SwanSong 0.8.0 — Prove the Whole Game

SwanSong 0.8.0 — Prove the Whole Game

SwanSong 0.8 fills the gap between capturing one correct screen and certifying
an entire translated game. Translation Surface Suites can now drive a matrix of
case-specific viewer ROMs, preserve several named checkpoints per route, queue
every native frame for human review, and produce one immutable final
certificate.

The release also brings Story Forge's Narrative Pulse, live-reader moments,
and Story Proof into the native workspace, while the signed Homebrew Catalog
gets bundled title screens and a much clearer game inspector.

Expected app identity: SwanSong 0.8.0 (16).

The short version

• Run a complete translation-surface manifest instead of orchestrating dozens
  of viewer ROMs with external scripts.
• Capture several named screens per replay and fail obvious wrong-screen,
  zero-delta, stale-route, or protected-region results before review.
• Review Original, Patched, blink, and difference frames at exact native 1×
  with separate semantic, microcopy, and visual-fit verdicts.
• Resume revalidated work and hand off stable paths, digests, coverage, endpoint
  results, review decisions, and observed-audio status in one certificate.
• Author long observed-play routes in bounded sequences or branch from an exact
  clean-boot prefix.
• Inspect story structure and delivery without turning automation into a claim
  that the writing is good.
• Browse the signed Homebrew Catalog with real title screens and a compact,
  native Mac inspector.

Certify a complete translation surface

A source-free suite manifest gives every story viewer and UI/runtime family a
stable ID, its case-specific Original and Patched diagnostic ROM digests, an
input plan, ordered named checkpoints, endpoint fingerprints, and expected
change regions. SwanSong rehashes those inputs, selects the requested qualified
ABI, starts each lane from clean boot with empty persistence and a fixed clock,
and records native PNG and audio evidence beside the project.

Several checkpoints can be captured during one deterministic replay. The
runner rejects the wrong endpoint, no visible change, geometry drift, or pixels
changing outside the declared region. A pixel difference remains a review
target—not automatic approval.

Interrupted suites can resume. A case is reused only after its result contract
and generated artifacts pass validation again. The immutable execution report
records coverage and failures without pretending skipped or stale work passed.

Review at the pixels the handheld used

The new review queue keeps stable IDs visible while presenting Original,
Patched, blink, and difference views at exact native 1×. Semantic meaning,
functional microcopy, and visual fit are separate decisions. Condensed text
must receive its own explicit verdict, making technically fitting but
unreadable treatments much harder to overlook.

Final certification rehashes the manifest, ROMs, plans, captures, reviews, and
audio observations. Temporary, staging, partial, and per-case work paths cannot
be published as final evidence.

Build long routes with fewer repetitive steps

Observed play can append a bounded sequence of input holds in one atomic
operation, capture selected named checkpoints, and retain the final native
frame and audio window only after explicit sharing confirmation. A saved route
can also branch from an exact frame prefix by replaying that prefix from clean
boot into a new session.

The final route remains an ordinary deterministic from-boot plan. Faster
authoring does not introduce a hidden save-state dependency.

Story quality stays human

Story Forge can now build a Narrative Pulse view of load-bearing events, open
questions, motif appearances, and long flat stretches. Named real readers can
leave manuscript-bound moments—laughed, moved, confused, paused, bored, or
wanted more—without their reactions being averaged into a score.

Story Proof binds intended turns and consequences to exhaustive SwanSong route,
input, presentation, fade, native-audio, next-state, and ending evidence. The
Story Ribbon makes that delivery readable. It proves that a beat reached the
running ROM; readers and editors still decide whether it works.

A more visual Homebrew shelf

Approved first-party Homebrew Catalog entries now ship with compact title
screens. Selecting a game opens a redesigned inspector with artwork, dynamic
library and system status, full-width actions, structured details, and clear
Release, Source Code, License, and Asset Provenance rows.

The catalog remains network-silent until you ask to browse, refresh, or
download. Every entry and ROM still passes its signed catalog, rights, size,
digest, and content checks before entering the private library.

Install or update

Existing users can choose SwanSong > Check for Updates…. A manual install
can download SwanSong-0.8.0-macOS-universal.zip from the GitHub Release and
verify it with SHA256SUMS.txt and SwanSong-0.8.0-release.json.

SwanSong requires macOS 14 or newer. It includes no games or original system
firmware. Use only software and hardware you own or are authorized to use.

If anything feels wrong, open Help > SwanSong Support and create a
privacy-safe Support Bundle. The support guide,
privacy policy, and complete changelog
have the deeper details.