cahb/fallout2-ce-coop

This is a modified version of Fallout 2 Community Edition that adds cooperative multiplayer to the classic 1998 RPG. It splits the game into two pieces: a headless dedicated server that owns the shared world, and the normal game client that connects to that server as a viewer and player. You can still play single-player if you want, since the client works as the ordinary game when no server is set. The server model is straightforward. When nobody is connected, the simulation freezes: the clock pauses, NPCs stop, and the server waits. The first player to join unfreezes the world. When the last player leaves, it freezes again and keeps listening for reconnects. This means the world is persistent and players can drop in and out without restarting anything. Each player gets their own character with a separate body, inventory, stats, skills, and perks. Your identity is tied to a name, so connecting with the same name brings back the same character. The server handles synced combat, dialog, trading, cutscenes, inventory changes, worldmap travel, and random encounters. One player is designated the host and controls map transitions and conversations to keep the shared world coherent. The README is honest that large parts of the co-op layer were written with AI coding assistants under human direction, and warns you to expect rough edges and read the code before relying on it. You must own a legal copy of Fallout 2, since the project ships no game assets. You supply the data files from your own installation. Running a server involves setting environment variables for the map, network port, and admin command port. There are detailed references for all the configuration options, save and load commands, and known limitations in separate documentation files. The full README is longer than what was shown.