holdmysocks/mcla-recomp v1.0.8

v1.0.8: Smoother pacing, QUIT fixed, saves with any controller

on GitHub

The zip below is everything needed to build the game from your own disc: the build scripts, the SDK patches, the function hints and the host application. As always, it holds no game code, assets or keys; the build takes those from your own copy of Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition (USA/Europe, Xbox 360) on your machine.

Smoother frame pacing, menus at console speed, 40/45/50 FPS (#18, by @RenanQueiroz)

Thanks to @RenanQueiroz for the first of his PRs from #17. His PR has the full write-up and numbers; in short:

• Every frame the game makes is shown. Achievement pop-ups were kept registered for the whole session, which made the window repaint constantly and drop frames (about half of them on Vulkan). They are now only active while one is on screen.
• Even pacing at a cap. The FPS limiter now holds each finished frame until it is presented, like a precise vsync, instead of waiting before the game's update. At a 60 FPS cap the frames are evenly spaced, which should take care of the camera bounce at 60 (#6) and the stutter in #19. --mcla_pace_at_swap=false brings back the old behaviour.
• Menus and pop-ups run at the console's speed at any frame rate; before, they sped up with the FPS. The HUD has its own rate, DISPLAY › HUD UPDATES (60 by default, 30 as on the console, or every frame). --mcla_ui_timing_fix=false turns this off.
• 40, 45 and 50 FPS in the pause menu's FPS TARGET on PC, for variable-refresh displays.
• QUIT GAME on PC ends the game (#20). It used to leave the game frozen with the music looping. It also waits for a save that is being written before closing, and so does the window's close button.

Saves with any controller (#22)

If a second gamepad device was present (Steam Input, DS4Windows, a wheel, a virtual pad driver) or your controller disconnected and came back, the game saw you as player two. Player two has no profile, so the game said "You are not signed in" and never saved. Every controller is now player one, on PC and PS5. MCLA has no split screen, so nothing is lost.

PS5: QUIT GAME returns to the home screen

QUIT froze the picture while the game kept running behind it. It now closes the title the way the system expects and goes back to the home screen.

How far it has been checked

• PC (Windows 11, RTX 4080): the merged build boots into free roam with a career save. On #18's own build: the new DISPLAY rows work, FPS TARGET steps through the new caps, and QUIT GAME ends the process. A fresh profile creates its save. Not tested with two physical controllers.
• PS5 (PS5 Pro, 13.42): #18's build played fine (pause menu, HUD, pacing at 30 and 60). The controller change survived the controller being turned off and on, and QUIT went back to the home screen. Those were tested as separate builds; the merged build compiles but has not been run on the console as a whole.
• Linux: not built or run for this release.

Getting it

Update (git pull, or unpack the zip over your copy) and run the same command again.

PC:

.\scripts\make_pc.ps1 -Iso C:\path\to\your.iso

PS5 (close the game on the console first):

bash ps5/make_ps5.sh --console <console address>