Anyone remember some of these 1990s user maps.

methy · 14 February 2014, 17:10:42

Thx, it's a really cool map. Good layout, good flow, good shading, good use of effects

ck3D · 15 February 2014, 12:04:34

Quote from: methy on 14 February 2014, 12:21:14
I've found screenshots of Island and Bob1 on my photobucket while looking for something else :
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/Corentin3/Duke%20Nukem%203D/island.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/Corentin3/Duke%20Nukem%203D/duke0004-1.jpg

Also, does anyone recall these 3 maps? The filenames say 'Downtown', 'Church' and 'Airport' which might be the name of the maps. I know they were on those old PC Magazine CD but I don't have those here (they're at my parents' home), and the names of the map seem very generic... But maybe you guys know and have them? IIRC they were good maps.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/Corentin3/Duke%20Nukem%203D/downtown.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/Corentin3/Duke%20Nukem%203D/church.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/Corentin3/Duke%20Nukem%203D/airport.jpg

'downtown' map looks a lot like this map called torc.map : http://dukerepository.com/maps/Torc

also thanks for reminding me of torc because here is another map by the same author that was one of my all-time favs when i was a kid, always thought the atmosphere was greatly immersive due to the extra care given to the layout, architecture and overall construction (as far as 1996 standards go) : http://dukerepository.com/maps/UnderGround

those other shots you posted look nice, i'll try to play that airport map some day

ps. i remember you sending me a bunch of your early maps you made with your brother approximately a decade ago. wish i could tell you i still had them but i have gone through two or three computers in the meantime and the odds of having backups of those files to this day are very unlikely. especially seeing as one of said computers died out of the blue during a lightning-related accident in a storm in the mid to late 2000's and i had no backup of any of the files i had on its hard drive whatsoever (i am still kicking myself in the ass for this to this day, i lost a major bunch of all kinds of work when it happened)

Puritan sorry for having linked to dn-r instead of directing the potential traffic to your site... i am just old fashioned like that, i grew up with dn-r so everytime i need a link to a map and i know for sure that it's been reviewed on that site i still subconsciously head over there... i need to develop new reflexes. at least i don't post new releases on amc anymore

methy · 15 February 2014, 12:12:10

Yes, that's Torc, thank you.

I also had that Underground map as a kid and it's really good indeed!

It's funny how we all pretty much played the same maps that standout even though we pretty much all got them from different sources. I guess quality paid off!

Puritan · 15 February 2014, 12:57:48

Quote from: ck3D on 15 February 2014, 12:04:34
Puritan sorry for having linked to dn-r instead of directing the potential traffic to your site... i am just old fashioned like that, i grew up with dn-r so everytime i need a link to a map and i know for sure that it's been reviewed on that site i still subconsciously head over there... i need to develop new reflexes. at least i don't post new releases on amc anymore

No worry, man

I was actually having some fun watching your ....uhm....ways.
I knew it was like you said.
Only wanted to lead your attention to even more maps from those authors that might not be so very well known.

Forge · 15 February 2014, 17:39:35

DN-R has been inactive for years now and people still reference or link it from their site. Even the Steam Duke3D section does.
I've only found one site that links to this site and that's MSDN

quakis · 16 February 2014, 17:57:40

Quote from: Forge on 15 February 2014, 17:39:35I've only found one site that links to this site and that's MSDN

Count my site amongst that 'list', though admittedly the link section there could do with improvement on the relevance of each site mentioned.

High Treason · 16 February 2014, 18:54:56

My site also linked to this one, in fact I think it was the first link. Unfortunately DynDNS screwed me over so my vision can never be realized and lots of hard work went down the drain; I had a working search system and everything, FPSE, no CMS (Oldskool) and a better color scheme than anyone else

My links were at the bottom left, that menu got restructured a lot after this thing was taken... And of course, an actual search was added as opposed to asking people to use their browsers.

methy · 16 February 2014, 19:08:28

DNR still has the best design of any Duke site, that's why it keeps getting referenced to. It's at the same time the most beautiful, the most convenient and the most efficient. The only problem with DNR is the lack of real TC/mod/episode section, like, WGRealms is simply with all the rest single player maps.
MSDN is probably on bottom of the list in terms of effeciency. It looks like a thousand confusing sections on the left, maps? hot maps? MY maps? No screenshots in the "hotmaps" list unless you click on the map, your only search engine is the browser's 'ctrl+f'... Probably still half of the old maps linking to dead fileplanet links

MSDN is a good Duke3D news site. This site is getting better now that every page doesn't look like it's a different site anymore, but it still looks kind of amateurish even though I couldn't tell WHY i think it still looks amateurish. DNR still is the best maps database even though it hasn't been updated in 2 years and 4 months. Every time I still wish DNR was still alive.

That's how I see it anyway...

Edit : what the Duke3D has always missed is one major site. Everything has always been divided into several sites which all more or less have their own specialities. Now that the game has a new huge attention on Steam which thousands players it would be the right time to centralize everything, but that's not gonna happen.

MSandt · 16 February 2014, 21:35:27

Quote from: methy on 16 February 2014, 19:08:28
MSDN is probably on bottom of the list in terms of effeciency. It looks like a thousand confusing sections on the left, maps? hot maps? MY maps? No screenshots in the "hotmaps" list unless you click on the map, your only search engine is the browser's 'ctrl+f'... Probably still half of the old maps linking to dead fileplanet links

MSDN is a good Duke3D news site. This site is getting better now that every page doesn't look like it's a different site anymore, but it still looks kind of amateurish even though I couldn't tell WHY i think it still looks amateurish. DNR still is the best maps database even though it hasn't been updated in 2 years and 4 months. Every time I still wish DNR was still alive.

The design is always "shaping up". It's still an evolution of the site that I started from scratch in 1999. I have never used ready-made templates or anything like that.

I don't consider it inefficient. In the past the Hot Maps section stored several subsections because the lists had gotten too big. Now everything is on one page, nicely categorized. A search function would result in zero efficiency gain unless you can't figure out whether you should be looking for a map in the Hot Maps or Maps section, but usually this is not a problem. Those names are a part of the MSDN "lore" so I'm not gonna get rid of them: there are benefits to such a system as it rewards quality work.

The broken links are a bummer and I'm going to fix them at one point, I just have to decide whether I should link to the "Dukeworld" archive (everything released on MSDN was uploaded there at one point anyway) or get my own direct links instead (which would save the trouble of having to worry about broken links in the future).

QuoteEdit : what the Duke3D has always missed is one major site. Everything has always been divided into several sites which all more or less have their own specialities. Now that the game has a new huge attention on Steam which thousands players it would be the right time to centralize everything, but that's not gonna happen.

Centralization would be a terrible mistake. When Dukeworld went down it took tons of stuff with it; it almost killed Duke in an instant. You know the thing about not putting all the eggs in one basket. Centralizaton works in those instances where there's only one site left (unrealsp.org), but that's not really centralization then but survival of the fittest.

James · 19 February 2014, 17:00:20

If Duke4 did map reviews and posted about usermaps rather than the odd post about vaguely Duke-related stuff than it would fit the bill a bit. Right now though there's no reason to visit the frontpage at all. It's more like Planetduke than Dukeworld. Unfortunately the forum has it's fair share of egos which makes good discussion hard at times.

Forge · 19 February 2014, 17:08:08

when DN-R finally collapsed and went off-line i tried to get Tx to start hosting map reviews. He balked at the idea, but conceded to make a Topic for map related work & releases.
He's more interested in programing and coding. I think his logic followed the lines of, "Without eduke32 & mapster, Duke3D would be a dead and forgotten game. Maps are just a by-product of me keeping the game alive."
Not his exact words, but pretty close

I also suggested to Tx to give MSDN a more prominent spot on the front page besides just an insignificant little link off to the side. He didn't blow up, but the answer was an emphatic NO.

James · 19 February 2014, 17:24:46

I don't agree with what he said at all, but I don't think I really need to say that here (hint people keeping the game alive are the modders, mappers, and players not the port makers)

methy · 19 February 2014, 17:32:47

Lol indeed, I'm sure without eduke32 there would be still be tons of maps and mods for the game. Plus, eduke32's possibilities do not keep Duke Nukem 3D alive, rather, it allows for people to make their own games (AMC TC, WGRealms 2, all of Eddy's work, etc have nothing to do with dn3D). And, as far as 'keeping the game alive' goes, Megaton won the prize now.

Also, I never visit duke4's main page. My bookmark directly links to the forum.

But anyway it's like I said, the community is pretty split into each site which more or less have their own specialities. Perhaps it's a consequence of dukeworld's death indeed (people being afraid it could happen again so they all make their little site about what they like best about dn3D), I can't really say though, I never was on dukeworld. I joined in 2004. But meanwhile, Doomworld has always been alive (afaik) and it shows, and it seems to be pretty complete as far as ALL Doom activity goes.

Forge · 19 February 2014, 18:06:44

well i don't know the full truth behind the "whys", but i'm guessing Duke4 was hovering in the wings waiting for DNF to be released. There were probably big plans for hosting mods and whatnot from that game. Aside from the dukeworld backup and the continued porting with eduke32 as a hobby, i think duke3d was destined to be forsaken there at some point. DNF falling flat & not having modding tools killed the "original" intent, but duke3d user made content, never having any significance at that site, created a tradition and attitude that just carried over.

about divisions. i don't think it's so much about worrying if major duke sites will collapse as it is about trying to get artistic and creative people together without ego clashing.

as for the duke4 front page. never visit it unless i'm looking for the link to the infosuite

James · 19 February 2014, 20:02:54

Good point -I think that about sums it up really as even over a decade ago many mappers I can remember had the mindset that they'd start mapping for DNF when it was out. Looking at it that way makes the reality even sadder though, since not only did the game come out so late and not live up to anything, it didn't even bring modding to the table as a redemption either. It was kinda obvious that was gonna happen though (and the lack of a SDK of anykind)