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Syndicate seriesTrying to get Freesynd (Syndicate source port) running(5 posts)(5 posts)
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Posted February 19, 2025
To those of you who don't know, there is an open source engine re-implementation of Syndicate called Freesynd.
I installed the debian version on my Linux machine and copied and pasted contents from an ISO I found of the original Syndicate. I thought it would be the end of it and I can play Syndicate on Linux but whenever I run it, I keep getting this error on the terminal.

user@host:~
$ freesynd
Freesynd v0.8 (may 2024)
INFO : Reading configuration from file /usr/local/etc/freesynd/freesynd.ini.
INFO : Reading user configuration from existing file.
ERROR: file test failed "miss01.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "miss02.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "miss03.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "miss04.dat"
.........
ERROR: file test failed "sound-0.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "sound-0.tab"
ERROR: failed to test original Syndicate data...user@host:~
$

I wonder if anyone else has tried to get Freesynd running and can give me any help.
Thanks.
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Posted February 20, 2025
avatar
cyberPhunk2020: To those of you who don't know, there is an open source engine re-implementation of Syndicate called Freesynd.
I installed the debian version on my Linux machine and copied and pasted contents from an ISO I found of the original Syndicate. I thought it would be the end of it and I can play Syndicate on Linux but whenever I run it, I keep getting this error on the terminal.

user@host:~
$ freesynd
Freesynd v0.8 (may 2024)
INFO : Reading configuration from file /usr/local/etc/freesynd/freesynd.ini.
INFO : Reading user configuration from existing file.
ERROR: file test failed "miss01.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "miss02.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "miss03.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "miss04.dat"
.........
ERROR: file test failed "sound-0.dat"
ERROR: file test failed "sound-0.tab"
ERROR: failed to test original Syndicate data...user@host:~
$

I wonder if anyone else has tried to get Freesynd running and can give me any help.
Thanks.
I am not home to test this (and was not aware this even existed! neat) but have you checked the contents of said freesynd.ini file?

Note: INSTALL file says it does not support Syndicate Plus or Wars. Just the first original version.

Specifically the freesynd_data_dir = line
And the data_dir = line
The first defaults to $PREFIX/share/freesynd/data (so... probably /usr for the %PREFIX.
The second if left blank defaults to whatever freesyncd_data_dir is set to. Otherwise you can set here where ever you put the original Syndicate files, specifically the dta folder in the syndicate install.

Would recommend downloading the win32 zip file for freesynd and reading the INSTALL file. tells you everything you need to install for any OS. Unsure where the linux deb file puts said INSTALL file which is why I say look at the win32 zip file instead. I am sure it is somewhere. Maybe it is in /usr/share/freesynd?
Post edited February 20, 2025 by zandrag
Posted February 21, 2025
As @zandrag proposed, try reading INSTALL file, especially "Configuring FreeSynd" chapter:
https://sourceforge.net/p/freesynd/code/HEAD/tree/freesynd/trunk/INSTALL

What caught my attention is that freesynd-specific data folder is named there "data" while the original files from syndicate are mentioned as being in "DATA" - so it suggests charewcter case may be important for freesynd. Whether it wants file names in lower or upper case - I don't know.

I didn't used Freesynd for more that a decade. But when I did, it did not supported the in-game scripts used in original levels. Unlike Reverse Engineering based projects like KeeperFX or SW Port, clean room engine rewrite projects only work fully when they're implemented fully - not sure where Freesynd is now in that regard.
Posted February 21, 2025
I said I used the original Syndicate files from an ISO I found (it was on archive.org).
And I have found the freesynd.ini file and set data_dir to where my files were and there was still no luck.
Posted February 21, 2025
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cyberPhunk2020: I said I used the original Syndicate files from an ISO I found (it was on archive.org).
And how the release on CD is called? Because previously you've been informed that:
avatar
zandrag: Note: INSTALL file says it does not support Syndicate Plus or Wars. Just the first original version.
---
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cyberPhunk2020: And I have found the freesynd.ini file and set data_dir to where my files were and there was still no luck.
Try running freesynd through `strace` - this way you'll see the files it tries to open with full paths. Based on that you shouldn't have much trouble figuring out what's wrong.

```
strace ./freesynd
```
Post edited February 21, 2025 by mefistotelis
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Community
Syndicate seriesTrying to get Freesynd (Syndicate source port) running(5 posts)(5 posts)
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