emulator: fallout2-ce
type: standalone
core_classification: game_engine
source: "https://github.com/alexbatalov/fallout2-ce"
upstream: ~
profiled_date: "2026-10-04"
source_commit: "e97087b9582f37075db347a89898887320753f8b"
core_version: "1.2"
display_name: "Fallout 2 (Community Edition)"
cores: [fallout2-ce]
systems: [fallout2]
verification: existence

notes: |
  Fallout 2 Community Edition is Alex Batalov's cross-platform rebuild of
  the Fallout 2 engine. Like Fallout 1 CE it reads master.dat (resources)
  and critter.dat (animations), plus optional patch000.dat..patch999.dat
  overlays and the high-resolution patch's f2_res.dat.

  The engine resolves master_dat / critter_dat paths from fallout2.cfg
  via Settings (src/settings.h:12-14, src/game_config.cc:61-63). On
  startup, gameDbInit() in src/game.cc:1322 opens the master database
  (dbOpen call line 1343) and the critter database (line 1359). Either
  missing raises the "Could not find the master/critter datafile"
  message box (lines 1345, 1361) and the game exits.

  patch%03d.dat (patch000.dat..patch999.dat) are opportunistic: the loop
  at src/game.cc:1372-1378 opens them with dbOpen if compat_access
  succeeds and silently continues otherwise. Sfall's patch_file setting
  can override the "patch%03d.dat" template (line 1367).

  f2_res.dat is the High Resolution Patch data file. Loaded only if
  present (src/game.cc:1380-1382). Not required for the base game.

  Music (ACM), movies (MVE) and sound effects live in sound/, movies/,
  and data/ overlays; the engine runs without them, so they are not
  tracked here.

exclusion_note: "data/, sound/ and movies/ load from the retail install folder, not from a shared BIOS tree"
files:
  - name: master.dat
    path: fallout2-ce/master.dat
    system: fallout2
    category: game_data
    required: true
    description: "Fallout 2 master game resource archive (retail/GOG)"
    source_ref: "src/game.cc:1333-1347"

  - name: critter.dat
    path: fallout2-ce/critter.dat
    system: fallout2
    category: game_data
    required: true
    description: "Fallout 2 critter animations archive (retail/GOG)"
    source_ref: "src/game.cc:1349-1363"

  - name: f2_res.dat
    path: fallout2-ce/f2_res.dat
    system: fallout2
    category: game_data
    required: false
    description: "High Resolution Patch resource archive, loaded when present"
    source_ref: "src/game.cc:1380-1382, src/interface.cc:2488, src/interface.cc:2540-2543"
    note: >
      Opened as one more database over master.dat, with no check of its
      content. The engine loads art\intrface\HR_IFACE_<width>.FRM, the
      widened interface bar, and HR_IFACELFT<n>.frm and HR_IFACERHT<n>.frm,
      the side panels, which this archive provides. Several builds circulate
      under the same name and the code cannot tell them apart. BGforgeNet
      f2_res v0.6 carries hr_iface_800.frm and both pairs of side panels.