How would you fix Duke Nukem Forever?

So, DNF was a total flop and a decade of anticipation has already left it forgotten by the wayside two months after its release. As a sequel, it was bad. as a generic shooter, it was bad. as a parody of action heroes, it was still bad.

so, what could have been done to make the game better? Other than the "standard" improvements like better graphics/AI.

Here's one idea that started off creative and ended up generic: the health = ego thing.

Duke pumps iron to boost his ego permanently, he runs and hides to boost his ego... and when his ego drops down to nothing, he dies bleeding on the floor. yeah... it's just a health meter.

Here's my idea to fix that one aspect of the game. Much like how the old duke was a parody of the 90's action heroes, he should be a parody of the standard console FPS hero. the system is a little complex, maybe unintuitive, but a few audio cues could remind players what they mean.

• First, whenever duke kills any enemy, his ego automatically replenishes. He should whoop or cheer or say something snide to let the player know.

• If duke kills an enemy with his fists, he gets a much larger ego boost. naturally, it's a more badass way of killing enemies.

• If the player runs and hides while enemies still exist on the field, Duke's ego DROPS. He will say phrases like, "What the hell am I doing, hiding like a little girl?" or "I should be out there kicking ass!"

• If ego drops to zero, Duke gets one last chance- "narcissist rage" or something like that. He's invincible for a few seconds, but he MUST kill an enemy in that time or it's game over.

• the actual game over is not him dying. If he fails to kill the enemy, and his ego's at zero, he just drops his guns, curls into the fetal position on the ground and gives up, saying things like "I'm fucking useless... those hot chicks won't ever come to my apartment again..."

Carry all weapons, lol.

But seriously, that and the ideas you mentioned cover all of the things I thought of.

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.

While I agree with you, this is more or less a complaint thread

ALL CREATURE WILL DIE AND ALL THE THINGS WILL BE BROKEN. THAT'S THE LAW OF SAMURAI.

Eh, maybe, but it could be used for a constructive purpose. That's a pretty fine line though.

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.

Open environments instead of linear scripted hallways like Call of Duty

Able to carry every weapon at once.

Your ideas I like, remove cover taking.

FAST, MAKE DUKE FAST. None of this garbage slow Co D/Halo crap, bring back old school FPS speed.

Make the boot the dedicated melee button.

More varied weapons and enemies.

Less Rape jokes. (Seriously, WTF)

i really hope that someone who's really good at modding might, one day, release a mod with many suggestions made in this thread and turn DNF into a playable, if not good, game.

Why not bring back medkits? Regenerating health just doesn't quite feel right.

edited 28th Aug '11 9:37:13 PM by stevebat

Apocalypse: Dirge Of Swans.

Well, the modding tools are supposedly coming, so...

"Hipsters: the most dangerous gang in the US." - Pacific Mackerel

They'll be released in five years tops. : P

edited 28th Aug '11 9:40:26 PM by Ramus

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.

The idea of Duke curling up in a fetal position if the player fails to live up to Dukedom is pretty interesting and roflful. However as far as making it an actual good game and not a parody I think this list pretty much covers it:

I would add:

Make Duke roughly as durable as he was in 3D, and the only health regeneration would be outside of combat, or at least pathetically slow during combat. I'd prefer health packs but a mixture of the two would also work if done right.

Remove the dedicated grenade button and make it a regular weapon.

Get rid of ironsights. Just another way of slowing the game down for the console crowd. And in universe, Duke fires from the hip.

Get rid of the warthog driving sections. Those haven't been fun since Halo 1.

Give Duke an optional giant cigar that takes up a huge portion of the center of the screen so it is almost impossible to see form first person. It's optional.

If there are going to be any jokes, don't make them simple allusions. Those work for plagiarized 80s movie lines as an element of his general parody persona, because they sound stupid. The whole game's sense of humor needs to be more self-aware.

No more throwing turds please.

However none of this is going to happen. The lead designer has a very bad attitude about accepting criticism regarding both the gameplay and humor, and is using the large number of sales (to who I'd guess are pretty disappointed players) as evidence that what they did to Duke is right.

edited 28th Aug '11 10:38:29 PM by Mammalsauce

the chicks should have bigger thingies

more blood

Except [condescending response follows]. Because [sarcasm here]. You do understand [snark], right? POTHOLE TO SARCASM MODE

Wasn't there already a Duke game where his health was his ego? You lost ego getting shot, but you gain some of it back if you kill the alien shooting at you. And instead of healtpacks, you can raise your ego by collecting Duke Nukem Merchandise. (As he always did for points in the 2D games.)

Don't take life too seriously. It's only a temporary situation.

I'd just make it like Duke Nukem 3D but with better graphics, sure that would be the same thing but let's face it nowadays every action game is like call of duty, gears of war or grand theft auto so seeing a classic fps would be almost as impressive as games like doom and wolfenstein were back then.

It'd be nostalgic and frankly I think DN 3 D aged very well despite everything, it featured varied levels(unlike doom), ocasional setpieces and cool weapons.

If they focused on these 3 strenghts the game would be great for novelty alone and they could get away with all the crude and sexisist humor because the game would be GOOD(that's why DN got away with it).

I was actually looking at some vids from early DN 3 D and frankly, I'd play all those versions that never got released, they actually looked pretty fun.

:)

Humor wise... Well, I guess there should be some jokes about Duke being "old fashioned"(well, uber badass jokes are funny, but to some hes just sexist, so more self refential humor I guess?) and that concept of female badass who doesn't like Duke was interesting.

edited 29th Aug '11 2:37:04 AM by SpookyMask

I would have released a relatively short time after DN3D, when he was still relevant. Otherwise, I would have just canceled it.

Duke himself is actually... pretty lame. The strength of Duke Nukem 3D (and the 2D predecessors) was the gameplay, not the Duke. I thought that people finally realize this after the DNF disaster, but the OP shows that this is not the case. I mean...

...Seriously?

Please, it was never meant to be a parody. Duke Nukem has never been a parody, not in Forever, not in 3D. He is over-the-top, sure, but that doesn't equate parody. Duke, as the character, is just a power fantasy. That worked well in 3D, which was about the game not the Duke, but not in Forever, which is simply about the Duke.

Calling Duke Nukem a parody of action heroes is like calling the WBC a parody of fundamentalist loonies.

People aren't as awful as the internet makes them out to be.

Remake Duke Nukem 3D but with better graphics and different levels. Done.

Didn't it sell millions and make a profit?

Also, basically just everything you said.

edited 29th Aug '11 5:20:21 AM by SoberIrishman

"Is fearr Gaeilge briste ná Béarla cliste."

I know very little about the game, but from what I've heard of it I think the part where the young women that he is attempting to rescue die in screaming agony is probably a bit of a misjudgement... it doesn't really seem to fit with what seems to be the rest of the general atmosphere.

That part was funny, though.

"Is fearr Gaeilge briste ná Béarla cliste."

I have never played any Duke Nukem games, but werent them more "arcade" than "realistic" like the new games?

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death itself may die."

No, it wasn't by a long shot. Even if it wasn't grotesque it still would have been asinine and unfunny as best. As it is it's a severe failure of black comedy.

I'll be interested to see if the mod community has any dedicated enough Duke fans to cook up one of those total conversions that changes a lot of things about this game.

"Tyyr's a necessary evil. " Spirit

nofunallowed.jpg

"Is fearr Gaeilge briste ná Béarla cliste."

Not really seeing what's all that fun about two teenage girls being alien raped, impregnated, and then as they beg you to save them and you try to rescue them having them explode into gristle and gore.

Then again there's a market for things like Saw or Final Destination so maybe I shouldn't be shocked.

edited 29th Aug '11 8:05:48 AM by Tyyrlym

"Tyyr's a necessary evil. " Spirit

I don't think you try to rescue them. Doesn't Duke say something like "Sorry ladies, looks like you're fucked"?

edited 29th Aug '11 8:18:12 AM by SoberIrishman

"Is fearr Gaeilge briste ná Béarla cliste."