pyc2e
A pure Python interface for injecting CAOS code & reading output from the Creatures Evolution Engine (c2e).
It works by calling relevant parts of the Win32 API through Python's built-in ctypes module, as described in Chris Double's documentation of the c2e shared memory interface.
Installing
The only requirements are:
- Python 3.7+
- A compatible c2e version running in the same permission space as the Python interpreter
| Install Method | Benefits | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| With pip | Easiest |
|
| From source | Freshest code |
|
Usage & Limitations
Warning: Running custom CAOS can break your Creatures 3 / DS install.
Running & injecting CAOS on Windows is reasonably complete.
| CAOS Origin | Command Syntax |
|---|---|
| From files | pyc2e inject --file filename.cos |
| Piping from standard input | cat filename.cos | pyc2e inject |
| Strings passed as arguments* | pyc2e inject --caos "outs \"testing\"" |
*On Windows, you might need to omit the escapes around the quotes.
Unimplemented Features
Engine, config, and launch management for testing and/or fuzzing may be added later.
Support for the Linux version will likely stay incomplete because the community prefers the Windows version for multiple reasons:
The Linux version is difficult to install:
- Dwindling support for 32 bit code on maintained amd64 Linux distros
- Bit rot is rendering precompiled dependencies unusable
- Difficulty finding package downloads of linux packages built in 2000
All Windows versions crash much less than the Linux builds
Running WINE or a VM does not have prohibitive performance penalty for a game this old
There are Windows versions of Docking Station and C3 available from multiple sources:
Source Link
Price
Creatures 3 Included
Win10 Compatibility Patches
Free
No
No
$5.99 USD
Yes
Yes
$5.99 USD
Yes
Yes