v1.4.0

v1.4.0: the Tartarus crash and hybrid-CPU slow motion fixed, V-Sync, spin and turbo keys, a new launcher look, nine languages

Download GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.4.0.zip, extract it, run GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe, choose the folder with your own disc images (.chd/.iso, US release), press Build, then Play. No game content is included. Upgrading from v1.3.x: the launcher offers the update itself, or extract over the old folder (your builds, saves and settings in GoW_PSP_data are kept). After updating, the launcher asks for one Build (a few minutes) before Play, because the game's code is new.

Fixes

• Chains of Olympus no longer crashes in the Depths of Tartarus (#24, break at 088096AC). Both games had 255 KB less memory for their heap than on a PSP, because the port started them with a bigger boot stack than they ask for. A late-game save used up the margin. Both games now get the full heap; existing saves load as before.
• No more slow motion on CPUs with performance and efficient cores (#33: Intel 12th gen and later, Core Ultra, Ryzen AI 300). Windows could move the game's single thread to the efficient cores; the game now keeps to the fast ones.
• V-Sync with a frame rate above the display's (#35), e.g. 120 FPS on a 60 Hz display, could settle at 30 FPS. With V-Sync the frame rate now follows the display's refresh.
• HDR on Auto only turns on when HDR is on in Windows (#28): Direct3D 12 looked washed out on normal displays.
• No Direct3D 12 or Vulkan device: the software renderer takes over instead of the game closing (#27), and the launcher offers to keep it.
• A first Build that fails says why (#29), shows its downloads, stops a stalled one and uses the Windows proxy.

Controls

• Spin keys: hold O or U to rotate the stick, for the "rotate the stick" prompts (#34). Keyboard players couldn't complete them before.
• Turbo: hold C (gamepad: right stick click) with a button and it presses 10 times a second, for the "press repeatedly" prompts (#26).
• Show the buttons pressed: F2 in the game, or in Options (#31).

Launcher

• A new look ("forged bronze"): warm dark colours, game cards in gold frames, a forged Play button, a top bar with Options and Controls, and the options in framed sections.
• Nine languages: Arabic, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian join English, Spanish, French and Hebrew. Arabic, like Hebrew, is right to left. The Spanish Options panel no longer runs past the window's edge. Native speakers: corrections are welcome (see CONTRIBUTING).
• Bug reports include frame timings (the last 5 minutes), which helps with slowdowns. Press Report a bug right after a problem and attach the zip.

Known: the boxes around the flames in the Temple of Helios (#30) don't happen on our PCs; if you see them, please answer in the issue.

What's next: roadmap. Details: CHANGELOG. Problems: troubleshooting and FAQ.

SHA-256 (PowerShell: Get-FileHash; also attached as SHA256SUMS.txt):

• GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.4.0.zip: a212651f306f214646ab72df9592a05daad70cb2c019074523a0fc24bf51a03e
• GoW_PSP/GoWLauncher.exe inside it: 0a9c4afd8e04d31fa59309a0cd3fb4bda94a8d7fb9ac335de899e28038795474

v1.3.1

v1.3.1: controls that work, rumble, 4:3 and CRT, languages, AI texture packs, a lighter preset

Download GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.3.1.zip, extract it, run GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe, choose the folder with your own disc images (.chd/.iso, US release), press Build, then Play. No game content is included. Upgrading from v1.2.x: the launcher offers the update itself, or extract over the old folder (your builds, saves and settings in GoW_PSP_data are kept). After updating, the launcher asks for one Build (a few minutes) before Play, because the game's code is new. (v1.3.0 was tagged but not released: it would have started an old build with an option it doesn't know.)

Fixes

• Custom controls work (#3). A key you gave to a button used to stay on its old button too: WASD for moving also blocked (W) and attacked (A, S). Now a key or gamepad button goes to one button only, and older settings are fixed when the game starts.
• A full graphics card stops the game with a clear message ("out of GPU memory") instead of a crash, and the launcher offers a lighter preset.
• A failed self-update no longer leaves its dialog on "Downloading"; a damaged launcher.json no longer stops the launcher.
• Pillow 13.0.0 inside the launcher (41 security advisories against 12.3.0; the launcher only opens PNG files).

Controls

• Mouse buttons can be bound (#3).
• The gamepad's right stick evades (L + R + stick, as in the PS2 games); it can be turned off.
• Gamepad rumble when Kratos is hit.
• Circle confirms, Cross cancels, as an option (the Japanese layout).

Display

• 4:3 aspect ratio (Discussion #20) and a CRT filter.
• Frame-rate counter: F3 in the game (#3).
• Choice of graphics card on PCs with two (#3).
• A new Light preset (x2), the starting preset on PCs without a dedicated GPU (#3).
• The HUD at the screen edges at 21:9 / 32:9. This is experimental and off by default; please report what you see.

Game

• Language: English, French or Spanish. Ghost of Sparta's US disc has all three (Discussion #19).
• Separate music and effects volume, a skip-the-movies option, and infinite health (a cheat).

Launcher

• Separate graphics settings for each game.
• Import PPSSPP saves (unencrypted ones).
• AI-upscaled texture packs made on your PC from the dumped textures. Real-ESRGAN is downloaded once (about 45 MB), after the launcher asks.
• Show what you play on Discord (off by default).
• The launcher window in Spanish, French and Hebrew.

What's next: roadmap. Details: CHANGELOG. Problems: troubleshooting and FAQ.

SHA-256 (PowerShell: Get-FileHash; also attached as SHA256SUMS.txt):

• GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.3.1.zip: ab947409ce82a15153d3441c394a09e58553f9c32b0d6cd48540cc2fbf2990f8
• GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe inside it: b075c4a67343a11dd900c44339fd9a7345d2bd2ccf4fc5bf32bb3aaade8d584f

The exe is unsigned (PyInstaller): Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" (More info, then Run anyway), and some antivirus programs flag it as a false positive.

v1.2.1

v1.2.1: MSAA on Vulkan, music above 60 FPS, the comma key, private bug reports

Download GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.2.1.zip, extract it, run GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe, choose the folder with your own disc images (.chd/.iso, US release), press Build, then Play. No game content is included. Upgrading from v1.2.0: the launcher offers the update itself, or extract over the old folder (your builds, saves and settings in GoW_PSP_data are kept).

• Fix: crash at launch or a black screen with MSAA on Vulkan (#3), at every MSAA level, with or without anisotropic filtering. Direct3D 12 (Auto) was not affected. If the graphics device is ever lost, the game now stops with a clear message instead of crashing.
• Fix: choppy music at 120 FPS and above (#3) when the PC can't hold the chosen rate. 60 FPS stays the default.
• Fix: the comma key can be bound (#3): a control bound to it had no key at all.
• Bug reports carry no personal paths: the logs in the Report a bug ZIP show your folders as <game folder>, <user folder> and so on, and your Windows user name as <user>.
• Skipped movies are in the input recording, so a bug report's recording replays past a skipped intro.
• Movies skip on the keys and buttons bound to Start or Cross (and on Enter and Space). The click that brings the window to the front no longer skips a movie.
• Self-update downloads only over https; a bad download is reported as damaged in the download (the check can't tell a forged release: the launcher is not signed).
• A damaged disc image can't make the disc reader read past its buffers.

Details: CHANGELOG. Problems: troubleshooting and FAQ.

SHA-256 (PowerShell: Get-FileHash; also attached as SHA256SUMS.txt):

• GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.2.1.zip: 588e80aa83f848cbd2c0dd70248c89dfb47b69c857151e0428f870012b0b7821
• GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe inside it: c5ea932d8489adf6425598204c137accf260ae312dcf6350d3f0b22cddc73c62

The exe is unsigned (PyInstaller): Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" (More info, then Run anyway), and some antivirus programs flag it as a false positive.

v1.2.0

v1.2.0: self-update, Controls page, shortcuts, crash and sound fixes

Download GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.2.0.zip, extract it, run GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe, choose the folder with your own disc images (.chd/.iso, US release), press Build, then Play. No game content is included. Upgrading from v1.1.x: extract over the old folder (your builds, saves and settings in GoW_PSP_data are kept). From now on the launcher can update itself.

• Fix: crash with anisotropic filtering on some GPUs (#3). Settings a GPU can't use fall back to plain filtering, and the log names the graphics adapter and driver. The High and Ultra presets now use 4x (8x and 16x are still in the settings).
• When the game closes unexpectedly, the launcher says why and offers fixes: turn off anisotropic filtering, try the other graphics API, open the log, or report a bug. New Graphics API option: Auto, Direct3D 12 or Vulkan.
• Fix: choppy sound at high frame rates. Sound that is playing now stays whole, and the starting preset keeps 60 FPS. The FPS setting says what a higher rate costs.
• Controls page: rebind keyboard keys and gamepad buttons. In fullscreen the mouse pointer hides after 2 seconds.
• Texture packs (#4): the launcher says when a pack can't work. PPSSPP packs use a different format. The new Dump textures option writes the game's own textures, as a starting point for a pack.
• Add to Steam / Create desktop shortcut for each game (#5); both start the game directly, with its icon.
• Report a bug / Open logs folder: collects the logs, the input recording and PC details (no file paths) into a ZIP and opens a prefilled GitHub issue.
• Launcher self-update: checks GitHub at start (you can turn this off in Advanced, or skip a version), shows what's new, downloads the ZIP, checks it against SHA256SUMS.txt and restarts. GoW_PSP_data stays as it is.
• No console window next to the launcher or behind games started from shortcuts or Steam.
• Broken or out-of-range settings are reset with a note instead of failing. Build progress shows the real step count and the elapsed time.

Details: CHANGELOG, v1.2.0. Problems: troubleshooting and FAQ.

SHA-256 (PowerShell: Get-FileHash; also attached as SHA256SUMS.txt):

• GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.2.0.zip: df103bf9996012c6e2518343044f65618d5ba1104315435b08475758e1dfb648
• GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe inside it: 5d3802944caf644f955fa004d9e051709ffdce28a094028314277c660e32dab7

The exe is unsigned (PyInstaller): Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" (More info, then Run anyway), and some antivirus programs flag it as a false positive.

v1.1.5

Superseded by v1.2.0. Please download the latest release.

v1.1.5: builds without Git, skippable movies, proper quit options

Download GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.1.5.zip, extract it, run GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe, choose the folder with your own disc images (.chd/.iso, US release), press Build, then Play. No game content is included. Upgrading from v1.1.0: extract over the old folder, or into a new one next to it; your builds and saves in GoW_PSP_data are kept if you reuse the folder.

• Fix: the build failed on PCs without Git (could not find git for clone of libchdr-populate). libchdr and SDL3 now come as pinned archives (SHA-256); nothing besides the launcher's own download is needed: no Git, Python or Visual Studio. CI checks that no Git fetch comes back.
• Fix: the launcher background could leave part of the window grey at some sizes and display scalings. It now always covers the window, and drawing it takes less CPU.
• Fix: the Ghost of Sparta intro movie stuttered on weaker PCs with the launcher maximized. While a game runs, the launcher now minimizes itself and stops its animation (about 0.1% of a CPU core instead of about 60%), and comes back when the game exits.
• Quit options: Alt+F4 now works and the close button quits at once. Esc asks "Quit the game?" with the game paused (Enter / gamepad Cross = yes, Esc / gamepad Circle = no). On a gamepad, hold Back + Start for 2 seconds.
• Movies can be skipped with Enter, Space, a mouse click, or gamepad Start or Cross (the original games don't allow it). The game goes on to the menu or level as if the movie had ended.

Controls

Keyboard	PSP	Gamepad
Arrows	D-pad	D-pad
Z / X / A / S	Cross / Circle / Square / Triangle	A / B / X / Y (PSP layout)
Q / W	L / R	shoulders or triggers
Space or Enter	Start	Start
V	Select	Back
I / J / K / L	analog stick	left stick

Skip a movie: Enter, Space, click, or Start/Cross. Quit: Alt+F4, the close button, Esc (asks), or hold Back+Start for 2 s. F11 or Alt+Enter: fullscreen / window. F12: screenshot. The game saves only at its own save points.

Details: CHANGELOG, v1.1.5. Problems: troubleshooting and FAQ.

SHA-256 (PowerShell: Get-FileHash; also attached as SHA256SUMS.txt):

• GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.1.5.zip: bd2d3520b3cab06c01565db8b3e06d99c625a2db802d1bae6561ccf2e82d4611
• GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe inside it: ab06477fec084badadb74a181e7c4daa6e1caa5e5bb35e013bae355fb778a2e1

The exe is unsigned (PyInstaller): Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" (More info, then Run anyway), and some antivirus programs flag it as a false positive.

v1.1.0

Superseded by v1.1.5 — v1.1.0 fails to build on PCs without Git. Please download the latest release.

v1.1.0: no Visual Studio needed

Download GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.1.0.zip, extract it, run GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe, choose the folder with your own disc images (.chd/.iso, US release), press Build, then Play. No game content is included.

• The launcher now downloads its own portable build tools on the first Build: llvm-mingw (Clang), CMake and Ninja. That's 246 MB once, from the projects' official releases, checked against pinned SHA-256 hashes, and it asks before downloading. They stay in GoW_PSP_data: no Visual Studio, no administrator rights, nothing installed in Windows.
• The one-time build takes about 4 minutes for the first game (including the download) and under 3 for the second.
• Same game output as the Visual Studio build (34/34 frames, identical audio). D3D12 and Vulkan both tested on 4 levels per game.
• Visual Studio is still supported for developers and is the fallback.
• CI checks the portable toolchain.

Details: CHANGELOG, v1.1.0, docs/phase15-portable-toolchain.md.

SHA-256 (PowerShell: Get-FileHash):

• GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.1.0.zip: 9438f4eb60cfcad6c341cb6b864f9f70b49f2a1d7fd44166b826e861fc92a3cc
• GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe inside it: ac9b96bcca910359af1bf8c4a9ef5f47fa8e710d730706e299945138aed12c2b

The exe is unsigned (PyInstaller): Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" (More info, then Run anyway), and some antivirus programs flag it as a false positive.

v1.0.1 (preview)

Superseded by v1.1.5 — please download the latest release (no Visual Studio or Git needed).

Preview release. Every level of both games loads and runs and saves work, but neither game has had a full playthrough yet; expect bugs. You need your own legally dumped disc image (.chd / .iso) of the US release; no game content is included. Report bugs with the game log and a recorded input file, never game files.

Download GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.0.1.zip, extract it anywhere, and run GoW_PSP\GoWLauncher.exe (see the README quick start).

• Download is now a ZIP: it holds one GoW_PSP folder with GoWLauncher.exe and a short README.txt. The launcher keeps everything it creates in GoW_PSP_data next to itself. Folders set up by v1.0.0 keep their layout, so builds and saves are kept.
• Fullscreen by default (F11 / Alt+Enter or the Fullscreen option switch to a window). Existing settings switch to fullscreen once.
• No more console window when the game starts. The game's log is in GoW_PSP_data\build\launcher_coo.log / launcher_gos.log; attach it to bug reports.
• Faster first build: about 3 minutes for the first game and under 2 for the second (was about 4 each). Dependencies are downloaded once and libraries compile in parallel.
• Docs: SmartScreen / antivirus note, one research setup (EBOOT via gow_disc), Discussions enabled.

The exe is unsigned (PyInstaller): Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" (More info, then Run anyway), and some antivirus programs flag it as a false positive.

SHA-256

• GoW_PSP_Launcher-v1.0.1.zip: 675b4b7d3e93c4a7729e2fe82b39e2f458ef87b37db97d8f645e2c4c5414c7ac
• GoW_PSP/GoWLauncher.exe (inside the ZIP): 13e327854dcb29ad1728b04b98e0cc42798556b0112af69a5a705f76b9e96ec5

PowerShell: Get-FileHash <file>. Built by GitHub Actions from tag v1.0.1 (commit a463151).

v1.0.0 (preview)

Superseded by v1.1.5 — please download the latest release (no Visual Studio or Git needed).

Preview release. Every level of both games loads and runs and saves work, but neither game has had a full playthrough yet; expect bugs. You need your own legally dumped disc image (.chd / .iso); no game content is included. Please report bugs with a recorded input file, never game files.

Preview: every level of both games loads and runs and saves work, but neither game has had a full playthrough
yet. Play from your disc image without Python or a manual EBOOT dump.

• EBOOT decryption built in: gow_disc reads the .chd / .iso, identifies the game and decrypts the EBOOT
  (PPSSPP PrxDecrypter + libkirk, fetched at build time with a pinned SHA-256); no PPSSPP dump needed.
• Toolchain check: the launcher finds CMake, Visual Studio C++ tools and Python, and offers to install missing ones
  with winget only after asking.
• One-file launcher: GoWLauncher.exe (PyInstaller) runs the recompiler in-process, so players need no Python.
• New launcher UI (PySide6/Qt, LGPL-3.0, linked dynamically): choose the game folder, detect each disc, build with a
  progress bar, graphics presets in a side panel, the game's own main menu as a live background after the first build,
  animations with a Reduce motion option. Third-party notices ship with the launcher.
• Icons: an original icon (tools/make_icon.py) for the launcher, its taskbar entry and the game executables; the
  game window and game cards use the game's own icon from your disc (--icon).
• CI: a GitHub Actions workflow builds GoWLauncher.exe on Windows (no game data) and uploads it as an artifact.

Bug pass before release:

• Fixed: a failed CMake configure (stale cache) now cleans the build folder and retries once.
• Checked, no change needed: HUD after Load Game (not reproducible); movies ending on a black frame (same as PPSSPP);
  Ghost of Sparta geometry clipping (same on PSP / PPSSPP); no music right after a level warp (music starts from level
  scripts, a warp artifact).
• Known issue: warping into Ghost of Sparta's scb_010_climb at spawn 1 crashes on a sound trigger the warp never creates
  (likely a warp artifact; see docs/phase12-gos-level-tour.md); a normal playthrough is still to be checked.

Download: GoWLauncher.exe below, put it in an empty folder and run it (see the README quick start).

SHA-256 of GoWLauncher.exe: dac0c7b3ec97aeb4da71d5c2bbed99e0200ed3751319307b75f0334f0efa350c (PowerShell: Get-FileHash GoWLauncher.exe). The exe is unsigned (PyInstaller): Windows SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC" (More info, then Run anyway), and some antivirus programs flag it as a false positive.