Duke3D High Resolution Pack v3 Preview

It's been over a year since there was an official HRP release; I was able to grab HRP version 3 from NightFright in order to write a sneak peak article about it for you guys. The pack is expected for release sometime late this month, possibly on the 28th of February.



Two things that will immediately stand out are the the new explosion effects and the protector drones from Episode 4. They blend in just fine with the rest of the game, but they'll catch your eye if you're used to seeing them as outdated sprites.



Perhaps the most notable change in this version of the HRP is the presence of Tea Monster's and L2theKing's Cycloid Emperor model, which has been skinned by GT1750. While the walking animation for the model is still being worked on, it functions well enough already in its glorious three dimensions. I was originally going to record a video of it in action, but technical difficulties led to a limitation of mere screenshots. While still images cannot do the game full justice, they'll still give you a taste of what to expect:

If you were wondering why the media I'm posting is a bit more shinier than usual, you may want to consider downloading this bloom tool (for NVIDIA graphics cards only).



Here's a copy of the changelog:

- Moved: 514, 1109, 1124 (from highres\sprites\props to highres\textures)

- highres\sprites\characters: 1352 (monk), 4590 (skin update)

- highres\sprites\monsters: 2710 (Cycloid Emperor)

- highres\sprites\projectiles: 1641-1643 (color correction)

- highres\sprites\props: 669 (vacuum), 689 (IV unit), 919 (electric meter),

1238 (exploding barrel), 1358 (fetus), 3426 (pirate flag)

- highres\sprites\signs: 601, 4362, 4558, 4559, 4579, 4880

- highres\textures: 285, 286, 329, 330, 866*, 1102, 4104, 4180, 4182*



* now 1024x1024 resolution (instead of 512x512)

There's a reason for why the log may be shorter than you expected. You may have overlooked the external (XTR) update pack v2.03a released in December 2006, which will be included in the upcoming version of the official HRP. If you can't wait a few more weeks, you should definitely consider downloading it. The XTR pack will include all the updates mentioned in every dated entry of this changelog.