Commissar SFLUFAN Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 After 3 years of work, modders have remastered the first Star Wars FPS | PC Gamer WWW.PCGAMER.COM Making a source port of Dark Forces was no blue milk run. Quote In its 1.0 release, the Force Engine lets you play Dark Forces to completion with a highly customizable selection of quality-of-life features like mouse look and high resolution support. The Force Engine also now supports GPU rendering as opposed to the original's archaic software renderer, and features a mod loader for past and future user-made creations. The Force Engine team has indicated that full Outlaws support will come at a later date in the project's 2.0 update. Installation of both the Force Engine itself and mods is a snap. You'll still need a copy of Dark Forces to start—it's not freely available and included with the source port like Bungie's Marathon is with Aleph One—and you can find it on Steam(opens in new tab) or GOG(opens in new tab) for $6 usually (at the time of writing it's on sale for $2 on GOG!) After downloading the mod, running the Force Engine executable will automatically detect your installation path for the game. You can just drop any user-made maps or tweaks in the "Mods" directory of the Force Engine, and select which ones to load from an option on the Force Engine's startup screen. I grabbed the fan mission Among the Shadows: Fortress Quadrigon from the DF-21(opens in new tab) repository of Dark Forces mods and had it up and running in seconds. Like with GZDoom(opens in new tab) or Aleph One(opens in new tab), the Force Engine opens up a whole world of free FPS levels in addition to letting you more comfortably and conveniently play an old classic. Version 1.0 Release · The Force Engine THEFORCEENGINE.GITHUB.IO Quote After 3 years of development, I am ready to announce the Version 1.0 Release of The Force Engine (TFE). The Force Engine is a project with the goal to reverse engineer and rebuild the Jedi Engine for modern systems and the games that used that engine - Dark Forces and Outlaws. For version 1.0, Dark Forces support is complete but Outlaws is not yet playable. Full Outlaws support is planned in the future, for version 2.0. For Dark Forces, the goal is for TFE to act as a viable replacement for DosBox and the original executable for most players, to be used to not only play the vanilla levels but also the many user mods developed for the original game - and I believe that goal has finally been met with the release of version 1.0. The Force Engine provides modern conveniences and control methods and removes the need to set up DosBox and deal with cycles-based bugs such as getting stuck on ice or having the missiles that the final boss fires move too fast or not move at all. While TFE supports modern GPU and high resolution software rendering - the original 320x200 fixed-pointe renderer has been preserved - keeping the DOS experience for those who want it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodporne Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 Was never a Star Wars fan but I played the shit out of this back in the day. Any Doom clone that was even serviceable was on my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 I've only played the best version, the Playstation version. Will this mod work on that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chakoo Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Nice, I remember playing the ps1 version a lot after my brother in law picked it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjomesphat Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 This looks great, and the original renderer is preserved too. Been meaning to re-play this one for some time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxEvil AshxX Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 I have the entire series and have been wanting to play them through. I played the shit out of Dark Forces back in the day but the game didn't age well. It always sucked that other games like doom and Wolfenstein and Duke nukem were getting multiple ports and remasters but this game was stuck in 1995. So is Nightdive doing a from scratch remaster? Or did they buy out the mod? They look very similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 6 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said: So is Nightdive doing a from scratch remaster? Or did they buy out the mod? They look very similar. That's a very good question. I don't see any reporting that Nightdive did hire the mod team, but that doesn't mean that they didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Well the remaster is running on the KEX Engine and the mod is running on the the Force Engine. Two very different things. Perhaps just bad timing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chakoo Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Is there a set release date yet for this? Eshop still list 2024 (I’m enjoying playing retro pc shooters on my switch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 41 minutes ago, chakoo said: Is there a set release date yet for this? Eshop still list 2024 (I’m enjoying playing retro pc shooters on my switch). This upcoming Wednesday! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxEvil AshxX Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 19 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said: oops. apparently somebody jumped the gun on posting that. I thought it was a bit early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadatog Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Still have my original cd-rom version. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 This is pretty good. I think I prefer having it on the gpu renderer but with enhanced sprites off. With the enhanced sprites it looks almost too clean, the extra pixelation adds a little roughness. I think for the full hd look you kinda should do it more like the Tomb Raider remakes where they actually add detail so it doesn’t look so plain without the grain. But they went for a 1:1 translation which it does succeed in and still looks good. The redone cinematics are fantastic of course. And mostly, it’s how great it controls with a regular dual stick setup now. It’s just really a shame that they couldn’t do the compass feature for this game though because now Im in the sewer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxEvil AshxX Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I picked it up last night as well... I have pretty fond memories of playing this back when it first released. I have all four of the Dark Forces games and I've been wanting to do a playthrough of them all, but nostalgia can only get me so far, and that OG Dark Forces game was pretty rough.... It's gonna be fun blasting through this with a controller and the FPS controls I've grown accustomed to. Having to go back and play with a keyboard again was not my idea of a swell time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spawn_of_Apathy Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 At first I was wondering if we were referring to Nightdive as just modders now, but then noticed this was talking about a different project. They really are killing it with these remasters and remakes of classic 90s PC games. I do wonder what their ratio is of people buying the games for nostalgia vs people playing these titles for the first time ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 Text article that accompanies the Digital Foundry video: Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster is another Nightdive triumph WWW.EUROGAMER.NET John Linneman's analysis of the Nightdive Studios remaster of Star Wars Dark Forces, based on the game on PC, Switch, X… Quote Every version also controls like a dream - the gamepad implementation is simply superb. It feels unbelievably precise and responsive, making it a joy to play on any platform. Switch and PlayStation also receive support for gyro aiming - if you're a fan of it, you're well served here. For me, the PC version is my favorite of the bunch, with the option for ultra-high frame-rates and full access to the game's built-in console. This access turns out to be somewhat necessary, as Dark Forces in its original DOS form has an internal tick rate of 145.65 - a value that determines the speed at which everything within the game operates. Set this too low and the game basically runs in slow motion, too fast and the game launches into fast forward. For the Remaster version, the default value was rounded off to 144, so if you're playing on PC and use a 144Hz monitor, you're golden - and on Steam Deck OLED, you can set your refresh rate to 72Hz and have a great experience too. Quote Unfortunately, neither of these values play nicely with common refresh rates such as 60, 120 or 240Hz, where you'll experience judder. On PC though, you can set the CL_Enginehz command line variable to 120 to enjoy the game at one of these refresh rates with zero judder. The knock-on effect is that gameplay speed is slightly reduced, but I didn't find it bothersome - and it's preferable to judder. It's one of those things that couldn't really be changed without breaking the game entirely. Fortunately, the higher the frame-rate, the less you'll notice the judder and the more powerful consoles offer support for 120fps gameplay which does feel great. If you're limited to 60Hz on your display on PS5 or Series X/S though, you may notice the judder a little more readily. Ideally, what I'd like to see for this scenario is the option to cap the frame-rate at 72Hz, like the Steam Deck OLED, but rely on VRR to provide smooth frame delivery when using the 120fps mode. Alas, when it comes to Switch, things are a little worse for the wear with combat-based performance dips in addition to the 60Hz judder. Nightdive has announced a patch that should solve this, but you can play in the software mode at a locked 60fps in the meantime if needed. Quote There's another issue with the game's music playback, which on the positive side does include both general MIDI and OPL3 options, but also exhibits note timing that's slightly off. This also is set to be fixed in the patch, but as it stands, I prefer playing with the OPL3 version of the soundtrack - it's noticeably less realistic but it feels nostalgic and its issues are less noticeable. So while the tick rate and music timing issues in the launch code are a little disappointing, I still feel that the overall experience is solid and ultimately better than any other option for playing Dark Forces, including The Force Engine, which exhibits all the same limitations but without the remastered assets and other quality of life features. The Remaster also includes a range of bonus content for players to explore, including a pre-release demo map that was only shared at CES prior to release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 This article compares Nightdive's Remaster with The Force Engine mod: After 29 years, the Star Wars: Dark Forces remaster proves it's still a blast – but fans already made the perfect FPS port for free | GamesRadar+ WWW.GAMESRADAR.COM Opinion | The remaster is a triumph, but so is its fan-made off-shoot Quote The Force Engine was developed by a group of fans over the course of years, and finally released at the end of 2022. It's a full source port of the original game that lets it run on modern systems, and it ticks every box that the Nightdive remaster does: improved, widescreen visuals and modern controls included. In some ways, it's arguably even better. There's an infamous bug in the original Dark Forces where you can very easily get stuck against a wall in the game's ice level thanks to how modern machines handle the momentum system. It's fixed in The Force Engine, but not in the official remaster. TFE is also getting a level editor in a future update, and support for a far more obscure LucasArts shooter called Outlaws. The official Dark Forces Remaster has a few points in its favor, like the option to switch between new and old graphics at the touch of a button, as well as higher resolution sprites. It's also got fully remastered cutscenes, which are both good and bad – they're well-produced, especially when it comes to the 3D elements, but the way the 2D characters animate like paper dolls just looks uncanny in the remaster. Ice level bug aside, I'd put the new Dark Forces Remaster and The Force Engine as roughly equal ways to play the game – which makes sense, given that TFE's lead developer contributed some information and code to the Nightdive team. The key difference is that Dark Forces Remaster is $30, while The Force Engine is free. While the fan remaster requires you to own a copy of the original game, you can easily grab it for $6 on Steam or GOG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I’m guessing it was this way in the original and didn’t remember but I’m kinda disappointed there aren’t save states it seems? I was pretty far in level 4 and took a break to play some Penny’s and all the progress was gone so it doesn’t seem like it saves where you left off when you quit either. Considering these levels are a bit trying in 2024 that is a bit of a bummer. On the plus side I did make it past the first sewer level ok! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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