[NightFright]

I think it's safe to say that 32-bit users are definitely a dwindling minority and it's rather a gimmick/bonus to still provide binaries not meant for x64 systems.

My hope is that the release of this port will inspire mappers to create fresh DF content, especially stuff that makes excessive use of TFE's capabilities. We might get levels with details and sizes never seen before, which is an exciting thought. DF's second spring might be upon us!

[luciusDXL]

I have written a blog post about the 2022 TFE Retrospective and project plans for 2023. https://theforceengi...24/2023Dev.html

[quakis]

NightFright, on 24 December 2022 - 12:41 AM, said:

My hope is that the release of this port will inspire mappers to create fresh DF content

I'm always curious about editors for other games, but I just cannot get along with how it feels to use something like WDFUSE and might not be alone in that. I prefer the ability for quick iteration, changing things on the fly; reshaping an area; splitting them into segments; raising this; removing that; adding stairs to a ledge here; removing them later if I change my mind... I'm just really spoilt with editors like Doombuilder or Trenchbroom because what otherwise takes seconds to do in those took several minutes to get something really basic done here, then making any big additions or having a change of ideas for an area just felt like a massive headache to get going and reiterate on. Any further desire attempts at mapping didn't last long sadly, just not feeling it with WDFUSE as an option.

It makes me think of a Build/Mapster and Doombuilder comparison, the latter making it so much easier to get started and break into the modding scene while Build/Mapster being an archaic turn off for most new users. I've been using Build/Mapster for atleast 25 years now and even I prefer the ease to create and iterate that Doombuilder provides. Even the Quake mapping scene exploded with productivity, userbase and output sometime after Trenchbroom. The toolsets for modding and how they feel to use really matters in the end.

I'll probably have to wait and see how TFE's editor turns out by comparison and hope it takes some QoL cues from modern editors. The blog post sounds hopeful at least.

[NightFright]

What I also like about TFE's recent release is that it makes people play the old custom maps, revealing bugs that never got fixed. However, with community activity being high at the moment, mapping-related issues are fixed within a short period of time and new versions are uploaded rather quickly. It's really a good time to play addons these days since they should work better than ever before.

[luciusDXL]

Version 1.02 Release
After a lot of bug fixes, mostly with custom levels, the version 1.02 Release is finally ready.

Download: https://theforceengi.../downloads.html
Blog Post: https://theforceengi...rsion-1-02.html

Quality of Life Features

• Alt+Enter will toggle fullscreen in addition to F11.
  
• Frame limit options added to the Graphics UI.
  
• Load added to the main menu.
  
• The Mod Loader will now return to the main menu if escape is hit.
  
• The Mod Loader will close mod descriptions is escape is hit.
  
• A System Menu has been added with two options:
  
• An option to return to the main menu if you Quit a game.
  
• An option to return to the Mod Loader if you Quit, if you loaded a mod (assuming the first option is enabled).
  
• The Audio system will try multiple sound APIs, including Direct Sound, if the default fails.
  
• You can now select the output audio and midi devices.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash when playing Evacuation of Hoth custom level due to a frame scenery object being destroyed.
  
• Fixed a bug where levels wouldn’t load if they had spaces in front of certain keywords - such as Mission 2 of Don Sielke’s.
  
• Fixed a bug where items would be despawned in some cases where the sector heights were too small.
  
• Fixed a bug where briefings could be skipped in some mods due to an order of operations error.
  
• Fixed a bug where sprites didn’t always light up correctly when attacking.
  
• Fixed a bug where the Probe Droid would stay fullbright after firing.
  
• Fixed a bug where autoaim wasn’t working with 3D objects like turrets and welders.
  
• Fixed a bug where autoaim targeted farther away items instead of closer items in some cases.
  
• Fixed a bug where the player could save while dying and then be invulnerable on load until they healed.
  
• Fixed crashes when INF sectors don’t exist in custom maps.
  
• Fixed a bug where jumping up to sector second heights isn’t as forgiving in TFE as DOS, resulting in custom level progression issues.
  
• 3DO PLANE projection when using the GPU Renderer now matches the software renderer for non-flat polygons.
  
• Fixed a bug where the top and bottom textures were drawn even with the “no wall” flag set instead of showing the sky when using the GPU Renderer.
  
• Fixed a bug with crouch jumping that kept the player from fitting into small places, blocking progression in Boba Fett’s Revenge and other custom levels.
  
• Fixed bugs with exterior adjoins that caused walls to be incorrectly drawn where there should only be sky.
  
• Fixed a bug with INF messages using invalid delay values behaving different in TFE than DOS, making switches in some custom levels work incorrectly.
  
• Fixed a bug with invalid INF message types (such as “done”) being treated different than DOS, breaking different triggers and elevators in custom levels.
  
• Fixed bugs with Gas Mask rendering when using the GPU Renderer at 320x200 resolution.
  
• It is now possible to hold ALT and move, and use ALT for crouch and slow actions.
  
• Improve Mod Loader text file parsing so it can be reliably extract the mod names.
  
• Improved PDA input and fixed layer keys being swapped.
  
• Fixed another PDA input issue, where the mouse location could effect hotkey results.
  
• Fixed a bug with keyboard input on the Agent menu, where scrolling downward would not wrap if all levels are complete.
  
• Secret Percentage update after loading from a save, fixed LADATA save percentage issue.
  
• The GPU renderer now properly emulates several stretching mid-texture effects (these worked in the software renderer).
  
• Fixed a sky texture offset bug using the GPU renderer that caused the incorrect part of the sky to show up in part of Stars End.
  
• Saved games with no name given are now assigned a default name, so that they can be selected and loaded.

[NightFright]

I've been holding back with my mod test run for this update. Hopefully there's going to be a lot less unpleasant surprises now. Some guys on Github were playing like crazy, a lot of bug reports came in within a rather short period of time.

[luciusDXL]

Version 1.09 Release

This build adds both Sound Font (sf2) and OPL3 midi synthesis. External midi is no longer required on Linux. Note that midi settings will be reset with this build, if you want to change from the default (OPL3 emulation) - then use the Sound menu.

OPL3 support required reverse-engineering the iMuse "FM4" driver code, as well as changing the midi device/output architecture to support synthesis, and dynamically changing both devices and outputs during gameplay. In addition, the audio system now processes audio at 44.1 kHz (instead of 11 kHz) - which means upsampling the iMuse mixed digital audio.

Download: https://theforceengi.../downloads.html

Changes

• Implemented midi device types to support system midi as well as midi synthesis.
  
• Implemented support for midi synthesis using Sound Fonts (sf2).
  
• Implemented support for midi synthesis using OPL3 emulation and the iMuse OPL driver.
  
• Implemented the ability to change midi devices and outputs during gameplay, the game music is restarted as needed.
  
• Added Roland SC-55 and AWE64 sound fonts.
  
• Added support for 800p in the resolution list for the Steam Deck.
  
• Update the Readme to reflect that external midi is no longer required on Linux.
  
• The midi device now defaults to OPL3.
  
• Reduced stack size requirements in the audio system to fix issues on Steam Deck.
  
• Linux/CMake: also install the Mods and SoundFonts folders.
  
• Linux/Paths: look for support data in the executable directory too.
  
• CMake: gitVersion: do nothing if Git is not available.
  
• Linux: name executable “theforceengine”
  
• Add comments categorizing keywords and noting those which are not implemented.

Video

[jkas789]

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[jkas789]

God damn Lucius! Excellent job mate, excellent job. I have been trying out TFE and it plays so, so well. Thanks for the hard work mate, it was definitely worth the wait.



My only complaint would be that as far as I can tell there is no way to change the FOV but I can deal with the nausea and the headache just to be able to play Dark Forces in a non masochistic way.

Gentlemen,

[MetHy]

Nice job with this. FYI the port was mentionned in a French retro gaming magazine (the whole part about Dark Forces was written because of TFE).

[luciusDXL]

MetHy, on 27 February 2023 - 10:07 AM, said:

Nice job with this. FYI the port was mentionned in a French retro gaming magazine (the whole part about Dark Forces was written because of TFE).

That sounds cool, do you have a link?

[MetHy]

luciusDXL, on 27 February 2023 - 10:29 AM, said:

That sounds cool, do you have a link?

I went back to the store today so I took these lousy pictures. I remembered it wrong, it's not a retro gaming mag but a PC gaming mag with a lot of retro in this issue. Canard PC n°439 Februrary 2023.

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 
• 

[Fantinaikos]

Translation of the article:
If I ask you to name me a good Star Wars FPS, YOU will probably answer JEDI KNIGHT. Yes, screaming, pure excitement pumped through your veins by an excess of nostalgia. An answer which, not content with not specifying "which Jedi Knight” exactly emphasizes above all a somewhat sad fact: everyone has Forgot Dark Forces.

Before becoming famous with Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, Kyle Katarn was introduced in the very first installment of the series.
Dark Forces is a bit like the outline of Jedi Knight: an FPS largely inspired by Doom where you knock out Imperial troops by the kilo, with everything the Star Wars universe can offer as guns. No, no lightsaber, because Kyle won't become a Jedi until the second episode.
A vulgar Doom with a Star Wars skin, will say the gossips, which hide the fact that Dark Forces came with some good ideas like mines, thermal detonators, a lot of staging and even a lamp to see in the black. Okay, said like that, this list of originalities may seem ridiculous, but remember that the game was released in 1995, two years after DOOM and a year before Duke Nukem 3D. And then, well, at the time we weren't being picky because we didn't have a hundred new games a week on Steam and just an orange at Christmas. Bunch of ingrates.
A comeback. If we talk about Dark Forces again, it's simply because hackers have just released version 1.0 of the Force Engine, after three years of sweat, tears and reverse engineering on the original Jedi Engine. A small program (we are talking about 8 MB) which, seemingly, does a great service to humanity by allowing the game to be brought out with all the comforts in the modern world.

On the program, no upheaval, but many options that will make you more beautiful life, such as support for current screen definitions, the ability to play with a mouse view and even a mod manager. All this without mentioning the fact that the Force is devilishly simple to use: Install Dark Forces, unzip the program, launch it and press "Start" to enjoy it. Yes that's all.

And as good news never comes alone, the team is already announcing a 2.0 which will ensure the compatibility of the program with Outlaws, a Wild West FPS released in 1997 which also used the Jedi Engine. Something to revisit a beautiful piece of video game history, during this small period of hollow.

1.The best of the saga, pure solo adventures. Don't look, I have reasons.

In case you don't know it, not long ago was released a new award-winning level, Undermined.

https://df-21.net/do...p?view=undrmind

[luciusDXL]

As many of you have seen, Nightdive has announced their Dark Forces Remaster. They have partnered with me to help them in a technical advisory role to help with the project, which includes exchanging information and providing some TFE code. So I have written a FAQ to answer likely questions.

https://theforceengi...master-FAQ.html

[Marphy Black]

But does this mean Kyle Katarn is canon again?

[NightFright]

A pity this comes relatively soon after TFE went final. Anyway, at least Lucius is involved, so there's a fair chance it's going to work out. Besides their failure with Blood (sadly), Nightdive has delivered high quality remakes, with ROTT being the latest shining example.

Anyway, excited for this one. Fingers crossed for proper qucksave! Hopefully the community patch will also be included.

[Martin Howe]

Glad to hear this. I was worried that either the Kex port would lack features compared to TFE or that TFE wouldn't be able to play the remaster, as until now, TFE has been THE way to play DF on modern systems. Good news all round

[jkas789]

luciusDXL, on 22 August 2023 - 11:35 PM, said:

As many of you have seen, Nightdive has announced their Dark Forces Remaster. They have partnered with me to help them in a technical advisory role to help with the project, which includes exchanging information and providing some TFE code...

I'm glad to see you are involved in the DF port mate. It makes me much more confident of the quality of it with you involved in some manner. Even so, TFE is still my go to for playing Dark Forces and Outlaws (fingers crossed) in the near future.

Marphy Black, on 23 August 2023 - 12:00 AM, said:

But does this mean Kyle Katarn is canon again?

God I hope so.

[NightFright]

I've just learned that Dark Forces music was actually composed with an SC-88 and will have cut-off notes with the SC-55. I wonder whether this justifies opting for a different soundfont (not the included ones) or a music pack using SC-88 recordings.

Source:
https://www.vogonswi..._computer_games

[MrFlibble]

NightFright, on 24 December 2022 - 12:41 AM, said:

I think it's safe to say that 32-bit users are definitely a dwindling minority and it's rather a gimmick/bonus to still provide binaries not meant for x64 systems.

I just found out that Gerwin (the coder behind the MBF 2.04 maintenance release) has built XP-compatible 32-bit TFE binaries, available from his site (backports section):
http://www.gb-homepage.nl/

[Dzierzan]

LuciusDXL posted his latest progress on his editor:

[jkas789]

I think Lucius dropped this.

[NightFright]

It smells of new and amazing Dark Forces content.

[luciusDXL]

I posted a follow-up video that shows "wall extrusion", which is still a work in progress:

Video

[luciusDXL]

2023 is now over, and for many today is the new year. So I posted a 2023 Retrospective and 2024 Plans post on the TFE blog: https://theforceengi...2024-Plans.html