Android Intro playback improvements
This small update reduces ARM64 CPU overhead in movie decoding. Partial vector reads now use NEON instructions, and partial writes avoid repeated memory checks while preserving guarded memory access.
On the tested AYN Thor (Android 13, Adreno 740), maximum sampled Intro video timestamp lag fell from 4.3–5.9 seconds in baseline runs to 0.72 seconds in the final diagnostic candidate. The full Intro reached its end in 72.55 seconds, close to the source movie's 72.414-second duration. A normal APK also completed a race with 16.50 game seconds over 16.484 real seconds in a checked interval.
These are single-device results, not a guarantee of identical performance or sample-accurate audio/video sync. Some Intro delay may remain. The change does not alter game speed or skip movie frames. Windows x64 and Linux x64 keep their previous vector-memory behavior.
Downloads and upgrading
| Download | Use |
|---|---|
android10-arm64.apk
| Recommended on Android 10+ |
android-arm64.apk
| Android 9+ compatibility build |
android-arm64-licenses.zip
| License notices for either APK |
windows-x64.zip
| Windows Vulkan / D3D12, including Camera dependencies and the Agility runtime |
linux-x64.tar.gz
| Linux Vulkan |
Both APKs use version 0.4.5, version code 15, and the existing signing certificate. Install over your existing app to retain settings and saves. Android 9 compatibility is build-checked; there is no Android 9 device validation.
The shader pack remains ABI 10, unchanged from v0.4.4. Keep the executable, shader pack and pipeline manifests together. No game data or personal saves are included; you need your own USA/Europe Sonic Free Riders disc image.
Validation
- PR CI passed Windows, Linux, macOS and Android jobs.
- Local suites passed: 130 Windows C++ tests, 123 Linux C++ tests, and 267 Python tests (11 skipped).
- The final Android 10+ release APK was installed and played the complete Intro to EOF in 72.52 seconds; automatic test settings were removed afterward.
- ARM64 vector-memory tests passed on the connected Android device; independent review findings were resolved.
- Both APKs passed version, signature, 16 KB alignment and asset checks. Android 10+ native libraries and assets match the device-tested normal candidate byte-for-byte. No profiling permissions are shipped.
- Extracted Windows packages passed Vulkan and D3D12 startup; extracted Linux package passed Vulkan startup under WSL. WSL is not a native Linux performance benchmark.