Force FAQ - Guide for Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2

              The Unofficial Jedi Knight Force FAQ v1.6
                 by Dan Thompson ([email protected])

Table of Contents:

- What's new in this version
- Introduction
- General Force Information
  - Character Rank
  - Sound Effects
  - Force "Cheaters"
- The Force Powers
  - Neutral Force Powers
    - Force Jump
    - Force Speed
    - Force Pull
    - Force Seeing
  - Light Force Powers
    - Force Healing
    - Force Persuasion
    - Force Blinding
    - Force Absorb
    - Force Protection
  - Dark Force Powers
    - Force Throw
    - Force Grip
    - Force Lightning
    - Force Destruction
    - Force Deadly Sight
- What's still missing
- Special Thanks

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WHAT'S NEW IN THIS VERSION (1.6, 7.13.99)

- New strategies for Blind and Protection
- New Star Effect for Throw
- General updating, ranking adjustments

(1.51, 7.30.98)

- Corrected number of Stars available to different Ranks

(1.5, 7.26.98)

- New strategies for Speed, Absorb, and Blind
- New Star Effects for Blind and Speed
- New rankings for Absorb and Persuasion
- New counters for Grip

(1.0, 12.10.97)

Everything!

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INTRODUCTION

Unlike many 3D first-person shooters out there, Jedi Knight has an aspect
that drastically alters the gameplay, and keeps it from being yet another
Quake clone:  Force Powers.  These powers can easily help you best anyone
who tries to play you in a traditional 3D "run to the rocket launcher" way.
This FAQ is intended to help you use the Force in the most effective ways
possible.  Note that most of the information in this guide is useful in
multiplayer play, and may not be applicable to a single player game.

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GENERAL FORCE INFORMATION

-=Character Rank=-

When you create a new multiplayer character, the rank you choose impacts you
in three ways: First, what Force powers are available to you; second, how
many stars you have to assign to those Force powers; and finally, your
maximum mana limit in battle.  I have found that for the most part, only two
ranks are really useful.  Those ranks are 8 - Jedi Lord and 6 - Disciple.

The advantages of being a Jedi Lord are that you have access to any Force
power (including Protection and Deadly Sight), you have the most stars
possible to assign to force powers (24), and that you have the maximum mana
limit in battle.  The only drawback is that you must choose either light or
dark side; you cannot have any mix of both.

The advantage of being a Disciple is that you can pick both light and dark
side powers. The drawbacks are that you cannot use Force Absorb or Force
Destruction (or, by matter of elimination, Protection or Deadly Sight), you
only have 18 stars to assign to Force powers, and you have a lower maximum
mana limit.

Personally, I consider the ranks about equal; each has it's advantages in a
given situation.  However, I usually use Disciple about 85% of the time.

Note that your rank has nothing to do with how effective your Force is;
that is completely dependent on the number of stars you have assigned to that
Force.

-=Sound Effects=-

Knowing the sound effects of the different forces is a really important
part of playing Jedi Knight.  For example, when you hear the Persuasion
sound (a low-pitched hum), that should clue you in to use Seeing.  If you
hear the high-pitched scream of Blinding a lot, you should be using Seeing
to avoid a possible Blinding.

-=Force "Cheaters"=-

There are ways to edit certain files so that you may use combinations of
forces not normally allowed, such as Grip with Absorb or Seeing with
Protection.  Basically, I watch for these things:

If they use Absorb or Destruction, they should not be using any opposite side
powers.

If they use Protection or Deadly Sight, they should not be using any opposite
side powers or any neutral powers.

Please do not become one of the many (ignorant) people who think Disciple is
cheating.  I have played quite a few people who scream, "Cheater!" simply
because I used Grip and Persuasion together.  I can tell you from experience;
telling people over and over again about the Disciple exception gets really
old, really fast.

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THE FORCE POWERS

Here's the format for the Force power descriptions:

Force Name
Cost*
Overall Effectiveness (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most effective)
Star Effect (what having more stars assigned to this power does)
How to implement it
How to defend against it

*Note:  The value for Cost is out of the .cog file.  To put it in perspective,
a Force Boost is equivalent to about 100 mana.

-=Neutral Force Powers=-

-Force Jump-
Cost: 20 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 2
Star Effect: More stars = Higher jump

How to implement it:  You can use it as a way to access otherwise
inaccessible areas, as a shortcut, or as a way to help escape Grip.  I
wouldn't be caught without at least 1 star on this.  Force Jump is also
variable.  If you only tap the button or hold it down until the sound is
at it's highest pitch, you will get the maximum height out of your jump.
If you let go somewhere in between, you'll get a slightly lower jump.

How to defend against it:  You can't stop it in any practical way, but all
it is is a high jump.

-Force Speed-
Cost: 20 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 3
Star Effect: Duration- 1 star = 8 seconds, 2 stars = 11 seconds, 3 stars =
13 seconds, 4 stars = 16 seconds; More stars = faster speed

How to implement it:  You can use it to run over mines without taking damage,
for more maneuverability in battle, or to help you escape or chase someone
down.  Also, you can use it for a faster firing rate.

How to defend against it:  Again, not really applicable.

-Force Pull-
Cost: 20 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 4
Star Effect: More stars = Longer targeting range

How to implement it:  This is the bane of the Quaker.  Any time you see a
person, and they do not have a lightsaber in their hand, use this on them.
They will lose their weapon, at which time you move in for the kill.  This
power is extremely effective vs weapon-users, as the only weapon that can't
be pulled is a lightsaber.  Also, you can use this to pull items toward you,
which can be useful if you and an opponent are racing towards, say, an armor
vest, or a force surge.  You can also use this to pick up an item that you
cannot get, such as a armor vest if you have full shield, or a light
surge if you are dark.  This has the effect of taking the item (even though
you actually don't), making sure that no one else can get it until it
respawns.

How to defend against it:  An opponent cannot use this if they are Blinded.
Also, if you have Persuasion active, and they do not have Seeing activated,
they cannot target you.  Finally (and most importantly), Pull will not work
if the target has Absorb active.

-Force Seeing-
Cost: 30 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 3
Star Effect:  Duration- 1 star = 10 seconds, 2 stars = 15 seconds, 3 stars =
20 seconds, 4 stars = 25 seconds; also, on the map, 1 or 2 stars lets you see
all players, 3 stars lets you see players and items, and 4 stars lets you see
players, items, and projectiles, while activated.

How to implement it:  Use it whenever you hear the Persuasion sound, so that
you can see them.  You can also use it to avoid being Blinded (note that this
will not un-Blind you; you must use it *before* you get Blinded).  It can also
help in low light situations.  Beware, though, you lose all form of stealth
when you use this; the sound it makes while active is quite loud.

How to defend against it:  If you hear that they don't already have it active,
go ahead and Blind them.  After they are Blinded, it will be too late for
them to use Seeing.  Other than that, there isn't much you can do.

-=Light Force Powers=-

-Force Healing-
Cost: 200 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 2
Star Effect: 20 HP healed for each star

How to implement it:  It heals you.  That's it.  There is about a 1 second
delay between the moment you activate it and the moment you actually
receive the HP, though.

How to defend against it:  Try to take off HP faster than they can heal it.
This isn't too hard, especially given the healing delay.

-Force Persuasion-
Cost: 250 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 3
Star Effect: Duration- 1 star = 10 seconds, 2 stars = 20 seconds, 3 stars =
30 seconds, 4 stars = 40 seconds

How to implement it:  Use it to snipe, or to use weapons in general.  Use
it to gain the element of surprise in an attack. I use this particular
Force a LOT.  In fact, I usually Never Leave Home Without It.  It is
extremely helpful in multiplayer DM games.  However, it's damn near useless
in a 1 on 1 DM.  This Force can be very nasty when combined with Grip or Pull,
or for best results, all three. I'll suffice it to say that 90-95% of the time,
if I Grip someone while I have Persuasion active, and they don't already have
Seeing activated, I kill them in that encounter.  If they have a weapon armed
and I Pull that too, kick that percentage up to about 98%.  Additionally, this
will prevent you from taking damage from Deadly Sight.

How to defend against it:  Persuasion is probably the third most whined about
Force in Jedi Knight.  However, Seeing stops it in its tracks.  I have found
that there are two methods of using Seeing to beat Persuasion.  The first
is to continually have Seeing activated.  This is good in 1 on 1, but can
be hard to implement in a multiplayer DM, especially if there is only one
other opponent using Persuasion and you have other things to worry about.
The second method (the one I prefer) is to TURN UP THE SOUND ON YOUR
SPEAKERS and ACTUALLY LISTEN for the Persuasion sound, and then activate
Seeing.  This second method seems to be difficult for several people, because
I constantly hear whining about "Persuasion is cheap," "Let's see how good
you are without Persuasion," etc; yet Persuasion seems fairly simple to stop
for me.  I have never yet to this day been repeatedly victimized by anyone
using Persuasion against me.

-Force Blinding-
Cost: 100 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 3
Star Effect: Duration of target's blindness- 1 star = 5 seconds, 2 stars =
8 seconds, 3 stars = 12 seconds, 4 stars = 16 seconds; More stars = Longer
targeting range; More stars = more effective blinding (whiter screen)

How to implement it:  You can use this Force to stop any target-aimed force
(Pull, Throw, Grip), as they cannot target while Blinded (with the exception
of Blinding; you can still Blind while Blinded).  This will prevent Seeing
from being used with any kind of real effectiveness.  This power works best
if you don't use Persuasion a whole lot, because then they are less likely
to have Seeing activated.  This will also stop Grip and Deadly Sight from
doing any more damage.  In addition, if you are a Light Jedi Lord, and your
opponent is using a lot of Seeing to stop your Persuasion, start using Blind
instead.  If they are listening for the Persuasion sound, you can Blind them
before they get the Seeing off.

How to defend against it:  If you have Seeing active when the opponent
attempts to use this on you, you will not be Blinded.  Also, you can
see somewhat through the blindness, but it can be difficult to aim.

-Force Absorb-
Cost: 200 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 5
Star Effect: Duration- 1 star = 5 seconds, 2 stars = 10 seconds, 3 stars =
15 seconds, 4 stars = 20 seconds; Damage lessened from Dark Force attacks-
1 star = 25% of the attack absorbed as a mana boost, 2 stars = 50%,
3 stars = 75%, 4 stars = 100% (does not work vs Force Throw).

How to implement it:  This Force is extremely effective on any map with a lot
of weapons (such as Canyon Oasis), simply because you can grab weapons and
use them without fear of Pull.  It also protects against Destruction, Grip,
and Lightning damage.  This is probably the top Light Force.

How to defend against it:  This does not protect them from Force Throw.
Also, Grip can still immobilize them, making it easier for you to get in some
shots.

-Force Protection-
Cost: Up to 300 mana (you can activate it with less than 300 available, but
it will use up all you have, up to 300)
Overall Effectiveness: 3.5
Star Effect: N/A

How to implement it:  This will protect you completely from everything but
Sequencer Charges, Thermal Detonators, Rail Detonators, Concussion Rifles,
Force Lightning, Force Destruction, Force Deadly Sight, and Lightsabers.
Those attacks will wear down Protection (see below).  Just don't use it in
an area with a lot of Throwable Objects.  If you tend to fight against Dark
Jedi on maps like Battleground Jedi or Valley of the Jedi (maps with no
guns), using Protection (in combination with Absorb) is EXTREMELY effective.

How to defend against it:  Protection is THE single MOST COMPLAINED ABOUT
Force in Jedi Knight, and doesn't really deserve it.  Grip is much better
(or worse, depending on how you look at it).  All Protection is is a 200
HP shield that lasts 53 seconds.  In other words, if you can take off 300 HP
in 53 seconds (200 HP + presumably full HP), they WILL DIE.  And since you
know they don't have Seeing or Pull, Light Jedi can easily take out
Protection users by simply using Persuasion and a Concussion Rifle or Rail
Detonator.  Let me spell it out for you.  A concussion rifle blast does 80
naked damage points, and a sticky rail charge does 110.  So, assuming they
have 100 HP and 100 Shield, it would take approximately 5 shots of the
concussion rifle or 4 shots of the rail detonator to kill them.  It's not
that hard, especially while you have Persuasion activated and are Blinding
them at the same time.  Also, you can use punches or Force Throw through the
Protection for full, instant damage.

-=Dark Force Powers=-

(Note: All the damage amounts listed below are used on a stationary
point-blank opponent.)

-Force Throw-
Cost: 30 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 1.5
Star Effect: More stars = Longer targeting range; More stars = Longer range
for objects you are Throwing; Number of objects Thrown- 1 star = up to 4
objects, 2 stars = up to 5 objects, 3 stars = up to 6 objects, 4 stars = up
to 7 objects

How to implement it:  This Force will do direct damage to opponents with
Absorb or Protection activated.  You can also use this Force to snipe,
as they will not be able to tell where the hits are coming from.  You
must be in an area with free-moving objects (rocks, drums, containers)
in order to have something to Throw at them, though, and the objects
you wish to Throw must be in your line of sight.  Any additional
strategies on how to use this Force would be appreciated.

How to defend against it:  There is no Force that can directly stop this,
save Blinding (which would make them unable to target you).  It's much
easier just to be aware of the areas that have a lot of loose objects that
can be Thrown and try to avoid those areas if you are fighting a Dark Jedi
who likes to use Throw.

-Force Grip-
Cost: 50 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 5
Star Effect: Duration- 1 star = 2 seconds, 2 stars = 3 seconds, 3 stars =
4 seconds, 4 stars = 5 seconds; Damage- 1 star = 8 HP, 2 stars = 24 HP,
3 stars = 48 HP, 4 stars = 80 HP

How to implement it:  Grip is the best Force in the game, IMO.  It uses
comparatively little mana, does good damage, and holds them somewhat
stationary to make it easier for you to supplement your attack.  It stops
opponents from running away from you.  I use it all the time. If they have
Absorb activated, they will take little to no damage directly from Grip,
but their movement is still restricted, so you can still take the opportunity
to step back and fire off a few rails, or run around them and slash them in
the back.  The only case where Grip is truly ineffective is when they have
Protection.  If that happens, see the above sections on how to deal with
Protection.

How to defend against it:  Grip can be stopped in one of 4 ways.  1) Use
Absorb (not too effective), 2) Use Protection (pretty effective, but it
leaves you open to a whole lot of other things), 3) Blind them (works 100%
as long as they don't already have Seeing active), or 4) Cause damage to
the person initiating the Grip.  In other words, if the person that is
Gripping takes any damage, the Grip is broken.  This is a lot easier to
do on a level with weapons.  A good strategy is to Force Jump up and shoot
the ground with a rail charge or concussion blast, and try to hit the
Gripper with the splash damage from the explosion.

-Force Lightning-
Cost: See Star Effect
Overall Effectiveness: 1
Star Effect: Mana Cost- 1 star = 40 mana, 2 stars = 35 mana, 3 stars = 30
mana, 4 stars = 25 mana

How to implement it:  Lightning does 13 damage per bolt, so if you have a
dark surge, I suppose you could jam the button and try to kill people really
quickly.  I don't really use this power, so any input would be appreciated.

How to defend against it:  Absorb will protect you from this.  Other than that,
you can try to get out of the bolt range and shoot them.

-Force Destruction-
Cost: 200 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 4
Star Effect: Damage- 1 star = 35 HP, 2 stars = 50 HP, 3 stars = 65 HP,
4 stars = 80 HP

How to implement it:  Destruction has a pretty big blast radius, so you can
fire it into a crowd and it will do mass damage.  You can also use it to
blast people off edges or walkways.  You can also fire it into the floor and
create a kind of damage shield, dealing out damage to everyone near you.  A
good way to aim it is to fire at a wall or floor right next to your target
instead of directly at them, so you don't run the risk of missing them
completely.

How to defend against it:  Absorb works quite well against Destruction.  If
you don't have Absorb, treat Destruction like a rail charge, and try to make
them miss their shot.

-Force Deadly Sight-
Cost: 300 mana
Overall Effectiveness: 0.5
Star Effect: N/A

How to implement it:  Deadly Sight is the most useless force in the game.
It lasts for only 7 seconds, does 14 damage per hit at a rate of about 2
hits per second, and uses a boatload of mana.  The only things remotely
good about this is that you don't have to aim it that precisely and that
you can do damage to a crowd.  Once people see that you have Deadly Sight,
though, they will kill you vigorously and repeatedly, simply because they
know all the Forces you gave up to get this one worthless Force.

How to defend against it:  Where to begin.... They can't have Seeing, so
you can simply Blind them and that's that.  It also won't work on someone
with Persuasion active, so you could use that.  They can't have Pull, so
you can bring out a weapon and shoot them, and you'll usually win the damage
tradeoff.  However, the easiest thing to do is wait for the 7 seconds to
expire, and go kill them, because they will have no mana left, due to the
fact that Deadly Sight uses so much mana.

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WHAT'S STILL MISSING

-Strategies for Throw and Lightning (are there any)?
-Adding the Mysteries of the Sith Forces (Force FAQ v2.0)

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SPECIAL THANKS

My good friend Chip, for letting me use his computer to test a lot of this stuff
ObiTwo of DarkSaber Clan, for giving me some info on the .cog files
Luke of DarkSaber Clan, for showing me the power of Grip
Enigma, for some good anti-grip strategies
Chris Haze (Hiss), for some info on Speed and Blinding
Kurgan, for correcting the amount of Stars availble to a Rank
Jediknight.net, for providing a Server board and Chat room that allowed me to
find games to put this into practice

Last but not least, LucasArts, for having the balls to make a game that is
actually unique and one in which the rocket launcher is not God.

If you ever see me around, tell me what you think of the FAQ.  I go by
SpiderDan [SL] in multiplay, so feel free to drop me a line.

Information content copyright (c) 1997, 1998, 1999 Dan Thompson.  All rights 
reserved.
All other copyrighted and trademarked information is property of their
respective owners.