What is Commander Genius?

Commander Genius is an open-source engine reimplementation. A new engine written from scratch that loads the original game's data files.

Do I need the original game files to run Commander Genius?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.

How is Commander Genius licensed?

project: GPL (Commander Genius source code). The repository itself is the authoritative source.

Where are Commander Keen 2, 3, 5 and 6?

The project can provide Keen 1, 4, Dreams, and related mods; copy other Keen games you own into the data directory under “games” for detection.

Commander Genius is slow. What can I try?

Lower the FPS, resolution, filter, or sound settings; OpenGL may help on some systems with ScaleX disabled.

Commander Genius is too fast. What can I try?

Try enabling or disabling VSync, and check whether OpenGL is enabled or disabled.

What about the run action?

It is disabled by default and can be assigned; holding its button makes Keen run very fast in Keen 1–6, but may break levels.

What about Keen Dreams?

You can play through it, but support is still a work in progress; the supported version can be finished.

Commander Genius

Engine reimplementationActive

A new engine written from scratch that loads the original game's data files.

Links, repository & details

About

Commander Genius is an open-source interpreter for the Commander Keen series (1-6 and Dreams) and Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure that lets you play the original episodes and some mods made for them. Keen 1-6 and Dreams are fully supported, and Cosmo's engine is experimental. It runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and Switch, and it is a native implementation without emulation.

How it differs from the original

It aims to copy the original gameplay feel while adding mod support with Lua, OpenGL acceleration, new graphical effects, multiplayer for up to four players, high-quality packs, named save slots and unrestricted joystick support. The README says physics are close to the original and that gameplay feels faster because of a higher frame rate.

Getting started

All original data files are required. The launcher's online store offers some games, including Keen 1, 4, Dreams and Cosmos 1, and other Keen episodes can be copied into the games folder. The README names the versions that work best, such as 1.33 for Keen 1-3 and 1.4 EGA for Keen 4-6. Quicksave is on F6 and restore on F9.

History

The first engine was CloneKeen by Caitlin Shaw. Gerstrong forked it as CloneKeenPlus, and Commander Genius is a complete C++ rewrite, retaining about 0.02% of the original CloneKeen code.

Known issues & limitations

PaddleWar is among the smaller missing features.

What you need to run it

Original game files required. The project ships code only; you provide your own copy of the game.

Windows 7 through 10 are supported; some Windows systems may need the Microsoft Visual Studio Redistributable 2015 (x86).

Features

It offers OpenGL acceleration and new graphical effects.
It includes named save slots.
Joystick buttons, axes, and hats can be assigned to actions.
Vorticons Keen has an in-game menu and a new HUD.

How to install

Download, install, and launch the project; in the launcher, open “New Stuff” and choose a game to download.

Controls

Press F6 to quicksave and F9 to restore the quicksave.
On mobile, tap the sandwich button at the top right during gameplay to open the main menu.
In multiplayer, press C by default to pass camera control to the next player.

Summarised from the project's README.

Licensing & legal

The source code may be freely distributed and modified under the GPL.

Additional notes

Multiplayer: In multiplayer the camera follows one player and is passed to the next with the camlead key.

FAQ

What is Commander Genius?: Commander Genius is an open-source engine reimplementation. A new engine written from scratch that loads the original game's data files.
Do I need the original game files to run Commander Genius?: Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.
How is Commander Genius licensed?: project: GPL (Commander Genius source code). The repository itself is the authoritative source.
Where are Commander Keen 2, 3, 5 and 6?: The project can provide Keen 1, 4, Dreams, and related mods; copy other Keen games you own into the data directory under “games” for detection.
Commander Genius is slow. What can I try?: Lower the FPS, resolution, filter, or sound settings; OpenGL may help on some systems with ScaleX disabled.
Commander Genius is too fast. What can I try?: Try enabling or disabling VSync, and check whether OpenGL is enabled or disabled.
What about the run action?: It is disabled by default and can be assigned; holding its button makes Keen run very fast in Keen 1–6, but may break levels.
What about Keen Dreams?: You can play through it, but support is still a work in progress; the supported version can be finished.