Skip to content

Main Executable (DARKLAND.EXE)

Historical reference note for the main Darklands executable. Unlike the data-file pages in this section, this is not a stable binary format so much as a catalog of known offsets, string tables, and pointer arrays preserved from the legacy community corpus.

Extension
DARKLAND.EXE
Location
Game root
Byte order
Little-endian (MZ segmented executable)
Size
~370 KB — overlay-managed; code segments paged via EMS at runtime
Compression
None (unpacked)
Magic
4D 5A (MZ) at 0x00
Status
Reference
Source
Wendigo — darkland.exe.xml (historical); live RE in RE\\reports\\darkland_exe_notes.md

Canonical source: darkland.exe.xml (Wendigo’s Darklands repo)

Scope

DARKLAND.EXE is the main game executable. The KB treats this note as a historical cross-reference rather than a primary source of live RE conclusions.

It contains:

  • segmented pointer arrays
  • string tables and UI text
  • lookup data for skills, attributes, names, and menu-adjacent text
  • other partially decoded executable-owned tables

Important Caveat

Because this is compiled executable code rather than a pure data file, most of the content is only meaningful alongside disassembly and runtime tracing. Current executable RE notes should take precedence over this legacy XML-derived reference when they disagree.

Why The KB Keeps It

The current KB treats this note mainly as a historical cross-reference. It is still useful because it preserves:

  • several large segmented-pointer tables near 0x17d0b0
  • string tables for months, occupations, reputations, skills, names, and card variables
  • older offset correlations that still help map legacy community findings onto modern tracing work
  • evidence for executable-owned token vocabularies used by MSGFILES
  • a bridge between XML-derived format notes and newer executable RE notes

Notable Preserved Tables

The XML-derived reference still records a few especially useful executable-owned data groups:

  • segmented pointer arrays around 0x17d0b0, 0x17eb18, and 0x18a60f
  • string tables near 0x1872d0 through 0x189a43 for months, copy-protection words, occupations, reputations, names, skills, jobs, and card variables
  • historical lookup text for city/location labels, menu text, and character-generation content

Variable Tokens And Localization Notes

One of the most useful surviving tables is the executable variable-name list used by message cards.

The KB currently notes that shipped MSGFILES makes live use of many city/runtime variables from this table, including:

  • ChosenOneName
  • PlaceName
  • citySquare
  • councilHall
  • cityBarracks
  • marketplace
  • fortress
  • pawnshop
  • hospital
  • poorhouse
  • slum
  • monastery
  • cathedral
  • cityChurch

The same KB note also calls out variables that are listed in the executable but are not referenced by shipped English or German MSGFILES payloads:

  • imperialMint
  • CityLocation
  • whorehouse
  • warehouse
  • docks

That matters for interpreting some DARKLAND.CTY landmark slots: the German executable and German city data make imperialMint look like a strong candidate for the rare Munzenplatz / Reichsmuenzstaette slot, even though shipped message cards do not currently exercise that token.

The German executable also appends additional grammar-sensitive variable tokens not present in the English one:

  • his1..his6
  • His1..His6
  • him1
  • him2
  • Him1
  • CON

These are actively used by shipped German MSGFILES and support localized grammatical substitution in card text.

Merged-Note Status

The KB explicitly treats the imported file-format note as historical data-format documentation only. For live reverse-engineering conclusions, it now defers to the deeper executable RE material in RE\reports\darkland_exe_notes.md and the KB executable-RE notes.

Confidence

Medium-high. This page is a pointer to the preserved community reference, not a complete executable RE substitute.