The Ultimate Commander Keen Website Frequently Asked Questions. Here you will find a few of the most frequent questions I get asked, relating me or this webpage. Hopefully this will answer any questions you may have.

Who/What is Commander Keen?
Commander Keen is the title of a computer game, first released on Decemeber 14th, 1990. Billy Blaze (Commander Keen) is an 8 year old genius. The basic story is, one day in his backyard clubhouse, he created an interstellar starship from old soup cans and rubber cementand plastic tubing. While his folks are out on the town and the babysitter has fallen asleep, Billy travels into his backyard workshop, dons his brother's football helmet, and transforms into... COMMANDER KEEN - Defender of the Earth! As for gameplay, it is your usual "Apogee-type" game. That is, a 2D side-scrolling game. You mainly just run, jump (and pogo) and shoot. For more detailed information on Commander Keen I strongly suggest you read the history page.

What's the deal with Apogee/ID/IonStorm?
ID Software created Commander Keen, and Apogee distributed it, ID keeping the legal rights to Keen. IonStorm is where a few former members of ID Software now work (Tom Hall and John Romero).

Why was this webpage created?
I created this webpage mainly because there were no other decent Commander Keen websites out there. There were a few, but none that really had anything more than cheats. I hoped to share all the information I could, so everyone else could enjoy Commander Keen as much as I do, and not only enjoy it, but also have a good knowledge of various other aspects of the game, rather than just how to cheat, and how to win.

Will I create any more Commander Keen games?
Firstly, I did not create Commander Keen. If you played Keen 5, there was a screen that said something to the effect of "Join us in December 1992 for the greatest Keen adventure yet". There was a picture of Commander Keen smiling, with a Santa Claus hat on. At the time, ID Software was intending to do a third series of Commander Keen, tentatively entitled "Commander Keen: The Universe is Toast". However, other projects came up (Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny, and later, Doom). There are no plans now to do more Keen. The main reason for this is that ID Software owns the rights to Commander Keen, and any new project would have to be either done by them directly (EXTREMELY unlikely), or at least approved by them. At this time, there are no Keen games under development by either Apogee, ID, or Ion Storm (where Tom Hall & John Romero now work as of 1997). If and when there ever is more Keen, it will be state of the art of whatever technology is current at the time.

"ID will never do Keen 7, because many of them hate the cuteness. I personally like all types of games, and that universe is one of my favorites that we created." - Tom Hall

What is the name of the creature in Commander Keen 6?
If you wanna know the name of the creature, you obviously don't have the manual, and therefore have downloaded or obtained an illegal copy. Naughty you! I am not going to help you there, sorry, guess you'll have to stick to the shareware version.

Can you link my webpage?
The short answer is, no. However, if you feel it is not a rip of of mine, and that you have some good, original information, then I would be glad to consider your request.

When will Keen MakeOver be completed, can I be a beta tester?
I am making it for fun. It may never be completed. I am very busy, and really don't have time for it anymore. Sorry but its just the way it is. And NO you CANNOT beta test it, thats final!

How do I "Unzip" something?
All files linked will be compressed, in the zip format. To decompress them, you need a utility called Winzip. Winzip is easy to use, just locate and open the file, the click EXTRACT to extract the archive to the specified directory.

Can you send me Keen 2,3,5,6 or Keen Dreams, full versions?
No! I do not support the pirating of software. If you liked the shareware episodes, support the company - buy them from Apogee.

Has Commander Keen made any appearances in other games?
Yes, many times:

• In Paganitzu, Keen's helmet makes an appearance in a hidden area.
• In Bio Menace Episode 2, as one of the hostages you need to rescue.
• Four Keens made an appearance in a secret level of id's Doom II.
• Commander Keen's helmet made an apperance in a level of Crystal Caves.
• Dr. Proton mentions Commander Keen in the first episode of Duke Nukem.

Thanks to Mort McMire for this screenshot of CK in Bio Menace!