XCOTA TAG V5.5 — RETROARCH FOUR-PLAYER SPECIAL

YOU SUPPLY ALL FOUR CLEAN GAMES

1. X-Men: Children of the Atom — Euro 950331, usually xmcota.zip.
2. Marvel vs. Capcom — Euro 980123, usually mvsc.zip.
3. X-Men vs. Street Fighter — Euro 961004, USA 961023 or Japan 961023.
   Euro 961004 (xmvsf.zip) is the preferred complete Fightcade2 donor.
   USA 961023 is usually xmvsfu.zip; Japan 961023 is usually xmvsfj.zip
   and contains xvsj.03k/xvsj.04k. A split USA/Japan clone also needs its
   clean parent for shared graphics and sound. Keep that parent ZIP beside
   the clone or drop it too. The revision's actual files decide admission;
   changing a ZIP name or borrowing another revision's key does not convert it.
4. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 — Naomi Export/Korea Rev A cartridge, usually mvsc2.zip.
   Required cartridge members include epr-23085a.ic11 (4 MiB), fourteen
   8 MiB mpr-23048 through mpr-23061 files, and two 4 MiB mpr-23083/mpr-23084
   files. Recognized Naomi BIOS/EEPROM extras may remain in the common
   52-file archive. A console disc, CHD or different cartridge revision
   is not interchangeable with this format.

Special needs FOUR GAMES, including XCOTA. Leave every game ZIP intact with
its original required members and key inside. The XCOTA key is xmcota.key;
a loose key beside an incomplete ZIP is insufficient. Actual member sizes
and hashes authenticate the source games. Your originals remain unchanged.
No game ROM, key, donor graphics or samples are in this download.

Complete merged Euro XCOTA/MVC1 parents containing regional clone folders,
wrapped folders and small desktop metadata are supported. One outer ZIP
containing all four intact game ZIPs also works; include a split clone's
parent beside it inside that outer ZIP. Do not mix loose game members into
one archive. The accepted XMvsSF revisions are listed in source-inputs.json.

Use the Euro 950331 XCOTA parent. Older xmcotau, xmcotaj and xmcotar1d sources
listed for V4.1 are not interchangeable with this Gambit recipe. Early V5
instructions called Japan 961023 "xmvsfjr1"; that usual name identifies
Japan 961004, which is a different revision. Authentic 961023 members decide
whether a previously renamed archive is accepted.

WINDOWS: BUILD AND PLAY

1. Extract the WHOLE V5.5 Special builder/core download into a new writable
   folder. Keep its README, sources, cores and subfolders together. Do not
   overlay an older builder or run inside the download ZIP.
2. Select all FOUR clean game ZIPs together and drop them onto
   BUILD V5.5 SPECIAL.cmd. Any order works; paths with spaces are supported.
   Windows PowerShell 5.1 and inbox .NET are sufficient. No Python, SDK or
   compiler installation is needed.
3. The generated game is output/xmcotas4p.zip. Keep that filename.
4. Run PLAY V5.5 SPECIAL.cmd. If RetroArch is not found, drag your installed
   retroarch.exe onto that command, or pass its full path. The launcher
   checks this release's game and Windows core before starting RetroArch.

MANUAL RETROARCH LAUNCH

Windows x64: Load Core, then select this package's
cores/windows/fbneo_xcota_special_expanded_libretro.dll.
Load Content, then select output/xmcotas4p.zip from this same build.

Apple silicon: use your existing arm64 RetroArch. Load this package's
cores/mac/fbneo_xcota_special_expanded_libretro.dylib, then the same generated
output/xmcotas4p.zip. The included Windows DLL cannot run in macOS.

Load the generated game ZIP, not the builder download ZIP or source archive.
Start a fresh game; older-core save states do not establish compatibility.
Stock RetroArch FBNeo, Fightcade and ordinary MAME cannot substitute for this
expanded Special profile. Renaming xmcotas4p.zip to xmcota.zip does not help.

FOUR CONTROLLERS AND TEAM OWNERSHIP

Bind four RetroPad ports under Settings > Input > RetroPad Binds > Port
Controls > Device Index. Give each port its intended controller. Teams are
ports 1+3 versus ports 2+4. HP+HK joins from attract/selection. P1/P2 select
their first fighters; P3/P4 select the partners. Confirm with an attack.

Each fighter keeps its original port through tags and KO promotion. For
example, the partner selected on port 3 is still controlled by port 3 after
replacing port 1's fighter. Port 1 does not automatically take over port 3.
During paid Duo both teammates are live, using their own ports.

KEEP THE MATCHING V5.5 CORE AND GAME TOGETHER

The included Mac and Windows cores have the complete descriptor for this
Special game. The launcher verifies whole game/core identities. The core
also checks the supplied Special archive's exact member names, lengths and
decompressed CRCs before emulation, including a manual RetroArch launch.
It refuses mismatched, incomplete or duplicate-member content instead of
falling back to another parent, a filename match or another release's data.

Complete corresponding sources are in
source/xcota-tag-v5.5-special-core-sources.zip and the separate source download.
They include the Special content-pairing loader and the controller guard
that defers refresh while no game is initialized. Active four-port mappings
remain. Expanded sample space and the Special instruction budget are software
profile changes, not proof of physical CPS-2 capacity or board support.

CONTROLS

MP+HK tags. LK+MP during hitstun spends one bar for a breaker; use only those
two attack buttons. Full Level Max plus QCB+MP+HK starts paid timed Duo.
During TIME, X-Powers are free. QCF+MP+HK starts a supported team super at
full Level Max. Both team actions require a living partner.

Team supers require BOTH partners to be among the ten original X-Men.
Gambit, Rogue, Sabretooth, Marrow and bosses use individual supers and Duo;
their teams do not receive the original-ten team-super mappings. Storm and
Iceman retain their familiar special commands.

Special retains Akuma and adds Gambit, Rogue, Sabretooth and Marrow for
17 fighters. Existing select portraits, body previews, positions and frames
are retained. Akuma's health portrait uses authentic art in the native frame.
After the picks, UP/DOWN selects CPU NORMAL or HARDER, LEFT/RIGHT changes
stage, and LP confirms READY for each human team. HARDER is the fresh-selection
default. A NORMAL selection survives another player joining.

V5.5 REPAIRS AND RETAINED ROUTES

Gambit's normal strength and chain metadata now persists through frame changes
and hit pause. Close-range LP > MP > HP reaches three hits; LP > LK > MP > MK > HP
reaches five. Normal animation timing, frames, damage and hitstun stay intact.
Special motions entered during hit pause are buffered until the current
move's legal cancel point, preserving hit pause and meter rules.
Gambit's forward double-tap dash hop now finishes without a separate escape
input, allowing normal movement to resume.

The existing crouching HP launcher remains: after a real hit, press DOWN
then UP and continue with air LP and air MP. The continuous three-hit route
and idle DOWN/UP superjump retain their apex, descent and landing recovery.
The selected tag/KO-promoted Gambit routes retain P3/P4 control. These finite
routes do not establish every MVC1 superjump combo or full donor move timing.

Marrow and Sabretooth recover from the reproduced guard freeze after an
ordinary throw. Marrow's stale facing state after tag-in is corrected.
Selected native grounded HP throw, normal-contact guard and healthy partner
entry routes are retained. Alternate kick/air/personalized Max throws,
all supers/projectiles, aerial guard and every meaty/crossup entry are outside
that finite coverage. Duplicate Sabretooth can be reselected by a returning
challenger after a KO and reach a new match.

Healthy tag and KO-partner entry no longer adds the extra defeated-character
voice cue; genuine native KO cues remain. This adds no imported KO samples.
Imported hurt/KO callbacks retain their partial voice/fallback behavior.
The installed Marrow/Omega Bone Burst and Stinger routes are checked
separately. The original reported corruption sequence remains unidentified
and open; these selected routes do not close every audio or visibility report.

Gambit retains authentic ground/air Kinetic Card art, contact/floor effects
and FIVE body/card source clips with seven selected normal-event bindings.
Native music and samples retain their original 4 MiB prefix. Four further
source clips have reconstructed storage only; Royal/contact/KO playback is
not enabled. Complete staff, hurt/KO and hyper audio, and full imported
animation/camera/effect/timing parity remain outside this partial port.

CPU POLICY AND COVERAGE

V5.5 keeps the existing CPU policy and HARDER default without strength tuning.
The native Harder policy uses delayed visible position, height and pose for
legal attacks, guard and jumps, earned meter and ordinary damage. Normal
retains the native brain with separate earned-meter admission. Imported
Special fighters' brains are outside that native policy. External testers
judge the near-unbeatable target; finite checks establish no universal win rate.

Recorded native checks use selected ordinary-pad routes and exact game/core
pairs. Complete clean-source conversion and Mac/Windows core builds do not
establish Windows gameplay, four physical controllers, online play, a complete
arcade ladder, all-roster/action/stage coverage or physical CPS-2 support.

IF THE BUILDER OR CORE STOPS

Package source differs: README.txt (or another file): extract the WHOLE matching
download into a fresh folder. An older package changed its README after sealing
and failed before ROM validation. Do not mix releases, edit package files or
disable verification.

Missing game/member or no games received: drop all four complete clean games
together. A split XMvsSF clone also needs the clean parent beside it or supplied
with it. Wrong size/hash or unsupported revision: use the clean revisions above.

A different output already exists: use a fresh builder folder or output location
named xmcotas4p.zip. The builder refuses to overwrite a different game or input.

Romset unknown: load output/xmcotas4p.zip with the included Special core.
Do not load the builder download or use a renamed two-player output.

Content/core mismatch or Refused unmatched, incomplete or duplicate-member
content before emulation: keep the V5.5-generated game with this package's V5.5
expanded core. Rebuild from your clean source games in a fresh extracted V5.5
folder, then load that output and core together. An older Special core or game
is not interchangeable. Do not remove verification or rename ROM members.

ROM-data overrides cannot change the paired descriptor: clear external
ROM-data override settings for this game, then use the unmodified matching
bundle. Cannot open supplied content: check that the generated ZIP exists and
is readable, then rebuild from the matching bundle if necessary.
