Project Picori v0.9.6

• Quicksaves replace disk snapshots atomically and preserve the previous save
  when writes fail. Save & Quit stays open and reports failure instead of exiting.
• Reject malformed randomizer sidecars and incorrectly sized graphics mods before
  they can overwrite memory.
• Integrate the launcher skip option, Windows asset-tool fixes, duplicate asset
  handling, parallel converters, faster extraction and cache-aware rebuilds.
  Converter embedding also works through the CMake tools build. Extraction keeps
  symlink targets safe and refreshes old regional caches after pipeline changes.
• Experimental 3D view draws entities beyond the original GBA bounds, keeps their
  wide-view shadows aligned, reduces scrolling flicker and uses the correct
  upper-layer height for wall fading. Default tile shapes ship with the game.
• Release archives include public randomizer logic and tile shapes; Android stages
  missing defaults into its writable data directory while preserving edits.
• Room-capture tours validate their inputs, report capture failures and permit
  long tours while retaining per-view timeouts.
• Optional HD dialogue smooths contours from the original ROM glyphs at window
  resolution, preserving lettering, layout and reveal timing. Enable it in
  F8 → Display; unsupported text effects retain their original rendering.
• Supported file-select and pause-menu backgrounds continue into widescreen
  margins using their native decorative tiles. Menu contents remain centered.
  Both enhancements are disabled in Console-Parity mode.
• Named rendering checks capture file select, inventory, a field and dialogue
  at top/bottom positions, with separate original, widescreen and HD baselines.
  Presentation capture includes overlays; failed captures cannot update goldens.

A valid original game ROM is required. The 3D view remains experimental. Android device QA and full regional playthroughs were not performed.

All six desktop platform builds and the dual-ABI Android APK passed CI. Local checks covered save fault injection, bounds sanitizers, PPU parity and software/Vulkan presentation scenes.

What's Changed

• Release v0.9.6: reviewed PR integration, rendering polish and reliability fixes by @999sian in #222
• Feat/skip launcher -- Add a way to skip launcher via --skip-launcher command line option or through checkbox in launcher gui by @jacobjordan94 in #206
• fix(port): stub gMapTop/gMapBottom for debug_actions_test by @jacobjordan94 in #207
• 3D view: default tile shapes, walls out of the way; roomcap tour mode by @HelaFaye in #210
• fix(3D view): stops fast flashing of flat 2D while the camera scrolls by @Strikeborn in #213
• fix(asset tools, Windows): write dungeon maps in binary mode ("w" → "wb"); Windows text mode shifted 462 map offsets by @Strikeborn in #214
• fix(extractor): duplicate asset-index entries race in loose output by @Strikeborn in #215
• perf(asset tools): full asset pass ~23 min → ~17 s on Windows (all cores, no cmd.exe, in-process gbagfx/aif2pcm) by @Strikeborn in #216
• perf(first launch): asset extraction ~22 s → ~6 s on Windows by @Strikeborn in #217
• fix(build): full rebuilds skip unchanged asset work (~15 min → ~24 s on Windows, faster on Linux too), and dist/ keeps its asset cache by @Strikeborn in #218
• fix(3D view): draw NPCs and objects across the whole 3D view, not just the old GBA screen area by @Strikeborn in #219
• fix(build, Windows): full build.py now finds asset_processor.exe and finishes by @Strikeborn in #212

New Contributors

• @jacobjordan94 made their first contribution in #206
• @HelaFaye made their first contribution in #210
• @Strikeborn made their first contribution in #213

Full Changelog: v0.9.5...v0.9.6