NX2navi · Windows · Vulkan
Setup versus source
Most NX2navi players should run Setup.exe and let the launcher build the game. Source and BuildKit exist for people who already want the NX2navi toolchain. Both still need your dump.
Setup and updates come from GitHub Releases for tangerineturtle1/NX2navi. Latest tag is read at request time.
Two ways to arrive at a playable folder
NX2navi Setup installs a launcher. That launcher downloads tools, compiles from your dump, and keeps the port updated. That is the path release notes describe for new players. Building from source means cloning tangerineturtle1/NX2navi, installing the toolchain in docs/building.md, and producing binaries yourself. BuildKit is a middle path: the same game build the launcher would run, driven by tools/make_game.py, documented in docs/README-BuildKit.md. All three still start from files already on disk. If you only want to play, Setup is the smaller decision.
| Path | You download | You still need |
|---|---|---|
| Setup.exe | One unsigned installer from Releases | Your dump, a qualifying Windows PC |
| BuildKit | Nothing extra from this site; follow the BuildKit doc | The same dump, Python tools on the PC |
| Source clone | git clone of the repository | The dump plus the toolchain in building.md |
When Setup is the right default
Choose Setup if you have a Windows PC that meets the CPU and Vulkan floor, you already have a dump, and you do not want to maintain a compiler. SmartScreen still applies. The first wait is the local build, not a hidden download of the finished game. Later NX2navi tags can arrive through the launcher. File bugs against the player with logs from that install. Do not paste compiler flags into Issues unless you actually built from source; it wastes the maintainer’s time. These pages document Setup first because that is the file GitHub Releases push at players.
When source or BuildKit is worth it
Choose a source checkout if you intend to change NX2navi, reproduce a compiler error, or follow CONTRIBUTING.md with a patch. Choose BuildKit if you want the game build without the launcher’s UI, and you are willing to read that document to the end. Both paths expect you to keep generated trees out of git; the project already gitignores build\ and generated\. Run the repo’s content check before you commit. LICENSE-ADDITIONS reserves rights on the project’s own additions, so do not republish those sources as if they were public-domain Nintendo code. This website will not paste building.md. We link it.
Do not mix the trees
A Setup install and a git clone can live on the same disk. They should not share an output folder. Updating Setup will not merge your local patches. Building source will not register itself with the launcher’s updater. If something is broken and you cannot remember which tree you launched, you do not have a useful bug report yet. Pick one path, write it in the issue, and attach the matching log. Linux users hoping source will produce a Deck package should still read the README: the published player remains Windows. This comparison page is not a promise of other operating systems. docs/architecture.md is the place for how the static recomp and Vulkan back end fit together; it is not required reading before SmartScreen. tools/make_game.py is the BuildKit entry, not a hidden Setup replacement. Keep generated\ and build\ out of git the way the repository already gitignores them.
Licenses in one paragraph
The repository is public to read. Base import code stays under the MIT License named in LICENSE. Third-party code keeps the notices in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md. Additions and changes by the project are reserved in LICENSE-ADDITIONS: they are not a blank check to republish the port as your own product. A Setup download does not change those facts. A source clone does not change them either. These pages paraphrase install steps; they do not reprint those files. If you need the exact legal text, open them on GitHub. Contributors should read CONTRIBUTING.md before sending a patch, keep generated trees out of git, and run the repo’s content check. Players who never open a compiler can ignore that paragraph and stay on Setup. If a tutorial tells you to mix BuildKit output into a Setup folder “to skip shaders,” ignore that tutorial; you will only hide which tree broke. When in doubt, delete the mixed folder and start again from one documented path. Two half-working trees are worse than one clean Setup.
FAQ
- Is Setup a different game from a source build?
- No. Same project, same dump requirement. Setup is the packaged launcher path. Source is the developer checkout.
- Does a source build skip the dump?
- No. Source still needs the same dump the launcher looks for. A clone without a dump still cannot play.
- Where do I send a compiler error?
- GitHub Issues, with the commands you ran and a redacted log. Not support@nx2navi.online.