Ken Build - Source Code - Mini Site BUILD © Game  v8-28-2004 Release 6 © RTCM - Corvin


Build Engine & Tools - Copyright © 1993-1997 Ken Silverman

Ken Silverman's official web site: www.advsys.net/ken/

Original distribution & license info can be found from the above address.
Ken Silverman's Release - no 3DRealms material.
Ken Silverman is the creator of the BUILD engine and tools in its original code.
This is NOT the Duke Game source.
This is a production test game and its build tools - all with source code.



Overview
Game:   Ken Build   a.k.a.   BUILD source code
File:  kenbuild.zip - 1,095,085 bytes
Released:  6/20/2000     Release 2(6-21)     Release3(9-21)
Web site: Ken Silverman's Build Engine Source Code Page
Related: JonoF's Build source page
Information: Ken Silverman's Official Build Page
Extended file format information (GRP): Map Faq Central - format information


Description
  • Ken Silverman, Developed the BUILD Engine and Tools. This is his release of his source codes.
  • The code does not contain any 3DR material.
  • Ken continued work on his source code even after BUILD was released on registered CD's.
  • "Build was written in Watcom C and assembly (both inline and in separate modules). Programed in C, and then converted routines to assembly.
    The original code is not documented well, and it wouldn't be considered elegant by any means. The C code for the Build engine has about 8000 lines (note Ken's code is very compressed; no comments, multiple statements per line, etc.). The Build editor code is another 8000 lines. There are also 5000 lines of assembly in Build. It took about a minute or 2 with full optimizations to compile on Ken's P133 at the time.
    3D accelerators/3Dfx I thought was a lot nicer, but that it wouldn't do much for my engine. The main reason 3Dfx doesn't help FPS is that Build draws walls with vertical spans and ceilings/floors with horizontal spans. 3D accelerators like to draw triangles. Build did all the front to back clipping with a vertical span buffer (which was really great for software), but that meant that polygons had to be drawn one line at a time (or four at a time with some special optimizations).
    Build didn't use BSP trees. This allowed things to be easily modified by a programmer. For example, as long as walls didn't intersect, the game programmer (Todd, Frank, Nick) could simply say wall.x = -17; and the wall would move without any precalculations."

  • The Official BUILD for Windows was never completed, project was dropped.

  • For Further Information, Please use the links below.
    Ken's Build Engine Page The "What is the Build Engine?" FAQ written by Ken Silverman (started 11/17/1998)


What 3DR and others had to work with
  • GAME.C
  • BSTUB.C
  • BUILD.H
  • NAMES.H.
  • ENGINE.OBJ
  • BUILD.OBJ
  • MMULTI.OBJ
  • CACHE1D.OBJ
  • A.OBJ
  • BUILD.TXT
  • BUILD2.TXT
  • These company's did not have the actual complete source.


BUILD Games Made directly from Ken's Code's
  • Ken-Build (the code)
  • Lame Duke Beta
  • Duke Nukem 3D
  • Shadow Warrior (developed in parallel with Duke3d)
  • Blood (contains only the Apogee sound engine)
  • TekWar
  • Witchaven
  • Fate
  • PowerSlave
  • Legend of the Seven Paladins


BUILD Games Modified Directly from 3DR's Duke3D v1.4/v1.5 Engine
  • PaintBrawl
  • NAM
  • WWII GI
  • Enhanced Duke (a.k.a. Eduke)
  • Redneck Rampage (highly changed 3dr code, see Mini site.)

What you can do
  • You can take Ken's code and enhance it, adding anything you want.
  • You may be able to duplicate some of 3DR's coding/hacks to restore some of the lost functions. See Mapster.
  • You can port the Build editor and tools to Win32, Linux and other OS.
  • You can make your own Build Game using your own Build Tools.
  • You can make special 'drivers' for communication.
  • You can make Ports to DirectX, OpenGL, Glide and other rendering formats.
  • You can modify the code to be used with virtually any BUILD Game.

Limits of the source
  • Since some material modifications to the tools on the registered CD's were done by 3DR and other companies. You may find that not all functions are present. For example some Sector effectors and Tags.
  • Also, you won't be able to recompile the test game code and expect duke to be the outcome, since no 3DR martial is added. This is released by Ken Silverman.
  • There is no CON parsing code, since this was part of Todd Replogle / 3DR's code and not Ken Silverman's.
  • You can add editor/game true room over room support. However Duke3d's game engine doesn't support it. Some BUILD/Mapedit versions already contain this effect.
  • Basically you can add anything you want provided the games engine can handle it.

What's required

Running the Game

  • To run the game you need the DOS extender DOS4GW.EXE v1.97 or higher, see Ken's Site
File Components
  • Ken's Game and Build Engines with KenTools { kenbuild.zip } - Ken Silverman Release 6/20/2000 - no 3Drealms material. This is NOT the Duke3D Game SRC.  This is the developers game engine, using the Build engine. The BUILD Tool source codes are included aswell, KenBUILD and KenEditart. All of which Duke3D and other Build Games use. These sources have been updated for this release.
    Related Link: Ken Silvermans Build src Page

Directory of C:\kenbuild\
ascboard.map 75 KB 5/17/1996 6:49:36 PM A map by Andy Cotter with a network of warp zones and all weapons
boards.map 13 KB 9/23/1995 4:44:06 PM Ken's first test map in the sector engine (with revisions of course)
buildlic.txt 4 KB 6/21/2000 3:59:28 PM Build source code license terms
evilal.map 18 KB 6/11/1996 2:25:16 AM Objective: Try to kill off all of the "evil Al's"
game.exe 406 KB 6/20/2000 7:56:02 PM The Ken Build Test Game
kensig.map 10 KB 9/24/1995 9:30:12 PM Map-added slopes (This effect requires a Math Co-Processor)
nsnoal.map 318 KB 5/20/1996 2:05:02 PM A lot of small maps combined into one huge one
(Mentioned in Build.txt and Build2.txt)
nukeland.map 50 KB 11/2/1995 9:47:00 AM test map - with examples of lots of moving objects like doors
readme.txt 6 KB 6/19/2000 2:35:32 PM The Ken Build Test Game Help File
setup.dat 1 KB 6/7/2000 3:47:08 PM Setup config file
setup.exe 10 KB 1/5/2000 2:08:56 AM Test Game Setup
source.zip 308 KB 6/20/2000 8:20:40 PM Source code for the BUILD editor and source code for the Test Game
stuff.dat 822 KB 1/26/2000 5:52:18 PM The .GRP File (rename the extention to .grp if required by one of the many .grp tools.)
util.zip 58 KB 6/20/2000 8:20:44 PM Source Code for The Build Tools

BONUS,  More Source Codes:

  • Ken's BUILD C { buildc.zip } - Ken Silverman Release 08/20/2003 - no 3DRealms material. A.ASM (of the Build source code distribution, kenbuild.zip,) ported to C, originally done by Ken Silverman in June of 1996. Its been updated for this release.
    Related Link: Ken Silvermans Build src Page
  • MAP File Formats and SRC - Can be found in the Kenbuild.zip archive as well as on your CD under Build Docs provided by 3DRealms.
    Related Link: Ken Silvermans Build src Page
  • Other File Formats and Specs - Can be found in the RTCM download section. They cover .voc , .art , .grp , .pcx , .map , .pallete.dat , tables.dat
  • Slabspri Source and Specs { slabsrc.zip }- Can be found in the RTCM download section. This is a voxel editor used with Shadow Warrior and Blood. He has also released the specs on his voxel file format that he uses with his new viewer/editor, SLAB6.
    Related Link: Ken Silvermans Build src Page





See: RTCM Duke3D Source Code Document for released codes from 3DR and more game source code info.