Ion Maiden, a new 3D Realms FPS has launched in Early Access with Linux support

Apart from the name "3D Realms" there is nothing interesting here. Sounds like a cash grab with weird definitions what Early Access means.


Last edited by Doc Angelo on 28 February 2018 at 6:28 pm UTC

Meanwhile Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Worrior Classic are broken after one of Steam updates.


Last edited by axredneck on 28 February 2018 at 6:31 pm UTC

add mac too pls, ty.

I am surprised I like the idea. I was a big fan of Duke Nukem 3D, so I'll keep an eye on this one ;-)

Apart from the name "3D Realms" there is nothing interesting here. Sounds like a cash grab with weird definitions what Early Access means.

I for one am definitely game for another 2.5D sprite based shooter. They look and play fundamentally differently to true 3D FPS games and in 2018 I think we can be mature enough to realize that one does not have to supersede the other.

Certainly a desire to cash in on nostalgia is a big factor here, but this could also serve as the springboard needed to bring back some properly retro FPS titles again, rather than the mass of swarm shooters or procedurally generated roguelite FPS games we have been getting. I welcome that with open arms.


Last edited by Hamish on 28 February 2018 at 6:53 pm UTC

I for one am definitely game for another 2.5D sprite based shooter. They look and play fundamentally differently to true 3D FPS games

What makes the gameplay different for 2D-Raycasters (Doom/DN3D) in comparison to polygon based shooters (Quake/Doom 3/etc...)? You have some restrictions while designing levels for Raycasters, but apart from that, I don't see why the render technique would interfere with the game design.

Apart from the name "3D Realms" there is nothing interesting here. Sounds like a cash grab with weird definitions what Early Access means.

I'm sorry you think that. Myself and the rest of the developers are huge classic FPS fans and long time members of the BUILD/Duke and Doom modding communities and have put in years of effort toward this release. I hope that you will give it a chance, even with your reservations.

I hope everyone enjoys the game! Everyone at Voidpoint and 3D Realms has been working extremely hard to bring a kick-ass classic experience true to the engine's legacy.

Will this be coming to GOG or itch.io?

Yes to GOG. It is already available DRM free directly from 3D Realms.

They really couldn't finish the game first, and have to release into Early Access, huh?
No money left to add Steam Cloud support (or Achievements)?
I'm willing to bet Voidpoint just reused a (mildly tweaked) old 3D Realms engine.
Other than the nostalgia factor, nothing about this looks appealing.
Thanks for supporting Linux, I guess. Now, can we get more real games?

The Preview Campaign is a complete multi-hour, replayable campaign and even has an extra goodie when you complete it. Buying now gets you access to it plus the much larger Single Player Campaign.

This is not like other Early Access products.

Ugh, I hate when they do special "get this special content if you buy the game NOW" sort of thing that games do

Especially when I have no money to buy the game right now :(

The full game releases later this year, so plenty of time left still!

Myself and the rest of the developers are huge classic FPS fans and long time members of the BUILD/Duke and Doom modding communities and have put in years of effort toward this release. I hope that you will give it a chance, even with your reservations.

Maybe a better trailer would help. Apart from stating that other games are bad and this game is not, I just see retro graphics without much that could catch the eye. What makes the game good and different from others? "Real Retro" means completely different things for different people. Maybe elaborate on that a bit in a trailer. I'm sure there is more to show without revealing too much of the main story campaign that's not yet available.

And as I said, the Early Access definition doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It's more like a share ware episode, but you have to pay the full price for it instead of testing it for free.


Last edited by Doc Angelo on 28 February 2018 at 7:59 pm UTC

And as I said, the Early Access definition doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It's more like a share ware episode, but you have to pay the full price for it instead of testing it for free.

I think it's pretty clear.

It's a game you have to buy like any other, currently while they polish it and finish the rest, like all other Early Access games they're giving you a slice of the content that they feel is polished enough to show.

I read the whole article as "Iron Maiden"... Doh!

So I did grab this, and... holy hell, there's actually slowdown still. Vsync off, 60fps cap, but it stutters in places and seems to drop to ~30fps. On an i7-4790K + GTX980 in OpenGL mode, knocked Anisotropic down to 4x. Whaaaaa? Something's not right there. :p

Also, while the *first* screenshot through the Steam overlay I took was fine, the second caused the game to lock up, music still running away. Early Access indeed, I guess. Will definitely have to come back to it and see, but, semi-spoilery easter egg - this looks familiar, doesn't it?

Spoiler, click me


for me it runs very well. the fps range was from ~2000fps to ~100fps alls very smooth. I used mesa drivers with amd ryzen 1800x and vega64lq

When looking at the hardware requirements it seems bit overdriven at all and that there is no further interest in good optimization. So, thanks but NO! Wrong way and looking at the times back then when there was even not that "big hardware" at all the games were more playable and better than today.

Serious Sam > Duke Nukem

I for one am definitely game for another 2.5D sprite based shooter. They look and play fundamentally differently to true 3D FPS games

What makes the gameplay different for 2D-Raycasters (Doom/DN3D) in comparison to polygon based shooters (Quake/Doom 3/etc...)? You have some restrictions while designing levels for Raycasters, but apart from that, I don't see why the render technique would interfere with the game design.

You are forgetting input methods for one thing; I notice in one of the Steam reviews it mentions that you can play the game entirely with the keyboard if you wish, which is something I might actually opt for seeing that is how I play most of the classic Build engine games. You could arbitrarily add this limit to a polygon shooter I suppose, but it actually makes more sense with a raycaster. And as you said, you have to build your levels around the restrictions of the engine, but this also seeps into every other aspect of the game's design. It is a small but in the end non-trivial difference.

I'm sorry you think that. Myself and the rest of the developers are huge classic FPS fans and long time members of the BUILD/Duke and Doom modding communities and have put in years of effort toward this release. I hope that you will give it a chance, even with your reservations.

Always nice to have developers giving us their perspective on here.

When looking at the hardware requirements it seems bit overdriven at all and that there is no further interest in good optimization. So, thanks but NO! Wrong way and looking at the times back then when there was even not that "big hardware" at all the games were more playable and better than today.

I will say, this is not running the DOS version of the BUILD engine but is based on the modern EDuke32 source port.

The requirements are for the expected rendering mode most people can and should pick: OpenGL. It tends to be a lot faster than running everything through software, particularly since the engine is already CPU bound due to the dynamic nature of BUILD (it's not a raycaster, it's a portal engine).

However, software mode is available if GL isn't cutting it for various reasons, for example being on older integrated Intel - if your resolution is low enough (and/or you use pixel doubling) you may actually see playable framerates. Keep in mind this is a much more demanding game than any other BUILD game before, with a lot more effects work and sector geometry, and some cool things that are only possible in BUILD.

The hardware requirements are just what we feel is the easiest to directly support.

There is work being done to bring performance up even further as Early Access goes on, although we probably won't change the listed requirements it's something to look forward to.

Thank you for at least being interested. :)

This game is going to be GOOD! I loved the style and it's so awesome we got to see an original Build Engine game and not a copy of the "style" on Unity or Unreal. Linux support is super cool too :D

I read the whole article as "Iron Maiden"... Doh!

You're not alone, my friend.

It was a good misclick, tho. (If such thing does exist.)

I am very tired of these "retro" games with really outdated graphics that use the homage to the old school as an excuse ...

In those days, the devs did what they could with the few hardware resources they had at hand ..

Today there is no technical excuse for those archaic graphics.


Anyway. For curiosity I downloaded the Demo (because I own the Deluxe Edition of Bombshell), but for some reason I can't make the Linux version run; I had to run the Windows version via crossover...

The game is enjoyable, by the way, like I enjoyed Duke Nukem and Doom in those days...
But 10 USD is too much.. For 5 U$D I will buy it.

As much as Ken Silverman got his praise for being a prodigy programmer,
I remember being shocked looking at the build engine source.

http://www.advsys.net/ken/buildsrc/kenbuild.zip

What an incredible mess. :D

I really want to support this game but $22 seems a tad high for an early access game that is essentially from the 90's. Maybe when it's $10 CAD or I have more money to burn.