The Settlers
2 ports
The Settlers (Freeserf)
freeserf/freeserf
Freeserf: an open-source reimplementation of The Settlers (also known as Serf City), Blue Byte’s strategy game, that uses the data from the original’s DOS or Amiga version and loads its saved games too. Version 0.4 (October 4), the first release since 0.3 in 2019, moved the project to SDL3, fixed many game logic bugs by comparing it with the Amiga original, and added the original’s special click and ambient sounds; 0.5, the next day, added the Amiga original’s AI for opponents in missions and custom games, the castle’s emergency program, the six tutorials, the end of the game, zoom, autosave, and an option to mix graphics, sounds, and music from different versions. Since then it has added translations of the texts and a TrueType font made from the DOS original’s. The DOS version’s MIDI music plays through a free SoundFont, TimGM6mb, which is included. There are builds for Windows (32- and 64-bit), Linux, and macOS. About 50 of its last 100 commits, from October 4 to 6, list Claude as a co-author.
You needThe data files from your own copy of The Settlers: from the DOS version, the SPAE.PA, SPAD.PA, SPAF.PA, or SPAU.PA file, depending on the language, or from the Amiga version, the gfxheader, gfxfast, gfxchip, gfxpics, sounds, and music files. They go next to the executable or in ~/.local/share/freeserf, and data from several versions can be installed together. Plus Windows, Linux, or macOS.
The Settlers (Freeserf.net)
Pyrdacor/freeserf.net
Freeserf.net: a reimplementation of The Settlers (Serf City), Blue Byte’s strategy game, written in C# on .NET 9. It’s a port and extension of Freeserf, the C++ reimplementation also in the catalog: it carried over all of its code, including the fixes from its 0.4 and 0.5 releases, and adds an AI of its own. It renders with OpenGL through Silk.NET, supports widescreen displays and resizable windows, and plays sound (MIDI, MOD, and effects) through BASS. It uses the data from the DOS or the Amiga version, and they can be mixed, for example the Amiga music with the DOS graphics; the text is in English and German. It has the missions, the six tutorials, the end of the game with the original’s pictures, large maps, and a still experimental local network multiplayer across different platforms, where players can rejoin a running game, the host autosaves every 10 minutes, and pausing and game speed are put to a vote. There are builds for Windows, Linux, and macOS (a universal app) and another for Android. Some minor parts of the AI logic are still missing. It releases often: the latest is 2.2.11 (October 20). 18 of its last 100 commits list GitHub Copilot as a co-author.
You needThe data files from your own copy of The Settlers: from the DOS version, the SPAx.PA file for your language (SPAE.PA for English), or from the Amiga version, the .adf disk images or the already extracted files, in the game’s working directory. According to the Android release notes, the free demo’s file works too. Plus Windows, Linux (tested on Ubuntu, with GLFW installed), or macOS on Apple silicon or Intel; the bundled sound libraries are 64-bit.
Installs with
Questions
What projects are there for The Settlers?
The catalog has 2 ports for The Settlers, all on this page with their status.
What do I need to play it?
Your own copy of The Settlers (DOS). Recompendium only links projects that don’t distribute the game, and each entry says which version or region you need.
Which one is the most popular?
The Settlers (Freeserf), with 344 stars on GitHub.