Expedition 33: record version drift honestly, ship reduced profile

Running ClairObscurFix v0.0.10 with upstream defaults crashed on save load.
Removing it entirely let the game load normally, isolating the fix as the cause
rather than Proton or the year-old save. The fix is archived and predates the
current build; two pattern scans already failed outright, and the crash
coincides with its Level Load hook.

Ship a reduced profile with only Center HUD enabled - the one option actually
needed at 32:9 - and mark the game PARTIAL rather than implying full support.
Adds a revalidation checklist since vendored archived fixes decay as the game
patches, plus a note that the game has no DRM, so a dedicated HUD-centering
patch is a viable replacement if Center HUD eventually breaks too.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Fixes use whichever approach the engine calls for:
 
 - **SUWSF + Ultimate ASI Loader** — runtime memory patching, for Unreal titles (and anything DRM-wrapped, where static patching is impossible).
 - **BepInEx plugin** — a proper C# mod, for Unity titles with the Mono backend.
-- **External** — where a good third-party fix already exists, it is vendored (license permitting) with our tuned config and full credit, rather than reimplemented.
+- **External** — where a good third-party fix already exists, it is vendored (license permitting) with our tuned config and full credit, rather than reimplemented. Vendored fixes can go stale against a patched game, so those entries carry a revalidation checklist.
 
 Most force **Hor+ FOV** (a wider screen shows you *more* rather than zooming in) and fix UI that assumes 16:9. Some games already render correctly and only need UI work — [Burglin' Gnomes](games/BurglinGnomes/) is one, and the fix deliberately leaves its camera alone.
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Most force **Hor+ FOV** (a wider screen shows you *more* rather than zooming in)
 |---|---|---|---|
 | [Gundam Breaker 4](games/GundamBreaker4/) | Unreal Engine 4.27 | SUWSF | ✅ Confirmed working at 5120×1440 |
 | [Burglin' Gnomes](games/BurglinGnomes/) | Unity 6 (Mono) | BepInEx plugin | ✅ Confirmed working at 5120×1440 |
-| [Clair Obscur: Expedition 33](games/Expedition33/) | Unreal Engine 5 | External ([ClairObscurFix](https://github.com/Lyall/ClairObscurFix) by Lyall) | ⚠️ Awaiting first-launch verification |
+| [Clair Obscur: Expedition 33](games/Expedition33/) | Unreal Engine 5 | External ([ClairObscurFix](https://github.com/Lyall/ClairObscurFix) by Lyall) | ⚠️ Partial — reduced profile, see notes |
 
 ## Install
 

games/Expedition33/ClairObscurFix.ini

@@ -11,11 +11,13 @@ Enabled = false
 
 [Uncap Cutscene FPS]
 ; Removes 30fps cap in cutscenes.
-Enabled = true
+; DISABLED: bisecting a crash-on-save-load with game build > fix v0.0.10.
+Enabled = false
 
 [Adjust Resolution Checks]
 ; Adjusts resolution checks to use the monitor's maximum supported resolution, rather than the "native" resolution.
-Enabled = true
+; DISABLED: its pattern scan already fails on this game build ("Resolution Checks: Pattern scan failed").
+Enabled = false
 
 [Background Audio]
 ; Set "Enabled" to true to allow audio to continue playing when the game window has lost focus.
@@ -29,7 +31,8 @@ Enabled = false
 
 [Fix Movies]
 ; Crops letterboxing from pre-rendered movies at ultrawide resolutions.
-Enabled = true
+; DISABLED: bisecting; re-enable once the crash source is known.
+Enabled = false
 
 [Center HUD]
 ; Set "Enabled" to true to center certain parts of the HUD to 16:9 at ultrawide resolutions.

games/Expedition33/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — UltraWide
 
-⚠️ **Awaiting first-launch verification at 5120×1440.**
+⚠️ **Partial support — reduced feature profile.** ClairObscurFix v0.0.10 is archived and predates the current game build; running it with upstream defaults **crashed on save load**. This repo ships a reduced profile with only the 32:9 HUD centering enabled.
 
 - **Engine:** Unreal Engine 5 — **no DRM** (no SteamStub; `.text` entropy 6.74)
 - **Steam AppID:** 1903340
@@ -64,13 +64,38 @@ Edit `…/Sandfall/Binaries/Win64/ClairObscurFix.ini` (requires a restart — th
 ./install.sh Expedition33 uninstall
 ```
 
-## Status / open questions
+## Known issue: version drift
 
-The game has an official ultrawide fix as of patch **1.2.3**, so some of this may be redundant. Unverified at 32:9:
+**ClairObscurFix v0.0.10 (May 2025) is archived and no longer tracks the game.**
 
-- [ ] Does it launch correctly under Proton at 5120×1440?
-- [ ] Is `Center HUD` at 16:9 right, or is 21:9 better?
-- [ ] Any remaining pillarboxing in cutscenes or pre-rendered movies?
-- [ ] Is the camera FOV Hor+ (see more) or Vert- (zoomed)?
+Observed on a current build (2026-07-21), with upstream defaults:
 
-If a gap remains that ClairObscurFix doesn't cover, *that* is where this repo would add its own patch.
+```
+[error] Resolution Checks: Pattern scan failed.
+[error] Resolution Scale Bug: Pattern scan failed.
+```
+
+…followed by a **crash when loading a save**. Removing the fix entirely made the
+game load normally, isolating the fix as the cause. The crash coincides with the
+fix's `Level Load` hook, which is consistent with a hook attaching to shifted
+code in a newer binary.
+
+**Mitigation:** ship a reduced profile — everything disabled except `Center HUD`,
+the only option genuinely needed at 32:9. The failing scans are disabled outright
+since they were already inert.
+
+## Maintenance / revalidation
+
+Because upstream is archived, this entry decays as the game patches. Re-check
+after any significant game update:
+
+1. Launch and load a save. If it crashes, remove the fix (`./install.sh Expedition33 uninstall`) and retry to confirm the fix is the cause rather than the game or Proton.
+2. Read `Sandfall/Binaries/Win64/ClairObscurFix.log` — `Pattern scan failed` lines mark hooks that no longer match the binary.
+3. Disable any newly-failing feature in `ClairObscurFix.ini`; a failed scan is inert, but a *wrongly-attached* hook is what crashes.
+4. If `Center HUD` itself stops working, this entry should be marked unsupported. The game has **no DRM**, so writing a small dedicated HUD-centering patch is a viable replacement.
+
+## Still unverified at 32:9
+
+- [ ] Is `Center HUD` at 16:9 right, or is 21:9 (`2.33333`) better?
+- [ ] Camera FOV — Hor+ (see more) or Vert- (zoomed)?
+- [ ] Pillarboxing in cutscenes / pre-rendered movies (`Fix Movies` currently **off**)

games/Expedition33/game.conf

@@ -16,4 +16,4 @@ LOADER="dsound.dll"
 LAUNCH_OPTION='WINEDLLOVERRIDES="dsound=n,b" %command%'
 
 PREFIX_INI=""
-STATUS="Vendored ClairObscurFix (MIT) + 32:9 config — awaiting first-launch verification"
+STATUS="PARTIAL — reduced profile (Center HUD only); upstream v0.0.10 is archived and crashes with full features on current builds"