BERNEWFIE

Hexen source port hack for DOS

Are you ready to die?

BERNEWFIE is a quick and dirty and source port of Hexen 1996 PC game by Raven Software from WATCOM to GCC that combines original source with functions taken from MBF 2.04 maintenance release by Gerwin. DJGPP environment and Allegro library headers and binaries are a prerequisite to build it. Original SETUP.EXE from Hexen is used to configure game keyboard and mouse bindings (HEXEN.CFG) and SETUP.EXE from MBF 2.04 package is used to configure Allegro for sound and music (SETUP.CFG). If MBF_D2GM.IBK is found in the same directory it will be loaded during OPL music card initialization. Finally, BERNEWFIE requires CWSDMPI.EXE to be launched in "pure" DOS; it can also be found in MBF 2.04 package.

What's been added

• 640x400 resolution activated with -hires command line argument
  (pillarboxed 640x480 will be activated if 640x400 is not supported by the installed video card)
• mouse look and alternative flight controls activated with -mlook command line argument
  (when flying hold mouse jump button and move mouse vertically to fly up and down)
• -novert command line argument
• up to 128 sound channels activated with -maxsound command line argument
  (SETUP.EXE limits this to 8, so HEXEN.CFG needs to be edited by hand for values between 8 and 128)
• twice more visplanes
• more fluid experience with quicksave/quickload with -quick command line argument: quickloading instead of respawning, less prompts and end game/suicide buttons switched off
• 10 more savegame slots available with -hires command line argument
  (new slots have filenames like hexa*., hexb.* etc in HEXNDATA)
• additional command line arguments to fine-tune Gerwin's VESA code (see readme for details): -show_fps
-use_vsync
-page_flip
-safe
-asmp6
-nolfb
-nopm
• support for WAV sound effect lumps and 16-bit samples
  (in case a SoundBulb-like mod for Hexen arrives some day)
• -extra command line argument for a second way to provide PWADs to be loaded to the engine
  (e.g. to HEXENDK.EXE -extra PWADS\BERNEW.WAD)
• -noorb command line to spend as few time as possible in the start screen and jump to the title screen instead
• work in progress conversion to C of Hexen Unofficial Update v1.2 @Boondorl written originally by in ZScript activate by -DPATCH12 during compile time

BERNEWFIE in action

Original Deathkings Mage demo running

Deathkings as Warropr in in high resolution

Automap in high resolition

Additional savegame slots

What's removed

• Graphical startup (although Bernewfie tries to mimic it a little bit, if you find that too awkward, use -noorb command line argument to skip)
• CD Audio support (including track changing cheat code)
• External driver support for "exotic" input devices
• No idea if multiplayer works

Code changes

Most of the code in BERNEWFIE is untouched Hexen code, except for:

• improved VESA and Allegro system routines by Gerwin
• zone memory management, some math and column drawing assembly code by Lee Killough

Also changes were made to:

• game startup to incorporate allegedly more Windows NT friendly MBF 2.04 code
• sound handing to avoid crashes in main menu and to accomodate for MBF sound caching
• fullscreen HUD drawing to "scale" to higher resolutions
• menu, status bar, intermission and finale layout and messages to center in higher resolutions
• info, title, intermission and finale drawing procs to show correctly in higher resolutions
• automap to work correctly in higher resolutions
• screen refresh and screen border logic to accomodate for status bar only taking
  a portion of the lower screen part in higher resolution
• visplanes structure to extened height from 8 to 16 bits for higher resolution screens
• sky scaling code to work correctly in higher resolutions and with mouse look
• player weapon sprites scaing code to show correctly in higher resolutions
• game subsystems startup order to accomodate for changes to graphic mode initialization