After we gave you a little break from the somewhat crazy February update madness, it pays off to head over to the Downloads section for the Polymer HRP Update Pack v5.1.302.

Once more, the list of changes is really short, but significant. Most importantly, you'll get the new HUD pistol made by Tea Monster and finished by Spiker. This was a long-awaited addition to the pack, and the result is quite impressive as you can see on this comparison screenshot! You wonder how you could ever accept the old model for such a long time after you have tried the new one. A definite improvement and closer to the original sprite.

What's happening right now:
LeoD is having a close look at the current HRP contents, re-adding all Polymost items which had been removed after Polymer was introduced. Hopefully, this will make it easier to provide Polymost packs in the future. For now, lots of internal file renaming needs to be made, so any future update packs would probably contain many duplicated files. Maybe it will make more sense to wait until the process is finished and release another "refreshed" HRP version after that. Anyway, there's work going on - and that's never a bad thing.

Well folks, I told you a few days ago there would be a "refreshed" release for the HRP update pack. It really wasn't a joke, so head over to the Downloads section once again (I think you know where it is by now) and get your Polymer HRP Update Pack v5.1.295.

The changes seem minor enough - just two new textures for Episode 4 and a badly needed FOV fix for the HUD shotgun. Wait, what? Yeah, that's right. Our shotty finally doesn't look like a literal "boomstick" any more, now it feels much more like the original sprite we know and like. Take a look at this comparison screenshot and see for yourself! Hard to believe, but the model didn't change - all it needed was a new feature in EDuke32 to adjust the Field of Vision (FOV) for HUD weapons via definition files (implemented a while ago already) - and someone to actually do it, which was Spiker in this case. The result pretty much speaks for itself. Unfortunately, this considerable improvement is only available for the Polymer renderer right now, but anyone who is able to run it should definitely use this.

An eventful month so far regarding files. I have a hard time keeping the site up-to-date, folks. xD

After almost three years, MusicallyInspired has updated his wonderful Duke3D Roland SC-55 music pack we are using for our HRP, bringing it to version 3.0. In general, incorrect instruments or effect settings should be fixed with this release, making it finally completely faithful to the soundtrack of the original game. Needless to say, this is a must-have for everyone, so get it from the Downloads section right now!
If you haven't done so already, maybe also visit MusicallyInspired's site for even more SC-55 music (e.g. for Descent or Blood)!

In other news, Spiker has released a fix for the HUD shotgun lately which didn't make it into the HRP update pack. It's for Polymer only, but I am sure you folks want it as soon as possible. That's why we will probably make a refreshed update pack release in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Well, this month you can't really complain about a lack of updates. :) There is another bunch of files for you, and again, it's definitely worth your attention:

• Polymer HRP Update Pack v5.1.292
  The first update is ready for Polymer HRP 5.1 users. Besides a new model for the hanging slimebabe and two new textures, the major feature of this release are fixes for any incorrectly rotated models which had been previously added to the HRP (special thanks to Tea Monster for providing them). This also required a complete revision of ALL (!) maphacks. From now on, all models should have the same orientation as the sprites, which will enable us to use the same maphacks for models AND voxels. Tons of other corrections have also found their way into the hacks, e.g. bottom-/ceiling-aligned fans which did not show up as models ingame, fixes for models clipping into walls and more. This is a highly recommended release for anyone!
  [For the time being, please do not use this with current DukeDC HRP. It will soon receive an update with new maphacks as well to adapt to the new version.]


• Duke3D Voxel Pack v1.0
  ReaperMan provides the first pack for voxel lovers, similar to the one available for Doom. Quite a bunch of pickups, switches and props have been made already. However, keep in mind that this is a very early release and more work needs to be done to make it look more complete.


• XXX Pack Full/Lite v1.33
  Adds the new slimebabe. This release will NOT break compatibility with earlier HRPs (especially Polymost). New slimebabe skins have different skin names, so both are included.

High Treason worked fast, so we are able to feature the AdLib music pack v2.0 sooner than anticipated! The whole OPL soundtrack has been recreated, eliminating some glitches and offering better quality in general. While the pack has grown considerably in size (over 100 MB more than before), it's still definitely worth the effort, even if you usually prefer listening to the advanced soundtrack that comes with the HRP. As usual, grab it at the Downloads section if you feel like it.

And here we are again! To start the new year properly, we have added some files to the Downloads section. Many of you guys unfortunately cannot run the Polymer HRP due to technical limitations of your machines. For a while already, LeoD was kind enough to compile Polymost update packs which actually bring latest stuff to those poor people - at least as far as it is technically possible regarding Polymer-to-Polymost conversion. We have finally decided to put these files onto our site, additionally providing HRP mirrors. You can choose between a full HRP 4 release, a Polymost update pack or an override pack for those who have downloaded Polymer HRP 5 but found it doesn't work.
For the nostalgic players out there, High Treason made an AdLib music pack quite a while ago. Since he is working on an improved version in the meantime, we thought it was a good opportunity to give it a place among our other music pack downloads. A great thing to use if you turn off all models and highres textures and want to return to the good old times when games looked pixellated and good MIDI synthesizers were rare! :) Of course, we will keep you posted when the updated AdLib music pack is available, and there might even be a GUS pack coming your way.

Regarding progress on the HRP itself, things have slowed down a bit. Right now, there isn't much more than two new textures and updated water textures. Improved models for the pistol and Cycloid are in the works as well as a remake for the slime babes. Some technical problems and private obligations are causing delays as usual, so it will most likely still take a while until things worth mentioning pop up again. We will tell you here if anything happens!

Another year is approaching its end. We have seen the release of Duke Nukem Forever (and two DLCs for it so far, the latest one being "The Doctor Who Cloned Me"), and even a new HRP version popped up. So the Duke got busy in 2011, but we think there could (and should) be a little bit more yet.

Celebrate Christmas with style and fire up Duke Nukem 3D again - the way it is supposed to be! Therefore, we have pulled the latest files from the SVN directories to give you the Duke3D Highres Pack v5.1.

This refreshed release of the initial v5.0 brings:

• Many improvements for Polymer lighting of the official episode maps
• Additional Polymer support for countless textures
• Updated models/skins for some HUD weapons (fists, chaingun, RPG)
• Conversion of remaining MD2 models to MD3 format (to enable Polymer features)
• Several fixes for glitches with models and textures and more

Well, quite some time has passed since the last news update on this site. What has happened in the meantime? Actually, not that much. I have played through DNF a couple of times and am now waiting for the DLCs, probably (or hopefully) just like you. Progress on the HRP has slowed down again - right now, people are adding some re-made highres textures now and then, but it's not worth making an updated release yet.

All that we can currently offer you is a minor HRP5 update pack from July which polishes some stuff, so if you don't have it yet, maybe download and check it out. As soon as enough new content has surfaced, you will get a new version (and of course we will tell you about it here).