openQ4 0.9.0

openQ4 0.9.0

Field	Value
Version	0.9.0
Release tag	v0.9.0
Commit	7a1d0c54
Generated	2026-07-24 20:46 UTC
Release scale	override
Version decision	Version override was supplied manually.
Workflow	30124106846
Since	v0.8.0 (compare)

Highlights

• Experimental Vulkan rendering has taken a major step forward. The opt-in renderer now covers stock world geometry, interaction lighting, stencil and mapped shadows, fog and blend lights, post-processing, SMAA, material-program effects, and common gameplay subviews while retaining a safe OpenGL fallback if it cannot initialize.
• Saving a game while using Vulkan no longer flashes the 320x240 save-preview render in the bottom-left corner of the display. Save previews are captured without presenting their temporary cropped frame.
• Linux desktop support is more robust across Wayland, X11 fallback, high-DPI displays, input-focus changes, PipeWire-optional audio startup, AppImages, and ARM64 package validation.
• Game and engine portability checks now cover more Linux x64/ARM64 and macOS failure cases, including stricter module ABI, save/load, startup, package, and sanitizer validation.
• Windows, Linux, and experimental macOS packaging now carry stronger runtime and symbol-validation checks, making release artifacts easier to install and diagnose. macOS app packages also preserve their startup splash resource correctly.

Upgrade Notes

• OpenGL remains the default renderer. To try Vulkan, set r_renderApi vulkan and restart the engine; it is still experimental, so report visual problems with openq4.log and your GPU/driver details.
• Replace an existing openQ4 package with the matching new archive or installer. Keep your retail Quake 4 assets separate from openQ4's baseoq4/ runtime files.
• Linux ARM64 downloads remain preview packages unless the release asset name explicitly says otherwise. Experimental macOS downloads remain Apple Silicon/arm64-only and may be unsigned when release signing credentials are unavailable.

Change Log

• Added the native Vulkan renderer's expanded lighting, shadow, post-process, material-program, capture, and render-target paths, with OpenGL retained as the default compatibility renderer.
• Prevented Vulkan save-preview readback from presenting its temporary cropped image before the normal gameplay frame is ready.
• Improved Linux Wayland/X11 lifecycle handling, text input, focus recovery, display changes, audio startup, dedicated-server isolation, and x64/ARM64 package validation.
• Expanded cross-platform safety checks around game modules, save games, rendering resources, package contents, symbols, release provenance, and diagnostics.
• Improved experimental macOS build, package, support-collection, and validation workflows while keeping its published support scope explicit.

Linux ARM64 Support

Linux ARM64 preview artifacts enabled. First-class publication remains gated on accepted real-hardware native-Wayland SP/MP, dedicated-server, audio, input, display, and package evidence.