emulator: C-Dogs SDL
type: standalone
core_classification: game_engine
source: "https://github.com/cxong/cdogs-sdl"
upstream: "https://github.com/cxong/cdogs-sdl"
profiled_date: "2026-10-04"
source_commit: "57782a74ae245d868487094d201d0e56e94a9390"
core_version: "2.4.0"
display_name: "C-Dogs"
cores: [cdogs, cdogs-sdl]
systems: []
verification: existence

notes: |
  Top-down shooter engine, open-source remake of the DOS C-Dogs by Ronny Wester.
  Ships every asset it needs in-tree: data/, graphics/, missions/, music/,
  sounds/, dogfights/, doc/, wiki/ (about 100 MB).

  The data root is baked into the binary via -DCDOGS_DATA_DIR (CMakeLists.txt
  option). Batocera sets it to /userdata/roms/cdogs/; the Linux source default
  is cdogs-data. GetDataFilePath() in src/cdogs/utils.c:392 either returns an
  absolute override as-is, or joins the current working directory with
  CDOGS_DATA_DIR plus the requested relative path.

  Top-level sub-trees the game pulls files from (every path is relative to
  CDOGS_DATA_DIR, resolved through GetDataFilePath):
    data/: ammo.json, bullets.json, guns.json, pickups.json,
      map_objects.json, character_classes.json, particles.json,
      gamecontrollerdb.txt, prefixes.txt (configuration data)
    graphics/: sprites, font, icons; grafx.c:92 (cdogs_icon.bmp),
      grafx.c:156 (font.png + font.json)
    missions/: single-player campaigns, mission packs (JSON)
    music/: menu, briefing, game, end, lose, victory tracks
      (music.c:45-50 LoadMusic calls)
    sounds/: sfx wavs
    dogfights/: deathmatch arenas

  All open-source content (GPL-2.0). No separate BIOS or retail data required.

files:
  - name: "ammo.json"
    path: "data/ammo.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Ammo type definitions"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/ammo.c (AmmoLoadJSON reads data/ammo.json)"

  - name: "bullets.json"
    path: "data/bullets.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Bullet behaviour definitions"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/weapon_class.c (BulletsLoadJSON)"

  - name: "guns.json"
    path: "data/guns.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Weapon definitions"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/weapon_class.c"

  - name: "character_classes.json"
    path: "data/character_classes.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Character class definitions"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/character_class.c"

  - name: "map_objects.json"
    path: "data/map_objects.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Interactive map object definitions"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/map_object.c"

  - name: "particles.json"
    path: "data/particles.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Particle effect definitions"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/particle.c"

  - name: "pickups.json"
    path: "data/pickups.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Pickup item definitions"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/pickup_class.c"

  - name: "prefixes.txt"
    path: "data/prefixes.txt"
    category: game_data
    description: "Random name generation prefixes"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/character.c"

  - name: "gamecontrollerdb.txt"
    path: "data/gamecontrollerdb.txt"
    category: game_data
    description: "SDL gamecontroller mapping database"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/joystick.c:43"
    unsourceable: "ships inside the engine package; a same-named file of another program must not stand in"

  - name: "font.png"
    path: "graphics/font.png"
    category: game_data
    description: "Main bitmap font"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/grafx.c:156 (FontLoadFromJSON)"

  - name: "font.json"
    path: "graphics/font.json"
    category: game_data
    description: "Main bitmap font layout"
    required: true
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/grafx.c:156"

  - name: "cdogs_icon.bmp"
    path: "graphics/cdogs_icon.bmp"
    category: game_data
    description: "Window icon"
    required: false
    bundled: true
    source_ref: "src/cdogs/grafx.c:92"