> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/SnowyMouse/chimera/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Compatibility

> What works and what doesn't with Chimera

This page details Chimera's compatibility with other mods, platforms, and game versions.

## Platform Compatibility

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Windows">
    ### Supported Versions

    * **Windows 7 or newer:** Full support
    * **Windows XP and newer:** Supported with dedicated Windows XP release

    <Note>
      To build Chimera with Windows XP support, pass the argument `-DCHIMERA_WINXP=ON` when running CMake.
    </Note>

    ### Installation Location Notes

    Most users install Halo in the default "Program Files" folder. This can cause issues with write permissions:

    * Auto-updaters (if they existed) would fail without admin rights
    * Some features may require running as administrator
    * Consider installing Halo outside of Program Files for better compatibility

    <Warning>
      Running Halo as administrator is not recommended for security reasons, especially for an Internet-connected game from 2003.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Linux (Wine)">
    ### Minimum Requirements

    * **Wine 4.0 or newer** is required
    * Older Wine versions may fail due to API differences

    ### Known Issues

    Some mods with obfuscated DLLs may crash on Wine:

    * Wine has issues loading obfuscated DLLs
    * These DLLs require unpacking, which isn't possible without reverting the DLL manually
    * **Note:** Chimera itself is not obfuscated and works fine on Wine

    ### Building on Linux

    Chimera can be cross-compiled from a Linux host:

    ```bash theme={null}
    # Create a build directory
    mkdir build
    cd build

    # Run MinGW cmake (command varies by distro)
    i686-w64-mingw32-cmake -S <path-to-source> -B . -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

    # Build
    cmake --build .
    ```
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Game Version Compatibility

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Halo: Combat Evolved (PC/Retail)">
    **Status:** ✅ Fully Supported

    ### Requirements

    * Game must be updated to version 1.10 (unless using trial)
    * Back up original strings.dll before installing

    ### Custom Edition Maps on Retail

    Chimera can enable Halo Custom Edition map support when playing base Halo PC.

    **To enable:**

    1. Put these files in your maps folder:
       * `custom_bitmaps.map` (Halo Custom Edition bitmaps.map)
       * `custom_loc.map` (Halo Custom Edition loc.map)
       * `custom_sounds.map` (Halo Custom Edition sounds.map)

    2. Obtain these files from:
       * Halo Custom Edition installer, or
       * Extract from installer using [7-Zip](https://www.7-zip.org/) (Windows) or [p7zip](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/P7zip) (Linux)

    3. Rename them with `custom_` prefixes

    <Warning>
      Do NOT overwrite your original bitmaps.map or sounds.map files. You need these to load Halo PC maps. Chimera will not enable this feature if any of the custom\_\* files are missing.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Halo Custom Edition">
    **Status:** ✅ Fully Supported

    ### Special Features for Custom Edition

    * **Campaign re-enabled:** If all campaign maps are present, Chimera restores the campaign menu option
    * **Fast loading:** CRC32 checking is done when loading maps, not at startup
    * **Map downloading:** Auto-download from HAC2 Map repo

    ### Performance Improvements

    Custom Edition benefits significantly from Chimera:

    * No more slow startup with large map folders
    * Better handling of maps over 128 MiB
    * Improved server listing speeds
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Halo Trial">
    **Status:** ✅ Supported

    ### Trial-Specific Fixes

    * **NVIDIA camo fix:** Fixes alpha-blended camo on NVIDIA graphics cards (uses proper liquid camo shader)

    <Note>
      No need to update to 1.10 if using trial version.
    </Note>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Mod Compatibility

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="❌ HAC2 (Not Compatible)">
    **Status:** ❌ Not Compatible

    ### Why HAC2 Doesn't Work with Chimera

    Chimera does **not** support HAC2 because:

    * Both modify the game in similar ways
    * They conflict with one another
    * Supporting HAC2 would require significant extra development time

    <Warning>
      Do not attempt to use HAC2 and Chimera together. They will conflict and cause crashes.
    </Warning>

    ### Additional HAC2 Issues

    While not related to Chimera compatibility, be aware:

    * HAC2's auto-updater has historically prevented users from playing when servers go down
    * The public [HAC2 repository](https://github.com/Chaosvex/HAC2) is not maintained and years out of date
    * Recent HAC2 builds are closed source
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="❌ Open Sauce (Not Compatible)">
    **Status:** ❌ Not Compatible

    ### Why Open Sauce Doesn't Work with Chimera

    Similar to HAC2:

    * Modifies the game in ways that conflict with Chimera
    * Both mods cannot coexist
    * No plans to add compatibility

    <Warning>
      Choose either Chimera or Open Sauce, not both.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="✅ Binary DLL Mods (Compatible)">
    **Status:** ✅ Compatible (with exceptions)

    ### How to Install DLL Mods

    1. Create a folder called `mods` in your Halo directory
    2. Copy DLL files into the mods folder
    3. Chimera will automatically load them

    ### Exceptions

    The following mods are **not** compatible:

    * HAC2 (conflicts with Chimera)
    * Open Sauce (conflicts with Chimera)
    * Any mod that hooks similar functions to Chimera

    <Info>
      Most simple DLL mods that add features without modifying core game behavior should work fine.
    </Info>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="✅ Lua Scripts (Compatible)">
    **Status:** ✅ Fully Supported

    ### Lua Scripting in Chimera

    Chimera includes Lua scripting support ported from Chimera -572.

    **Script Locations:**

    * **Global folder:** Scripts loaded on startup, remain permanently loaded unless reloaded
    * **Map folder:** Scripts loaded when a map loads, unloaded when map unloads
    * **Embedded in maps:** Scripts can be contained inside map files (requires `load_embedded_lua` setting)

    **Configuration:**

    ```ini theme={null}
    [memory]
    load_embedded_lua=1  ; Enable loading Lua from map files
    ```

    **Commands:**

    * Reload scripts with the `scripts reload` command
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="✅ dgVoodoo2 (Compatible)">
    **Status:** ✅ Recommended

    ### Using dgVoodoo2 with Chimera

    [dgVoodoo2](http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/) is a graphics wrapper that provides:

    * Proper gamma/brightness control (recommended replacement for Halo's disabled gamma setting)
    * Enhanced graphics options
    * Better compatibility with modern systems

    **Why Use dgVoodoo2:**

    * Chimera disables Halo's built-in gamma setting for safety reasons
    * dgVoodoo2 provides a safer alternative that doesn't modify your registry
    * Additional graphics enhancements available
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="✅ DSOAL (Compatible)">
    **Status:** ✅ Compatible

    ### Using DSOAL with Chimera

    [DSOAL](https://github.com/kcat/dsoal) enables hardware-accelerated audio and EAX on modern systems.

    **Benefits:**

    * Hardware acceleration for audio
    * Environmental audio (EAX) support
    * Better sound quality on modern systems

    **Chimera's Default Settings Include:**

    * Hardware Acceleration: YES (requires DSOAL)
    * Environmental Audio: EAX (requires DSOAL)

    <Info>
      Chimera sets these as defaults for modern PCs, but you'll need DSOAL installed for them to work.
    </Info>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Map Compatibility

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Standard Maps">
    **Status:** ✅ Fully Compatible

    All standard Halo PC and Halo Custom Edition maps work with Chimera:

    * Campaign maps
    * Multiplayer maps
    * Custom Edition maps (on retail with proper setup)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Large Maps (>128 MiB)">
    **Status:** ✅ Fixed by Chimera

    ### The Problem

    Vanilla Halo has a bug where maps exceeding 128 MiB:

    * Are opened multiple times
    * Only closed once
    * Cause memory leaks
    * Eventually run out of file descriptors

    ### Chimera's Fix

    Chimera removes the file size check, properly handling large maps:

    * No memory leaks
    * No file descriptor issues
    * Safe to use maps of any size

    <Info>
      You can safely use large maps with Chimera without any special configuration.
    </Info>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Compressed Maps">
    **Status:** ✅ Fully Supported

    ### Chimera Compression

    Chimera supports maps compressed with the chimera-compress tool:

    * Uses blazingly fast zstd compression algorithm
    * Drastically reduces map file sizes
    * Transparent to the user

    **Decompression:**

    * If [maps in RAM](#memory-settings) is enabled: Decompressed directly into RAM
    * Otherwise: Temp files used (placed in Chimera's folder)

    <Note>
      Compressed maps provide the best experience when combined with the memory settings feature.
    </Note>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Modified Maps">
    **Status:** ⚠️ Requires CRC32 Forging

    ### CRC32 Checking

    When joining Custom Edition servers, Chimera performs CRC32 checks:

    * Ensures map matches server's version
    * Prevents crashes from incompatible maps
    * \~99.999999976% certainty of match

    ### Using Modified Maps

    If you want to use a modified map on a Custom Edition server:

    1. **Recommended:** Get the original, unmodified map
    2. **Advanced:** Forge the CRC32 to match the server's map

    <Warning>
      Using modified maps with forged CRC32s can cause crashes if the modifications aren't compatible. This check exists for your protection.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Controller Compatibility

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Supported Controllers">
    **Status:** ✅ Configurable

    ### Controller Support

    Chimera includes controller configuration support with [premade configs](https://github.com/SnowyMouse/chimera/tree/master/controller_config) for:

    **Windows:**

    * Xbox One
    * Xbox 360
    * Switch Pro
    * DualShock 4
    * DualShock 4 (DS4Windows)

    **Linux:**

    * Xbox One
    * Xbox 360
    * Xbox Original

    ### Configuration

    See `chimera.ini` for controller settings including:

    * Deadzone settings (`chimera_deadzones`)
    * Diagonal movement (`chimera_diagonals`)
    * Aim assist (fixed for analog sticks)

    <Info>
      Chimera fixes Halo's broken aim assist, but it only works for analog sticks, not mouse.
    </Info>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Need More Info?

* [FAQ](/faq) - Frequently asked questions
* [Troubleshooting](/troubleshooting) - Common issues and solutions
* [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/SnowyMouse/chimera) - Source code and issue tracker