SWGalaxy - Jedi Academy Graphics Expansion

Description
***Please note that due to the size of this file, we could not upload it to JKFiles directly. Please download it from here! The main download link at the bottom of the page contains a dummy file with the download link only!***

[i]Firstly, I should apologise to the makers of this mod for the delays in getting it reviewed. Apart from the huge filesize, which was a problem for the site upload I am the only one working here at the moment (we are unable to hire new staff due to login bugs) and I have so many things to get done![/i]

I have seen graphical improvement mods for a few other games, usually involving higher resolution textures or higher poly models, but here we have something rather special; a [i]huge[/i] graphical improvement mod for JKA, which not only has given the games textures a good going over, but adds some really beautiful new shader and bloom effects, helping to make JKA that little bit prettier!

Before I go on though I should mention that I had some complications getting this mod to work. I run Windows 7 (XP was my old friend, Vista was evil and shall burn in hell) and I was getting the �"VM_Create on UI Failed” error message in the console that stops the game from starting. On Vista and 7 this can be fixed by running JKA as an administrator and setting it to Win XP service pack 2 in the compatibility tab (right click on shortcut then properties).

However this mod obviously did something which invalidated that. However, after a bit of faffing around and experimenting, I got it to work by going to my gamedata folder and doing the administrator/XP Compatibility thing on the jamp.exe (should also work for jasp.exe) and doing the same for the JAMinimizer.exe which can be found in the same folder. After that I used the mods shortcut on my desktop and it worked fine. Though when you set your display resolution and other things in game, you will need to restart the game properly for it to work.

I should also mention that you need to make sure you select the correct path for your LucasArts/Jedi Academy folder in the installer as it is not set by default!

Also, don�"�t forget to use the JA Configurator Tool to make sure the mods graphical and other settings (of which there are a variety, such as menu, JA++ etc.) are right for you! And if you decide you want to uninstall it that is very easy, just use the Uninstall Shortcut and it is done in a jiffy, so you needn�"�t worry about digging through your base folder to delete things.

Anyway, on with the features! Apart from masses of revamped textures, which have been given more of a grainy, harsh look (those these can be turned off in the configurator), there are also some amazing bloom/glow effects. On their own, the textures would probably look a bit over done, but combined with the bloom effects it gives JKA a feel much more like the graphics in modern games. Daytime skies in particular look amazing with the bloom shader, though beware of snow, as the bloom effect washes out all detail in the snow texture and basically makes the ground look like a light bulb! I suppose they don�"�t call it snow blindness for nothing!

There is a completely new menu, a rather eclectic mix of new skins and the ability to have a first person view for lightsabers, among many other things!

I imagine some people will not like the way the game looks with this mod, it is a [i]big[/i] change and things like bloom effects tend to be love them or hate them kind of things. Still I think this mod is well worth a try if you are looking to spruce up the way JKA looks! I think the screenshots below speak for themselves!

Unfortunately there are a few bugs here and there, one i encountered was that the graphcis settings kept resetting themselves. Another one is that for some reason maps which use portal skyboxes appear invisible which renders them unplayable. Rather weird bug! I cant think what could be causing a bug like that. :S

Overall though this is a pretty amazing mod, I have not seen the likes of this before and I think this is some thing pretty special, so good work to all the people who worked on this! :D

~Nozyspy~

***Please note that due to the size of this file, we could not upload it to JKFiles directly. Please download it from here! The main download link at the bottom of the page contains a dummy file with the download link only!***