Party Board - By zeranemesis

Overview

A work-in-progress Windows/Linux/macOS/Android/iOS port of Mario Party 4.

This repository does not contain any game assets or assembly whatsoever. An existing copy of the game is required.

Online build

This branch includes the Windows online build used for two-player testing:

• synchronized input (lockstep) by default, with a three-frame input delay;
• host-created lobbies with short join codes, host-only start permission and automatic peer status/ping display;
• full disc-image hash and game-version verification before joining;
• F1 opens the Party Board menu at any time, including a Play Online entry that starts PartyBoardOnline.exe;
• language selection between English and French, covering the main menu, settings, pre-launch verification, controller setup, achievements, dialogs and notifications;
• automatic online 4:3 viewport, native internal resolution and 60 Hz simulation to keep HUD and effects deterministic;
• GitHub update management in the online launcher: version check, SHA-256 verified download and automatic replacement on restart;
• recovery from temporary packet loss using input retransmission.

Since 0.15.6 the launcher no longer enables experimental rollback automatically. The native --netplay-rollback option remains available for development, but full-game rollback is not yet reliable across resource and scene transitions. Both PCs must use the same release. Online sessions start a fresh profile and do not load personal memory-card saves.

Technologies

The port is written in C and C++20 and built with CMake and Ninja/MSBuild. The desktop frontend uses SDL3 for windowing, input, processes and networking, RmlUi for the navigable interface, Aurora for the platform/rendering layer, and Direct3D 12, Vulkan or WebGPU backends where available. The online companion uses authenticated TLS control messages and UDP transport for low-latency game input. Native self-tests cover rollback snapshots, replay, packet loss, authentication and lobby rules.

Windows quick start

Download the release ZIP, extract the complete folder on both PCs, and launch Jouer en ligne.cmd. The host creates the lobby and shares the short code; the client joins it. In the game, press F1 to reopen the menu. Select Settings → Language → French or English, then restart if Party Board requests it.

The online launcher checks the GitHub manifest in the background at startup. Use Vérifier les mises à jour to check again manually. If a newer version is available, the launcher verifies its SHA-256, installs it after closing, and starts the updated launcher automatically.

Version Completion:

• GMPE01_00: Rev 0 (USA)
• GMPE01_01: Rev 1 (USA)

1. Download Party Board

2. Setup the game

• Extract the .zip file
• Launch partyboard or partyboard.exe depending on your platform.

Building

If you'd like to build Party Board from source, please read the build instructions.

Common problems

RenderDoc not working

RenderDoc has some conflict with asan. To turn off asan, you should delete the two lines in CMakeLists.txt that enable ASAN for the DOL and the RELs: set_source_files_properties(..., -fsanitize=address)

Credits

Special thanks to the GC/Wii decompilation community, the Aurora developers, the Dusk developers, all contributors, ImWhoreHay for the font, and justcamtro for designing the assets.