Well this was unexpected! 3D Realms is back, teaming up with Voidpoint for a brand new FPS named Ion Maiden [Steam, Official Site] and the first part is now available in Early Access with Linux support.
It's using an upgraded version of their "Build engine" to include bigger levels, more colour support and many more modern features. However, they said it's being built using original old-school tools and methodologies. They say it's the "true successor to classic shooters such as Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior and Blood".
Direct Link
From the press release I got sent today:
Ion Maiden laughs at the idea of constant checkpoints and straight paths through shooting galleries. But just because this is a true old-school first-person shooter doesn’t mean there won’t be all the good new stuff the last two decades have brought. Headshots? Hell yeah. More physics and interactivity? You betcha. Widescreen, controller support, and Auto Saves? 3D Realms and Voidpoint took the best of both worlds and cooked it all into a bloody stew.
3D Realms and Voidpoint are proud to bring back the Build engine, which powered Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and Shadow Warrior, in all of its hand-crafted pixelated glory. They’ve spent a lot of time tinkering under the hood to take advantage of new technology and techniques. Bigger levels, hundreds of new colors, and morphing maps that transform mid-level are all just a few of the advancements made to the engine.
On top of crafting an oldschool FPS with modern touches, they are also hinting at some form of multiplayer too.
"Bringing back classic build-engine shooters has been our aim for years, so we’re diving right into a spiritual successor to the games which put 3D Realms on the map,” Frederik Schreiber, Vice President, 3D Realms. "The team assembled for this project knows exactly how to execute our vision, and we couldn't be more excited to finally bring back a true 3D Realms shooter."
Pretty nice that it has full Linux support—exciting! The current version is a "polished exclusive multi-hour preview campaign", with a plan for the full game to be ready in "Q3" of this year.
You can grab it from Steam, or from their official site for a fully DRM free build. From what I understand it will also head to GOG sometime as well, but I've not been told when.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: Smoke39Really sad to see people dismissing this as nothing more than nostalgia pandering. Most "retro" shooters these days are either linear sequences of arenas or rogue-likes, and most modern shooters are dull roller coasters more interested in spectacle than gameplay. If Ion Maiden can reproduce the intricate level design of Duke 3D, Shadow Warrior, and Blood, it'll be something special, irrespective of its visual aesthetic. Dusk is the only other game I know of that's even trying to do something similar.
It's cool if it's not your style of game, but I don't think it's fair to dismiss an entire style of FPS that's currently woefully underrepresented just because this particular one has pixels.
I partially agree with you but personally I prefer my shooters the way they are now story driven i know they mostly are hardly original with their stories exceptions being the darkness etc. But yeah to each his own these type of game are not for me bc well i was there when these types of games were new playing doom and quake back in the day on my brothers 486, they were fun then but i find them really dull now.
Quoting: MblackwellI will say, this is not running the DOS version of the BUILD engine but is based on the modern EDuke32 source port.
Ah, so my first impression watching the trailer was correct after all :D
And as this is one of the games I still play regularly, Ion Maiden went directly to my GOG wishlist. I'll wait for the release, though - I'm not a fan of play-the-full-thing-later, be it shareware or early access or whatever else you call it ;)
Mountain Man Mar 1, 2018
Quoting: GuestI'm glad 3D Realms is still around in one form or another.It's mostly just a name these days. I don't think the original owners -- George Broussard and Scott Miller -- are even involved with the company any more.
...which I suppose is a good thing considering they're the ones who ran it into the ground.
Last edited by Mountain Man on 1 March 2018 at 1:51 pm UTC
Quoting: Mountain ManI don't think the original owners -- George Broussard and Scott Miller -- are even involved with the company any more.
Scott Miller is definitely still involved with the new 3D Realms:
QuoteFounder Scott Miller, Manager Bryan Turner, and Community Manager Joe Siegler are all back. The very first employees of 3D Realms!George Broussard not so much:
QuoteGeorge is a very close friend of ours -- he's a huge part of the heart and soul of 3D Realms. George is still connected to us, but isn't active at this time. The door is always open, of course, and we hope to see George back in action in the future!Source: https://3drealms.com/faq/
Nice to see Joe Siegler is back as well.
Last edited by Hamish on 1 March 2018 at 5:43 pm UTC
inlinuxdude Mar 1, 2018
Quoting: TheSHEEEPQuoting: Luke_NukemI read the whole article as "Iron Maiden"... Doh!This comment made me realize it is NOT actually Iron Maiden :D
I was wondering the whole time how they got the license to use the name...
Do you think the band could enforce a game using that name, when the game makers could say it was just named after the torture device and not the band? I mean, that's where the band got their name, and I'm sure they didn't pay anything..
Unless I find the the Linux build promised on the Ion Maiden page I am going to have to claim my refund.
Last edited by Hamish on 1 March 2018 at 6:03 pm UTC
Quoting: inlinuxdudeIt all depends on how bored the lawyer is ;)Quoting: TheSHEEEPQuoting: Luke_NukemI read the whole article as "Iron Maiden"... Doh!This comment made me realize it is NOT actually Iron Maiden :D
I was wondering the whole time how they got the license to use the name...
Do you think the band could enforce a game using that name, when the game makers could say it was just named after the torture device and not the band? I mean, that's where the band got their name, and I'm sure they didn't pay anything..
Quoting: inlinuxdudeYeah, but "Ion Maiden" is cleverer anyway.Quoting: TheSHEEEPQuoting: Luke_NukemI read the whole article as "Iron Maiden"... Doh!This comment made me realize it is NOT actually Iron Maiden :D
I was wondering the whole time how they got the license to use the name...
Do you think the band could enforce a game using that name, when the game makers could say it was just named after the torture device and not the band? I mean, that's where the band got their name, and I'm sure they didn't pay anything..
Mountain Man Mar 1, 2018
Quoting: HamishInteresting.Quoting: Mountain ManI don't think the original owners -- George Broussard and Scott Miller -- are even involved with the company any more.
Scott Miller is definitely still involved with the new 3D Realms:
QuoteFounder Scott Miller, Manager Bryan Turner, and Community Manager Joe Siegler are all back. The very first employees of 3D Realms!George Broussard not so much:
QuoteGeorge is a very close friend of ours -- he's a huge part of the heart and soul of 3D Realms. George is still connected to us, but isn't active at this time. The door is always open, of course, and we hope to see George back in action in the future!Source: https://3drealms.com/faq/
Quoting: HamishNice to see Joe Siegler is back as well.Haven't seen much of him lately. I'm a member of a private forum with a bunch of us from back before 3D Realms went bankrupt, and Joe used to post regularly, but not so much any more. This explains why.
Last edited by Mountain Man on 1 March 2018 at 6:58 pm UTC
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me