reGH2 v0.1.1 (pre-release, Linux): smoother frame pacing

Second pre-release of reGH2 (Linux). Unofficial, not affiliated with Activision or Harmonix; it contains nothing of the game (bring your own copy). Usage, requirements and how to report problems are in the README and in the v0.1.0 notes.

What's new since v0.1.0

• Much smoother frame pacing. The SDK's handler for memory-protection faults read and parsed the whole /proc/self/maps every time the game wrote to memory the GPU watches, while holding a global lock, so in busy scenes frames arrived late in pairs even though the average stayed at 60 fps. It now asks the kernel directly (PROCMAP_QUERY). In our test (12 songs, one machine) the share of frames over 20 ms went from 13.0% to 0.3%, with no change in the average and in the load on the CPU and GPU.
  • It needs Linux 6.11 or newer for the effect. Older kernels work as before (the old, slower path is kept).
  • Already installed? No reinstall needed: the launcher's PLAY button and the app-menu shortcut bring the game's runtime up to date. The launcher may offer "Update" (a rebuild); this fix does not need it.
• The shortcut now refreshes the runtime on every launch.

Known issue

One report of the game slowing down for a few seconds while an achievement toast was on screen (second venue, while recording with OBS). It could not be reproduced. This change may help if frame pacing was involved, but we don't know.

Not tested yet

The graphical launcher on other distributions, Steam Deck, GPUs other than an RX 6600 XT, kernels older than 6.11, and Windows (not started).

Verify the download: sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt. MIT license; third-party licenses in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and inside the AppImage.

reGH2 v0.1.0 (first pre-release, Linux)

First pre-release of reGH2, a static recompilation of Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360, USA) for PC. Linux with Vulkan for now.

Unofficial, not affiliated with or endorsed by Activision or Harmonix. It contains nothing of the game: you need your own copy (a disc image .iso, the extracted game folder, or the folder with default.xex). The game is rebuilt on your computer the first time (a few minutes), then it starts like any other program.

How to use

1. Download reGH2-x86_64.AppImage, then chmod +x reGH2-x86_64.AppImage and run it.
2. Press Select folder..., choose the folder that holds your game, then Install.
3. Press PLAY. In the game, F2 opens the options: graphics, display mode (borderless fullscreen or windowed), controllers, keyboard, DLC, start-up, an FPS counter, Open saves folder, Save problem report and Quit game.

Command line: ./reGH2-x86_64.AppImage install <iso|folder|default.xex>, ... launch, ... status, ... doctor, ... report, ... saves, ... uninstall.

Saves and uninstalling

Your save game, achievements and installed DLC are in ~/.local/share/gh2. The launcher can open that folder, export the save game to a .zip, and uninstall the game (it keeps your saves and DLC unless you say otherwise, and never touches your own copy of the game).

Requirements

Linux x86-64 (glibc 2.35 or newer), a Vulkan 1.2 GPU with its driver (Mesa or NVIDIA), about 4 GB of free disk space and a few GB of RAM while compiling. The AppImage carries the compiler and the other libraries; if your Vulkan driver is missing the launcher tells you which package to install and only does it if you agree.

Please test it and report problems

This has been played on one machine only, so testing on yours is the point of this release. For any problem, open an issue (there is a form) and:

1. make the problem happen again;
2. say at what moment of the game it happens (menu or song, difficulty, what was on screen, anything unusual just before);
3. attach the problem report: in the game F2 > GAME > Save problem report right after the problem, or, if the game does not start or has crashed, the launcher's Save problem report button or ./reGH2-x86_64.AppImage report.

What was tested

• Played on one machine (CachyOS, Ryzen 5 5600, RX 6600 XT) with a real X-plorer guitar, an Xbox One pad and the keyboard: 60 fps, audio in sync.
• The install and game start were checked in clean Debian 12, Fedora, Arch and Ubuntu 22.04 containers (no GPU there).
• Not tested yet: the graphical launcher on other distributions, Steam Deck, GPUs other than the one above, and Windows (not started).

Known issue

One report of the game slowing down for a few seconds while an achievement toast was on screen (second venue, while recording with OBS). It could not be reproduced in about 3 minutes of play with 12 toasts. If it happens to you, the FPS counter and logs/perf.log (written when the game itself drops below ~55 fps) will tell whether the game slowed down.

Verify the download: sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt. MIT license; third-party licenses are in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and inside the AppImage.