So, what are the changes? When I look at the screenshots, it appears to me, that Jedi Academy might be as well just an AddOn. Same size, almost identical systemrequirements.

The specific reason, why I am asking this is, that I barely enjoy Jedi Outcast.
I had a lot of fun with Dark Forces. Jedi Knight was alright for me and now I reached the deepest point so far. If Jedi Academy follows this trend, I rather skip it. Even if I would enjoy it as much as JO, I rather skip it.

What did I dislike in JO:
* The Escort mission: Protecting that droid from mines and enemies in that hallway.
I do not enjoy taken responsibility for someone else's actions.

* The Snipers in Nar Shaddaa: I had no clue, from where the hits came and I had to look around until I saw that one head sticking out far away on some catwalk.

* The zero-gravity part on Doom: I do not like having little control over my character.

* The platforming: If the characters moves sideways as fast as forward/backwards, it feels to soapy for me.

* Having no clue what to do/where to go: I do not need a marker, telling me were to go. But if the goals would be updated more frequently, I would be lost less often.
Example: Escaping the Doom after killing the mechaboss. My goal was completed, but no new goal appeared. From the context I understood, that I had to leave. So I went to the start of the level. Was I irrational for doing so? The game wanted me to go to the end of a hallway.

* Mines being less useful: I like setting them up for enemies to come.
This requires: To know, from where they will come from.
And more importantly: To not vanish, when to much time passes/I move to far away from them (not sure what triggers this) OR to not blow up into my face directly, when setting them up (I suppose the enemies behind a door triggers them)

* No spontaneous spawns: When I redo a section, I can at least use my knowledge of what will happen and take precautious steps. This possibility is reduced, when the enemy only appears, when reaching a certain point.
Example: Nar Shaddaa Streets, the two blokes on the lift. They appear only, when pressing the button to call said lift. Throwing granades up on the platform to kill them prior: not possible.

* The Stealth level with autofail (Cairn Dock 1)

* Instant-Death especially in combination with guessing (Yavin Finale)

Now, can anyone tell me, how much of this was kept or removed for Jedi Academy?
I do enjoy the lightsabrefights. I suppose, they put most effort in it.

Jedi Academy use the same engine version though different build and customized as much as the Jedi Outcast's version. Updated graphics is the most basic change naturally.

The very core of the gameplay is the exact same. Most of the weapons got only balance changes like projectile speed or spread ratio. New weapons got introduced however most of the tools got removed (like the energy wall projector and the carriable medpack).

The lightsaber combat received the most radical change. To start with you can use two sabers or staff. All those have advantages and disadvantages in certain areas whie the single saber is the middle ground thanks to its versatility. The chaining works a bit differently and now you can perform simple attacks from more varied angles. I don't really want to go in depth so the more slower a slash the more harder to parry it while the heaviest attacks may easily go through the blocks. The different stances have different values for that so one may block something the other can't.

Overall it is much easier to fight lightsaber vs. lightsaber battles thanks to the higher degree of freedom of the attacks. There are new Force powers to help exactly where it needed.

The handle of story also a way different. To start with you start the game as a Jedi and have a lightsaber as well. Jedi Academy offers missions rather than making you play through linear stages. These missions takes place on separate openworld maps, some offers more freedom while others are linear like in Outcast. Usually it takes not much time to finish a mission however after a set of five there is a story mission which is longer and takes place on multiple maps and feature bosses at the end. The only map I found confusing is the speeder bike one and only for first. It is always clear what to do and where to go though not always the "how to do so".

Even the most difficult missions are less frustrating than the one you mentioned. No sniper spam, no surprise spawns from impossible angles, and no alternative physics for certain missions (no zero gravity or swimming parts). Most NPCs are pre-spawned on the map so you can play strategically if you want to but even if you not care about memorizing, it is easy to spot where they attack from, especially the snipers. The mentioned new Force powers also exactly covers this making Force Sense a very big help for seeing incomming attacks.

It is questionable which game is the better. I really liked some of the stages of Jedi Outcast but I enjoy trying new ways in Jedi Academy too. When I said easier lightsaber combat I didn't meant it is easy to beat some of the Siths. In Outcast you have to rely on skill and reflex only against the stronger enemies but Academy give you some techniques that makes it doable tactically rather than with brute force. I enjoy mixing it and honestly I miss this when I played Outcast again.

I can't count how many times I finished Jedi Academy, one of the few PC games I always replay times to times.

Szervus!

I did not see a notification for an answer in my topic and discovered yours, by coming deliberately here, to copy the post for the respective Steam-forum.

Thank you for the long answer. Especially the paragraph gave me hope, that I may enjoy JA.

I'm not talking about the stance but the move. The slow and heavier swings are harder to push against. Clashing a heavier slash with a weaker one will retaliate the weaker even if the player takes no damage. The best example of this is the follow-up diagonal backward attack after an attack. It can not be parried with any of the other attacks of the same stance in the case of single saber style though leaves you wide open for simple attacks.