Citron Version 0.12.25

Citron v0.12.25 introduces significant enhancements for this Nintendo Homebrew emulator, focusing on user experience and performance. Key features include a revamped UI/UX, a flexible update system, and improved game file management, particularly for Android. New functionalities include custom save path management, automated update processes, and enhancements in game library scanning. Major stability improvements address performance issues across platforms. Citron offers better graphics rendering, audio processing, and multiplayer capabilities while also fixing various bugs. Gratitude is extended to the contributors and the Citron community for their ongoing support in development and testing. Download links are provided for both PC and Android versions.

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Citron v0.12.25 has been released. Citron is an innovative Nintendo Homebrew emulator crafted for optimal performance and user-friendliness. Whether you’re revisiting your all-time favorites or discovering new titles, Citron ensures a seamless experience.

Citron Changelog:
This version emphasizes substantial UI/UX upgrades, a refined update system, Android game file extraction capabilities, custom save management, and marked increases in stability across all platforms.
Acknowledgments & Credits
Contributors
A heartfelt thank you to all the contributors who made this version possible:
Collecting
sylveondeko
Zephyron
Testing & Quality Assurance
The Citron Discord Community: Continual invaluable testing, feedback, and support
The Citron Team
Thank you to all Citron contributors for their development, testing, and refinement efforts!
Major Features
PC Setup Wizard
Brand new platform-specific setup process:
Automatic path detection and configuration for game directories tailored to your operating system
Streamlined initial experience – A guided setup for newcomers
Enhanced boot manager – Improved game launching process with better path handling
Update Channel System
Flexible update management with channel options:
Stable/Nightly channels – Switch between stable versions and nightly builds
Update channel selector – Easily toggle between update channels in the UI
Rebranded Update Manager – Revamped updater with improved automation and SCM logic
Clear update channel info – Display of current update channel
Linux AppImage backup support – Automatic backup of AppImages before updates with configurable paths
Option to disable backups – Ability to turn off automatic backups on Linux
Android Game File Extraction [WIP]
Enhanced Android capabilities for game analysis:
RomFS dumping feature – Extract RomFS file systems from Android games
ExeFS dumping support – Extract ExeFS file systems from games
Custom dump location – Select where to save extracted files
Tools for game file analysis – Improved support for modding and analysis workflows
Custom Save Path Management
Sophisticated save file handling:
Per-game custom save paths – Set unique save directories for each game
Backup feature for custom paths – Automatic save backups for custom save locations
Easy save path management – Simplified handling of save file locations
New Autoloader & Update Manager
A completely overhauled update system:
Modern autoloader – New automatic update loading feature
Rebranded Update Manager – Redesigned interface with enhanced UX
Automated update logic – Improved integration with SCM (Source Control Management)
Better update reliability – Enhanced update reliability on Windows with read-only file handling
Revamped Theme System
Significant improvements in theme architecture:
Rainbow Mode redesign – Complete architectural overhaul of the rainbow theme system
RGB Mode – New dynamic RGB color mode for theming
Theme stability enhancements – Fixed infinite recursion issues on Arch Linux
Better theme transitions – Enhanced theme switching and animation functionality
Game List Enhancements
Improved interface for the game library:
Online status toggle – Enable/disable online status column in the game list
Library scanning progress bar – Visual feedback during game list updates
Themed progress indicators – Accent color progress bars to match your theme
NCA scanning toggle – Option to include/exclude .nca files during scans
Optimized JSON handling – Quicker game list loading and updates
Major Improvements
User Interface
Loading Screen Redesign
Revamped loading experience:
Visual game icons displayed during loading – Identification made easy
Enhanced UX – A sleek and polished loading interface
Clear loading indicators – Improved visual cues for loading progress
Configuration Dialog Improvements
Enhanced settings interface:
Improved scrolling experience with mouse wheel in configuration dialogs
Customizable dialog positioning options
Responsive interface – Better adaptation to various screen sizes
Smooth transitions between configuration tabs
Hotkey & Input Management
Enhanced input handling:
Refactored exit fullscreen hotkey – Improved fullscreen exit handling integrated with GRenderWindow
Enhanced mouse panning controls
Automatic cursor hiding during panning
Blocking controller input only during loading screen (not the entire session)
Multiplayer Interface
Enhanced multiplayer experience:
Resolved duplicate games issue in rooms – Fixed the problem with duplicate game entries in room creation
Chat room signal fixes – Addressed disconnection and cleanup problems
Better multiplayer room management – Improved room functionalities
Discord Integration
Richer Discord support:
Helpful warning dialogs regarding Discord assistance
Updated Discord links – Redirects to the help tab for improved user guidance
Performance
Game Library Optimization
Significant performance improvements:
Resolved crashes and performance issues related to NTFS directory scanning on Linux
Enhanced NAND & SDMC scanning
Faster game list parsing through JSON optimization
Reduced unnecessary updates during configuration changes
Visual feedback during lengthy scanning operations
Memory & Resource Management
Better handling of resources:
Improved Vulkan pipeline management under memory pressure
Enhanced GPU resource handling
Optimized support for multisized components in Direct Memory Access operations
Networking & Multiplayer
Network Stability
Improved reliability of networking:
Enhanced error handling for compressed packets
Reverted to legacy packet format for enhanced compatibility
Improved packet validation and debug logging
Lobby API configuration migration – Shift from web_api_url to dedicated lobby API configurations
Ensured thread safety for web services
Audio System
Fixes in Audio Processing
Significant audio upgrades:
Resolved extreme noise issues due to reverb effect on Windows
Proper validation and handling of biquad filter v2
Fixed buzzing caused by buffer underruns
Refactoring of ParameterVersion2 for better compatibility with ParameterVersion1
Enhanced validation and processing for biquad filters
Video & Graphics
Improvements in Vulkan Rendering
Enhanced graphics rendering features:
Proper implementation of OpenGL wrap mode with MirrorOnceClampOGL
Correct handling of RGBX texture formats
Resolved SPIR-V format mismatches for integer textures
Improved viewport handling when transformations are disabled
Optimization of query cache to remove redundant notifications
Better handling of invalid texture formats in the lookup table
Resolved issues with shadow map artifacts (Metroid Prime 4) [WIP]
Host1x & Video Core
Improvements at the system graphics level:
Suppression of VIC warnings for minor dimension mismatches
Enhanced boot processes for MCI
Proper handling of GPU-modified textures
Fermi2D improvements to replace assertions with warnings for better stability
Bug Fixes
Critical Fixes
Fixed infinite recursion in UpdateUITheme() causing crashes on Arch Linux
Resolved crashes when accessing network settings on Android
Improved stability to prevent socket assertion crashes
Added proper error handling for unknown error module 359
Fixed audio reverb noise on Windows
Resolved NTFS directory scanning crashes on Linux
Prevention of infinite loops when SMMU address space is depleted
Eliminated duplicate game entries in multiplayer rooms
Enhanced reliability of updates for read-only files on Windows
Platform-Specific Fixes
Windows
Improved update reliability during read-only file handling
Resolved extreme reverb noise issues specific to Windows
Safety checks for ZSTD decompression
Linux
Fixed NTFS directory scanning crashes on Linux
Resolved infinite recursion in theme systems on Arch Linux
Fixed build issues requiring GuiPrivate on Linux
Enhanced backup handling for Linux AppImages
Safety checks for ZSTD decompression
macOS
Resolved compilation issues on macOS
Enhanced Vulkan support via MoltenVK
Safety checks for ZSTD decompression
Android
Fixed crashes when accessing network settings
Resolved compilation issues for dump function
Enhanced reliability for RomFS/ExeFS dumping
Safety checks for ZSTD decompression
UI Fixes
Resolved odd horizontal layout issues
Removed placeholder text from interface elements
Fixed display problems during library scanning
Addressed style.qss path issues for colorful theme loading
Prevented infinite loops in theme updates
Ensured proper cursor hiding during mouse panning
Kernel & System Fixes
Fixed handling of scheduler dispatch count
Enhanced CheckMemoryStateContiguous usage
Allowed pipelined transfers to avoid assertion failures
Prevented infinite loops when SMMU address space is suffocated
Addressed issues during MCI boot processes
Input & Controller Fixes
Restored hotkey configuration functionality
Improved controller input blocking during loading screens
Added safety checks for pointer management in EmulatedController destruction
Included defensive checks for input handling
Network & Multiplayer Fixes
Enhanced handling of chat room signals
Improved packet validation and debug logging
Better error recovery for ZSTD compression/decompression
Reverted to compatible packet format
Migrated lobby API from web_api_url for dedicated configurations
Technical Details
Architecture Changes
Code Organization
Improvements to TitleID utility for better game title ID handling
Complete overhaul of update manager architecture
Redesigned theme architecture including rainbow mode and RGB mode
New infrastructure for managing custom save paths
New framework for Android extraction system
Build System Improvements
Added PGO indicator – Profile-Guided Optimization status visible in window title and about dialog
Establishment of a new build type system (Stable/Nightly) with UI indicators
Enhanced macOS build system for compatibility
Improved handling of platform-specific requirements on Linux
API & Service Updates
Updated Horizon OS version constants
Updated Nintendo SDK version constants
Proper stubbing for Nex network services
Implementation of VOTE service stub with warning logs
Enhanced error handling for module 56
System Service Improvements
Enhanced ISettingsServer features
Better stubbing of network-related services
Expanded error handling for multiple system modules
Known Issues
Rapid theme switching may cause brief flashes during system theme changes
Large game libraries might require more time to scan on first run with NCA scanning enabled
Network packet format compatibility can vary across different emulator versions
Game Compatibility Highlights
Enhanced Compatibility
Metroid Prime 4 – Fixed shadow map square artifacts
Games requiring the latest HOS versions are now fully supported
Improved compatibility with games featuring advanced audio effects
Better support for titles using complex texture formats
Enhanced compatibility for games utilizing GPU-modified textures