Havoc

Hi, I'm René "Havoc" Nicolaus.

Senior Software Engineer • Indie Game Developer

I build engines, editors, tools, libraries, web apps, and games - from a Half-Life mod to a Doom-style engine.

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Projects

A selection of my projects is showcased below, with more available on my GitHub account.

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The Pushing Point
A 3D take on [Sokoban](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokoban "Sokoban") puzzle gameplay.
February 20, 2025 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 0.1.0</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Havoc 3D
A beatable demo of my discontinued [ray casting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_casting "ray casting") engine.
November 02, 2024 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 0.3.1</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Dangerous Adventure in Space
My side-scrolling run-and-gun game, originally made for the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130916234139/http://ludumdare.com/compo/">Ludum Dare competition #27</a>.
Updated: February 05, 2024 (SDL 2.0 Version) <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 0.1.4</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Escape Made Easy (E.M.E.)
My [rougelike](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike "rougelike") game with a dynamic music system.
November 19, 2024 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 0.3</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Dark Tide
A small single-player map I originally created for <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2229830/Command__Conquer_and_The_Covert_Operations">Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn</a> on September 4, 2005, now updated to work with the <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1213210/Command__Conquer_Remastered_Collection">Remastered edition</a>. Installation instructions can be found on the project page.
Updated: September 16, 2025 (CnC TDRA Map Editor - Remastered Version) <span><svg class="bi bi-file-earmark icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn Map" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-file-earmark"></use></svg> C&C TD Map</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Wild Aim
A simple <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/10/CounterStrike">Counter-Strike</a> aim map I created for my old clan. Installation instructions can be found on the project page.
September 07, 2004 <span><svg class="bi bi-file-earmark icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Counter-Strike 1.6 Map" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-file-earmark"></use></svg> CS 1.6 Map</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Times of Darkness
A single-player mod for <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/70/HalfLife">Half-Life</a>. Installation instructions can be found on the project page.
September 27, 2003 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 1.0</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Times of Darkness 2 - Intro Song
Intro song from the canceled sequel: Times of Darkness 2.
February 15, 2004 <span><svg class="bi bi-filetype-mp3 icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="128 kbps MP3" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-filetype-mp3"></use></svg> MP3</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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havWndSwitcher
A [WinForms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Forms "WinForms")-based background app that registers global hotkeys to switch windows with optional switching rules. You need Windows 10 or later and the [.NET 8 Desktop Runtime](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/8.0/runtime ".NET 8 Desktop Runtime") to run this app.
December 31, 2025 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 1.0.0.0</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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havCurCtr
A [WinForms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Forms "WinForms")-based background app that registers a global hotkey to center the mouse cursor on the primary monitor. You need Windows 10 or later and the [.NET 8 Desktop Runtime](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/8.0/runtime ".NET 8 Desktop Runtime") to run this app.
August 24, 2025 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 1.0</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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IntAltGr
A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY">QWERTY</a>-based Windows keyboard layout that enables direct input of international characters (e.g., German <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umlaut_(diacritic)">umlauts</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9F">sharp S</a>) via <code>Alt Gr</code> (or <code>Ctrl</code> + <code>Alt</code>) modifier, without the "dead key" behavior of US-International.
Updated: October 10, 2025 (rebuilt) <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 1.0.3.40</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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havGSD
A task list plugin for <a href="https://codelite.org">CodeLite</a>.
September 13, 2025 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 0.2</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Havoc Startup Minimizer
A lightweight, efficient, and permission-free extension for <a href="https://www.thunderbird.net">Mozilla Thunderbird</a> that minimizes the main Thunderbird window immediately after startup. Installation instructions can be found on the project page.
November 16, 2025 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg>, <svg class="bi bi-apple icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="macOS Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-apple"></use></svg>, <svg class="bi bi-tux icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Linux Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-tux"></use></svg> Version 1.0</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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Havoc's Screen Saver
My very first Windows [screen saver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screensaver "screen saver").
February 07, 2024 <span><svg class="bi bi-windows icon-underline version-cursor" data-tooltip="Windows Version" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><use href="/libs/bootstrap-icons/bootstrap-icons.svg#bi-windows"></use></svg> Version 0.2</span> [DOWNLOAD_SIZE]
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About

I'm René "Havoc" Nicolaus - a Senior Software Engineer and Indie Game Developer who enjoys building things from the ground up: engines, editors, plugins, libraries, web apps, and the occasional full game or mod.

My projects range from Half-Life and Command & Conquer maps to a Doom-style engine, as well as tools and utilities that make my workflow smoother and more efficient. Some of my projects are on GitHub - others live here, with individual project detail pages, a dedicated downloads area, and a news section for updates.

If you're interested in engines, editors, tools, or games, feel free to follow along via GitHub, YouTube, LinkedIn, or the other feeds linked above.