June 30, 2008: I made a scaleable version of the PDA font from Dark Forces. Get it on the new Al`s Fonts page.

June 28, 2008: Added the desktop icons from Macintosh Dark Forces to Al`s Pictures.

June 13, 2008: I added something I should have a long time ago to Al`s Pictures, the "Buy It" screen from the Macintosh version of the Dark Forces Demo, which is based on a relatively high resolution digital version of the game's box art. The demo for PC had a completely different screen at the end. For my own amusement, I note that the Al`s Pictures page went 3,819 days without an update.

February 20, 2007: Ten years! I missed my own anniversary but the oldest dated content on this site isAl`s Background .VOCs. Little did I know all the download links were broken. For the tenth anniversary I have re-uploaded (almost all) the files. Thanks to df-21.net for making it possible for me to recover my own stuff.

June 23, 2005: Finally having a Mac powerful enough to handle the exquisite eye candy, I've recently re-played the Dark Forces Mod Demo for Jedi Academy. At last I can agree with everybody who thinks it's fantastic. I'm only sad that it takes so many more man-hours to create worthwhile mods with modern production values compared to the long-ago height of DF level editing, when you could literally download a new, high-quality fan-made level almost every day. Now, there are so many different games and so much attention focused on creating multiplayer maps and mods, there are precious few exciting single-player Star Wars adventures made. I'll take what I can get! Meanwhile, for kicks I added a tiny update about running JK1/DF2 on a current Mac to my MacJedi page. Speaking of JA mods that need to happen!

October 28, 2002: Mac Jedi Outcast is shipping! I am awaiting my copy.

June 2, 2002: Last Thursday the Macintosh version of Star Wars Jedi Outcast: Jedi Knight II was announced! Since I am a Mac user, this is great news!

November 17, 2001: There's a link on my MacJedi page to a new petition to bring Jedi Knight to the Macintosh. The odds are better than you might think! Read on...

May 20, 2001: LucasArts has announced the return of Kyle Katarn in Star Wars Jedi Outcast: Jedi Knight II. (Shouldn't that be Dark Forces III?) LucasArts is co-developing the game with Raven Software using an enhanced Quake III engine, building upon Raven's work in Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. A Spring 2002 release for Windows PC is announced. Although not announced, the good portability of Quake III-based games increases the chance of a prompt Mac version, as was done of Elite Force.

September 4, 2000: What new game do I recommend most to DF fans? Deus Ex. This game is the first I've played since DF and JK that has all the story and character elements I need to get hooked. If you like all the little touches in DF that keep you "in the story", DX delivers, above and beyond.

Book Reviews

April 4, 1999: I just finished reading Dark Forces: Jedi Knight, the conclusion of the trilogy of illustrated novellas based on the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight storyline. It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since I read the second part. Jedi Knight is bit shorter than the other two books, expanding upon the storyline of the second half of the JK game. It tells of colonists and native lifeforms on the planet of the Valley of the Jedi, who are attacked by Jerec's invading forces, and explores the dark Jedi Yun's self-doubt leading to his destiny in the game. There's some space action that includes larger roles for Luke Skywalker and the other main SW characters than in the previous books. It's a bit of a letdown that after all this original background is established, the book climaxes with little more than a retelling the scenes depicted in video of the game's second CD. The ending seems a little rushed and skeletal compared to the richer material earlier. Still, it does the job. The artwork is excellent as before; each book has a different artist responsible for the paintings. If you enjoyed the first two volumes, I recommend this book.

April 19, 1998: I just finished reading Dark Forces: Rebel Agent, the second in the trilogy of illustrated novellas based on the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight storyline. It's a good story and nicely illustrated. However, while the first book, Soldier For The Empire, weaves a stunningly faithful account of first level of DF's gameplay into its story, this second book, although covering the first half of the JK storyline, deviates substantially from the game. The scenes depicted in JK's video cutscenes are in the book, but the events that lead from one cutscene to the next bear little resemblance to what's in the game. It's as though LucasArts provided the author only with cutscene storyboards and the bare-bones plot, and told him to fill in the gaps. The illustrations are also a bit under-informed, for example Maw is painted in his legless form in a scene that takes place before he loses his legs in the fight with Rahn. I'm also disappointed that the second book did not continue with events in DF and instead skipped ahead to JK. Still, it's interesting, and all DF/JK fans should get these books. The trilogy will conclude with a book entitled Jedi Knight, due out fall 1998.

Music Tip

March 17, 1998: You can add atmosphere to Dark Forces gameplay by running DF off your hard drive while playing one of the Jedi Knight CDs in your CD drive. The music in Jedi Knight is on regular audio tracks, so both CDs can be played as audio discs (JK Disc 2 has the most music). On my Mac, I have the important files from the DF CD in a Disk Copy image file, which when mounted tricks the game into thinking the DF CD is in the drive. But in reality my CD drive is free to play another disc, so I use it to play music. With the MIDI music in DF turned off, you get basically the same background music you get when playing JK. You could also put in a Star Wars movie soundtrack CD, but the music on the JK discs has been specially edited to have a more uniform mood for gameplay.

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MagicAl

This page is not affiliated with Lucasfilm Ltd. or LucasArts Entertainment Company. DARK FORCES game © 1994 Lucasfilm Ltd. and LucasArts Entertainment Company. STAR WARS®-based items are intellectual property of Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed without permission for non-commercial, exclusive use by licensed users of DARK FORCES software. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Allen Newman disclaims all liability for damages incidental or consequental to exposure to any file or link on this site. © 1997-2008 Allen Newman

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