i didn't play duke nukem 3D growing up (hell, i didn't play doom until middle school) but years ago a friend introduced me to the game. i was vaguely aware of it prior, but had never really looked into it too much. the game itself⌠i haven't finished. the engine is extremely impressive (carmack has nothing on silverman) and the theme song is superb and the gameplay is fun but the level design is maybe a bit lacking. the beach episode is good tho!
she also introduced me to pascal rouaud's "roch" series of maps. i don't know if it stands for something or if it's a word in french or what, but they're these fascinating little cityscapes full of secrets upon secrets. unlike doom (which largely takes place in military bases, labs, hell, etc), substantial portions of duke3D take place in mundane urban environmentsâthe first map, for instance, has a movie theater; sure, it has secret rooms with upgrades and ammo strewn about and whatnot, but it's still intended to be a normal american movie theater and has textures and objects to match. duke may venture into a strip club or a pool hall (with sorta-working pool table!) or even just a store. sure, he goes on alien spaceships and stuff, too, but large chunks of the game's assets are dedicated to regular, everyday things, like brick walls, wood floors, office chairs, televisions, boomboxes⌠and plenty of strippers, babes, etc.
rouaud used these assets in fascinating ways, crafting sprawling urban landscapes that feel remarkably lived-in considering they're populated solely by nigh-inanimate strippers, alien monsters, and duke nukem's back sprite. i highly recommend!
