Software:Jedi (game engine)
| Original author(s) | Ray Gresko |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | LucasArts |
| Written in | C[1] |
| Operating system | MS-DOS, Mac OS[1]Sony PlayStation[2] |
| Type | Game engine |
| License | Proprietary |
Jedi is a game engine developed primarily by Ray Gresko for LucasArts.[3] It is very similar to the Build engine used in Duke Nukem 3D. While not a true 3D engine, it supported a three-dimensional environment with no limitations in the 3rd dimension (Z). In Doom, environments or levels were limited to existing in the X-Y plane only – levels were laid out two-dimensionally: while floor and ceiling heights could differ, areas could not overlap vertically. The Jedi Engine had support for areas or rooms (called "sectors") on top of one another, a trait that it shared with the Build engine.[2] In the Dark Forces revision of the engine, the renderer could not display two rooms situated on top of each other simultaneously. This capability was added for Outlaws.[4]
The Jedi Engine also included the ability to jump and crouch, the ability to look up and down,[3] and atmospheric effects (achieved by careful manipulation of 256-color palette files).[5] The engine is limited in its rendering capabilities, however, and used two-dimensional sprites (pre-rendered in different angles) for most of its object graphics.[4] Other LucasArts techniques such as the iMuse sound system were incorporated.[1]
Its lifetime was short-lived, being used in two titles, Star Wars and Outlaws.[6] The sequel to Dark Forces, Jedi Knight, used the Sith engine.
There have been attempts of open source game engine recreations based on reverse engineering the original source code.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Byte.com article on Dark Forces and the Jedi engine". http://www.byte.com/art/9512/sec10/art1.htm.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Star Wars: Dark Forces". https://ivglib.com/editions/sony-playstation-star-wars-dark-forces.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jedi at MobyGames
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lampert, Guilherme. "Reverse engineering LucasArts Outlaws". http://glampert.com/2015/10-10/reverse-engineering-lucasarts-outlaws/.
- ↑ John, Papadopoulos. "The Force Engine is a source port of the Jedi Engine, will support Dark Forces & Outlaws". https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-force-engine-is-a-source-port-of-the-jedi-engine-will-support-dark-forces-outlaws/.
- ↑ Paul Lilly (2009-07-21). "Doom to Dunia: A Visual History of 3D Game Engines". maximumpc.com. Maximum PC. http://www.maximumpc.com/doom-to-dunia-a-visual-history-of-3d-game-engines/#page-2.
- ↑ Dawe, Liam. "The Force Engine is a fresh attempt to rebuild the Jedi Engine". https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2020/05/the-force-engine-is-a-fresh-attempt-to-rebuild-the-jedi-engine.
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