Duke Nukem Forever Physics Pass HL2 - 25.3.05

I noticed an interesting report from the Game Developers Conference earlier this month; Swedish company Meqon, who were employed by 3D Realms to provide physics for Duke Nukem Forever back in September, displayed a demo of the physics engine at the conference, and according to reports it's a step above what we've seen in Half-Life 2:

The demonstration goes far beyond the rigid-body physics which has impressed so many players in games like Half-Life 2, and according to Meqon CTO Dennis Gustafsson, every effect is entirely real-time - with even the smashing of fragile objects being generated on the fly, rather than happening along "fault lines" inserted by artists.

Although the company adamantly refused to be drawn on any details regarding its most famous client, or just how much of this technology will make its way into Duke Nukem Forever, it seems logical that 3D Realms would use this next-generation physics system as one way to gain an edge over the critically acclaimed Half-Life 2.
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Though the showing of this demo may raise hopes for a step up in development and possibly an announcement from 3D Realms, there is no definite date for the release of Duke Nukem Forever. The previous game in the series, excluding derivative games like Manhattan Project, was Duke Nukem 3D, released in 1996.

The huge delay earned Duke Nukem Forever a Wired.com Vaporware Award in 2001, 2002, and a special Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. The official page for DNK only says the game will be released "When it's done".

More info:
Will Duke Nukem Forever spark a game physics revolution?
Game Matters - Blog by 3D Realms CEO, Scott Miller
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