Developer Uses DeepSeek on Phone to Reverse-Engineer Super Smash Bros. into 5,000 Lines of C
Developer @yacineMTB demonstrates a hardcore AI coding practice: using only a phone and the open-source model DeepSeek, he successfully reverse-engineered the classic game Super Smash Bros. into about 5,000 lines of C code. This case proves that open-source large models, combined with custom engineering tools, are fully capable of handling complex, long-duration reverse-engineering tasks, providing a highly valuable paradigm for on-device complex code generation.
Confirmed
- Core achievement: Using the DeepSeek model (version suspected to be deepseek-0731, as noted by @pvncher), he completed the complex refactoring of about 5,000 lines of C code entirely on a phone.
- Engineering tool: To control the open-source model for complex long-duration programming, the developer built a custom tmux-auto tool that keeps the agent project on track for extended periods.
- Environment setup: Specific engineering steps included extending the Dolphin emulator and integrating custom tools to train the AI to play the game.
Unconfirmed
- The specific model version (deepseek-0731) is only a community guess and has not been officially confirmed.
Why it matters
- Open-source model potential: @yacineMTB found that some closed models (like Sol) exhibit "reward hacking" behavior, taking shortcuts, ignoring requirements, and wasting tokens; in contrast, open-source models with proper engineering control can better accomplish complex hardcore tasks.
2026-08-07 ~ 2026-08-08 · 7 related posts
Primary sources
- Developer Reverse-Engineers Super Smash Bros. Melee into 5000 Lines of C Using DeepSeek on a Phone — yacineMTB ·
- Dev Ships Complex Reverse-Engineering with Open Source Models and Custom Agent Tools — yacineMTB ·
- Custom tmux Tool Keeps Open Source Models on Track for Long Coding Sessions — yacineMTB ·
- [source] Developer Reverse-Engineers Super Smash Bros. Melee into 5000 Lines of C Using DeepSeek on a Phone — yacineMTB · 2026-08-07
- [source] Custom tmux Tool Keeps Open Source Models on Track for Long Coding Sessions — yacineMTB · 2026-08-07
- Training AI to Play Smash Bros with Open Source Models & Custom tmux Tool — yacineMTB · 2026-08-07
- [source] Dev Ships Complex Reverse-Engineering with Open Source Models and Custom Agent Tools — yacineMTB · 2026-08-07