dethrace-labs/dethrace
FreeReverse engineering the 1997 game "Carmageddon"
FreeFree tier
About dethrace-labs/dethrace
Dethrace is an open-source project that aims to reverse engineer the 1997 driving/mayhem game Carmageddon to understand its inner workings and rebuild it to run natively on modern systems. It uses CMake for building and SDL2 for runtime. The project does not ship with any game content; users must provide data from the original game (available on GOG) or from freeware demos. It also supports CD audio via GOG convention and configuration via an INI file. The project is released to the public domain.
Key Features
Reverse engineers the 1997 game Carmageddon
Rebuilds the game to run natively on modern systems
Uses CMake for building and SDL2 for runtime
Supports original game data from CD or GOG and freeware demos
CD audio support using GOG convention (Track02.ogg, etc.)
Configurable via dethrace.ini file
Uses git submodules for dependencies
Public domain license
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Open source and released to the public domain
- Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows)
- Supports multiple data sources (original CD, GOG, freeware demos)
- Active community with contributions welcome
- Utilizes existing debugging symbols from the original Splat Pack CD for reverse engineering
Cons
- Requires original game data; no content is shipped with the project
- Still in development; the game is not fully playable yet (assembly code is being replaced gradually)
- Building from source may require familiarity with CMake and dependencies
Best For
Game preservation and porting to modern platformsEducational reverse engineering and learning about legacy game enginesPlaying Carmageddon on modern hardware without DOS emulation
FAQ
What is Dethrace?
Dethrace is an open-source project that reverse engineers the 1997 game Carmageddon to understand how it works and rebuild it to run natively on modern systems.
Do I need the original game to use Dethrace?
Yes, Dethrace does not ship with any content. You need access to the data from the original Carmageddon CD or a digital copy from GOG.com. Freeware demos are also supported.
Is 'dethrace' a typo?
No, the name comes from the original development folder name 'DETHRACE' and symbol file 'DETHRC.SYM', likely shortened to fit 8.3 filename conventions.