Commander Keen in the Mystery of Isis IIa

|

Source code (& associated files) dump of Commander Keen: The Mystery Of Isis IIa. This is the most recent incarnation of this fan game, which was released in 2012. It is built entirely in Python/PyGame. This repo mainly serves as a historical archive, and won't be actively maintained.

Engine feature list

This is a full featured side-scroller written in PyGame, and has a number of interesting features:

• classic 2D sidescroller with angled (45 and 60 degree) ground
• all classic mechanics (jump, pogo, ledge grabbing, look up/down) + some new ones (swimming)
• HUD
• multiple weapons and collectable items
• locked door & key system
• editable levels (via Tiled map editor)
• parallaxing background
• 2x background & 2x foreground tile layers
• particle system
• animated tiles
• translucent background & foreground tiles
• weather effects (night, clouds, rain, snow)

Dependencies

Python 3

In /src-python3 there is a modified version of the original source code, which appears to run using:

• python==3.7.4
• pygame==2.0.3

With a few changes:

• resources read directly from /data directory (no encrypted zip file)
• custom fonts are not enabled (couldn't load TTF files properly)
• custom maps won't work (couldn't port UI code)
• debug keys enabled by default:
  • s - show statistics (use c to cycle colour)
  • h - display solid/hidden areas
  • j - jump cheat
  • k - get all keys
  • l - more lives
  • i - get all weapons (1-6 are the main weapons, then 7-8 are the secret weapons)

Python 2 (original)

The original dependency list (to run the game from source via /src) is not known, but this is a guide:

• python==2.6.5
• pygame==1.9.1
• czipfile
• py2exe (for producing a .EXE file)

Repo structure

• /v1.1a - the latest compiled executable (for Windows) of the game. Note the data/keendata.is2 file is an encrypted .zip file. You can extract files from here using the password 314ThEmYsTeRyOfIsIsIiAsCbCtIg314 and therefore "mod" the game (change graphics, edit the levels, etc) by putting them back into the zip archive with the same password.
• /design - some early design docs (story) and sketches. There is a whole host more original files to be found, but mostly these are already organised and included in the various game assets.
• /resources - most of the game assets (graphics, sounds, fonts) from keendata.is2, but extracted and unencrypted.
• /screenshots - a screenshot of every level.
• /src - the actual original Python source code. If you were to attempt to get this running, you should copy these files /v1.1a since that contains the appropriate structure to read the datafiles.
• /src-python3 - modified code to run on recent Python (3+) and Pygame (2+) verrsions. To get this running, copy the /v1.1a/data folder across and unzip the keendaata.is2 using above instructions so all the files are in /data. Then python isis.py

Screenshots

All level maps can be found in the resources/maps directory.

Links and further reading/watching

• KeenWiki entry
• YouTube:
  • Early demos
  • Soundtrack
  • Full playthroughs

Credits

Various people have worked on this project over time, who are mostly well documented in various places (web, wiki, pckf, and in-game).