Common JK Crashing Issues

If you ever experience JK crashing after you try to start it, there are a few possibilities as to why.

Problem 1: JK is NOT Patched
Solution 1: Download the JK Patch, and install it as instructed in the ReadMe.txt file that comes with it. This patch fixes many problems people encounter after installing JK.

Problem 2: JK won't start in Win7/Vista 64 Bit
Solution 2: Create a Shortcut to JK.exe, and include -WINDOWGUI in the TARGET section of the shortcut. This will enable JK to start in a window, but gameplay will be in Fullscreen.

To create a shortcut, simply right-click JK.exe, and then click SEND TO > Desktop. Now the shortcut is on your Desktop. Right-click it and go to Properties to enter the code in the TARGET section.

Problem 3: JK Crash after Level Load
Solution 3: Start JK, then go to SETUP, then to DISPLAY. DOUBLE-CLICK the 3D Acceleration box. This will deactivate 3D accel, and then reactivate it thus resetting the video settings. Choose a screen resolution, and then hit OK.

Playing Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II Online

JK is old. With that said, it is likely you will run into problems with the way the game interacts with you.

Here are a few things you should know about the game.

• Many maps today require the use of 3D acceleration to display 16 bit textures. In the old days, JK only displayed 256 color textures to keep performance high. A few years ago JK maps have evolved and they now come with true color 16 bit textures. Computers today are much more advanced and able to handle this extra work load to make JK look much better. Enabling 3D acceleration in the DISPLAY section of the SETTINGS menu will enable 16 bit color rendering. If you choose to run JK without 3D Acceleration enabled on an evolved map, the colors will look very weird and will make the game almost unplayable.

• Some of the latest maps
(Dralloc CTF, DS3, Merc Oasis 2)
have a built in feature that allow you to use a more accurate aiming crosshair. Just push TAB in game, and then push the - (minus) button to shrink the crosshair to your desired size.

• When using a mouse to aim, the X and Y axis
in the CONTROL settings will throw you off.
X is the direction to look left and right
Y is the direction to look up and down
If you like to invert your mouse for your up and down directions, make sure you have the
Y axis highlighted before inverting it.

• Be sure to enable ALWAYS RUN in the
OPTIONS section in CONTROL settings.
If you don't, you will hate yourself.

• Bacta is very important in any Multiplayer game.
They are basically personal health packs.
You should set a button that is close to your movement buttons so you can heal yourself after taking damage. F2 is the default.

• People tend to have the ability to run faster by running forward and sideways at the same time. This is called Strafe-Running. Strafing is a very helpful skill to have when playing JK. Learn how to master running at an angle to acheive maximum speed!

The JK Community Chat Room

A popular IRC client is mIRC. Install it, and then
connect to: irc.gamesurge.net
Then join the JK Community HQ by typing /join #jk

You can get into the chat room without having to download mIRC easily by clicking HERE.

Downloadable JK Map
Installation Procedure:

JK maps number in the thousands, but only a certain few actually get played. In order to join a multiplayer game that is running a non-standard JK map, you must download the map, and install it correctly.

This guide will show you how to download, and
install JK maps in 2 easy steps.

Step 1:
Find the map you want to play.

Find the website with the map you want, and download the map. They usually come in ZIP or RAR format. I highly recommend using WinRAR to open these files.

Step 2:
Open the ZIP or RAR file to extract the GOB file.

The GOB file is the file that holds the entire map. You will need to put that GOB file into the EPISODE folder where you installed JK.

Once that file is there, the map is installed
and you are ready to play!

JK Port Settings

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II Requires you to open
ports for Multiplayer Games if you are using a router!

Your Router may not be exactly as shown below, but most are similar.
This is simply an example to demonstrate what you need to do.

Step 1:
Access your router through Internet Explorer or Firefox.

To do this, Click START > RUN, then type CMD in the box, then hit ENTER.
A DOS window will appear. In there, type IPCONFIG, then hit ENTER.
Some information will appear.
Now, write down the numbers that correspond with DEFAULT GATEWAY.
The numbers should be similar to this 192.168.0.1
Now, close the DOS window, and open Internet Explorer or Firefox.
In the address bar, type http:// followed by the Default Gateway IP you just wrote down.
It should look like this http://192.168.0.1
Hit ENTER, and it should bring up your router's login screen.

This is where you will need the access information for your router.
After purchasing your router, you should have set it with a username and password.
If you didn't set any of that, there are two options you can try...

Option 1:
If you are using a D-Link Router, try this.
Username: admin
Password: (Leave Blank)

Option 2:
If you are using a LinkSys Router, try this.
Username: admin
Password: admin

Hopefully you will have gained access to your router.
If not you can try www.portforward.com

Step 2:
Now you will need to set the ports required for JK Online Multiplayer.

To do this, you will need to locate the PORT FORWARDING section of your router.
When you get there, you will notice some boxes where you can fill in the blanks.

The typical rules to remember are...
• Tell the router what program we will be using.
• What ports that program needs to have opened.
• What computer on the network will use these opened ports.

Here is an example of what you might see.

Now, notice how I put JK.EXE in 2 NAME boxes .
This tells the router that when JK starts, it will open the ports I've chosen.

In the first box, I set ports 2300 to 2400 on ANY traffic type.
This means that JK.EXE will use ports 2300-2400 on both UDP and TCP protocols.

On the second box, I set ports 47624 to 47625 also on ANY traffic type.
This is basically the server side data stream that will be transmitted from
your computer if you are hosting games. It allows JK to send data through these ports using both UDP and TCP protocols.

In the IP ADDRESS field, make sure the IP address inside the box points to the computer on your network where JK will be played. To find out which IP is the correct one, you can find your computer's network IP address by doing the following procedure:

• Press START, and in the search bar (or by clicking RUN), type CMD then press Enter.
• Once the DOS window appears, type IPCONFIG, then press Enter.
• You will notice a line that says IPV4 ADDRESS. It should look similar to 192.168.1.2.
Remember that IP address, and then go back to your router configuration window, and
either insert that IP in the IP ADDRESS section, or simply choose it from a drop down menu.

After you've entered this information, SAVE SETTINGS , then exit the router. That's it!

Screen Shots

On October 9th 2007 the JK Community held a 10 Year Anniversary Party. Here are some screenshots that were taken during some of the very large games we played.