Test Drive II: The Duel — SDL3 port

A faithful C reimplementation of the EGA version of Accolade / Distinctive Software's Test Drive II: The Duel (1989), running natively on SDL3, in the same way as the Test Drive (1987) port. It is not an emulator. The original data is not redistributed, and you need to get it yourself. The port targets Test Drive II: The Collection, which includes the Supercars / Muscle Cars and California / European Challenge add-ons.

How to play (Windows)

You need the files of the original DOS Test Drive II (ideally The Collection). They are not included.

1. Open the latest release and download td2port-…-win64.zip.

2. Put your original game files in a folder named Game.

3. Open the zip. Copy all of its files into the folder that holds Game, so that td2port.exe sits next to Game:

   Test Drive II\
   ├── Game\             <- your original game files (TD2EGA.EXE, CARS.DAT, SCENES.DAT, ...)
   ├── td2port.exe
   ├── SDL3.dll
   ├── libiconv-2.dll
   └── (the other files from the zip)
   

4. Double-click td2port.exe.

Keep the folder somewhere you can save files, such as Documents or the Desktop, not Program Files. The game saves its high scores and your last car / scenery choice in Game. If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. Press Alt+Enter for fullscreen. The keys are listed under Controls.

Status

• The EGA version (TD2EGA.EXE) is ported and playable with the cars and sceneries of the Collection. Please report any difference from the original in the issues.
• The CGA / Hercules (TD2CGA.EXE) and Tandy (TD2TDY.EXE) versions are not ported yet.

Requirements

• Your game files in a folder (by default Game under the working directory). The port needs TD2EGA.EXE, CARS.DAT, SCENES.DAT, SONGS.BIN, VOICES.BIN, the *.PES archives, the car *.BIN / *.SS files and the scenery *.DAT / *.SGN / *.FNT files.
• The folder must be writable. The game saves the last car / scenery choice to select.dat and each scenery's high scores to <scenery>hisc.dat there, as the original did.
• To build: CMake 3.24+, a C11 compiler and SDL 3.

Build

From the repository root, in Git Bash or an MSYS2 MinGW64 shell:

export PATH="/c/msys64/mingw64/bin:$PATH"
cmake -S td2port -B td2port/build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build td2port/build

The build copies SDL3.dll next to td2port.exe. The MSYS2 SDL3.dll also needs libiconv-2.dll from C:\msys64\mingw64\bin. To run the program outside the MSYS2 shell, copy that DLL next to it too.

Run

./td2port/build/td2port.exe --game-dir Game

Option	Meaning
--game-dir DIR	Folder with the original game files (default Game)
--scale N	Initial window size as a multiple of 320×240 (default 3)
--frame-rate FPS	Emulated drawing speed of the original PC while driving (default 15, 0 = unpaced)
--check	Verify that TD2EGA.EXE loads, then exit without opening a window

Alt+Enter toggles fullscreen. The window keeps the 4:3 aspect of the original monitor.

Controls (from the original)

• Arrow keys / numeric keypad: steer, accelerate, brake. Shifting works as in the original.
• Esc: quit the current drive or menu.
• Ctrl-P pause, Ctrl-X exit to DOS, Ctrl-S sound, Ctrl-Q music, Ctrl-K keyboard, Ctrl-J joystick.
• A connected gamepad acts as the joystick: left stick or D-pad, A = button 1, B = button 2. Press Ctrl-J to calibrate and enable it.

Changes from original

• Removed: copy protection and all disk handling: disk prompts, DISKID.DAT and Play Disk creation. The Install menu icon does nothing.
• Frame rate: the driving view is drawn at an emulated 15 fps (--frame-rate). The simulation runs on the original's 100 Hz timer as before. Screen dissolves and other effects that the original ran at CPU speed are paced to the timer.
• Joystick: a gamepad replaces the analogue PC joystick.
• Graphics: EGA only. The herc command-line argument of the original is not supported.
• Errors: a missing or unreadable game file is reported in a message box. A CARS.DAT / SCENES.DAT without entries shows an error instead of exiting silently.
• Robustness: overlong car / scenery lists and corrupt *hisc.dat files are handled safely, where the original overwrote memory.

Layout

• Game/ — your game files (not in the repository).
• tools/ — reverse-engineering tools, see FORMATS.md.
• port/ — function index, specs (port/spec/) and the guide for writing them (port/RE_GUIDE.md).
• td2port/ — the SDL3 port. td2port/PORTING.md describes its architecture and rules.
• FORMATS.md — decoded file formats and executable layout.

License

The port and tools are MIT licensed (see LICENSE). Test Drive II is © Accolade / Distinctive Software. Its files are not part of this repository or the releases.

Support

https://buymeacoffee.com/krzysztofkania