XCOTA TAG V5.4 — TWO-PLAYER EDITION

YOU SUPPLY TWO CLEAN GAMES

1. X-Men: Children of the Atom — Euro 950331, usual ZIP xmcota.zip.
2. Marvel vs. Capcom — Euro 980123, usual ZIP mvsc.zip.

Keep each game's required members and key inside its ZIP. Complete merged
Euro parent archives with regional clone subfolders are supported. Wrapped
folders and small desktop metadata are accepted. The builder checks the actual
member sizes and hashes, not just filenames. Your originals remain unchanged.
No game ROM, key, donor graphics or samples are included in this download.

WINDOWS: BUILD AND PLAY

1. Extract the WHOLE builder download into a new writable folder. Keep its README
   and sources together. Do not run inside the ZIP or overlay an older builder.
2. Leave both game ZIPs zipped. Select them together and drop them onto
   BUILD XCOTA V5.4.cmd. Any order works. Windows PowerShell 5.1 and inbox .NET
   build the game without Python, an SDK or a compiler installation.
3. Use the generated output/xmcota.zip with the existing XCOTA MAME/FBNeo driver.
   Back up your existing game before installing this separate output.
4. MAME also needs your clean qsound_hle.zip BIOS in its ROM search path.
   Missing dl-1425.bin means the QSound BIOS is missing. Modified-game checksum
   warnings are expected; a missing required file still prevents launch.
5. Fightcade players need identical generated game members and settings. This
   update does not claim a new online session or physical-controller test.

CONTROLS AND CHANGES

MP+HK tags. LK+MP breaks during hitstun for one bar. Full Level Max plus
QCB+MP+HK starts timed Duo. QCF+MP+HK team supers require BOTH partners to be
among the ten original X-Men. Gambit and bosses use individual supers and Duo;
they do not gain original-ten team-super mappings.

Gambit replaces Akuma; Juggernaut and Magneto remain selectable. The existing
roster portraits, body previews, frames and menu layout remain. Option text is
clearer and the footer is centered. After both picks, UP/DOWN selects CPU
NORMAL or HARDER, LEFT/RIGHT changes the stage, and LP confirms READY.
HARDER is the fresh-selection default. Choosing NORMAL survives another
player joining.

V5.4 adapts Gambit's heavy normal reactions against MVC1. Crouching HP now
launches; after a real hit, press DOWN then UP for the jump cancel and continue
with air normals. The selected continuous crouching HP > jump > air LP > air MP
route is checked on both sides. Light/medium properties and normal damage stay
as they were; the original normal-to-normal cancel handling is retained.

The repair includes authentic ground/air Kinetic Card art, contact/floor
effects and THREE Gambit body/card clips. Existing XCOTA music and samples
remain. Stock Royal is a bounded three-fan adaptation. Full donor timing,
charged-card behavior and all staff, normal, hurt/KO and hyper sounds are
not supplied by this partial port.

CPU POLICY

The tested Harder policy chooses legal native attacks, guard and jumps using
delayed visible position, height and pose. It earns meter and uses ordinary
damage. Normal keeps the native brain with separate earned-meter admission;
stock Gambit's policy is a separate adaptation. External testers judge the
near-unbeatable difficulty target. No universal win-rate or difficulty claim
is established by the finite checks, and no extra strength tuning is required
for this update.

IF THE BUILDER STOPS

Package source differs: README.txt (or another file): extract the whole matching
download into a fresh folder. An earlier Special package changed its README
after sealing; that error happened before ROM validation. Do not mix versions,
edit package files or disable verification.

Missing game/member: supply both complete clean games. Wrong size/hash: check
the revision and use an unpatched input. Different output already exists: use
a fresh folder. Keep the generated name xmcota.zip. Special is a separate
four-game/four-player build requiring its own matching core.
