Build System Overview

👉 This skill provides an overview of the GnollHack build system architecture, showing the interaction between the C core game engine, native libraries, C# wrappers, and .NET MAUI projects.

🏗️ Architecture Layers

The GnollHack build system is structured into several layers:

• C Core Engine: The original NetHack game engine, modified and extended for GnollHack. It builds native libraries (gnollhackwin.dll for Windows, libgnollhackdroid.so for Android, libgnollhackios.a for iOS).
• C# Wrapper (GnollHackX): A shared C# project that uses P/Invoke to interface with the native C libraries. This layer also contains legacy Xamarin.Forms UI elements.
• .NET MAUI Client (GnollHackM): The modern presentation layer targeting Android, iOS, and Windows. It consumes the C# wrapper and native libraries to present the game.

🛠️ Build Process Overview

1. Native Compilation (GnollHack.sln):
   • You must first build the native solution located in win\win32\vs\GnollHack.sln.
   • Building this solution compiles the C core into native libraries.
   • MSBuild tasks in this solution (e.g., dirs.props, aftergnollhackdll.proj, afterdroidutils.proj, copytilesetdroid.proj) automatically copy the generated libraries, nhdat (the compiled game data), tilesets, and configuration files (defaults.gnh, sysconf, etc.) into the respective platform directories of the GnollHackM project.
   • For Android and iOS native libraries, this involves WSL and Mac cross-compilation respectively, managed through MSBuild.
2. MAUI Compilation (GnollHackM.sln):
   • After the native assets are copied, you build the modern client solution located in win\win32\xpl\GnollHackM\GnollHackM.sln.
   • This compiles the .NET MAUI application, bundling the native libraries and assets prepared in the previous step.

⚠️ Important Constraints

• Do Not Edit XAML in GnollHackM: XAML files and shared C# logic are automatically translated and copied from the legacy GnollHackX project to GnollHackM during the build process. Always make UI changes in GnollHackX.
• Solution Configurations: Ensure you match the configurations (Debug/Release) between the native GnollHack.sln and the MAUI GnollHackM.sln. If you change one, you must rebuild the other to match.