Mission archive // read-only
Kun-Zhi Engine
Custom graphics engine for EM-8ER — Firefall’s spiritual successor
EM-8ER — a Firefall preservation project, and the spiritual successor future version.
Timeline window
Feb 24, 2026 → Sep 10, 2026
0 days of development
Lines written over time
0
Repo adds · generated SPIR-V headers excluded
Living engine source
0
src/ net · SPIR-V headers excluded
Engine source files
0
Unique src/ paths · SPIR-V headers excluded
Build updates
0 / 979
Steps along the chronicle
Signal field
Daily build activity — brighter cells mean heavier work that day
145 active days
Hover a cell · click to jump the time scrub
Velocity trace
Build pace & line flow over time — 7-day smoothed
Feb 23, 2026 · 2 updates · +3,483 / −10 lines
Drag across · click to jump
At this moment 1/2
Latest milestone reached
V0.1.0
v0.1.0: Vulkan hello world — window + clear to cornflower blue
Feb 24, 2026
Prior campaign // EM-8ER
LOC pace vs prior campaign
Pace = living src/ LOC/year · not ship-speed or same scope
Pace // LOC/year
-76.1%
faster LOC/year vs EM-8ER C++ + Blueprint estimate (0.2× the rate)
Living src/ ÷ full Kaiju chronicle (6.5 mo) · EM-8ER ÷ M3→same end
Native C++ only: 8.2% faster (1.1×)
Kun-Zhi Engine
951
living lines in src/ (this scrub moment)
6.5 mo chronicle · 197 days
1,760 LOC/yr over that full window
Scrub so far: 1 day elapsed (stock only)
EM-8ER
68.0K
total logic · 15.0K C++ + 53.0K BP est.
9.2 yr · since Jun 2017 (M3 campaign)
7,371 LOC/yr with Blueprints
Stock — living src/ so far: 0.0× EM-8ER’s total logic (C++ + BP est.), 0.1× native C++ only. Pace is LOC/year — not the same as stock.
BP assumption — EM-8ER Blueprints ≈ 53k C++-equivalent LOC (K2Node proxy × 5; game Content; AnimBPs off). Not a line count from disk. Native C++ is non-blank lines under game Source/. Kaiju side is git living lines under src/ only.
Scrub updates living stock; pace still annualizes over the full chronicle window
Rebuild cost delivered // Firefall + modern renderer
Firefall graphics — and beyond — running in Kaiju
Labor floor on Firefall scope · in-engine, not a valuation
Estimated Rebuild Cost Delivered
$0
($5.4M – $5.8M adjusted for inflation)
Firefall’s graphics feature set, plus a modern renderer with PBR, advanced lighting, and planetary scale — running in-engine now. Rebuilt in 6.5 mo of Kaiju work. Scope is our product assessment.
Cost window: 3 years graphics bootstrap · full studio calendar: 9 years (founded 2005 → launch Jul 2014)
How that cost is priced
Firefall graphics team: 5 programmers × 3 years engine bootstrap = 15 person-years
$150K/yr salary + 50% overhead → $225K fully loaded / engineer / year
Cost approach only — the labor floor. Not a valuation, which would likely be higher.
Assumption — Dollar figure is rebuild cost for the original Firefall graphics-team scope only. Kaiju also includes modern PBR, advanced lighting, and planetary scale beyond that era — those are not added into this cost. Not studio, IP, or market value. Salary is period pay (~2005–2007). Scope is our product judgment, not a LOC match.
Renderer compare // Firefall vs Kaiju
Firefall Era Tech vs what ships in Kaiju now
✓ yes · ~ partial · ✗ no