DECONSTRUCTING: FIRST LEVEL OF DUKE NUKEM 3D
INTRO
The second article is going to be
the first in the series where I’m analyzing what makes some feature so good and
what makes it work in some particular game(s) , by doing a deconstruction of
the feature(s). I’ll start doing this to one of my all-time favorite levels –
the very first level of the first episode of Duke Nukem 3D. This is THE
level I every now and then play and it’s still fun after all these years,
thanks to its great level design. I still remember playing the first episode
over and over again - when Duke 3D’s 1st
episode was out as a shareware-demo, before the whole game was available - and
speedrunning the episode, especially the first level. And this was before I
even knew speedrunning being its own thing. I just wanted to speedrun it and
become a God in that level. Levels like this, that make you want to speedrun
them and become a master in them, are usually very well designed.
Duke Nukem 3D was one
of the, if not even the first FPS, that aimed for a bit more “realistic”
visuals - something that could exist in real life. Of course looking the
visuals now don’t necessarily remind you that much of anything too realistic,
but back in the days it was a notch towards that, as the levels on Earth are
supposed to be in this pseudo Los Angeles. Still, the game didn’t drive the
sense of real life realism that hard, when it came to the level design of the
Earth levels: there are pretty few real world rules going on, making the levels
very, VERY “video gamey”. The level
designers clearly had not been given hard restrictions, as long as the levels
were great and FUN to play. That
“video gamey” approach in level design, instead of realistic, I personally
believe is the main factor why these levels have aged so well.
Duke 3D was also a huge
innovator for the genre, having many new mechanics and features. Sure, Star Wars: Dark Forces managed to come one
year earlier, introducing features like the ability to look up & down, and crouching
(and normal jumping), while 3D Realm’s
own Rise of the Triad, also released
one year earlier, introduced flying, jumping (jump pads) and some destructible
assets, these weren’t a household FPS-mechanics back in those days. Duke 3D arguably made them so. That’s
why it’s remarkable how the first level brilliantly introduces and teaches many
of the, both new and old features to the player, via gameplay and level design
(the “Nintendo way”). There weren’t any “press button X for X” nonsense back in
those days, nor were mini maps, and when I played the level over and over again
for the article, it was very clear why those weren’t even needed. (hint: very
good design, especially with the player’s eye directing)
The first level starts as a linear
level, but pretty soon becomes more of an open choice, hub-like level, giving
the player a possibility to explore the rest of it in whatever order, search
alternative routes, secrets, and so on, still making sure, that the player is
never lost. This structure makes it work in multiplayer death matches very
well, especially as the level isn’t too small, but not too big either, and also
never gives any dead ends (more of this later). This kind of multiplayer level
design isn’t anything new nowadays, but back in those days it was (with Quake’s
level design) something that was almost prototypical for the (multiplayer parts
of) FPS’s to follow. The brilliant part is, that there still are no compromises
as a solo level – it’s natural in both scenarios.
Finally, before we dive into the
real content: The reason why I’m doing such deconstructions is purely because I
think it’s a great way to learn game design. It’s also a great method to learn
many other things, like writing, painting, directing and so on – many people
use this method in their learning process. Note, that I’m being overly
analytical in this deconstruction and doing it intentionally. I’m not even
entirely sure, that EVERYTHING had
been planned this carefully, when the levels were made. Nevertheless it doesn’t
change anything – brilliant things are still brilliant, planned or not.
Deconstruction of “Hollywood Holocaust” (level 1 of the 1st
episode, L.A. Meltdown, difficulty level: Come Get Some)
1. The roof
“Hollywood Holocaust” starts from the roof, falling rocket pretty much
directing the player’s vision towards the “exit” right from the get go. The
area is restricted and small, no enemies, allowing the player to get familiar
with the controls. If you’re curious, you’ll find few clips, right behind the
box, that’s behind you. But next up starts the actual brilliance of the level
design: you’ll see a fan rotating. Right next to it are some canisters. Doom had already taught us, that
barrels and such explode, if you shoot them. I bet most of us shoot the
canisters, after which you’ll notice, that the fan is there no more, revealing
an air duct. Now here are few lessons learned:
-
the
canisters and such in Duke 3D can
destroy stuff (this wasn’t a sure thing back in those days, but very important
part of Duke 3D’s mechanics)
-
the
range of explosions is pretty big in Duke
3D – it is easy to be too close and take damage
Even if you don’t shoot the canisters (for some unknown reason) you can still
shoot or kick the fan away. This reveals a feature, that in Duke 3D air ducts can be accessed, and
fans (and probably something else) can be destroyed in order to find a new
routes and passages.
 |
| Canisters... |
 |
| ...go boom! |
Next thing is very important part: you’ll enter the air duct and you
start to fall down, eventually hitting the ground and TAKING DAMAGE, albeit only 1 point. This is a very important thing
to be taught as soon as possible. Why? Back in those days it wasn’t a standard,
that you’d get damage from falls in a FPS game. Duke 3D was one of the, if not the 1st FPS game to do
this. When you have something in the game, that is a new feature/convention,
you better teach the player it as soon as possible in sake of fairness.
2. The yard #1
About the 1st thing you’ll probably notice is indeed the “Hey...
I took damage from the fall!?”, but right after that, the next thing is a sound
of a gun. Someone shoots you from the right: there’s an alien on top of a huge
wooden box. Most players probably shoot that alien right there. Now, in Duke 3D, if someone shoots you from
somewhere means, that you can get there yourself. The curious player will soon
figure out, that you can jump on top of the box.
3. Behind the windows
When the player moves towards the box, someone starts to shoot the
player. But from where? Behind the 1st floor the windows? Yes. This in
turn reveals, that the place can be entered. But the player can’t see the culprit,
but the bullets can be clearly seen flying from behind the shades. If, and
when, the player decides to shoot the spot where the bullets fly from, the
shooting eventually probably stops and there is a familiar death sound. This is
also a feature, which was pretty new thing back in the days: enemies can attack
you behind something like, making them invisible for you.
 |
| Bullets fly behind the window shades. |
This is also a 1st
secret in this level. Curious players pretty soon draw 1 + 1 = 2 (*1: especially what they’ll see later)
and tried to jump there from the top of the big box, so entering the place. If
players did remember Wolfenstein 3D’s
Hitler painting secrets, they probably tried to open the poster in the back of
the room, finding a real secret. This
place also got the 1st possibility to try the security camera
system, revealing a lot of info from the level. The place also has RPG ammo,
teasing the player about the fact, that this level probably has an RPG
somewhere.
 |
| Security cameras reveal all kinds of useful stuff, both in solo and MP. |
3. The yard #2
The actual yard is a model example of directing player’s eye. On the
right, there’s a billboard, kind of slight hint, that the player might be able
to get there, as the player sees the ledge, especially if the player comes out
from the SAME window one entered.
This is one of the secrets of the level, where the player is able to get the
RPG.
On the left side there’s a movie theatre entrance. The doors are not
operational, but getting closer reveals quite a lot of info, so it’s important
to lead the player there.
-
There is
an open window, from where one alien starts to shoot. Kill the alien and the
player is able to see inside – the area is reachable, the player now knows that
there is an inside area.
-
This is
the first place where the player is also able to notice the very 1st time a
crack in a wall (which is a destructible wall marker). It is an important
shortcut in versus multiplayer.
 |
| Wall crack on right. |
Next up, straight forward from the air duct fall, is the good stuff:
-
The
dumpster is a bright spot, in the scenery, surely to attract the player. Go
closer, and one alien comes out flying from the dumpster. Shoot it down and
there is probably another hint, that huge drops are causing damage: the body of
the alien splatters all over. Also a good lesson for being aware of the air
space. Take a note, that this was something quite new in FPS’s, looking up and
down, making flying enemies. This is also a slight hint, that maybe the player
could also get a rocket pack or something similar.
-
The
dumpster has also fire inside. Should be quite simple to realize, that it makes
damage, but this is quite risk free way for introducing it to the player.
-
There is
a power-up on the ledge (remember *1),
on the right side, strongly hinting, that the player is able to somehow get
there. It can be reached via the window-secret area or by flying.
-
The way
of using the light strongly directs the eye of the player, eventually directing
the player to move there and notice, that the level continues from there.
 |
| Can't miss the light and colour (the dumpster is yellower in the game) eye directing. |
4. The backyard entrance
This is probably the most Metroid-like
part of the level. First of all, this part gives the player a glimpse of the
actual ending of the level. It has red lightning, which just can’t be missed.
This is also the first part where the player most probably will meet the very
first time a Pig Cop.
 |
| Again: colour eye directing, teasing about the ending of the level. |
This part also teases the player about one of the secrets, and this is
actually really clever part of the level, I’ll explain why in the later part,
where it ties together, kind of like little puzzle, that teaches an important
feature to the player. There’s an alien behind the window, on the right side of
the entrance, hinting strongly, again, that the place is reachable. It’s very
hard to miss, because of the probable flow of player’s sight after seeing the
red lighted ending part of the level.
 |
| Clever secret teasing hint. |
5. The movie theatre #1
Getting inside, there’s a small “breather”, one alien, easy to kill.
Also a fire extinguisher – shoot it, and it will explode, destroying the alien
or the alien’s corpse, telling clearly, that also these do damage.
If the player isn’t a hasty one, this is a place, which teaches the
player to listen, not just run forward all the time. There are a lot of alien
noises, hinting strongly, that there is a danger behind the door.
The actual theatre has many aliens, few on the floor, but also one
flying one, positioned so, that the player’s eye is again directed, this time
up, revealing a window. There is again an alien behind the window, which starts
to shoot, if the player is moving in the front part of the theatre, hinting
again, that there is another floor (actually the earlier end part tease also
hints that with the small bridge).
 |
| Good eye directing once again, can't be missed. |
If the player explores the theatre and remembers the back yard alien
window, it becomes quite clear, that you can’t enter the secret from this
place, at least not now. Very “hawk-eyed” players will also notice the slight
gap under the silver screen curtain and the few clips behind it, hinting, that
it could perhaps move somehow. The place, which was teased earlier, really is a
good secret, thus not that easy to reach.
The theatre also introduces the armor, which is a good aid in the next
place.
6. The “Hub”
When the player proceeds, there is a first earthquake event: it can
alter the level and also cause explosions, hinting the player to be cautious,
when the earthquake sound starts. And keeping the eyes open after it ends
(read: the level alters).
After killing the enemies after the earthquake part, the player enters
the hub. Now the level gets non-linear. There are 5 different places the player
can enter from this hub, plus secrets and surprises.
The first place the player most probably explores is the back of the
counter. There is an alien, that is easy to kill. On the right side there is a
door, which has an alien, shotgun and a security monitor system, if the player
didn’t reach the first secret place in the beginning of the level. Picking up
the shotgun launches a sound, like a door opens. When the player leaves the
small room, there is a wall open and enemies are inside, teaching, that Duke 3D has a kind of surprises and
traps, so one has to be alert all times and to actually listen.
If the player is a curious one, the cash register can be interacted. It
makes another door opening sound. If the player doesn’t notice this secret
right away, there is still a huge possibility for it later, after visiting the
projector room of the toilets (hard to miss). This secret is another hint for
something, which would allow the player to also fly, as the secret is
unreachable otherwise.
 |
| How can I reach that place? Hmm... |
The hub also introduces more powerful, red version, of the alien, which
can teleport.
7. The blocked main entrance
Let’s go inside this place next, as it was the place, which was teased
right in the beginning of the level. In the solo campaign this place isn’t that
important - aside some loot, there are few enemies. But it is an important part
in multiplayer as this place has a wall crack, that can be exploded open,
making a shortcut there. There is also the sniping window, next to the wall
crack. The doors are also an important part, in case you want to make your MP
enemies to open those doors every time they use the shortcut, thus making
noise.
8. The arcade
The arcade is the first place you’ll see an elevator. There is a nasty surprise
inside it when you call it down (hint: kill it J).
Inside the place, if the player is a cautious one instead of a full-on
running & gunning Rambo, after killing the other Pig Cop, the player can
see the yellow canisters. Shoot those and the player will avoid some fighting.
This is also a place, where the player can easily get damage from the
explosion.
 |
| Sometimes it's just better to not run and gun. |
Like mentioned earlier, Duke
3D has HUGE explosion damage
radius, thus making it important to try to teach it early without necessarily
killing the player. This is one of those places. The player can avoid the blast
of course, by just backing up into the elevator. The blast reveals a shortcut,
right inside the theatre area. This is a useful shortcut, both in solo campaign
and MP settings.
 |
| Explosions can be useful in many ways, this time creating a shortcut. |
There is also an introduction for a door, which requires a key card.
More exploration is needed in order to be able to find one.
9. The toilets
When the player enters the toilets, there is a light switch. Turning the
lights on makes it really easy to spot the mirror (again: new feature for the
player), which reveals a lot of info to the player: there are at least two
aliens inside the toilet area. This info makes it easier to prepare, planning a
quick strategy. The mirror hints again, that in this game, it’s not always a
best idea to just run, but keep eyes open and be cautious.
 |
| Again: don't always just run. Pretty priceless info thru the mirror. |
After killing the aliens, a curious player is most probably going to try
to open the toilet stall doors, revealing an alien who is taking a dump.
Another surprise, fortunately easy to kill, more like a poop joke. But it is
still teaching the player about the possibilities for surprises this game has
to offer in a “safe” way.
Other one of the aliens was on top of the toilet booths, next to an air
duct, once again directing the player. This air duct teaches the player about
the alternate routes this game has. If the player goes inside, it leads to a
secret place with few aliens and some ammo loot, which then leads to the
projector room via hidden wall, giving a bit of a surprise angle for the player.
 |
| When shooting the alien on top of the booths, the player naturally opens the air duct entrance. Clever enemy positioning. |
This alternate route is also an important part from the MP point of
view, giving the players another way to enter both the toilets and the
projector room. Note, that EVERY
room in this level has 2 exits/entrances, making them be so, that there is NEVER a dead end or a 100% holed up
camping possibility in the MP. Those give also nice possibilities for surprises
in MP. A nice little detail, when the player is moving inside the air duct, is
the sound effect, hinting other players a bit, if someone is in the air ducts
nearby.
10. The projector room
This is the place where the player finds the key card for the door in
the arcade. On the projector there is a power-up - in case the player couldn’t
figure out how to reach the place in the beginning of the level (*1), where such power-up was introduced
the first time, this is the place it can be reached for sure. Picking it up
reveals surprise enemies again, behind a hidden wall.
 |
| Getting the power-up opens a secret door, where there is a RPG. |
If the player enters the place via the normal route, there is again an
earthquake event, making some explosions, but also revealing some healing items
– earthquakes can be also good.
The most clever part, kind of a puzzle, comes next. The alien behind the
window tease at the movie theatre entrance area concludes here. Pressing the projector
makes the movie screen in the theatre visible. There is ANOTHER wall crack, positioned so, that it just can’t be missed. As
the projector room gives you also an RPG, now here comes one of the first real
little puzzles in the game. If the player figures out the thing and shoots the
crack from the window, it reveals the secret place. Also now the player knows
finally what those cracks actually are for.
 |
| Solution... |
 |
| ...for the... |
 |
| ...GREAT environmental puzzle. |
11. The movie theatre secret
If the player cracks the projector room puzzle, the movie screen has now
an opening into that place, which was teased when entering the theatre. Here
the player encounters the Jetpack the very first time. Actually, a clever and
curious player can use a shortcut to the ending with using the Jetpack: go out
from the back entrance and you can fly right to the ending. Jetpack also makes
the player to be able to reach the secret in the hub-room.
12. The movie theater #2
If the player was already in the Arcade room and blew up the canisters,
there’s a shortcut revealed, which leads directly to the pass key door, which
can now be opened with the key.
 |
| The arcade room shortcut seen from the theatre. |
13. The arcade backroom
This is in my opinion the weakest part of the level, EASILY. The room has a ramp, which has
a Pig Cop on top. After the player kills it, there is nothing more than a
wooden box and a case of shotgun shells behind it, luring the player to pick
them up. When the player approaches the shells, the back wall explodes,
probably giving a small amount of damage to the player playing the level the
very first time. IMO this is a bit unfair (not warned before like the
earthquake explosions) and also quite un-necessary one from the level design
point of view. Nevertheless, the explosion reveals a passage, a tight corridor,
where there are two Pig Cops.
 |
| Looks like a dead-end... |
 |
| ...but there is a trap-like solution for this. Not the best part of the level. |
14. The ending
The player has already been teased about the ending, quite early in the
stage. This is one of the most video game like sections of the level, as there
wouldn’t be ANYTHING like this in
the real world (bridge). Like mentioned earlier: this place can be reached also
with the Jet Pack, which would let the player to skip quite a lot of the level,
if done in an optimal order.
There are two Pig Cops and one flying Alien, relatively easy to handle,
if the player just has some health left. It is even possible to just kill the
one Pig Cop and run directly over the small bridge and push the button, which
ends the level.
 |
| "This is the end, my only friend..." |
Closing words
That was the deconstruction of the level. I hope the readers will get at
least some inspiration from this and learn something. I personally really
recommend playing (at least) Duke 3D’s
first episode, if you haven’t done it in ages, or ever. It’s available thru
GoG.com and Steam, and runs without problems on modern computers. It also still
holds up very well, mostly because of the great level design.
No comments:
Post a Comment