Duke Nukem: The Once & Future King?

Posted 11/19/2010 at 3:33pm | by Nathan Grayson

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Duke Nukem Now

Gearbox cofounder Brian Martel predicts how Duke will adapt after his long absence

Maximum PC: Duke's been out of action for a long, long time. Gaming's gone through all sorts of fads and phases since his last outing – from loudmouthed brat, to pimply faced teenager, to a slightly awkward young adult. Regardless of how the gameplay turns out, do you think Duke himself is still relevant to modern gamers? Where does Duke fit in? 

Brian Martel: I think he fits in the same place he always has, which is, in a way, a reflection of the ‘80s action hero. I think that’s really it. He’s this badass dude and he’s semi-misogynistic, right? But he doesn’t hate women. Because obviously, he wouldn’t be rescuing all the women in the world with this alien invasion [if he did]. So we’re talking super deep story here, obviously. [Laughs].

I think he’s still relevant. On the one hand, he’s a reaction to the ‘80s action hero, and he’s an embodiment of all those sorts of things – the people that George Broussard was inspired by and all that kind of stuff. But at the same time, when you have characters like the Doom marine and the Wolfenstein guy – both of whom never said anything – for Duke, having him actually comment on what was going on was novel then. And I think we’re sort of in the same place again. You know, when we look at Gordon Freeman, he’s awesome, but everyone else is reacting to Gordon. He’s not saying anything. He’s just the vessel for the player. Now we have Duke again coming back, and that’s where we are today. 

With Duke going MIA for so many years, why do you think no one really took that ball and ran with it? Why do we instead have all these mute, blank slate-type characters running around saving the world?

Basically, there’s this way of thinking where the character shouldn’t say something that the player may be thinking. So on one hand, if you have sort of the University of Game Design, a lot of people fall in this category of “the player should be the one thinking it, and the character shouldn’t be saying it.” And that when the character says it, it’s a little disembodied. So you’re like, “Was that me? Who was that?” Especially when you have a cast of characters around – like in a Modern Warfare. So I think there’s that school of thought.

With Duke alone – nobody but himself, the sort of sole savior of the universe – when he says something, it’s kind of easy to be there. So I don’t really know why no one’s really done it before, except some of those reasons: it was a taste thing, and some people were a little bit scared of it in some ways. 

What kind of condition was Duke Nukem Forever in when Gearbox took over? Was it mostly finished? How much of an influence has Gearbox had on the game creatively speaking? What's been added on your watch? Was the plot finished when you took the wheel? What about levels, weapons, and whatnot?

The game was in really good shape, first off. So to answer your question, it was in good shape. There was a lot of it. The guys at Triptych Games had already pared it down a bit. So they had been working on it for a while anyway. Mike Wardwell – who’s the producer of the project at Gearbox – really worked with those guys to help narrow it down even more and make sure that the scope is correct. You also have the sort of things where the beginning of the game has a certain feel, so you’re getting the player into it.

It’s just one of those sort of things where new, fresh eyes could help look at it and go “Oh, you guys might try this.” But it wasn’t like “You should do this kind of thing!” It was like “You should try this.” This is influence. “It’s your game. You guys can do what you want. But this is how we would do this thing.”

Now, we did some other things like modify the EDF soldiers. Before, they were probably a little too sci-fi – maybe a little more like a Halo guy. Now they’ve got armor that’s more appropriate to the era, and Duke – this guy who’s all by himself – fits in appropriately. Because if you have this super sci-fi guy next to Duke, it feels weird. So we did some touching up on Duke as well and really pushed that character we’re talking about – that badass ‘80s hero kind of thing. Obviously the ‘roid rage, that kind of thing. [Laughs].

So yeah, that was really it in a nutshell. Just kind of putting a nice gleam on it, and we’re working with those guys to do it. Then the other aspect is just getting it onto the consoles. So here’s a game that’s been being developed for the PC with no mind for that kind of thing. And now you go “Hey, by the way, you have to fit in this memory and these restrictions!” So that’s a new burden for those guys, and we’ve got a lot of expertise there. So we’re putting a lot of effort toward that.  

So would you call Duke Nukem Forever a Gearbox game? Is it your baby, or is it just some kid you adopted from 3D Realms?

Well, it’s hard not to call it a Gearbox game, because we’re obviously adding our own bits to it and our flavor to it, and making sure it reaches a high quality level. Those are things we would put under our brand. But at the same time, you know, I think that’s it in the simplest form. Yes, I think it is a Gearbox game. I think when you look at Randy [Pitchford] and myself and our history of working at 3D Realms, this is so close to our heart that, yeah, we may not have developed it, but it falls within the same kind of things we would like to see out there.  

What was it like debuting the game at Penny Arcade Expo? Were you happy with fans’ response to it? Were you surprised at all?

I don’t think anybody could have predicted that reaction. We went in knowing that, yeah, a lot of people were going to like it, but you’re still kind of hedging your bets. You’re still kind of like “Is this game gonna be relevant?” All those things.  

3DR co-owner George Broussard wouldn’t leave his hotel room, right?

Yeah, and I think we all felt that to some degree. We knew the game was really good, and we also knew it was really different from anything else that’s on the market right now from a diversity standpoint and the kinds of things you do in the game. It’s just different. And given all of that, we knew that if people got their hands on it, they were going to like it.

And the first moment they opened the doors, the guys were just running through. A guy basically fell down. He stopped so fast sliding. He was like “Holy sh**! Is that real?” He was all over the place, you know? And we just said, “Yeah, sure, come on in. Come get in line.” The first guys got in line and they just couldn’t believe it. And then the lines kept getting bigger and bigger up to the point where one of the lines was six hours long. People were waiting six hours to play this game. It was nuts.

So nobody could predict that. And then the stuff that happened on Twitter. it took over Twitter for a whole day. it was just nuts. But it was awesome. We were very happy that there was that much interest in it.  

There’s got to be a lot of pressure there, then. You have quite the legacy to live up to, and if you don’t, the entire Penny Arcade Expo will probably hunt you down. Has that pressure gotten to you at all?

Yes and no. On the one hand, of course we’re all like “I hope that everybody is going to like what we’re delivering.” But at the same time, the game is reaching a level where it’s different from the kinds of games that we’re seeing. It’s whacky, it’s irreverent, it’s got that sort of tone to it. It’s all these different things that come together in a way that’s unique. So given that, it needs to be out there in the world. So for us, that’s sort of the fundamental driving thing: we want to get this out in people’s hands as soon as possible, deliver it to as many people as we can, and hopefully, they’ll all love it the way we do.  

How worried are you about the potential for backlash? Seems like every other Internet comment you guys get is “Well, if it’s not the greatest game of all time, then it was the biggest waste of time… of all time.”

There’s going to be guys that are noisy. And there are guys that are going to want to say things just to say things. And yes, there are people that we can never satisfy. The mind’s eye is always going to be better than what we can deliver. That’s true for every one of those guys working on the project right now. When we start a game, the mind’s eye vision of it is always much more grand [than the final product]. I think it’s really a matter of understanding what’s good enough and not trying to drive toward utter perfection.

Frankly, I think everyone should just be thankful that they’re getting to play the game at all. So hopefully, that overrides the idea of “It’s not the best game I’ve ever played!” I believe they’re going to have a really fun experience. I believe it’s going to be an incredible game. All these things are going to be satisfying. But you can’t be perfect. That’s probably the travesty of the history of the project, is that this isn’t the fifth or sixth Duke game we have out. Where would Duke be today if he’d had all those other adventures?

And maybe he did. For a lot of those guys who worked at 3D Realms of the years, he had a lot of adventures. [Laughs]. There were multiple games that they built that aren’t actually in this game for all intents and purposes. But, you know, I’m just happy everybody’s going to get it and be able to play it.

What engine is the game running on these days?

It is a modified version of Unreal. It’s ridiculously heavily modified.

What’s the weapon selection looking like this time around? Anything particularly ridiculous or insane?

As far as I know, I don’t think the guns are going way, way overboard. I think they’re generally what you would expect. I mean, you’ve still got your shrink ray and your freeze ray and all that stuff. They haven’t really gone crazy with the weapons. So it should be really modern versions of everything you’d expect from a Duke game – with a few little twists here and there.

Are other aspects of the weapon system sticking with that throwback mentality? Simple and to the point? No weapon upgrade systems and things of that nature to clog up the works?

It’s pretty much based around the idea that the level helps you know what you need to use, and there are specific sorts of problems to solve with a particular gun. And you’re really only able to get the guns that are available on a level-by-level basis. There’s no crazy upgrade path – no Borderlands “a zillion guns” sort of thing.

On the whole, how open is the game? I noticed in the demo that I could do whatever I wanted for a bit, but before long, I moved into an area that pretty much roadblocked everyplace I wasn’t supposed to go.

It’s more of a linear scripted type of game. There are areas we call “fat lemons.” So it’s more of a fat lemon kind of thing, where you come in to an entry point and sometimes you’ll have sort of a wide path. So it gets open, and then it kind of closes up again. That’s sort of a typical feel for this game. It’s not a GTA-type thing.

How sophisticated is your AI? Are these guys going to be taking cover and flanking, or are they glorified dart boards?

At different times in the game, they do a bunch of different things. So at times, they’ll be rushing you, like the Pig Cops will be climbing over stuff and running at you. Other times, yeah, they’ll sort of duck behind something, pop up, do their strafing maneuver, and eventually work their way around. You know, it’s got a little bit of all those AI things. But it’s not trying to be, you know, “I’m playing against a tactical team.” They’re Pig Cops, for God’s sake! And Lizard Troopers. They’re not the smartest. [Laughs].

How much of the game is going to be vehicular? There was a quick monster truck section in the demo, so…

I don’t know what the total percentage is. It’s sort of “when does it feel good to have a [vehicular] moment, or when does the story make sense to have this moment?” It’s appropriately paced for thinking about diversity through the game.

So is it just the monster truck, or will be Duke be making non-kosher road pizzas with whatever car or truck he can get his hands on?

There’s other vehicles, yeah. And there are many drivable wheeled vehicles and other things.

What’s the game’s multiplayer component looking like? What kinds of modes and options can we expect?

I think this is going to be more along the lines of modes and a lot of levels. It’s kind of along the lines of what you would expect from Duke. It’s going to be a badass kind of fun Duke experience from multiplayer, so if you liked Duke multiplayer in the past, this game is going to be exactly what you would expect.

Earlier, I heard Randy Pitchford and co. talking about some “ESRB troubles” you’ve been having what with Duke, you know, being Duke. Are you skirting the limits of the M-rating by taking Duke’s frequently vocalized love of sex and ultra-violence to the next level? Is this something that’s going to make the GTAs and God of Wars of the world blush and fidget with their petticoats?

It’s probably going to be close. We’re pushing the limits of the M-rating for sure. We’re well, well into M. If there’s a threshold M, we’re very much in there. 

The modern shooter landscape is full of over-serious, overly gray Gears of War, Call of Duty, and Halo: Reach types. Do you think Duke has the potential to turn things around, make the industry take a good, hard look and the mirror, and say, “Hey, we’re taking ourselves a bit too seriously”? Do you think videogames in general need more humor?

Yeah, I think that when you play Duke, you’ll realize that games are supposed to be fun. And it’s pretty much as simple as that. Yeah, sure, there’s room for serious games and games that are irreverent and just fun. Duke’s on that threshold.

Think of it as a spectrum. Look at movies; think of, you know, true drama. That’s what these games are trying to be – you know, the action equivalent of a true drama. Heavy Rain, that’s a little further over. [Duke] is more like “The Hangover.” It’s more toward that spectrum. It’s not literally that, but yes, it’s got its moments that may be moderately serious, but the rest is just having a good time. That’s the crux of Duke: he’s having a good time and he’s saving the world, and it’s fun to save the world.

You’re saying 2011 for the release date. Can you narrow it down at all? First half of the year? Second?

It’s 2011. If I told you a particular date, no one would believe it anyway. So it’s better that we just all acknowledge the fact that if we’re going to make a promise, let’s make a broad promise. Because the more narrow we get, the more like asshats we’ll look if we fail. So our goal is to say 2011, and we’ll get it to you when everything comes in line and it’s appropriate for the market. That’s what we’re taking into account. We just don’t want to make promises we can’t keep.

So you brought Duke to Penny Arcade Expo as a way of saying, “Look, everyone. DNF is real. You can play it!” It seems, then, that a demo is in order at some point, if only to send a similar message to the rest of the world. Do you have any firm plans there?

I think we’re still trying to figure out exactly what those plans will be, but whatever they are, they’re going to be in line with that idea. We want to get it into people’s hands so they know it’s real. We’ve been joking about different ideas of how we could do that – including a taco truck driver driving around the country so people can play it. Whatever. I don’t know what will actually happen, but we’ll do something really cool. We love that reaction when people can get it in their hands and play it and believe it. So we’ll see.

How about the standard modern shooter checkboxes? Will there be post-release DLC?

We’re definitely thinking about those things, and we’re making sure that they can be a part of the game. But right now, we don’t have a direct plan for what those will be. Right now, our biggest thing is wanting to get this game into people’s hands in 2011, and we want to make sure it’s a good game that everybody wants. That’s our number one concern.

Next page: Duke Nukem Forever with Gearbox president Randy Pitchford »