xboxrecomp-conker

Conker: Live & Reloaded — static recompilation

English · Español

⚠️ Alpha. Expect bugs, and keep a copy of your saves. / Versión alfa. Puede tener errores: guarda una copia de tus partidas.

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English

What this is

A native PC version of Conker: Live & Reloaded for the original Xbox (USA release), made by static recompilation. The game's x86 code (default.xbe) is translated into C ahead of time and compiled into an ordinary executable. That executable runs on xboxrecomp, a runtime that stands in for the Xbox: its kernel, the NV2A graphics chip, the audio processor, the USB controllers and the hard disk. Nothing is emulated instruction by instruction: the game's own code runs as native code.

The repository contains no game data. You need your own copy of the game, which is installed the first time you run it.

Status

This project is in alpha: it is playable, but expect bugs, and keep a copy of your saves.

Area	Status
Linux x86-64	✅ Builds and runs; released as an AppImage
Steam Deck	✅ Tested in Game Mode: 30 fps at native 1X render, smooth after the first run
Windows x86-64	✅ Tested on Windows and under Proton/Wine; released as a zip
macOS	🟡 Supported by the runtime, not yet built for this project
Game	✅ Single-player playable from a new game through the first chapters; later chapters are little tested; multiplayer and Xbox Live are not supported
Graphics	✅ Vulkan: everything is drawn on the GPU, including the game's vertex programs; render resolution 1X to 10X, 30/60/90/120 fps, widescreen
Videos, sound, saves, controller	✅ Working
Languages	✅ English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese menus and subtitles; voices stay in English
Metal renderer	🔴 Not started
Known issues	The first run of each new version compiles its shaders and stutters in menus and loading screens; the CPU fallback renderer (no Vulkan) runs at about 3 fps and shows videos washed out

Quick start (AppImage)

1. Download Conker-Recomp-<version>-x86_64.AppImage from the releases, make it executable (chmod +x) and run it.
2. The first time, a setup window asks for your copy of the game: a disc image (.iso or .xiso, a full Redump dump, or the .7z/.zip holding it) or the folder of an extracted disc (with default.xbe). An image is installed once (about 4.5 GB) into ~/.local/share/conker-recomp/game; a folder is used where it is and remembered. Only the USA version, the one the code was recompiled from, is accepted.
3. A game folder or image can also be given as the first argument or in CONKER_GAME_DIR, which skips the window.

The AppImage needs glibc 2.43 or newer (SteamOS 3.9 has it) and a Vulkan 1.3 driver. It carries its own SDL2, libepoxy, libcrypto, SPIRV-Tools, the C++ runtime, and Qt 6 for the setup window; glibc, the Vulkan loader and the GPU drivers are the system's.

On the Steam Deck, add the AppImage to Steam as a non-Steam game and start it from Game Mode.

Quick start (Windows)

Download Conker-Recomp-<version>-windows-x86_64.zip from the releases, unpack it and run conker_recomp.exe. The first time, it asks for your copy of the game, as above. It needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later and a Vulkan 1.3 driver. Everything is kept in %LOCALAPPDATA%\ConkerRecomp.

Recomp Options

In the main menu, Options has a third entry under Vibration and Invert Aim: Recomp Options. Up and down choose a setting; left, right or A change it; B goes back. Changes apply immediately and are saved in ~/.config/conker-recomp/settings.cfg ($XDG_CONFIG_HOME if set).

Setting	Values	Default
Language	English, Español, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Japanese: menus and subtitles, from the disc's own text (voices stay in English). Applies at the next start	English
Display Mode	Windowed, Fullscreen, Borderless Fullscreen	Windowed
Aspect Ratio	4:3, 16:9, 16:10, 21:9, 32:9 (Hor+: wider, not stretched; videos keep 4:3 with black bars)	4:3
Resolution	The sizes of the chosen aspect ratio: the monitor's modes and, except in Fullscreen, the usual sizes that fit the desktop	The window's default
Render Resolution	Original (1X) to 10X	1X
VSync	On, Off	On
FPS Limit	30, 60, 90, 120 (the game times its own frames, so it runs at the right speed above 30)	30
Allow Skip Cutscenes	Yes: holding LT for a second skips any cutscene, even one not seen before (scenes the game never lets you skip, such as the intro, stay as they are)	No
Swing Button	X: see below	Off
Weapon	Bat, Frying Pan: see below	Bat
Uncensor	Enable, Disable, Update: see below	—

Swing Button. With X selected, X swings the weapon in one press, as on the Nintendo 64, without the over-the-shoulder camera. The weapon comes out quickly, Conker swings it the way he is facing (pressing again continues the combo), and he keeps running the way the stick points, as without it. The weapon goes away by itself after a moment without a press, or at once when the right stick moves the camera. B and then RT still work as always.

Weapon. Frying Pan gives Conker the frying pan he had on the Nintendo 64 in place of the bat, with the pan's hit sound. The remake only has the pan in its training level; the first start with it chosen takes the pan's model out of that level in your own copy of the game (into ~/.local/share/conker-recomp/generated/pan), so nothing of the game is shipped. The change takes effect when the game is restarted.

Uncensor applies the uncensor patch (text and audio). Enable downloads it from GameBanana the first time (about 250 MB; on Linux it needs curl). Its text covers English, Spanish, French and Italian; German and Japanese subtitles stay as they are, Disable turns it off without deleting it, and Update looks for a new version. Changes take effect when the game is restarted.

Main menu

The pub starts on Game 1, and after that on the save slot last played. The first title reads "Online & Co". B on any title asks "Do you want to exit?" (No is picked; left and right choose, A answers, B is No); Yes closes the game. Titles, including the save slots', and this question follow the Language option.

Loading a level shows the game's own loading screen.

Controls

Any controller SDL recognises works, including the Steam Deck's own. On the keyboard, Enter is START and Z is A.

Mods

Each folder in ~/.local/share/conker-recomp/mods/ is a mod, with the same layout as the game folder (for example mods/mymod/dvddata/aid/text/...). Its files replace the game's without modifying them. A mod with a file named .disabled inside is off. When the set of active mods changes, the game's cache (saves/Cache) is emptied at start.

Where things are kept

What	Where
Installed game	~/.local/share/conker-recomp/game
Saves	~/.local/share/conker-recomp/saves (second argument or CONKER_SAVE_DIR to change)
Mods	~/.local/share/conker-recomp/mods
Pipelines seen, rebuilt at each start	~/.local/share/conker-recomp/pipelines.bin
Settings	~/.config/conker-recomp/settings.cfg

Building from source

Needed: GCC, CMake, Ninja, SDL2, libepoxy, OpenSSL, ffmpeg; for Vulkan the Vulkan headers and loader and glslc (shaderc); for translating the game's vertex programs on the GPU, glslang (static library) and SPIRV-Tools; Qt 6 for the setup window (optional). On Arch:

sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel cmake ninja sdl2 libepoxy openssl ffmpeg \
    vulkan-headers vulkan-icd-loader shaderc glslang spirv-tools qt6-base

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Txukie/xboxrecomp-conker
cd xboxrecomp-conker
cmake -S work/conker/project -B work/conker/project/build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build work/conker/project/build
RECOMP_FB_WINDOW=1 ./work/conker/run_conker.sh /path/to/Conker
cmake --build work/conker/project/build --target appimage   # -> appimage/

Use a Release build: at -O0 the recompiled code is many times slower. The project version is project(conker_recomp VERSION …) in work/conker/project/CMakeLists.txt; the executable prints it at start. Without glslang, vertex programs run in a slower interpreter shader; without Vulkan, the CPU renderer draws.

The Windows build is cross-compiled on Linux with MinGW-w64: see work/conker/packaging/windows/README.md.

Useful environment variables

Variable	Effect
CONKER_GAME_DIR, CONKER_SAVE_DIR	Game and save locations
CONKER_ASPECT=16:9	Aspect ratio at start (also 16:10, 21:9 or a number)
RECOMP_RENDERER=cpu	Draw on the CPU instead of Vulkan
RECOMP_VK_SCALE=<n>	Render resolution at start
RECOMP_FLIP_PACING=0	No vblank pacing (uncapped)
RECOMP_VIDEO_STRETCH=1	Stretch videos instead of keeping 4:3
RECOMP_VK_VERBOSE=1	Renderer statistics, and a line for every frame over 50 ms
RECOMP_VK_VALIDATE=1	Vulkan validation layers

The rest are listed in work/conker/README.md and in the toolkit's headers.

How it works

• Recompiled code. xboxrecomp's recompiler lifts the 20,029 functions of default.xbe into C (work/conker/project/src/recomp/gen/). recomp_manual.c replaces or hooks the few that need it.
• Runtime. The toolkit provides the Xbox kernel calls, memory layout, threads, files and saves, the USB controller model (OHCI), and the audio processor, with output through SDL2.
• Graphics. D3D8 is linked into the game, so it writes NV2A push buffers directly. The toolkit's executor walks them like the GPU would and hands each draw to the Vulkan renderer (external/xboxrecomp/src/vulkan/):
  • each of the game's vertex programs is translated to GLSL and compiled with glslang;
  • the register combiners become specialised fragment shaders;
  • pipelines are assembled from separately compiled parts (VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library), and every pipeline the game has used is rebuilt in the background at the next start.
• Local toolkit changes. These are kept as patches in work/conker/patches/xboxrecomp/ and applied by CMake to the pinned submodule (v0.16.0). They are written to be sent upstream.

Technical notes and the plan for each platform: docs/technical/porting.md.

Repository layout

• external/xboxrecomp/: the toolkit (runtime, tools, documentation), a submodule pinned to a release.
• work/conker/project/: the Conker executable.
  • src/: start-up, settings and menu, the pub, Swing Button, Weapon (frying pan extraction), mods, first-launch setup, host code per OS, manual overrides.
  • src/recomp/gen/: the C generated from the XBE.
  • gfx/: an early set of graphics backends from the start of the port, not used by the game (the renderer in use lives in the toolkit).
• work/conker/patches/xboxrecomp/: local fixes to the toolkit.
• work/conker/packaging/appimage/: the AppImage's launcher, desktop entry, icon and build script.
• work/conker/packaging/windows/: the Windows zip's dependencies, icon and notes.
• work/conker/regenerate.sh: regenerates src/recomp/gen/ from the XBE.
• docs/technical/porting.md: status and plans.

Credits

• Txukie: project author.
• codepdbh: contributions.
• sp00nznet: xboxrecomp, the toolkit this is built on.
• Claude (Anthropic), through Claude Code: co-author of the commits (Co-Authored-By: Claude), the reverse engineering, the toolkit patches and the releases.

Legal

This repository contains no ISO, default.xbe, assets or saves from the game; you must provide your own legally owned copy. The project is experimental and is not affiliated with Microsoft, Rare or Xbox. xboxrecomp includes code derived from xemu under the LGPL-2.1+; see external/xboxrecomp/NOTICE.

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Español

Qué es

Una versión nativa para PC de Conker: Live & Reloaded, de la Xbox original (versión USA), hecha por recompilación estática. El código x86 del juego (default.xbe) se traduce a C de antemano y se compila en un ejecutable corriente. Ese ejecutable funciona sobre xboxrecomp, un runtime que hace las veces de la Xbox: su kernel, el chip gráfico NV2A, el procesador de audio, los controladores USB y el disco duro. No se emula instrucción a instrucción: el propio código del juego se ejecuta como código nativo.

El repositorio no contiene datos del juego. Necesitas tu propia copia, que se instala la primera vez que lo abres.

Estado

Este proyecto está en fase alfa: se puede jugar, pero puede tener errores; guarda una copia de tus partidas.

Área	Estado
Linux x86-64	✅ Compila y funciona; se publica como AppImage
Steam Deck	✅ Probado en modo Juego: 30 fps a resolución original (1X), fluido desde la segunda vez que se abre
Windows x86-64	✅ Probado en Windows y con Proton/Wine; se publica como zip
macOS	🟡 Soportado por el runtime, aún sin compilar para este proyecto
Juego	✅ El modo de un jugador se puede jugar desde una partida nueva durante los primeros capítulos; los siguientes están poco probados; el multijugador y Xbox Live no funcionan
Gráficos	✅ Vulkan: todo se dibuja en la GPU, también los vertex programs del juego; resolución de render de 1X a 10X, 30/60/90/120 fps, pantalla panorámica
Vídeos, sonido, partidas, mando	✅ Funcionan
Idiomas	✅ Menús y subtítulos en inglés, español, francés, alemán, italiano y japonés; las voces siguen en inglés
Renderizador Metal	🔴 Sin empezar
Problemas conocidos	La primera vez que se abre cada versión nueva compila sus shaders y va a tirones en los menús y las cargas; el renderizador de reserva por CPU (sin Vulkan) va a unos 3 fps y muestra los vídeos lavados

Prueba rápida (AppImage)

1. Descarga Conker-Recomp-<versión>-x86_64.AppImage de las releases, dale permisos de ejecución (chmod +x) y ábrela.
2. La primera vez, una ventana pide tu copia del juego: una imagen de disco (.iso o .xiso, un volcado completo de Redump, o el .7z/.zip que la contiene) o la carpeta de un disco extraído (con default.xbe). Una imagen se instala una sola vez (unos 4,5 GB) en ~/.local/share/conker-recomp/game; una carpeta se usa donde está y se recuerda. Solo se acepta la versión USA, la que se recompiló.
3. La carpeta o imagen del juego también se puede pasar como primer argumento o en CONKER_GAME_DIR, y entonces no aparece la ventana.

La AppImage necesita glibc 2.43 o posterior (SteamOS 3.9 la tiene) y un driver Vulkan 1.3. Lleva su propio SDL2, libepoxy, libcrypto, SPIRV-Tools, la librería de C++ y Qt 6 para la ventana de instalación; glibc, el cargador de Vulkan y los drivers de la GPU son los del sistema.

En la Steam Deck, añade la AppImage a Steam como juego que no es de Steam y ábrela desde el modo Juego.

Prueba rápida (Windows)

Descarga Conker-Recomp-<versión>-windows-x86_64.zip de las releases, descomprímelo y abre conker_recomp.exe. La primera vez pide tu copia del juego, como arriba. Necesita Windows 10 o posterior de 64 bits y un driver Vulkan 1.3. Todo se guarda en %LOCALAPPDATA%\ConkerRecomp.

Recomp Options

En el menú principal, Options tiene una tercera entrada bajo Vibration e Invert Aim: Recomp Options. Arriba y abajo eligen un ajuste; izquierda, derecha o A lo cambian; B vuelve. Los cambios se aplican al momento y se guardan en ~/.config/conker-recomp/settings.cfg ($XDG_CONFIG_HOME si está definido).

Ajuste	Valores	Por defecto
Language	English, Español, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Japanese: menús y subtítulos, con el texto del propio disco (las voces siguen en inglés). Se aplica al volver a arrancar	English
Display Mode	Windowed, Fullscreen, Borderless Fullscreen	Windowed
Aspect Ratio	4:3, 16:9, 16:10, 21:9, 32:9 (Hor+: más ancho, sin deformar; los vídeos conservan el 4:3 con barras negras)	4:3
Resolution	Los tamaños de la relación de aspecto elegida: los modos del monitor y, salvo en Fullscreen, los tamaños habituales que caben en el escritorio	La de la ventana por defecto
Render Resolution	Original (1X) a 10X	1X
VSync	On, Off	On
FPS Limit	30, 60, 90, 120 (el juego mide su propio tiempo por fotograma, así que por encima de 30 va a la velocidad correcta)	30
Allow Skip Cutscenes	Yes: mantener LT un segundo salta cualquier escena, aunque no se haya visto antes (las que el juego nunca deja saltar, como las de la introducción, siguen igual)	No
Swing Button	X: ver abajo	Off
Weapon	Bat, Frying Pan: ver abajo	Bat
Uncensor	Enable, Disable, Update: ver abajo	—

Swing Button. Con X, el botón X golpea con el arma de una sola pulsación, como en la Nintendo 64, sin la cámara sobre el hombro. El arma sale enseguida, Conker golpea hacia donde mira (pulsar de nuevo sigue el combo) y sigue corriendo hacia donde apunta el stick, como sin ella. El arma se guarda sola al poco de dejar de pulsar, o en cuanto el stick derecho mueve la cámara. B y luego RT siguen funcionando como siempre.

Weapon. Frying Pan le da a Conker la sartén que llevaba en la Nintendo 64 en lugar del bate, con el sonido de golpe de la sartén. El remake solo tiene la sartén en su nivel de entrenamiento; el primer arranque con ella elegida saca el modelo de la sartén de ese nivel de tu propia copia del juego (a ~/.local/share/conker-recomp/generated/pan), así que no se distribuye nada del juego. El cambio se aplica al reiniciar el juego.

Uncensor aplica el parche de descensura (textos y audio). Enable lo descarga de GameBanana la primera vez (unos 250 MB; en Linux hace falta curl). Su texto cubre inglés, español, francés e italiano; los subtítulos en alemán y japonés se quedan como están, Disable lo desactiva sin borrarlo y Update busca una versión nueva. Los cambios se aplican al reiniciar el juego.

Menú principal

El pub empieza en Game 1 y, a partir de ahí, en la partida que se jugó la última vez. El primer título dice "Online & Co". B en cualquier título pregunta "Do you want to exit?" (con No elegido; izquierda y derecha eligen, A responde, B es No); Yes cierra el juego. Los títulos, también los de las partidas, y esta pregunta siguen la opción Language.

Al cargar un nivel aparece la pantalla de carga del propio juego.

Controles

Funciona cualquier mando que reconozca SDL, incluidos los controles de la Steam Deck. Con el teclado, Intro es START y Z es A.

Mods

Cada carpeta en ~/.local/share/conker-recomp/mods/ es un mod, con la misma estructura que la carpeta del juego (por ejemplo mods/mimod/dvddata/aid/text/...). Sus archivos sustituyen a los del juego sin modificarlos. Un mod con un archivo llamado .disabled dentro está desactivado. Si cambia el conjunto de mods activos, al arrancar se vacía la caché del juego (saves/Cache).

Dónde se guarda cada cosa

Qué	Dónde
Juego instalado	`~/.local/share/conker-re