A work-in-progress reverse engineering and decompilation project for the game Nocturne, aimed at understanding its game engine architecture and implementation.
This project uses Ghidra to decompile and analyze the Nocturne game binary. The goal is to document and understand the inner workings of the Nocturne game engine through systematic reverse engineering efforts.
Status: Active Research - This is an ongoing research project with continuous updates as new discoveries are made.
"Complete" = function has clean decompilation (no suspect patterns) AND compiles successfully with clang++.
| Status | Breakdown |
|---|---|
 |
|
Click charts to see per-file breakdown. "Clean" = no decompiler artifacts (extraout_, unaff_, BADSPACEBASE, etc.).
Click chart to see per-file breakdown. Compiled with clang++ -m32 -fsyntax-only.
Exported Ghidra annotations for nocedit.exe (Nocturne's level editor) in JSON format. Includes data types, symbol namespaces, external imports, and applied structure definitions from the current analysis.
Watcom C/C++ 11.0 compiler standard library headers. These headers are used to properly identify and type standard library functions and structures that the game was compiled against.
Archived snapshots of previous annotation exports. Preserves earlier analysis states for comparison and tracking the evolution of reverse engineering progress.
AI/LLM prompt templates for assisted reverse engineering. Includes prompts for disassembly analysis, code generation, and maintaining coding standards during the decompilation process.
Technical research documentation. See research/README.md for full index.
| Folder | Description |
|---|---|
01-file_structure/ |
Class hierarchy and source file mapping |
02-mrgl_initial_investigation/ |
MRGL 3D rendering system analysis |
03-rendering_primitives/ |
Primitive formats and rendering pipeline |
04-mp3_audio_system/ |
MP3 decoder and DirectSound integration |
05-badspacebase_investigation/ |
Ghidra decompiler fixes for Watcom code |
06-per_function_decompiler_helpers/ |
Per-function decompiler control system |
Python automation scripts for Ghidra (PyGhidra headless):
- Annotation import/export and synchronization
- Pseudocode export with suspect pattern detection
- Analysis report generation (text reports, CSVs, SVG graphs)
- Hidden function discovery
- String creation utilities
- Custom helper libraries for annotation management
Custom Ghidra processor specifications for the x86 Watcom compiler. Includes language definitions (.ldefs), calling convention specifications (.cspec), and pattern matching for Watcom C++ compiled code.
This is a research project. If you're interested in contributing or have insights about the Nocturne engine, contributions and documentation improvements are welcome.
This project is for educational and research purposes only. All reverse engineering is conducted in accordance with applicable laws. This repository contains only reverse-engineered documentation, annotations, and analysis derived from the decompilation process. No original game binaries, assets, or copyrighted materials from the game are included in this repository.
- Ghidra - Primary decompilation and reverse engineering tool
- Additional analysis tools as needed for specific research tasks