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SkyNET SDL 1.6.1
A fix release for 1.6.0.
Fixed
- ENHANCED: stars and clouds over the terrain (#34). On GPUs that cannot sample a 32-bit depth buffer, the engine fell back to 16-bit, and far terrain then read as sky. It now uses 24-bit first. The first lines of
logs/skynet.logname the depth format in use (sampled depth ...).
Downloads
skynet-sdl-1.6.1-win-x64.zip– Windows (game + editor)skynet-sdl-1.6.1-linux-x64.tar.gz,-osx-x64.tar.gz,-osx-arm64.tar.gz– Linux and macOSSkyNET-1.6.1.apk– Androidskynet-hd.zip– the HD mod (unchanged since 1.2.1)
You need the original game data. See the README.
SkyNET SDL 1.6.0
Crosshair styles, a touch button for throwables, and fixes from GitHub issues. Thanks to everyone who reported them.
New
- Crosshair styles (#31): OPTIONS > DISPLAY > CROSSHAIR cycles CURRENT, DOS, DOT and CROSS.
- Android: ITEM button (#32): steps through the thrown items you carry (pipe bomb, grenade, satchel...).
Fixed
- Explosions hit like in DOS (#35, #36): blast damage now counts the size of the thing it hits, as the original does. A satchel fells a comms tower, robots go down after the same number of shotgun hits as in DOS (there is no random roll), and a rocket or grenade explodes just short of where it hits.
- A robot's death explosion can now set off nearby things, such as a row of petrol pumps.
- Smarter robots (#23, IMPROVED AI): a Terminator that sees you in range stops, turns and fires instead of standing turned away. CLASSIC AI is unchanged.
- No magenta pixels (#33) in the menus and on the TACTICAL model, also with the HD texture mod.
- Crash on entering a map mid-play (#37) with ENHANCED reflections on some GPUs (D3D12) is fixed.
- Future Shock shows its own art on the loading screen.
Downloads
skynet-sdl-1.6.0-win-x64.zip– Windows (game + editor)skynet-sdl-1.6.0-linux-x64.tar.gz,-osx-x64.tar.gz,-osx-arm64.tar.gz– Linux and macOSSkyNET-1.6.0.apk– Androidskynet-hd.zip– the HD mod (unchanged since 1.2.1)
You need the original game data. See the README.
SkyNET SDL 1.5.1
A fix release for 1.5.0.
Fixed
- Shot targets work again. Wall targets and buttons you have to shoot now set off what they are wired to (lifts, catwalks, doors). Affected Future Shock maps 071, 129, 141, 160, 171, 180 and 329, and SkyNET MAP.281 and MAP.283.
- The hanging block in Future Shock mission 14 (MAP.141) falls to the floor when you shoot its rod, so you can jump over it and go on. Before, it fell through the floor and the way on was lost.
Downloads
skynet-sdl-1.5.1-win-x64.zip– Windows (game + editor)skynet-sdl-1.5.1-linux-x64.tar.gz,-osx-x64.tar.gz,-osx-arm64.tar.gz– Linux and macOSSkyNET-1.5.1.apk– Androidskynet-hd.zip– the HD mod (unchanged since 1.2.1)
You need the original game data. See the README.
SkyNET SDL 1.5.0
ENHANCED gets completely new lighting. Rooms are lit by their own lamps now, light bounces off the walls, lamps cast shadows, the air glows around them, and glossy metal reflects the room. Plus fixes from GitHub issues. Thanks to everyone who reported them.
Highlights: the new ENHANCED look
- Bounced light: each map works out how light bounces off its walls, floors and ceilings, once, at its first ENHANCED load ("PREPARING LIGHTING"). The result is kept in
cache/, so later loads are instant. - Lamps from the art: lit ceiling panels, strip lights and hanging bulbs now really light the room. Interiors that were pitch black in earlier versions are lit, and hanging bulbs glow where they hang.
- Shadows from lamps, indoors and out: up to 16 lamps cast shadows at SHADOWS High (8 at Low), fading smoothly in and out. Your muzzle flash casts shadows in tunnels too (#17).
- Light in the air: lamps and the sun glow in a light haze; dusk gets sun shafts. PARTICLES Off turns it off.
- Reflections on metal, glass and other glossy surfaces.
- Film-like colour: AgX tone curve, auto exposure and a colour grade per time of day (cool nights, warm dusk).
- New muzzle flashes built from particles, and gentler light from bullet hits and laser bolts.
ORIGINAL stays the 1996 look, pixel for pixel.
Fixed issues
- #22 The view flashes red when you take a hit and survive, as in DOS.
- #23 Ceiling guns hang upside down, as in DOS.
- #27 Items dropped from crates land on the floor.
- #28 You can step onto a ledge in mid-air, as in DOS: jumps onto crates and steps work again.
- #29 The arrow keys scroll the tactical dossier's text; the mouse wheel still switches dossiers.
- #30 The click that closes a menu no longer fires your gun.
Other changes
- Robots and HKs block you: you can no longer walk through them.
- A mission's status line says how many objectives are left. A player arriving on a blocked spot drops to the floor below, so Future Shock's mission 5 can be finished again (a save made where it got stuck can't).
- Future Shock: the patched v1.30 briefings are the known data (#24). Maps without their own ground get a matching one.
- Generated files (prepared maps, light bakes, reflections) live in
cache/; the built-in system mods are no longer listed under MODS. - Mods: a model's detail levels (LODs) come only from its own mod.
- 3D VIEW > HUD HEIGHT lifts the HUD and menus in a phone headset.
- Maps and light bakes are prepared again once, on the first load of each map.
Downloads
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
skynet-sdl-1.5.0-win-x64.zip |
Windows x64: skynet-sdl.exe (game) and SkyNetEdit.exe (editor). Unzip into the SkyNET folder, or anywhere and run skynet-sdl.exe --data <the game's data folder>. |
skynet-sdl-1.5.0-linux-x64.tar.gz |
Linux x64 (glibc 2.35+, a Vulkan driver): ./skynet-sdl --data <the game's data folder>; the editor is ./SkyNetEdit. |
skynet-sdl-1.5.0-osx-arm64.tar.gz / -osx-x64.tar.gz |
macOS on Apple Silicon / Intel (Metal). Not signed: after unpacking run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine skynet-sdl-1.5.0-osx-* once. |
SkyNET-1.5.0.apk |
Android (arm64, Vulkan, NativeAOT). Installs over 1.4.0; your folder, settings and saves stay. |
skynet-hd.zip |
The optional HD mod (CC BY-NC 4.0): HD models and textures. Copy it into mods/ and turn it on under OPTIONS > MODS. Unchanged since 1.2.1. |
The Linux and macOS archives are added by the build a few minutes after the release.
SkyNET SDL 1.4.0
Fixes from GitHub issues, a check for unknown game data, and a HUD size for phone viewers. Thanks to everyone who reported them.
Fixed issues
- #18, #23 The laser rifle's scope now shows where the crosshair aims, and the night sky no longer shows the monitor's own art through it.
- #21 Items placed on roofs, ruins, beams and conveyors stay up there instead of dropping to the ground (Future Shock and SkyNET). Maps rebake once on their first load.
- #22 Future Shock plays a pain grunt on every hit. Its data has only one of the four grunts; like the DOS game, the port now takes the others from SkyNET's data. The red hit flash is still missing, in both games.
- #23 Future Shock's intro and ending movies play their sound. The DOS game plays them with sound effects at set frames, and the port now does the same.
- #23 Flying mines stay under ceilings and fly straight at you instead of circling.
- #17 Muzzle flashes and explosions cast shadows outdoors at SHADOWS High. Indoors needs an engine change, coming later.
Changes
- Unknown game data (#20): at start the game checks its data archives and warns when they come from a release it doesn't know. You can continue, ignore it for that data, or quit. The log (
logs/skynet.log) lists each file's size and hash: send it to us and we'll add your release. The check runs once, and again only when a file changes. - 3D VIEW > HUD SIZE: sets how much of a phone viewer's eye the HUD and menus take (60% by default), so they stay inside the lens.
- Android 16: Back no longer closes the game.
Downloads
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
skynet-sdl-1.4.0-win-x64.zip |
Windows x64: skynet-sdl.exe (game) and SkyNetEdit.exe (editor). Unzip anywhere, or into the SkyNET folder, then run skynet-sdl.exe --data <the game's data folder>. |
skynet-sdl-1.4.0-linux-x64.tar.gz |
Linux x64 (glibc 2.35+, a Vulkan driver): ./skynet-sdl --data <the game's data folder>; the editor is ./SkyNetEdit. |
skynet-sdl-1.4.0-osx-arm64.tar.gz / -osx-x64.tar.gz |
macOS on Apple Silicon / Intel (Metal). The binaries are not signed: after unpacking run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine skynet-sdl-1.4.0-osx-* once. |
SkyNET-1.4.0.apk |
Android (arm64, Vulkan). Installs over 1.3.0; your folder, settings and saves stay. |
The optional HD mod skynet-hd.zip is unchanged: download it from the 1.2.1 release.
The Linux and macOS archives are added by the build a few minutes after the release.
SkyNET SDL 1.3.0
Faster Android, and a fix for the Android setup screen hang.
Changes
- Android is much faster. The game's code is now compiled the same way as on the desktop (NativeAOT instead of Mono). On a phone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 the trench demo runs at about 64 fps instead of 45 (+40%), and maps load about 6 s faster. The CPU-heavy parts (robots, physics, building each frame) gain the most, so slower phones should feel it too.
- #11 fixed: on some starts the Android setup screen stayed black and nothing happened after picking the game folder. Its first dialog was drawn 0 pixels wide, so it was invisible. It now always shows.
Downloads
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
skynet-sdl-1.3.0-win-x64.zip |
Windows x64: skynet-sdl.exe (game) and SkyNetEdit.exe (editor). Unzip anywhere, or into the SkyNET folder, then run skynet-sdl.exe --data <the game's data folder>. |
skynet-sdl-1.3.0-linux-x64.tar.gz |
Linux x64 (glibc 2.35+, a Vulkan driver): ./skynet-sdl --data <the game's data folder>; the editor is ./SkyNetEdit. |
skynet-sdl-1.3.0-osx-arm64.tar.gz / -osx-x64.tar.gz |
macOS on Apple Silicon / Intel (Metal). The binaries are not signed: after unpacking run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine skynet-sdl-1.3.0-osx-* once. |
SkyNET-1.3.0.apk |
Android (arm64, Vulkan). Installs over 1.2.x; your folder, settings and saves stay. |
The optional HD mod skynet-hd.zip is unchanged: download it from the 1.2.1 release. On tablets and phones with little graphics memory, play without it or with the original look.
The Linux and macOS archives are added by the build a few minutes after the release.
SkyNET SDL 1.2.1
Movies, shadows from muzzle flashes, the laser rifle's live scope, and fixes from GitHub issues. Thanks to everyone who reported them.
Fixed issues
- #5 Muzzle flashes and explosions cast shadows (OPTIONS > DISPLAY > ENHANCED... > SHADOWS High)
- #6 The .VID movies play as in DOS: the intro, mission briefings, the scenes after a won mission, the ending, and Future Shock's intro. Any key, click, tap or pad button skips a movie.
- #10, #13 Explosions show again after loading a save or changing maps
- #12 The laser rifle's monitor shows a live 2x zoom in green, as in DOS
- #14 Future Shock pickups show their names instead of
str_keys - #15 A planted satchel shows "Detonation in:NN secs." above the panel
Changes
- Android: a finger held on FIRE also aims when you drag it. The touch stick no longer jumps when touched. The first start shows its progress instead of a still screen, and the start no longer flashes. The app tells Android it is a game, with performance and battery modes. It also asks the system for full CPU speed, which some phones honour. On phones with their own game manager (Honor, Xiaomi, Samsung), turning on its performance mode for SkyNET helps most.
- Faster loads: decoded HD textures are cached, so later loads skip the decode. Exits inside a mission load behind the last frame, without the loading screen.
- MODS taps on the title apply at once. A played demo returns to the title.
- RetroEng 0.50.0.
Still open: #9 (Mali-G52 phones) and #11 (Android first start): please try this version and tell us. #16 is new.
Downloads
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
skynet-sdl-1.2.1-win-x64.zip |
Windows x64: skynet-sdl.exe (game) and SkyNetEdit.exe (editor). Unzip anywhere, or into the SkyNET folder, then run skynet-sdl.exe --data <the game's data folder>. |
skynet-sdl-1.2.1-linux-x64.tar.gz |
Linux x64 (glibc 2.35+, a Vulkan driver): ./skynet-sdl --data <the game's data folder>; the editor is ./SkyNetEdit. |
skynet-sdl-1.2.1-osx-arm64.tar.gz / -osx-x64.tar.gz |
macOS on Apple Silicon / Intel (Metal). The binaries are not signed: after unpacking run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine skynet-sdl-1.2.1-osx-* once. |
SkyNET-1.2.1.apk |
Android (arm64, Vulkan). Installs over 1.2.0. On the first start it asks for All files access and the SkyNET folder, or copies it. |
skynet-hd.zip |
Optional HD mod (CC BY-NC 4.0), unchanged since 1.1.0: HD textures, 3D models, robots and guns in hand for the ENHANCED look. Put it into mods/ beside the game and turn it on under OPTIONS > MODS. |
The Linux and macOS archives are added by the build a few minutes after the release.
SkyNET SDL 1.2.0
Android setup and touch controls, a loading screen, a faster game on phones, and fixes from GitHub issues. Thanks to everyone who reported them.
Fixed issues
- #1 Invisible robots on some AMD cards; deathmatch players now hold their gun and scream and grunt as in DOS
- #4 Laser shots have shadows (bolts glow again, still without shadows)
- #7 Original pixel look: OPTIONS > DISPLAY > ENHANCED... > TEXTURE FILTER, from NEAREST to ANISOTROPIC 16X
- #10 (partly) The jeep leans toward the lower side of a slope; a thrown satchel lies 15 s before it goes off, as in DOS
Changes
- Android, play in place: the first start asks for All files access. With it, the game plays straight from your SkyNET folder (data, mods, settings, saves), as on the PC. Without it, the folder is copied into the app once and new or changed mods are synced at every start. Long-press the icon > Setup to switch. An older install moves over by itself.
- Touch controls: new buttons in the HUD's style; CONTROLS > TOUCH LAYOUT moves and resizes them. Moved buttons apply at the next start.
- Loading screen with a progress bar for long loads (deathmatch player models, map loads, preparing data). On Android the start shows a backdrop instead of a black screen.
- Faster on phones: IMPROVED robot AI is several times cheaper (Future Shock mission 1: 7 to 60 fps on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3), less garbage per frame, phones start with shadows off.
- Faster mod loading: avatar mods decode their texture atlas once; deathmatch with an avatar mod loads several times faster and uses ~300 MB less GPU memory.
- ENGRAVING renderer next to RETRO ASCII and POINT CLOUD.
Still open: #5 (muzzle-flash shadows), #6 (FMV briefings), #9 (Mali-G52 phones, needs an engine update), #10 explosions in the original look (we need more detail, see the issue).
Downloads
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
skynet-sdl-1.2.0-win-x64.zip |
Windows x64: skynet-sdl.exe (game) and SkyNetEdit.exe (editor). Unzip anywhere, or into the SkyNET folder, then run skynet-sdl.exe --data <the game's data folder>. |
skynet-sdl-1.2.0-linux-x64.tar.gz |
Linux x64 (glibc 2.35+, a Vulkan driver): ./skynet-sdl --data <the game's data folder>; the editor is ./SkyNetEdit. |
skynet-sdl-1.2.0-osx-arm64.tar.gz / -osx-x64.tar.gz |
macOS on Apple Silicon / Intel (Metal). The binaries are not signed: after unpacking run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine skynet-sdl-1.2.0-osx-* once. |
SkyNET-1.2.0.apk |
Android (arm64, Vulkan). On the first start it asks for All files access and the SkyNET folder, or copies it. |
skynet-hd.zip |
Optional HD mod (CC BY-NC 4.0), unchanged since 1.1.0: HD textures, 3D models, robots and guns in hand for the ENHANCED look. Put it into mods/ beside the game and turn it on under OPTIONS > MODS. |
The Linux and macOS archives are added by the build a few minutes after the release.
SkyNET SDL 1.1.0
Fixes from the first GitHub issues. Thanks to everyone who reported them.
Fixed issues
- #2 Sprites are too big
- #3 No High Res Weapon Graphics
- #4 Laser shots have shadows
- #8 Effect of the bullets in the enemies
Still open: #1 (invisible HD robots on some AMD cards, workaround below), #7 (texture filtering options, needs an engine update), #6 (FMV intro and cutscenes, planned for 1.2.0).
Changes
- Sprites at the right size (#2): scenery sprites (trees, posts, rubble, fires) were drawn twice their DOS size. They now follow SKYNET.EXE's 1:1 scale. The maps are prepared again once on the first start.
- Hi-res HUD and weapons by default (#3): the 640 x 480 panel and weapon art from the game's own hi-res set is now the default, also for Future Shock when SkyNET's data sits beside it. OPTIONS > DISPLAY > HUD ART switches back to DOS.
- Bullet impacts on robots (#8): shots hitting a robot or another machine now show their impact, as in DOS.
- No shadows from laser and rocket shots (#4) in the ENHANCED look.
- The DISPLAY dialog no longer covers the menu bar on wide screens.
Using the HD mod? Download the new skynet-hd.zip too: its sprite models are resized to match. With the old one, some scenery models stand twice too big.
Known issue: on some AMD graphics cards (seen on a Radeon RX 570, Direct3D 12) HD robots can be invisible in the ENHANCED look without MSAA (#1). Setting OPTIONS > DISPLAY > ENHANCED... > ANTI-ALIASING to MSAA 2X or 4X, or starting with --gpu vulkan, may help; a fix is being worked on.
Downloads
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
skynet-sdl-1.1.0-win-x64.zip |
Windows x64: skynet-sdl.exe (game) and SkyNetEdit.exe (editor). Unzip anywhere, or into the SkyNET folder, then run skynet-sdl.exe --data <the game's data folder>. |
skynet-sdl-1.1.0-linux-x64.tar.gz |
Linux x64 (glibc 2.35+, a Vulkan driver): ./skynet-sdl --data <the game's data folder>; the editor is ./SkyNetEdit. |
skynet-sdl-1.1.0-osx-arm64.tar.gz / -osx-x64.tar.gz |
macOS on Apple Silicon / Intel (Metal). The binaries are not signed: after unpacking run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine skynet-sdl-1.1.0-osx-* once. |
SkyNET-1.1.0.apk |
Android (arm64, x86_64, Vulkan). On the first start it asks for the game's folder. |
skynet-hd.zip |
Optional HD mod (CC BY-NC 4.0): HD textures, 3D models, robots and guns in hand for the ENHANCED look. Put it into mods/ beside the game and turn it on under OPTIONS > MODS. |
The Linux and macOS builds are made by GitHub Actions and are attached a few minutes after the release.
Installing
Unzip the port into the game's folder, beside its data:
SKYNET\
GAMEDATA\ SkyNET's data (MDMDMAP2.BSA, ...)
shock\
GAMEDATA\ Future Shock's data (MDMDMAPS.BSA, ...), optional
mods\ mods (skynet-hd.zip, ...); the port creates it
saves\ saved games
skynet-sdl.exe
SkyNetEdit.exe
Run skynet-sdl.exe (no options needed in this layout); Future Shock then shows up under NEW GAME. The first start prepares the maps once. Data elsewhere: --data <folder> or SKYNET_DATA. Full steps for every platform: README → Installing.
Licences
The port's code is MIT. The engine, RetroEng, ships as binaries under the RetroEng Non-Commercial Binary Licence (included as LICENSE-RetroEng.txt): builds that ship it may be shared free of charge but not used commercially. The HD mod is CC BY-NC 4.0. Unofficial fan port, not affiliated with or endorsed by Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax or the owners of The Terminator.
SkyNET SDL 1.0.0
The first public release of SkyNET SDL, an unofficial C# + SDL3 port of The Terminator: SkyNET (1996) that also plays The Terminator: Future Shock, with the mission editor SkyNetEdit.
No game data is included. You need your own copy of SkyNET v1.01 and/or Future Shock.
Downloads
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
skynet-sdl-1.0.0-win-x64.zip |
Windows x64: skynet-sdl.exe (game) and SkyNetEdit.exe (editor). Unzip anywhere, or into the SkyNET folder, then run skynet-sdl.exe --data <the game's data folder>. |
skynet-sdl-1.0.0-linux-x64.tar.gz |
Linux x64 (glibc 2.35+, a Vulkan driver): ./skynet-sdl --data <the game's data folder>; the editor is ./SkyNetEdit. |
skynet-sdl-1.0.0-osx-arm64.tar.gz / -osx-x64.tar.gz |
macOS on Apple Silicon / Intel (Metal). The binaries are not signed: after unpacking run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine skynet-sdl-1.0.0-osx-* once. |
SkyNET-1.0.0.apk |
Android (arm64, x86_64, Vulkan). On the first start it asks for the game's folder. |
skynet-hd.zip |
Optional HD mod (CC BY-NC 4.0): HD textures, 3D models, robots and guns in hand for the ENHANCED look. Put it into mods/ beside the game and turn it on under OPTIONS > MODS. |
The Linux and macOS builds are made by GitHub Actions and checked to start; they have not been played on those systems yet, so reports are welcome.
Installing
Unzip the port into the game's folder, beside its data:
SKYNET\
GAMEDATA\ SkyNET's data (MDMDMAP2.BSA, ...)
shock\
GAMEDATA\ Future Shock's data (MDMDMAPS.BSA, ...), optional
mods\ mods (skynet-hd.zip, ...); the port creates it
saves\ saved games
skynet-sdl.exe
SkyNetEdit.exe
Run skynet-sdl.exe (no options needed in this layout); Future Shock then shows up under NEW GAME. The first start prepares the maps once. Data elsewhere: --data <folder> or SKYNET_DATA. Full steps for every platform: README → Installing.
Highlights
- The whole SkyNET campaign and Future Shock's missions, decoded from the original SKYNET.EXE.
- Looks: the original DOS renderer, ENHANCED (lit sky, haze, shadows), RETRO ASCII, POINT CLOUD, TERMINATOR VISION.
- Network deathmatch with bots, jeeps and HKs; a dedicated server.
- SkyNetEdit: map, terrain, robots, triggers, models, play-test from the editor.
- Mods: textures, models, robots and tables (docs/modding.md).
- Android with touch controls, gamepads and a stereo/VR view; text sized by the screen's physical size. On phones, DETAIL LOW keeps HD-mod load times short.
Licences
The port's code is MIT. The engine, RetroEng, ships as binaries under the RetroEng Non-Commercial Binary Licence (included as LICENSE-RetroEng.txt): builds that ship it may be shared free of charge but not used commercially. The HD mod is CC BY-NC 4.0. Unofficial fan port, not affiliated with or endorsed by Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax or the owners of The Terminator.