Duke Nukem Forever

Duke Nukem Forever
Developers: 3D Realms, Triptych Games, Piranha Games, Gearbox Software Publisher: 2K Games Platform: Windows Released in JP: March 29, 2012 Released in US: June 14, 2011 Released in EU: June 10, 2011 This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused models. This game has unused cinematics. This game has unused items. This game has unused sounds. This game has regional differences. This game has a prerelease article

Duke Nukem Forever was intended to be the series' fourth main game after 3D, but ended up spending well over a decade in development hell, going through so many concepts, developers, staff changes, engine swaps, and pushed-back release dates that the game became a punchline...but come out it did, including a "Balls of Steel" collector's edition containing all sorts of nifty stuff and an announcement that GameStop would honor pre-orders from past years (which ended up including a customer who had preordered the game in 2001).

The finished game itself, on the other hand...let's just say the wait probably wasn't worth it for most. Especially a certain gray cat.

To do: More unused text from various past builds (Shades OS, EDF vs. Pigcops multiplayer...). There's an influx of unused models in the game. See this. There's probably more, considering the game's history.

Sub-Page

Prerelease Info

Unused Text

From engine.int and the 3D Realms days, presumably before Steamworks auto-updating was added:

[General]
Copyright=Copyright (C) 2000-2008 3D Realms Entertainment
Upgrade=To enter this server, you need the latest free update to Duke Forever available from 3D Realms's Web site:
UpgradeURL=http://www.3drealms.com/upgrade
UpgradeQuestion=Do you want to launch your web browser and go to the upgrade page now?
Version=Version %i

From dukeed.int, it seems the game's schoolboy humor even extended to the editor:

[General]
FrameWindow=Duke's Enormous Tool (build: %s %s)

Duke's Mighty Foot

A model named "Mightyfootmelee" exists, suggesting that Duke's signature melee attack was set to return. However, the model is just a box.

Unused Logo Cinematics

Logo cinematics for 3D Realms and Triptych. All companies involved were featured in a single cinematic. This version of the 3D Realms cinematic was seen in some of the early trailers for the game.

3D Realms	Triptych

Demo and Trailer Leftovers

The trailer and upsell screen, along with the standard ESRB notice from the demo are still in the files.

Demo Trailer	Upsell Screen

There is also a model of Duke with a textureless head and hands used for the trailer, plus his lines for the very same trailer.

DUKE_TrailerLine_GoneForever_01	DUKE_TrailerLine_GoneForever_02

‎

Other Unused Cinematics

To do: Check if ezcam_screensaver.bik, ezmail.screensaver.bik, hscan_saver.bik, hscan1.bik, kpadsaver1.bik, puzscrnsaver1.bik, and tripminedisplay.bik are unused. Several of those can be seen in various pre-release videos, but I'm not sure if they're anywhere in the final game.

An older version of the Duke Nukem Forever logo, seen in the E3 2001 trailer.

Test Models

A few test models are present in the files. allprimitives contains all of these models in one, but there is also a separate file for each model.

Unused Audio

Duke

Phew, Duke can breathe again! While he does complain that going in the water will ruin his hair, this line is never played.

A line that could have been used in multiple places, but isn't. It's worth pointing out that this and another used audio file start with "Duke" rather than "DUKE" (which is what the rest of the files use).

Two random lines of Duketalk dubbed into French.

General Graves

A pair of placeholder lines for General Graves, referencing something that does not happen in the game.

Duke's Computer

A placeholder line for Duke's Computer.

Johnny O' Lenoman

An alternate rant from the host of Damn.. It's Late.

For comparison, the used version:

TV Reporter

After the report of the aliens invading Duke Burger in Damn.. It's Late, a second news story starts as the audio fades away, leaving the full report unused.

Other

Ambient lava sounds. There is no lava to be found in the game.

Regional Differences

Japanese Version

• All human characters in the Japanese version stay "in one piece". Thus, there is no more mutilation or dismemberment. This also includes the corpses that are just lying around for decoration. While the uncensored versions show corpses that miss out on a limb here and there, all extremities stay where they belong in the Japanese version. Even the textures that represent the damage were covered up. Also, all severed heads were deleted.
• All images of breasts were censored out, with the exception of the image of a breast being drawn on a blackboard.
• A mission in the strip club replaced the vibrator and condom with a Duke figure and construction helmet.
• The temperature declaration was changed from °F (Fahrenheit) to °C (Celsius) in several sequences. This has no effect on the gameplay.
• The Downloadable Content option in the main menu doesn't exist. It also never existed, as this version was never patched.
• The Japanese version uses a different in-game font.

(Source: Movie-Censorship.com)

Spanish Version

The Spanish version translation/dub localization went the extra mile in detail by changing the "Yeah, but after twelve fucking years, it should be." dialogue line and comical reference to the game prolonged development cycle to a probably more accurate fourteen years timeframe, which supposedly owes to the fact that the first iteration of Duke Nukem Forever was originally announced in 1997 and it took fourteen years until the final game released in 2011. The twelve years timeframe in the English dialogue seems to stick to the 1999-2011 copyright presented within the game.

English	Spanish