Movie Battles
Encyclopedia
Movie Battles II or MBII is a team-based, last man standing
multiplayer
mod
of the shooter game
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
inspired by the popular first person shooter Counter-Strike
. The primary purpose of the mod is to allow players to experience setpiece
battle scenes straight from the six Star Wars
films, immersing themselves directly in parts of the two Star Wars trilogies. This means that most of the original aspects of the game have been changed and only a few of the original gameplay features remain. The game pits one team of Galactic Empire
/Separatist forces against the Rebel Alliance
/Galactic Republic
forces, either of which attempt to complete an objective, or to eliminate all members of the enemy team.
Movie Battles II is a team based shooter game
, in which the player joins the Imperial/Separatist forces or the Rebel/Republic forces. Both teams usually have objectives which can be completed to win the round. The player also gets a number of points which he can spend on upgrades for his character. Any players who are killed before the end of the round become spectators. They may follow certain players who are still alive or free-roam in the spectator cam, similar to other first-person shooter
s, such as Battlefield 2
.
The lightsaber combat in Movie Battles is changed from the original system substantially. Blocking and defensive moves are favored over the unmodded game's "swing-spam". There are meters for both force pool and block stamina which deplete as the player intercepts incoming blaster and lightsaber attacks. Similar to Counter-Strike, Movie Battles uses an objective system, where one team defends and the other one attacks one or more objectives. Objective types are usually variants on common themes, such as "slicing panels", or NPC
guarding. By using such a system, it is significantly different from most Star Wars games, where the goal is often simply to kill everyone on the other team.
MBII has three game types. These are Open Mode, Semi-Authentic Mode and Authentic Mode. Depending on the gametype, the characters and features such as weapons a player can choose can be limited or not. In Open mode, everything can be chosen, while in Semi Authentic and Full Authentic, only the models that fit to the current map can be chosen, in Full Authentic, even the features are predefined. The latest versions also include duel mode. Certain maps have been created which allow a Duel
to be fought, a battle between two sides representing a scene in a film or game. Often these fights are one versus one, but sometimes the number of players differs on either side.
Players in MBII choose a class of fighter, similar to games like Battlefield 2
with defined roles. The Rebel
or Republic side (map dependent) have access to a number of specific classes including clone troopers with repeater blaster rifle
s and Wookiee
s with bowcasters, as well as Jedi
. The Imperial
or Separatist side (map dependent) have access to a number of specific classes as well: droidekas, Super battle droids, jet pack
and flamethrower
wielding Mandalorian
s, as well as Sith
. Both teams have access to the two generic classes (soldier
s and commanders
).
RenegadeOfPhunk) in 2003
, with the goal of mixing the round- and objective based gameplay of Counter-Strike with the lightsaber
and gun mechanics of Star Wars. The first versions of the mod were developed for Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
, the previous game in the Jedi Knight series. This version already had the key elements of Movie Battles in it, such as the modified lightsaber combat and the last man standing system.
The mod was later remade for Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
which is the version worked on and played today. An offspring to Movie Battles, mod titled The New Era (TNE) is currently in development for the Source engine
which allows for improved graphics and a better physics engine. It was thought of as a successor to Movie Battles, but TNE is now moving into a different, more Deathmatch
like genre. Many of the development team for TNE were once or are still members of the Movie Battles development team.
The mod's website was launched in 2004
and since then more builds
(beta versions) have been released. The changes between versions are new maps, fixes and new features. A hotfix
is also released a few days after the build to fix some of the bugs not noticed in testing. The newest version (Release Candidate 3) takes the mod out of beta development and a step further to the version one milestone. An installer which automatically updates any files needed is also included. On 2 April 2011, a trailer revealing a sequel was released. "Movie Battles 3" is going to be a standalone free game developed on Unreal Engine.
printed an article covering the mod. In the same year Sky News
mentioned Movie Battles alongside other user-made game modifications.
Last man standing (gaming)
Last man standing is a multiplayer deathmatch gameplay mode featured in the majority of the more recent first-person shooter computer games...
multiplayer
Multiplayer game
A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time. Unlike most other games, computer and video games are often single-player activities that put the player against preprogrammed challenges and/or AI-controlled opponents, which often...
mod
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
of the shooter game
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first and third-person shooter action game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Raven Software and published, distributed and marketed by LucasArts in North America and by Activision in the rest of the world. Jedi Academy was released in...
inspired by the popular first person shooter Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
. The primary purpose of the mod is to allow players to experience setpiece
Setpiece
In film production, a setpiece is a scene or sequence of scenes the execution of which requires serious logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term setpiece is often used more broadly to describe any important dramatic or comedic highpoint in a film or story, particularly...
battle scenes straight from the six Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
films, immersing themselves directly in parts of the two Star Wars trilogies. This means that most of the original aspects of the game have been changed and only a few of the original gameplay features remain. The game pits one team of Galactic Empire
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
/Separatist forces against the Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
/Galactic Republic
Galactic Republic (Star Wars)
The Galactic Republic is the name of the interplanetary State used in the fictional Star Wars universe prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The form of this government, created by the Senate, was introduced in the Prequel Trilogy. By the time of the original Star Wars trilogy, it is...
forces, either of which attempt to complete an objective, or to eliminate all members of the enemy team.
Gameplay
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
, in which the player joins the Imperial/Separatist forces or the Rebel/Republic forces. Both teams usually have objectives which can be completed to win the round. The player also gets a number of points which he can spend on upgrades for his character. Any players who are killed before the end of the round become spectators. They may follow certain players who are still alive or free-roam in the spectator cam, similar to other first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
s, such as Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2 is a computer game by the Swedish developer Digital Illusions CE . During development, Trauma Studios contributed to the development of the game after it was acquired by DICE...
.
The lightsaber combat in Movie Battles is changed from the original system substantially. Blocking and defensive moves are favored over the unmodded game's "swing-spam". There are meters for both force pool and block stamina which deplete as the player intercepts incoming blaster and lightsaber attacks. Similar to Counter-Strike, Movie Battles uses an objective system, where one team defends and the other one attacks one or more objectives. Objective types are usually variants on common themes, such as "slicing panels", or NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
guarding. By using such a system, it is significantly different from most Star Wars games, where the goal is often simply to kill everyone on the other team.
MBII has three game types. These are Open Mode, Semi-Authentic Mode and Authentic Mode. Depending on the gametype, the characters and features such as weapons a player can choose can be limited or not. In Open mode, everything can be chosen, while in Semi Authentic and Full Authentic, only the models that fit to the current map can be chosen, in Full Authentic, even the features are predefined. The latest versions also include duel mode. Certain maps have been created which allow a Duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
to be fought, a battle between two sides representing a scene in a film or game. Often these fights are one versus one, but sometimes the number of players differs on either side.
Players in MBII choose a class of fighter, similar to games like Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2 is a computer game by the Swedish developer Digital Illusions CE . During development, Trauma Studios contributed to the development of the game after it was acquired by DICE...
with defined roles. The Rebel
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
or Republic side (map dependent) have access to a number of specific classes including clone troopers with repeater blaster rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s and Wookiee
Wookiee
Wookiees are a species of bipeds in the Star Wars universe. The most notable Wookiee is Chewbacca, a companion to Han Solo.-Inspiration:...
s with bowcasters, as well as Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
. The Imperial
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
or Separatist side (map dependent) have access to a number of specific classes as well: droidekas, Super battle droids, jet pack
Jet pack
Jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
and flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
wielding Mandalorian
Mandalorian
Mandalorians are a fictional group of warriors from several races in the Star Wars universe. They commonly act as mercenaries or bounty hunters. According to Star Wars Expanded Universe material, they are the cultural descendants of an extinct race called the Taung...
s, as well as Sith
Sith
-Sith:The Sith is a name applied to certain characters in the Star Wars universe. In the films they are the central antagonists. They are capable of using the dark side of the Force.-The Invention of the Sith:...
. Both teams have access to the two generic classes (soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s and commanders
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
).
Development
The Movie Battles mod was started by Richard Hart (online aliasPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
RenegadeOfPhunk) in 2003
2003 in video gaming
-Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame....
, with the goal of mixing the round- and objective based gameplay of Counter-Strike with the lightsaber
Lightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
and gun mechanics of Star Wars. The first versions of the mod were developed for Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, often abbreviated JK2 or JO, is a first- and third-person action game developed by Raven Software and published by LucasArts and Activision. The PC version was released in March and the Mac OS X, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube versions were released in November...
, the previous game in the Jedi Knight series. This version already had the key elements of Movie Battles in it, such as the modified lightsaber combat and the last man standing system.
The mod was later remade for Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first and third-person shooter action game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Raven Software and published, distributed and marketed by LucasArts in North America and by Activision in the rest of the world. Jedi Academy was released in...
which is the version worked on and played today. An offspring to Movie Battles, mod titled The New Era (TNE) is currently in development for the Source engine
Source engine
Source is a 3D game engine developed by Valve Corporation. It debuted in June 2004 with Counter-Strike: Source and shortly thereafter Half-Life 2, and has been in active development ever since...
which allows for improved graphics and a better physics engine. It was thought of as a successor to Movie Battles, but TNE is now moving into a different, more Deathmatch
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
like genre. Many of the development team for TNE were once or are still members of the Movie Battles development team.
The mod's website was launched in 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
and since then more builds
Software build
In the field of computer software, the term software build refers either to the process of converting source code files into standalone software artifact that can be run on a computer, or the result of doing so...
(beta versions) have been released. The changes between versions are new maps, fixes and new features. A hotfix
Hotfix
A hotfix was originally the term applied to software patches that were applied to live i.e. still running systems. Similar use of the terms can be seen in hot swappable disk drives...
is also released a few days after the build to fix some of the bugs not noticed in testing. The newest version (Release Candidate 3) takes the mod out of beta development and a step further to the version one milestone. An installer which automatically updates any files needed is also included. On 2 April 2011, a trailer revealing a sequel was released. "Movie Battles 3" is going to be a standalone free game developed on Unreal Engine.
Reception
In 2005 the UK edition of PC GamerPC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
printed an article covering the mod. In the same year Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
mentioned Movie Battles alongside other user-made game modifications.