Alter Echo for PC 1.2.0

Alter Echo (Xbox, 2003), statically recompiled to run natively on PC. The installer builds the game on your computer from your own copy of the North American (NTSC) Xbox release, either a disc image (.iso) or its extracted files. No game files are included.

What's new in 1.2.0

New Game+ (the first extra)

Extras add gameplay the original never had. Each starts from its own menu entry, so unless you pick it, the game plays exactly as on the Xbox.

New Game Plus appears in the main menu, under Load Game, once you have a save from the game's last area. There's nothing to turn on: if you've already finished the game, it's there when you update.

• It opens the Load Game screen: pick any save and a new campaign starts from it. It skips the tutorial and starts where Paavo strips Nevin of his forms.
• You keep what you paid for. Your money, sword, guns, and health and time dilation upgrades come with you from the start. The gun and stealth forms' upgrades come back when the story gives you each form again.
• The save you picked is left alone. You save as usual, into a slot you choose.
• Every hit on Nevin is harder, and more so each time round. Finish a New Game Plus campaign, then pick a save from the game's last area, and the next campaign is a tier higher, from New Game Plus 1 up to 9. "New Game Plus" and the tier show on screen as a campaign starts and each time you load one of its saves, so you can tell those saves from normal ones. Enemies keep their health; only the damage you take goes up, from 2x at tier 1 to 10x at tier 9. With your armour, tier 1 hits about as hard as a first playthrough. No single hit takes more than half your health unless it already did in the original game.

The README has the details.

Fixed

• Linux: overwriting a save kept the old one. The new save was written, but the one it replaced stayed on disk. The game lists only five saves, so once there were six, one of them was hidden. Saves overwritten before 1.2.0 are still on disk: each save is a folder in alter-echo-recomp/game/UDATA/, and the SaveMeta.xbx file inside each one shows its name. Moving an old one out of that folder brings the hidden save back to the list.

Updating: run the new installer and choose the same folder. Your saves and settings.ini stay. Updating from 1.1.2 takes about 11 minutes, not a full install: New Game+ hooks into the game's translated code, so the code is translated and compiled again.

Which file do I download?

Your system	Download	Then
Windows 10/11	AlterEchoInstaller.exe	Run it, choose an install folder and your disc image, and wait 15-30 minutes. Start Alter Echo from the Start Menu
Linux	AlterEchoInstaller.sh	In a terminal: bash AlterEchoInstaller.sh. Give it your disc image and a folder, and wait 10-20 minutes. Start Alter Echo from your applications menu

You don't need the "Source code" downloads below unless you're building it yourself; the README explains how.

Good to know

• Windows will warn you: "Windows protected your PC". The installer isn't signed. Click More info, then Run anyway. The installer downloads its build tools (GCC with CMake and Ninja, about 270 MB, and the capstone disassembler) and checks each against a pinned checksum.
• Linux: if build tools are missing, the installer lists them and asks before installing them with your package manager (pacman, apt, dnf or zypper). It builds the native Linux version. No Wine is needed.
• About 6 GB of free disk space is needed in the install folder. Your saves, settings and logs stay inside it.
• Controls: an Xbox 360-compatible controller, or keyboard and mouse. The README lists the keys, settings and troubleshooting.

How tested is it?

• Linux: played start to finish. New Game+ was played on Linux: a campaign started from a finished save, the first mission, a save and a reload, and the New Game Plus 1 banner. The higher tiers were checked by measuring hits, not by playing them through. For 1.2.0, the Linux installer updated a copy of a 1.1.2 install in 11 minutes (8 files at a time, CPU held at 3 GHz), and the updated game booted at 60 fps. On Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE the package names it installs are untested, so if it stops at that step, please report it.
• Windows: experimental. The installer and the game it builds have only been run under Wine, never on a real Windows PC. New Game+ was tested in the Windows build under Wine. If you try it, please open an issue with how it went, whether it worked or not, and attach install.log from the install folder if the installer stopped.
• Known issue: the wavy effect when you activate a sync node can look blocky instead of wavy. It isn't caused by 1.2.0 and will be looked at for a later release.

Checksums (SHA-256)

3f24cab21ea58cfb114336c49ccb491dff9018f41e2cf8a938344c2bd95c716c  AlterEchoInstaller.exe
5135e7da6cc2e634e7af670e315e7cb273b70dc942d3b7c059d3536414f38941  AlterEchoInstaller.sh

Built on the xboxrecomp toolkit by sp00nz and its contributors, via this fork. Alter Echo is a trademark of its owner. This project is not affiliated with the game's developer or publisher.

Alter Echo for PC 1.1.2

Alter Echo (Xbox, 2003), statically recompiled to run natively on PC. The installer builds the game on your computer from your own copy of the North American (NTSC) Xbox release, either a disc image (.iso) or its extracted files. No game files are included.

What's new in 1.1.2

• Installs are much faster. A clean Linux install on a 2014 quad-core (i7-4790K, 16 GB) went from about 20 minutes to 11.7. A PC with more cores should gain more.
  • Translating the game's code takes about 4 minutes instead of 6.5. The translator was decoding the same code several times over; the C it produces is byte for byte the same.
  • Compiling runs one file per CPU thread, as many as your free memory holds, instead of at most 2 at a time. To choose the number yourself: JOBS=4 bash AlterEchoInstaller.sh on Linux, AlterEchoInstaller.exe /jobs 4 on Windows.
• Updating to 1.1.2 takes about 4-5 minutes, not a full build. It changes the translator, so the game's code is translated again, but only the translated files that come out different are compiled again, and with 1.1.2 none do.

Updating: run the new installer and choose the same folder. Your saves and settings.ini stay.

Earlier in 1.1

• Widescreen, on by default (1.1.0). A wide screen or window (16:9 up to 21:9) is filled with a wider view instead of black bars; the HUD, menus, text and movies keep their shape. widescreen = 0 in settings.ini gives the console's 4:3 with black bars.
• Linux: fixed a crash at startup (1.1.0), malloc(): unaligned tcache chunk detected.
• Fast updates (1.1.1): an update copies in only what changed and compiles only that. If you updated a Linux install to 1.1.0, running 1.1.1 or later over it repairs it.

Which file do I download?

Your system	Download	Then
Windows 10/11	AlterEchoInstaller.exe	Run it, choose an install folder and your disc image, and wait 15-30 minutes. Start Alter Echo from the Start Menu
Linux	AlterEchoInstaller.sh	In a terminal: bash AlterEchoInstaller.sh. Give it your disc image and a folder, and wait 10-20 minutes. Start Alter Echo from your applications menu

You don't need the "Source code" downloads below unless you're building it yourself; the README explains how.

Good to know

• Windows will warn you: "Windows protected your PC". The installer isn't signed. Click More info, then Run anyway. The installer downloads its build tools (GCC with CMake and Ninja, about 270 MB, and the capstone disassembler) and checks each against a pinned checksum.
• Linux: if build tools are missing, the installer lists them and asks before installing them with your package manager (pacman, apt, dnf or zypper). It builds the native Linux version. No Wine is needed.
• About 6 GB of free disk space is needed in the install folder. Your saves, settings and logs stay inside it.
• Memory: the build uses up to about 2 GB while translating and, while compiling, as much as it finds free (less 1 GB). With 8 GB of RAM it compiles 2 files at a time.
• Controls: an Xbox 360-compatible controller, or keyboard and mouse. The README lists the keys, settings and troubleshooting.

How tested is it?

• Linux: played start to finish. For 1.1.2, a clean install with the installer took 11.7 minutes (an Arch-based system, a fresh user folder) and the game ran at 60 fps; an update over it after a translator change took 4.3 minutes and compiled 2 small files. The translated code was checked byte for byte against 1.1.1's. On Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE the package names it installs are untested, so if it stops at that step, please report it.
• Windows: experimental. The installer and the game it builds have only been run under Wine, never on a real Windows PC. For 1.1.2 only the new compile-count choice was checked under Wine; the install times above are estimates. If you try it, please open an issue with how it went, whether it worked or not, and attach install.log from the install folder if the installer stopped.

Checksums (SHA-256)

85e1ad7643ccb189cceebb107307fb4d66179af83a4c4a57053d3ef3d3b7a9ae  AlterEchoInstaller.exe
ba5a2ee74ede540ebb289414945101d31b21a76528ea21beec476943ea8eb83d  AlterEchoInstaller.sh

Built on the xboxrecomp toolkit by sp00nz and its contributors, via this fork. Alter Echo is a trademark of its owner. This project is not affiliated with the game's developer or publisher.

Alter Echo for PC 1.1.1

Alter Echo (Xbox, 2003), statically recompiled to run natively on PC. The installer builds the game on your computer from your own copy of the North American (NTSC) Xbox release, either a disc image (.iso) or its extracted files. No game files are included.

What's new in 1.1.1

• Updates take seconds to a minute instead of half an hour. Run the new installer over your install folder: it copies in only what changed, keeps the game's translated code when nothing it depends on changed, and compiles only what changed. An update that changes the translator itself still builds everything (25-45 minutes). On Windows, the first update of an install made by 1.1.0 or earlier still builds everything once.
• Fixed (Linux): updating an install to 1.1.0 kept the old version's engine, so the update had no widescreen and no crash fix, with no error shown. If you updated a Linux install to 1.1.0, run 1.1.1 over the same folder: it repairs it in about a minute. Fresh 1.1.0 installs and Windows were not affected.

New in 1.1 (from 1.1.0)

• Widescreen, on by default. A wide screen or window (16:9, 16:10, up to 21:9) is filled with a wider view instead of black bars. The HUD, menus and text keep their shape in the middle of the screen, movies keep theirs, and the letterboxed opening and ending zoom to fill it. Screen effects (stealth, hit and pickup flashes, ripples, the damage and time-dilation tints, the loading wipe) cover the whole screen. Prefer the original? Put widescreen = 0 in settings.ini for the console's 4:3 with black bars.
• Linux: fixed a crash at startup. About one start in five closed straight away with malloc(): unaligned tcache chunk detected in its log. It came from the controller code and SDL being used from two threads at once.

Updating: run the new installer and choose the same folder. Your saves and settings.ini stay.

Which file do I download?

Your system	Download	Then
Windows 10/11	AlterEchoInstaller.exe	Run it, choose an install folder and your disc image, and wait 30-60 minutes. Start Alter Echo from the Start Menu
Linux	AlterEchoInstaller.sh	In a terminal: bash AlterEchoInstaller.sh. Give it your disc image and a folder, and wait 25-45 minutes. Start Alter Echo from your applications menu

You don't need the "Source code" downloads below unless you're building it yourself; the README explains how.

Good to know

• Windows will warn you: "Windows protected your PC". The installer isn't signed. Click More info, then Run anyway. The installer downloads its build tools (GCC with CMake and Ninja, about 270 MB, and the capstone disassembler) and checks each against a pinned checksum.
• Linux: if build tools are missing, the installer lists them and asks before installing them with your package manager (pacman, apt, dnf or zypper). It builds the native Linux version. No Wine is needed.
• About 6 GB of free disk space is needed in the install folder. Your saves, settings and logs stay inside it.
• Controls: an Xbox 360-compatible controller, or keyboard and mouse. The README lists the keys, settings and troubleshooting.

How tested is it?

• Linux: played start to finish. Updating was tested on a copy of a real 1.1.0 install (20 seconds, repaired) and with a runtime-only change (3 seconds). Widescreen was play-tested in combat, stealth, time dilation and pickups. The installer and the setup were tested from a clean start on an Arch-based system. On Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE the package names it installs are untested, so if it stops at that step, please report it.
• Windows: experimental. The installer and the game it builds have only been run under Wine, never on a real Windows PC. If you try it, please open an issue with how it went, whether it worked or not, and attach install.log from the install folder if the installer stopped.

Checksums (SHA-256)

9a7569def276e06ca1bddc118ded78de15acee5d2a6e7f7055778fa32caff206  AlterEchoInstaller.exe
3279f95b3cf2eb18c34d8f9fe810ce83f6b1f31a55abb4e48562b3e38159b75f  AlterEchoInstaller.sh

Built on the xboxrecomp toolkit by sp00nz and its contributors, via this fork. Alter Echo is a trademark of its owner. This project is not affiliated with the game's developer or publisher.

Alter Echo for PC 1.1.0

Alter Echo (Xbox, 2003), statically recompiled to run natively on PC. The installer builds the game on your computer from your own copy of the North American (NTSC) Xbox release, either a disc image (.iso) or its extracted files. No game files are included.

What's new in 1.1.0

• Widescreen, on by default. A wide screen or window (16:9, 16:10, up to 21:9) is filled with a wider view instead of black bars. The HUD, menus and text keep their shape in the middle of the screen, movies keep theirs, and the letterboxed opening and ending zoom to fill it. Screen effects (stealth, hit and pickup flashes, ripples, the damage and time-dilation tints, the loading wipe) cover the whole screen. Prefer the original? Put widescreen = 0 in settings.ini for the console's 4:3 with black bars.
• Linux: fixed a crash at startup. About one start in five closed straight away with malloc(): unaligned tcache chunk detected in its log. It came from the controller code and SDL being used from two threads at once.

Updating from 1.0.0: run the new installer and choose the same folder. Your saves and settings.ini stay.

Which file do I download?

Your system	Download	Then
Windows 10/11	AlterEchoInstaller.exe	Run it, choose an install folder and your disc image, and wait 30-60 minutes. Start Alter Echo from the Start Menu
Linux	AlterEchoInstaller.sh	In a terminal: bash AlterEchoInstaller.sh. Give it your disc image and a folder, and wait 25-45 minutes. Start Alter Echo from your applications menu

You don't need the "Source code" downloads below unless you're building it yourself; the README explains how.

Good to know

• Windows will warn you: "Windows protected your PC". The installer isn't signed. Click More info, then Run anyway. The installer downloads its build tools (GCC with CMake and Ninja, about 270 MB, and the capstone disassembler) and checks each against a pinned checksum.
• Linux: if build tools are missing, the installer lists them and asks before installing them with your package manager (pacman, apt, dnf or zypper). It builds the native Linux version. No Wine is needed.
• About 6 GB of free disk space is needed in the install folder. Your saves, settings and logs stay inside it.
• Controls: an Xbox 360-compatible controller, or keyboard and mouse. The README lists the keys, settings and troubleshooting.

How tested is it?

• Linux: played start to finish. Widescreen was play-tested in combat, stealth, time dilation and pickups. The installer and the setup were tested from a clean start on an Arch-based system. On Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE the package names it installs are untested, so if it stops at that step, please report it.
• Windows: experimental. The installer and the game it builds have only been run under Wine, never on a real Windows PC. If you try it, please open an issue with how it went, whether it worked or not, and attach install.log from the install folder if the installer stopped.

Checksums (SHA-256)

74f6b314503e60bd0d0c7a68738e8db510685fb1dbd7c207bfe129c25491abcd  AlterEchoInstaller.exe
d0eaa96d177122883b60ccf9193b19988cb84c5b20d0001fcdc5a132d6b51442  AlterEchoInstaller.sh

Built on the xboxrecomp toolkit by sp00nz and its contributors, via this fork. Alter Echo is a trademark of its owner. This project is not affiliated with the game's developer or publisher.

Alter Echo for PC 1.0.0

Alter Echo (Xbox, 2003), statically recompiled to run natively on PC. The installer builds the game on your computer from your own copy of the North American (NTSC) Xbox release, either a disc image (.iso) or its extracted files. No game files are included.

Which file do I download?

Your system	Download	Then
Windows 10/11	AlterEchoInstaller.exe	Run it, choose an install folder and your disc image, and wait 30-60 minutes. Start Alter Echo from the Start Menu
Linux	AlterEchoInstaller.sh	In a terminal: bash AlterEchoInstaller.sh. Give it your disc image and a folder, and wait 25-45 minutes. Start Alter Echo from your applications menu

You don't need the "Source code" downloads below unless you're building it yourself; the README explains how.

Good to know

• Windows will warn you: "Windows protected your PC". The installer isn't signed. Click More info, then Run anyway. The installer downloads its build tools (GCC with CMake and Ninja, about 270 MB, and the capstone disassembler) and checks each against a pinned checksum.
• Linux: if build tools are missing, the installer lists them and asks before installing them with your package manager (pacman, apt, dnf or zypper). It builds the native Linux version. No Wine is needed.
• About 6 GB of free disk space is needed in the install folder. Your saves, settings and logs stay inside it.
• Controls: an Xbox 360-compatible controller, or keyboard and mouse. The README lists the keys, settings and troubleshooting.

How tested is it?

• Linux: played start to finish. Both the installer and the setup were tested from a clean start on an Arch-based system. On Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE the package names it installs are untested, so if it stops at that step, please report it.
• Windows: experimental. The installer and the game it builds have only been run under Wine, never on a real Windows PC. If you try it, please open an issue with how it went, whether it worked or not, and attach install.log from the install folder if the installer stopped.

Checksums (SHA-256)

b0969d241ea3b49d6d9c98c920942939b35dd4b641f44eda3478752ebdfefd36  AlterEchoInstaller.exe
17a035fee73df9cd0b60b29149c52c790fc28b2715b8de35fcfa7f2bd94691bf  AlterEchoInstaller.sh

Built on the xboxrecomp toolkit by sp00nz and its contributors, via this fork. Alter Echo is a trademark of its owner. This project is not affiliated with the game's developer or publisher.