OpenJam v1.1

A native PC port of NBA JAM: On Fire Edition, with mod support, now for Windows and Linux.

These downloads contain no game content. You need your own Xbox Live Arcade copy of the game: one file off your console's drive, about 850 MB, with a long name of numbers and letters and no extension.

Both downloads are complete. You don't need version 1.0 first.

What's new in 1.1

• Linux version: It plays the game with mods and needs nothing installed beyond what Linux already has. Experimental - only tested using WSL
• No more "the game has fallen over": mostly affected Proton on Linux and the Steam Deck
• Saving fixed: Saving works again, and is separate for the base game and mods
• Video settings: Options > Settings. Windowed or fullscreen, resolution, sharpness, picture shape and vsync.
• Fullscreen: Choosing fullscreen is remembered next time
• Steam Deck: Through Proton the game starts fullscreen at the Deck's own screen size, so the picture fills it. Experimental. I don't have a Steam Deck to test
• Announcer fixed in mods: He was silent before. Now also gives generic callouts in mods instead of naming specific stock players

Installing on Windows

Download OpenJam-v1.1-win64.zip.

1. Unzip it into a folder of its own, for example C:\Games\NBA JAM. Avoid Program Files.
2. Copy your Xbox 360 LIVE game file (the 850 MB one with no extension) into that folder, next to NBA JAM Mod Manager.exe.
3. Run NBA JAM Mod Manager.exe and press Unpack it. It takes under a minute and leaves your original file alone.
4. Press Play.

To add a mod, press Install a mod and pick its .pkg file. Mods come in two parts, so keep both parts in the same folder; either one will do. Each mod takes two or three minutes.

If Windows says it protected your PC, press More info, then Run anyway. The programs aren't signed, and that's all the warning means.

Needs Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) and a Direct3D 12 graphics card.

Installing on Linux

Download OpenJam-v1.1-linux-x86_64.tar.gz.

1. Unpack it where you want the game to live: tar -xzf OpenJam-v1.1-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
2. Copy your game file into the new OpenJam-v1.1-linux-x86_64 folder, next to nbajam.sh.
3. Run ./nbajam.sh from that folder. The first time, it unpacks the game and then starts it.

To add a mod, run this from the same folder: ./mods.sh install path/to/the-mod-Part_1.pkg

Then ./mods.sh list shows your mods, and ./mods.sh use <name> picks the one the game starts in.

Needs 64-bit Linux and a graphics driver with Vulkan. The standard Mesa drivers and NVIDIA's own both count.

Steam Deck

Either download works on a Deck.

• Windows download through Proton. In desktop mode, add NBA JAM Mod Manager.exe to Steam as a non-Steam game. Turn on Proton under Properties > Compatibility. This route gives you the Mod Manager's window.
• Linux download. Add nbajam.sh to Steam as a non-Steam game, and install mods from desktop mode with mods.sh.

Moving from 1.0

Set 1.1 up in a new folder, then install your mods again. Your base-game saves carry over by themselves. To keep your progress in mods, first copy the old folder's saves folder into the new one.

Known

• The Linux version has played full matches on a software graphics driver, but hasn't yet been tried on many real graphics cards. Reports from real hardware are welcome.
• In the Legends mod, Cleveland is still short of something the game needs. Picking them shows a message and offers to start again. Every other team in all three mods plays.

Files

File	Size	SHA-256
OpenJam-v1.1-win64.zip	55 MB	70f84ca22162105d0b3fb7e59232a2a902edd083f005cce7d308c21331817c00
OpenJam-v1.1-linux-x86_64.tar.gz	24 MB	b94cefadaaf2fbc18efa15962f151029ead94ff6b26a775901e33c32c285256c

Not affiliated with or endorsed by EA, the NBA, or Microsoft. For preservation and educational purposes.