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Overview

This guide will walk you through compiling CoD4 Unleashed Server from source code. The build process is straightforward and uses standard compilation tools.

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Prerequisites

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Required Tools

To compile CoD4U-Server, you’ll need the following installed:
  • gcc (Linux) or mingw32 (Windows)
  • nasm (Netwide Assembler)
  • libcurl (for HTTP/HTTPS support)

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Linux Installation

sudo apt-get install nasm build-essential libcurl4-openssl-dev

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nasm:i386 build-essential gcc-multilib g++-multilib libcurl4-openssl-dev:i386

sudo pacman -S base-devel nasm curl

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Windows Dependencies

For Windows builds, you’ll need to install:

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Building on Linux

1

Clone the repository

First, obtain the source code:
git clone https://github.com/atrX/CoD4-Unleashed-Server.git
cd CoD4-Unleashed-Server
2

Run the build script

Execute the Linux build script:
./build_elf.sh
This script will:
  • Compile all C source files with -m32 flag (32-bit)
  • Assemble all ASM hook files using NASM
  • Link everything together with required libraries
  • Output the binary to bin/cod4u_lnx
3

Verify the build

Check that the executable was created successfully:
ls -lh bin/cod4u_lnx
The binary should be approximately 2-4 MB in size.

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Build Process Details

The Linux build script performs the following operations:
  1. C Compilation: Compiles all C files with these flags:
    • -m32: Build 32-bit binary
    • -O0 -g: No optimization, with debug symbols
    • -fno-omit-frame-pointer: Keep frame pointers for debugging
    • -mtune=nocona: Optimize for Intel Nocona architecture
  2. ASM Compilation: Assembles hook files:
    • qcommon_hooks.asm, cmd_hooks.asm, filesystem_hooks.asm
    • xassets_hooks.asm, trace_hooks.asm, misc_hooks.asm
    • scr_vm_hooks.asm, g_sv_hooks.asm, server_hooks.asm
    • msg_hooks.asm, pluginexports.asm
  3. Linking: Links with required libraries:
    • libcurl (HTTP/HTTPS support)
    • libtomcrypt_linux, libtommath_linux (cryptography)
    • Standard libraries: dl, pthread, m, stdc++

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Building on Windows

1

Set up the environment

Ensure MinGW32 and NASM are in your system PATH. The build script automatically adds NASM from %LOCALAPPDATA%\nasm.
2

Run the build script

Execute the Windows build script:
build_win32.cmd
This script will:
  • Compile all C source files for Windows
  • Assemble all ASM hook files with COFF format
  • Link with Windows-specific libraries
  • Create plugin export library
  • Output the binary to bin/cod4u_win32.exe
3

Verify the build

The build script will automatically:
  • Clean up object files
  • Generate plugin export definitions using pexports
  • Create libcom_plugin.a for plugin development
  • Display completion message with output location

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Windows Build Details

The Windows build differs from Linux in several ways:
  1. Compiler Flags:
    • -march=nocona instead of -mtune
    • -D WINVER=0x501: Target Windows XP and later
    • COFF object format for NASM with --prefix _
  2. Linking:
    • Custom linker script: linkerscript_win32.ld
    • Image base: 0x8040000
    • Windows libraries: ws2_32, wsock32, gdi32, winmm
    • Static linking: -static-libgcc
  3. Plugin Support:
    • Exports all plugin API functions
    • Creates libcom_plugin.a import library
    • Required for developing custom plugins

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Compilation Flags

-m32                        // 32-bit compilation
-Wall                       // All warnings
-O0 -g                     // Debug build
-fno-omit-frame-pointer    // Keep frame pointers
-mtune=nocona              // Optimize for Nocona
-D COD4U                   // Define CoD4U macro
-D _GNU_SOURCE             // GNU extensions

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Output Files

After a successful build, you’ll find:
PlatformBinary LocationSize
Linuxbin/cod4u_lnx~2-4 MB
Windowsbin/cod4u_win32.exe~2-4 MB
Additionally, Windows builds create:
  • bin/cod4u_win32.def: Export definitions
  • plugins/libcom_plugin.a: Plugin development library

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Troubleshooting Build Issues

Make sure libcurl development package is installed:
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install libcurl4-openssl-dev:i386

# Or try alternative
sudo apt-get install libcurl4-gnutls-dev:i386
Install NASM assembler:
# Linux
sudo apt-get install nasm:i386

# Windows - Download from https://www.nasm.us/
# Add to PATH or place in %LOCALAPPDATA%\nasm
On 64-bit systems, install 32-bit development tools:
sudo apt-get install gcc-multilib g++-multilib
Install Win32 OpenSSL:
  • Download from slproweb.com
  • Install Win32 OpenSSL v1.1.1g or later
  • Make sure DLLs are in PATH or same directory as exe

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Development Builds

The default build configuration is optimized for development:
  • Debug symbols (-g): Enabled for debugging
  • Optimization (-O0): Disabled for easier debugging
  • Frame pointers: Kept for better stack traces

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Creating Release Builds

For production use, modify the build scripts: 
# Change -O0 to -O2 or -O3 for optimization
# Remove -g to strip debug symbols
# Add -s to strip binary after linking

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Cross-Compilation

You can cross-compile the Windows version from Linux: 
# Install MinGW cross-compiler
sudo apt-get install mingw-w64

# Modify build_win32.cmd to use i686-w64-mingw32-gcc
# instead of gcc

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Next Steps

After successfully building the server:
  1. See Installation for deployment instructions
  2. Check Configuration for setup options
  3. Review Troubleshooting if you encounter issues
The build process creates a debug build by default. For production deployments, consider creating an optimized release build with debug symbols stripped.

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