FNV GameNative 4GB + xNVSE Patcher v0.1.2-alpha

This alpha release fixes a persistence problem caused by GameNative’s cached unpacked executable.

GameNative may copy FalloutNV.exe.unpacked.exe back over the normal FalloutNV.exe launch target. Previous versions patched only FalloutNV.exe, allowing GameNative’s unpatched cached copy to replace it later.

Version 0.1.2-alpha now manages both executable copies as a coordinated pair so the Large Address Aware and xNVSE loader changes can persist across normal GameNative launches.

What this release fixes

The patcher now handles:

• FalloutNV.exe
• FalloutNV.exe.unpacked.exe

Both files are validated, backed up, patched, installed, and verified together.

The cached executable is installed first so GameNative’s potential overwrite source is secured before the normal launch executable is replaced.

Users should no longer need to rename executables, select a custom launch target, or rerun the patcher after every launch.

Changes in v0.1.2-alpha

• Added managed support for GameNative’s persistent FalloutNV.exe.unpacked.exe cache.
• Added separate non-.exe backups for the normal and cached executables.
• Added pair validation that refuses mismatched clean executable files before writing.
• Added --verify reporting for both executable copies.
• Added explicit reporting of whether the GameNative cache is persistently covered.
• Added upgrade handling for installations where v0.1.1-alpha patched only FalloutNV.exe.
• Added coordinated rollback if installation of either patched file fails.
• Updated --restore to restore both managed executable backups.
• Added synthetic tests that simulate GameNative copying its cached executable back over FalloutNV.exe.

Requirements

• A legitimate Steam copy of Fallout: New Vegas installed through GameNative.
• GameNative’s Unpack Files process must have completed at least once.
• Both FalloutNV.exe and FalloutNV.exe.unpacked.exe must be present.
• The current xNVSE files must be installed in the game folder.
• nvse_steam_loader.dll and nvse_1_4.dll must be present beside FalloutNV.exe.

Basic usage

1. Enable GameNative’s Unpack Files option.
2. Launch Fallout: New Vegas once and allow GameNative to finish unpacking it.
3. Close the game.
4. Place FNVGameNativePatcher.exe in the folder containing FalloutNV.exe.
5. Run the patcher once.
6. Continue launching the normal FalloutNV.exe entry through GameNative.

Available commands:

FNVGameNativePatcher.exe
FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --verify
FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --restore
FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --help

The patcher creates:

FalloutNV.exe.gn4gb-backup
FalloutNV.exe.unpacked.exe.gn4gb-backup

Do not delete these files if you may need to restore the original GameNative-unpacked executables.

Upgrading from v0.1.1-alpha

Run FNVGameNativePatcher.exe normally.

The patcher recognizes the previous state where only FalloutNV.exe was patched and prepares the cached executable without applying duplicate changes to the existing patched file.

Run the following afterward to confirm both files are covered:

FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --verify

Safety limits

The patcher does not attempt to repair every possible executable problem.

It makes no changes when:

• The required GameNative cached executable is missing.
• The two clean executable copies do not match.
• The Steam .bind wrapper is still present.
• Either executable is malformed or unsupported.
• Actual Authenticode certificate data remains inside the file.
• Authenticode metadata is malformed rather than merely stale.
• ASLR or DYNAMIC_BASE is enabled.
• Required xNVSE files are missing.
• A safe PE section-header slot is unavailable.
• The complete pair cannot be prepared and verified safely.

Patch preparation occurs before managed files are replaced. If installation fails partway through, the patcher attempts to roll both files back to their previous state.

Only the specific stale, out-of-bounds Authenticode pointer observed in the tested GameNative unpacking output is repaired automatically.

Validation status

The following automated scenarios pass locally:

• Clean executable-pair patching.
• Repeat-run safety.
• Simulated GameNative cache overwrite.
• Verification of both executable copies.
• Byte-for-byte restoration of both managed backups.
• Mismatched-pair refusal.
• Missing-cache refusal.
• Upgrade handling from the v0.1.1-alpha primary-only patch state.
• Rollback and no-write refusal behavior.

The underlying Large Address Aware and xNVSE loader transformation was previously confirmed on an AYN Thor using GameNative.

The new v0.1.2-alpha persistent-cache workflow still requires real-device validation across GameNative launches.

Alpha status

This remains an experimental prerelease.

Additional testing is needed across Android devices, GameNative versions, Proton configurations, and Fallout: New Vegas installations.

Back up important files and saves before testing. Use --verify after patching and report the complete output if either executable is not recognized as patched.

Included files

• FNVGameNativePatcher.exe
• FNVGameNativePatcher.exe.sha256
• Source code is available in this repository

This release does not include Fallout: New Vegas, xNVSE, Steamless, GameNative, or files from the established FNV 4GB Patcher.

FNV GameNative 4GB + xNVSE Patcher v0.1.1-alpha

This alpha release provides a standalone executable patcher for Fallout: New Vegas installations unpacked through GameNative.

The patcher enables Large Address Aware support and prepares the normal FalloutNV.exe launch path to load the user’s separately installed xNVSE files.

Confirmed workflow

This release has been tested on an AYN Thor using GameNative.

The tested workflow successfully:

• Detected a GameNative/Steamless-unpacked FalloutNV.exe.
• Detected stale Authenticode metadata left behind by the unpacking process.
• Cleared the invalid Authenticode security-directory pointer.
• Enabled Large Address Aware support.
• Added the xNVSE loader section.
• Preserved the normal FalloutNV.exe launch path.
• Launched Fallout: New Vegas successfully through GameNative.
• Produced xNVSE logs recognizing the executable as patched.
• Loaded xNVSE through nvse_steam_loader.dll.
• Restored the original unpacked executable byte-for-byte from the managed backup.

Changes in v0.1.1-alpha

• Added explicit executable-condition classification.
• Added detection of clean, stale, real, and malformed Authenticode states.
• Added safe repair for the stale Authenticode pointer found in the tested GameNative unpacking output.
• Moved all classification and patch construction ahead of backup creation and disk modification.
• Added condition reports and recommended next actions.
• Added no-write refusal behavior for still-packed .bind executables.
• Added no-write refusal behavior for malformed PE data, real certificate data, unsupported layouts, and already-patched executables.
• Expanded synthetic tests for patching, verification, repeat runs, refusal behavior, backup integrity, and restoration.

Requirements

• A legitimate Steam copy of Fallout: New Vegas installed through GameNative.
• FalloutNV.exe must already have been unpacked by GameNative.
• The current xNVSE files must be installed in the game folder.
• nvse_steam_loader.dll and nvse_1_4.dll must be present beside FalloutNV.exe.

Basic usage

Place FNVGameNativePatcher.exe in the folder containing FalloutNV.exe, then run it once.

Available commands:

FNVGameNativePatcher.exe
FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --verify
FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --restore
FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --help

The patcher creates:

FalloutNV.exe.gn4gb-backup

Do not delete this file if you may need to restore the unpacked executable.

Safety limits

The patcher does not attempt to repair every possible executable problem.

It makes no changes when:

• The Steam .bind wrapper is still present.
• The executable is malformed or unsupported.
• Actual Authenticode certificate data remains inside the file.
• Authenticode metadata is malformed rather than merely stale.
• ASLR or DYNAMIC_BASE is enabled.
• Required xNVSE files are missing.
• The executable is already patched.
• A safe PE section-header slot is unavailable.

Only the specific stale, out-of-bounds Authenticode pointer observed in the tested GameNative unpacking output is repaired automatically.

Alpha status

This remains an experimental prerelease.

The complete workflow has been confirmed on an AYN Thor, but additional testing across other Android devices, GameNative versions, Proton configurations, and Fallout: New Vegas installations is still needed.

Back up important files and saves before testing.

Included files

• FNVGameNativePatcher.exe
• SHA-256 checksum
• Source code is available in this repository

This release does not include Fallout: New Vegas, xNVSE, Steamless, GameNative, or files from the established FNV 4GB Patcher.

FNV GameNative 4GB + xNVSE Patcher v0.1.0-alpha

This is the first public alpha release of the FNV GameNative 4GB + xNVSE Patcher.

The patcher is designed for legitimate Steam copies of Fallout: New Vegas after GameNative has unpacked FalloutNV.exe.

What it does

• Enables the IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE flag.
• Preserves the normal FalloutNV.exe launch path used by GameNative.
• Adds an early loader section intended to load nvse_steam_loader.dll.
• Creates a backup named:

FalloutNV.exe.gn4gb-backup

• Detects previous patching to avoid applying the patch repeatedly.
• Supports verification and restoration commands.

Current testing status

This alpha has been tested on an AYN Thor using GameNative.

Confirmed working:

• The patcher recognized and modified the GameNative-unpacked executable.
• A backup of the original executable was created.
• The patched FalloutNV.exe launched successfully through GameNative.
• Synthetic PE patch, verification, repeat-run, and restoration tests pass.

Still requiring further testing:

• Confirming xNVSE initialization through nvse.log and nvse_steam_loader.log.
• Confirming that real NVSE plugins load and function correctly.
• Testing additional GameNative, Proton, Android, and device configurations.
• Confirming restoration behavior on a real installation.
• Reviewing possible antivirus false positives.

Because xNVSE plugin loading has not yet been fully verified, this release should be treated as an experimental alpha.

Requirements

• A legitimate Steam copy of Fallout: New Vegas.
• GameNative.
• GameNative’s executable-unpacking process completed.
• The current xNVSE release installed in the Fallout New Vegas game folder.

The patcher does not include Fallout: New Vegas, xNVSE, GameNative, or Steamless.

Installation

1. Install Fallout: New Vegas through GameNative.
2. Allow GameNative to unpack the game executable.
3. Install the current xNVSE release into the folder containing FalloutNV.exe.
4. Copy FNVGameNativePatcher.exe into that same folder.
5. Run FNVGameNativePatcher.exe.
6. Launch the normal FalloutNV.exe entry through GameNative.

The original unpacked executable will be saved as:

FalloutNV.exe.gn4gb-backup

Keep this backup until testing is complete.

Commands

Patch the executable:

FNVGameNativePatcher.exe

Show the current executable state:

FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --verify

Restore the backup:

FNVGameNativePatcher.exe --restore

Important warnings

• This release modifies FalloutNV.exe.
• Back up your game installation before testing.
• Do not delete FalloutNV.exe.gn4gb-backup.
• Do not use this on an executable that has not been unpacked by GameNative.
• This alpha currently targets the verified Steam/GameNative workflow.
• Antivirus software may flag the patcher because it intentionally modifies another executable.
• Do not upload or distribute patched Fallout New Vegas executables.

Reporting results

When reporting a problem, include:

• Android device.
• Android version.
• GameNative version.
• Proton version.
• Patcher output.
• Whether the game launched.
• Whether nvse.log was created.
• Whether nvse_steam_loader.log was created.
• Which NVSE plugin was tested.

Do not attach FalloutNV.exe or other copyrighted game files.

Why this project exists

This project began after Discord member Vault 13 Dweller reported that the established FNV 4GB Patcher rejected their FalloutNV.exe.

Investigation showed that GameNative’s executable-unpacking process changes the Steam executable. That changes its hash, so a patcher designed around known desktop executable versions no longer recognizes it.

This project is an independent implementation designed specifically for the GameNative workflow. It uses structural PE validation instead of relying only on the original executable hash.

The completed capability is also intended for later integration into a GameNative helper for Droid Mod Loader as part of a broader effort to make established Bethesda modding workflows practical in Android Windows containers.

Credits

• Vault 13 Dweller — reported the GameNative incompatibility that prompted this project.
• Roy Batty and LuthienAnarion — creators of the established FNV 4GB Patcher and direct-launch workflow.
• The xNVSE team — xNVSE and its loader architecture.
• Utkarsh Dalal and GameNative contributors — GameNative.
• atom0s — Steamless.
• CyberShonk — independent implementation and maintenance.

No source code, binaries, fixed patch arrays, or assets from the established FNV 4GB Patcher are included in this project.

Alpha release scope

This release proves that the patcher can:

• process the GameNative-unpacked executable;
• create a recoverable backup;
• apply its structural PE changes;
• and launch Fallout: New Vegas successfully on the tested device.

Successful loading of real NVSE plugins remains the primary outstanding validation item for the next alpha update.