I used to be really into Duke Nukem 3D - I had the full version, plutonium pack upgrade, you name it. Then one day I was trying to install a total conversion, foolishly failed to back up the directory, and poof! it was hopelessly corrupted. I didn’t have the disks anymore, so I just told myself it was a sign that I should be spending that time more productively.
Now I have a new computer and a little more time on my hands, and I decided to download the shareware version and indulge in a little exploding-alien nostalgia. I quickly tore through the “Hollywood Holocaust” episode and went out on the Net looking for some user-created Duke levels to explore.
Which brings me to my problem. I can’t figure out how to get it to access the user level I downloaded! I thought it should be accessible through the setup menu, but it’s not. Are user levels supported only by the full version? Or am I just forgetting something? Please help - I want to kick some alien butt.
I think you might be stuck. A lot of games, even back to the first Quake (ah, the joys of youth!) came out with “demos” that didn’t support add-on levels. If I remember correctly, DN3D was one of them. For the most part, third-party levels usually use elements that are only found on the “full” version anyway, so you might have to knuckle under and go buy the thing. These days, that should be less than 20 bucks, so it’s not a big dent in your wallet.
BTW, if you are into 1st person shooters, I highly reccomend you try System Shock 2 (another awesome bargain game), or No One Live Forever. Both are super-cool, and ooze atmosphere. If you are into multiplayer shooters, try Tribes 2, my current obsession. Human players can be a LOT more sneaky than any AI monster!
Yup. Shareware versions don’t generally support user add-ons. Incidentally, there’s an opengl source port being worked on for Duke3d…anyone try it yet? Screenshots look iffy, but I haven’t checked in a year or so.
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I’ve been playing through Deus Ex lately. Great, great game.
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Thanks for the advice. I’d planned to register it and pay for it anyway, so it’s no big deal - I just was wondering if there was some stupid thing I was forgetting to do.
Have you tried renaming your user level to the name of the first Duke3D level? l1m1 or something like that.
Normally that will work, unless it’s set to look for a checksum.
Damn you, now I need to go home and install it again.
Check out the May 2001 PcGamer. The FULL version of Duke3D is included on their CD (the 1.3d version, first 3 episodes)
Also, the preview video for Duke Nukem Forever will be released within the next 2 days. Check 3D Realms site for more info. 
–Nut