M.U.G.E.N the 2d Fighting Game Engine

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M.U.G.E.N is a freeware 2D fighting game engine designed by Elecbyte.

The original Beta, Dos Mugen, was released on July 17, 2001. Other releases followed including releases for Linux Mugen and the Windows Version, known as WinMugen. Elecbyte is currently developing M.U.G.E.N and has released several release candidates. The engine allows users to create characters, background stages, screenpacks, and other game objects to create homemade 2d games similar to commercial games. While the engine is set up primarily for fighting game development, several other game types have been developed using it, including shooter and platform style games. Officially, Elecbyte? claims to have forgotten what the acronym M.U.G.E.N stood for.

History

First released for MS-DOS on July 17, 1999, development ceased when Elecbyte switched to the Linux platform in November 2001. Elecbyte had posted a request for donations on their site to legally obtain a Windows compiler to make a Windows version of M.U.G.E.N. However, the development group discontinued the project in 2003 and shut down their site. Later speculation pointed at leaks made public of a private Windows-based M.U.G.E.N beta that was provided to donators.

The private WinM.U.G.E.N beta contained a two-character roster limit, locked game modes, and nag screens. With the beta leaked and Elecbyte gone, a "no limit" hack that removed most of these limitations was made available in 2004, followed by subsequent updates to deal with bugs and other issues. This version of M.U.G.E.N is functionally the same as the last Linux release, though with subtle differences and unique issues, mostly revolving around proper music and music plugin support.

In May 2007, a hacked version of WinM.U.G.E.N was released by a third party that added support for high resolution stages (like those seen in Guilty Gear X) at the cost of losing support to standard resolution M.U.G.E.N stages. Later that month, another hack was done to add support for high-res select screens. In July 2007 another hack based on the last high-res hack allowed for only the select screen to be high-res and not the stages. In December 2007, a hack from an anonymous source allowed both low-res and hi-res stages to be functional in the same build, requiring only a single line of code to be added to hi-res stages. As of June 2007, an Unofficial Winmugen was also made available on a Japanese website.

On September 19, 2009, Elecbyte made an unexpected comeback, updating their website with various features — including a forum and a downloads section, where a new build of M.U.G.E.N is now available. Elecbyte made their release candidate available for download and feedback. The most current build of Mugen is M.U.G.E.N 1.0 Release Candidate #5. The new build includes new features such as support for HD resolutions, victory screens, and language localization.

Abilities

The creation of content is archived through interpreted text files, PCX graphics, and sound compilations. Default audio formats are MP3 and MIDI. Through the use of plugins other music formats are supported. Character sound packs are in WAV format.

As an example of the engine abilities, Mugen's default installation includes a sample character, Kung Fu Man (in the latest release 2 versions are available, one of them in a higher resolution), 2 stages, 2 storyboards and its own screenpack already installed - their code files provide explanations and examples of the code that allows them to work, and users are encouraged to use these files as a reference and starting point to create their own content.

An example of M.U.G.E.N's gameplay: original character Dragon Claw faces Darkstalkers character Hsien-Ko on the RAW is WAR arena. The skin used for the game is based on Capcom vs. SNK 2.

The engine uses 6 buttons for gameplay along with the directional keys. These buttons control triggers in a command file. At most, two human players can control characters, with others controlled by the engine's AI; including a demo mode where the computer controls all characters. See Game Modes

Despite its dual status as an engine to make games and a game itself, M.U.G.E.N is typically regarded as a heavily customizable game solely by magazines, websites and newcomers to M.U.G.E.N. Demos of the engine have also made their way into magazines, usually exhibiting a large variety of works from various creators. The game was also mentioned in a Guiness World Records: Gamer's Edition as the "Most Customisable Character Roster In a Fighting Game."

For Information about downloading Mugen, see the Downloads Page.

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