Stoned Ages

A 2-D, Dark Ages–engine fan game client (C# / .NET Framework 4.0; OpenGL via Tao, SDL window, irrKlang audio).

Status — community source reconstruction. The original source was lost; this was recovered by decompiling the original binaries (PDB-assisted, so type/method/local names and structure are faithful) and is being tidied to read like ordinary hand-written code. It builds and runs.

⚠️ You must supply your own game data

This repository is code only. It does not include the game data (dats/, maps/, music/, jsons/, Images/) — those are third-party assets and are not redistributed here. To run the client you must provide your own copy of that data next to the built executable (see Running).

Building

Requires the .NET SDK (or Visual Studio 2022):

dotnet build "Stoned Ages.slnx" -c Release

Output: StonedAges/bin/Release/net40/Stoned Ages.exe (+ Engine.dll).

Dependencies are vendored in lib/ (Tao OpenGl / Platform.Windows — MIT; SDL — zlib; Newtonsoft.Json — MIT) except irrKlang, which is proprietary and is not included. Download irrKlang .NET 4 from https://www.ambiera.com/irrklang/ and drop irrKlang.NET4.dll into lib/ before building.

Running

Place the following next to the built Stoned Ages.exe:

• Data folders: dats/, maps/, music/ (.ogg, including one named 68.ogg), jsons/, Images/, players/
• Native runtime libraries: SDL.dll, OpenAL32.dll, alut.dll, and irrKlang's native DLLs
• font.fnt, font_0.png, vers.xml

Server address. The client reads the server from a server.cfg file next to the executable — one line, host or host:port (e.g. 127.0.0.1:4020); # comments and blank lines are ignored. If it's absent, the built-in default is used. The original server is offline, so point this at your own compatible server.

Project layout

• Engine/ — the graphics/data/IO library: DAT/EPF/HPF/MPF/SPF/palette readers, TextureManager, SoundManager, input, fonts, tileset, rendering helpers.
• StonedAges/ — the game client: GameWindow + game loop, the menu/game states, networking (ClientSocket), entities, maps, inventory/UI.

Architecture

A 2-D client over two projects: Engine/ (graphics/data/IO library) and StonedAges/ (the game client + the ~29k-line GameState.cs). The client runs an Update/Render frame loop, loads sprites from the dats/ archives through the Engine readers, and speaks a Dark Ages–style binary protocol to a server.

See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the full map — including how to navigate GameState.cs and how the packet handlers (…P) and senders (Send…) work.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Because this is a reconstruction recovered from decompiled binaries, much of the work is making the code read like hand-written source without changing behavior: keep the build at 0 errors / 0 warnings, rename locals per-method (never blind find-replace across a file), and don't commit game data or the proprietary irrKlang binary. GameWindow.cs is the cleaned-up style exemplar.

Roadmap / where to help

Good ways to take this further:

• Document the wire protocol — turn the …P handlers and Send…/Request… senders into a written opcode table, so a compatible server can be built.
• A compatible server — the protocol is Dark Ages–style; pairing the client with an open server is what makes it playable again.
• Externalize the server address — ServerConnect() hardcodes the (offline) original; moving it to a config file lets the client work against any server out of the box.
• Finish the de-decompile — the remaining "giants" in GameState.cs (Update, UpdateInput, InitializeMenu, Render, DialogPopup, ChatMsg, combat). See CONTRIBUTING for the recipe.
• Document the Engine data formats — the DAT/EPF/HPF/MPF/SPF/palette readers are the spec; a written format reference and asset tooling would help everyone.
• Modernize — once the net40 cleanup is far enough along, a parallel port to a current .NET.

Credits

• Original game & engine: Sostratos.
• Source reconstruction & cleanup: this repository.

Disclaimer

Fan / preservation project. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to KRU Interactive / Nexon or any rights holder. "Dark Ages" and any game assets are the property of their respective owners; you must own a legitimate copy of any data you use with this client. Provided for educational and preservation purposes only.

License

See LICENSE — MIT, crediting the original author. This is a community reconstruction; if the original author requests removal, that will be honored.