The Castle 1.0.1

Image from "The Castle"
Image from "The Castle"
Image from "The Castle"

1. Note: This is a game from 2006 and has some programmer art :)

Note that this game was done quite long time ago: it was done for PascalGameDevelopment competition in 2006. I was tinkering with the code since then (the source code from GitHub compiles with latest Castle Game Engine). But I never had time to actually rework the 3D levels and creatures to something prettier.

This is combined with the fact that the game graphics was composed by me (Michalis), a programmer, not an artist. I used various free 3D models, doing various adjustments and adding some simple own models.

So forgive 3D graphics that look quite dated now :)

You want to see something pretty? Check out examples/fps_game in CGE sources! This was done by real artists, and in 2022, and it looks amazing :)

2. Overview

"The Castle" is a first-person shooter style game in a dark fantasy setting. Your main weapon is a sword, so the fight is mostly short-range. 3 main levels included, packed with creatures, items and sounds.

Also a couple of bonus levels are available, for fun and to show off some engine features. In particular, there's the classic DOOM E1M1 level — I know you always wanted to have a sword and a bow in DOOM :) Enjoy !

3. Download

See news for the list of changes since last release.

This is free software, so if you're interested you're also welcome to download game sources.

3.1. Installing

  • Linux, FreeBSD:

    To hear game sounds you should install OpenAL and VorbisFile libraries using your Linux distribution package manager.

    Installing actual game: extract the downloaded archive anywhere. Run the game by running the binary, like ./castle.

    If you don't want to always run the binary from the game's directory, you can also put the game binary anywhere on $PATH (e.g. $HOME/bin or /usr/local/bin) and extract the data to to $HOME/.local/share/castle/, or /usr/local/share/castle/, or /usr/share/castle/.

  • macOS:

    The game requires X11 server, libpng and (if you want to hear sound) OpenAL with vorbisfile. See macOS dependencies for simple instructions how to get them.

    Installing actual game: extract the downloaded archive anywhere. Run the game by running the binary, like ./castle. You can also install / symlink in special directories, see above Linux notes.

  • Windows:

    OpenAL and vorbis libraries are already included in the archive. So you don't have to install OpenAL yourself.

    Installing actual game: extract the downloaded archive anywhere. Run the game by running castle.exe.

    Note that from the game you will be able to choose various audio devices (see menu Sound options). I advice to check both devices. Under Windows Generic Software device often sounds better than the default one. On the other hand, as far as I know, only Generic Hardware can produce sound better than stereo, if you have more than 2 speakers.

3.2. Uninstalling

Just delete the directory where you unpacked the game. You may also want to delete configuration file:

Unix (Linux, FreeBSD, macOS)$HOME/.config/castle/castle.conf
Windows >= NT / 2000 / XP Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Application Data\castle.conf
Windows 95 / 98 / ME <program's directory>\castle.conf

4. Movie

Short gameplay sequence and playing around with shadow volumes. Note that this was done with quite old engine version, in new version more things cast shadows.

Spoiler alert: the first half of the movie shows levels you will see later in the game.