New DK executable

I was just able to create a DLL file from Dungeon Keeper EXE!

This means we may rewrite DK code function by function, and we're able to play the new version even if not everything is rewritten!

Here is first release of the DLL and EXE file which uses it to run DK:
(link outdated; see keeper.lubie.org for new releases)

As for now, it is just a standard Dungeon Keeper Gold, but soon I will make some modifications.

How flexible is it? & What sort of stuff can be modified?

Thanks.

As for now - nothing is rewritten, so nothing can be modified.

I will start with rewriting the main() function. This will allow to change command line parameters, and will open the way for rewriting other functions.

Excellent, Mefisto! Great news!

AWESOME!


What doors does this open?

Would it also help with NBK because we now can look at the code and see how stuff is programmed?

NBK will be ready only when finished - and my KeeperFX can be used even now, and if I will only rewrite a single function, I can still make it working, as all original Bullfrog functions are inside the DLL which I can use.

I don't think this will help in NBK, but I can't be sure, as NBK it is not open-source project so I don't know how it's written (I've seen a message that it's open somewhere, but that's a lie).

Sounds interesting, I'd like to see a mod that lets creatures train to level 20 or more

well. the old engine (NBK) is freely available to download from svn server so it's not a lie. and the new engine (NBKE) will be available for downloading too.


oh, NBK engine has been available for download for at least a year!

Could you give me a link to the svn server? It's strange, but I can't find it on the project site, nor in google.

Definition of open-source published by Open Source Group, and definition of free software by FSF both mention that the source code should be freely available for everyone who "receives a copy of the software". Since I downloaded NBK demo, and I couldn't download the source code, I'm afraid the definition in not met.

You could make a subpage about SVN on the project site, to make sure everyone can get the source.

Excellent Mefistotelis !!!

Yeah, it required some skill in ASM and binary coding...

The biggest problem now is with classes - most of the code is written using just functions and global variables, but unfortunately there are classes too.

Uhh... if I only had type information in the debug data...

As for now I'm stuck with class TDDrawSdk. I think the only way to deal with it is to treat it as struct. I don't know its members; I only know it is derived from TDDrawBaseClass and has 405 bytes.

Is it possible now to rewrite executable to run under OpenGl and higher resolutions?

At some point it will be possible.

Now I'm making command line parameters.

This is very impressive, and awesome, even if you have to code "blindfolded" ^^

I'm trying to use debug data from beta version of the game. There are still no type definitions, but at least functions and global variables are named.

I still have 10000 debug info entries to check, and I'm making approx. 500 entries per day, so it will take some time before the next release.

But within two weeks I should be able to release next version.