About
Dune is Cryo Interactive Entertainment's DOS game; Cryogenic targets the CD-ROM version (3.7), whose executable is DNCDPRG.EXE. Cryogenic is a C# reimplementation of the Dune CD version (1992) that works by replacing individual x86 assembly routines in the original DOS executable with C# methods, using the Spice86 x86 emulator to run the original binary and redirect execution to those overrides at runtime. It requires the original copyrighted DNCDPRG.EXE (verified by SHA256 checksum) and DUNE.DAT files, obtained separately. The game is currently fully playable with sound and music through this hybrid assembly/.NET execution, and work continues to convert more of the original assembly into C#.
How it differs from the original
Rather than replacing the original executable outright, it runs the original DOS binary directly and only swaps in C# for functions that have been converted so far. It also adds a feature absent from the original: replacing the game's native MT-32 MIDI music with a folder of custom audio files, matched to songs via a fingerprint file.
Getting started
Requires the .NET 10 SDK and a legitimately obtained copy of DNCDPRG.EXE and DUNE.DAT from Dune CD version 3.7. Build with dotnet build, then run via the command line pointing at the executable with the --UseCodeOverride true flag, which is required to enable the C# overrides. For audio, an additional command-line driver argument is needed, and Ubuntu/Debian users must install the libvlc-dev package to use the MT-32 music-replacement feature; helper scripts (run_cryogenic.sh / .bat) are included to simplify launching with replacement music.
Media
Additional notes
- External link
- Project page: https://openrakis.github.io/Cryogenic/
- Disclaimer
- The project states it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cryo Interactive Entertainment, the original rights holder for Dune.