and you hate senseless killing.  By that standard, you should dislike the majority of Duke Nukem releases, and you should dislike the game itself.  And yet I don't see you posting that complaint in other release threads.  That certainly makes it look like you have a bias against us or this project.  It's also a pointless criticism because you are basically saying you don't like this type of gameplay.  In that case you are clearly not the intended audience.  I didn't post in your "The Wall" thread about how I didn't like it because I'm not a fan of Pink Floyd and I prefer more action.  It's true that I'm not a Pink Floyd fan and I prefer more action, but I appreciated your TC for what it was, and the effort that went into it, and recognized that it accomplished what you set out to do.

You also talk about how tired you are of DukePlus to the point where it is actually painful to you.  You don't give any particular reason, so it's not constructive criticism at all.  Then at the end you say you expected something like the red series, ignoring the fact that some sections in the later maps were actually very much like that (I guess you cheated through them so you didn't notice).

So yeah, you dumped some shit on the thread and I just proved it.  It's not because you expressed your "personal opinion", it's because of the disrespectful and unconstructive way that you did it.

[Mikko_Sandt]

Well, I hope nobody will start hating me for this.

Don't be such a wimp. You presented a fair opinion. No need to regret it.

[Gambini]

Well, I hope nobody will start hating me for this. I don't know how it's like to work on something for years and then reading dissapointed comments.

If that´s what takes. I´d rather be honest, or refrain to talk about the matter. Sometimes it is more the way one says something than what is said. Do not confuse casual dialect with disrespectful manners. Or at least measure these both according to the trust you have with the receptor.

[Merlijn]

Then at the end you say you expected something like the red series, ignoring the fact that some sections in the later maps were actually very much like that (I guess you cheated through them so you didn't notice).

This. It just sounds like you rushed through the pack to get to the ending.. Any episode is going to suck that way.

Anyway, I don't hate you, I respect the great stuff you've done for the community. I do hope you understand that I'm probably not going to build anything ever for duke again though - it's just not worth the effort if people just cheat and rush through the stuff I've carefully created.  

[Zykov Eddy]

You say you don't like big maps with lots of action and you hate senseless killing.  By that standard, you should dislike the majority of Duke Nukem releases, and you should dislike the game itself.  And yet I don't see you posting that complaint in other release threads.  That certainly makes it look like you have a bias against us or this project.  It's also a pointless criticism because you are basically saying you don't like this type of gameplay.  In that case you are clearly not the intended audience.  I didn't post in your "The Wall" thread about how I didn't like it because I'm not a fan of Pink Floyd and I prefer more action.  It's true that I'm not a Pink Floyd fan and I prefer more action, but I appreciated your TC for what it was, and the effort that went into it, and recognized that it accomplished what you set out to do.

You also talk about how tired you are of DukePlus to the point where it is actually painful to you.  You don't give any particular reason, so it's not constructive criticism at all.  Then at the end you say you expected something like the red series, ignoring the fact that some sections in the later maps were actually very much like that (I guess you cheated through them so you didn't notice).

So yeah, you dumped some shit on the thread and I just proved it.  It's not because you expressed your "personal opinion", it's because of the disrespectful and unconstructive way that you did it.

At least I ain't said the project is crap. I said I didn't liked it. I also said what the levels and other stuff besides the gameplay and repetitive DP features is beautiful, so my post wasn't complite shit. Some people even supported me with my points.

The Wall is a complite different story. I think everyone knows by now that I don't put lots of action in my maps, so there wasn't dissapointed comments in the threads at all. People knew what to expect from me.

Anyway, I don't hate you, I respect the great stuff you've done for the community. I do hope you understand that I'm probably not going to build anything ever for duke again though - it's just not worth the effort if people just cheat and rush through the stuff I've carefully created. 

I didn't cheated in you RED maps. In fact I've played them a lot without cheating. Since then I expect from you stuff like that.
I'll replay your levels in this project without cheating and then I'll tell you my opinion.


I'm getting confused, so better leave the thread for a while until the next flame war starts.

[Dan G]

I do hope you understand that I'm probably not going to build anything ever for duke again though - it's just not worth the effort if people just cheat and rush through the stuff I've carefully created.  

As far as the comments go, Only Eddy and Spiker had more negative than positive things to say (and I doubt that either one of them have actually played more than 50% of it, probably yes).  Even Gambini seems to like it now that he is actually playing it.  Some people had some criticisms but like it overall, others give it high praise.  The beta testers are a self-selected sample (that is, they signed on for beta testing knowing that it is the kind of thing they like), but they still count as positive opinions.

Mikko will write a review and probably say that it is a very good episode overall, a bit uneven due to the different designers and development delays, with flashes of brilliance but nothing groundbreaking (the DukePlus stuff for example has all been seen before), but a very worthy release that all Duke fans should play.  In fact that's what I think about it myself.

So let's not let a little controversy obscure the fact that it is generally being well-received.  As for not wanting to build anything for Duke again, I totally understand, although I suspect you may have come to the same conclusion even if everyone loved it.  The audience I go for with my mods these days are noobs and people outside of the "community", and I think you understand why.  I've been having some success with that, and if you ever have the itch to build again keep that in mind.