Announcing 3D Realms Entertainment
joe.s...@swcbbs.com
Contact: George Broussard
CIS: 71321,2743
America Online: Apogee1
Internet: 71321...@compuserve.com
Announcing 3D Realms Entertainment
New Apogee division dedicated to development of 3D games
Garland, TX -- August 27, 1994 -- 3D Realms Entertainment, a new division of
Apogee Software, Ltd., is focused exclusively on creating the best 3D games for
the PC. "By just focusing on 3D games," says George Broussard, head of 3D
Realms, "we'll be able push the technology as far as it can possibly go on the
PC, thus providing our customers with the best 3D play experiences achievable."
Currently, 3D Realms has four exciting, next-generation 3D games under
development. States Broussard, "3D games are an exploding market, and it's not
going to diminish any time soon. We see 3D games as the future of gaming since
they best represent how we live in life--we don't live in a 2D world, we live
in a 3D reality. It's about time a company commits to specializing in this hot
market, without being distracted by other game styles."
3D Realms is committed to releasing innovative, cutting-edge 3D games that
totally plunge players into a realistic environment, be it a hostile action
game, a simulation, a sports game or an adventure/exploration game. Most games
rarely live up to their hype. We believe the features and inventiveness of our
games will speak for themselves.
"Our current 3D development 'engine', Build, is tailor built for fast action
and realistic gameplay, plus it pushes the envelope of 3D gaming technology
further than we've seen it," states Broussard. "It's natural to compare it to
Id Software's superb DOOM engine, except it has many new advancements, like
looking up and down, moving transport vehicles, more realistic lighting,
translucent images, rooms above rooms, spiral staircases, and other more
technical improvements. The game characters can also jump, duck, crawl, climb
ladders, fly, or anything else you can imagine."
All of the games support modem play as well as IPX network play.
Here's a brief description of the current 3D Realms games in development:
[1] RUINS: RETURN OF THE GODS -- As an enterprising archaeologist, you have
dug up more than you can handle! You've just discovered an alien mothership
buried deep beneath a recent Egyptian excavation. This vessel belongs to
not-so-friendly aliens who built the ancient pyramids in order to produce a
mind-controlling energy field over the Earth. After a millennium, the
aliens have returned to finish their dark work by enslaving the people of
the world. Only you know their sinister plot! Battle the Anubis and other
Egyptian mythological monsters, along with awesome alien enemies, as you
solve puzzles and escape traps in your quest to annihilate the alien
invaders.
[2] SHADOW WARRIOR -- As a highly trained Ninja warrior, you're on a mission to
stop a powerful and evil mystical spirit that has been released after a
thousand years' imprisonment under Mt. Fuji. You'll cast magical energies
and use an array of weapons, including throwing stars and a crossbow, as
you battle a combative cult of obsessed assassins and murderers. Controlled
by the returning spirit, this hostile horde seeks to overthrow first Japan,
and then the
world. Only you have the power to give them the final "Sayonara, baby!"
Overcome trained martial arts opponents, elude traps, defeat magical
enemies, and conquer the supernatural as you set out to save mankind in
this action-packed mystical adventure.
[3] DUKE NUKEM 3D -- The future is here and you may be the only one fierce
enough to face it! The World Government has lowered a gigantic dome around
Los Angeles, which has become a mecca for criminals. Evil but ingenious
scientists and bosses have activated the nuclear plants and are building
the mother of all bombs to obliterate Earth in one last gesture! As the
unflappable Duke Nukem, you are assigned the job of entering the dome
through a secret passage and stopping the plan in its tracks. Done Duke's
way, this means kill first then ask questions. This non-stop action /
survival saga unfolds on a space station orbiting Earth where you must
knock out a force field surrounding the planet. With astounding futuristic
weapons, you'll enter a battleground of phenomenal action to fry the foes
before they undo the world.
[4] BLOOD -- Welcome to the nightmare! Horror rears its many heads in this
eerie spine-tingling action adventure. Suddenly, all of the subconscious
and conscious evil in humankind's minds has spawned macabre manifestations
all over the planet. As a member of a secret group that has been awaiting
this event, you journey to the heart of danger where the outbreaks of evil
have been most reported. You arrive at a mysterious castle, the first of
several strongholds where gruesome monsters and otherworldly creations are
preparing to do unspeakable horrors to the people of Earth. You must use
every weapon at your disposal, including a flame-thrower, to stop the
erupting evil. Without backup help available, you realize it's just you
against them!
All four games are due out in 1995. Each one will have a shareware version
available for free through bulletin boards (i.e. Software Creations BBS) and
online services (i.e. CompuServe and America Online). Each shareware version--
approximately one third of the full game--will advertise the complete game,
which is sold directly by 3D Realms. (The industry known "Apogee Model"
shareware marketing system.) FormGen Corporation has the worldwide exclusive
license to release each game into the retail channel at the same time the
shareware versions of each game are released by 3D Realms.
"We will continue to develop state-of-the-art 3D game engines," Broussard said.
"Already under development is our
PolyTex engine, due to be ready in early 1995. It will let us design games that
are perfectly realistic using a true 3D environment. Imagine yourself inside a
space station without gravity and using magnetic boots to walk on any surface
at any orientation, climb ladders to rooms above rooms and fly into space
through an airlock. That's the kind of realistic game environment that will be
possible with the Polytex engine."
3D Realms Entertainment--more than a just a new company, it's a new outlook on
game development. We are focused on creating the next wave of realistic,
engrossing gaming experiences. Games that *are* real.
# # # # #
Additional notes:
* 3D Realms will release each game using the "Apogee Model", meaning the first
third of each game will be available freely as shareware. The full version
of each game can be ordered directly from 3D Realms. Additionally, the full
version of each game will be available through retail channels, too. FormGen
Corporation (publisher of SPEAR OF DESTINY) will handle the retail
distribution of all four 3D Realms titles.
* The inhouse level editor and development tools will be made available, so
users can use these highly advanced tools to develop their own levels and art.
* RISE OF THE TRIAD, an Apogee release coming by November, is not being
released under the 3D Realms label.
[ END PRESS RELEASE ]
* 1st 2.00b #1051bt * 3D Realms - Not just A new company, but a new way of gami
ng!
EVK...@uriacc.uri.edu
out with 3 more shoot 'em up games. 3 MORE! Why not try a different style
such as a 3d soccer game where you are one of the players? Or how about a
strategy combat game where you control a platoon of soldiers in a real life
war? Enough of this fantasy junk.... at least I want something new.
David Della Bitta
Steven C. King
I agree. I'd like to see a 3D chess game developed or a cycles game similar
to Tron. Heck, a good sports game would be excellent too.
(-----------------------------------------------------------------------------)
( Name: Steven C. King Bitnet Address: STU...@EKU.BITNET )
( Univ: Eastern Kentucky University Internet Address: stu...@acs.eku.edu )
( City: Richmond State: KY A.k.a.: Cuj, Ryu )
( Zip Code: 40475 Last words: Bliss was it in that dawn )
( Home: (606)622-4790 to be alive, but to be young was very )
( Work: (606)622-6208 heaven. )
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Shane Mook
Barak Neeman
earned share of the market.
action game...
3D...
shoot everything that moves...
shareware version with about 1/3 of the of the registered game....
does this sound familiar?
After I saw WCP lag on a 486DX33 I deeply doubt Origen's ability to
build a usable 3D engine.
My two cents (or $40) goes to ID software this time.
Barak <bne...@cic.itcr.ac.cr>
"Is it mentaly sane to quote one's self?"
- me.
PING KWONG
>honestly earned share of the market.
>action game...
>3D...
>shoot everything that moves...
>shareware version with about 1/3 of the of the registered game.... does
>this sound familiar?
>After I saw WCP lag on a 486DX33 I deeply doubt Origen's ability to
>build a usable 3D engine.
So what does Origin have to do with Apogee?
Sure Apogee is trying to capitalize on the popularity of id's success...
and sure they haven't come out with an original idea for a game in ages,
if ever. And sure Joe Siegler downplayed DOOM's success in the
beginning ... saying that it was too easy. The bickering between Apogee
and Epic's bickering is pathetic. Apogee is getting flack these days
for everything they say. I'm still willing to give their game a shot.
Dave Miller
>earned share of the market.
>action game...
>3D...
>shoot everything that moves...
Um, the release quite clearly said Apogee. And competition is what
makes the world go round. You could equally say that ID tried to take
a bite out of the honestly earned share of the "maze with antogonists"
game market previously held by Pac-Man.
Competition results in better and better products.
>shareware version with about 1/3 of the of the registered game....
>does this sound familiar?
Yes, Scott Miller (no relation) pretty much created this concept when he
founded Apogee.
>After I saw WCP lag on a 486DX33 I deeply doubt Origen's ability to
>build a usable 3D engine.
I will be interested to see if *Apogee* (or 3D Realms, whatever) can
produce a 3-D game that doesn't look like a bad rip-off of ID's
Wolfenstein engine.
>My two cents (or $40) goes to ID software this time.
>
>Barak <bne...@cic.itcr.ac.cr>
--
Dave Miller - a-da...@microsoft.com | dave...@cyberspace.com
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See the "a-" in front of my account name? That means they don't care
enough to hire me for real. I sure as heck don't speak for them.