The Light Side of the Force

Players new to JKA should realize that the Multiplayer mode is substantially different from the Single Player mode. In particular, the weapons, items, power-ups, and other features are different in many ways from their offline counterpart. We strongly recommend playing against Bots (AI simulated multiplayer opponents) as training for internet or LAN games, as they represent the type of gameplay you will experience online. However, there is no substitute for the unpredictability and inventiveness of human opponents, so eventually you must venture out if you expect to master the game! Players migrating over from other FPS games will have many new challenges ahead, including learning Force Powers, the Lightsaber, as well as the different nuances of the game. Even veteran players of other Dark Forces series games (JK, MotS, etc) will have many new things to learn. In short, you must "unlearn what you have learned," to quote a wise Jedi Master. ; )

The site will be presented with the assumption that players have already read over the official JKA manual (that comes with every legitimate copy of the game) and the readme documentation. Some material from these sources may be covered in more detail however.

The Force represents the "meat" of JKA multiplayer and is what distinguishes it (along with the lightsaber) from most other games in the genre. Not all servers permit the use of Force, but since it is what we play most often, and what makes JKA gameplay so challenging and unique, we will focus on "Full Force" (FF for short) gameplay strategies primarily. Playing without Force can be very different and may be a subject for future sections, when time permits.

In general, the powers of the Light Jedi are defensive. This does not mean they are not used to defeat your enemies, but that they themselves are usually designed to counter Dark Powers and to keep you alive, so that you will be able to take out your foe through the use of your other weapons and items.

The Lightside is a nice foil for the Dark Side in that many of the powers are complimentary, and balance out other out. If the Light Side does not appeal to your playing style, my advice is to learn it anyway, since you will be encountering opponents who use it, and one should know one's enemy!

When choosing the Light Powers, I recommend putting some Force Points into Heal and Absorb in addition to your Neutral Powers and Lightsaber Enhancements, at the very least since these are your main counters to Dark Side powers (remember that after hitting escape and changing your Force configuration in the "Player" menu the changes will not take affect until your next "respawn" after death or the next map).

Force Heal is accomplished by simply pressing the Force Heal key.

Healing is perhaps your most valuable Light Side power, as it restores health anytime, anywhere, as long as you have a few moments to do it (even at Level 3, it takes a split second to work, so sometimes you can be killed before it can save you). It makes the same sound when it heals you as a Bacta Canister and depletes some of your Mana with each use.

Since health is such a valuable commodity, I recommend as many points into this power as you can spare! Having multiple ways to heal is also helpful (Force Heal, Med Packs), as you can take whichever one is quickest and easiest, while saving the others if needed. Since Mana recharges, when you are in relative safety, it may be wise to heal minor wounds with this power, in order to be ready for combat.

Remember that if you don't have Mana, you can't use this power to heal yourself...

To use Force Absorb, simply press the Force Absorb key. This is a toggleable power, that can be turned on or off, but uses mana each time it is turned on. While it is toggled on, your Mana Pool will not replenish itself and consumes nearly 1 mana point per 1/5 second. Once your Mana Pool is depleted or time expires, the power wears off.

When used, Absorb gives off a continuous sound (listen for it to know if the power is being used by someone). If the user is attacked with the Force (Grip, Drain, Lightning, etc) a blue aura appears and surrounds the user and you hear a distinctive sound.

The blue glow appears even if they are on the Red team in a team-game, so watch out!

While the power is in use, the effects of certain Force powers against that player will be lessened or negated. The power itself uses mana at a constant rate, so be sure to toggle it off when not needed to conserve mana.

Absorb is indispensible when facing Dark Jedi who like to use Drain, Grip, or Lightning. When being attacked by these powers, quickly activate Absorb (or activate it as a preventative measure if you think they may use them) and the effects of Grip will cease, Lightning will not harm you, and Drain will not sap your mana. In addition, each Force attack upon you will not only waste your opponents mana in a fruitless attack, it will also restore some of your own mana!

Advanced players will be listening for the power, so it may be a good idea not to toggle it on until you engage the enemy. If in doubt that a player is using Absorb, give them a quick push or pull (just realize you're giving them mana when you do this).

Be careful when using low level Absorb, because if you are hit with a higher level of Drain, you can still lose mana (and allow them to heal). Level 3 Absorb counters Level 3 Drain.

When facing Dark Jedi, especially those who have Drain, I recommend as high a level of Absorb as you can spare. In a team-game, it may be less important to have, since they can save you (in theory) from a Dark Jedi's assault, but at least somebody on the team should have absorb, to prevent you all from losing mana at the same time (it may also be good to have a Dark Jedi with Team Energize to help offset the enemy team's use of Drain).

Cannot be used at the same time as Protect. Absorb also counters Push and Pull.

Note: Absorb's ability to resist Push/Pull is reduced when in mid-air, meaning you can still be thrown to your doom while making jumps.

Force Protect is accomplished by pressing the Force Protect key. It instantly envelopes the player in a green aura around their entire body. Like Absorb it is a toggleable power, that eats mana at a constant rate, and prevents your mana pool from replenishing while it is in use. Once your Mana Pool is depleted, the power wears off.

Protect acts as a huge shield that lessens the damage dealt from attacks that would normally reduce your shields (useless against most Force based attacks, but helps against weapons).

The downside of this extra protection, is that the bright green glow makes you an easier target to aim for, and is a dead give-away (however your opponents will have to get closer to you to use Force attacks instead of weapons, drawing them into your own Force/saber range).

It may be a good idea not to activate the power until you need it, since it is so obvious and eats mana for breakfast. However, it is more ideal for distance combat, so if habitual snipers or mine layers are around, it may be a good idea to use it. Just be ready to rely on your non-Force techniques, weapons, and items, since it may leave you mana-less for awhile.

Another valuable use for Protect is to reduce falling damage (many normally fatal falls become survivable with Level 3 Protect).

Cannot be used at the same time as Absorb.

Press the Force Mind Trick key, while targetting the enemy you want to no longer see you, to activate this Force Power. At Level 3, you can activate the power anywhere, to have it go into effect. A sound will play while the power is in effect, and tiny stars will appear on the heads of players who cannot see you.

This power is toggleable (at Level 3), and in the same fashion as other toggleable powers, it prevents your mana from replenishing, but can be toggled off to let it restore again. At lower levels, the power will wear off after a short period, or once you have made your attack or your victim uses Force Seeing.

Mind Trick makes you completely invisible, masking even the glow of a lightsaber (but not the hum of the lightsaber!). Keep in mind that once you injure someone, or are injured yourself, you will most likely become visible again (for example being hit produces pain sounds and the shield flashes, helps give you away). Also, others can use Force Seeing to detect you.

When facing Mind Trick, listen for the footsteps and saber hum of the enemy, or turn on Force Seeing to reveal them. Once their cover is blown, they will either attack you or flee, so be prepared for what comes next!

At Level 3, this power is also potentially advantageous to snipers.

This Force Power is only available to Light Jedi who select it in team-based games. It functions much like Force Heal except it is used to heal the other injured members of your team. On a team server, if possible it's nice to have multiple "healers" who can recharge the Flag defenders and returning Carriers. Combined with Team Energizers (on a mixed Dark/Light team) this can be incredibly beneficial.

Players that are having their health restored will briefly glow with a green aura (similar to the aura created by Force Drain, and Team Energize).

When playing a team game, especially in a larger game of CTF, it's a good idea to have at least one Light Jedi with this power at Level 3. Combined with Dark Jedi who have Team Energize, this can be an excellent way to keep your allies strong. A Team Healer is a great person to have back at base to keep your defenders alive. Sending a Team Healer to aide the Flag Carrier may also be a worthwhile strategy to develop.

Your foil and arch-nemesis, the Dark Jedi, possesses powers equivalent to your's, only his are more offensive, and he will use them to try to destroy you. Your powers are designed to counter his, and to keep you alive long enough to use your weapons, items (and wits) to win the battle.

The Dark Jedi comes fully equipped to destroy you before he even begins to collect weapons, and thus is a very dangerous adversary. His weakness however, is that in general, he needs a victim to feed off of (Drain is how he heals with the Force) and he needs mana to fuel his Dark Powers, without which, he is forced to use conventional weapons or his saber.

Some general strategies and hints when dealing with Dark Jedi (more or less applicable in one on one situations, apply these strategies as they fit the situation):

Know the location of Jedi Holocrons on the map, and control them. Do not allow your enemy access to the Force Boon or Dark Enlightenment. Mine the area or snipe him when he tries to get them.

Remember that Dark Jedi, like you, have access to Neutral Powers and Lightsaber Enhancements and the same weapons and items you can pick up, so use your basic combat skills and strategies to match his in this regard. The key to beating your opponent is adaptation, quick wits, and a steady aim.

That said, your main counter to the Dark Jedi's assault will be Force Absorb. This power alone counters Grip, Drain, Lightning, and his attempts to Push/Pull you. The problem is keeping enough mana to ward off his constant attempts to sucker you with his powers.

I encourage you to learn the Dark Side yourself, even if its not your playing style, in order to know your enemy and what he is capable of.

Now for some general strategies against his side-specific powers:

Against Drain

Since a Dark Jedi can only heal with the Force by using Drain, deny him this healing ability by using Absorb. This will also effectively counter Grip (and get you out of a Grip attack) and Lightning.

Absorb is the ultimate counter to Drain, so you should always activate it before your enemy (whom you know has Drain) enters into range. Remember that he can't see Absorb (the blue effect which is invisible to everyone but you until you are attacked with the Force), but he can HEAR it being used.

Using Mind Trick, you can throw off his aim with Drain, however, it has a somewhat wide radius, so it may be wise to keep your distance just the same. He can simply activate seeing to counter your Mind Trick, but that means less mana to drain you with.

Pushing your enemy to the ground, off a cliff, or out of range will buy you time for a counter-attack, or a chance to laugh as he falls to his doom.

Against Dark Rage

If a Dark Jedi uses Dark Rage (you'll know when you see his body covered in red bolts of energy), GET AWAY FROM HIM, since he's now faster than you, and cannot be killed in a normal fashion. If he's close enough, you can try Force Pushing him, to gain time to get away, or push him off a ledge, but it's pointless to engage him in saber combat. Once the power wears off, be ready to hit him with everything you've got, or snipe him, as he will be slower for a time and weakened health-wise (unless he can get health right away). Most likely he will be going for health almost immediately after the power wears off, or may be heading there to camp it as the power wears down. Deny him the health, or sabotage his salvation with booby traps or snipe it from afar.

If a Dark Jedi uses Dark Rage near ledges or killer traps (that no one can survive) in addition to pushing him into harm's way, you can BLAST him to his demise with any weapon that has an explosive "pushing" effect, such as a Rocket, Thermal Detonator, Flechette (secondary), etc. Rage or not, he can't survive at the bottom of a "bottomless" pit, or in a crushing trap or pool of lava.

Using Force Protect may buy you some time to get away from his onslaught, but keep in mind it will only protect you from weapons, not from his other force powers. However, his mana may be low and it may be a gamble worth taking. I would rather use Speed and Jump to out manuver him.

Against Grip

If you lack Absorb, or the mana needed to use Absorb, and you are being Gripped, you can use Force Push to break off the attack, and even knock down your enemy, giving you time to get away, or to strike a counter blow.

Also while being gripped a less recommended solution would be to pull them close to you, so you can slash them with your saber. Keep in mind that any action by you that knocks them out of range, or disrupts their line of site to you for more than a second, will stop the Grip attack. Each attack only lasts for five seconds, but in that five seconds he can do many nasty things, so be quick, whatever your response!

Mind Trick will take you out of their sight long enough to counter Grip (though it may take a second or two for the effects of Grip to stop). Keep in mind that if they have seeing turned on, this will be useless.

Remember that a Dark Jedi, while gripping you, will likely try to manuver your body over a cliff and drop you. Avoid this by countering grip as soon as possible, and avoiding ledges when your enemy is close by (unless you have Absorb). In these cases, activating Absorb after Grip starts, may be too late, so turn it on as soon as you see them.

Against Lightning

Use Absorb to counter Lightning the same way you would counter Drain, although Lighting damages your health instead of your Force Power, so it's up to you to decide which is more dangerous!

Mind Trick, if it prevents you from being seen, will mean that your enemy will have difficulty aiming his lightning at you.

Less useful, though sometimes effective are the use of Force Pushes to knock them out of range or on the ground for a counter-attack or quick escape, and Force Pull, to draw them closer for a quick saber slice.

Against Team Energize

There isn't much you can do against this power on the enemy side (as a Light Jedi anyway), though it is not offensive in nature. All it does is give mana to the Dark Jedi's teammates. If a Dark Jedi is on your team, he can use this power on you to restore needed mana to be used for whatever you want!

However, if you know of an enemy Dark Jedi that habitually uses this power on his team, you can target this player for destruction, killing him repeatedly and otherwise occupying him away from his teammates, to make energizing them difficult. The enemy team can always designate a new energizer, but it may be a good psychological tactic.

Keep in mind that he has to be almost within touching range of his teammates, so keep him seperated (or kill his friends before he can rescue them). Do this especially if he's trying to help his Flag Carrier! Just don't let the Carrier get away...

Like you, the LightSide Jedi will have his Force powers as tools to keep him alive. You may find yourself competing for weapons and the Force Boon and Light Enlightenment. Be sure that you get them and not him (set traps, do whatever it takes to deny him mana).

You should make sure that in any battle, you have plenty of healing items, when you're using mana to heal yourself, you won't have mana for other things. The battle may come down to who has the best aim, and makes best use of his Neutral powers. These types of battles may be long and drawn out, due to the hardy nature of the combatants.

Absorb won't be used as much as Protect in a heavy battle, so keep that in mind. Watch out for Push/Pull (Absorb is the best counter unless you wish to conserve mana) and keep your neutrals strong.

Against Heal

Not much you can do about heal, except to slash/shoot him quickly to injure him faster than he can heal up.

Against Absorb

His use of Absorb is pretty much a waste of mana when facing a Light Jedi (although it does protect him from Push/Pull), so use this opportunity to pound him mercilessly with gunfire and saber attacks, since that's less mana for him to heal with. Use Protect, to reduce the damage you take.

If you have the Saberstaff or Melee (with g_debugmelee 1 turned on and no points assigned to Saber Attack) feel free to kick him to the turf since Absorb will not help him one bit against physical strikes.

Against Mind Trick

As he may try to snipe you while invisible, Level 3 Seeing in most cases is your best bet to countering this power. You can of course use the same tactic on him, but he'll probably be on to you.

Against Protect

When you see the green aura, you know that physical strikes are less effective. Instead, blast him around with explosives and use Push/Pull to knock him around and off ledges since impact damage will hurt him just as much as normal. Or keep your distance (Speed, Jump, Push) until it wears off and he's low on mana, then blast him away. Don't bother trying to snipe him while Protect is on.

Against Team Heal

Nothing you can really do here, except hog the Force enhancing items (Boon, Enlightenment) and make it your mission to go after the Team Healer to prevent him from helping his allies.

Keep in mind that he has to be almost within touching range of his teammates, so keep him seperated (or kill his friends before he can rescue them). Do this especially if he's trying to help his Flag Carrier! Just don't let the Carrier get away...