Ballanced

This repository is a work-in-progress reverse-engineering project for the game Ballance. The ultimate goal is to fully recreate the game from scratch based on a decompilation of the original code. We aim to preserve the spirit and mechanics of the original game while making it compatible with modern systems.

Current Progress

The status of the project's main components is as follows:

Filename	Completion Status
Bin/Player.exe	Completed
Bin/ResDll.dll	Completed
BuildingBlocks/physics_RT.dll	Completed
BuildingBlocks/TT_DatabaseManager_RT.dll	Completed
BuildingBlocks/TT_Gravity_RT.dll	Completed
BuildingBlocks/TT_InterfaceManager_RT.dll	Completed
BuildingBlocks/TT_ParticleSystems_RT.dll	Completed
BuildingBlocks/TT_Toolbox_RT.dll	Completed*

* Some unused building blocks are not implemented.

Installation

To run Ballanced, you will need the original game assets as well as some components that are still under development. Here’s how to get started:

Option 1: Download Pre-Built Binaries

• Download the latest build from the releases section.
• Follow the instructions below for installing game assets.

Option 2: Build It Yourself

If you prefer building from source, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/doyaGu/Ballanced.git
   cd Ballanced

2. Build with CMake: Ensure you have CMake installed and then run the following command:

   cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 16 2022" -A Win32

   This will generate Visual Studio project files.

3. Compile the Solution: Open the generated solution file (.sln) in Visual Studio under the build directory and build the project.

Game Assets

Ballanced requires assets and Virtools dlls from the original Ballance game to function.

Once you have these, place them in the appropriate directories in your build folder.

Roadmap

Our vision for Ballanced is to fully recreate the original Ballance game while extending its capabilities and ensuring long-term compatibility with modern systems. Below are the key milestones we aim to achieve:

1. Complete Decompilation

   • Continue reverse-engineering and implementing missing components, particularly focusing on the remaining Virtools DLLs.
   • Refactor existing implementations for improved performance and stability.

2. Cross-Platform Support

   • Expand support beyond Windows, with future versions planned for Linux and macOS.
   • Ensure compatibility with Wine for better support on Linux systems.

3. Enhanced Modding Support

   • Extend the modding capabilities beyond the original game, providing tools for easier mod creation and integration.
   • Create documentation and modding guides for the community.

4. Performance Optimizations

   • Analyze the current codebase for bottlenecks and optimize it to improve performance on both legacy and modern systems.
   • Implement multi-threading and other modern techniques to enhance gameplay smoothness on high-end hardware.

5. Improved User Experience and Interface

   • Modernize the user interface where appropriate, maintaining the original aesthetic but enhancing usability on higher resolutions and widescreen displays.
   • Improve input methods, including better support for modern controllers and remappable keys.

Acknowledgments

This project would not be possible without the following:

• The original Ballance developers for their incredible game.
• The open-source community for tools and resources used in this project.
• Contributors who have helped with code, testing, and debugging.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you're interested in helping with decompiling, debugging, or adding new features, feel free to fork the repository and submit a pull request.

Contact

If you have any questions, feel free to open an issue on GitHub.