Do I need the original game files to run Real War?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.

Real War

DecompilationHalted

Source code reconstructed from the original game's compiled binary, so the game can be understood, rebuilt and ported.

Based on Real War

Image of the original game, Real War. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Real War (original game, not this project) — Image of the original game, Real War. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Links, repository & details

About

A work-in-progress decompilation of the PC game Real War (2001) by Rival Interactive. It assumes Windows, a legitimate copy of the CD version 9.25, Visual C++ 6.0, the DirectX 8 SDK, Dart, Ninja and Just.

Getting started

Install the game and copy its files into a game folder containing data, vids and RealWar.exe, with data/bigfile.dat present rather than the CD's cab files. Build Capstone 5.0 and place capstone.dll in tools, then use the just commands to build tools, verify the base exe, configure, build and verify. For running the original game on modern Windows, the README suggests DDrawCompat, and says Wine on Linux runs it very well.

Known issues & limitations

The game has various issues on modern Windows; external software can help run it.
Windowed mode does not seem to work with hardware acceleration, except in the editor and model viewer.

What you need to run it

Original game files required. The project ships code only; you provide your own copy of the game (Windows version).

You need a legitimate CD copy of the game, version 9.25.

Features

The game can launch in windowed mode.
The game can launch directly into a mission.
The game can launch a new multiplayer lobby.
The game can launch with hardware acceleration enabled.
The game can launch its model viewer instead of the game.
The game can launch editor 1 instead of the game.

Summarised from the project's README.

Modding & tools

Included tools unpack bigfile.dat and convert or export the BSE model, KVAG audio, SPT sprite and TGC image formats.

Additional notes

Command line: The game accepts undocumented command-line arguments such as -G 1 for windowed mode, -L 1 for a model viewer, -T 1 for debug information and -M followed by a mission number to start in any mission.

FAQ

What is Real War?: Real War is an open-source decompilation of Real War. Source code reconstructed from the original game's compiled binary, so the game can be understood, rebuilt and ported. The original game ran on Windows.
Do I need the original game files to run Real War?: Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.