Articles

Dark Forces History

Dark Forces Magazines
You can find the history of Dark Forces previews and reviews here.

Dark Forces Information

DF Weapons
If you've ever been curious as to the true power of Kyle's arsenal is, this article is a must-read. Written by the author of Dark Statistics, DF Weapons discusses the distinction between damage, firing rates and firepower, and reveals the strengths of each weapon in the game.
DF Cheat Codes
If you are stuck in the game or need to debug an issue here you can look up the cheat codes to make you play the game a lot easier!
Dark Statistics
A very thorough study of the many dynamics found in Dark Forces missions. This article explores the biggest, the smallest, the longest, the shortest, the most complex, the most simple and even the lightest and darkest levels ever made!
Early Dark Forces
Take an interesting look back at the early development days of Dark Forces. This collection of screenshots all show noticable differences from the final retail version of the game. We'll expand this article if anything new turns up.
Frequently Asked Questions
A wealth of information about Dark Forces, including cheat codes and in-depth information about the making of the game, can be found in the by Dr Karsten A. Loepelmann. Give it a read!

Editing Tips & Tutorials

Dark Forces Component Specs
The most important document for Dark Forces editors. It talks in detail about each GOB and LFD component such as BMs, WAXs, INF scripts etc... Start Here if you want to learn about Dark Forces Editing
Class for Dark Forces Editing (10 pages)
GAdRS gives an overview of various aspects of DF editing. Aimed, for the most part, at beginners; but those with experience might find something of interest as well.
Scape Goat's QuickTips: Part 1
A very useful set of short tutorials about various parts of DF editing.
Scape Goat's QuickTips: Part 2
Even more disorganized semi-nonsense...
DF geometry explained
Nervous Breakdown author japh explains the basics of sectors, subsectors, adjoins and texturing. Could be very helpful if you're new to DF editing. (This was originally posted in the DF-21 forums).
Level-safe Palette Conversions
Dark Tide author Matt Hallaron explains how to avoid transparency problems and glow-in-the dark pixels in your custom DF artwork.
The Plot Thickens
Matt Krischke talks about the creation of a sound plot line for DF missions.
Enemy Placement
Calrissian12 gives some advice on what to put where.
Working With Dark Forge Bugs
A little something for all you Mac Dark Forces editors out there... Jordan Boyer runs through a number of bugs in Dark Forge.
How to Give a Level That Dark Forces Feeling
Useful reading for beginners and more advanced editors alike, particularly with regard to texturing.
Regular Polygons
DarthDoctor explains a method for creating regular polygons with walls of an exact length.
Dark Forces Sound Editing
Oton "Fish" Ribic gives a comprehensive run-down on creating sound effects from scratch, with advice on choosing sources and how to apply filters and effects to get the best results.
Digital Music in Dark Forces
The author of Dark Forces Sound Editing, discusses how you can, why you should, and why you shouldn't use VOC files as background music.
Dynamic Geometry
DarthDoctor describes some INF techniques for making different areas accessible on different difficulty levels, and a key-sensitive forcefield.
Designing Missions
Cory Buford goes into great detail on level design, providing innumerable examples of both basics and embellishments that make missions great.
Anatomy of a Subsector
japh clears up all the confusion surrounding subsectors by answering "What is a subsector?" and "How do I make one?"

More tutorials and editing tips, including the essential WDFUSE tutorial, can be found in the Downloads section of DF-21.

Level Walkthroughs

Among the Shadows: Fortress Quadrigon
Oton "Fish" Ribic helps you find your way through his debut mission.
Beyond Glory
JFA guides you through Kevin Buscemi's mailoc-infested level.
Beyond Glory 2
ShadowCell's thorough 40-step plan shows you the way through Kyle Katarn's second encounter with Senj Thirtrae and the Sunkiller project.
Discovery at Ironfort
Can't figure out the alien force field? At last, help is at hand for Kevin Buscemi's fiendish level, in this walkthrough by Emambu.
Mt. Kurek
Having trouble with the code? A walkthrough for Jeff Walters' DF classic by JFA.
Omega Red: The Return
Stuck at the AT-AT hangar? JFA guides you through the level by intjacob.
Prelude to Harkov's Defection
Lost in Hoerby's vast rendition of Nar Shaddaa? ShadowCell will guide you safely through the vertical city in this walkthrough.
Star's End: The Cloak
ShadowCell shows you how to infiltrate and escape from Thon Mohc's training facility without getting laserburn from an invisible enemy.

Complete walkthroughs for the original Dark Forces levels, including secrets and Easter eggs, can be found in the Dark Forces FAQList.

Interviews & Previews

Matt Tateishi Audio Interview
A 2018 DevGameClub Podcast interview of Matt Teteishi the level designer on Dark Forces
Daron Stinnett Audio Interview
A 2018 DevGameClub Podcast interview of Daron Stinnett the Project Lead on Dark Forces
Daron Stinnett Audio Interview 2
A 2011 Racketboy Podcast interview of Daron Stinnett the Project Lead on Dark Forces
William C. Dietz Audio Interview
A 2022 Talking Bay 94 Podcast interview with William C. Dietz, the author of the Dark Forces trilogy
Daron Stinnett Dark Forces Interview
Daron Stinnett talks about the early history of Dark Forces
Daron Stinnett Demoing the Executor mission
A 1995 Computer Chronicles episode with Daron Stinnnett demoing the game's Executor mission
Dark Forces pre-release video
A CNN Future Bytes from 1994 where an early version of Dark Forces is shown.
Dark Forces Macintosh Development Video
A 1995 interview with Lucasarts Dark Forces team.
Interview: Xizor's Palace
An interview from Dark Forces: 1999 with the authors of the level Xizor's Palace. This level was revived by Chris "Madine" Landrum, and is currently being worked on by Matthew Hallaron, Barry Brien, and Patrick Haslow (see the project page for The Dark Tide IV: Xizor's Web).
Interview: Kevin Buscemi - May 2023
This is an interview with Kevin Buscemi about his contributions to the Dark Forces community. Kevin talks about his past work and reveals his plans for future missions.
The Making of Operation Archangel
The creator of the popular Operation Archangel series, Lionel Fouillen, takes a look back at the first two parts, and the upcoming Part 3. This articles was originally posted as a feature at Dark Forces: 1999. At first, it was not transfered here due to the unfortunate cancellation of Archangel 3. Now, circumstances have changed...
(Modified from the original version).
Clint Bajakian comment on Dark Forces audio
Clint discusses the audio configuration for Dark Forces in a Linked-In comment
The History Interviews
James Milne questions a few Dark Forces veterans about their early editing efforts, their best work, and how far they've come.

Dark Forces Articles

PC Gamer Retrospective
A 2017 PC Gamer retrospective that talks about the history of Dark Forces

Miscellaneous

Dark Forces Logo
A high res 6200x7900 Dark Forces logo by Ron Lussier (render by Jon Knoles) Link
Dark Forces PDF Manual
The original Manual for Dark Forces

Mines Appreciation Page

Mines Appreciation Page
This is a fan page created in 2002 by Barry Brien to show appreciation for the mission Mines. You can download it Here

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