v0.1.2 - Shadows, Darkness Vision, and high-resolution rendering fixes

Download and play

Download The-Darkness-Recomp-v0.1.2-windows-x64.zip under Assets. The Source code archives are for developers, not the playable download.

Extract the entire ZIP, place your own prepared Xbox 360 game files in the included Darkness folder, then run Launch.cmd. See START_HERE.txt for the supported revision and preparation steps. Game-file requirements and supported hashes are unchanged from v0.1.1. No game files are included. Requires 64-bit Windows 10/11 and a Direct3D 11-capable graphics device; no compiler or Python installation is required to play.

All fixes since v0.1.1

Darkness Vision - #8

• Restored the original golden edge glow around objects in dark areas. The first vision pass now writes its depth mask even when depth testing is disabled, preventing the following pass from painting over the glow.
• Preserved the original intensity, near/far fading, and restoration of distant pixels.
• Added recovery of the vision noise textures after a CPU texture-cache miss, while keeping scene, depth, and effect-atlas inputs on the GPU.

Character and object shadows - #7

• Fixed character shadows disappearing or flickering as the camera moves around them.
• Restored stencil-volume shadows for small props such as stools, including static and skinned casters. The original near/far vertex extrusion is now retained when the game switches shadow techniques.
• Corrected shadow-map comparison polarity and polygon bias, addressing incorrect dark regions and shadow placement.
• Preserved alpha-tested coverage for depth-only shadow casters instead of treating transparent cards as solid geometry.
• Restored the original projected-texture shader and perspective division.

High-resolution lighting and presentation - #6

• Fixed the grey-green cast in dark areas above 720p by preserving the original color-correction lookup texels at higher render scales.
• Fixed rejected 1080p frontbuffer copies at partial tile boundaries, retaining rendered pixels and clearing only the undrawn fringe.
• Restored the original shadow projector and its 4×4 filter at 1×, 2×, and 3× render scales.

Diagnostics and setup - #5, #7

• Added optional F8 frame/shadow captures with ordered rendering data and matching screenshots. Use Launch.cmd preview --shadow-capture to enable the two-capture diagnostic mode.
• A failed diagnostic screenshot save no longer terminates gameplay; existing capture files are protected from overwrite.
• Included the corrected setup guide inside the ZIP. It explains how to generate _uncrypted.xex and basefile.exe from your own default.xex using XexTool, includes the verified commands and hashes, and documents the tested Title ID, Media ID, and version. Region labels alone do not establish compatibility.

Updating from v0.1.1

Close the game. Extract this ZIP into the folder containing your existing Launch.cmd, replacing the included files. Keep your Darkness game files, saves, and DarkRecomp.settings.ini. Start using the updated Launch.cmd; the executables are in build_native/Release.

Validation

• Built from merged main commit 63cc32545db61c1d4dd0eeaf898f156ddd5ea413, including a fresh audio-codec rebuild.
• All 68 automated tests passed, including hardware and WARP rendering, Darkness Vision masks and fades, shadow rendering, high-resolution presentation, and runtime contracts. Runtime asset tests used the complete supported game directory.
• Verified the downloadable ZIP, every file hash in RELEASE.json, and the published SHA-256 checksum file. No game files, saves, or local settings are included.
• Tested extraction over the published v0.1.1 package: existing game files, saves, and settings were preserved.
• The extracted launcher setup check and native renderer smoke test passed with Python and compiler tools removed from PATH.

This remains a pre-release and has not undergone a complete gameplay playthrough. If you encounter a problem, include the newest build_native/run/desktop-*/runtime.log in your report.

Full changes since v0.1.1

v0.1.1 - Easy Windows setup and generator fixes

Missing _uncrypted.xex or basefile.exe?

These files must be generated from your own default.xex using XexTool; they are not normally present in a disc extraction. Follow the verified preparation commands and version checks.

Download the separate START_HERE.txt asset below for the corrected setup guide. It supersedes the guide inside the original v0.1.1 ZIP; the ZIP and game binaries have not changed.

Download and play

Download The-Darkness-Recomp-v0.1.1-windows-x64.zip under Assets below.
The Source code links are for developers; they are not the playable download.

1. Right-click the Windows ZIP and choose Extract All.
2. Copy your own extracted Xbox 360 game dump into the included Darkness folder. Include _uncrypted.xex, basefile.exe, default.xex, Content, System, and all the other files and folders from the dump.
3. Double-click Launch.cmd.

No compiler, Python, or separate Visual C++/audio installation is needed. Use 64-bit Windows 10/11 and a Direct3D 11-capable graphics device. Game files are not included; an ISO alone will not work. The dump must contain the decrypted images for the supported game revision.

F1 shows the controls. F2 toggles mouse capture. Esc releases the mouse. Graphics settings are in the game's Options > Video Settings menu.

What's fixed

• Includes the generator and instruction-correctness fixes from #2, rebuilt into the game executable.
• Fixes the v0.1.0 ZIP layout: the binaries now live where Launch.cmd expects them.
• Includes the Visual C++ and audio runtime DLLs.
• Adds clear missing-game-file instructions and a short START_HERE.txt guide.
• Provides release provenance, audio-library source/notices, and a SHA-256 checksum.

Updating v0.1.0

Close the game. Extract this ZIP into the folder containing your existing Launch.cmd, replacing the included files. Keep Darkness, saves, and DarkRecomp.settings.ini. Start with the updated Launch.cmd; the current executables are inside build_native/Release.

Validation

All 68 CTest tests passed, including 486 generated-instruction checks and 13 release/launcher/source-integrity cases. The extracted ZIP passed a renderer smoke test with developer tools removed from PATH. An upgrade over the published v0.1.0 ZIP preserved game files, saves, and settings. This remains a pre-release; these checks do not constitute a full gameplay playthrough.

If the game closes after launch, attach the newest build_native/run/desktop-*/runtime.log to a GitHub issue.

v0.1.0

First binary pre-release of The Darkness native Windows port (Xbox 360 static recompilation, D3D11, no emulation at runtime). Smoke-tested: renderer initializes and presents cleanly. Playable: gameplay, mouse look + controller, video settings, XMA audio, saves. See CONTROLS.md and RENDERING.md in the repo for details. REQUIREMENTS: 64-bit Windows and your own Xbox 360 game dump (not included). SETUP: 1. Extract this zip. 2. Copy your dumped game files into a Darkness folder next to Launch.cmd (needs _uncrypted.xex, basefile.exe, default.xex, Content and System folders). 3. Run Launch.cmd. CONTENTS: DarkRecomp.exe, DarkRecompPreview.exe, XMA/audio DLLs, native menu assets, Launch.cmd, README.md, CONTROLS.md.