Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon

To download this mod, see the mod's official site on ModDB.

Official Alien Armageddon artwork

Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon is a total conversion for Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition. It was created by DukeBoss Productions and initially released on August 24th, 2018. The EDuke32 source port, which is included in the mod's ZIP file, is required to play it. The mod features a playable female character named Bombshell, new levels, new weapons, new sound effects, new graphics, new music, new enemies, new voice-overs, and new bosses. Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon is meant to be a natural extension of Duke Nukem 3D and what it represents.

Development

Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon originated in January 2018. Sebabdukeboss20, an artist known for his erotic Duke Nukem 3D artwork, started working on making sprite variants of existing enemies after being inspired by the Project Brutality mod for Doom. He eventually started working on unique enemies based on Duke Nukem 3D and Duke Nukem Forever concept art. Deeperthought, a modder well-known for his Attrition (2010) and Duke Forces (2016) total conversions, was looking to get back into modding. Sebabdukeboss20 and Deeperthought started collaborating, eventually bringing others in. One day, Sebabdukeboss20 unveiled a Bombshell sprite sheet that gave Deeperthought the idea of creating an AI partner to make this mod unique. Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon had a tentative release date of July 1st, 2018. The initial version was released in less than a year, a relatively short time compared to other total conversion mods.

After the first release, there was immediate requests for compatibility with expansions such as Duke it out in D.C. There was originally a quick patch to make it work, but eventually it became part of the Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon canon. The levels were left intact but radically overhauled with newer and updated artwork. Some levels, such as Smithsonian Terror, were slightly reworked to be less confusing. Sebabdukeboss20 made a substantial effort to add lots of art to the Smithsonian so the player could explore it like a real museum.

Version 2.0, a major update, was released on February 16th, 2019 with many new features and fixes including an overhauled Duke it Out in D.C. episode and surprise Duke Caribbean: Life's a Beach episode.

Version 2.1 was released on March 1st, 2019 and includes bug fixes, upscaled vanilla enemies, and an optional censored art patch for video streamers. Version 2.15 was released on March 17th, 2019 and included additional bug fixes, coding changes, and art and level updates.

Version 3.0 was released on March 6, 2020. It features a new episode called Space Gladiators with a pseudo style deathmatches similar to Unreal Tournament. It also features several new weapon and shield upgrades that can be purchased from collecting money from matches.

Version 4.0 was released on April 16, 2021 commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Duke Nukem 3d. It features War of Attrition mode which updates an older Duke mod gameplay mod. It also features several gameplay changes including a permanent upgrade vendor, new weapon and perk upgrades, completely redone vanilla enemies, savable slime babes, and several other improvements.

Version 4.5 was released on March 20, 2022. It features a new character of Wes Wolf (parody of Blade) in a short episode called Resistance taking place during Space Gladiators when Duke and Bombshell are off world. It also features more gameplay tweaks, a few new enemies, and several new voxels.

Version 5.0 was released on August 1, 2024. It features the first half of the final episode when Duke, Bombshell, Deanova, and Mando head back to earth to stop Braccus. The second half of Episode 5 will be released in November 2024.

New features

Alien Armageddon includes several new features and modern gameplay updates.

This list comprises most of, but not all, the new features:

• Selectable cooperative AI. Bombshell can be used with Duke or individually in any level. Duke Nukem and Bombshell share the same health and ammo count when swapping, though their weapons are different. When the partner's health is low, you can teleport them to your location and heal them using some of your own health. Bombshell also has unique voice acting and toilet interactions. In co-op, Duke's AI uses a shotgun while Bombshell uses an M4. Their costumes can also be switched (as well as color palette in 2.0).
• 5 playable characters (5.0)
• New weapons (and weapon upgrades in 2.0).
• New enemies, many based on concept art and older versions of Duke Nukem Forever.
• Enemy variants.
• New episodes, including Duke it Out in D.C., have been updated and overhauled (2.0).
• Compatible with the original four episodes.
• New cutscenes for the original four episodes (and episode selection art for 2.0).
• Vending machines are functional and dispense snacks the player can eat for
• Small health boosts.
• Head shots. Some enemies can be decapitated with well-placed head shots.
• A new slide kick attack.
• Animated environments. Some vanilla textures like wall computers and slime are now animated.
• Lots of new art as well as enhanced vanilla art.
• Various new easter eggs, similar to the original Duke Nukem 3D.
• Almost all of the female NPCs from Duke Nukem 3D have been redesigned in greater detail, and almost all can wander freely and react to the player.
• Large underwater areas feature bubbles to replenish air (like Sonic).
• Steroids will cause time to slow down.
• Working holoduke power-up.
• NPCs that can engage in combat (2.0).
• Flushable toilets (2.0).
• Alternate death animations (2.0).
• Night vision goggles can uncover possible secrets and expose subliminal messaging in posters, similar to John Carpenter's 1988 movie They Live (2.0).
• Level progression maps (2.0).
• Upgrade vender (3.0)
• Slime babes can now be saved using rescue spray. (4.0)
• Duke and Bombshell can perform Glory Kills similar to Doom 2016 on certain enemies (5.0)

• 

2.0 Update

An update was released for Alien Armageddon on February 16th, 2019. It featured bug fixes, new weapons, weapon upgrades, new enemies, new combat NPCs, improved AI, and an overhauled Duke it Out in D.C. episode along with other new surprises.

3.0 Update

Version 3.0 was released on March 6, 2020.  It features a new episode called Space Gladiators with a pseudo style deathmatches similar to Unreal Tournament.  It also features several new weapon and shield upgrades that can be purchased from collecting money between matches. 

Other changes:

• Several new weapons and upgrades
• Earlier AA episodes receive a few more changes and decorations to the maps.
• Duke and Bombshell receive new space armor costumes.
• Some enemies and NPCs receive newer sprites
• Redone voice of Emperor Braccus
• More Nightvision "They Live" secrets
• Several new decorations are functional/destructable

4.0 Update

Version 4.0 was released on April 16, 2021.  It features War of Attrition mode which updates an older Duke mod . Attrition mode randomly selects from 200+ user maps and has a progression RPG like system that upgrades the player's arsenal as well as the enemy difficulty.

Other changes:

• Permanent upgrade vendor
• New weapon and perk upgrades
• Completely redone vanilla enemies
• Slime babes are now multi-angled and can be saved
• New costumes and color selection
• Bombshell has a completely new look
• New Invasion has a new first level
• Space Gladiators has a few levels changed
• Various updates to existing levels including vanilla episodes
• Interactive environmental items will now have a hand cursor
• More NPCs
• More unique deaths, including shrinker deaths

4.5 Update

Version 4.0 was released on March 20, 2022.  It features a new character of Wes Wolf (parody of Blade) in a short episode called Resistance taking place during Space Gladiators when Duke and Bombshell are off world. It also features more gameplay tweaks, a few new enemies, and several new voxels.

• Wes Wolf (parody of Blade) as a playable character, voiced by Othello from Unreal Tournament (4.5)
• Short new episode Resistance. Finishing the episode unlocked Wes as a playable character in other episodes.
• Voxels for all weapon and ammo pickups as well as decorations like cars and ships
• Improved Attrition mode
• Upscaled vanilla textures
• Updated FMVs for the original vanilla Endings and Intro.
• Wallpapers

5.0 Update

Version 5.0 was released on August 1, 2024. It features the first half of the final episode when Duke, Bombshell, Deanova, and Mando head back to earth to stop Braccus. The second half of Episode 5 will be released in November 2024.

• Deanova and Mando are now playable
• First half of the episode Hail to the King, Baby
• Duke and Bombshell can now perform glory kills on certain enemies

Trivia

• Nearly all of the sprites for the new female NPCs are 50% larger when compared to normal enemies and vanilla Duke Nukem 3d. According to artist Sebabdukeboss20, this was done on purpose.
• Several easter eggs appear in the new episodes. Lara Croft makes a unique appearance in every episode.
• If the player is idle as Bombshell, she will deliver an extensive monologue.
• Pigcops can use the bathroom too (2.0).
• The green-haired girl in the toilet is a direct reference to 3D Realms' 1997 video game Shadow Warrior.
• One of the movie posters is a movie called "Alien Abduction." This is a reference to Sebabdukeboss20's erotic flash game Abduction 4.0, inspired by the "babes" of Duke Nukem 3D.
• Sebabdukeboss20 was particular about gun authenticity and made sure the pistols had their slides locked back when reloading and the hammer cocked for the 1911 and Desert Eagle.
• Sebabdukeboss20 said the most difficult job for him was making sure all the girl's skin colors were correct in the color palette as they would commonly convert to orange in different shades.
• A Super Mario character appears in each episode (except Carribean), usually in a secret area.

Credits

Main credits

Artwork: sebabdukeboss20

Coding: Deeper Thought

Level designers:

• William Gee (Bombshells, early version)
• Maarten Van Oostrum and Merlijn Van Oostrum (Bombshells, Hard Rain, Red 2 Zombie Edition)
• James Stanfield (Sunk City, Area 59, Hidden Base)
• Forge
• ck3d
• Elandy
• MC84
• Anton
• Sebabdukeboss20

Bombshell voice: Batsuey

Dr. Proton/Mando voice: Major Tom

Deanova voice: Alicatgamer

Testers: Forge (lead tester), Running Duke

Level editors: Forge (various levels), NUKEMDAVE (Duke it Out in D.C. and Duke Caribbean: Life's a Beach levels)

Additional credits (the following people created assets that were used in Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon, but were not directly involved with the mod’s development)

The entire EDuke32 development team – made the platform that AA runs on

Voxel pack: Michelle Sleeper (a.k.a. ReaperMan)

Effect sprites: Cage

3D skyboxes: Fox

Weapon sprite artwork: Bullov, Minigunner, and DNF (all made the Railgun sprite art), Cage (made the Alien Laser Pistol and Buzzsaw sprite art), HMNuke93 (made the Desert Eagle Pistol sprite art, minor edits made by sebabdukeboss20)

All the people who made the original Duke Nukem 3D

Credits information sources: Text in the Credits.doc file, text in the AA Credits.rtf file, text in the AA Changelog.txt file, and the “Credits” menu included in Duke Nukem: Alien Armageddon.

Links

• The Mod's Official Download Page and Forum (ModDB.com)