Aether

Aether is an AQW-focused desktop client derived from Ruffle. This repository contains the clean source tree for the current Windows testing build.

Normal use

Launch aether.exe directly or use either shortcut created by the installer. No command-line arguments are required.

In its normal no-argument AQW mode, Aether:

• opens the live AQW loader;
• targets 60 FPS natively;
• enables the AQW timeline-child compatibility repair;
• enables the premature movement-stop guard;
• coalesces continuous mouse motion at 60 Hz;
• enables the verified bitmap-cache, avatar-cache, AVM2 broadcast, and bounded texture-pool optimizations;
• preserves high vector quality and uses the high-power graphics preference.

Explicit command-line options remain available for diagnostics and compatibility testing. Passing --generic or an explicit SWF path/URL keeps Aether in generic Ruffle behavior instead of applying the AQW preset.

Preview status

This is a testing build. AQW content changes continuously, and some recently released content may still need compatibility work. Report the map, visible player count, equipped/shown items, and reproduction steps with any visual or gameplay issue.

Building from source

Install a current Rust toolchain, then run:

.\scripts\check-aether.ps1
.\scripts\build-aether-windows.ps1

The optimized executable is written to target\dist\aether.exe.

To build the installer:

.\scripts\build-aether-installer.ps1

The installer build script installs WiX as a repository-local .NET tool on first use. It does not require a global WiX installation.

Licensing

See LICENSE.md. Aether retains the licensing and attribution obligations of its Ruffle base and its included dependencies.