SurrealEngine: Open-source reimplementation of Unreal Engine with playable UT99

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Nostalgia and Community Preservation

  • Many recall UT99, Deus Ex, and UT2004 as peak FPS experiences, praising their atmosphere, music, and user-made maps.
  • Players reminisce about specific modes (Bunny Tracks, Instagib, Onslaught/ONS-Torlan), LAN parties, and strong bot AI that made small gatherings fun.
  • There’s broad appreciation for projects that keep classic games playable and accessible on modern systems.

SurrealEngine and Related UE1 Projects

  • SurrealEngine is seen as an ambitious, standalone reimplementation of Unreal Engine 1, with the goal of faithfully running games like UT99 and Deus Ex.
  • A separate project, Surreal98 (formerly DXU24), aims to run UE1 games inside UE5 with modern features like VR; that one appears commercial and closed.
  • Some worry about reimplementations that depend on heavy modern engines versus lean, SDL/OpenGL-style ports that can run on low-end or niche platforms.

Licensing and Third-Party Code

  • A side thread debates a “cutesy” license in a third-party audio library (DUMB), with criticism that joke-style licenses create legal ambiguity.
  • Others note DUMB is effectively BSD-like and argue that people should choose what makes them happy, while opponents stress licenses are legal tools, not entertainment.

Epic, Open Sourcing, and Old Catalog

  • Many wish Epic would open-source Unreal Engine 1 (as id did with older idTech) or at least release code for its classic DOS games.
  • An old statement from Epic indicated UE1 open-sourcing might be possible but would require cleanup; commenters note this still hasn’t happened and suspect Fortnite’s success shifted priorities.
  • Some argue Epic could just strip proprietary dependencies and let the community patch; others point out Epic already gives limited source access to trusted community projects.

Arena FPS Genre and Modern Alternatives

  • Several note that classic arena FPS (Quake/UT style) is effectively a dead or niche genre, supplanted by tactical shooters, hero shooters, and battle royale games.
  • A few modern or open-source alternatives are mentioned (e.g., Quake Champions, Xonotic, Titanfall 2, Splatoon 3), but none match the old player counts or “feel” for many.
  • There’s skepticism a new Unreal Tournament could justify its cost, despite nostalgia-driven demand.