As noted on Planet Rome.ro, a modified edition of Daikatana is now freely available, removing all single-player maps and data from the game to create a pared-down multiplayer-only release. The Romero's comments on the project indicate this is a sanctioned release, though the Readme indicates the honor system is also in effect: "This is a non-profit, fan made multiplayer modification of Daikatana, and assumes that the downloader already owns a LEGITIMATE FULL VERSION of the game. However, DKDM is modified in such a way where single player maps and music CANNOT be played without files which are only accessible with a full copy of Daikatana." The download is available from a list of mirrors on DaikatanaNews.net and from Gamer's Hell. Here's word:

Firstly, this modification was intended solely for our own personal use, since we own the game. Only when we shared the idea with a few people in the community (with positive feedback) did we consider releasing it to the public.

The idea came about one night of Daikatana Deathmatching, when the question was asked. "I wish you could install multiplayer only". And here it is: DKDM. This modification incorporates only the multiplayer aspect of Daikatana (32 maps of carnage featuring deathmatch, CTF and deathtag - with support for community multiplayer maps), and has been heavily butchered to remove ANYTHING which isn't used in multiplayer to make it as small as possible. As a result, the game now takes up a very reasonable 255 MB of HDD space when fully installed (114 MB compressed).

Also, DKDM has an additional PAK (pak5.pak) which contains a "mplayer demo" modification. When activated, Daikatana is turned back in time to how the game looked like circa March 1999, when the initial mplayer only demo was released. The "mplayer demo" PAK contains skins, textures, interfaces, sounds, effects and loadscreens from the mplayer demo, and recreates as accurately as possible (except game physics) the mplayer demo audio and visual experience.

One of the aims in realeasing DKDM is to get Daikatana's multiplayer out there to people who were turned off first time around and missed out on the speed and action of Daikatana multiplayer. Even in single player - it isn't all just frogs, guys.