Commander Keen betas/alt versions

[LEOTCK]

I want to create a thread here for discussion of Commander Keen stuff, since there is now a request thread in the request section. I want this purely for discussion.

Around 2008 I believe I received this version of Commander Keen 5 that can't be found elsewhere nowadays. I had it from my partner via scp. Later when I moved with my partner to the netherlands, I saw him play it IRL too and he remembers this version very fondly. But none of us knew that its apparently a rare version. It might have been an alternate publisher or a version or beta. I don't know what it was.

Fact is none of the sites around have it and our only copies are on broken harddiscs. I believe he had it from floppies originally but those are way lost now.

I want to start this as a thread for discussion in general about these games and what differences/betas anyone encountered. For me it must be this one.

The main difference (apart from some subtle ones like the physics felt a little bit diff) that the first level's secreat area under the level was completely different and it let you roam free under the rocket engine's fire area, there was a long walkway with bonuses to pickup and not just that closed-off area. The rocket engines could also kill you in that version as I remember having to be careful when walking under it.

Any help with preserving this is appreciated it seems to be part of a forgotten history of commander keen, I haven't seen anyone discuss this yet. If you have seen/experienced any other alt versions or betas, please share your experiences here or anything about Keen in general.

My first exposure to Keen 1 was through a school friend actually. I think I was about eight years old or something.

I thought the game was called "Ken" and not Keen, but its probably that he didn't know how to pronounce the name.

I remember it was very frustrating for me at times and I found the game a bit unfair.

[OltScript131]

Around 2008 I believe I received this version of Commander Keen 5 that can't be found elsewhere nowadays. I had it from my partner via scp. Later when I moved with my partner to the netherlands, I saw him play it IRL too and he remembers this version very fondly. But none of us knew that its apparently a rare version. It might have been an alternate publisher or a version or beta. I don't know what it was.

It is possible that it was a hacked version... You can find a lot of them on one site.... !

[LEOTCK]

Around 2008 I believe I received this version of Commander Keen 5 that can't be found elsewhere nowadays. I had it from my partner via scp. Later when I moved with my partner to the netherlands, I saw him play it IRL too and he remembers this version very fondly. But none of us knew that its apparently a rare version. It might have been an alternate publisher or a version or beta. I don't know what it was.

It is possible that it was a hacked version... You can find a lot of them on one site.... !

It came on original diskettes so it wasn't a hacked version, must have been official.