HWAoI Compiler v0.1.0-alpha.6 (Windows x64 preview)

HWAoI Compiler v0.1.0-alpha.6

Portable Windows x64 compiler, built from ac7b0d314d1fee2c8bb682eb3d96c2a623c40f41.

Changes since alpha.5

• Combat and lighting: GPU QUADS batching, fewer unnecessary guest barriers, and buffer-texture support for local lights. These include LibertyPrime27's contributions in #10.
• Less host memory overhead: compact command records, smaller Vulkan pools, background reclamation, and checksummed compression of unused program source. Registration-time shader prefetch is compatible with the compressed source cache.
• Latest memory update (#13): idle command-copy compression, recovery of unused SPIR-V from its verified cache, and automatic demand-commit guest heap backing when system commit headroom is low. The contributor reports lower retained memory in extended play; this release does not claim all 16 GiB systems are now covered. Demand-commit mode can add loading stalls.
• Fewer first-use freezes: prioritized background shader work and compute-pipeline prebuilding. Required compute dispatches are still executed.
• Update and DLC inputs: separate update/DLC NUP fields and verified add-on installation/mounting (#9).
• Controls and compiler improvements: per-player devices/bindings, two-player controller plumbing, bindable host-menu action, window settings, and an icon extracted locally from your own package (#11). Full co-op mission coverage remains unverified here.
• Updated project introduction and credits. Thanks to LibertyPrime27 for #9, #10, #11 and #13, on top of the upstream DKB Recomp work.

Download and use

1. Download HWAoI-Compiler-Windows-x64.zip and extract the complete ZIP.
2. Open HWAoI-Compiler.exe, choose your matching NUP and a writable output folder outside the compiler folder.
3. Select optional update/DLC files if needed, then click Compile / update. Use Open compiled game after it finishes.

An existing compiler-owned output can be updated or resumed; saves and settings are retained. Keep the required game NUP and output at their original locations. The ZIP includes Python/Tk, the C/C++ compiler, Ninja, runtime dependencies, the shader translator, source and licenses. The small launcher EXE needs the rest of the ZIP.

Only the exact 04003F40232DE000 / NCM 196608 module/resource identities are accepted. NCM is an internal version, not the display version. Encrypted XCI/NSP files and other game builds are unsupported. Allow at least 20 GiB free for a new output. Windows 10/11 x64, an AVX2 CPU and a Vulkan GPU are required; 32 GiB RAM remains recommended.

Known limitations

• 1080p / 60 FPS is the testing baseline. Non-60 FPS modes still have gameplay-speed errors. The separate FPS++ timing work is not included in this release.
• Higher-resolution UI/movie scaling remains unfinished. The experimental UI projection work is not included. Ultrawide, HDR, Linux/Steam Deck and launcher integrations are not validated release features.
• Crowded combat, long sessions and later missions still need broader testing. No whole-game performance guarantee is made.
• Some buffer-texture numeric-format paths remain under investigation; the uncommitted rendering experiments are not bundled.

Validation

• Clean checkout at the source revision above: 186 regression tests completed, 179 passed and 7 skipped for unavailable local deployment fixtures. Content guard and its 14 tests passed.
• ZIP CRC, every manifest file hash, bundle integrity and compiler GUI layout/default-state self-test passed.
• The packaged tools successfully updated an isolated existing output with a non-ASCII path, reusing game resources and unchanged generated/native work, then compiled and linked the current runtime.
• Packaged-runtime startup reached the initial game settings screen; more than 14,000 frames were presented with no fatal error and the last frame-rate sample near 60 FPS. This is startup coverage, not a playthrough.
• That compiled runtime passed the kernel probe, 1,026 NVN checks, and 6,416 GPU geometry checks with zero validation errors.

No ROMs, keys, firmware, generated game C, game shader payloads, artwork or compiled game are included. The game is compiled locally from your own files and the resulting output is not for redistribution.

ZIP SHA-256: a83aefe4722d3feeac1a7b3d4221450a1037eab7dae1e502e197e379de0fbfa6.

HWAoI Compiler v0.1.0-alpha.5 (Windows x64 preview)

HWAoI Compiler v0.1.0-alpha.5

A portable Windows x64 compiler for building HWAoI Recomp from your own matching NUP.

Changes since alpha.1

• Fix for #2: complete standalone_update NUPs without a base record are now accepted. The exact executable hashes and the full 2,153-file resource inventory must match the supported build. Partial updates, DLC-containing packages, other games and other builds remain unsupported. This fixes the package-layout rejection; the reporter's actual NUP has not been tested.
• Faster compilation and updates: reuse verified resource caches, generated C and native objects. Resume cancelled builds in the same compiler-owned output. Build jobs 0 automatically chooses workers from available RAM and system commit, with large C files compiled one at a time. Local benchmarks reduced generation from about 155 to 66 seconds and native compilation from about 763 to 347 seconds; a warm workflow took about 5 seconds. Results depend on the PC and cache state.
• Rendering and memory fixes: add bounded conversion of small CPU-authored RGBA8 comparison textures up to 8x8, and check Windows commit headroom before automatic GPU memory mirroring. The specific community crash scenes still need retesting.
• Combat performance candidate: NVN2 indirect QUADS can convert their arguments and indices on the GPU, avoiding an ordered CPU readback. GPU and recorder tests pass; a crowded-combat FPS improvement has not yet been measured.
• Experimental FPS work: inherited and fixed scheduler steps now use each node's elapsed clock. Clock checks pass at 30/60/90/120 targets, but character movement still has a separate frame-dependent speed error.

Download and use

1. Download HWAoI-Compiler-Windows-x64.zip and extract the complete ZIP.
2. Open HWAoI-Compiler.exe, select your matching game NUP and an output folder outside the compiler folder.
3. Click Compile / update, then Open compiled game after completion. An existing HWAoI compiler output can be updated; saves and settings are retained.

Python/Tk, LLVM/Clang/LLD, Ninja, dependencies, the shader translator, source and licenses are included. No game files, keys, firmware, generated game C or compiled game are distributed. Keep your NUP and output at their original paths.

Only title 04003F40232DE000 / NCM 196608 with the profiled module/resource identities is accepted. NCM is an internal version, not the display version. Encrypted XCI/NSP files are unsupported. Allow at least 20 GiB free for a fresh output. Windows 10/11 x64, an AVX2 CPU and Vulkan GPU are required; 32 GiB RAM is recommended.

Known limitations

• 1080p / 60 FPS remains the testing baseline. Opening movies, outdoor exploration and initial combat have been tested; a complete playthrough has not.
• Non-60 FPS modes still have gameplay-speed errors. The optional native unlock remains experimental and off by default.
• Higher resolutions remain unstable. 720p/1080p/1440p/4K 3D sizes have been checked; UI/movie scaling and broader gameplay need more work.
• Crowded combat can still slow down. No 120-FPS gameplay target or community crash fix is claimed as complete.

Validation

• 153 regression tests completed: 151 passed and 2 skipped. All 32 package/module-format tests passed.
• The packaged Python ran all 12 compiler tests. Bundle integrity, content checks, ZIP CRC/SHA-256 and the compiler window's layout/default-state self-test passed.
• The packaged tools updated an isolated compiler-owned workspace with a non-ASCII path, reusing its verified game resources, regenerating all three modules, compiling and linking successfully. The resulting executable passed the kernel probe and reached the initial settings screen; 6,360 presented frames were logged, with the last sample at 59.9 FPS and no fatal error logged before stopping the smoke test. This is startup validation, not a complete playthrough or a test of the issue reporter's NUP.

ZIP SHA-256: 44caf98e03e822c14304b883af462d8e99d9cde556ccbe67470fc666805e235e.

Source revision: d5c9ad1f564fe1f7de99fe2bae94fcccefc2841e.

HWAoI Compiler v0.1.0-alpha.1 (Windows x64 preview)

HWAoI Compiler - Windows x64 preview

A portable compiler window for building HWAoI Recomp locally from your own matching game NUP.

Download and use

1. Download HWAoI-Compiler-Windows-x64.zip and extract the complete archive.
2. Open HWAoI-Compiler.exe.
3. Select your game NUP and a new, empty output folder on a drive with at least 20 GiB free.
4. Click Compile game. After it finishes, click Open compiled game.

Python/Tk, LLVM/Clang/LLD, Ninja, runtime dependencies and the self-contained shader translator are included. No separate Python, .NET SDK or compiler installation is needed. The ZIP includes source code, component licenses and a SHA-256 file manifest. No game files, keys, firmware, generated game C or compiled game are included.

The compiler accepts only title 04003F40232DE000, internal NCM version 196608, with the exact module hashes in the game profile. NCM is not the displayed game version. Encrypted XCI/NSP files and other builds are unsupported. Keep the NUP and compiled output at their original paths; resource reads continue to use that NUP. Existing output is never overwritten; a cancelled or failed compilation needs a fresh output folder on retry.

Windows 10/11 x64, an AVX2 CPU and a Vulkan GPU are required. 32 GiB RAM is recommended. Compilation can take a while, especially on slower CPUs. Use a writable folder outside the extracted compiler folder for the output.

Current state and known limitations

• 1080p / 60 FPS is the current testing baseline. Opening exploration and initial combat run; a full playthrough is unverified.
• Modes other than 60 FPS currently accelerate gameplay. The optional 30/60/90/120 FPS native scheduler unlock is experimental and disabled unless selected when compiling. Game-speed correction is unfinished.
• Higher resolutions are unstable. 720p/1080p/1440p/4K render sizes have been checked, but broader gameplay, UI/movie scaling and memory behavior need more work.
• Ordinary opening gameplay has reached approximately 60 FPS on the RTX 4060 / Core i5-14600KF test PC; initial combat was reported around 45 FPS. Actual performance varies by scene and hardware.
• The local compiled output contains game-derived data and is not for redistribution.

Validation

The bundled tools completed a fresh NUP extraction, resource-cache preparation, full code generation, compilation and linking in a new workspace with a non-ASCII path and a restricted tool PATH. The resulting executable passed the kernel probe and booted; the launch log recorded 7,560 presented frames with the final sample around 59.8 FPS and no fatal error. This startup observation does not establish later-game compatibility.

132 regression tests completed (2 skipped), with the remaining tests passing. Bundle integrity, ZIP CRC, content checks and the compiler window's layout/default-state self-test passed.

Source revision: 5934380de13e21293191c51ecac86a247c7c2e63.