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Duke Nukem Forever

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games

This page is for the final game. For the leaked 2001 builds, see Duke Nukem Forever (2001).

Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever cover
Developers
3D Realms
Triptych Games[1]
Gearbox Software
Multiplayer Piranha Games[2]
macOS (OS X) Aspyr Media
Publishers
2K Games
1C-SoftClub
OS X Aspyr Media
Engines
Unreal Engine 1[Note 1]
Release dates
Windows June 13, 2011
macOS (OS X) August 18, 2011
Reception
Metacritic 54
IGDB 55
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, DLC
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, FPS, Puzzle, Shooter
Themes Adult, North America, Sci-fi
Series Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem Forever on HowLongToBeat
Duke Nukem Forever on IGDB
Duke Nukem Forever guide on StrategyWiki
Duke Nukem Forever on MobyGames
Duke Nukem Forever on Wikipedia
Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem 1991
Duke Nukem II 1993
Duke Nukem 3D 1996
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project 2002
Duke Nukem Forever 2011
Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition 2013
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour 2016
Duke Nukem Forever (2001) 2022
Duke Nukem Forever: Restoration Project (unofficial) Early access

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Duke Nukem Forever is a first-person shooter game in the Duke Nukem series, co-developed by 3D Realms, Triptych Games, Gearbox Software and Piranha Games. The game makes use of a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 1.

General information

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
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Windows
macOS (OS X)
GamersGate
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Windows
macOS (OS X)
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Mac App Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Online multiplayer is not compatible with the Steam version.
macOS (OS X)
All Windows versions require Steam DRM.

Version differences

The Collection release includes the base game and both DLC.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Duke's Big Package This pack granted an exclusive in-game content for customers who pre-ordered Duke Nukem Forever in North America which allowed the player to get access to "Big Heads", the "Ego Boost", and custom in-game T-shirts from the start of the game.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Hail to the Icons Parody Pack
Windows
macOS (OS X)
The Doctor Who Cloned Me
Windows
macOS (OS X)

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Delete/rename video files[citation needed]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\Movies.
  2. Delete or rename Attract.bik, Dice_Intro.bik and Legal.bik.
  3. Go to <path-to-game>\System.
  4. Delete or rename logo.bik.

Fix low mouse sensitivity

Configure user.ini

This game has extremely low mouse sensitivity on the highest setting, especially if pointer precision is disabled on Windows, and the mouse is not of high DPI.

  1. Open <Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\57900\remote\user.ini
  2. Set MouseSensitivity to your desired value above 10.000000

Optionally, decrease MouseAccelDampening, as mouse smoothing makes overall sensitivity slower. Changing settings in-game reverts these changes and setting the file as read-only breaks the game. Make this .ini edit after configuring key bindingd etc.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\57900\remote\system.ini
<Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\57900\remote\user.ini
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/57900/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\57900\remote\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/57900/pfx/[Note 2]
last.sav is the checkpoint save game.
progress.ini keeps track of the finished chapters.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud
Syncs save games.

Video

In-game general video settings.
In-game general video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Proper Hor+ scaling natively supported. Select "unbound" for aspect ratio to use non-standard resolutions.
Ultra-widescreen
Proper Hor+ scaling natively supported. Select "unbound" for aspect ratio to use non-standard resolutions. Cutscenes and menus are pillarboxed 16:9.[5]
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
55° to 90°. Default is 75°. For higher values see Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Windowed resolution limited to 1200x900 (4:3), 1280x1024 (5:4), 1600x900 (16:9), 1680x1050 (16:10).[6][7] It is possible to change the window size using external tools.[8]
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
FSAA and FXAA
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Off by default.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
FPS Cap only in multiplayer, which is capped at 60 FPS. The singleplayer is uncapped. Vehicle speed is slower than intended at higher frame rates; at very high frame rates (well over ~150 fps or so), certain vehicle segments cannot be completed as jumps cannot be done properly. Vsync can be used to cap frame rate to the monitor's refresh rate for these sections.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open user.ini.
  3. Change all three instances of DefaultFOV=90 to the desired value.

Input

In-game general control settings.
In-game general control settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game gamepad settings.
In-game gamepad settings.

Audio

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Music, Sound FX, Dialog and VOIP
Surround sound
Up to 5.1 output;[9] May require DirectSound 3D restoration software. For HRTF, use DSOAL and set "channels" to "surround51" in alsoft.ini.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Croatian
Fan translation. Available to download.
Czech
Fan translation. Available to download.
French
German
Hungarian
Fan translation. Available to download.
Italian
Japanese
There is a mod that allows the pc version of the main campaign in Japanese, albeit without the dub that was avaliable on consoles [1]. There apparently was work done to make the dlc work in Japanese as well, but no links seem to remain.
Polish
Fan translation. Available to download.
Russian
Official translation by 1C-Softclub. Available to download.
There's also available an improved fan translation by «ENPY Studio» which contains uncensored strong language which official localization does not. It is available to download from here.
Spanish
Turkish
Fan translation. Available to download.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
Requires an internet connection for authentication.[10]
Online play
8 Versus

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
For dedicated, install Dedicated Server under Tools in the Steam client.
Direct IP

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
TriDef 3D
vorpX
G3D, DirectVR
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.
Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest

Issues fixed

DukeForever.exe caused an EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION

Can be caused by faulty .ini files[citation needed]
  1. Turn off Steam Cloud for the game.
  2. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  3. Delete both system.ini and user.ini.
  4. Launch the game
  5. Re-enable Steam Cloud if the problem is resolved.

Broken vehicle physics

At high framerates, certain vehicle jumps are impossible to successfully complete, even with correct timing and boost usage.
Limiting the frame rate to 60fps
Enable Vsync and set refresh rate to 60 Hz[11]

Blurry graphics

Disable Post Special Effects[citation needed]

The game's depth of field effect results in unusually heavy blurring of the graphics. Disabling Post Special Effects will disable the depth of field and make the graphics much crisper, but will also disable tone mapping, bloom, and ambient occlusion.

Mods

  • Duke Nukem Forever: Enhanced - This mod overhauls the gameplay while also adding quick saves,removes weapon limit and Depth of Field effect for new post processing effects

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
Shader Model support 3
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
32-bit only.[12]

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio Miles Sound System
Cutscenes Bink Video
Multiplayer Steamworks

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 10 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 7600
ATI Radeon HD 2600
256 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device) DirectX compatible
The x64 version of Windows XP is not supported.
macOS (OS X)
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 10.6.8
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 10 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8600
ATI Radeon HD 2600
256 MB of VRAM
The Nvidia GeForce 9400M and Intel integrated video chipsets (including GMA 950) not supported.


Notes

  1. They state Duke Nukem Forever as engine in game files and in interviews they use the term "Duke Engine", but it's closer in file structure to Unreal Engine 1 games with many issues either absorbed from later iterations of the engine or entirely unique.[3][4]
  2. 2.0 2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/57900/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (57900) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References