1st of July 2026
Time TC demo by Forklift Productions/SuperJer Note: This is the third MSDN review of Time TC. The first one (1999) is here while the second one (2005) is here.
Back in the day Time TC demo was highly impressive because it stood so far above almost everything else in terms of raw level design, surpassing even the original Duke3D maps in build quality, an extremely rare feat back then. Still, I always felt Time never got the recognition it deserved. Of course it didn't help that Time never got past the demo stage; the TC was effectively abandoned not long after the demo was released in late 1997. Still, it was like a little treasure buried among a huge pile of crap. While others were bent on making "total" conversions with sloppy new art and terrible maps, Time TC had its focus on what makes a good map: details, texturing, lighting, spritework, layout and such.
The idea is that Duke finds a time machine buried deep inside Apple Computer headquarters (yes, that Apple) in LA. This then takes Duke to a space station, the second map, then another time machine there takes him to another city map. At the beginning of each map there's a viewscreen with a set of objectives for Duke to finish. This may seem like nothing these days, but Time was one of the first to present objectives in-game. It was awesome to be given an objective to locate and destroy some device, then actually coming across it later in the game. I also like the little detail that you can enter each map's time machine prior to finishing the required objectives, but this will fail the map and send you back until your task is done (you know, like Gandalf). Again, it may not sound like much, but you had to be there to "get it".
Looking at this now the design is still easily of "Hot Map" quality, but flaws are
more noticeable. The first map, Bad Apple, has a bit of a confusing layout owing to its multi-story
structure - impressive for sure for its day and thus it was easier back then to overlook
the flipside of such a layout. The maps, especially the first one, could have more aliens
and less health items - especially portable medkits are too plentiful. Occasionally you'll
come across a room that looks emptier than others, but then again all of these probably hit
the old wall limit and simply couldn't be made more detailed.
There are some awesome explosions that still rank among the biggest in the game's history
(and back in the day they froze my computer for a few seconds if not outright crash it).
The third map, Bomb Scare, is centered around blowing up an art gallery; you can actually enter three
levels of this building prior to blowing it up. The map's street areas are still some of the best
classic-style urban environments in the game. The space map, EDF Incompetency, has big rooms and hallways,
utilizing sloped surfaces and mostly white textures to give the map a distinct look from all
the sloppy Lunar Apocalypse copies of the day. Layout over the map's three floors is well thought-out
rather than just a series of random rooms. The fourth map, The Dawn of Time, is a "myhouse" type of map,
except this one still looks freaking awesome with its elaborate and realistic trimming and framed
windows everywhere. The map is playable but unfinished with an abrupt ending (don't enter the basement
until you're done), relying on several massive waves of respawning troopers. The fifth map, Civil War,
is a mere curiosity, a small showcase of what could have been. Still, even this one packs some memorable
design from its snow-covered ridges to a rudimentary snowfalleffect.
A special mention goes out to spritework. These days spritework is expected and thus its utilization
in Time is not as noticeable, but back then it stood out (not to mention spritework was a pain to handle
in the old Build editor).
There are no new monsters or weapons (aside from a slight pistol art redesign). There's some new art (including a few missing tiles), mostly notably (and fittingly) in the third map's art gallery. Each map has a new music track, each of which is lovingly '90s in style.
A curious historical note on versions: Almost every version you're gonna come across
on the web these days (including in the Addon Compilation) is version 1.1, released
in very late 1997. This version features three completed maps plus a bit of the fourth map,
unfinished, devoid of enemies and with no ending. However, I remembered coming across another version
some years back which had a completable (but unfinished!) fourth map and bits of the Civil War
themed fifth map (of which I recall seeing screenshots on the Time TC website on Dukeworld back
in the day). I managed to find it, version 1.2, on my hard drive and then followed the website kindly mentioned
in the batch file to find the original website.
It seems version 1.2 was released by the author on his own website in 2000, maybe after Dukeworld had
already died, which is why barely anyone noticed it. Anyway, for the sake of preservation
I'm including for download versions 1.1, 1.2 and EDuke32 compatible 1.2.
Btw, the same "team" (mostly one author to my knowledge) released also Prequel to Time, which
is also worth a look.
Score: 8
Download: Time 1.2 EDuke32, Time 1.2 original, Time 1.1 original
Version: 1.4, 1.5
Author: Forklift Productions/SuperJer
