Source FAQ & Interesting Article

The following is a FAQ concering the JKO and JKA source code. It will be updated if needed. Also, be sure to scroll down after the FAQ for info about an interesting news article I was sent.

Source Code FAQ

I'm clicking on the SourceForge links to the code, but I'm getting "Whoops, we can't find that page."

Ravensoft requested that SourceForge take down the source code for both JKO and JKA due to legal reasons.

According to @eezstreet they accidentally kept proprietary code (BINK, Xbox, feelit) in the source code releases, which meant they were accidentally illegally redistributing the code.

It is also believed that a folder called "mp3code" had a GPL'd library in it, which meant that Raven were required to release the source code.

When will Ravensoft put the code back up?

No one knows.

What should I use instead since the source is gone?

It's highly recommended to use OpenJK instead, as it is a fixed and majorly improved version of the code.

Does this source code release mean that the game is now free?

No. This is just the code, not the assets like maps, models, etc. You still need to buy the game in order to have the assets.

Were the assets released along with the code?

See the above question's answer.

How do I use this to play the game?

Do you know how to compile code?

If not so: You don't. Just buy the game and play using that.

If so: If you already have purchased the game and have all of the assets, compile the code and then use that compiled code along with your assets to play the game.

Was this an official source code release, or was it a leak?

It was an official release by Ravensoft employees.

Interesting Article

Now, on to that interesting article I spoke of above. @Darth_Bothersome sent me an article about game remakes. This article speaks about game remakes, including a person named Darth_Linux who got together a team to remake Dark Forces in JKO in 2002.

He managed to get a ten man team together, which then doubled to twenty when he started releasing screenshots.

He worked for approximately three hours per day managing and doing work on this project. He even managed to get some voice actors for voiceovers, and the actors sounded similar to the original voice actors. The soundtrack was also remixed.

However, in 2004, when the Source engine was released, some felt that the remake was beginning to look dated compared to newer engines. The team even ported everything over to JKA, however they still needed a coder in order to make puzzles.

A coder was never found. The project was officially cancelled in January of 2012.

Nevertheless, be sure to check out that article if you want. It's an interesting read.