Shadows of the Empire: Recompiled 0.9.7

Shadows of the Empire: Recompiled 0.9.7

This hotfix switches the default renderer to Vulkan to help with the AMD startup crashes reported in #20. This is a full Windows release, with the updated texture pack included.

What changed

• Vulkan is now the default. Your first launch after this update switches to Vulkan, even if your settings previously selected Direct3D 12. Your other graphics settings are kept. After that first launch, any renderer choice you save is respected.
• Updated HD textures. Includes the latest matched texture updates. Existing fonts, text, and cleaned-up HUD borders are preserved. A few texture matches are still being worked on.
• License and porting information. Added an MIT license for original project code and included dependency notices. Community ports are welcome; see LICENSES.md for the full details.

Please test on affected AMD cards

The reporter in #20 found that Vulkan worked on their 9070 XT. This release makes that the default and is ready for testing on affected systems. Please let us know whether it fixes startup and whether texture flickering still occurs.

We tested the new build on a Radeon 780M, including actual Echo Base gameplay: movement, jumping, mouse aiming, and blaster fire. All eight automated tests passed. We have not verified the 9070 XT ourselves, and this release does not claim to fix the remaining flickering or menu/remapping reports.

Texture pack included

Thanks to interceptor427 for the HD texture pack! Both bundled packs load automatically. If you prefer the original textures, close the game and rename or remove the textures folder beside the executable.

Getting started

1. Extract SotE-Recomp-0.9.7.zip.
2. Place your own USA Rev 2 ROM beside Shadows of the Empire.exe and name it sote.us.v1.2.z64.
3. Launch the game.

Upgrading? Keep your saves, settings, and any PC movies, voices, or music you have added. Replace the executable, bundled DLLs, and the two bundled texture-pack folders with the new versions. Keep any other custom packs you use.

PC cutscenes still play directly from your original .SAN files in Sdata; no decoded movie cache is needed. The download does not include a ROM or PC game media.

Steam Deck flickering, the intermittent Traditional-preset soft lock, and reported menu/remapping problems remain open. Mouse aiming works locally but may have problems over Remote Desktop.

Experimental Linux x86-64 download

The native Linux build is now available alongside the Windows download at the same 0.9.7 version:

• Download the Linux package
• Linux SHA-256 checksum
• Setup and known issues

Requires glibc 2.43+ and GLIBCXX 3.4.32+ (Ubuntu 26.04-era system libraries), plus a working Vulkan driver. This build is not compatible with older system libraries and is not verified on Steam Deck.

The full package includes the updated texture packs, bundled supporting libraries, a Play.sh launcher, and license notices. Extract it onto your Linux filesystem, add your own sote.us.v1.2.z64, and run ./Play.sh.

This is an experimental Linux build. Menus and early Echo Base gameplay were visually checked with WSL software Vulkan; movement and blaster impacts were confirmed, and all eight automated tests passed. Later gameplay captures turned solid blue, and HD-pack startup from the WSL Windows mount timed out. Those issues remain unresolved. Physical controls, audible playback and hardware-accelerated Linux gameplay have not been verified.

The Linux source commit and required library versions are included in BUILD_INFO.json in the archive.

Shadows of the Empire: Recompiled 0.9.6

Shadows of the Empire: Recompiled 0.9.6

This update brings better controls, cleaner menus, and fixes for cutscenes and textures. For Windows 10 and 11.

What's new

• PC cutscenes take up much less space. The game now plays the original SAN files directly. No conversion or huge cache folder needed.
• Better cutscene playback. Fixed intro timing and cases where both versions played. Skipping a communicator message now stops its voice line, so it won't talk over the next one.
• Control fixes. Improved keyboard menu navigation, controller buttons, flying controls, underwater aiming, and button remapping. Mouse aiming works in windowed mode, and shots line up with the crosshair after respawning and on slopes.
• More options. Added camera controls, aim-assist settings, and cheats including rapid fire and vehicle health.
• Cleaner text and menus. The Modern font now appears throughout more of the game. Pause menus have a darker background, options have descriptions, and controls can be adjusted while paused.
• Cleaner startup. Removed the white flash and extra console window.
• Updated textures. Restored missing cutscene images, fixed the Wampa's face, and cleaned up the HUD borders and labels.
• Compatibility Mode. Added an option to help with graphics problems. Steam Deck flickering still needs work.
• Also fixed Windows build and packaging problems for people building from source.

Texture pack included

Thanks to interceptor427 for the V1 HD texture pack! It's included, along with the additional AI upscales. Both load automatically. Where a replacement isn't available, the game uses the original texture.

Getting started

1. Extract SotE-Recomp-0.9.6.zip.
2. Place your own USA Rev 2 ROM beside Shadows of the Empire.exe and name it sote.us.v1.2.z64.
3. Launch the game.

Upgrading? Keep your saves, settings, and any PC audio or movies you've added. Replace the two bundled texture-pack folders with the new versions. Keep any other custom packs you use.

Want PC cutscenes? Copy the original .SAN files from your PC copy of the game into the Sdata folder beside the executable. If a movie is missing, the game uses the N64 version. Old decoded SAN caches are no longer needed.

You'll need to supply your own ROM and any optional PC movies, voices, or music. See the included guides for voices and music, or the README for supported ROM details.

Still being worked on

• Steam Deck flickering (#12).
• Freezing when switching to the Traditional control preset (#14).
• Some missing or mismatched HD textures (#17).
• Reports of menu buttons doing the wrong thing (#19).

Mouse aiming works locally, but may still have problems over Remote Desktop.

Found something else? Let us know here.

0.9.5

Shadows of the Empire: Recompiled 0.9.5

Windows 10/11 x64 release.

Changes since 0.9.2

• Updated controls and rebinding for keyboard, mouse movement/buttons, and gamepad; Modern and Classic schemes remain available.
• Improved Modern aiming, shot convergence and Ord Mantell train controls; bike controls include throttle, brake, steering and ram actions.
• Updated Pause, Options and controls menus.
• PC FMV and Original N64 cutscene modes. Available PC movies replace matching comic-book scenes once. Gameplay reveals pause gameplay, play the movie, then resume the native encounter.
• Corrected SAN placement and audited communicator voices, including Leebo and Rebel pilots. Optional PC recordings follow their mapped messages and events.
• Bundled updated V1 HD textures and complementary AI upscales, enabled automatically.

Install

Extract SotE-Recomp-0.9.5.zip into a writable folder. Place your own supported USA Rev 2 ROM beside Shadows of the Empire.exe, named sote.us.v1.2.z64, then launch the game. Runtime DLLs are included.

Supported ROM SHA-256 hashes:

• e7085e013123537f34e0edec8801318016da4dbac424172d6dc5f3b67d98642c
• 2802bf4135842f7c8d254349ed7ac2641f6d7ff45e9d2d01304e1455706dd103

When upgrading, preserve your saves, settings and optional Sdata assets. Replace the two bundled texture-pack folders with these versions; keep unrelated custom packs separately.

Included texture pack

textures/SotE_V1_HD contains the V1 HD texture pack by interceptor427. textures/SotE_AI_Upscale fills uncovered static textures. Both load automatically. Fonts and changing textures retain native behavior. Remove either folder to disable that pack.

The staged build was checked in Echo Base: replacement logs and a native render capture confirmed Dash and environment replacements. This is not an every-texture or full-playthrough certification.

Editable stock texture references and Build-HD-Pack.ps1 remain included for custom packs. See TEXTURE_PACKS.md.

Optional PC assets

No ROM, reconstructed game image, saves, PC recordings, or SAN movies are bundled. PC FMV requires a prepared SAN cache from your own PC installation; without it, use Original N64. Existing prepared caches can be retained when upgrading.

For communicator voices, copy your own ILB*.WAV, ILU*.WAV, and IR*.WAV recordings into Sdata beside the executable. Only audited mappings play; missing clips retain native behavior. See PC_VOICES.md and LEEBO_VOICES.md. External music is also optional; see EXTERNAL_MUSIC.md.

Verification

The packaged executable matches the tested October 8 build. All eight automated harnesses passed. Physical controller feel and a complete playthrough remain outside those checks.

Report issues.

0.9.2 — Open Beta

Shadows of the Empire: Recompiled 0.9.2

Report bugs and request features on the issues page

Windows 10/11 x64 open beta. Download and extract SotE-Recomp-0.9.2.zip into a writable folder. The executable, SDL2, DirectX shader compiler and Microsoft Visual C++ runtime DLLs are included; no development tools are required to play.

What's updated

• Modern third-person controls: analog movement and strafing, continuous right-stick aiming, a shoulder camera, adjustable response curves, and 18% on-foot movement/aim deadzones in the bundled INI. No LT aim mode; Classic remains available.
• Standard blaster shots converge toward the camera's aim direction, with collision checks. Optional magnetism is available in CONTROLS_MODERN.INI and defaults off. See MODERN_AIM.md for tuning and current limitations.
• Leebo's PC communicator recordings now follow visible messages, covering 32 distinct messages, including missing jetpack, sewage-key and deactivator prompts. Repeated text draws no longer restart speech. Supply the recordings from your own PC installation as described below.
• Both supported USA Rev 2 ROM hashes are accepted (listed below).
• Optional texture replacement supports higher-resolution PNGs, transparency, and runtime source matching. The bundle includes 4,244 stock PNG references and a PowerShell tool for creating your own HD pack. These are editable stock sources, not an enhanced art pack; the game retains native textures until you install replacements.

Install and play

Place your own matching ROM beside Shadows of the Empire.exe, named sote.us.v1.2.z64, then launch the executable. Saves are stored in saves. When upgrading, keep your existing saves and custom packs; back up your configuration before replacing it with the new defaults.

Supported SHA-256 hashes for big-endian USA Rev 2 / v1.2 ROMs:

ROM	SHA-256
Canonical No-Intro USA Rev 2 (CRC32 E8727549)	e7085e013123537f34e0edec8801318016da4dbac424172d6dc5f3b67d98642c
Alternate supported dump	2802bf4135842f7c8d254349ed7ac2641f6d7ff45e9d2d01304e1455706dd103

Select Options → Controls → Modern, then Apply to enable modern controls. On foot: LS moves/straffes, RS aims, A jumps, RT fires, X opens doors, Y toggles the jetpack, B crouches, and LB/RB cycles weapons. Tune CONTROLS_MODERN.INI as needed; convergence is enabled and magnetism strength is zero by default.

Install Leebo's PC voices

Find the Sdata folder containing ILB01.WAV in your own PC build of Shadows of the Empire. Copy its ILB*.WAV files into an Sdata folder beside this release's executable:

Shadows of the Empire.exe
Sdata/
  ILB01.WAV
  ...

Restart the game. No conversion is needed for the original PCM WAV files. Avoid an extra nested Sdata/Sdata folder. PC audio is optional and is not included in this release. See LEEBO_VOICES.md for details.

Make your own HD texture pack

The texture_upgrade folder contains editable stock textures: rom (2,941 PNGs), runtime_static (1,124), and runtime_changing (179). Edit selected PNGs, keeping their filenames, transparency and JSON metadata. Higher resolutions are supported.

From the release folder, run:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Build-HD-Pack.ps1 -Source .\texture_upgrade\rom -Output .\textures\MyHDPack

Only edited images become replacements. Restart the game to load the pack. Use a new output folder for each build. The same command works with the other source folders and distinct output pack names. Editing a changing texture replaces that slot's animation with a single image; leave it untouched to preserve native animation. See TEXTURE_PACKS.md for the full workflow. Python tools are also included for advanced extraction and capture, but Python is not required for the bundled-source workflow.

No ROM, reconstructed game executable image, saves or PC audio are bundled. This remains an open beta: full-playthrough feedback and controller tuning reports are welcome through the issues link above.

0.9beta

0.9 beta Windows build.

Package contents:

• Shadows of the Empire.exe
• SDL2.dll, dxcompiler.dll, dxil.dll
• rt64.json, sote_options.json
• CONTROLS_MODERN.INI with commented control tuning ranges
• README.txt with ROM placement instructions

Not included:

• No ROM
• No main.bin
• No saves
• No Sdata folder
• No texture dumps or texture packs
• No extracted game data

Place a legally obtained USA v1.2 big-endian ROM next to the executable as sote.us.v1.2.z64 or Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire (U) (V1.2) [!].z64.

Beta testers: please tune CONTROLS_MODERN.INI for your controller and submit the best-feeling setups with the controller model and notes.