pinyon-shift README

The project's README from github.com/arcanite24/pinyon-shift. As one markdown file: README.md.

Pinyon Shift

Pinyon Shift is a Windows-only playable preview of a native recompilation of the Xbox 360 release of Forza Horizon. The project is early, imperfect, and surprisingly drivable.

This repository contains the launcher, build tools, host code, configuration, and patches needed to create the preview on your own computer. It does not contain the game, game assets, generated translations, or a prebuilt game executable.

Play

  1. Download PinyonShift-Launcher.zip from the latest release.
  2. Extract the two files to a folder and run PinyonShift.Launcher.exe.
  3. Select an ISO you personally dumped from a supported original disc.
  4. Confirm ownership, then choose Verify & Build.
  5. Leave the launcher open while it installs the Windows build tools and builds the preview. The first build can take 20–60 minutes and requires roughly 25 GB of free disk space.

The preview launcher is not code-signed yet, so Windows may identify it as an unrecognized app. Use only the archive attached to this repository's release and verify its published SHA-256.

The launcher verifies the image before reading it. Unsupported or modified images are rejected. Your image and extracted game files stay on your machine. The launcher downloads build tools and the pinned ReXGlue source, extracts the disc locally, generates the translation locally, and compiles the executable locally. Administrator permission is requested only if Visual Studio Build Tools must be installed.

Supported today: the USA retail base disc, serial MS-2505, title ID 4D5309C9. Windows 10/11 x64 and a DirectX 12-capable GPU are required.

This is a public preview, not a finished remaster. Please report reproducible problems using the issue template and do not attach game files or generated code.

Reporting crashes and bugs

Keep the launcher open while playing. If the game exits unexpectedly, the launcher catches the exit, creates a sanitized diagnostic ZIP, and offers one button to open a prefilled GitHub issue with that ZIP selected in Explorer. Attach the selected ZIP and add the shortest reliable reproduction steps.

The public report includes build hashes, a stable crash ID, exception details, the end of the runtime log, runtime settings, Windows build, CPU, GPU, and driver versions. It excludes the game, saves, generated code, input capture, local paths, and memory dumps. A fuller dump stays on the player's computer and should only be shared privately if a maintainer requests it. Non-crash bugs can be reported with Report a problem in the launcher.

Build from source

From a PowerShell terminal in a repository checkout:

.\tools\setup-preview.ps1 -IsoPath C:\path\to\your-disc.iso
.\tools\launch-preview.ps1

The setup script provisions pinned dependencies under .local/, downloads and patches ReXGlue, verifies/extracts the disc, generates translated source, and builds Release. See Building and Troubleshooting for details.

Project boundaries

Only independently authored project files are licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License. Microsoft, Xbox, Turn 10 Studios, Playground Games, Forza Horizon, and third-party dependencies remain the property of their respective owners. Pinyon Shift is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. See Legal and distribution and Third-party notices.

Contributing

Start with CONTRIBUTING.md. Repository checks reject disc images, executables, generated translations, extracted assets, build products, and other machine-local material.

Supporting the project

Pinyon Shift is and will remain free. If you would like to support its continued development, you can sponsor arcanite24 on GitHub. Sponsorship is entirely optional and does not provide builds, game content, support, or influence over the project roadmap.

pinyon-shift (arcanite24/pinyon-shift)

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723 ·GitHub
Pinyon-shift
What is this?Pinyon Shift is a Windows-only playable preview built from a native static recompilation of the Xbox 360 release of Forza Horizon, letting you build and run a working, imperfect version of the game from your own disc.
Does this include the actual game?No. The repository only contains the launcher, build tools, host code, configuration, and patches needed to build the preview yourself; it does not ship the game, assets, translations, or a prebuilt executable.
How do I get it running?Download PinyonShift-Launcher.zip from the latest release, extract it and run PinyonShift.Launcher.exe, select an ISO you personally dumped from a supported disc, confirm ownership, then choose Verify & Build; the first build takes 20-60 minutes and needs about 25 GB of free disk space.
What do I need before I can play?A personally-dumped ISO of the supported disc, Windows 10/11 x64, and a DirectX 12-capable GPU; the launcher installs the required Windows build tools itself and only asks for admin rights if Visual Studio Build Tools must be installed.
Does it work with any Forza Horizon disc?No — only the USA retail base disc (serial MS-2505, title ID 4D5309C9) is supported today, the launcher isn't code-signed yet so Windows may flag it as unrecognized, and this is explicitly a public preview rather than a finished remaster.
Does my disc image or gameplay data leave my computer?No — the launcher only downloads build tools and the pinned ReXGlue source; disc extraction, translation generation, and compiling all happen locally, and crash reports exclude game files, saves, and local paths by default.
What's actually covered by the BSD-3-Clause license?Only the independently authored project files (launcher, build tools, patches) are BSD-3-Clause licensed; Forza Horizon, Xbox, and other third-party assets remain the property of Microsoft, Turn 10, and Playground Games and aren't included.
What is ReXGlue?ReXGlue is the pinned static-recompilation source that the launcher downloads and uses to translate the Xbox 360 Forza Horizon executable into native code during the build.
What happens if the game crashes while I'm playing?The launcher catches the exit, generates a sanitized diagnostic ZIP, and offers a one-click button to open a prefilled GitHub issue with that ZIP attached, excluding game files, saves, and memory dumps from the public report.
Is the project free to use?Yes, Pinyon Shift is and will remain free; GitHub sponsorship is optional and does not unlock builds, game content, or any special support.
What are similar projects?The-Darkness-Recomp, Playnite, hells-gate-recomp, exodium, ShadowOfTheColossus-PC, Fable-2-Recomp, OpenCE, Wind-Waker-Recomp
Which topics is it in?launcher, decompiler, emulation, retrogaming, windows-10, windows-11, game, windows-app, gaming, reverse-engineering, bsd, cpp
Creator
arcanite24
Size
30.4 MB
Stars
723
Updated
CommitOct 17Releasev0.6.0Oct 17
Age
1mo
Commits · 90 Days