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RELEASE-0.0.8.md

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Star Fox Enhanced 0.0.8

This release collects the work since 0.0.6.7 across the game, renderers, platform builds, controls and packaging. It remains an alpha: supply your own supported retail ROM and game assets. No cartridge ROM or user save is included.

Rendering and visual options

  • Expanded GPU rendering and composition across D3D12, Vulkan and Metal, including background layers, models, sprites, HUD composition, widescreen filling, frame interpolation and presentation scaling. Improved parity between Software and GPU paths and reduced avoidable image transfers.
  • Added platform ray-tracing paths: DXR on supported Windows GPUs, Vulkan ray queries on supported Linux/Steam Deck hardware, and Metal hardware ray tracing on supported Apple devices. Ray tracing adds model shadows and reflections; bright laser effects, the Andross core and other emissive elements remain unshadowed. The stylized lighting option is named Enhanced Lighting. Software rendering has its own lower-cost shadow and reflection paths. Availability and performance depend on the device and renderer.
  • Added GPU reflections for models and ground, with Low/Medium/High quality. Water, mirror and metallic ground can receive reflections; material controls are available only with the required renderer capabilities.
  • Added FSR 1 for detected AMD GPUs, with Off, Ultra Quality, Quality, Balanced and Performance modes. NVIDIA systems retain the DLSS option. The Windows package includes the pinned DLSS runtime components. DLSS 5 remains an experimental integration for a separately installed compatible add-on; the third-party add-on itself is not bundled. With DLSS off, the game keeps its normal renderer path instead of upgrading the graphics backend just because the optional runtime is present.
  • Added independent Enhanced Sky and Enhanced Ground options, with automatic or manual ground selection. Ground choices include grass, dirt, sand, snow, water, mirror, gold metal, red sand and bubbling lava. Water and lava have animated surface treatments; reflective choices use the selected renderer's reflection path. Enhanced landscape layers follow the scene's movement and palette changes.
  • Expanded scene-specific enhanced backdrop artwork and coverage for gameplay, menus, transitions and game-over presentation, including widescreen and wraparound views. Added palette-responsive backdrop handling for changing scenes and more distinct artwork choices for EX previews.
  • Reorganized visual styles into clearer groups and removed Crosshatch from selection. Comic no longer overlays the black dot pattern. Added Posterized, Film, Negative, Solarized, Amber, Emerald, Cyanotype, Copper Tone, Lavender, CGA, Scanlines, Teal/Orange, Handheld, Watercolour, Chalk, Emboss, Bleach Bypass, Stained Glass, Risograph, Hologram, Mosaic, Pencil, Oil Paint, Duotone, Tritone, Woodcut, X-Ray, Pop Art, Iridescent, CRT Phosphor, Noir, UV Glow and Topographic. Old Crosshatch saves migrate to Off; Ice migrates to the visually distinct Cyanotype style.
  • Added a separate Manipulations group with Kaleidoscope, Prism Split, Pixel Sort, Trails, Long Exposure, Shatter, Melt, Ripple Warp, Barrel Warp, Venetian, Checker Fold, Twist, Ring Ripple and Shard Split.
  • Added a separate 3D Material group with Metallic, Gold Metal, Copper Metal, Mirror, Prism, Glass, Obsidian, Pearl, Ruby, Jade, Porcelain, Silver, Brass, Rose Gold, Titanium, Amethyst, Sapphire, Opal, Marble, Graphite and Molten Glass. Reflective materials follow the ray tracing and Reflective Surfaces settings. Effects and materials exclude comms portraits and HUD elements.

Gameplay, menus and controls

  • Improved interpolation for high-refresh presentation, including explosions, transitions, background scrolling and other previously low-rate animations.
  • Added the Planet Select Cheat with X+Y entry, A or Start launch, and fresh activation when changing maps. Improved the map fade and pre-game level selection behavior, including cumulative sound-bank loading for skipped stages.
  • Added a visual SNES controller to the pre-game remapping screen, live indication of the button being assigned, and scroll indicators on long pre-game menus.
  • Added a five-second mapped L+R hold to reset menu settings. Improved Steam Deck and Retroid face-button handling, including the A/B and X/Y menu swap, while preserving in-game bindings.
  • Added a fullscreen startup option for the desktop executable. Improved controller and touch input handling, touch layout editing, and consistent widescreen menu presentation.
  • Improved the control mapping and on-screen button layout editors, including movable and resizable touch controls, clearer controller prompts, and a corrected mobile display viewport.
  • Updated translations and menu organization, including the expanded visual effect and material selectors.

Platform builds and setup

  • Added experimental Windows PCVR and Quest 3 OpenXR builds. They provide VR startup menus, controller input and VR scene rendering; scene-specific headset testing and polish remain ongoing.
  • Improved iOS display fitting, runtime file selection, Metal rendering and touch controls. iOS render upscale is limited to 1x and 2x after higher settings caused crashes; 2x has been confirmed stable in user testing.
  • Improved Android GPU-startup recovery and runtime asset packaging. Android and Quest include the backdrop assets in bounded native resource units. The Windows downloads include a separate asset-builder package and setup guide.
  • Android and Quest APKs are included in the release downloads and signed with the recovered permanent release certificate. CI verifies the certificate fingerprint before attaching either package.
  • Updated release automation and package checks for Windows x64/x86, Xbox UWP, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, Quest 3, PCVR, Nintendo Switch and PS Vita. Packages include their required notices and exclude ROMs and signing secrets.

Known limits

  • PCVR and Quest packages are experimental development builds. Passing a build or package check does not establish full headset acceptance or performance on every scene.
  • Ray tracing, reflections, FSR and DLSS depend on hardware, drivers and the active renderer. Some visual choices are unavailable on unsupported paths.
  • DLSS 5's third-party bridge is not included, and its visual quality remains experimental. It should not be treated as a general realism filter.
  • Performance varies by device and settings. Start with 1x rendering and optional effects disabled when diagnosing slowdowns.
  • Enhanced backdrop and ground coverage, scene parity, high-refresh pacing and sustained performance still need broader route-by-route and device testing.
  • The game requires a compatible retail ROM supplied by the user. Follow the platform setup instructions for preparing and selecting its runtime assets.