Decompilation Projects |OT| Free next-gen update for your favorite classics (Jak II PC port out in beta)

Winnie · Feb 2, 2023

I like to have an index of the decompilations that are being worked on, so here it is. I will try to keep this updated regularly. Also i consider a project on "active" if there have been movement in the past 3 month, there's tons more that doesn't have any update since 3+ months.
Keep in mind that a decompilation doesn't automatically means that a PC port is coming, after the decompilation someone has to come a make the port, it a separated thing from the decompilation.

I also have probably missed some decompilations, or there's incorrect/missing progress information, please tell me and i will add it to the OT.

AuthenticM · Feb 2, 2023

oh shit, subbing hard to this thread. Thank you for making it!

Capra · Feb 2, 2023

Might need a pinned post: "Just a reminder, companies can't do shit to shut these down if the projects don't provide the ROMs themselves."

Nobody_joe · Feb 2, 2023

Capra said:
Might need a pinned post: "Just a reminder, companies can't do shit to shut these down if the projects don't provide the ROMs themselves."

Take Two shut down the GTA projects.

WindUp · Feb 2, 2023

The Gen 3 Pokémon decomps (and the development tooling around them) are insanely cool. If you are familiar with C coding it is literally an RPGMaker type sandbox but with the actual game assets and engine.

wwm0nkey · Feb 2, 2023

Excited for a lot of these

Cess007 · Feb 2, 2023

Bookmarked thread.

And god, I need that PD PC port so bad.

Bopp · Feb 2, 2023

Complete noob here, what's the benefit of all these compared to roms?

wwm0nkey · Feb 2, 2023

Cess007 said:
Bookmarked thread.

And god, I need that PD PC port so bad.

Gimme the PD port with the XBLA graphics ontop and some online play and I will die a happy man

wwm0nkey · Feb 2, 2023

Bopp said:
Complete noob here, what's the benefit of all these compared to roms?

native PC ports which opens up a lot of potential for modding and features not possible with emulation

Zebesian-X · Feb 2, 2023

This shit is so cool, almost all of my childhood favourites are actively being worked on. Honestly fuck new releases, this is my #1 motivator for investing in a real PC lol

Arukado · Feb 2, 2023

Bopp said:
Complete noob here, what's the benefit of all these compared to roms?

They run natively on the hardware and you have direct access to the code, allowing for easier modding and new features.

----

Thanks a lot for this thread OP.

Cess007 · Feb 2, 2023

wwm0nkey said:
Gimme the PD port with the XBLA graphics ontop and some online play and I will die a happy man

Can you imagine online play with the amount of customization options that Perfect Dark has?

Cefalü · Feb 2, 2023

Bookmarking this, thanks

Rumble · Feb 2, 2023

These projects are so cool in the best kind of nerdy way. I love all of them and hope this trend continues.

Chackan · Feb 2, 2023

Watched! Great thread 😄

Hope a lot of those work on the SteamDeck

AuthenticM · Feb 2, 2023

someone please mod A Link to the Past to give it the graphics of Minish Cap.

russbus64 · Feb 2, 2023

Nobody_joe said:
Take Two shut down the GTA projects.

Wasn't there evidence that it wasn't a clean room reverse engineering though?

I wasn't aware of Crash Bandicoot. Is there footage of this running?

Mirage · Feb 2, 2023

There's one for Tomb Raider as well, lets some really interesting stuff happen.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igEUjEci-eg

Arukado · Feb 2, 2023

There is a Silent Hill decompilation too.

smart patrol · Feb 2, 2023

Everyone is already aware of it at this point, but the gold standard on what decompilation projects can lead to is Super Mario 64. Because of it, we get to experience one of the greatest games ever made at any resolution, at 60fps, with full analog camera control, ported to countless platforms. And there's the amazing Render96 model/texture pack available, of course.

Super Mario 64 Long Play HD Render96 No Commentary

Super Mario 64 Longplay HD Render96 No CommentaryI cheated..... only a bithere's my discord I guess....it's quiet there https://discord.gg/hV6WgSuTZ6

www.youtube.com

I personally can't wait to see what people do with Perfect Dark.

Winnie · Feb 2, 2023

I was sure that no one would care about this thread, glad to be wrong tho!

Added Tomb Raider to the OP, and also have added what i consider "in active decompilation" (basically it needs to have been updated in the last 3 months). I didn't wanna make an extremely (and exahusting) long list with project that doesn't seems to update much.

Edit: One last thing, the people who made the Ocarina of Time port started working on another port the 6 of November 2022, probably Perfect Dark?

J75 · Feb 2, 2023

Can't wait for Perfect Dark. Nice to see Goldeneye is being worked on too.

Cat Dad · Feb 2, 2023

I know it's a bit of a touchy subject but can we get a how to play/run these ports in the first post as well?

Dio · Feb 2, 2023

Cat Dad said:
I know it's a bit of a touchy subject but can we get a how to play/run these ports in the first post as well?

most have the description on how to compileon their respective githubs.

amara · Feb 2, 2023

I tried the Jak port recently and just incredible work. Can't wait for more 3D platformers

JustTeaThankYou · Feb 2, 2023

I am not familiar with this space. In software development generally, "decompilation" means the opposite of compilation. Compilation being source code in => binary out. So a decompiler takes some binary code and produces source code by reading and interpreting that binary.

That's not what's happening here right?

From the way these projects talk It sounds like they are clean-room (ie not looking at the binary or decompilations of the binary) re-implementing the game binary? Effectively reimplementing the engine, and presumably as well the assets?

Edit: or are these just the clean-room engine implementation, like openrct2 etc?

FirewalkR · Feb 2, 2023

Great thread, subbing

GameDev · Feb 2, 2023

Part of me is dreading the day they decompile certain Genesis, and CPS2/CPS3 games. What little free time I have will fly out the window.

Deleted member 12129 · Feb 2, 2023

Has anyone tried out the Link to the Past PC port? I attempted to follow the directions to get it running but I must have missed a step and I can't get it working

Winnie · Feb 2, 2023

joeygreco1985 said:
Has anyone tried out the Link to the Past PC port? I attempted to follow the directions to get it running but I must have missed a step and I can't get it working

I have made it run without much problem following the guide on github:

1 - Installing Python & libraries on Windows (required for asset extraction steps)

Download Python installer and install

Open the command prompt

Upgrade pip & install pillow and pyyaml by typing python -m pip install --upgrade pip pillow pyyaml and hit enter

Close the command prompt

2 - Compiling on Windows with TCC (1mb Tiny C Compiler)

Download the project by clicking "Code > Download ZIP" on the github page

Extract the ZIP to your hard drive

Place the USA rom named zelda3.sfc in the "\tables" subfolder

Open the command prompt and navigate to that folder

Extract resources by typing python extract_resources.py and hit enter

Compile the extracted resources by typing python compile_resources.py and hit enter

Close the command prompt

Double-click Zelda3.sln

Change "debug" to "release" in the top dropdown

Choose "build > build Zelda3" in the menu to create zelda3.exe in the "/bin/release" subfolder

Configure with zelda3.ini in the main dir

Zojirushi · Feb 2, 2023

wwm0nkey said:
native PC ports which opens up a lot of potential for modding and features not possible with emulation

Does running on native hardware also mean that performance issues are pretty much gone since you run old games on beefy GPUs/CPUs directly or am I misunderstanding this?

wwm0nkey · Feb 2, 2023

Zojirushi said:
Does running on native hardware also mean that performance issues are pretty much gone since you run old games on beefy GPUs/CPUs directly or am I misunderstanding this?

Usually yeah they will run much better

riq · Feb 2, 2023

Excellent thread.

Pls smart computer people port pokered to C 🙏

LowParry · Feb 2, 2023

Hells yeah. Bookmarked!

PaulloDEC · Feb 2, 2023

Love decomp projects, will be keeping a close eye on this thread. Thanks OP!

PKrockin · Feb 2, 2023

Oh shit, I played Ship of Harkinian (OoT) a few times but I had no idea it had a Steam Deck version. That's a game changer. I'm seeing some Allsanitys in my future.

Saro · Feb 2, 2023

Damn this is crazy hope the ppl working on Banjo do Tooie aswell

Spark · Feb 2, 2023

Ambermoon originally for the Amiga was decompiled and ported to PC/Max/Linux.

GitHub - Pyrdacor/Ambermoon.net: Ambermoon rewrite in C#

Ambermoon rewrite in C#. Contribute to Pyrdacor/Ambermoon.net development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

And here's one for The Settlers 1 (DOS), which was ported to PC/Max/Linux.

GitHub - Pyrdacor/freeserf.net: Settlers 1 clone written in C#

Settlers 1 clone written in C#. Contribute to Pyrdacor/freeserf.net development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Winnie · Feb 2, 2023

Spark said:
Ambermoon originally for the Amiga was decompiled and ported to PC/Max/Linux.

GitHub - Pyrdacor/Ambermoon.net: Ambermoon rewrite in C#

Ambermoon rewrite in C#. Contribute to Pyrdacor/Ambermoon.net development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

And here's one for The Settlers 1 (DOS), which was ported to PC/Max/Linux.

GitHub - Pyrdacor/freeserf.net: Settlers 1 clone written in C#

Settlers 1 clone written in C#. Contribute to Pyrdacor/freeserf.net development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Added both of them, thanks!

franloradr · Feb 2, 2023

really excited for jak2 decomp ^.^

Str0ngStyle · Feb 3, 2023

so the LttP port that just came out, my xbox controller when playing makes the A button register as the start button and theres no way to get that to function. Anybody got any ideas on a fix?

russbus64 · Feb 3, 2023

Str0ngStyle said:
so the LttP port that just came out, my xbox controller when playing makes the A button register as the start button and theres no way to get that to function. Anybody got any ideas on a fix?

Might be able to remap it in zelda3.ini, in the same folder as the executable.

RadzPrower · Feb 4, 2023

For those who want a simple, one-click solution for getting A Link to the Past running on PC, I built this tool that downloads everything you need and compiles it for you with one simple click...or one click and then selecting your original copy if you don't want to manually rename and move it. Still, dead simple process if you're on Windows.

Release v1.0.0.0 Release · RadzPrower/Zelda-3-Launcher

This release is now out-of-date. Click here for the latest release. Initial Release The initial release of the Zelda 3 Launcher tool. Includes One-Click Build Functionality: Download zelda3 reposi...

github.com

Linux? Steam Deck? Eh, building on Linux is a cakewalk and you don't need to be building directly on your Deck anyhow.

Winnie · Feb 4, 2023

RadzPrower said:
For those who want a simple, one-click solution for getting A Link to the Past running on PC, I built this tool that downloads everything you need and compiles it for you with one simple click...or one click and then selecting your original copy if you don't want to manually rename and move it. Still, dead simple process if you're on Windows.

Release v1.0.0.0 Release · RadzPrower/Zelda-3-Launcher

This release is now out-of-date. Click here for the latest release. Initial Release The initial release of the Zelda 3 Launcher tool. Includes One-Click Build Functionality: Download zelda3 reposi...

github.com

Linux? Steam Deck? Eh, building on Linux is a cakewalk and you don't need to be building directly on your Deck anyhow.

Ooh, so cool! Threadmarked, thanks!

AgeEighty · Feb 4, 2023

Capra said:
Might need a pinned post: "Just a reminder, companies can't do shit to shut these down if the projects don't provide the ROMs themselves."

A developer's legal ownership of a game they made isn't just the code that runs the game. It's the art, characters, maps, names, and all that sort of thing. I don't know the exact contours of the legality (few people truly do), but at the end of the day this is still someone distributing "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" who doesn't own the rights to it. They don't suddenly own it just because they recreated it with their own code.

These distributions may not have been widely attacked by rights holders yet, but I wouldn't bet on that being because they have no legal right to.

Capra · Feb 4, 2023

AgeEighty said:
A developer's legal ownership of a game they made isn't just the code that runs the game. It's the art, characters, maps, names, and all that sort of thing. I don't know the exact contours of the legality (few people truly do), but at the end of the day this is still someone distributing "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" who doesn't own the rights to it. They don't suddenly own it just because they recreated it with their own code.

These distributions may not have been widely attacked by rights holders yet, but I wouldn't bet on that being because they have no legal right to.

Wouldn't "the art, characters, maps, names, and all that sort of thing" fall within the ROM they aren't distributing?

AgeEighty · Feb 4, 2023

Capra said:
Wouldn't "the art, characters, maps, names, and all that sort of thing" fall within the ROM they aren't distributing?

No. Why would Nintendo's ownership of Link and Zelda as characters end at the code of the games? That's what intellectual property is about. And it's not just the characters but also things like the way a dungeon looks, the musical arrangements and sound effects, everything that makes the game what it is. All of that stuff isn't just the code, it's the planning, design work and IP as well. The owner of the game retains rights to all of that, not just the ones and zeroes.

WonderingRogue · Feb 4, 2023

AgeEighty said:
No. Why would Nintendo's ownership of Link and Zelda as characters end at the code of the games? That's what intellectual property is about. And it's not just the characters but also things like the way a dungeon looks, the musical arrangements and sound effects, everything that makes the game what it is. All of that stuff isn't just the code, it's the planning, design work and IP as well. The owner of the game retains rights to all of that, not just the ones and zeroes.

None of that stuff is being distributed though.... do you even know what this is?

AgeEighty · Feb 4, 2023

WonderingRogue said:
Non of that stuff is being distributed though.... do you even know what this is?

I know what it is, yes? And apart from the issue of whether the actual ROM is being distributed, they can also raise issues of spreading this as a way to play a game outside the owner's purview. Again: I don't know the exact contours of the legality of this, but I wouldn't bet on it being "untouchable". That's all I'm saying.

Decompilation Projects |OT| Free next-gen update for your favorite classics (Jak II PC port out in beta)

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