Windows XP version of the game

[Danyk1q]

Why is SDL3 used, and why is the multiplayer broken? I am trying to build for Windows XP by replacing calls and understand that using SDL3 greatly breaks backward compatibility. The global standard right now is SDL2, while SDL3 is a new technology without backward compatibility with older systems.

[Danyk1q]

Found version 1.52 on SDL. It natively supports Windows XP. If anyone else is looking for it, here’s the link.
https://github.com/MisterCoderman/cossacks-2025

[ByPort]

Hi @Danyk1q,

This is a long-term project with other goals. Backwards compatibility isn’t one of them, since the original game was always compatible with Windows XP.

By the time it’s finished, I wouldn’t be surprised if SDL3 becomes a widely accepted option, and some new features seem to fit my goals well.

As noted on the homepage, multiplayer hasn’t been tested yet.

[MisterCoderman]

@ByPort Hi, you're right here. The transition from SDL2 to SDL3 is actually not difficult, but it will definitely break backward compatibility.
Version 1.52 includes a lot of changes — for example, switching between the clean version and the modded version, API for translations into different languages, cheats, multithreading. Essentially, under the hood, it's a heavily reworked game.
The original version 1.35 may simply not be of interest anymore.
As it turns out, there are a lot of retro enthusiasts. There were many requests, so I decided to port it to Windows XP after all. It turned out to be not that hard, since the SDL2 and SDL2_mixer libraries support XP. I just had to tweak the code a bit.
As an example, someone even managed to run the game on Windows 2000 — here's the link

[m09382281-collab]

@ByPort It won’t happen in the next 5 years. SDL2 is the global standard. And breaking legacy is complete shit!

[albertgasparan]

@m09382281-collab Totally agree. SDL3 is not needed in this game. Compatibility should be preserved, and @MisterCoderman did a great job listening to feedback and porting it to XP.

[albertrudnik86]

Hi @Danyk1q,

This is a long-term project with other goals. Backwards compatibility isn’t one of them, since the original game was always compatible with Windows XP.

By the time it’s finished, I wouldn’t be surprised if SDL3 becomes a widely accepted option, and some new features seem to fit my goals well.

As noted on the homepage, multiplayer hasn’t been tested yet.

I think a native port isn’t really necessary. Nowadays most games run much better through PortProton or CrossOver, since they don’t depend on native Linux libraries. Just remember Cossacks 3! There is a native port, but getting the right libraries to launch it is pure masochism. And already about 80% of games on Steam work perfectly on Linux. PortProton is well-optimized and much easier to maintain.

As for Windows XP – support is absolutely essential! Versions 1.42 and 1.52 (non-Legacy) crash with One Core API. Only 1.52 Legacy Edition works flawlessly. Simply swapping the SDL library didn’t solve the issue – it seems that Coderman made some code changes that ensured compatibility with XP and even 2000, judging by the discussions in his repo.

So please, never drop Legacy support! People still play and will continue to play on old OSes for nostalgia.