Hellfire Source Code Modernization

Experimental modernization work for the Hellfire source code, focused on restoring buildability on modern Windows systems and replacing legacy rendering paths with a small compatibility shim.

Overview

This project contains work-in-progress updates around the leaked Hellfire source code that appeared on archive.org, including:

• A ddraw compatibility shim
• Rendering redirected through Direct3D 11
• Early cleanup for modern Visual Studio builds
• scroll.asm converted/ported to C
• x86 assembly reduction for future x64 compatibility

Goals

• Preserve the original game behavior as closely as possible
• Replace legacy DirectDraw usage with a D3D11-backed renderer
• Remove dependency on hand-written assembly where practical
• Make the code easier to debug, maintain, and eventually port
• Keep the original software-era rendering assumptions intact

Current Features

DirectDraw Shim

A custom ddraw layer has been added so the original code can continue using its old DirectDraw-style calls while internally rendering through Direct3D 11.

The goal is not to rewrite the renderer from scratch, but to provide a compatibility layer that lets the original code path survive while targeting a modern graphics API.

scroll.asm Ported to C

The original scroll.asm routines have been ported to C.

This helps with:

• x64 compatibility
• easier debugging
• removing legacy calling convention issues
• reducing dependency on MASM/x86-only build paths

Status

This is an experimental source restoration and modernization project.

Expected issues:

• Rendering bugs
• Palette/lighting mismatches
• Missing or incomplete DirectDraw behavior
• Timing differences
• Unported assembly routines
• Build configuration problems

Legal Notice

This repository is for historical preservation, research, and compatibility work only.

No original game assets are included. You must own a legitimate copy of the game to use any required data files.

The original Hellfire source code and related assets remain the property of their respective copyright holders.