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Difference between revisions of "Star Wars: Dark Forces"

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{{++}} Cutscenes and UI are implemented
 
{{++}} Cutscenes and UI are implemented
 
{{++}} iMUSE and dynamic music implemented
 
{{++}} iMUSE and dynamic music implemented
 +
{{++}} As of v0.93, saving anywhere (regular and quick-saving) has been implemented.
  
 
==Game data==
 
==Game data==

Revision as of 18:25, 26 November 2022

Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces cover
Developers
LucasArts
Publishers
LucasArts
Disney Interactive Studios
Engines
Jedi
Release dates
DOS February 15, 1995
Mac OS (Classic) June 1995
Windows (DOSBox) September 16, 2009
Linux (DOSBox) January 20, 2015[1]
macOS (OS X) (DOSBox) March 19, 2018[2]
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Shooter
Themes Sci-fi, Space
Series Star Wars: Jedi Knight
Star Wars: Dark Forces on HowLongToBeat
Star Wars: Dark Forces on IGDB
Star Wars: Dark Forces guide on StrategyWiki
Star Wars: Dark Forces on MobyGames
Star Wars: Dark Forces on Wikipedia
Star Wars: Jedi Knight
Subseries of Star Wars
Star Wars: Dark Forces 1995
Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II 1997
Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith 1998
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast 2002
Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy 2003
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster 2024

General information

DF-21 - Custom Missions and Modding site[Note 1]
Discord Dark Forces Community Discord for News, Support, Modding
GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
See Run retail version without the CD on how to bypass the disc check.
DOS
Mac OS
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
GOG.com
DRM-free
Pre-packaged with DOSBox.[3]
Windows
Linux
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Origin
DRM-free after installation through Origin client (notes may include more details)
Included with EA Play Pro.
Windows
Steam
DRM-free after installation through Steam client (notes may include more details)
Can be played without Steam. Pre-packaged with DOSBox 0.73.[4] Update to 0.74 for better performance and some color issue fixes.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
A demo containing an earlier version of the first level is available. A longer demo which includes the finalized versions of the first 3 levels was also released.[Note 2]
Not available for sale on Steam, Humble or Gamesplanet in Germany.

Essential improvements

Patches

Dark Forces Community Patch (2022) has over 100 fixes and quality of life improvements.
The DOS version has no patches (the Install.exe listed on the support page is not for this game).
The 1.2 Update patch fixes some issues with the Classic version of Dark Forces.
Official German Patch adds missing translations and voice files

Dark Forces Definitive Fix

Tweaks the DOSBox configuration files for better performance.
Improves the music quality.
Restores the intro video from the demo version.
Comes with DOS/32A.
It's recommended to install it before using the DarkForces Custom Launcher.
Works only with the GOG release.

DarkForces Custom Launcher

New Multi-featured Launcher which has a guide.

  • Run Dark Forces base game as well as custom community-made missions
  • Automatically update new missions as they are added to df-21.net.
  • Includes Dark Forces DeHacker.
  • Supports modern storefronts such as Steam, GOG, Origin and Custom Folders.
  • Video Walkthrough guides for the base game and custom missions.
  • Ability to restore DosBox settings (All storefronts) and game installs (Steam only).

Dark Forces DeHacker

A tool with a Step by Step Guide with toggleable all-in-one features:

All of the following features are completely optional (you don't need to enable anything you don't like) and you can use DeHacker only as configuration tool replacement instead of buggy original SETUP.EXE - see "Configuration setup" menu.
  • Enable ingame vertical mouse look: standard or inverted (on Y-axis), setup "Forward/Backward" for "Y Axis" required
  • Mouse "Fire Secondary" instead of "Strafe Mode", to use alternative fire mode with mouse you'll need to setup "Strafe Mode" as firing button
  • Invert "Speed Mode" logic, always run when "Speed Mode" keyboard key NOT pressed, may turn gameplay harder
  • Automatically jump while "Jump" button held down, no need to hit "Jump" continuously, may help a bit with mine or grenade jumps
  • Increase mouse sensitivity by 4 times
  • Run the game and setup program without the CD
  • "IMUSE music MIDI drivers fix" which will patch infinite loop bug in General MIDI and Roland music drivers
  • "Configuration setup" menu where you can configure game controls and assign (bind) the previously unavailable option "Center View" to all three supported devices (keyboard, mouse and joystick)
  • unassign unused keyboard keys and set it to "None" (press Escape to set)
  • buttons 3 and 4 when "Standard 4 Button" joystick type selected can be assigned now (was original SETUP.EXE bug)
  • Separate options to disable joystick, mouse, and even keyboard (only for assigned keys)
  • "Weapon AutoMount" will now always work in game (original SETUP.EXE can break this option and render it completely unusable)
  • "System Speed" renamed to "Screen Size" to make to more accurately represent options and no longer limited to four options
  • Documentation in "DARKINFO.TXT" file with complete list of all reserved keyboard keys, command line options, and cheat codes

The Force Engine

New reverse-engineered source port of Dark Forces made by the same author of DarkXL that includes QOL improvements

The port is in beta, it contains some bugs and missing features that the author will address in 1.0 release
Active Development
Widescreen and high resolution support, can run the game up to 4K
Has more features compared to DarkXL
Full mouselook support
The game is completable from start to finish
Cutscenes and UI are implemented
iMUSE and dynamic music implemented
As of v0.93, saving anywhere (regular and quick-saving) has been implemented.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\JEDI.CFG
Windows <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 3]
Mac OS (Classic) Macintosh HD/System Folder/Preferences/Dark Forces Prefernces
macOS (OS X) <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 3]
Linux <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 3]
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/32400/pfx/[Note 4]
Config file is not human readable. A partial explanation on how to edit it can be found here.
This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\DARKPILO.CFG
Windows <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 3]
Mac OS (Classic) Macintosh HD/System Folder/Preferences/Dark Forces Pilots
macOS (OS X) <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 3]
Linux <path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)[Note 3]
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/32400/pfx/[Note 4]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Origin
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game options menu.
In-game options menu.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
DOS version runs at 320x200 (see the DOSBox page for more information) and Mac OS (Classic) version runs at 640x480.
See The Force Engine for widescreen support.
Multi-monitor
See The Force Engine.
Ultra-widescreen
See The Force Engine.
4K Ultra HD
See The Force Engine.
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Toggle with Alt+ Enter if using DOSBox.
The Force Engine supports windowed mode.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Use The Force Engine.
60 FPS
Capped at 35 FPS, use The Force Engine to uncap.[5]
120+ FPS
The framerate is uncapped on The Force Engine if Vsync is turned off.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

Control options in INSTALL.EXE.
Control options in INSTALL.EXE.

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Use INSTALL.EXE (KEYCONFI.EXE in the demo) or SETUP.EXE. Mouse settings cannot be changed in the demo. Some keys cannot be mapped. See fix below, or use The Force Engine.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Some menus only work with mouse.
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Game lacks vertical-look for mouse. See hack below for adding it, or use The Force Engine.
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Use INSTALL.EXE (KEYCONFI.EXE in the demo) or SETUP.EXE.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
Through DosBox
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Button prompts Input settings icon - Generic Controller.svg
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M
Designed for keyboard and flightstick.

Modern control scheme + v-look for mouse (DOSBox)

Use Dark Forces Plus, compilation of DOSBox keymapper files and GlovePIE script.[6]
Could use FreePIE as alternative to GlovePIE.
GlovePIE and FreePIE are Windows programs; they do not work on Mac or Linux.

Audio

Sound card and MIDI options in setup.exe. Suggested settings for DOSBox shown.
Sound card and MIDI options in setup.exe.
Suggested settings for DOSBox shown.
Sound channel settings in setup.exe.
Sound channel settings in setup.exe.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Uses stereo output with some 3D spatial effects.[7]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
For DOSBox change the priority background value in the DOSBox configuration file.
Royalty free audio
Uses audio from the original Star Wars movie trilogy.
General MIDI audio
This game supports the MT-32 and General MIDI for music.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Russian
Fan translation by «ENPY Studio»
Spanish

Issues unresolved

  • The MIDI tracks BOSS-05.GMD, BOSS-08.GMD, BOSS-10.GMD, BOSS-11.GMD and BOSS-14.GMD (inside SOUNDS.GOB) never play during the game when the corresponding boss is fought against. This is known to be true about the DOS retail release and is an iMUSE issue.
  • One sector in "Mission 3: Anoat City" is messed up, preventing access to two energy unit pickups. Its corridor can be entered by setting the hub switch to setting 2. The inaccessible sector is on the right just inside the sewage corridor, showing up with the map cheat or a level editor.
  • Two Ceiling Turrets in "Mission 4: Research Facility" are missing their bases.
  • Some of the Ceiling Turrets have their base set to have the Turret logic. Nothing happens unless the corresponding map gets edited.
  • A fan in "Mission 4: Research Facility" has its grate set to use the Fan logic. Unless the map is edited, the grate stays still.
  • There is a non-functioning elevator in "Mission 9: Nar Shaddaa" in the room with the first Trandoshans. Its sector is messed up and inaccessible, preventing players from going back to the starting area without sitting on a mine or cheating.

Issues fixed

Game randomly changes colors

Change output method to DirectDraw or OpenGL[citation needed]
  1. Go to the Dark Forces installation folder.
  2. Edit dosbox.conf
  3. In the [SDL] section, change output=surface to output=ddraw or output=opengl (whichever works best)
  4. Save your changes.

Game appears stretched horizontally

Fix incorrect aspect ratio[citation needed]
Dark Forces is designed to run at 320x200, but with a 4:3 aspect ratio. To set this, do the following:
  • Go to the [render] section of the DOSBox configuration file and change aspect=false to aspect=true.
  • If you are using Boxer, you can also use the View - Use 4:3 Aspect Ratio item in the menu.

Run retail version without the CD

Run without the CD[8]
  1. Perform a full install within DOSBox.
  2. Copy the CD.ID file from your Dark Forces CD, to the folder you have mounted as DOSBox's C: drive.
  3. Use a text editor to open the DRIVE.CD file in your Dark Forces installation folder. It should contain one letter. Change it to C and save it.
Disables the ability to change configuration in the setup.exe (says you must install the game first).
Create a dummy folder[citation needed]
  1. Perform a full install within DOSBox.
  2. Copy the CD.ID file from your Dark Forces CD, to a new folder (which you will later mount as drive D).
  3. Copy the BOOTMKR.EXE and IMUSE.EXE from the CD or the installation folder to this new folder (the IMUSE.EXE must be in a \Dark sub folder to be detected by the configuration utility).
  4. Mount the folder as drive D, then play!
Slightly more involved than the above fix for simply the ability to use the configuration utility.
Significantly leaner than having an ISO mounted to access setup.exe (Steam version).
Files can be mistakenly deleted using the "Remove modules" option, marking files as read-only is recommended.

Update Steam DOSBox version/Run without Steam

Run without Steam[citation needed]
  1. Install the game through Steam.
  2. Download the latest DOSBox version.
  3. Run the installer and point it to the Dark Forces installation folder.
  4. To run Dark Forces without Steam, run dosbox.exe directly. To run with Steam, launch as usual.

Enable Steam overlay

Change DOSBox output method to OpenGL[citation needed]
  1. Go to the Dark Forces installation folder.
  2. Edit dosbox.conf
  3. Change output=surface to output=opengl
  4. Save your changes.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
OpenGL 3.3 See The Force Engine
Software renderer
DOS video modes MCGA, VGA

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio iMUSE For music

DarkXL

DarkXL is heavily outdated at this point and it's not recommended to use it anymore, as it has been surpassed by The Force Engine.
Enables playing the game in modern Windows. Supports high resolutions, with enhanced visuals and proper mouselook.
The Original version of the project, however, is no-longer in active development, and the most-recent alpha version has some unresolved issues such as missing cutscenes, no music during cutscenes, a float/noclip function bound to the F key that cannot be rebound, and other issues that require workarounds to correct. However, the game can still be completed in this form. (see Getting started with XL Engine).

The author of the Xlengine/DarkXL port LuciusDXL has, as of May 2020, restarted the project as The Force Engine concentrating on Dark Forces and Outlaws games. This is due in part to Blood and Daggerfall having other complete projects/ports available. More information is available on his blog post here.

Dark Frontend

Dark Frontend is a utility that allows easier launching of mods and levels. Installation (of both the launcher and the mods you intend to use with it) isn't exactly the most straight forward; includes a digital manual (readme.exe), reading it is recommended before using. It has been superseded by Dark Forces Custom Launcher, but unlike its successor, it is a native DOS program and can directly in DOSBox.

System requirements

DOS
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 5.0
Processor (CPU) Intel 386DX 33 MHz
System memory (RAM) 8 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 3.5 MB
Video card (GPU) MCGA, VGA


Notes

  1. Update April 2021. Site is back and updated frequently. Discord is active. Old Update: Users This site is only up intermittently and is frequently rendered inaccessible. Links to archives with most of the content from the site can be found on this forum post
  2. Any references to "the demo" on this page refer to the first demo.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 File/folder structure within the installation folder reflects the path(s) listed for DOS game data.
  4. 4.0 4.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/32400/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (32400) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References