Onslaught CE 0.1.4 (preview)

This is an old release. The current one is always at releases/latest. Do not run this version's launcher. Back up your CE user folder, then install the current release by hand into a new empty folder, as its release notes describe. From 0.1.8 on, Onslaught CE updates itself.

Important safety notice — affected launchers

Do not start the Onslaught CE 0.1.0–0.1.6 launchers, including this release, or use their updater, even with update checks disabled. Their source contains startup cleanup that can delete neighboring files or folders whose names start with the CE program folder's name followed by .old-.

In isolated tests, the shipped 0.1.6 Linux launcher deleted a matching folder and followed a matching directory symlink. Earlier versions contain the same cleanup in source; their packaged launchers and native Windows behavior have not been similarly tested.

Keep the existing program folder, matching neighboring items and any link or junction targets in place. Preserve both launcher and game user-data folders. If BEA_USER_DIR is relative, those folders may differ; locate and back up each separately without merging them. See the current safety notice and manual migration guidance. The current release is 0.1.8.

Older instructions below to run this launcher, use automatic updates, install in place, or clean up old folders are superseded by this notice.

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Onslaught CE 0.1.4 (preview)

0.1.4 fixes career-list and file-write problems, keeps the title responsive when films are disabled, and improves
Windows crash messages. If you already have Onslaught CE, choose Update when the launcher offers this version.

Download

System	Package
Linux	onslaught-ce-0.1.4-linux-i686.tar.gz — run onslaught-ce
Windows	onslaught-ce-0.1.4-windows-i686.zip — run onslaught-ce.exe

The stable Linux download
and stable Windows download
always fetch the latest published version. These files are byte-identical to the versioned packages.

You need your own PC copy of Battle Engine Aquila. No game files are included. The launcher checks the supported
Steam edition's mission-data files; other editions may be refused. Install Onslaught CE in a separate folder and
keep its user folder separate from the original game. Keep recovery copies of your careers before changing save
locations. This is an unofficial fan project, unaffiliated with the game's developer, publisher or rights holders.

Changes

• Linux careers: the load menu combines careers in the original game and CE user folders. A CE career takes
  precedence over a same-named original. Ambiguous case variants are refused instead of listing one file and loading
  another. Linked write targets are refused, and failed copy-on-write operations no longer publish partial data.
• Settings on both systems: ce.ini is replaced through an exclusive temporary file with checked writes and
  failure handling. Linked parent paths and settings files are refused. Unrelated settings entries are kept; as before, an unterminated final line gains a newline.
• Disabled films: ordinary CE play no longer turns black and gets stuck when the idle title tries to play a film
  with -skipfmv. Faithful recording/replay keeps the original behavior. Normal film playback remains enabled when
  that option is absent.
• Linux loose textures: Windows-style separators and filename case now use the same file lookup as other game
  data. Previously a loose texture such as the attract splash could fail to load or use the wrong working-directory file.
• Windows reports: handled first-chance exceptions are no longer described as fatal. After eight detailed
  reports, one message explains that further reports are suppressed. The launcher now has a Windows version resource.
• Small fixes: the game-folder message appears once; Linux updates explain when a terminal needs cd .; download
  instructions explain the format of ASSETS.txt. Recording checks reject empty evidence.

Checks and limits

Both packages were built twice from clean homes with the pinned dependencies and compared byte for byte. The
release replay checks, signed metadata, package notices and platform metadata passed. The Windows 11 VM separately
passed boot with films, the title-to-level-100 failure route, direct level 100, and an idle title run lasting beyond
75 seconds with films disabled. The idle run then closed normally.

A third clean build from the public v0.1.4 tag reproduced both complete package archives byte for byte, without masking differences. The actual published 0.1.3 launchers passed both Skip and Update against the signed public feed on Linux and Windows. Updated installations exactly matched these packages, with no leftover update folders. Windows automatically relaunched the game and closed normally; both updated platforms also passed the longer idle-title check.

The Windows VM uses Microsoft's software renderer. These checks do not establish behavior on a Windows PC with a
real graphics driver. Automated runs are offscreen; physical mouse/controller behavior and audible recording sound
still need player testing. The tutorial's final combat route and the wider game's known parity limits remain open.
Linux needs glibc 2.29 or newer and a compatible 32-bit Vulkan 1.3 driver; see the README.

Custom user-folder redirects remain your responsibility: do not point BEA_USER_DIR into the game folder or link it
there. Normal career writes are not newly transactional, and these fixes do not promise recovery from every disk or
power failure. Original save backups remain useful.

Only one game package is needed to play. ASSETS.txt lists hashes and sizes; RC-REPORT.txt records release checks;
latest.json and its signature serve the updater; ffmpeg-7.1.1.tar.xz supplies the source for the bundled replaceable
FFmpeg libraries. Onslaught CE is GPL-3.0-only; third-party components retain the licenses in the package notices.
There is no telemetry. The launcher checks the public signed release feed and downloads an update only with consent.

Related projects: Godot rebuild,
companion,
decompilation,
preservation documentation.

Safety, 2026-10-27: this release's latest.json and latest.json.sig update-feed files were removed, so no old launcher can ever be offered this or another affected version as an update. ASSETS.txt still lists their original hashes. Everything else here is unchanged.