Tidycade 0.13.0

Favourites, Recently played and a clearer first install.

• Local Favourites and Recently played in browser and native menu. Recent means an accepted launcher start, not play time or completed gameplay.
• First-run guidance offers actual tested-setup starting points when available, with baseline and evidence limits. Offline/legacy-only lists use neutral genre guidance.
• Native build requirements and scrollable notes keep Play, Return and Quit visible.

No new games or game recipes. Existing online catalogue50Ubuntu/14Windows, included offline25/14, subject to device requirements. Carry the home folder forward while Tidycade is closed to keep installs, saves and local lists.

Changed paths checked in the exact frozen Ubuntu and Windows-under-Wine builds: favourite API/persistence, failed-start exclusion, restart history with a private local browser fixture, actual recent Play, native keyboard views and mobile layout. Real accepted live catalogue rev24checked for first-run choices. No new physical-controller, native-Windows hardware, audio/GPU or all-games claim. Windows is unsigned. No account or analytics service.

Download the named source ZIP for matching application source; automatic GitHub source archives describe the downloads repository. Keep licenses and attribution with player archives.

Tidycade 0.12.2

Native library views and clearer build requirements.

• Controller menu: All games, Installed and Running views, stable selection on refresh, clearer empty states and a layout checked at 760x540.
• Browser: package testing scope and evidence links, full build notes, consistent genres and corrected spacing.
• Game-list updates distinguish safety rejection from connection trouble and keep the current library.

No new games: the online catalogue remains50Ubuntu/14Windows, with25/14offline. Existing installs and saves are kept by carrying the home folder forward while Tidycade is closed.

Changed paths checked in frozen Ubuntu and Windows-under-Wine executables, including real-keyboard native views, live catalogue and controlled HTTPS install/cancel/resume/hash verification. No new physical-controller, native-Windows hardware, Wayland or all-games claim. Windows is unsigned.

Download the named source ZIP for matching application source; automatic GitHub source archives describe the downloads repository. Keep licenses and attribution with the player archives.

Tidycade 0.12.1 - native download progress and safe cancel

Tidycade 0.12.1

Browse free games, install the ones you want and play them. Windows and Ubuntu use the same launcher code, interface and TC application icon. Games download separately.

Patch update

0.12.1 adds live download size/stage to the native controller menu while an install is running. Its Install action becomes Cancel install, with Keep downloading selected by default. Back leaves the download running. Cancellation waits for the current step, keeps resumable partials and does not mean a completed install. A stale confirmation cannot cancel a different retry. The normal browser interface, catalogue and game recipes are unchanged.

Play

Windows: extract the complete Windows ZIP into a folder you can write to, then open tidycade-windows-x86_64.exe. Ubuntu: extract the complete Ubuntu archive, then open tidycade-ubuntu-x86_64. Allow it to run as a program if your file manager asks. Python and the native controller-menu runtime are included. Keep the notices and other supplied files with the executable.

The normal launcher opens in your existing browser at http://localhost:8866/. Keyboard and mouse still work. Internet is needed for game downloads. Only one launcher can use the default ports. Do not run as root/administrator or bypass publisher/security warnings automatically. The Windows executable is unsigned.

Optional Ubuntu applications-menu entry: run python3 install-desktop.py from the extracted folder. It registers this copy and its TC icon for your user only, with no sudo. Run it again if you move the folder. Delete ~/.local/share/applications/tidycade.desktop to remove the entry (or its equivalent under XDG_DATA_HOME).

Keep your existing games and saves

While Tidycade is closed, keep its home folder beside the new executable when upgrading. It holds installs, settings, cached game lists and launcher-managed saves. Check the new copy before removing the old one. Games can also store saves in their normal user-data folders. Uninstall intentionally keeps launcher-managed saves.

Controller navigation and return

A controller recognized by SDL's standard game-controller mapping can open the native Tidycade controller menu with its Guide/Home button. Where the operating system reserves that button, hold Back + Start together for about 0.8 seconds instead. No operating-system button binding is changed. Home/Guide capture is not guaranteed for every controller or system.

The controller menu stays hidden during normal startup, so the existing game-card browser remains the main launcher. A keyboard/mouse user can open the same menu with the browser's Controller menu button.

In the controller menu:

• D-pad or left stick moves. Left/right switches between the game list and actions; up/down moves within them.
• A chooses an action. From the game list, A moves to Install/Play; press A again to use it.
• B hides the menu and returns to the game, or cancels an open confirmation.
• To switch native games, return to the menu, select the running game and choose Close selected game.... Unsaved progress may be lost. The confirmation starts on Cancel. Move to Close game and press A only when ready, then wait for the game to exit before playing another game.

Closing is a normal window-close request, not forced termination. A game can show its own save/exit prompt or ignore it. Use B to hide the menu if you need to answer a game prompt, then return again. Unknown, externally launched, detached and unsupported windows are refused rather than guessed. Browser games and some terminal/Wayland/fullscreen games may need their own Quit command. A launcher restart can lose ownership of an already running game. This is not a universal controller-only workflow for every game, and it does not add controller support inside games.

Held input is blocked until released on return, focus changes and confirmations. Normal browser foreground controller navigation remains available for browser-recognized standard-layout pads: D-pad/left stick moves, A activates, B closes a credits dialog. Keyboard and mouse remain available throughout.

If the browser is closed while an owned game or the controller menu is active, Tidycade stays running so return still works. With no game and the controller menu hidden, closing the last launcher/game browser tab stops Tidycade after a short grace period. Quit Tidycade refuses to abandon a running native game or an active operation; close the game and wait for the operation first.

Matched launcher, different game availability

The existing online catalogue has 50 Ubuntu and 14 Windows games on supported devices. The included offline fallback has 25 Ubuntu and 14 Windows games. Requirements filters can hide games. No new games or Windows recipes were added for this release. Search, shelves, downloads/resume, explicit updates, installed-game actions and saved-progress handling remain shared.

Pocket the Place and Platform Pests remain separate retained-rights games. Both official packages use original MIT text-only title cards for them instead of older retained-rights gameplay images. Other media and game launch recipes are unchanged.

Verification and limits

The changed native-install path was checked in both frozen patch executables: Ubuntu directly and Windows under Wine. Actual keyboard events drove native Install, live progress, default Keep, Back, confirmed cancellation and retry against a controlled HTTPS transfer. Retry resumed at the saved byte offset, then passed size/hash checks and showed Installed/Play. Existing source checks cover stale-job refusal, unrelated-job isolation and busy-quit guards. These checks do not add physical-controller or native-Windows coverage. The wider 0.12.0 checks below remain prior-release evidence for unchanged paths, not new all-game checks.

Both packaged executables opened their real interface and native menu: Ubuntu directly, Windows under Wine, not on a native Windows desktop. Their 50/14 game lists, TC branding, source/interface match and normal browser shutdown were checked. Both default to a hidden controller menu and have a tested keyboard/mouse fallback.

The input bridge passed 27 pure and real-SDL virtual-controller tests against the exact bundled Ubuntu SDL 2.28.4 library. The pinned official Windows SDL 2.28.4 DLL also exercised the real-game controller cycle under Wine. Actual Ubuntu SDL-Ball and OpenTyrian, and Windows OpenTyrian and Teeworlds under Wine, exercised launch, background return, held-input protection, Cancel, normal close and switching using virtual controller inputs. Owned/unowned same-title windows and a disappearing X11 window were checked separately. These are not physical-controller tests, native-Windows hardware tests, or coverage of every game, device, audio setup, GPU or full playthrough.

Keep LICENSE, LICENSING.md, THIRD_PARTY and attribution notices. Tidycade's own code is MIT-licensed; runtimes, games and media retain their own terms. The separately named source archive matches the launcher code/media in these binaries and includes the native runtime provenance/build instructions. GitHub's automatic Source code archives describe the downloads repository, not that separately attached application source.

Tidycade 0.12.0 - official Windows and Ubuntu release

Tidycade 0.12.0

Browse free games, install the ones you want and play them. Windows and Ubuntu use the same launcher code, interface and TC application icon. Games download separately.

Play

Windows: extract the complete Windows ZIP into a folder you can write to, then open tidycade-windows-x86_64.exe. Ubuntu: extract the complete Ubuntu archive, then open tidycade-ubuntu-x86_64. Allow it to run as a program if your file manager asks. Python and the native controller-menu runtime are included. Keep the notices and other supplied files with the executable.

The normal launcher opens in your existing browser at http://localhost:8866/. Keyboard and mouse still work. Internet is needed for game downloads. Only one launcher can use the default ports. Do not run as root/administrator or bypass publisher/security warnings automatically. The Windows executable is unsigned.

Optional Ubuntu applications-menu entry: run python3 install-desktop.py from the extracted folder. It registers this copy and its TC icon for your user only, with no sudo. Run it again if you move the folder. Delete ~/.local/share/applications/tidycade.desktop to remove the entry (or its equivalent under XDG_DATA_HOME).

Keep your existing games and saves

While Tidycade is closed, keep its home folder beside the new executable when upgrading. It holds installs, settings, cached game lists and launcher-managed saves. Check the new copy before removing the old one. Games can also store saves in their normal user-data folders. Uninstall intentionally keeps launcher-managed saves.

Controller navigation and return

A controller recognized by SDL's standard game-controller mapping can open the native Tidycade controller menu with its Guide/Home button. Where the operating system reserves that button, hold Back + Start together for about 0.8 seconds instead. No operating-system button binding is changed. Home/Guide capture is not guaranteed for every controller or system.

The controller menu stays hidden during normal startup, so the existing game-card browser remains the main launcher. A keyboard/mouse user can open the same menu with the browser's Controller menu button.

In the controller menu:

• D-pad or left stick moves. Left/right switches between the game list and actions; up/down moves within them.
• A chooses an action. From the game list, A moves to Install/Play; press A again to use it.
• B hides the menu and returns to the game, or cancels an open confirmation.
• To switch native games, return to the menu, select the running game and choose Close selected game.... Unsaved progress may be lost. The confirmation starts on Cancel. Move to Close game and press A only when ready, then wait for the game to exit before playing another game.

Closing is a normal window-close request, not forced termination. A game can show its own save/exit prompt or ignore it. Use B to hide the menu if you need to answer a game prompt, then return again. Unknown, externally launched, detached and unsupported windows are refused rather than guessed. Browser games and some terminal/Wayland/fullscreen games may need their own Quit command. A launcher restart can lose ownership of an already running game. This is not a universal controller-only workflow for every game, and it does not add controller support inside games.

Held input is blocked until released on return, focus changes and confirmations. Normal browser foreground controller navigation remains available for browser-recognized standard-layout pads: D-pad/left stick moves, A activates, B closes a credits dialog. Keyboard and mouse remain available throughout.

If the browser is closed while an owned game or the controller menu is active, Tidycade stays running so return still works. With no game and the controller menu hidden, closing the last launcher/game browser tab stops Tidycade after a short grace period. Quit Tidycade refuses to abandon a running native game or an active operation; close the game and wait for the operation first.

Matched launcher, different game availability

The existing online catalogue has 50 Ubuntu and 14 Windows games on supported devices. The included offline fallback has 25 Ubuntu and 14 Windows games. Requirements filters can hide games. No new games or Windows recipes were added for this release. Search, shelves, downloads/resume, explicit updates, installed-game actions and saved-progress handling remain shared.

Pocket the Place and Platform Pests remain separate retained-rights games. Both official packages use original MIT text-only title cards for them instead of older retained-rights gameplay images. Other media and game launch recipes are unchanged.

Verification and limits

Both packaged executables opened their real interface and native menu: Ubuntu directly, Windows under Wine, not on a native Windows desktop. Their 50/14 game lists, TC branding, source/interface match and normal browser shutdown were checked. Both default to a hidden controller menu and have a tested keyboard/mouse fallback.

The input bridge passed 27 pure and real-SDL virtual-controller tests against the exact bundled Ubuntu SDL 2.28.4 library. The pinned official Windows SDL 2.28.4 DLL also exercised the real-game controller cycle under Wine. Actual Ubuntu SDL-Ball and OpenTyrian, and Windows OpenTyrian and Teeworlds under Wine, exercised launch, background return, held-input protection, Cancel, normal close and switching using virtual controller inputs. Owned/unowned same-title windows and a disappearing X11 window were checked separately. These are not physical-controller tests, native-Windows hardware tests, or coverage of every game, device, audio setup, GPU or full playthrough.

Keep LICENSE, LICENSING.md, THIRD_PARTY and attribution notices. Tidycade's own code is MIT-licensed; runtimes, games and media retain their own terms. The separately named source archive matches the launcher code/media in these binaries and includes the native runtime provenance/build instructions. GitHub's automatic Source code archives describe the downloads repository, not that separately attached application source.

Tidycade 0.11.0 - official Windows and Ubuntu release

Tidycade 0.11.0

Browse free games, install the ones you want and play them. This is the first matched official Windows and Ubuntu release, built from the same launcher code and interface.

Play

Windows: extract the Windows ZIP into a folder you can write to, then open tidycade-windows-x86_64.exe. Python is included. The executable has the official TC application icon.

Ubuntu: extract the Ubuntu archive into a folder you can write to, then open tidycade-ubuntu-x86_64. If your file manager asks, allow it to run as a program. Python is included in the executable. To add this copy to your applications menu, run python3 install-desktop.py from its extracted folder. This optional step registers the TC icon for your user only, with no administrator access. If you move the folder, run it again. Remove ~/.local/share/applications/tidycade.desktop to remove the menu entry (or the equivalent under XDG_DATA_HOME).

The launcher opens in your existing browser at http://localhost:8866/. A modern browser and an internet connection for game downloads are needed. Only one copy can use the default ports. Keep THIRD_PARTY, LICENSING.md and attribution with the executable.

Keep the home folder when upgrading. Move it beside the new executable while Tidycade is closed to keep installs, settings, cached game lists and launcher-managed saves. Do not delete the old copy until you have checked the new one. Individual games can also store saves in their normal user-data folders. Uninstalling a game does not intentionally remove launcher-managed saves.

Matched launcher, different game availability

Windows and Ubuntu now share the same launcher version, search, shelves, keyboard/mouse controls, game-list updates, download progress/resume and installed-game actions. Game availability is not the same: this release reads the existing online catalogue with 50 Ubuntu and 14 Windows games on supported devices. Compatibility filters can hide games on other devices. Without the online list, the included fallback contains 25 Ubuntu and 14 Windows games. No new games or Windows recipes were added for this release.

Games download separately. Their licenses and requirements are independent of Tidycade. Pocket the Place and Platform Pests remain separate retained-rights games. Their cards in these packages use original MIT text-only title cards instead of the retained-rights gameplay images in older player previews. Other media and game launch recipes are unchanged.

Controller navigation, first stage

With the launcher page focused, a browser-recognized standard-layout controller can use D-pad or left stick to move, A to activate, and B to close a credits dialog. This maps to the existing keyboard actions. Keyboard and mouse remain available. A held button or stick is ignored when focus returns until released. Non-standard mappings are not guessed.

This stage is not a full controller-only launcher. It does not add controller support to games, capture the Xbox/Home button in the background, bring the launcher forward from a game, or provide a controller-only way to close and switch games. Those return-to-launcher controls are separate work. No physical-controller or native-Windows hardware test is claimed for this release.

Verification and limits

The Ubuntu executable was opened and inspected with the real online catalogue. The Windows executable was run under Wine with the same interface and its 14-game list, not on a native Windows desktop. Both embedded interfaces, the TC brand and the text-card substitution were checked against the packaged source. The Windows executable contains seven checked TC icon sizes. Foreground controller navigation passed 27 browser tests using simulated standard-layout inputs, including loss of focus, held inputs and disconnects. That is not physical-controller compatibility evidence.

Existing process detection has limits, especially launchers that detach or processes outside Tidycade's ownership. Running-game guards do not guarantee detection of every game. This release does not promise every game runs on every Windows or Ubuntu machine. Audio, GPU and controller hardware vary.

Source and build

The matching source ZIP contains the launcher code and media for both executables. Game programs and sources download separately. See LICENSING.md, LICENSE and attribution notices for boundaries.

Python 3.10+ can run the source: install requirements-build.txt, then run python app/server.py. Build on the target operating system with python -m PyInstaller --clean --noconfirm games-launcher.spec. Windows uses Python 3.12.8; Ubuntu uses Python 3.10.12 for these packages. PyInstaller is not a cross-compiler. The Windows build was made with Windows Python under Wine. This is not a reproducible-binary claim.

Tidycade 0.11 Ubuntu Preview 8

Ubuntu Preview 8

The official Tidycade TC logo now appears in the launcher header and browser icon. Cards show saved download data for the current package recipe and offer Resume install or Resume update. Those bytes are not verified until the completed package passes its declared size and SHA-256 checks; servers can still restart a transfer.

Downloads

Ubuntu x86-64: extract the tar.gz, keep THIRD_PARTY beside the executable and run tidycade-ubuntu-x86_64. Keep your existing home/ folder when upgrading. This is a preview, not a stable or new Windows release. Windows Test14 and older working downloads are unchanged.

The separately named developer source edition contains MIT launcher code and substitute title cards for retained-rights artwork. It is not a byte-identical resource archive for the player binary. Games and artwork retain separate licences. GitHub automatic source archives are the downloads repository, not the program.

Changed-scope checks

Independent review applied the source delta to verified Preview7 and passed seven saved-data metadata tests. Source tests ignore stale, oversized, zero, symlink and directory leftovers. Existing resume integrity behavior is unchanged; the prior local-TLS 13-scenario suite was repeated successfully. Frozen binary version, 44 merged catalogue rows after refresh, real installed Pocket the Place, desktop/390px header and saved-data UI paths checked. The QA saved-data screenshot used a seeded scratch partial, not a real OpenTTD interruption or public marketing image.

The archived PNG and both actual brand/favicon routes match the exact approved master. Embedded source code/constants and HTML match the tested source. Pinned build: PyInstaller6.22.3/zstandard0.25.0. See TESTS.md in the tarball.

Partial files consume disk, can accumulate across content versions, and have no timed sweep. Each component partial is bounded individually. Successful install or uninstall clears that game's partial directory. No native Windows, audible audio, physical second-machine, full-playthrough or universal-security claim. Apt test notes cover distribution packages, not the portable builds Tidycade installs. Existing running-game detection limits carry forward.

Tidycade 0.11 Ubuntu Preview 7

Ubuntu Preview 7

Interrupted package downloads can resume when you choose Install again. Installed now shows how many games have updates. Every completed package must still match its declared size and SHA-256 before installation.

Partial downloads use disk space. Each component partial is bounded by its declared size; several game/content versions can accumulate. A successful install or uninstall clears that game's partial directory. There is no timed cleanup.

Downloads

• Ubuntu x86-64: extract the tar.gz, keep THIRD_PARTY beside the executable, and run tidycade-ubuntu-x86_64. Keep your existing home/ folder when upgrading.
• Developer source edition: the named source-edition.zip includes own MIT launcher code with substitute title cards for retained-rights game artwork. Not byte-identical to the Ubuntu binary. Games and media retain separate licences.
• This is an Ubuntu preview, not a stable or new Windows release. Windows Test 14 and older releases remain unchanged.

Checked scope

The independently reviewed resume-only source change passed a local TLS fixture, 13/13 scenarios; Preview 7 repeated that suite. Frozen binary reports preview7, serves 44 merged games after refresh, installs Pocket the Place, and its Library/search/Installed views were pixel-inspected. Embedded server code/constants match the tested source; embedded HTML matches exactly. Build pins: PyInstaller 6.22.3, zstandard 0.25.0. See TESTS.md in the tarball.

Fixture checks are not real-CDN or native-Windows proof. No clean second-machine, audible-audio or full-playthrough claim. The seventeen linked Ubuntu apt test notes cover distribution builds, not the portable builds Tidycade installs. Running-game detection retains Preview 6's stated limits.

Tidycade 0.11 Ubuntu Preview 6

Ubuntu x86-64 preview update: the library page is clearer and better sourced. Genre shelves now map every catalogue genre to a truthful section instead of grouping most games under Adventure. Seventeen games gain a "Test notes (Ubuntu apt)" link beside Install, opening independent review and run-test notes for the Ubuntu apt package of that game - those notes cover the distribution package, not the build Tidycade installs. Card action rows wrap instead of clipping, and links show a keyboard focus outline.

Extract the whole Ubuntu folder somewhere writable and run tidycade-ubuntu-x86_64. Keep THIRD_PARTY beside it. When upgrading, keep your existing home/ folder for installed games, settings and cached game lists. Installed games update only when you choose Update.

Preview 5's honest loading and connection-failure states are retained. Preview 4's running-game detection is retained: detected native games block another launch, update or uninstall until closed. Conservative cwd checks can include a terminal inside the game folder; uninspectable processes, untracked interpreters outside the folder and browser tabs are not covered. This is not a universal protection guarantee.

Catalogue, runtime images and game-list formats are unchanged. This is an Ubuntu prerelease, not a stable or Windows update. Final-binary checks cover the version report, the test-notes mapping, the merged 44-game catalogue, link targets against the tested-free-games reference, keyboard focus, one install flow and inspected screenshots; they are not physical-device, Windows, gameplay or blanket security certification.

Public source edition retains the same documented limited artwork replacements. See README, TESTS and LICENSING in the downloads.

TecnoBallZ portable source build and corresponding sources

TecnoBallZ 0.93.1 portable source build for Ubuntu 22.04 x86-64.

Built from the exact Debian 0.93.1-10 source, including its six original patches, with supported relative data and score build settings. Original game data is unchanged. Separate corresponding sources include original game and runtime-library source archives, Debian/Ubuntu packaging, build instructions and the new launcher wrapper.

Settings and high scores use the launcher's persistent save directory. Windowed mode is selected only on first run. Actual Ubuntu gameplay and the in-game shop were checked. Audio was not checked by ear; no Windows test or populated campaign-save claim is made. See the portable README and original notices for scope and licences.

SDL-Ball source-built portable package and corresponding sources

SDL-Ball1.02 source-built portable package and corresponding source.

Game by Jimmy Christensen and contributors. OriginalGPL3+ game/assets and GPL3 dio sound theme retain their included terms. Source-built with supported relativeDATADIR setting; no source-code change, binary patch or namespace bind. NewTidycadeMIThelper isolates saves and seeds a window only on first run. No affiliation/endorsement claimed.

The uncertain subgamefont.ttf has been omitted from runtime AND corresponding game source because embedded attribution differs from original packaged map. All configured text roles use the original unmodified Bandal font, Artistic, with full notices. No conclusion about omittedfont legality and no font exception claimed. Source distribution explicitly records removal/configchange; original upstream tarball containing omittedfont is not redistributed. Full corresponding coveredgame source/buildinstructions, original packaged map/fontscope, Artistic/GPL3 texts, all16original dependency source/packaging/DSC pins included. Dynamic libraries remain replaceable.

OneUbuntu22.04 x86_64 softwareOpenGLX setup checked, compatibleOpenGLdriver/desktop/base libraries required. SDLdummy audio, not checked by ear. NoWindows/devicewide claim. Actual launcher gameplay/settings write/initialslot retention checked. Populatedslot save/load not yet checked: originalgame disallows saves on Level1. Prior testdisplay startup issue was not an established gamebug or confirmed gamefix.