CommanDSKeen

CommanDS Keen
General
Author	Alekmaul
Type	Platform
Version	1.0
License	Mixed
Last Updated	2008/08/18
Links
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Website
Source
Support Author

CommanDS Keen is an adaptation of a PC platform game to the NDS. It is an adaptation of an open source software originally named CloneKeen Caitlin Shaw, which is a platform-based video game series produced by id Software and released by Apogee Software in the early 1990s.

7 official Commander Keen games have been released for PC under MS-DOS. They are grouped into mini-series, and are considered episodes of the complete series. Under the Apogee license, the first series was available as shareware. The 8th game in the series is only available on Game Boy Color.

This DS port allows you to play episodes 1 Marooned on Mars, 2 The Earth Explodes and 3 Keen Must Die! (only episode 1 is available in shareware and integrated into this homebrew).

Installation

Note: To play the real episodes, you must obtain the original datafiles (CK1 for episode 1, CK2 for episode 2 and CK3 for episode 3).

DLDI patch .nds file and put it on the root of your flash card.

If you want to install real episodes, copy all .CK* files in a directory and the .nds file in the same directory.

User guide

This homebrew has included the title Marooned on Mars (released in shareware on December 14, 1990), the 1st episode from the Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons series.

You embody the character of Billy Blaze, an 8-year-old genius child with an IQ of 314; Billy Blaze has built a spaceship from various items he collected from his house, which he calls the Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket (literally the super bean bacon rocket); when his parents go out at night and his babysitter falls asleep, he dons his big brother's football helmet and becomes Commander Keen, the Defender of the Earth.

In this game, Keen has crashed his ship and has to recover the parts needed to make it work and go home. Advance through the enemies and obstacles to access the next area.

Supported files

Please make sure that all filenames are capitalized when you are installing the real episodes.

Episode 1	Episode 2	Episode 3
CTLPANEL.CK1	CTLPANEL.CK2	CTLPANEL.CK3
EGAHEAD.CK1	EGAHEAD.CK2	EGAHEAD.CK3
EGALATCH.CK1	EGALATCH.CK2	EGALATCH.CK3
EGASPRIT.CK1	EGASPRIT.CK2	EGASPRIT.CK3
ENDTEXT.CK1	FINALE.CK2	FINALE.CK3
FINALE.CK1	LEVEL01.CK2	LEVEL01.CK3
HELPTEXT.CK1	LEVEL02.CK2	LEVEL02.CK3
LEVEL01.CK1	LEVEL03.CK2	LEVEL03.CK3
LEVEL02.CK1	LEVEL04.CK2	LEVEL04.CK3
LEVEL03.CK1	LEVEL05.CK2	LEVEL05.CK3
LEVEL04.CK1	LEVEL06.CK2	LEVEL06.CK3
LEVEL05.CK1	LEVEL07.CK2	LEVEL07.CK3
LEVEL06.CK1	LEVEL08.CK2	LEVEL08.CK3
LEVEL07.CK1	LEVEL09.CK2	LEVEL09.CK3
LEVEL08.CK1	LEVEL10.CK2	LEVEL10.CK3
LEVEL09.CK1	LEVEL11.CK2	LEVEL11.CK3
LEVEL10.CK1	LEVEL12.CK2	LEVEL12.CK3
LEVEL11.CK1	LEVEL13.CK2	LEVEL13.CK3
LEVEL12.CK1	LEVEL14.CK2	LEVEL14.CK3
LEVEL13.CK1	LEVEL15.CK2	LEVEL15.CK3
LEVEL14.CK1	LEVEL16.CK2	LEVEL16.CK3
LEVEL15.CK1	LEVEL80.CK2	LEVEL80.CK3
LEVEL16.CK1	LEVEL81.CK2	LEVEL81.CK3
LEVEL80.CK1	LEVEL90.CK2	LEVEL90.CK3
LEVEL81.CK1	SAVED1.CK2	SAVED1.CK3
LEVEL90.CK1	SAVED2.CK2	SAVED2.CK3
PREVIEW2.CK1	SAVED3.CK2	SAVED3.CK3
PREVIEW3.CK1	SCORES.CK2	SAVED4.CK3
PREVIEWS.CK1		SCORES.CK3
SCORES.CK1
SOUNDS.CK1
STORYTXT.CK1

Story Ep.1-3

Billy Blaze is an eight-year-old boy genius who has constructed a spaceship in his backyard from old soup cans and other household objects, called The Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket. When his parents are out and the babysitter falls asleep, he dons his brother's Packers helmet and becomes Commander Keen, Defender of Earth.

In the first game, Keen is exploring on Mars when aliens steal four spaceship components that he must get back. The aliens are the Vorticon, a fierce dog-humanoid race that had an outpost on Mars. Keen travels through different martian cities, and eventually recovers all the missing parts.

But when Keen gets back to Earth, he finds the Vorticon mothership looming over the planet, with its cannons ready to attack. In the second game, Keen infiltrates the mothership and has to disable each of the Tantalus Rays targeting different Earth cities.

During this adventure, Keen learns that the Vorticons used to be a peaceful race, but were enslaved by the mysterious Grand Intellect.

After disabling the cannons, Keen travels to the Vorticon homeplanet, Vorticon VI. In the third game, Keen has to face the Vorticon masses in their cities, all ready to kill Keen. After fighting through many levels of Vorticon-infested cities and military installations, Keen arrives at the lair of the Grand Intellect. There he discovers that the leader of the Vorticons is actually his school rival Mortimer McMire.

Controls

D-Pad - Arrow keys

Select - Pause

Start - Select

L - Quit

R - Save

A - Key 1 and fire

B - Key 2 and jump

X - Key 3 and N and Q

Y - Key 4 and POGO and T and Y

Screenshots

Compatibility

Developer advised the homebrew does not work on MK5 due to the lack of memory.

Known issues

Problems with the sound. Sprites have a blinking pb.

Changelog

V1.0 2008/08/18

• Initial release.

External links

• Author's website - http://www.portabledev.com/pages/ds/jeuxdev.-perso/commandskeen.php (archived)