Play classic 3D GameStudio A3 games on modern Windows and Linux, with widescreen, mouse look and smooth high frame rates.

Beta 0.2
Download for Windows64-bit · Beta 0.2 Download for Linux64-bit · Beta 0.2

Games are not included: you need the game's own files. Questions and bug reports: Discord.

Update 0.2 available: what's new
  • ANGST: the English release now loads.
  • ANGST: crabs no longer sink into the floor.
  • ANGST: walking backward no longer stops the CD music.
  • ANGST: the English intro clip now plays.
  • ANGST: left and right strafing now run at the same speed.
  • ANGST: the harpoon no longer explodes as soon as it's fired.
  • OpenGL: see-through surfaces are no longer drawn solid.
  • OpenGL: less flickering on wall decals.
  • OpenGL: held weapons are now drawn.

ACKNEX Reborn is a native port of the ACKNEX 3 engine, the runtime behind games made with 3D GameStudio A3 in the late 1990s. It runs those games directly on today’s systems, with no DOS box or Windows 98 needed. You can play them just as they looked in 1998, or turn on modern graphics and controls.

Screenshots

OpenGL renderer in widescreen
OpenGL renderer in widescreen
OpenGL renderer
OpenGL renderer
The original software renderer
The original software renderer
The launcher
The launcher

Features

Native Windows and Linux

64-bit builds, cross-compatible engine.

Two renderers

A new OpenGL renderer, or the original software renderer. Switch between them while you play.

Widescreen and any resolution

Fill the whole screen, at any window size up to 4K and beyond.

Better graphics

Filtered textures, optional ambient occlusion and an adjustable field of view.

Modern controls

Mouse look, WASD movement, key rebinding, and joystick look and button bindings.

Smooth at high frame rates

Games run at a constant speed on every device.

Fixes for old bugs

Issues that only show up on today's computers are fixed, so games play the way they were meant to.

Plays more games

Various compatible games.

Easy launcher

Pick a game, choose your options and play.

In-game panel

Press F11 while playing to change options.

Compatible games

These are some of the games known to work. Many other A3 games have been tested as well, so this is not a complete list: if a game you have isn’t here, try it, and tell us on Discord how it went.

  • 3D Hunting: Grizzly
  • 3D Hunting: Shark
  • 3D Hunting: Trophy Game
  • 3D Hunting Trophy: Whitetail
  • Angst: Rahz' Revenge
  • Black Bekker (Download)
  • Der Name des Bruders
  • Hades 2 (Download)
  • Incidente em Varginha
  • Mr. Pibb: The 3D Interactive Game
  • Saints of Virtue (Download)
  • Shadow of the Lost Citadel
  • Skaphander: Der Auftrag
  • Taco Bell Tasty Temple Challenge
  • Virus Explosion

Downloads are on each game’s own site. ACKNEX Reborn does not include any game.

Getting started

  1. Download the build for your system and extract it to a folder of its own, for example C:\Games\ACKNEX Reborn or ~/acknex-reborn.
  2. Start it. Run acknexreborn.exe on Windows, or acknexreborn on Linux. With no arguments it opens the launcher.
  3. Pick the game. On the Game tab, press Browse next to Script and choose the game’s .WDL file. For a game shipped as one archive, choose its .WRS file under Archive instead. The game’s folder is filled in for you.
  4. Press Run. Your choices are saved and will be there next time.

For most of the compatible games there is a quicker way: extract the package into the game’s own folder and run acknexreborn there. The game starts straight away.

While playing:

Key Does
F11 Opens the in-game panel (you can change this key in the launcher)
Alt+Enter Switches between fullscreen and a window
F10 Quits, in most games

You can also skip the launcher and start a game from its folder: acknexreborn GAME.WDL followed by any of the switches listed below, for example acknexreborn GAME.WDL -GL -WS -ML. Settings from the launcher still apply; switches on the command line win.

Launcher options

Every option in the launcher also has a command-line switch, shown in brackets in the launcher and below. The Command line box at the bottom of the launcher shows exactly what will be used. Reset settings… puts everything back to the defaults listed here. Hover over any option in the launcher for a short description.

Game

Option Switch What it does
Script -WDL The game’s main script (.WDL) to run.
Archive -WRS The game’s resource archive (.WRS), for games shipped as one file.
Map -WMP Loads a different map instead of the one the game names.
Data file -WDF Reads a different data file instead of WWRUN.WDF.
Game folder   The game’s folder. Filled in when you pick a file with Browse.
Save path -DIR Where saved games go.
Define -D name,value Passes a setting to the game. Only needed if a game’s instructions ask for it.
Error limit -E Keeps going past this many script errors instead of stopping at the first.

The Run button stays greyed out until a script or an archive is chosen.

Devices

Option Switch What it does
No sound -OS Turns off sound effects.
No music -OM Turns off MIDI music.
No CD audio -OCD Turns off CD audio.
No audio at all -OT Turns off all sound and music at once.
No joystick -NJ Ignores any joystick.
No mouse -NM Ignores the mouse.
Sound volume -SVOL Sound effects volume, in percent. Default 100.
Music volume -MVOL Music volume, in percent. Default 100.

Display

Option Switch What it does
Start in a window -WND Starts in a window instead of fullscreen. On by default.
Show the console -CONSOLE Opens a window with the engine’s messages. Useful when reporting a problem.
Exclusive fullscreen -FSEXCL Fullscreen changes the monitor’s resolution. Off: borderless fullscreen at desktop resolution.
Fullscreen as a window -FSWIN Fullscreen as a borderless window. Use it if the Windows Game Bar or another overlay doesn’t appear over the game.
No vsync -NVSYNC Stops waiting for the display. Very high frame rates can break some games.
Frame cap when vsync is off -MAXFPS Limits the frame rate while vsync is off. Default 500; 0 is no limit.
Window size -RESW / -RESH The window’s size. The picture is scaled to fit it. Default 1600 × 1200.

Network

Two players can play games that support it, over the local network or the internet.

Network play is very limited for now: two players only, and only in games that were made for it. There are plans to expand it in future versions.

Option Switch What it does
Node number -NODE Starts a two-player game. One player picks node 0, the other node 1.
Player name -PLAYER Your name in a network game.
Peer address -NETIP The other player’s address. Leave it empty to find them on the local network.
Base port -NETPORT Node 0 uses this port and node 1 the next one. Both players need the same value. Default 2300.

Demo

Records what you play to WDLTape.REC in the game’s folder with Record a demo (-R), and plays it back with Replay a demo (-P).

Enhancements

These are the options ACKNEX Reborn adds to the original engine. Options marked OpenGL only work with the OpenGL renderer on, and are greyed out without it.

Graphics

Option Switch What it does Default
OpenGL renderer -GL Draws with OpenGL instead of the original software renderer. On
Override the field of view -FOV Sets the field of view in degrees. The game’s own zoom effects stop working. Off, 90°
Widescreen -WS OpenGL. Fills the whole window instead of 4:3 with black bars. On
Stretch the HUD to the widescreen -SHUD OpenGL. Stretches the HUD across the wide view instead of keeping it 4:3. On
Ambient occlusion -SSAO OpenGL. Darkens corners and creases for extra depth. Costs GPU time. Radius and Strength set how far and how dark. Off
Smooth distant textures -MIPMAPS OpenGL. Smooths distant textures and stops shimmering. Uses more memory. On
Smooth fog -SMOOTHFOG OpenGL. Distant surfaces fade into darkness smoothly instead of in bands. On
Show FPS -FPS Shows the frame rate in the corner of the view. Off

Input

Option Switch What it does Default
Mouse look -ML Turns the view with the mouse, with separate X and Y sensitivity. Some cutscenes that turn the camera may not work. On
Modern WASD movement -MI The keys set on the Keys tab walk and sidestep, replacing the game’s own movement. On
Trigger WASD events -MIEV The movement keys also reach the game, for cheats and keys it reads itself. Turn it off if W, A, S or D does something odd while you walk. Needs Modern WASD movement. On
Pin the cursor to the view’s centre -CURLOCK Keeps the cursor on the crosshair, so clicks hit what you face. Off

Timing and physics

Option Switch What it does Default
Fixed game speed -DETERMINISTIC The game runs at a fixed rate, the same on every computer. On
Steps per second -SIMHZ 16 is the speed the games were made for. 32 or more is smoother; keep the texture fix on with it. 32
Smooth movement between steps -INTERP Smooths movement between steps, for high refresh rate displays. Adds a tiny delay. On
Fix texture animation speed -FCD Animated textures run at their intended speed, not as fast as the frame rate. On
Fix jumps and falls -FVZ Jumps and falls behave the same at any frame rate. Jump and fall strength adjusts them; 400% matches the games running at 16 frames a second. Off, 400%
Fix walking through walls at corners -FWALL Stops the player slipping through walls at some corners. On

Compatibility

Option Switch What it does Default
CD music from .ogg files -OGGCD Plays track2.ogg, track3.ogg… from the game’s folder instead of the CD. On
Load game patches -PATCH Uses fixed or replacement files from an acknexpatch folder. On
Engine default keys -IWDL Adds the engine’s default keys, such as F10 to quit. A game’s own keys win. On
Support games for engine V3.680 -V368 Lets games made for the older V3.680 engine load. On
Support games for engine V3.56 -V356 Lets games made for the older V3.56 engine load. On
Support games for engine V3.08 -V308 Makes games made for the 1995 V3.08 engine version play correctly. Known V3.08 games turn it on by themselves; leave it off for others. Off

Some games need particular settings to work, for example with mouse look off. ACKNEX Reborn recognises these games and applies those settings for you.

Keys

Option What it does Default
Open the in-game panel The key that opens the in-game panel. F11
Modern WASD movement keys Walk forward, walk backward, strafe left, strafe right. Used when Modern WASD movement is on. W S A D
Key rebinding (-REBIND) A list of rows. In each row, pressing the key on the right also presses the key on the left. The right key keeps doing what it did before. Either side can be a mouse button. On

The … button next to a key lets you press the key instead of choosing it from the list (Windows only). The default rebinding rows give most A3 games modern controls:

Press Also presses Usually means
Space Home Jump
C End Duck
E Space Use / open
F E Whatever E did before
Left mouse button Ctrl Fire

Joystick

Option Switch What it does Default
Turn the view with the stick -JL Turns the view with a second stick. Off
Look axis X / Y -JLAX / -JLAY Which axes turn the view. 3 and 4
Yaw / Pitch speed -JLX / -JLY 100% is one full turn a second with the stick pushed all the way. 100%
Deadzone -JLDZ Ignores small stick movements near the centre. 8%
Invert pitch -JLINV Flips up and down. Off
Strafe instead of turning -JSTRAFE Pushing the stick left or right sidesteps instead of turning. Use it with joystick look or mouse look. Off
Strafe axis X / Y -JSAX / -JSAY Which axes walk and sidestep. 0 and 1
Joystick bindings -JBIND A list of rows, each making a button or trigger press a key. A trigger counts as an axis: pick Axis + and its number. Off

When joystick bindings are turned on, the default rows are: right trigger presses Ctrl, the bottom face button presses Space, and the left face button presses E. To find a stick’s axis and button numbers, open the in-game panel’s Joystick tab, which shows each axis and button live.

The in-game panel

Press F11 while playing to open the panel. It has most of the launcher’s options, and changes apply right away. They are saved for the next time you play.

Troubleshooting

The Run button is greyed out

Choose the game first: on the Game tab, use Browse to pick the game’s .WDL script or .WRS archive.

"The script name is longer than 12 characters"

The engine only accepts short file names, as in the 1990s. Use Browse rather than typing a path: it puts just the file name in the box and the folder in Game folder.

Windows warns that the program is from an unknown publisher

The beta builds are not signed yet. Choose More info, then Run anyway.

On Linux, nothing happens when I start it
  • Make sure the file is executable: chmod +x acknexreborn.
  • Start it from a terminal to see any error message.
  • The launcher needs GTK 3, which most desktops already have. You can also skip the launcher and start a game directly: ./acknexreborn GAME.WDL.
The game stops with a script error while loading
  • Check that Support games for engine V3.680 and V3.56 are on (Enhancements tab). Many older games need one of them. For a game from 1995, also try V3.08.
  • If the game still stops, turn on Error limit on the Game tab and set it to a few errors, so the game keeps going past them.
  • Please report the game on Discord, with the error message.
A cutscene freezes, or the camera doesn't turn when the game wants it to

Some games turn the camera themselves, and mouse look takes that control away. Turn off Mouse look, and Modern WASD movement if the controls also feel wrong. Games known to need this get the right settings automatically.

The controls don't match the game's instructions

Modern WASD movement and Key rebinding change the controls on purpose. To play with the game’s original controls, turn both off. To change a single key, edit the rows on the Keys tab.

A cheat or a typed word doesn't work

Make sure Trigger WASD events is on, or turn Modern WASD movement off.

The game runs too fast, or animations are too fast

Keep Fixed game speed and Fix texture animation speed on, and leave vsync on (No vsync off). If you turned vsync off, set Frame cap when vsync is off to a normal value such as 144.

Jumps are too high or too low

Turn on Fix jumps and falls (Enhancements tab) and adjust Jump and fall strength. You can do this live in the in-game panel (F11) to find the right value for a game.

Widescreen, ambient occlusion or other graphics options are greyed out

Those options only work with the OpenGL renderer. Turn it on first.

I can't open the Windows Game Bar

Turn on Fullscreen as a window (Display tab).

The game stutters or runs slowly
  • Turn off Ambient occlusion, which costs the most.
  • Try a smaller window size, or turn off Smooth distant textures.
  • Update your graphics driver.
  • If it happens only in OpenGL, try the original software renderer (turn off OpenGL renderer).
There is no music
  • For MIDI music, keep FluidR3_GM.sf2 in the same folder as acknexreborn.
  • For CD music, copy the CD’s audio tracks into the game’s folder as track2.ogg, track3.ogg and so on (the same numbers as on the CD), and keep CD music from .ogg files on.
  • Check that Music volume is above 0 and that No music and No audio at all are off.
Mouse clicks miss what I'm aiming at

Turn on Pin the cursor to the view’s centre, so clicks land on the crosshair while mouse look is on.

Two-player games can't find each other
  • One player must be node 0 and the other node 1.
  • Both must use the same Base port.
  • Enter the other player’s address, or leave it empty on the same local network.
  • Allow the program through your firewall (it uses UDP).
I changed too many settings and want to start over

Press Reset settings… in the launcher. Your settings are stored in wwrun.cfg next to the program; deleting that file does the same.

The game crashed

Note the message in the crash window, turn on Show the console on the Display tab, and try again. Then report it on Discord with the game’s name, what you were doing and what the console showed.

About

ACKNEX 3 (3D GameStudio 3) is (C) oP group Germany GmbH.

ACKNEX Reborn is developed and maintained by Ricardo Reis, with permission from Johann Christian Lotter (oP group).

ACKNEX Reborn is free. It may not be sold, or included with anything that is sold, without permission. The games it runs belong to their owners, and ACKNEX Reborn includes none of them.

Special thanks to:

Johann Christian Lotter, creator of ACKNEX / 3D GameStudio, and the entire ACKNEX Reborn community.

Third-party software:

  • SDL 3 - zlib License
  • SDL_mixer - zlib License
  • TiMidity - Artistic License
  • stb_vorbis - MIT License
  • TinySoundFont - MIT License
  • Dear ImGui - MIT License
  • libui-ng - MIT License
  • FluidR3_GM SoundFont, by Frank Wen and Toby Smithe - MIT License

Website: https://rickomax.github.io/acknex-reborn
Discord: https://discord.gg/Fdz6kjX8Jk
oP group: https://www.opgroup.de
Support the project: https://ko-fi.com/X8X3MRF5W