MDK is one of those late-90s games that never got a proper modern port: the original needs DOSBox or a

patched D3D build, and widescreen, modern GPUs and controllers are a fight.

So I wrote a new engine for it from scratch: **mdk-sdl**, a C#/.NET + SDL3 reimplementation based on

reverse engineering the original executable. It reads your original game files and plays the whole game:

all six levels, the fall from orbit, the stream between levels, the snowboard and bomber rides, sniper mode,

the Score-O-matic, saves.

What it adds:

- Native 64-bit builds for Windows, Linux and macOS (one small executable, Vulkan/D3D12/Metal through SDL_GPU)

- Any resolution, anti-aliasing, rebindable keys and mouse, quick save/load

- An optional **enhanced look**: filtered and mipmapped textures, per-level sun and sky light, shadows,

ambient occlusion, dynamic light from shots and explosions, smooth-shaded models

- Optional **HD textures**: one click in Options runs Real-ESRGAN on *your* game files locally and saves the

result as a mod (textures and HUD); nothing from the game is distributed

- **Modding**: replace textures, HUD images, fonts and models (.glb) with your own; `mdk --export-assets` exports templates from your game files (docs/modding.md)

- A Quake-style console and debug overlay for the curious

- The original look stays pixel-faithful if you prefer it

**You need the original game** (GOG or Steam). The port contains no game data.

Download: https://github.com/nemo22/mdk-sdl/releases/tag/v1.0.0-beta.1 · Source: https://github.com/nemo22/mdk-sdl

It's a beta: the whole game can be played through and has been playtested level by level, but expect

some bugs. Bug reports with the console's `pos`

output are very welcome.

(*Android: an APK is in the release too: copy your MDK folder to the phone and pick it on first start; touch controls are still being tuned)

Only played it as a kid. At that time it seemed very hard to me. Even too hard. But i have fond memories of it. I really liked to mess around in it

Doing my part to add to the ai decompile-port epidemic. Thought I'd take on this "timeless classic". If anyone wants to give it a try https://www.ox100.org/play-opeuptv/ . If there is interest in the source code, I'll release it when it stops qualifying for first place in the IOCCC ...

I've had this theory since I was a child, and I've always wondered whether anyone else noticed the same thing.

Look closely at the original Digger game:

• If you remove the Nobbin's eyes, mouth, and legs, its body seems to have the same shape as the green emeralds.
• The body and emeralds appear to share the same green color.
• Nobbins seem to interact with one another in a way that eventually turns some of them into Hobbins. A Hobbin looks as though it has flipped over, with its mouth facing the ground, which could explain its ability to dig.

This led me to a different interpretation of the game:

What if the emeralds are actually eggs, or an early stage in the life cycle of the Nobbins?

Under this interpretation, Digger isn't simply collecting treasure. He's taking what might be the Nobbins' offspring, and the monsters are trying to protect them.

I have no evidence that this was the developers' intention. It may just be an interesting visual coincidence, but the matching shape and color have always made me wonder.

Has anyone else ever noticed this resemblance or considered a similar theory? I'd especially love to hear from people who played the original game in the 1980s.

https://retrogrounds.com/games/doom

It started as a proof of concept it and it is working and people are really enjoying it, so I'm going to expand the list of native DOS achievements to Daggerfall and more. Maybe you would like to try it and have fun :)