SquirrelPad 0.2.0 — build it on Windows too (experimental)

SquirrelPad 0.2.0 for iPhone and iPad adds an experimental way to build it on a Windows PC. As before, you build your own copy from your own US Conker's Bad Fur Day ROM with PadMint, because SquirrelPad contains code translated from Conker's Bad Fur Day.

On Windows 11 (x64 or ARM64), with PadMint 0.5.27 or newer: install Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools with Desktop development with C++, then choose SquirrelPad in PadMint. PadMint downloads SquirrelPad-v0.2.0-ios-shell.ipa from this release. That app contains none of the game's code; PadMint builds the game module from your file on your PC and adds it, and nothing of yours is uploaded. Then install the IPA with Sideloadly as usual.

On a Mac nothing changes: the recipe keeps the existing Mac build.

Not tested yet: a copy built on Windows has not been installed and played on an iPhone or iPad. Treat the Windows route as experimental until it has.

Release checks: SquirrelPad-v0.2.0-ios-shell.ipa and the recipe pass PadMint's content audit and the private release gate, and PadMint's player check, which uses Apple's Python and an empty PadMint folder, built the Mac route from the release checkout.

After publishing: on Windows 11 ARM64, PadMint 0.5.27's own make squirrelpad ios built this release from the ROM in 103 seconds, downloading the recipe and shell and adding the module. PadMint's player check also built the Mac route again from the published release.

SquirrelPad 0.1.3 — ROM import fixes

SquirrelPad 0.1.3 improves ROM import for iPhone and iPad. This publishes the import changes already merged in #8; rebuilding with PadMint now includes them.

Changes

• The ROM picker accepts filesystem items and validates their actual contents, so selection no longer depends on a storage provider assigning the expected file type.
• Downloading/reading, hashing and copying the ROM happen off the UI thread. An Importing message shows progress, and duplicate import/play actions are disabled while it works.
• App version/build metadata now comes from one release manifest, and packaging rejects mismatches.
• Unsupported files report an error without replacing your existing ROM or saves. The supported US ROM and game code are unchanged.

Update

Build SquirrelPad again with PadMint and your own supported US ROM. Install over your current copy with the same signing account; do not delete the app to update it. No PadMint update is required to select this game release.

This release contains only SquirrelPad-v0.1.3-padmint.json and SHA256SUMS. No ROM or prebuilt IPA is published.

Verification and limits

A clean player build passed using current PadMint main, Apple Python 3.9.6 and an empty PadMint folder in 573 seconds. The required second check fetched the published 0.1.3 release into another empty PadMint folder and passed in 255 seconds. Both actual ARM64 iOS packages confirm 0.1.3/build 4 and pass their package audits. All ten regression tests passed. Anonymous recipe/checksum downloads also match the gated release assets.

The import tests cover invalid files, successful private-ROM import under an arbitrary extension, reimport, and preservation of existing data. Previous iPhone and iPad Simulator checks exercised local import and the actual Swift UI; they do not establish gameplay acceptance.

#3 stays open. The reporter's exact iOS 27.2 RC/provider failure has not been reproduced or confirmed fixed on their device. The cutscene crash reported in #2 is separate and remains outside this update. See release readiness.

SquirrelPad 0.1.2 — iPhone launcher fix

SquirrelPad 0.1.2 fixes the launcher freezing on iPhone with iOS 27 (#2, #3). A build now needs 6 GB of free space instead of 30 GB.

Changes

• iPhone launcher on iOS 27. The launcher stopped updating after its first frame: Play Conker started the game behind it, and Settings and Choose ROM didn't respond. The launcher now gets the Dynamic Island inset from SwiftUI instead of looking up the window while it draws (#4). The iPad layout is unchanged.
• 6 GB free instead of 30 GB. A measured first build peaks at about 3 GB, so PadMint now asks for 6 GB (#5).
• The recompiled game is the same as in 0.1.1.

Update

PadMint always uses the latest SquirrelPad release, so you don't need a new PadMint. Choose SquirrelPad → iPhone / iPad again with your own supported US ROM. To update an installed copy, install the new IPA over it with the same signing account; back up first and don't delete the app.

This release publishes the build recipe and its checksum only. There is no ROM or prebuilt IPA download.

Known limitations

Same as 0.1.1: this is an experimental alpha. The launcher fix was checked on the iOS 27 Simulator, not yet on a physical iPhone. A reported iPhone crash at the end of the opening cutscene is separate and not fixed in this release. Full-story compatibility, performance across devices, hardware save reloads, audio routes, rumble and HDMI are not fully verified. See release readiness.

SquirrelPad 0.1.1 — PadMint build fix

SquirrelPad 0.1.1 fixes the PadMint build on Macs where it stopped right after the checks with AttributeError: module 'hashlib' has no attribute 'file_digest' (padmint#142).

Changes

• The PadMint recipe now runs the build with the Python 3.11+ that PadMint checks for. Before, it used the Python PadMint itself runs on, which is macOS's own 3.9 when you start PadMint.command.
• The game is unchanged from 0.1.0.

Update

PadMint always uses the latest SquirrelPad release, so you don't need a new PadMint. Choose SquirrelPad → iPhone / iPad again with your own supported US ROM. To update an installed copy, install the new IPA over it with the same signing account; back up first and don't delete the app.

This release publishes the build recipe and its checksum only. There is no ROM or prebuilt IPA download.

Known limitations

Same as 0.1.0: this is an experimental alpha. Full-story compatibility, performance across devices, hardware save reloads, audio routes, rumble and HDMI are not fully verified. See release readiness.

SquirrelPad 0.1.0 — Experimental alpha

SquirrelPad 0.1.0 is an experimental Conker's Bad Fur Day port for iPhone and iPad, built from your own supported US ROM.

Build your copy

Use PadMint 0.4.11 or newer and choose SquirrelPad → iPhone / iPad, or follow the local build instructions. An Apple Silicon Mac, full Xcode with the iOS platform and Metal Toolchain, and about 30 GB free are required. Sign and install your personal IPA, then import the same ROM through Files.

This release publishes the build recipe and its checksum. There is no ROM or prebuilt IPA download.

Included

• Metal rendering at 1×–3× resolution and optional picture effects.
• Acorn-themed launcher and settings, editable touch layouts, controller bindings, and automatic touch-control hiding and return.
• Local saves, optional camera/audio/accessibility improvements, and Files-based RT64 texture packs. The supported HD Icons pack covers 2D artwork; incomplete broader HD packs are excluded.

Validation and limits

Nine controller/native/source-patch tests pass. Both SDK builds and bundle audits pass. PadMint built the release revision into a personal IPA, and an in-place M2 iPad Pro installation preserved saves and settings.

This is an alpha: full-story compatibility, sustained performance across devices, progressed-save cold reload on hardware, audio routes, controller rumble, and HDMI are not fully verified. iOS 17 is the deployment minimum, not a tested-device guarantee. See release readiness.

To update, install over the existing app using the same signing account. Back up first; do not delete the app. Report issues with the device, OS, and reproduction steps, without attaching ROMs or private saves.