About Openlynks

Originally started by Nehe and Tronster Hartley as Open Zelda, the game was shutdown by nintendo for using graphics from the original NES zelda. Now, all infringing graphics have been removed, and the project continues on as OpenLynks. It runs on Linux, Windows, MacOSx, and recently Dreamcast.

5/23/05 - Back in the game

OK, yes. Summer vacation - more time to work on openlynks is always a good thing. So I am going to use an offsite subversion server for housing the code for this thing, and I have planned a C#/GTK# map editor to be built with Mono (open source .NET). Also, the first goal is the combined working codebase for Linux/Mac/Win32 and dreamcast. Also, I am switching over from KOS 1.2.0 to the latest dev version (1.3.x) so this will hopefully eliminate most of the STL weirdness I was hitting. I NEED SOME HELP esp with the graphics. Read below for what needs to be done. Also, if anyone has a piece of cool overwlord-type music, that would be very nice. -Dom

11/8/04 - Thanks to DC Homebrew community

Just wanted to give a shout out to everyone in the DC homebrew community, I've seen news and screenshots of Lynks all over the place recently and its very cool. Just thought I'd do some linkage here: dcemu.co.uk gave lynks its own page now. dcemulation.com original forum that got me going. impetus screamcast Nehe.gamedev.net know your roots people. tronster.com the man responsible for most of the serious design and coding of the engine, mad props to Tronster. Someone from dcemu.co.uk repackaged lynks as an SBI file. Grab it from Sbiffy!.com And here's a quick status update because a lot of people keep asking me what the game can and can't do: The codebase is around 11,000 lines of code (cvs is messed up, don't try it yet). It was originally a clone of Zelda, now its its own thing. The codebase is C++ and very object oriented (done in the correct way, not just OO for the sake of OO). Most stuff from the original zelda is implemented (weapons, etc) else boilerplates are in place (for the monsters for example). THere is a map editor, though its written in VB6 and needs to be redone in GTK or something cross platform (anyone want to help? I've never done GTK before). So here's what I'm looking to do in the near future: Finish the dreamcast port, fixing the final small bugs left (mainly the palette code and the input [diagonal movement is a bit messed up]). Then reintegrate that back into the main codebase and we'll have 1 codebase for Linux, Win32, MacOSx, and Dreamcast. After that, the map editor gets ported/redone. I'd also like to increase the size of the tileset from 16x16 pixels to 32x32. We're not limited to 8 bit color by any means, and having graphics that look more like the SNES zelda would be very cool. Also, the dungeon tileset needs to be completely redone as it has not been changed from the original NES version (which is why that tileset is just blank at the moment). Also, gotta get the sound code working, music and sfx are a must. I've found some great music licensed under Creative Commons off the late openmusicregistry.org site (RIP), but I haven't come across anything that would make a good overworld theme. If anyone has any suggestions or would like to make some music, let me know, but it has to be Creative Commons or equivilant. Definately need to make the engine more scriptable. Its designed to eventually be that way, but its not at the moment. True, the maps and textures are loaded dynamically, but its not configurable without recompiling the source. Future ideas: Different cool tilesets, lets make futuristic ones, etc. That would be cool. Environmental effects like fog, etc. Also, 3d attacks (like homing missiles or something) btw... if anyone runs this in xbox linux, send me some screenshots, that would be so sick. OK time for philosophy paper. Thanks to everyone who has helped make this happen, I can't wait to see where it goes. -Dom

11/8/04 - New Dreamcast Screenshots

Screenshots taken by MetaFox (thanks!) in ChanKast emu:

11/7/04 - New Site Design

Yay check out the new site design. (OK, so its the same one from einsteinsbreakfast but I wrote that too so HA.) I just got really sick of looking at that crappy page. (and I'm stalling so I don't have to write my 6 page english paper).

11/7/04 - Dreamcast Alpha2 released

I really need a better way to do the news, I might copy something off my real site. The Dreamcast port Alpha2 is out people! Grab it from the downloads page. Apparently.. people other than myself are interested in the Dreamcast version, very cool. The alpha 2 is fully playable and 99% done. The only thing not working is the palette code, but you won't notice as I hardcoded in the winter tileset into this one so it works fine. Sourcecode included of course, but please dont look yet.. I'm so embarassed I really need to clean it so badly. Let me know how this one works. The 1.0 is coming out VERY SOON as soon as the source is cleaned and some other small things fixed.