Supermodel-VK v0.9.2.3a

Windows x64, Linux and macOS builds. The Windows build is self-contained: no VC++
redistributable and no external DLLs. ROMs are not included.

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2026-10-20

Display

• "Exclusive fullscreen - G-SYNC/VRR" now paces at the arcade 57.5 Hz automatically when
  the display's timing range includes it, instead of running 4.3% fast at 60 Hz. Switching
  back to borderless restores the stored refresh rate.
• The Video page shows Refresh rate as 57.5 Hz and greys it out in that mode;
  "60 Hz (recommended)" is now "60 Hz (non-VRR / 60 Hz panel)".
• The Video page no longer lists raw ExclusiveRefreshRate / ExclusiveFullscreen
  values; the three-way refresh mode on the Common page owns them.
• Fixed a false "borderless frame cadence" notice under exclusive G-SYNC.

Fixed

• The Quit confirmation dialog clipped its button labels (Save and Quit, Don't Save) in the
  English UI at high DPI. Button widths are now derived from the translated labels, so the
  auto-sized dialog grows to fit them.

2026-10-19

Fixed

• "Custom" in the Resolution dropdown did nothing.
• Blue bars after disabling Widescreen, and a blue line along the top in widescreen mode.
  The late-loaded cabinet backdrop never updated composite descriptor slot 3, and the widescreen
  picture rectangle ignored the integer-scale letterbox.
• Controls tab stutter: the input system was rebuilt on every visit. It is now cached across tabs
  and released before a game starts.
• First-run window stayed on the taskbar after allowing the app through SmartScreen.
• Release archives kept Assets/ beside the executable while the Windows build reads Data\Assets\,
  so downloaded cover art and crosshair bitmaps were never found. The first run now copies the folder
  (including Boxarts/) into place, and existing installations are repaired on the next start.

UI

• The built-in cabinet backdrop is enabled by default for new installs.
• In-game panel:
  • collapsible CRT Filter section;
  • reworked save-state table with absolute YYYYMMDD-HH:MM timestamps;
  • removed the Use for F5/F7 button (Save/Load also make that slot current);
  • mouse-wheel scrolling;
  • default height is now 75% of the work area;
  • removed redundant help paragraphs and their reserved footer space;
  • tooltips stay inside the panel and no longer cover the scrollbar.
• Settings window:
  • Controls tab moved after Sound;
  • controller explanations moved into the corresponding (?) tooltips;
  • tab bar shrinks to fit instead of leaving a partially clipped tab;
  • the vertical scrollbar is always reserved, so the tab scrolling arrows no longer move;
  • the output-display selector is back in the Video section and no longer hidden when Fullscreen is off;
  • a preview panel above the game list shows the hovered or selected game's WebP cover, title,
    version and a short English description, with the scrolling list below it;
  • the divider between the preview and the list can be dragged, and both parts scale with the
    window; the position is remembered in GuiPreviewSplit across launches;
  • the ROM count moved from inside the list to the footer status line, giving the table that
    extra row of height.

Build

• MSVC Release x64 build passes.
• Boxarts now cover all 63 ROM sets in Games.xml:
  • 55 from the libretro MAME set (unchanged);
  • von2 / von2a / von254g / von2o: US Dreamcast cover (Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram);
  • fvipers2 / fvipers2o: JP Dreamcast cover (Sega Retro);
  • lamachin: arcade flyer (Arcade Flyer Archive);
  • skichamp: arcade cabinet photo (Sega Retro, no standalone boxart exists).
• Added Scripts/install_missing_boxarts.py to fetch these eight sets and convert them to WebP;
  SOURCES.txt records the sources.
• Named by ROM set and copied into Data/Assets/Boxarts by build.bat.
• The release package now ships the artwork and the built-in backdrop: Assets/ (including
  Boxarts/) is packaged, and Supermodel3Bezel.png is added to PKG_FILES and moved into
  Assets/ while staging.

Supermodel-VK v0.9.0.3a-20261017

Gameplay Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYoZpr2ozLw

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🚀 Highlights & What's New

Modern Rendering & Accuracy Fixes

• Native Vulkan 1.3: Default backend with automatic fallback to OpenGL 4.1.
• Real3D Texture & Geometry Fixes: Correct mip-pyramid unpacking (eliminates black distant scenery) and a dedicated coplanar decal pipeline (no more z-fighting on car liveries/logos). Fixed depth-writing in transparency passes (e.g., Carnotaurus in The Lost World).
• Arcade-Accurate Display & Sync: Exclusive fullscreen with VRR/G-SYNC, exact 57.524 Hz arcade refresh pacing, and true widescreen frustum expansion (no stretched geometry).
• Enhanced Visuals: Hardware MSAA (2x/4x), FXAA, and an authentic multi-pass CRT shader (aperture grille, slot mask, dot mask, glow).

Quality of Life & Usability

• Standalone Settings App: Clean GUI launcher with English/Chinese support, per-setting tooltips, and regional game lists.
• In-Game Overlay: Quick settings (Tab) and live performance stats (`).
• Decoupled Audio: The emulated sound board now runs on its own thread—no more audio stutters when moving or resizing the window.
• Modern Controls: Out-of-the-box XInput, one-key camera cycling, save states, and calibrated mouse-driven light gun controls.

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💻 Platform Notes & Requirements

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit): Primary target and heavily tested. Self-contained build (no VC++ redist or external DLLs needed).
• Linux & macOS: Builds are available! These are less battle-tested, so expect rougher edges.
  • macOS Gatekeeper fix: Because the build isn't Apple-notarized, macOS will block it as an "unidentified developer." To unblock it:
    1. Open Terminal.
    2. Type xattr -c -r (make sure there is a space after -c -r).
    3. Drag the unzipped Supermodel-VK folder directly into the Terminal window (it will paste the full path automatically).
    4. Press Enter. You can now launch the emulator normally.
  • macOS Performance: Vulkan runs via MoltenVK (translating Vulkan to Metal). On some setups, this overhead can lower frame rates. If you encounter slowdowns, simply switch the renderer to OpenGL in the settings window—it shares the exact same emulation core and visual features.
• GPU Requirements: Vulkan 1.3 (or 1.2 with dynamic rendering / sync2), with OpenGL 4.1 fallback.
• No ROMs are included or linked. Please dump your own games.

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Synced with upstream Supermodel (Oct 2026). Huge thanks and full credit to the original Supermodel team and contributors for the core emulation and groundwork.

Give it a spin and let me know how it runs! Feedback and bug reports are welcome—especially from Linux and macOS users. If you run into any issues, please include your OS, GPU/driver, and attach your Supermodel.log.