Title: BigInstinct
Version: 1.01
Author: Rich Whitehouse
Website: https://www.richwhitehouse.com/ki/
Description: This is a Killer Instinct 1/2 emulator with exceptional performance, accuracy, and enhancements. See below for copyright and licensing information.


Patreon: /richwhitehouse
https://patreon.com/richwhitehouse

Bluesky: @richwhitehouse.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/richwhitehouse.bsky.social

Twitter: @DickWhitehouse
https://twitter.com/DickWhitehouse

Please consider showing your support!


Release Notes
-------------
Version 1.01:
 - Added some cheap hash-based desync detection to the network protocol. The host will now be alerted when a desync occurs in State Sync mode. (desyncs are only known to occur when settings don't match across players or a script is causing emulation to operate non-deterministically)
 - Added a "same colors" option to the ki_gameplay module. This option has multiple settings: default/legacy (never allow the same color index), always, and "only when not using the same character."
 - Added a "no AI combo breakers" option to the ki_gameplay module.
 - Removed unnecessary zlib dependencies from the network plugin in Linux builds. (thanks to SabreAZ for helping me test this)
 - Added a -nomenubg command line option.

Version 1.0:
 - First public release. The emulator is now free for public use, but the script modules (which enable features like stereo sound, stereoscopic 3D rendering, training mode, and gameplay adjustments) are only available to Patreon supporters.
 - Added a new ki_gameplay script. This new script features various gameplay adjustment options, including "more forgiving" special move inputs and programmable special triggers. Programmable special triggers enable users to assign any move to an extra button modifier, even moves which are normally inaccessible. This means you can trigger normal special moves, chain-only moves, ultra chains, humiliations, etc. on demand. This feature makes it very easy to break the game in hilarious ways.
 - Added additional move state tracking to the training script.
 - Added a new distance representation mode to the training script.
 - Reworked a bunch of BigMaster stuff under the hood. You may need to re-enter some of your BigMaster credentials when updating from a previous version of the application. All Patreon-exclusive content is now managed through the BigMaster service, you can register and link your accounts here: https://www.richwhitehouse.com/bigmaster/

Version 1.0-B5:
 - BigMaster integration. BigMaster provides various multiplayer services, including server lists and NAT traversal. Register here: https://www.richwhitehouse.com/bigmaster/
 - Lots of new music/audio-related scripting functionality.
 - Added some more rendering/utility scripting functions, including some concave polygon rendering functions.
 - Minor MMDev module bug fixes.

Version 1.0-B4:
 - Added a ki_training script, which enables a variety of training functionality. This includes hit shape visualization, game state displays, input history, and more.
 - More minor bug fixes pertaining to interface/framework functionality. (emulation is untouched this release, as there are no remaining problems that I'm aware of)
 - Lots of new scripting/interface/audio functionality, including a C-style JSON interface.
 - Added a new rendering callback interface for buffered frames.
 - Added new video timing slowdown options.

Version 1.0-B3:
 - Added a ki_stereo_video script, which enables stereoscopic 3D rendering for both KI and KI2.
 - New Linux x64 and ARM64 ports.
 - Added lots of sound spatialization options, including a new HRTF model.
 - Added a new anaglyph 3D lightness mode.
 - Added an "Artificial Read Delay" option, so that people will stop bugging me about wanting to replicate original hard drive "fight on" sample timing.
 - Lots of new systems/features exposed to the scripting API. (mostly just laying the foundation for upcoming features)
 - Various minor bug fixes.
 - Note that stereoscopic rendering support is a work in progress, so don't submit bug reports or feature requests pertaining to this functionality. This functionality currently requires a significantly more powerful machine, because time warping is used (sometimes emulating up to 7 frames) to achieve 60 FPS without decoupling game and rendering code. This functionality may also cause issues with determinism, so you'll get a warning about this if you attempt to use it in a network context.

Version 1.0-B2:
 - Fixed a problem which was resulting in audio drift on some machines.
 - Other minor bug fixes.

Version 1.0-BETA
 - First release! Completely untested by anyone else, outside of a 30 minute multiplayer session with a friend. I don't know of any bugs, but if you find one, please take care to try to reproduce it and give me the exact steps to do so along with a saved state.
 - BigPEmu's network support is present and fully functional. In my limited testing, it's perfectly smooth even with 200+ms ping times and 5% packet loss. There are no known bugs, but if you find any, see the guidance above.
 - Stereo audio support is implemented for both KI and KI2 as an enhancement script! (the original software is only capable of monophonic audio, so this was a demented undertaking)
 - I haven't written any real documentation specific to this emulator, but you'll find that most of the documentation from BigPEmu is still relevant: https://richwhitehouse.com/jaguar/index.php?content=userman
 - Performance is exceptional, and you'll generally be able to run at full speed on anything under the sun. It could still be improved (the ADSP hasn't been optimized, and I ended up making a few simplifications for this release so that nothing about the code trainer can be reverse engineered from the end product by a depraved commercial competitor; don't worry, this hardly affects KI because the scope is so narrow), but it's already so fast that there's no practical reason to care. If you're somehow having performance problems, it probably means something is actually wrong on your system, so consult BigPEmu's troubleshooting/performance documentation.
 - I've made a video to walk through some of the functional differences (and KI-specific options/enhancements) between this emulator and BigPEmu, so for now that'll be your best form of documentation in addendum to the BigPEmu documentation: https://youtu.be/-oaSk2bqwMU
 - Only Windows builds for the first release, Linux (and possibly other platforms) will be added in subsequent releases.


Troubleshooting
---------------
If you're encountering problems with BigInstinct after a successful first use, the first thing you should try is clearing out your configuration. You can do this by deleting the BigInstinctConfig.bigpcfg in your %APPDATA%\BigInstinct folder. (this is usually somewhere like C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\BigInstinct)

If you have a different problem or your problem persists after deleting your configuration file, check the website for additional help and information.


Copyright, Permissions, and Special Thanks
------------------------------------------
BigInstinct Copyright (C) 2025 Rich Whitehouse

Special thanks to my friends/family for helping me stay alive (I love you, Tiny Monkey), and to my supporters on Patreon for helping me pay the mortgage! Thanks to Aaron Giles for his work in emulating the ADSP-2100 series, which was an important reference in writing this emulator's ADSP-2105 implementation. Thanks to Logan, Jake, and Level One Arcade Bar (in Mesa, AZ) for making it possible for me to dig into the guts of a proper KI machine and produce all kinds of timing/signal data.

This emulator was created because a company approached me to make a licensed Killer Instinct emulator, then held the emulator itself hostage over additional labor at an insultingly low rate. I still wanted to make the emulator, but decided it would be better to stand by my principles and make it on my own time while seeing what I could manage from crowdfunding. As of this writing, I've put around $25,000.00 USD of labor (at my last known market value) into making this thing from scratch for roughly $200.00 USD in crowdfunding compensation. Anyone who tells you I'm "only doing this for money" or "grifting" is a fool and/or a mouthpiece for the continued institutionalized exploitation of labor in emulation and reverse engineering.

Don't be fooled into continuing to devalue your own labor in a race to the bottom, and don't pretend we live in a safe communist bubble in the middle of an oppressive capitalist economy. Global capitalism will feed on everything in its path, and only the ego-driven fool with a comfortable day job will give himself to it willingly.

Those Who Bare Fangs at God:
 - Mark Sowden (hogsy)
 - John Perez (neurocrash)
 - Benjamin Bettridge
 - Jan D. (thank you for going so far above and beyond)
 - ZoeB
 - Scott LeGrand
 - William Thorup
 - Dan McCombs
 - noigeaR
 - Luigi Mangione (thank you for your sacrifice)
 - B.J. West
 - Shannon Gates
 - Havard Vatne
 - Maximilian Dood (thanks for throwing a pile of money at me to help fund enhancement efforts)
 - Tony Walsh
 - guru emulation
May your oppressors suffer all the torments this world has to offer, my friends.

As with all of the free software that I write, I accept no liability and offer no warranty. By using this software, you agree that you are solely responsible for any form of harm which may result from the use of this software.

I forbid the use of this software for any form of private financial gain. You may not distribute this software without the inclusion of this document in unmodified form, and you may not distribute modified versions of the main BigInstinct executable file. Any exemption from these terms requires my written permission.

For a list of third party software included in BigInstinct and the corresponding license/copyright information, please see the Data/ThirdParty/Licenses directory. (location may vary per platform/distribution, check the application documents folder on iOS/macOS) I've also auto-converted and included a few shaders written by Hyllian under the MIT license, see the relevant shader files in Data/ScreenEffects for the original license/copyright information.
