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README for v0.2.0 pre-release: status rewrite, download emphasis, Steam Deck section

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- Status: 'alpha' -> 'v0.2.0 (pre-release)'; working list now reflects the
  60 fps fix (D248), click-to-lock mouse + GEPD aim mode (D194 closed), sky
  (D227) and water green-pulse (D229) fixes, F10 overlay, mute/screenshot QoL;
  known issues updated (cutscenes D243/D160/D173, music D230, front-end models
  D75, water seam D245, edge strips D246).
- Download: leads with the two v0.2.0-pre bundles (names match bundle-*.sh
  output, which strips the leading v), notes SDL2 is bundled in the Linux
  tarball so it runs as-is on any distro or a sideloaded Steam Deck.
- New 'Steam Deck' subsection: sideload steps, CPU-bound performance note,
  D203 status (suspect fixed, unverified on real hardware).
- Quick start + comparison table + Linux build section updated to match.
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James Dansereau committed 2026-09-13 15:36:09 -04:00
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@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@
A native PC port of _GoldenEye 007_ (Rare, 1997, Nintendo 64), compiled from
the [GoldenEye 007 decompilation](https://github.com/n64decomp/007): the
original N64 game running from reconstructed source, not the Xbox 360
remaster. The first alpha, [v0.1.0](../../releases), is out for Windows and
Linux and runs the full campaign with rough edges (see [Status](#status)).
remaster. **v0.2.0 (pre-release)** is out for Windows and Linux — including
Steam Deck, where the Linux bundle sideloads as-is — and runs the full
campaign at a steady 60 fps with known rough edges (see
[Status](#status) and [Download](#download)).
It's also a case study in AI-agent collaboration on a large, low-level
codebase: two coding agents, driven by one person part-time, porting ~230
@@ -40,13 +42,13 @@ timers, save storage) is shimmed in a dedicated `port/` layer.
You supply your own **NTSC-U GoldenEye 007 N64 ROM** (`.z64`, big-endian) — no
ROM or game asset is included or distributed. Then:
1. Download the Windows or Linux bundle from [Releases](../../releases) and unpack it.
1. Download the Windows or Linux bundle from [Releases](../../releases) and unpack it. The Linux bundle ships its own SDL2, so it runs on any distro — and on a Steam Deck — with nothing installed.
2. Make a `data/` folder next to the executable and drop the ROM in as `ge007.ntsc-final.z64`.
3. Run the one-time asset step: `python3 prepare-assets/prepare-assets.py` (Python 3.8+, stdlib only).
4. Launch the executable from that folder.
Building from source instead: see [Building](#building). Read the
[Status](#status) caveats first — this is an early alpha.
[Status](#status) caveats first — this is a pre-release.
## Contents
@@ -103,7 +105,7 @@ code with this one.
| **How** | Decompilation-based source port — human-reconstructed C, compiled for the host; game logic runs as written | Static binary recompilation — the shipped machine code is auto-translated to C; no source-level understanding |
| **Lineage** | [GoldenEye 007 decompilation](https://github.com/n64decomp/007) + [Perfect Dark PC port](https://github.com/fgsfdsfgs/perfect_dark) engine family | Xbox 360 "…Recompiled" static-recompilation family |
| **Renderer** | Software RSP → OpenGL | Hardware (Vulkan) |
| **Status** | WIP alpha; see [Status](#status) | Playable full game, higher frame rates, online multiplayer |
| **Status** | v0.2.0 pre-release; see [Status](#status) | Playable full game, higher frame rates, online multiplayer |
| **Why it exists** | A [case study in AI-agent collaboration](#background) on a hard low-level codebase | A polished, playable PC release of the remaster |
If you just want to play GoldenEye on PC today, use one of the recompilation
@@ -112,68 +114,82 @@ getting the *original* game running from source.
## Status
**Alpha — playable, not polished.** It runs the full single-player campaign
with no known crashes, but some front-end 3D models and cutscenes are
broken, a few in-level music tracks sound wrong, and input has known rough
edges. A full
end-to-end re-confirmation that all 21 missions are completable start to
finish is still owed (see below). Treat it as an early alpha of the porting
work, not a finished way to play GoldenEye.
Phase 3 of 4 (audio + input) is in progress; Phase 2 (rendering) is
essentially done. First alpha: [v0.1.0](../../releases). The port boots,
renders, and plays through the front end and the campaign, but is not
finished or fully stable.
**v0.2.0 (pre-release) — playable, with known rough edges.** It runs the full
single-player campaign at a steady 60 fps with no known crashes, but
cutscenes still glitch frequently, a few in-level music tracks sound wrong,
and a handful of cosmetic rendering defects remain. A full end-to-end
re-confirmation that all 21 missions are completable start to finish on this
build is the point of the pre-release — playtest feedback is welcome.
**Working**
- Boot → Rare/Nintendo logos → gun-barrel → cast intro, fully rendered.
- Front end: main menu → mission select → difficulty → briefing → mission start.
- All 21 solo missions load, render, and are crash-free. A v0.1.0-era
full-campaign playtest found two crashing levels (Bunker ii, Statue, one
root cause) and an AI-pacing bug that blocked the final level (Cradle) from
finishing; both were subsequently root-caused, fixed, and playtest-verified
(D191, D193) — a full re-playthrough confirming all 21 missions completable
start to finish on the current build is still owed. See
[`docs/dev/LEVEL-STATUS.md`](docs/dev/LEVEL-STATUS.md).
- All 21 solo missions load, render, and are crash-free. The v0.1.0-era
crashing levels (Bunker ii, Statue) and the AI-pacing bug that blocked the
final level (Cradle) were root-caused, fixed, and playtest-verified (D191,
D193). See [`docs/dev/LEVEL-STATUS.md`](docs/dev/LEVEL-STATUS.md).
- **Steady 60 fps** in normal play — the software RSP runs off the
presentation critical path (D248); `Video.DisplayFPS` (F10) shows it.
- Software RSP (fast3d): textured world geometry, skeletal characters, HUD,
the GE-specific color-combiner / render modes and `G_TRI4`.
- Input: keyboard + mouse (with mode-aware mouse-look) and SDL game
controllers, mapped onto the N64 pad. Tunable via `ge007.ini`.
the GE-specific color-combiner / render modes and `G_TRI4`; outdoor skies
render correctly (D227); water no longer renders green/pulsing (D229).
- Input: keyboard + mouse and SDL game controllers mapped onto the N64 pad.
Mouse is click-to-lock (click to grab, ESC to release) with a GEPD-style
proportional aim mode (D194 closed); sensitivity, Y-inversion and the
aim/turn split are tunable in `ge007.ini` or the F10 options overlay.
- File-backed EEPROM saves.
- Audio — software mixer (libultra audio layer → SDL, adapted from the PD
port). In-level sound effects and in-level music both play (the D77
silence is fixed); a handful of tracks have wrong-sounding instruments or
occasional garbling (D230).
- Windows and Linux (`x86_64`). Windows is the primary development and
playtest path. The Linux build was built and smoke-tested (boots, renders,
passes the level sweep) at v0.1.0; it has not been actively maintained or
retested since.
silence is fixed).
- QoL: F10 in-game options overlay (fullscreen, resolution, frame cap, MSAA,
texture filtering, FOV/draw distance, sensitivity), mute-on-focus-loss, F12
screenshot.
- Windows and Linux (`x86_64`). The Linux build is compiled on every push by
CI and ships with SDL2 bundled, so it runs without installing anything —
including on a Steam Deck (see below).
**Not yet working**
**Not yet working / known issues**
- **Audio quality on some in-level tracks** — wrong-sounding instruments
(the elevator track named specifically) and occasional garbling (D230);
the D77 silence itself is fixed.
- **Cutscenes** — frequently glitch: skipped, wrong camera, misplaced or
hovering actors, wrong timing (D148/D160).
- **Cutscenes** — frequently glitch: skipped beats, wrong camera, misplaced or
hovering actors, wrong timing (D148/D160/D173; the Dam level-end race is
D243). The most visible gap in this release.
- **Audio quality on some in-level tracks** — wrong-sounding instruments and
occasional garbling (D230); silence itself is fixed.
- Some front-end 3D models — the spinning Nintendo logo, and the MISSION
COMPLETE / mode-select models — are mispositioned or absent. (The
gun-barrel Bond intro renders correctly.)
- Outdoor levels' sky rendering is fixed (was solid black/glitchy — D227,
merged); water on `IsWater` levels still renders green and pulses
(D229). Assorted other cosmetic defects are tracked in
COMPLETE / mode-select models — are mispositioned or absent (D75). The
gun-barrel Bond intro renders correctly.
- Water on `IsWater` levels shows a moving seam between two patterns (D245);
pixel strips at the left/right screen edges at non-integer scales (D246).
Assorted other cosmetic defects are tracked in
[`docs/dev/GRAPHICS-BACKLOG.md`](docs/dev/GRAPHICS-BACKLOG.md).
- No macOS or ARM support; no controller rebinding UI; no widescreen.
### Steam Deck
The Linux bundle is the Deck build. Sideload it (USB or a file manager):
unzip, drop your ROM in `data/`, run `prepare-assets` once, and add the
executable as a non-Steam game. SDL2 is bundled, so no dependencies need
installing. The renderer is CPU-bound (software RSP); expect original N64-era
performance at 60 fps rather than more. A v0.1.0-era crash on the Deck in
Facility (D203) was never reproduced and its prime suspect has since been
fixed, but this release has not yet been verified on real Deck hardware.
## Download
Pre-built Windows and Linux `x86_64` bundles are published under
[Releases](../../releases), starting with v0.1.0. Each contains the engine
executable, its runtime libraries, and the one-time `prepare-assets` tool —
no ROM and no game assets. See [Quick start](#quick-start) for the four
steps to get it running, [Requirements](#requirements) for accepted ROMs, and
[Status](#status) for the alpha caveats.
**Get v0.2.0 (pre-release):**
- **Windows:** [`goldeneye-pc-port-0.2.0-pre-win64.zip`](../../releases) —
the engine, its runtime DLLs, and the one-time `prepare-assets` tool.
- **Linux / Steam Deck:** [`goldeneye-pc-port-0.2.0-pre-linux-x86_64.tar.gz`](../../releases)
— same contents; SDL2 is bundled so it runs as-is on any distro or a
sideloaded Deck.
Both bundles contain **no ROM and no game assets** — you supply your own
(see [Requirements](#requirements)), which keeps the release legal to
distribute. The four steps from download to playing are in
[Quick start](#quick-start); known issues are listed under
[Status](#status). Earlier builds: v0.1.0 alpha, same page.
You can also build it yourself; see [Building](#building).
@@ -219,8 +235,8 @@ cd goldeneye-pc-port
### Linux
Built and smoke-tested at v0.1.0; not actively maintained or retested since —
the steps below are the intended path, not a continuously verified one.
The Linux build is compiled on every push by CI (ubuntu-24.04); the release
bundle additionally bundles SDL2 so no system packages are needed at runtime.
```sh
sudo apt install build-essential cmake python3 libsdl2-dev zlib1g-dev libgl1-mesa-dev