[Meta bug] glui_minimal_assets.zip (used by the F-Droid release) is missing required assets

[davidhedlund]

• glui_minimal_assets.zip (used by the F-Droid release) does not ship with the current autoconfig assets #18760
• glui_minimal_assets.zip (used by the F-Droid release) missing ozone menu assets, causing pixelated fonts and missing icons #18756
• Chinese language error #11501
  • glui_minimal_assets.zip (used by the F-Droid release) does not support Chinese fonts. This issue is discussed in this comment and further confirmed in this subsequent report, which notes that Chinese text display does not work in the F-Droid build -- used for reference because changing the system fonts to Chinese for testing is inconvenient for non-Chinese users.

Temporary workaround (requires internet)

Main Menu → Online Updater → Update for controllers, assets, etc.

Proposed workarounds

• Remove glui_minimal_assets.zip and use the full asset package instead.
• Update glui_minimal_assets.zip, though this is less reliable and likely to cause new issues in the future. For instance, there was a period when the F-Droid build was expected to become stable once the issues in #16126 were resolved (#15931, #16087), but new problems later emerged with glui_minimal_assets.zip, ultimately leading to this “meta bug” list.

[matheuswillder]

If the PR #18878 get merged, RetroArch should automatically download any missing asset files, which would solve this issue.

Obviously, for that an internet connection will be required when starting for the first time, but since the main assets weren't included from the beginning due to the F-Droid build system rather than an issue with RetroArch itself (explained here : #11922 (comment), and also explained here: #17220 (comment)), and since you're supposed to have an internet connection to download cores anyway, I think this is a good compromise.

Edit: corrected the first link.

[davidhedlund]

Obviously, for that an internet connection will be required when starting for the first time

The RetroArch developers have told me that it is important that RetroArch works without an internet connection. I agree with them.

, but since the main assets weren't included from the beginning due to the F-Droid build system rather than an issue with RetroArch itself (explained here : #11922 (comment), and also explained here: #17220 (comment)), and since you're supposed to have an internet connection to download cores anyway, I think this is a good compromise.

Internet is not required to install cores. It is possible to install cores locally via Main Menu → Load Core → Install or Restore a Core

[matheuswillder]

The RetroArch developers have told me that it is important that RetroArch works without an internet connection. I agree with them.

I also agree with that, but this is a compromise that emerged when the aforementioned PR was created, and there are RetroArch developers who commented there about this.

But you can also ask to the F-Droid team how to solve this on their end, since all this was a limitation imposed by their build system.

Or you can just solve it your own way, this is a collaborative project so PR are always welcome and will improve the experience for everyone.

[davidhedlund]

If the PR #18878 get merged, RetroArch should automatically download any missing asset files, which would solve this issue.

This will automate the "Temporary workaround (requires internet)" section that I originally proposed in the main post. So thank you for mentioning this.

I also agree with that, but this is a compromise that emerged when the aforementioned PR was created, and there are RetroArch developers who commented there about this.

Alright. That is good to know.

But you can also ask to the F-Droid team how to solve this on their end, since all this was a limitation imposed by their build system.

Or you can just solve it your own way, this is a collaborative project so PR are always welcome and will improve the experience for everyone.

I don't have time to work on it. I'm waiting for decisions to be made.