DARKER Analysis directory

Reverse engineering / retail + two demos

The analysis workbench

Maps, models, mission scripts and the tools used to take Darker apart. Pick a viewer below to explore the recovered data or inspect the checks behind an interpretation.

27 HTML viewers · Source references and exports remain available inside each tool.

The assembled Delphi city in the 3D explorer

Explore a city

Delphi, Halon and the underground maps, assembled from the recovered definitions.

The recovered Caero fighter in the model browser

Inspect a model

Buildings and ships, with their original colours and linked states.

The reconstructed Caero cockpit with its radar and instruments

Try the cockpit

Adjust the instruments and see how the original display rules fit together.

Worlds and models

Start with a whole city, then inspect the cells and model definitions that build it. Retail and demo content share the map and model viewers.

3D city explorer

Fly around the assembled cities and tunnels. Find building types, inspect linked states, extend gates and watch fountains move.

city/3d.html

2D map explorer

Inspect the 128 × 128 grids, building placements, named locations and ambient sound positions.

city/index.html

Animated fountain study

The assembled Kismet Square fountain, with authored reflections and animated water. Compare original drawing order with depth sorting.

models/fountain.html

Model browser

Rotate buildings, craft and effects. Compare palettes, damaged forms, shared geometry and animated components.

models/index.html

Demo comparisons

Compare the two demo packages with retail: maps, model inventories, executables, scenarios and development leftovers.

demos/index.html

Missions and saved state

Briefings are only part of a scenario. These tools follow object setup, vehicle routes, timed messages and changes to the city.

Scenario inspector

Browse mission records, message sections, object slots and scripted routes on the maps, including the Wrecker’s path.

missions/index.html

Beacon failures and blackouts

Inspect the scripts and map locations behind partial beacon failures and the full blackout.

missions/blackouts.html

Persistent map state

Check which cell types can retain changes between missions, with the native checks and type inventory alongside.

missions/persistent-state.html

Supply-cycle trace

Step through a controlled run of the original supply logic: arrival, reload, shield reset and return towards flight.

missions/supply-cycle.html

Save viewer and editor

Open a DARKER.SAV, inspect and edit its saved values, and download a new copy with a recalculated checksum.

saves/index.html

Cockpit and interface

The working cockpit brings the parts together. The other viewers separate masks, sprites, fonts and drawing rules so each can be checked on its own.

Interactive cockpit

Adjust the Caero and Skimma instruments, weapon displays and radar using the recovered drawing rules.

interface/dynamic/index.html

Fonts and interface sheets

Browse the original glyphs and cockpit sheets, including the differences between demo and retail assets.

interface/index.html

Instrument masks

Inspect the bitmap regions and masks used to draw individual cockpit instruments.

interface/hud/index.html

Particle and HUD sprites

Inspect explosion and smoke phases, weapon icons, digits and the selectors that choose them.

interface/sprites/index.html

Effect recipes

Play or scrub reconstructed effects assembled from sprite emitters, with optional sound auditions.

interface/effects/index.html

Portable fonts

Try and download the extracted OpenType and WOFF2 fonts, with glyph mappings and coverage companions.

interface/portable-fonts/index.html

Music and sound

The game supplied different arrangements for different sound hardware. Effects are reconstructed separately; the auditions omit live distance and Doppler processing.

Music player

Listen to the six music pieces and switch between their five hardware variants. The first group is the startup music.

audio/index.html

Lossless music sections

Download complete intro and loop FLACs for all six playback options, with native timing and independent stems where needed.

audio/native-loops/index.html

Native music formats

Compare the hardware-specific sequences and drivers, with original exports and decoded command data.

audio/variants/index.html

FM sound effects

Audition the recovered OPL patches and browse effect definitions, sound locations and register traces.

audio/effects/index.html

Images, presentations and text

Presentation clips combine frame ranges, backgrounds and palette updates. The separate image and text browsers expose the source material behind those sequences.

Images and animation frames

Browse decoded still images, graphics sheets and the individual frames of animation resources.

media/index.html

Scenes and music

Follow briefing page chains and their music changes, with direct links to complete intro and loop audio sections.

presentations/music.html

Presentation clips

Play script-linked frame sequences using the recovered backgrounds, palette changes and timing.

presentations/index.html

Full palettes

Inspect all 256 entries in the recovered palettes, with duplicate palettes grouped and retained colours marked.

media/palettes.html

Formatted multilingual text

Read decoded text with its original glyphs, message boundaries and formatting commands kept visible.

text/formatted.html

Gameplay definitions and native traces

These pages show the data and instruction-level checks behind the reconstruction. A controlled trace isolates a particular behaviour; its setup matters when interpreting the result.

Object and weapon definitions

Inspect the executable’s 33 definition records, their field meanings, model bindings and code references.

gameplay/index.html

Flight and collision traces

Replay original flight callbacks followed by collision and crash handling under controlled starting conditions.

flight-physics/index.html

Behind the viewers

These reports contain the disassembly references, experiments and unresolved questions. Links open the rendered reports, with the original Markdown available on each page.

Music hardware and Roland investigationNative instruments, missing percussion, loop timing, corrected FLAC mixes and remaining hardware comparisons.Unpacking the executableLoader interleaving and the independently verified 64 KiB image.Hidden cheat commandsThe *3 prompt, exact phrases, code patches and in-game checks.Weapons, enemy damage and recoveryWeapon identities, resistance thresholds, enemy recovery rates and minimum hits to destroy each aircraft.Keyboard controlsFlight bindings, craft differences and undocumented handlers.Command-line optionsThe parser, defaults and switches missing from the manual.Model instruction formatVertex construction, drawing commands and shared subroutines.Flight and beacon chargingFixed-point movement and the rules behind energy collection.How the game was builtAssembly clues, component identification and what remains unknown.Demo investigationComparisons and experiments across the two earlier packages.