BlueWake 0.7.0 is faster, especially on older and smaller CPUs, and fixes several controller problems. Every version needs your own USA (GZLE01) disc image. The ready-made Windows build includes the game code translated from my disc; nothing else from the game is included.
Install
Windows: download BlueWake-v0.7.0-windows-x64.zip, unpack the whole folder and run BlueWake.exe. Your saves and settings in %APPDATA%\BlueWake carry over. You need Windows 10 or 11, a Direct3D 12 GPU, and a CPU with AVX2.
iPhone and iPad: build your app with PadMint on an Apple Silicon Mac. It downloads BlueWake-v0.7.0-ios-unsigned.ipa (the app without game code) and adds the game made from your disc. Install it over your current BlueWake to keep your saves.
Linux: build it from this release's source with python3 scripts/linux/build.py /path/to/GZLE01.iso (steps in docs/LINUX.md). A ready-made AppImage, with a setup window that asks for your disc the first time, is coming to this release shortly.
Mac: build it from this release's source: scripts/builder/build.sh "/path/to/GZLE01.iso" --platform macos --out build/macos. Your saves in ~/Library/Application Support/BlueWake are kept.
What's new
Faster
- Elliott Tate's lean block copies are now how BlueWake builds the game: 5 to 12% faster, most on slower CPUs (measured by pdale-boop).
- Windows: Elliott's draw fusion sends the graphics card about a tenth as many draws, so busy places like Forest Haven, Hyrule and boss fights no longer wait on graphics. On slower CPUs he measured 30 to 60% more frames there.
- Faster single-precision float loads in the game code, also from Elliott.
- Linux: the game compiles about twice as fast when you build it, and runs up to 10% faster on slower CPUs (pdale-boop).
- Building your own copy is faster everywhere: the optimization training takes about 12 minutes instead of 30 (pdale-boop), and a second build into the same folder works again.
Smoother
- With Smooth Motion on, CPUs with 8 threads or more no longer drop to 30 for seconds after a hitch.
Controllers
- A controller that's already plugged in when BlueWake starts now gets the smooth stick and plays as player 1 (#138).
- With a GameCube adapter, press a button on your controller and it becomes player 1, even if it isn't in port 1 (#155).
- Rumble only shakes the controller you're playing with (#190).
- The left stick works at the Pictobox's "keep this picture?" and in the gallery (#191).
- New, optional: hold the right-stick click and move it up or down to zoom the camera, under Controls (thanks to cforain).
Fixes and more
- A rare crash that could stop the game anywhere (
unmapped pc=0x8180fff0), tracked down by pdale-boop. - Windows: the window opens where you left it (thanks to saulob), and portable mode keeps your remaps and window layout in its own folder (#64).
- You can place the FPS counter in a corner, under Display (thanks to saulob).
- The session log names the graphics API in use, and Linux says when it fell back to a much slower renderer because Vulkan is missing.
How it was checked
The Windows build was made on my PC (Ryzen 7 5700U) from my own disc, and it starts, runs and quits cleanly there. Every change passed the Windows and Linux builds and tests. The speed changes were measured before they went in: lean blocks by pdale-boop on Windows and Linux, including a 15-minute play session, and draw fusion by Elliott, who checked that the game plays the same. I built and checked the iPhone and iPad app without game code, the source and the PadMint recipe on a Mac. I haven't yet played this build with a controller on every platform, so if something doesn't work on your setup, please tell me.
Known problems
- Draw fusion is on for Windows only for now. On Linux and Mac you can try it with
DOL_GX_FUSE=1; tell me how it looks. - Busy scenes can still run below 30 FPS on slower CPUs, including the Steam Deck (#86, #137, #159, #215). Speed stays the main focus.
- Clouds and distant waves can flicker at 60 and 120 FPS on some NVIDIA GPUs (#136).
- Some controllers, like the 8BitDo GameCube mod kit in Android mode, can have a scrambled layout from
gamecontrollerdb.txt(#61).
Thanks to Elliott Tate, pdale-boop, jkoehler11, cforain, saulob and LiquidAzir.
Found a problem? Open an issue or ask on Discord, and attach your session log (%APPDATA%\BlueWake\logs on Windows).