v1.2.0 beta 1 — Experimental Fighter Mod Support

This is an opt-in experimental prerelease for testing custom fighters. Stable
v1.1.1 remains Latest. The app does not offer prereleases as automatic updates;
download this beta manually. Its interface reports version 1.2.0.

You need your own supported USA Xbox dump. The game-free app verifies it and
compiles locally. No game executable or game data is distributed. The Def Jam
Vendetta modpack and its converted assets are not included.

What is new

• Install and enable ordinary fighter ZIPs in Mods > Fighters. Packs can add
  fighters alongside retail fighters and other independent packs.
• Native selection artwork, names and loading/results identities, with owned
  appearance, voice, supported motion and cinematic resources.
• Stable fighter identities and managed progression across pack changes,
  including continuing the adopted career with packs disabled.
• Offline creator commands and a beginner
  creation guide, using companion source commands from PR6.
• Corrections for loading portraits, retained voice routing after Rematch,
  bounded cinematic file requests and stale live unlock marks after selection
  changes. Detailed evidence and limits are in the
  runtime compatibility review.
• Explicit pointer conversions keep the fighter adapters buildable with Clang;
  macOS CI now compiles the game-side source objects as well as runtime fixtures.

Testing and limits

The final Windows stock regression passed 17 of 17 applicable checks, with
four platform-inapplicable checks skipped. Its unit stage passed 2,391 tests
(60 skipped; one slow branding test excluded by the standard harness). All
35 candidate CI jobs passed, including macOS game-side source compilation.

A real Windows GUI install from stable v1.1.1 completed in 373.3 seconds, followed
by a clean update from the candidate's inspected CI app in 204.6 seconds.
All 29 protected save, settings and song files remained byte-identical. These
checks used a separate user folder with the app's default layout.
Earlier development tests cover natural results, real Rematch, subsequent
Inferno combat, resource release, protected saves and installed launcher use.
Those tests do not establish that every fighter or every animation is correct.

Fighter Mod Support remains experimental. Broad roster/audio/animation fidelity,
created-fighter/opponent combinations, long sessions and physical controllers
need more testing. New native gameplay qualification is Windows only; macOS and
Linux/Steam Deck native checks are not claimed. CI builds and synthetic fixtures
are separate from gameplay qualification. Full M5/M6 acceptance remains open.

The Workshop development branch's standalone CAF recipe extension (PR213) is
not included. It needs separate integration and mixed-pack qualification.

Use a backup or separate test installation. Back up the complete data folder,
including managed fighter progression and song preferences. Do not restore
individual old save files or delete adoption markers after managed Play.

Full-roster preparation in development took roughly two minutes. The 32 MiB owned
animation pool is a bounded implementation budget, not a guarantee that arbitrary
assets fit. Known issues carried from stable include memory investigation #166
and Steam Deck replay differences #98; this beta does not close those issues.

Please report the exact beta/pack versions, fighters, venue, match rules and
whether the fault follows Rematch or returning to selection. Press F9 after a
problem to create a local bug bundle; review it before sharing.