Little Big Adventure 2 - Engine source code - Community

Dreamcast port: this fork ports the engine to Sega Dreamcast via KallistiOS. See README-DC.md for build instructions, controls, and known issues — and DEVLOG-DC.md for the porting journey. The README below is the upstream lba2-classic-community document, kept verbatim.

Little Big Adventure 2 (aka Twinsen's Odyssey) is the sequel of Little Big Adventure (aka Relentless: Twinsen's Adventure) in 1997.

We are releasing this code with preservation in mind, as this piece of work was exceptional for the time and we believe it can be a valuable source of education.

The engine uses Assembly code and was originally compiled with non-open source libraries which have been excluded from the project.

About this repository

The original LBA2 engine source is the lba2-classic codebase: it is mostly assembly, with C++ for game logic, and is the canonical historical release. lba2-classic-community is a community fork for evolving and modernizing the code: ports of assembly to C++, SDL3, libsmacker, and other updates. The goal is to preserve the history and culture of the original while making the codebase easier to build and extend. See ASM_TO_CPP_REFERENCE.md for which modules have been ported from ASM to C++ in this fork.

Quick start (running the game)

First clone

1. Dependencies: CMake (3.23+), a C/C++ compiler, SDL3. The repo Makefile also expects Ninja on PATH. You can skip the Makefile and use plain CMake with your preferred generator instead.
2. make or make help — lists convenience targets (build, run, clean, test, …).
3. make build — configures build/ (Ninja, Debug) and compiles lba2. Or: cmake -B build && cmake --build build (default generator is fine if you do not use make build).
4. Retail game data are not in this repo. You need a directory that contains lba2.hqr. How you point the engine at it is your choice: export LBA2_GAME_DIR=/path, ./data/ (gitignored), --game-dir, or bounded automatic discovery — see docs/GAME_DATA.md. Nothing is “special-cased” except that marker file.
5. make run or ./scripts/dev/build-and-run.sh — build if needed, then run (exits with a clear message if no valid data directory was found).
6. make test — host-only tests (path resolution, embedded default config, console parser, credits parse); no retail files or Docker required.

Windows: Use MSYS2 (recommended; see docs/WINDOWS.md). Discovery and the game work the same (LBA2_GAME_DIR, --game-dir, paths with \ or /). The root Makefile and scripts/dev/*.sh need a Unix-like shell (MSYS2 UCRT64, Git Bash, or WSL); alternatively run cmake and build/SOURCES/lba2.exe from cmd.exe / PowerShell and set the env var with set LBA2_GAME_DIR=....

Build and run (reference)

cmake -B build && cmake --build build
./build/SOURCES/lba2

With optional game data path: ./build/SOURCES/lba2 --game-dir /path/to/classic/install or set LBA2_GAME_DIR first.

make run sets LBA2_GAME_DIR automatically if ./data or ../LBA2 contains lba2.hqr.

Run make for convenience targets: make build, make clean (removes the default build/ tree; override with BUILD_DIR), make test, make test-docker, etc.

Prerequisites

• CMake 3.23 or later
• Ninja build system for CMake preset-based builds
• UASM assembler (used for x86 assembly sources)
• SDL3 (shared library)
• A C/C++ compiler with C++98 support (GCC, Clang)

On macOS, install Ninja with:

brew install ninja

Building

cmake -B build
cmake --build build

By default, the build uses SDL for audio and libsmacker for FMV playback. Override with -DSOUND_BACKEND=null -DMVIDEO_BACKEND=null for a minimal (silent, no video) build.

Using CMake presets

This repository provides CMake presets for common configurations in CMakePresets.json. You can use them instead of specifying the build directory and toolchain flags manually:

All presets use the Ninja generator, so ninja must be installed and available on PATH.

• Linux (native build):

  cmake --preset linux
  cmake --build --preset linux

• macOS (native build):

  cmake --preset macos_arm64   # or macos_x86_64
  cmake --build --preset macos_arm64

• Windows (native build with MSYS2) - See docs/WINDOWS.md for detailed instructions:

  cmake --preset windows_ucrt64    # recommended for Windows 10+
  cmake --build --preset windows_ucrt64

• Cross-compiling Windows from Linux:

  cmake --preset cross_linux2win
  cmake --build --preset cross_linux2win

Build Options

Option	Values	Default	Description
SOUND_BACKEND	null, miles, sdl	sdl	Sound backend. Use sdl for audio via SDL3. miles requires the proprietary Miles Sound System SDK. See docs/AUDIO.md.
MVIDEO_BACKEND	null, smacker	smacker	Motion video backend. Use smacker for FMV playback via the bundled open-source libsmacker.
DEBUG_TOOLS	ON, OFF	OFF	Enable original Adeline developer debug tools. See docs/DEBUG.md.
LBA2_BUILD_TESTS	ON, OFF	OFF	Build CTest targets (ASM equivalence + host tests such as test_res_discovery).
LBA2_BUILD_ASM_EQUIV_TESTS	ON, OFF	ON	ASM↔CPP equivalence suite (needs objcopy). Set OFF for host-only tests (e.g. macOS CI, make test).

When MVIDEO_BACKEND is set to smacker, the build links in libsmacker and the FMV player. Video audio routes through the active sound backend (SDL: real audio; NULL/MILES: silent). See LIB386/SMACKER/README.md and LIB386/AIL/MILES/README.md for details on the proprietary SDKs and their open-source replacements.

Debug Tools

To build with the original Adeline developer debug tools enabled:

cmake -B build -DDEBUG_TOOLS=ON
cmake --build build

This enables keyboard shortcuts for debugging (debug overlay, FPS counter, screenshots, collision visualization, benchmarks), cheat codes, bug save/load system, and command-line scene selection. See docs/DEBUG.md for full documentation.

Debug Console

This source port includes a Quake-style drop-down debug console. It lets you inspect engine/game state and run developer commands during gameplay, which is useful for both debugging and interactive exploration of engine behavior.

It is designed to be minimally invasive: normal gameplay is unchanged unless you open and use it.

See docs/CONSOLE.md for commands, usage, and integration details.

Cross-compiling for Windows (from Linux)

A MinGW toolchain file is provided for cross-compiling a 32-bit Windows build from Linux:

cmake -B build -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=cmake/mingw-w64-i686.cmake
cmake --build build

Project Structure

lba2-classic-community/
├── CMakeLists.txt            # Root build configuration
├── CMakePresets.json         # Cross-platform preset builds (linux/macos/windows/...)
├── Makefile                  # Convenience targets (build/run/test/format)
├── cmake/                    # Toolchains and CMake helpers
├── scripts/                  # Dev and CI helper scripts
├── SOURCES/                  # Main game logic and app entrypoints
│   ├── CONSOLE/              # Always-on debug console module (core + state)
│   ├── 3DEXT/                # 3D extensions (terrain, sky, rain, decor)
│   ├── CONFIG/               # Input/config UI and bindings
│   └── *.CPP, *.H, *.ASM     # Gameplay systems (AI, physics, save/load, etc.)
├── LIB386/                   # Engine libraries
│   ├── 3D/                   # Projection, rotation, matrices
│   ├── AIL/                  # Audio abstraction (SDL/Miles/null)
│   ├── ANIM/                 # Animation system
│   ├── OBJECT/               # 3D object rendering
│   ├── pol_work/             # Polygon fillers/rasterization
│   ├── SVGA/                 # Text/sprite/dirty-box rendering paths
│   ├── SYSTEM/               # Platform/system/input/timer abstractions
│   ├── H/                    # Shared legacy headers/types
│   └── libsmacker/           # Open-source Smacker decoder (LGPL 2.1)
├── tests/                    # Host tests + ASM↔CPP equivalence test wiring
├── docs/                     # Project documentation index and subsystem docs
└── run_tests_docker.sh       # Docker wrapper for ASM↔CPP test workflows

Documentation

Engine reference (terms, lifecycles, scene index): GLOSSARY, LIFECYCLES, SCENES.

Build, debug, preservation, and porting docs are in docs/.

Preservation Notes

This codebase is a window into 1990s game development at Adeline Software International in Lyon, France. Beyond the technical content, the source files contain original developer artifacts worth exploring. The ASCII art and French comments documented below are from the original Adeline / lba2-classic codebase (same files or content preserved when porting ASM to C++ in this fork).

• ASCII art banners -- The developers decorated their source files with elaborate text banners in two distinct styles. See ASCII_ART.md for a full catalog.
• French comments -- The code is written with French comments throughout, many of which are informal, humorous, or expressive in ways that reflect the personality of the team. See FRENCH_COMMENTS.md for a curated selection with English translations.

Licence

This source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License.

Please note this license only applies to Little Big Adventure 2 engine source code. Little Big Adventure 2 game assets (art, models, textures, audio, etc.) are not open-source and therefore aren't redistributable.

How can I contribute?

Read our Contribution Guidelines.

Links

Official Website: https://twinsenslittlebigadventure.com/

Discord: https://discord.gg/jsTPWYXHsh

Docs: https://lba-classic-doc.readthedocs.io/

Buy the game

[GoG] [Steam]

Original Dev Team

Direction: Frédérick Raynal

Programmers: Sébastien Viannay / Laurent Salmeron / Cédric Bermond / Frantz Cournil / Marc Bureau du Colombier

3D Artists & Animations: Paul-Henri Michaud / Arnaud Lhomme

Artists: Yaeël Barroz, Sabine Morlat, Didier Quentin

Story & Design: Frédérick Raynal / Didier Chanfray / Yaël Barroz / Laurent Salmeron / Marc Albinet

Dialogs: Marc Albinet

Story coding: Frantz Cournil / Lionel Chaze / Pascal Dubois

Video Sequences: Frédéric Taquet / Benoît Boucher / Ludovic Rubin / Merlin Pardot

Music & Sound FX: Philippe Vachey

Testing: Bruno Marion / Thomas Ferraz / Alexis Madinier / Christopher Horwood / Bertrand Fillardet

Quality Control: Emmanuel Oualid

Copyright

The intellectual property is currently owned by [2.21]. Copyright [2.21]

Originally developed by Adeline Software International in 1994