There are some excellent games in the PC’s now-distant past, games that formed the path for modern entertainment but, unfortunately, many of them are unplayable on modern machines. Over the years support for old code libraries has dropped off to the point that games like Westwood’s Red Alert simply can’t work on a modern computer.
The OpenRA project is working to build an engine that not only runs the original game but leaves it open for extensive modding by the community.
The video below shows it running in all its aged glory.
Oh, Hell March, it’s been too long.
According to OpenRA’s Moddb page. the developers are creating an “[o]pen-Source reimplementation of Westwood’s Command & Conquer: Red Alert game engine, updated to use the hardware acceleration of modern video cards using OpenGL and OpenAL for sound playback”.
The team already have the original Command & Conquer and Dune 2000 running in their open-source engine, and now most of Red Alert. The latest release has added new missions and balances across all three games.
The latest release boasts:
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Significantly improved AI.
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UI improvements to the menus and lobby.
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New UI for replays, spectators and defeated players.
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New construction radius limits for C&C and D2K.
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Repairable bridges.
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Desert theater for RA.
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Left-click mouse controls (beta).
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5 new missions for RA.
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20 new multiplayer maps across all three mods.
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Significant balance improvements across all three mods.
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More bugfixes than you can shake a tesla coil at.
You can download OpenRA here.