ASCII art catalog
May 8, 2026 · View on GitHub
The original Adeline Software developers decorated their source files with elaborate ASCII art word banners. These are preserved here as artifacts of 1990s game development culture.
Attribution: The banners documented here appear in the original Adeline / lba2-classic codebase: in C++ files that already existed there (e.g. SAVEGAME.CPP, SORT.CPP, GRILLE.CPP, BEZIER.CPP) or in ASM that has been ported to C++ in the community (e.g. the "FIRE" banner and "grossse optimisations" comment in FIRE.ASM are preserved in FIRE.CPP). They are historical, not community additions.
Two distinct font styles were used throughout the codebase.
Style 1: box-drawing block letters
This style uses full block characters (██) with box-drawing corners (┐┌┘└│─) to form large, bold letterforms. It appears in files that may have been written or refactored later in development.
CREDITS.CPP -- "CREDITS"
██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ █████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐
██┌───┘ ██┌─██│ ██┌───┘ ██┌─██┐ └─██┌─┘ └─██┌─┘ ██┌───┘
██│ ██████│ █████┐ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██████┐
██│ ██┌██┌┘ ██┌──┘ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██│ └───██│
██████┐ ██│└██┐ ██████┐ █████┌┘ ██████┐ ██│ ██████│
└─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └────┘ └─────┘ └─┘ └─────┘
BEZIER.CPP -- "BEZIER" + "(merci Time Commando !!!)"
██████┐ █┐ █┐ █████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐
██┌─██│ ██┐ ██│ ██┌██│ ██┌─██│ ██┌───┘ ██┌───┘
██│ ██│ ██████│ ██████┐ ██████│ █████┐ ██████┐
██│ ██│ ██┌─██│ ██┌─██│ ██┌██┌┘ ██┌──┘ └───██│
██████│ ██│ ██│ ██████│ ██│└██┐ ██████┐ ██████│
└─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └─────┘
(merci Time Commando !!!)
A thank-you to Adeline Software's other game, Time Commando (1996), whose Bezier curve code was likely shared.
INTEXT.CPP -- "INTEXT.C"
██████┐ ██┐ ██┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██┐ ██┐ ██████┐ ██████┐
└─██┌─┘ ███┐██│ └─██┌─┘ ██┌───┘ ██│ ██│ └─██┌─┘ ██┌───┘
██│ ██████│ ██│ █████┐ └████┌┘ ██│ ██│
██│ ██┌███│ ██│ ██┌──┘ ██┌─██┐ ██│ ██│
██████┐ ██│└██│ ██│ ██████┐ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██┐ ██████┐
└─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘
Followed by the note: "Module commun aux mondes interieurs et exterieurs" (Module shared between interior and exterior worlds).
EXTFUNC.CPP -- "3D-EXT"
████┐ █████┐ ██████┐ ██┐ ██┐ ██████┐
██┌─██┐ ██┌─██┐ ██┌───┘ ██│ ██│ └─██┌─┘
└─┘██┌┘ ██│ ██│ █████┐ └████┌┘ ██│
██┐└██┐ ██│ ██│ ██┌──┘ ██┌─██┐ ██│
└████┌┘ █████┌┘ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██│ ██│ ██│
└───┘ └────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘
HERCULE.CPP -- Three banners in one file
"CHANGES" (line 66):
██████┐ ██┐ ██┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██┐ ██┐ ██████┐ ██████┐
██┌───┘ ██│ ██│ ██┌─██│ └─██┌─┘ ███┐██│ ██┌───┘ ██┌───┘
██│ ██████│ ██████│ ██│ ██████│ █████┐ ██████┐
██│ ██┌─██│ ██┌─██│ ██│ ██┌███│ ██┌──┘ └───██│
██████┐ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██████┐ ██│└██│ ██████┐ ██████│
└─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └─────┘
"GRAPHICS" (line 245):
██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██┐ ██┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐
██┌───┘ ██┌─██│ ██┌─██│ ██┌─██│ ██│ ██│ └─██┌─┘ ██┌───┘ ██┌───┘
██│███┐ ██████│ ██████│ ██████│ ██████│ ██│ ██│ ██████┐
██│└██│ ██┌██┌┘ ██┌─██│ ██┌───┘ ██┌─██│ ██│ ██│ └───██│
██████│ ██│└██┐ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██████│
└─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘
"CAPTURE" (line 280):
██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██████┐ ██┐ ██┐ ██████┐ ██████┐
██┌───┘ ██┌─██│ ██┌─██│ └─██┌─┘ ██│ ██│ ██┌─██│ ██┌───┘
██│ ██████│ ██████│ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██████│ █████┐
██│ ██┌─██│ ██┌───┘ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██┌██┌┘ ██┌──┘
██████┐ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██│ ██████│ ██│└██┐ ██████┐
└─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─────┘
Style 2: half-block letters
This style uses upper/lower half-block characters (█▀▄) for a more compact look. It appears in many of the game logic modules and was likely the earlier or more common style used by the team.
SAVEGAME.CPP -- "SAVE GAME"
██▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █ █ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▄ ▄█ █▀▀▀▀
▀▀▀▀█ ██▀▀█ ██ ▄▀ ██▀▀ ██ ▀█ ██▀▀█ ██▀ █ ██▀▀
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
SAVEGAME.CPP -- "BUFFER FUNCS" (line 51)
█▀▀█ █ █ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀ █ █ ██▄ █ █▀▀▀▀ ██▀▀▀
██▀▀█ ██ █ ██▀▀ ██▀▀ ██▀▀ ██▀█▀ ██▀▀ ██ █ ██▀██ ██ ▀▀▀▀█
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
SAVEGAME.CPP -- "DISK FUNCS" (line 146)
█▀▀▀▄ █ ██▀▀▀ █ ▄▀ █▀▀▀▀ █ █ ██▄ █ █▀▀▀▀ ██▀▀▀
██ █ ██ ▀▀▀▀█ ██▀▄ ██▀▀ ██ █ ██▀██ ██ ▀▀▀▀█
▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
SORT.CPP -- "INT SORT" + "Tri Interieur"
█ ██▄ █ ▀▀█▀▀ ██▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ ▀▀█▀▀
██ ██▀██ ██ ▀▀▀▀█ ██ █ ██▀█▀ ██
▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀
Tri Intérieur
"Interior Sort" -- with the French label below the banner.
COMPORTE.CPP -- "COMPORTEMENT"
█▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▄ ▄█ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▄ ▄█ █▀▀▀▀ ██▄ █ ▀▀█▀▀
██ ██ █ ██▀ █ ██▀▀▀ ██ █ ██▀█▀ ██ ██▀▀ ██▀ █ ██▀▀ ██▀██ ██
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀
"Behaviour" -- the AI behaviour/scripting system.
BUGGY.CPP -- "BUGGY"
█▀▀█ █ █ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █ ▄▀
██▀▀█ ██ █ ██ ▀█ ██ ▀█ ██▀
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀
FLOW.CPP -- "PARTICLES"
█▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ ▀▀█▀▀ █ █▀▀▀▀ █ █▀▀▀▀ ██▀▀▀
██▀▀▀ ██▀▀█ ██▀█▀ ██ ██ ██ ██ ██▀▀ ▀▀▀▀█
▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
DART.CPP -- "FLECHETTES"
█▀▀▀▀ █ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █ █ █▀▀▀▀ ▀▀█▀▀ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ ██▀▀▀
██▀▀ ██ ██▀▀ ██ ██▀▀█ ██▀▀ ██ ██ ██▀▀ ▀▀▀▀█
▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
"Darts" in French -- the blowgun dart weapon system.
FIRE.CPP -- "FIRE" (in ASM comment style)
; █▀▀▀▀ █ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀
; ██▀▀ ██ ██▀█▀ ██▀▀
; ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
Followed by: "; grossse optimisations a faire ......" ("big optimizations to do......" -- with a typo in "grossse").
GRILLE.CPP -- "GRILLE"
█▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █ █ █ █▀▀▀▀
██ ▀█ ██▀█▀ ██ ██ ██ ██▀▀
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
"Grid" -- the brick/tile grid rendering system.
GERETRAK.CPP -- "GERE TRACK"
█▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀ █ ▄▀
██ ▀█ ██▀▀ ██▀█▀ ██▀▀ ██ ██▀█▀ ██▀▀█ ██ ██▀▄
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀
"Manage Track" -- the track/path management system.
GERELIFE.CPP -- "DO LIFE"
█▀▀▀▄ █▀▀▀█ █ █ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀
██ █ ██ █ ██ ██ ██▀▀ ██▀▀
▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
The "life script" interpreter -- the scripting engine that drives game logic.
GLOBAL.CPP -- "PERSO"
█▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ ██▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█
██▀▀▀ ██▀▀ ██▀█▀ ▀▀▀▀█ ██ █
▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
"Perso" -- short for "personnage" (character). Global character data.
MUSIC.CPP -- "CD"
█▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▄
██ ██ █
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀
The CD audio playback module -- charmingly minimal banner for a small module.
PATCH.CPP -- "PATCHES"
█▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █ █ █▀▀▀▀ ██▀▀▀
██▀▀▀ ██▀▀█ ██ ██ ██▀▀█ ██▀▀ ▀▀▀▀█
▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
INCRUST.CPP -- "INCRUST DISP"
█ ██▄ █ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █ █ ██▀▀▀ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀▄ █ ██▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█
██ ██▀██ ██ ██▀█▀ ██ █ ▀▀▀▀█ ██ ██ █ ██ ▀▀▀▀█ ██▀▀▀
▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀
FICHE.CPP -- "SCRIPT"
██▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █ █▀▀▀█ ▀▀█▀▀
▀▀▀▀█ ██ ██▀█▀ ██ ██▀▀▀ ██
▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀
DISKFUNC.CPP -- "DISK FUNC"
█▀▀▀▄ █ ██▀▀▀ █ ▄▀ █▀▀▀▀ █ █ ██▄ █ █▀▀▀▀
██ █ ██ ▀▀▀▀█ ██▀▄ ██▀▀ ██ █ ██▀██ ██
▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
3DEXT/DECORS.CPP -- "DECORS"
█▀▀▀▄ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ ██▀▀▀
██ █ ██▀▀ ██ ██ █ ██▀█▀ ▀▀▀▀█
▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
3DEXT/TERRAIN.CPP -- "TERRAIN"
▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ █ ██▄ █
██ ██▀▀ ██▀█▀ ██▀█▀ ██▀▀█ ██ ██▀██
▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀
3DEXT/MAPTOOLS.CPP -- "MAP TOOLS"
█▄ ▄█ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ █ ██▀▀▀
██▀ █ ██▀▀█ ██▀▀▀ ██ ██ █ ██ █ ██ ▀▀▀▀█
▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
3DEXT/VAR_EXT.CPP -- "VAR EXT.C"
█ █ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀█ █▀▀▀▀ ▀▄ ▄▀ ▀▀█▀▀ █▀▀▀▀
██ ▄▀ ██▀▀█ ██▀█▀ ██▀▀ ▄▀▄ ██ ▄▄ ██
▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀
Note the ▄▄ used as a period in "EXT.C".
Decorative separators
Beyond word banners, the developers used several styles of decorative separator lines:
Upper half-block bars (▀▀▀)
Used extensively in WAGON.H, WAGON.CPP, VALIDPOS.H, VALIDPOS.CPP, SORT.H, SORT.CPP:
//▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Box-drawing lines (───)
Used in SCAN.H, SCAN.CPP:
//──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Double-line frames (═══)
Used throughout the codebase to frame banners and section headers:
/*══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════*/
Box-drawing documentation blocks
Used in LIB386/pol_work/ ASM files for function-level documentation:
; ╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
; ║ TestVisible : Tests the visibility of a poly ║
; ╟─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
; ║ Call: ESI = Pointer on an array of STRUC_POINT ║
; ╟─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
; ║ Return: EAX = TRUE if polygon visible ║
; ╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝