Do I need the original game files to run SpaceCadetPinball?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy. Requires original game resources to be placed in the same folder as the compiled executable.

SpaceCadetPinball

DecompilationHaltedPlayableWebWindowsOSX

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

Based on Full Tilt! Pinball

Play in Browser

Image of the original game, Full Tilt! Pinball. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Full Tilt! Pinball (original game, not this project) — Image of the original game, Full Tilt! Pinball. This project has no screenshots of its own yet.

Links, repository & details

About

Full Tilt! Pinball (Pinball 95 in Europe) is a 1995 pinball game by Cinematronics and Maxis featuring three pre-rendered 3D tables — Space Cadet, Skulduggery, and Dragon's Keep — and was followed by a sequel in 1996. SpaceCadetPinball is a reverse-engineered reimplementation of 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet, built by fully decompiling pinball.exe from Windows XP and CADET.EXE from Full Tilt! Pinball using Ghidra, IDA, and Visual Studio, then converting the recovered C pseudocode into compilable C++. It targets desktop Windows, Linux, and macOS via SDL2, and requires the original game's data files to run since none are bundled.

Getting started

Place the compiled executable in a folder containing the original game's resource files (not included) — it supports data from both the Windows and Full Tilt versions. Prebuilt packages exist for several platforms, including a Flatpak on Flathub and a Homebrew formula for macOS.

Known issues & limitations

Support for the Dragon and Pirate tables is only a possibility.
A game data editor is only a possibility.

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). Requires original game resources to be placed in the same folder as the compiled executable.

You need original game resources; they are not included.

Features

The project runs on desktop Windows, Linux, and macOS.
The game window can be resized and graphics scaled.
The project supports data files from Windows and Full Tilt versions of the game.

How to install

Place the executable in a folder containing the original game resources.

Summarised from the project's README.

Credits & contributing

Numerous fan ports building on this decompilation exist for other platforms, including PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, DS, PS2, Dreamcast, webOS TV, and Android.

Additional notes

Trivia: A notorious bug that broke ball collision in some ports of the original was not reproduced when the game was decompiled and rebuilt for x64.

FAQ

What is SpaceCadetPinball?: SpaceCadetPinball is an open-source decompilation of Full Tilt! Pinball. 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 SpaceCadetPinball?: Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy. Requires original game resources to be placed in the same folder as the compiled executable.