Building on Windows

This guide covers building LBA2 on Windows using MSYS2.

Prerequisites

1. MSYS2 - Download and install from msys2.org
2. After installation, update the package database:

   pacman -Syu
   

   (You may need to restart the terminal and run it again.)

Choosing an environment

MSYS2 provides multiple environments. Choose based on your needs:

Environment	Architecture	C Runtime	Windows Compatibility	Recommendation
UCRT64	64-bit	UCRT	Windows 10+ (built-in)	Recommended for most users
MINGW64	64-bit	MSVCRT	All Windows versions	Use for Windows 7/8 compatibility
MINGW32	32-bit	MSVCRT	All Windows versions	Legacy only

Important: Launch the correct shell for your chosen environment:

• Start Menu → "MSYS2 UCRT64" (or MINGW64, MINGW32)

Installing dependencies

From the appropriate MSYS2 shell:

UCRT64 (recommended)

pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-toolchain \
          mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-cmake \
          mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-ninja \
          mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-sdl3

MINGW64

pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-toolchain \
          mingw-w64-x86_64-cmake \
          mingw-w64-x86_64-ninja \
          mingw-w64-x86_64-sdl3

MINGW32 (legacy)

pacman -S mingw-w64-i686-toolchain \
          mingw-w64-i686-cmake \
          mingw-w64-i686-ninja \
          mingw-w64-i686-sdl3

Note: The package name is lowercase sdl3, not SDL3.

Building

Using CMake presets (recommended)

# UCRT64
cmake --preset windows_ucrt64
cmake --build --preset windows_ucrt64

# MINGW64
cmake --preset windows_mingw64
cmake --build --preset windows_mingw64

Presets use CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release by default (same idea as Linux/macOS presets and CI). For a Debug build (easier debugging, no optimization), override when configuring:

cmake --preset windows_ucrt64 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
cmake --build --preset windows_ucrt64

Manual build

cmake -B build -G Ninja
cmake --build build

The executable will be at out/build/windows_ucrt64/SOURCES/lba2cc.exe (preset) or build/SOURCES/lba2cc.exe (manual).

Running

Game assets required

LBA2 requires the original game files to run. These are not included in this repository. You need a legitimate copy of the game from GOG or Steam.

SDL3.dll

When running outside the MSYS2 environment:

• Copy SDL3.dll to the same directory as lba2cc.exe
• Or add the MSYS2 bin directory to your PATH

The DLL is located at:

• UCRT64: C:\msys64\ucrt64\bin\SDL3.dll
• MINGW64: C:\msys64\mingw64\bin\SDL3.dll
• MINGW32: C:\msys64\mingw32\bin\SDL3.dll

Troubleshooting

"command not found" for cmake/ninja/gcc

Make sure you're using the correct MSYS2 shell (UCRT64/MINGW64/MINGW32), not the generic MSYS shell. The compilers are only available in the MinGW-based shells.

Package not found

Update your package database:

pacman -Syu

SDL3 not found during cmake

Ensure you installed the SDL3 package for your specific environment (e.g., mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-sdl3 for UCRT64).

Build fails with ASM/UASM errors

This project no longer requires UASM. The x86 assembly has been ported to C++. If you see ASM-related errors, ensure you're using the latest code and haven't set -DENABLE_ASM=ON.

Binary crashes immediately

• Verify SDL3.dll is accessible (see above)
• Make sure you have the game assets in the expected location
• Run from a command prompt to see error messages

Legacy 32-bit build

For a 32-bit build, use the windows preset:

cmake --preset windows
cmake --build --preset windows

This requires MSYS2 MINGW32 and produces a 32-bit executable at out/build/windows/SOURCES/lba2cc.exe.