Early Windows and Linux playtest of simultaneous X and Zero co-op.
Unified is the default. Split (Experimental) gives each online player an independent camera. The host chooses for both peers; offline co-op uses Unified. This is a prerelease and leaves v0.1.0-alpha as the main release.
On Windows, download the ZIP, extract it, and run MegaManX4Recomp.exe. On Linux x86_64, download the AppImage, run chmod +x on it, then launch it. Linux requires glibc 2.38 or newer; --appimage-extract-and-run works without FUSE. Bundled OpenBIOS is included; supply your own USA SLUS-00561 disc (.cue + .bin preferred). Use OpenGL. Enable X + Zero Co-op (Playtest) in Mods for local play, or select the X + Zero Co-op netplay profile. Both computers must use this release. Co-op uses isolated saves and requires a fresh boot.
Changes:
- Vertically stacked lifebars in Unified; each local player gets their own HUD in Split.
- Distant Split backgrounds use authored map tiles instead of the other player's shared tile ring.
- Split health pickups refill their collector without pausing the partner or borrowing the other camera. Unified keeps the native shared refill pause.
- Living teleport passengers survive section changes; real scene handoffs still teleport partners together.
- Sparse health and stage-transition logs help diagnose future deaths and handoffs.
Validation: all 13 configured checks pass. The production binary passes native Unified/Split room-offer checks, shared packaging gates and Windows system-DLL dependency checks. Input-neutral production peers agree on core/mod state during boot. Earlier original-disc separation tests and owner Web Spider playtesting confirmed improved backgrounds and a working boss door. The timed production attract-gameplay probe did not reach gameplay; the latest asynchronous refill and transition fixes still need native playtesting. No complete stage/campaign/door matrix is claimed.
Known issues: Split can still run below full speed on LAN. Retry/menu disconnects, vehicle stages and chained scenes remain under investigation. Please test Split health pickups while the other player moves, Web Spider's area-2 transfer led by either player, and boss-door/dialogue handoffs. Include stage/area, camera mode, leader and whether the partner was alive.
Source: PR #18, commit 7e4b367. Detailed evidence and limits. Framework pin: 8fff59f82cd2b712c0dd6f8b781722572f26f60b. SHA256SUMS.txt covers the ZIP; packaged binary SHA256 is 347d614a428227ab50d2eeedecfd04915906e46e0fc91d18236f3324b8368d4b.
Linux addition: gameplay code matches the Windows build; Linux packaging/build fixes are in 3220ead. All 13 native Linux CTests pass. The actual AppImage passes layout/seeding/player-file preservation, default Unified and selected Split room offers matching Windows, launcher startup, and OpenGL/OpenBIOS boot advancing frames. Tested under Ubuntu 24.04 WSL/Xvfb with software GL; this does not qualify Linux or cross-platform online gameplay or performance. Linux evidence.
The October 9 original-disc inventory recheck verifies 163 files/612 typed members. The generic discovery methods, unchanged in current framework master, still find zero additional game-code producers or unresolved relocation containers. The resident executable is already statically compiled into 148 units; no known overlay set is omitted. Unsupported compressed/generated-code formats remain outside that bounded evidence. Inventory and limits.
SHA256SUMS.txt covers both release artifacts. AppImage SHA256: b7d0856c6c87f4a75aaf06604a1a58408838f7bb62a537c71db9a2b6deba643d. The Windows ZIP is unchanged.