---
id: open-questions
title: "Open Questions — deferred systems, unknowns, get-from-Nick"
status: living
source_sections: "CLAUDE.md §9; docs/HARD_PROBLEMS.md; per-subsystem deferral notes"
related_topics: [source-completeness, subsystems, multiplayer, combat-damage, locomotion]
---

# Open Questions

Known unknowns + deliberately-deferred systems. For each: what's known, what's missing, what
would resolve it, status. Deferred ≠ broken — most are marked-and-guarded stand-ins with the
authentic path scoped.

## From Nick (external — gating for some paths)
- **[GATING] The BT game SOURCE CODE** — the missing implementation `.cpp` (mech, subsystems,
  mapper, HUD, app; see [[source-completeness]]). Without it, Route A (recompile original) is
  impossible; we reconstruct from the binary instead. Likely on a backup/dev drive. Status: OPEN.
- Confirmation the PodPC image is the complete content master. (Low priority — the runtime
  `BTL4.RES` already has 8 maps + the full mech anim set.) Status: OPEN.
- Pod specifics for Phase 8: the 7-monitor driver setup, the RIO cockpit I/O protocol, current
  Win10+wrapper pod config. Status: OPEN.

## BINARY-COVERAGE AUDIT discoveries (2026-07-13, 6-agent decomp census) [T1 verified-uncited]
New unaccounted functionality no prior list knew (addresses verified absent from game/+context/+docs):
- **✅ `BTL4VideoRenderer::StartEntityEffectImplementation` @004d097c — DONE (2026-07-13) [T2].**
  The per-zone EFFECT DISPATCHER (+helpers @4d0c14 StopAll / @4d0c5c) is reconstructed
  (btl4vid.cpp:889) + WIRED: `MechDamageZone` change → `BTStartZoneEffect` →
  RendererManager::StartEntityEffect → this virtual → the band effect ATTACHED to the struck
  zone's segment (smoke/fire follows the mech); the Destroyed descriptor fires on kill
  (mechdmg.cpp:1120). Band smoke/fire (psfx ≥1000) render through the live PFX layer
  (BTStartPfxAttached); the 3-15 specialfx band + scaling booms/flames render through the
  reconstructed L4VIDEO specialfx engine + `ScalingExplosionRenderable` (see next bullet).
  **LIVENESS-VERIFIED (2026-07-14):** `BT_CRIT_PROBE=8` on solo DEV.EGG (hammers a local zone) drove
  the full chain — `[zonefx] entity 1:321 seg 12 psfx 12/13 at(527,5.8,-669)`: TakeDamage → the
  mechdmg damage-effect loop → BTStartZoneEffect → StartEntityEffectImplementation resolves the
  struck segment's world pos → BTStartPfxAttached. (The 2-node harness `scratchpad/fx_liveness.sh`
  did NOT engage — nodes spawned but never targeted/drove into combat, `mechPicks=0`; an MP-harness
  spawn/connect issue, orthogonal to FX. `BT_CRIT_PROBE` is the reliable solo FX-liveness path.)
- **✅ The impact/destruction FX visual chain — RECONSTRUCTED (Fire VISUALS wave 48c9c84 +
  Impact-FX FORENSICS wave 065c114, 2026-07-12/13) [T2].** The i860-firmware-decoded specialfx
  engine (L4VIDEO.cpp: `specialfxN` descriptor pages, per-round detonations, authored firesmoke
  sheet, vertex-alpha effect cards), the case-4 wreck dressing, and `ScalingExplosionRenderable`
  (L4VIDRND.cpp:3413 — real ctor/Execute, the scaling-boom motion) are all live. The audit's six
  renderable-body addresses (@4540ac/45447c/455eb8/456cf0/4589e0/458e5c) map to this reconstructed
  set; a byte-level coverage cross-check of each vs the raw bodies is a minor open audit, NOT a
  dead chain. (NOTE: the `//STUBBED: DPL RB 1/14/07` markers scattered in L4VIDRND are benign 2007
  empty ctor/dtor notes on UNRELATED renderables — InnerProjectile/DPLObjectWrapper/ChildLight —
  not the explosion FX; do not mistake them for a gap.)
- **FUN_00472480** (273 ln) — unnamed analog→discrete stepper Execute in the gauge band
  (hysteresis + key-repeat), no caller found; the one hole in "gauge system complete".
  Settle via vtable lookup (plausibly a config/roster scroller).
- **FUN_00454a70** (193 ln) — the PNAME1-8/PLACE1-8.bgf MP name-billboard loader (the known
  "MP target identification" gap's exact function).
- ✅ **Explosion::SplashDamage @0042fad0 — RECONSTRUCTED (task #62, 2026-07-13) [T1/T2].** ONE call
  site, **Missile::Perform (FUN_004bef78, part_013.c:10097)**, in the collision branch (fires on ANY
  missile impact — mover OR world), gated on `missile+0x360`, radius = `missile+0x364`. **Radius source
  corrected:** it is the ROUND's OWN GameModel (type-0xf) `+0x50`, seeded from the launcher's linked
  **AmmoBin `ammoModelFile @0x1e8`** (part_013.c:8778 → missile ctor SearchList @10184) — NOT the
  launcher's `ExplosionModelFile`. The MissileThruster parser `FUN_004bf8ec` writes `"SplashRadius"` to
  +0x50 (size-0x54 record). Burst falloff `baseBurst / dist^exp` floored at 1 (arcade 1.25 / WinTesla
  `EXPLODE.cpp:209` 1.2f). Only missiles splash (AC tracer is not a Missile). The engine `EXPLODE.cpp`
  diff is DONE — the T0 source confirmed the model; the only 1995-vs-WinTesla drift is the exponent.
  Port: `BTResolveSplashRadius`/`BTApplySplashDamage` (mech4.cpp), see [[combat-damage]]. **Remaining
  T3:** the per-player enable sub-gate `missile+0x360 = BTPlayer+0x264` (its writers read as a per-frame
  toggle, not a config flag; the `showDamageInflicted@0x264` label is a guess) — port treats authored
  `SplashRadius>0` as the enable. The mech's `DeathSplashDamage`/`DeathSplashRadius` (mech+0x520/0x524)
  stay **VESTIGIAL** (written, never read; no mech-death splash mechanic — death is visual only).
- **The binary's own VelociRender BGF/BMF/BSL/VTX loader (~4,550 ln, dead code)** — a free
  ground-truth cross-check for [[bgf-format]]/[[asset-formats]] claims.
Full ranked audit: the workflow output (2026-07-13); top-10 ranking cross-checked against this
register.  ⚠ The audit also flags the damage-economy item as SELF-CONTRADICTORY in the KB
(task #8 "landed" vs the kShotDamage=12 bring-up residue) — audit before reworking.

## Deferred subsystems / feeds (authentic path scoped, marked in code)
- **Searchlight-driven fog swap — DEFERRED, and it is an ORIGINAL 1995 LATENT BUG (task #63,
  2026-07-13) [T1 decomp].** The arcade swaps fog between `fog=` (lights on) and `nosearchlightfog=`
  (off) via `PullFogRenderable` watching the Searchlight's `lightState`. It never fires — in the PORT
  because `PullFogRenderable` is never constructed, AND in the BINARY ITSELF because the Searchlight
  never lights: `ToggleLamp` (@004b860c) toggles `commandedOn` @0x1DC but `SearchlightSimulation`
  (@004b841c) reads `requestedOn` @0x1E0, which is zeroed by the ctor and never written — no
  0x1DC→0x1E0 bridge exists (self-consistent sibling ThermalSight reads the field it toggles, 0x1DC).
  So `lightState` is perpetually 0. The port reproduces this faithfully (searchlight.cpp:189).
  **DECISION: left as-is + documented (faithful to the buggy original); port keeps the static
  lights-ON `fog=`.** A working swap is a DESIGNER-INTENT deviation, fully scoped if ever wanted:
  (1) sim reads `commandedOn` (mirror ThermalSight); (2) construct `PullFogRenderable` at
  btl4vid.cpp `MakeMechRenderables` reticle-build/inside pass (== arcade part_014.c:5173, Dynamic,
  bound per Searchlight `lightState` via a new `LightStatePtr()` accessor); (3) a toggle input (the
  authentic cockpit button-5→`ToggleLamp` dispatch is a controls-family reconstruction; a dev key
  stands in). Also flags a deferred **`Mech::ControlsAllowLights()`** (searchlight.hpp:158 stub).
  See [[rendering]] fog section. Verified inert live: BT_FOG_LOG shows zero `SetFogStyle(2/3)`.
- **Factory capability-roster loops 2-4 are STILL DEAD (task #57 discovery).** mech.cpp's
  post-roster loops add to `heatableSubsystems`(0x51155c)/`weaponRoster`(0x511830)/
  `damageableSubsystems`(0x50e4fc) through the local `SubProxy` stub whose `IsDerivedFrom`
  RETURNS 0 — so those three mech-level rosters stay EMPTY (whatever consumes them sees
  nothing; weapons demonstrably work through other paths, so audit consumers before assuming
  impact). Loop 1 (the watcher CONNECT, 0x50e604) was reconstructed for real in task #57 —
  use the same bridge pattern (family-side derivation test + typed body) for the other three. [T2]
- **Initial-snapshot torso record carries no twist extras**: the replicant's blind +0x10 read
  can latch 0xCDCDCDCD ONCE at spawn until the first real twist record; clamps contain it
  (invisible on fixed-torso mechs). Binary-authentic blind read — fix only if a visibly wrong
  spawn pose ever surfaces. See [[multiplayer]]. [T2]
- **✅ 0xBD3 SubsystemMessageManager — UNTANGLED + LIVE (task #7, 2026-07-11) [T1/T2].**
  Both halves landed: (1) the factory case builds the REAL messmgr (ctor @0049bca4, 0x130,
  static reconstruction messmgr.cpp) cached at `mech+0x434` — the binary-wide census found
  exactly ONE reader (@0x4b984b in `MechWeapon::SendDamageMessage` @004b9728, which was ALSO
  mislabeled, as "DrawWeaponPip"); every mapper consumer re-pointed to roster slot 0
  (`MappingMapper()`; `SetMappingSubsystem` @0049fe40 touches only slot 0); non-viewpoint mechs
  carry a slot-0 demand LATCH ([T3] accommodation for the port's wider drive/gait reachability).
  (2) The authentic CONSOLIDATED damage delivery is live: the beam path submits TakeDamage into
  `AddDamageMessage` → per-frame `ConsolidateAndSendDamage` (@0049b784) builds ONE
  `Entity::TakeDamageStreamMessage` (id 0x13, wire-verified 0x34+4+N×12) dispatched at the
  victim, whose T0 handler (ENTITY.cpp:817) re-splits it; replicant victims reroute cross-pod.
  Explosion bundling (weapon+0x3E4 per record, unique-queued, Explosion::Make at the impact)
  implemented; TWO latent chain-purge bugs fixed (records re-applied every tick).  RESIDUE
  ([T3], next task): the weapon-side submission with per-weapon `damageData` +
  `inflictingSubsystemID` awaits the DAMAGE-ECONOMY reconciliation (authored 0.25-scale
  amounts vs the bring-up kShotDamage=12); the 0.1s explosion stagger + the terrain-hit
  derivation check are noted in messmgr.cpp.
  ⚠ The earlier "0xBD3 gates the valve/Myomers" claim remains WRONG (those read the owning
  BTPlayer at mech+0x190 — see the next entry); the old wiring notes are superseded by this
  landing.
- **✅ `mech+0x190` IDENTIFIED (2026-07): it is the owning `BTPlayer`** (`Mech::GetPlayerLink()`,
  `MECH_OWNING_PLAYER`; ENTITY.h:430). Set by `FUN_0049f624` (the mech↔player bind: `mech+0x190 = player`
  AND `player->playerVehicle(+0x1fc) = mech`), which resolves the player from the mission player registry
  (`app+0x2c+0x54`, `FUN_0041fd18`) by the pilot key. The valve/Myomers "gates" read the owning player's
  fields at `player+0x260` and `player+0x274` (the reconstruction maps this block as `showDamageReceived@0x25c
  / showKills@0x260 / showDamageInflicted@0x264 / roleClassIndex@0x274` in btplayer.hpp — from the SCORING
  work, so the names may NOT match the gate semantics; the true meaning + the WRITER of `player+0x260/0x274`
  are not yet pinned — part_013.c:4553-4660 is the TorsoSimulation, a different object, not the setter). So
  there is NO new subsystem to build. **The wiring (small):** point `MechSubsystem::IsDamaged()` (`FUN_004ac9c8`, valve
  guard) at `GetPlayerLink()->`(0x274) and `Myomers::OwnerAdvancedDamage()` (`FUN_004ad7d4`) at
  `GetPlayerLink()->`(0x260) — via NAMED members (databinding trap: our BTPlayer layout ≠ binary; do NOT
  raw-read `player+0x260`). ⚠ Resolve first: (a) a naming conflict — `FUN_004ad7d4` is labeled BOTH
  `HeatModelActive` (heat.hpp) AND `OwnerAdvancedDamage` (myomers.cpp); re-verify which body is which; (b)
  the true semantic of `player+0x260/0x274` vs the scoring-derived `showKills`/`roleClassIndex` names. NOTE:
  these are MODE flags — in the basic test mission the inert Myomers / dormant valve is likely AUTHENTIC
  (advanced damage off); wiring makes them RESPOND when a mission enables the mode, not necessarily change
  the basic-mission behavior. The MessageBoard feed is separate (StatusMessagePool, below).
- **✅ Authentic target acquisition RECONSTRUCTED (tasks #36/#39, 2026-07-08)** — the `Reticle`
  pick-ray chain is LIVE (see [[combat-damage]] Targeting for the full port map): the crosshair =
  **torso boresight** (NO free-aim mouse — the pod stick twisted the torso; you steer to aim) →
  pick ray → per-frame lock (boresight ON the mech = locked; off = none) → aimed zone damage +
  designator hotbox; `BT_FIRE_ARC` is opt-in-only now. Firing needs a target but NOT a manual
  lock/pinpoint — the target is AUTO-acquired (task #40, binary-verified: FireWeapon doubly-gated
  on mech+0x388, but 0x388 has 11 reads / 0 direct stores across CODE → set indirectly). Residue:
  (a) the binary's own per-frame reticle→mech copy + the AUTO-TARGET SELECTOR are still in an
  un-exported gap (a message/selector; our port auto-targets the single living enemy — for MP,
  reconstruct the real multi-target selection: nearest/most-aligned/cycle); (b) the eyepoint now
  rides the parent DCS (task #55 authentic eye), so torso pose reaches the view; on a
  TWIST-CAPABLE mech (selectable via `BT_FORCE_MODEL`) the crosshair should deflect with the
  torso twist (`BTTwistToReticleX` is wired for it) AND the torso should visibly lead the legs —
  verify the reticle deflection on a twist mech (the BLH is fixed-torso, boresight always
  centred); (c) pre-burial, the pick still
  tests the sinking wreck's collision box at its parked position (pre-existing wreck-targeting
  behavior).
- **✅ WORLD STRUCTURES (garages/walls) now targetable (task #50, 2026-07-15)** — the world-pick's
  non-mech tier previously only sampled the visual heightfield (`BTGroundRayHit`), which on arena1
  is a single flat `'sky'` ground mesh → shots passed THROUGH the garages and only mechs moved the
  range axis (user-reported regression). Resolved by ray-testing the **zone's static collision
  solid tree** (the geometry that already blocks the walk) via the authentic engine query
  `Mover::FindBoxedSolidHitBy`'s static-world tail — factored into `Mover::FindStaticSolidHitBy` +
  `Mech::WorldStructurePick`. See [[combat-damage]] "WORLD STRUCTURES ARE TARGETABLE". This also
  closes the old "0x388 writer is un-exported / unknown world-pick mechanism" residue: the
  authentic non-mech world pick is the static-solid-tree ray query (`BoxedSolidTree::FindBoundingBoxHitBy`),
  the same one `FindBoxedSolidHitBy` uses for mover-vs-world collision. Interactive aim is
  user-verified (headless has no `BTGetAimRay`); the `BT_WSWEEP` ray-fan is the headless proof.
- **Cockpit HUD leftovers (tasks #35-#38 residue, 2026-07-08)** — the reticle + 7 weapon pips +
  ALL the instrument dynamics are LIVE (the Execute @004cdcf0 gap was RECOVERED via capstone
  disasm, task #37; the authentic Lock producer + the simple-X mode landed in #38 — see
  [[gauges-hud]] for the full instrument map). Remaining: (a) the **`*_cop` canopy shell** —
  SOLVED for all 8 (task #55): authentic eye + the PUNCH stencil-cut kit + double-sided cop
  geometry + unlit constant frame colour (`BT_COP_FRAME`) — see [[cockpit-view]] Rendering/FINAL;
  shows by DEFAULT now (`BT_HIDE_COCKPIT=1` hides). NOTE the old claim here ("canopy windows are
  punch texels") was WRONG — the shell has no texture; the openings are geometry. ✅ RESOLVED
  (2026-07-11): PUNCH = a 3-chunk STENCIL-CUT kit (mask/hull/twin, i860-firmware-decoded)
  executed as a D24S8 stencil cut; visible canopy = hull-minus-apertures ([[cockpit-view]]
  §FINAL). All 8 mechs render connected dark frames with clear viewports (the intermediate
  "frameless bhk1/loki/vulture/avatar" reading was wrong); thor matches the pod footage exactly.
  Eye placement verified exact per-mech incl. Thor's +1.13 offset cockpit ([[cockpit-view]]). (b) the **3D marker
  chain** ([0x31c]/[0x320] dpl objects + the PNAME1-8.bgf player-name meshes over the locked
  target — matters for MP). (c) the compass rotation SIGN is derived-not-verified [T3] (turn
  left → the stem should swing right; flip the sin sign in Draw if footage disagrees).
- **✅ StatusMessagePool / MessageBoard — LIVE (2026-07-12) [T1/T2].** Decoded: FUN_0042e580 =
  the engine `Player::AddStatusMessage` (chain add at +0x1e4); FUN_0042e5a0 = `StatusMessageUpdate`
  (+0x1dc = the displayed message; +0x14 displayTime countdown, expiry-deleted) — ALL already in
  the engine [T0 PLAYER.cpp]. The ONE binary producer = BTPlayer::ScoreMessageHandler's KILL
  branch (@004c02e4 type-2): pool-alloc @00512f6c + ctor(victim's player, strip 0, 6.0s) +
  AddStatusMessage. Port: engine `new Player__StatusMessage` + Register_Object (the engine
  reclaims with delete — the binary pool is an allocation detail); consumer =
  BTResolveMessageBoard reads the mission player's statusMessagePointer + resolves the name via
  Mission::GetSmallNameBitmap; the board's SetSource binder (no recovered caller) is replaced by
  a lazy viewpoint-entity bind in Execute. Ticker pops on BOTH nodes (each node's death
  transition posts its local KillScore).
- **Gyroscope (0xBC4) — RE-ENABLED LIVE (task #56, 2026-07-10).** The NaN revert's root causes
  are fixed byte-exact (ctor field map @004b3778 — springConstant@0x1E8/dampingConstant@0x1F4
  were mislabelled, the 0x254-0x2B3 block was missing, clamps/accumulators uninitialised; the
  integrators' state-minus-target/componentwise-damping-overwrite/X-Z-crossing semantics; the
  writers' one-node-two-channels form; dispatch from the MECH performance tail, not the gyro
  Performance). Layout locked (sizeof==0x3D0); runtime clean (joints type 5, finite state, no
  NaN). Empirical: spring targets are SYMMETRIC → eye equilibrium (0,0,0) → the gyro is a
  ±0.1-0.15u BOUNCE mechanism, NOT a steady offset (the earlier hypothesis is disproven).
  **FAN-OUT LANDED (2026-07-11):** FUN_004b2980 re-disassembled from raw bytes and reconstructed
  (`Gyroscope::ApplyDamageResponse`) + wired at the take-damage hub, the crushable crunch and the
  firing recoil — the hit-BOUNCE is live and verified (damped eye oscillation, no NaN).
  REMAINING (task #56 tail): (a) the alternate-gait engage jolt + engaged-gait rumble
  (@4aa158-4aa365 — [T3] gate naming, mutates the #49/#50-stabilized gait machine; byte recipe in
  the wf_6880e605 synthesis); (b) the mech+0x3F0 overspeed sway model (swayBias fed 0); (c) the
  per-frame `EyepointRotation.pitch = torso pitch` writer (FUN_004b66b4) + mapper glance-look
  states (FUN_004afd10 — yaw/pitch from mech+0x564..0x570); (d) senders filling
  `Damage::damageForce` for directional bounce (random-fallback is binary-legal meanwhile).
  Also: `deathAnimationLatched`/`legResetLatch` were never ctor-initialised (0xCDCDCDCD gate bug,
  fixed in mech.cpp ctor). See [[cockpit-view]].
- **MechControlsMapper look/eyepoint commit** — reconstructed but its offsets collide with declared
  members; arbitrate before enabling (no port consumer yet). (The fire-trigger-through-mapper is NO
  LONGER the bring-up: the `gBT*Trigger` globals are retired / never-read — the authentic LBE4
  buttonGroup path replaced them, task #5 `8ed6184`.)
- **✅ Weapon groups — the AUTHENTIC defaults + fire path LIVE (task #5, 2026-07-11) [T1/T2].**
  The system decoded end-to-end: a fire "channel" = a physical `buttonGroup` slot in the global
  `LBE4ControlsManager` (fire buttons 0x40 Trigger / 0x45 Pinky / 0x46 ThumbLow / 0x47 ThumbHigh);
  binding = a permanent mode-0x10000 DIRECT mapping button → the weapon's **TriggerState** attr
  (id **0x13**, = `fireImpulse@0x31C`; the binary MechWeapon table's ONLY attribute @0x511890);
  the weapon self-edge-detects (CheckFireEdge @4b9608).  **The default grouping is NOT messages —
  it is the per-mech type-6 controls-map resource in BTL4.RES** ("Thrustmaster"/"L4" variants;
  e.g. madcat: Trigger={4 weapons}, ThumbHigh={2}), installed at `MakeViewpointEntity` by the
  ENGINE's `CreateStreamedMappings` (T0, L4CTRL.cpp) — which the port already called; it needed
  only the TriggerState attribute published (id PINNED to 0x13 — our attr-id chain is 6 short of
  the binary's; full binary attr-table dump in the task #5 scan) + an input feed.  Keyboard now
  pushes press/release edges into the buttonGroups (SPACE→Trigger, '2'→ThumbLow, '3'/CTRL→
  ThumbHigh; BT_AUTOFIRE pulses the Trigger); the gBT*Trigger bypasses + pulse hack are retired.
  VERIFIED 2-node at the BINDING level (⚠ honest correction, task #8: those kills still flowed
  through the retired mech4 bring-up block -- the emitter DISCHARGE chain was latched shut by
  the NaN edge bug below until 2026-07-11; the full weapon-fire chain is now verified solo).
- **✅ THE CONFIG-MODE SESSION — RECONSTRUCTED (task #6, 2026-07-11) [T1 anchors].**  The
  pod's in-cockpit weapon-REGROUPING UI, fully decoded from the binary + T0 engine:
  * **The flow**: the pilot HOLDS a weapon's configure button (a per-weapon type-6
    EventMapping, id 9, on the MFD-quadrant aux panels; e.g. BTL4.RES @0xAA3DC) →
    MechWeapon handler id 9 "ConfigureMappables" @004b9550 (table @0x511860; the old
    "Myomers fns" label swept) → mapper(slot 0)->EnterConfiguration @004d1840 (vtbl+0x38):
    StartMappableButtonsConfigure (T0 CONTROLS.cpp:291 -- latches the active weapon for the
    gauge, flips the GLOBAL mode NonMapping 0x10000 → Mapping 0x8000, so every normal fire
    mapping goes dormant), re-arms the held button (+0x8000, id 9), temp-maps the four fire
    buttons 0x40/0x45/0x46/0x47 → id 10.  Tapping a fire button → handler id 10
    "ChooseButton" @004b95b8 → RIO AddOrErase(direct) @004d262c: buttonGroup[v-1].AddOrErase
    (0x10000, &fireImpulse) — a TOGGLE; the permanent 0x10000 instances ARE the commit.
    Release → ExitConfiguration @004d18dc: StopMappableButtonsConfigure + strip the 0x8000
    layer.  Only the RIO (pod) mapper implements AddOrErase; L4/Thrustmaster carry RET
    no-ops @004d195c/@004d1964 (a joystick cockpit cannot regroup).
  * **Vtable truth (swept)**: base @0050F45C +0x38 Enter(Fail @004b0280) / +0x3C Exit(Fail
    @004b029c) / +0x40 AddOrErase-event(Fail @004b02b8) / +0x44 AddOrErase-direct(Fail
    @004b02d4) / +0x48,+0x4C Notify pair.  There is NO "secondary vtable @0050f498" and NO
    "CreateTemporaryEventMappings" virtual (RP-name drift).  @004afbc4 (the mapper's shared
    aux/zoom handler) is a pure Fail thunk ("Unhandled button mapping!", line 0x7a), not an
    AddOrErase router.
  * **Port landed**: MechWeapon handlers 9/10 + the GetMessageHandlers() accessor chain
    (MechWeapon → Emitter/ProjectileWeapon → MissileLauncher, + GAUSS/PPC.CPP; dispatch
    resolves through the CONCRETE class's SharedData — the empty per-class sets silently
    swallowed the messages); the 6-arg Enter/1-arg Exit reshape; the L4 Enter/Exit full
    bodies; MechSubsystem +0xE8/+0xEC corrected to controlDestination/controlMessageID (the
    old hostEntity/subsystemId2 labels were wrong; MechWeapon ctor defaults the destination
    to &fireImpulse per @004b99a8); dev harness = HOLD 'G' (BT_CONFIG_SLOT selects the
    weapon; BT_CONFIG_TEST scripts a headless session).
  * **ConfigMapGauge finding [T1]**: the shipped binary NEVER enables it — no caller of
    SetColor @004c6ee0 exists (the only child accesses are BecameActive/SetEnable forwards),
    so color stays 0 and Execute early-outs: the gauge is authentically DORMANT in BTL4OPT.
    The state loop is now reconstructed anyway (@004c6f1c: 4 {y,button} pairs from
    DAT_00518eb4 = {13,Pinky}{37,ThumbLow}{61,Trigger}{85,ThumbHigh}, x=0xc;
    buttonGroup[btn].GetMapState(controlDestination, subsys, controlMessageID, 0x10000) →
    cm_off/cm_other/cm_only/cm_both), behind the PORT dev enable BT_CONFIGMAP=1.
  * **Bonus [T1]**: the binary MechWeapon ATTRIBUTE table @0x511890 has ELEVEN entries
    (0x12 PercentDone .. 0x1C WeaponState) — future gauge-wave feeds; the "TriggerState is
    the only MechWeapon attribute" claim was wrong (fixed in mechweap.hpp).
  * Tails: weapon+0x110 (write 0/-1 on session open/close; port name vitalSubsystemIndex)
    has NO confirmed reader yet; @004d1acc (+0x48 L4 Notify override) is unexported —
    re-export from Ghidra.
  * **Task #12 (2026-07-11) [T2]: the PoweredSubsystem POWER-ROUTING handlers landed** --
    ids 4-8 registered (table @0x50F4EC): SelectGeneratorA-D = FindGeneratorByNumber
    (@004b0b18 ROSTER walk matching generatorNumber@0x1E0) -> AttachToVoltageSource ->
    modeAlarm=Connected; ToggleGeneratorMode (@004b0abc) = <2 -> AutoConnect, ==2 ->
    Detach + ManualConnect.  Weapons inherit via the MechWeapon handler chain (the old
    qualified GetMessageHandlers() calls silently resolved to the engine Receiver ROOT
    set -- same trap as the task #6 weapon handlers).  The AutoConnect hunt's
    GetSegment() scan corrected to the subsystem ROSTER (the +0x128 gotcha).  Desktop:
    F5-F8 assign the selected weapon (BT_CONFIG_SLOT) to Generator A-D, F9 toggles
    Manual/Auto; BT_GENSEL_TEST scripts a headless re-tap.  Note: Myomers/Sensor still
    chain the root set (their binary tables unverified) -- extend if aux maps prove
    they receive these ids.  TWO MORE TRAPS found landing this: (a) MESSAGE_ENTRY
    tables must be function-local statics INSIDE the accessor (cross-TU static-init
    order emptied the table -- see [[reconstruction-gotchas]] #9 last bullet); (b)
    **FUN_004ac9c8 is NOT IsDamaged** -- raw body: `owner(+0xD0) -> mech+0x190 player
    -> roleClassIndex(+0x274) == 0` = the ROOKIE-role lockout for advanced cockpit
    systems (port bridge BTPlayerRoleLocksAdvanced, btplayer.cpp; NULL player =
    unlocked [T3]; bring-up role defaults to 2 = unlocked).  AUDIT TAIL: the other
    powersub.cpp sites annotated FUN_004ac9c8 (the coolant-draw gate ~:427,
    ForceShortRecovery ~:444, the Generator/PowerWatcher site ~:1085) still call the
    heat-family IsDamaged (simulationState != 0) stand-in -- each needs its raw fn
    re-checked and swapped to the role bridge where the binary calls 4ac9c8.
- **Myomers authentic coupling** — the structural un-stub is INERT (mover feed + heat-gen no-op).
  Real coupling needs the advanced-damage gate (`OwnerAdvancedDamage`/`FUN_004ad7d4` → the owning
  **BTPlayer** `mech+0x190`+0x260, NOT 0xBD3 — see the mech+0x190 item above) + `MoverAttach` routing
  into the LIVE JointedMover (must be reconciled with the gait cutover first).
- **SeekVoltageGraph** — 4 Seek* attrs unpublished (a cluster-child, not config-called; non-blocking).

- **✅ DAMAGE ECONOMY — AUTHENTIC (task #8, 2026-07-11) [T1/T2].**  The whole economy closes:
  `_DAT_004bafbc` is an x87 float80 = **1e-7** (the port's kDamageScale=1.0 was the mystery) --
  it cancels the ctor's ×1e7 energy bookkeeping, so **damagePortion = authored DamageAmount ×
  (charge/seekV[rec])²** (port: the closed form at fire time; the bring-up charge cycle keeps
  the degenerate EC=1 electrical model).  Authored values (BTL4.RES type-0x11, +0x19C; scanner
  scratchpad/scan_weapsub.py): madcat AC=25/LRM15 salvo=50/ERLL=6/ERSL=2; bhk1 PPC=12/SRM6=35/
  ERML=3.5.  Zone model already byte-exact (Δlevel = amount/armorPoints, legs ×0.5; armor dump
  in the task #8 synthesis) → the pod's 4-8-hit heavy-weapon pacing.  The weapon-side
  SendDamageMessage (@004b9728) is LIVE from Emitter::FireWeapon (damageData filled incl.
  **damageForce = target−muzzle → the gyro's directional hit-bounce feed**); the mech4
  bring-up damage block + flat kShotDamage are retired to diag hooks **(CORRECTED, task #60:
  `kShotDamage=12` was only HALF-retired — still LIVE at the kill-score `mech4.cpp:1551` until
  task #60 replaced it with `lastInflictingDamage`, the real killing-blow magnitude; only the
  cross-pod force hook `mech4.cpp:3255` was env-gated. See the task #60 reconciliation below).**
  **ROOT-CAUSE find: the
  CheckFireEdge NaN latch** -- TriggerState carries ControlsButton INTS (release −65 = a
  negative NaN); the binary's x87 unordered-compare treated it as "released" but an
  IEEE-correct float compare latched the detector shut after the first release (why the
  emitters never discharged in-game until now); fixed with bit-pattern sign compares
  (@004b9608).  Residues [T3]: heat stays on the bring-up scale (authentic = heatCost×1e7
  energy units, the missile path already feeds it -- the HEAT-CALIBRATION audit);
  LODReuseHysteresis corrected 0.82→0.33 (a double); the MP beam-kill live-verify awaits a
  clear-sightline spawn (mechanism identical to solo; force-dmg cross-pod cycles verified).

- **✅ DAMAGE-ECONOMY RECONCILIATION (task #60, 2026-07-13) [T1/T2].** Full 5-path audit vs the
  decomp (5-finder + adversarial-verify workflow). **Clean as-is:** energy beam (`emitter.cpp`,
  closed form byte-exact; `_DAT_004bafbc` dumped = x87 1e-7), autocannon (`projweap.cpp`, full
  authored DamageAmount from resource +0x19C; the 0.0625 at :667 is the shooter's own gyro recoil,
  not the round), zone-armor BASE model (`damageLevel += amount·damageScale[type]`, engine
  DAMAGE.cpp:379, legs ×0.5, 1.0=destroyed). **3 stand-ins FIXED:** (A) `mechdmg.cpp:451`
  `mech->stance` (phantom, perma-0 → the leg-shot-out fall/death branch was DEAD) → `MovementMode()`
  (mech+0x40, @part_012.c:6910); (B) `mechdmg.cpp:458` `IsAirborne()` (always-0 stub) → `IsDisabled()`
  (@0049fb54) — the task-#52 wreck-graphic corruption fixed AT SOURCE (was only masked by the
  IsMechDestroyed latch); (C) `mech4.cpp:1551` flat `kShotDamage=12` kill-score → `lastInflictingDamage`
  (real killing-blow, latched in TakeDamageMessageHandler; the score handler @0x4c02e4 derives the
  whole kill award from it, so a flat 12 scored every kill identically). Phantom `int stance` slot
  reused for `lastInflictingDamage`. **KB corrected:** the "damageScale[5] EVEN=1/armorPoints"
  prose is a mild inaccuracy — the array is 5 cells indexed by damageType directly
  (Collision/Ballistic/Explosive/Laser/Energy); the per-type value IS ≈1/armorPoints for the
  destructive types (net model unchanged). See [[combat-damage]].
  - **DEFERRED (task #60-D): the missile CLUSTER model.** The port fires N flying rounds each
    carrying `authored/N` damage (net salvo total = authored, so per-armor damage is correct), but
    the binary (@004bcc60) fires ONE missile whose `burstCount` is a RANDOM cluster-hit roll
    (`min(rand(0..N-1)+N/4, N)`, FUN_004bef78) applied to ONE cylinder-resolved zone. The port thus
    loses (i) cluster-hit VARIANCE (always full N) and (ii) single-zone CONCENTRATION (N rounds
    scatter across zones). Net-neutral on total armor, so LOW priority. **OPEN semantic gating the
    severity:** does `burstCount` multiply ARMOR damage or only the gyro kick? DAMAGE.h:49-54 [T0]
    says "times to apply the damage" (→ apply-count → port total authentic); settle by reading the
    consumer chain FUN_004bef78 → FUN_004be078 → EXPLODE.cpp:209-210 (does it loop burstCount over
    DamageZone::TakeDamage or apply once?). Fix only if made byte-faithful (roll clusterHits, thread
    `burst` through BTPushProjectile, one damage-bearing round + rest visual-only).
  - Also open (bring-up, not stand-ins): `scoreAward=0` (btplayer.cpp:1526 — the authentic kill
    bonus lives in the un-exported master-perf writer 0x4a9770-0x4ab188, T4); the exact authentic
    kill `damageAmount` from that same writer (msg+0x24) is unrecovered — the killing-blow magnitude
    is the faithful stand-in until it is.

- **HEAT (task #9, 2026-07-11): authentic 1e7-unit heat LIVE; conduction ROUTING defect
  remains [T2/T3].**  Landed + byte-anchored: emitters emit `heatCostToFire x 1e7 x
  (charge/seekV)^2` (closed form; PPC = 1.1e8 -> +632 K on its 174000-mass sink); the missing
  projectile/missile heat adds (raw pre-scaled resources); the bank's AMBIENT RADIATOR @4ae73c
  (the system's only heat exit: relax toward 300 K, conductance x 0.1 x HeatSinkCount
  [_DAT_004ae974 float80 = 0.1 -- the audit's "1.7375" was a misread]); the link-attach guard
  corrected (skip = the 0xBBE bank, NOT Condenser -- the inversion had closed the system);
  three coolant epsilon corrections (0.0025/0.003/1e-4 for the old single 1e-4) +
  CoolantCapacityScale = 0.05 float80 (both prior readings wrong).  Verified: heat flows,
  exits (~2/3 of a 1e10 spam run drained), weapons overheat under max-rate autofire exactly
  as the authored-constant simulation predicts (thermal spam is unsustainable BY DESIGN; the
  authentic overheat cutout is the FailureHeat CHARGE-HOLD -- `ResetFiringState` + currentLevel=0
  until it cools, @004baa88 -- NOT a range collapse. ⚠ CORRECTION (`aab7a8a`, task #50):
  effectiveRange = (1 - HOST-ZONE damage) x weaponRange reads `Subsystem::damageZone->damageLevel`
  (weapon+0xE0), NOT heatLoad; the old "heatLoad -> effectiveRange 0" mechanism here was the same
  @0xE0-DamageZone-vs-heat misattribution fixed in heat.cpp:803).
- **Task #10 -- the "scrambled routing" RESOLVED (2026-07-11) [T2].** The routing was NEVER
  scrambled: a `[heat-link]` attach log proved every subsystem links its authored sink
  exactly (bhk1: PPC_1->C4, PPC_2->C6, ERM_1/2/3->C1/C6/C4, SRM6s->C2, generators->C1/C2/C3/C5,
  condensers+reservoir->bank@slot2).  The "pools in Condenser1" observation was the
  DIAGNOSTIC-SAMPLER ALIASING trap (one shared static 1-Hz timer, pendingHeat-gated); the
  census log is now per-instance.  The REAL defect was the fire RATE: emitter.cpp's local
  `FUN_00417ab4` stub returned NULL, so although the PoweredSubsystem ctor attaches the
  authored generator to `voltageSource@0x1D0`, the Emitter TU could never see it -- the whole
  electrical model was inert and the E7 force-charge recharged every emitter in ONE frame
  (~0.3 s cycle, 1501 fires/90 s, ~1.7e9 heat/s input).  Fixed authentically [T1, disasm +
  byte-verified constants]:
  * Emitter ctor @004bb120: seekVoltage[i] = authored fraction x generator ratedVoltage
    (authored 10000); EC = energyTotal/(seekV[rec]^2 x 0.5); **voltageScale@0x310 =
    (RechargeRate / -ln(1 - 0.0001 x seekV)) / EC** -- the exponential charge reaches
    seekV[rec] in EXACTLY the authored RechargeRate on a cold generator (PPC 5 s, ERLLaser
    4 s, SRM6 3 s, ERMLaser 2 s, LRM15 6 s).  The gate reads the OWNER's simulationFlags
    (the usual ctor-gate gotcha; the old this-flags read never armed).
  * `PoweredSubsystem::ChargeTimeScale()` (@004b0d50, was a =1.0 stub): voltageScale x
    (1 + thermalResistivityCoefficient x max(0, srcT - srcT0)) -- a HOT generator charges
    slower ("voltageScale is never read back" was wrong -- this reads it every tick).
  * TrackSeekVoltage @004ba838: charging I^2R (`seekRate^2 x dtScale x dt`) lands in the
    GENERATOR's pendingHeat@0x1c8 (~3.5e8 per full PPC charge -> generators self-heat ->
    conduct to their condensers -> slow further charging).  This closes the heat/firepower
    feedback economy.
  * **FailureHeat consumers found [T1, disasm]:** `this+0x184` (the weapon's own heatAlarm
    status level) == 2 gates BOTH families -- @004baa88 (emitter: ResetFiringState +
    currentLevel=0 until it cools) and @004bbd36 (ballistic: recoil pinned to rechargeRate +
    alarm state 7).  Emitter::GetFaultState() now returns heatAlarm.GetLevel() (was a 0 stub).
  * ProjectileWeaponSimulation @004bbd04 opens with `call 0x4b0bd0` (disasm-verified) -- the
    launchers now run the powered/heat step (their task-#9 firing heat previously accumulated
    in pendingHeat forever; SRM6s now census at ~950 under sustained fire).
  Verified live (120 s max-rate autofire): PPC ~470-500 (was 55,000), bank plateaus ~600 and
  sheds, generators 1100-1400, ERMLaser self-regulates at the 2000 failure threshold
  (shutdown -> cool -> resume).  Remaining tails: the HeatWatcher/AmmoBin cook-off
  watchedLink; the mech-level heatAlarm@0x450 producer; the cockpit power-routing message
  handlers (@004b099c..@004b0abc: assign weapon to Generator 1-4 + auto/manual toggle via
  modeAlarm@0x2CC -- wired to buttons, not yet reachable).

- **Task #11 -- the live-play regressions (2026-07-11) [T2].**  User-reported after the
  electrical model landed.  THREE distinct causes, all resolved:
  (1) *Phantom fire on the enemy*: the mech4 bring-up shot block painted an explosion at the
  victim on its OWN 0.3s cadence whenever fire was held -- desynced once real recharges landed.
  RETIRED (the authentic impact visual flows from each real discharge via the messmgr's
  SubmitExplosion).  (2) *Weapons bricking one by one* ("fire ~1s then cuts out"): the
  FRAME-PACING TRAP -- see [[reconstruction-gotchas]] §12: the Loading->Loaded snap window
  (+-0.01 around seekV) assumes the pod's locked 60 fps; a dt spike jumps it, the overshoot
  clamp zeroes rechargeLevel, and the weapon sticks in Loading at level ~10000 forever.
  Fixed with pod-frame (1/60s) sub-stepping of the binary's own Loading tick (also fixes the
  I^2R integral overfeeding generator heat on big steps).  (3) *Slow kills / short fire
  windows*: AUTHENTIC -- beams last the authored DischargeTime, recharges take the authored
  2-5s stretched by hot generators (ChargeTimeScale), and max-rate autofire equilibrates
  generators in the degradation band (1100-1500 K; the FailureHeat breaker never trips in
  solo max-abuse -- duty-cycle measured).  The pilot's authentic counters are the systems
  under reconstruction: config-mode regrouping (task #6), generator reassignment (ids 4-8),
  coolant valves.

- **✅ AUTOCANNON JAM / coolant-priority — FAITHFUL + CONFIRMED against QA ground-truth, SOLVED
  purely from the decomp (2026-07-14) [T1/T2].** An original QA dev reported: "all AFCs jam on their
  3rd shot if coolant priority isn't boosted; boosted → almost never jam." VERDICT: the whole chain
  is reconstructed end-to-end, FAITHFUL, and reproduces the reported behavior — no bug, no stand-in.
  **DO NOT "fix" it by driving a weapon's `coolantFlowScale` from the valve; that field being a
  constant 1.0 for weapons is AUTHENTIC** (the ONLY writer of any HeatSink `+0x15C` from a valve value
  is `RecomputeCondenserValves`/FUN_0049f788, which iterates ONLY the condenser chain `mech+0x7cc`).
  Mechanism: a weapon dumps `heatCostToFire` (AFC100=6.5e7 raw) into its OWN linked condenser (AFC100→
  Condenser4); the condenser sheds to the shared bank at a rate scaled by its valve SHARE
  (`coolantFlowScale = valveState_i / Σ valveState`, MoveValve msg id 4, detents 1/5/50/0). The
  weapon's OWN thermal conductance (35500) caps how fast it sheds into its condenser, so coolant
  priority shifts the weapon's equilibrium only ~100 K — but that is EXACTLY enough to straddle the
  `degradationTemperature`(1000) jam line at combat fire rates. Cross `1000` → `heatAlarm`≥1 → the
  jam roll arms (`p=clamp(0.41·T/failT, 0.05, 1)`); on a hit → sticky `JammedState`(5), clears only on
  ResetToInitialState. (Distinct: `failureTemperature`(2000) → self-clearing overheat lockout,
  recoil-pinned + weaponAlarm 7.) **ALL constants VERIFIED AUTHENTIC vs the raw BTL4.RES bytes**
  (`scratchpad/afc_dump.py`): AFC100 startT=77, degradT=1000, failT=2000, thermalConductance=35500,
  thermalMass=94700, heatCostToFire(+0x1A4)=6.5e7, recharge(+0x190)=8, damage=25, minJamChance=0.05 —
  no mis-scaling. **THE ANSWER IS FIRE-RATE-DEPENDENT** (measured, BT_JAM_LOG/BT_VALVE_BOOST/BT_AF_PERIOD,
  madcat AFC100 → Condenser4): at MAX spam (8s recharge) the AFC overheats regardless (~1460 boosted
  ~1360 — both jam); at a SLOW cadence (16s) it plateaus ~770 and never jams; at the ~11s COMBAT cadence
  it is DECISIVE — **not boosted → 1058 K (jams), boosted (Condenser4 valve→50, others→1) → 953 K (never
  jams)**. So the QA is right and the reconstruction is faithful; the earlier "boost is weak" read was
  an artifact of testing at max spam (above the window). Diag probes committed: `BT_JAM_LOG`
  (projweap.cpp), `BT_VALVE`/`BT_VALVE_BOOST=<condenserNum>` (heatfamily_reslice.cpp), `BT_AF_PERIOD=<sec>`
  (mech4.cpp). See [[combat-damage]], [[subsystems]] heat.

- **Subsystem-panel online/offline gate — fields unidentified [T4] (2026-07-12).** The binary's
  SubsystemCluster draw-state reads `*(subsystem+0x40)==1` and `*(subsystem+0x278)!=4`; neither
  1995 field is identified (weapon simulationState is 0/2/3/4 -- +0x40 isn't it).  The port pins
  the panel ONLINE (GetDrawState()==1) because the old raw reads were layout NOISE that flapped
  the state and black-filled the panel over the recharge arc (the frozen-PPC-dial bug; the
  WeaponCluster repaint-heal also landed).  Identify both fields to restore the authentic
  destroyed-subsystem dark-panel look.

## Locomotion / combat polish (non-gating)
- **✅ Interior vs exterior gait CLIP SET — DONE 2026-07-13 (task #59) [T2].** The local cockpit
  mech was leaning −8° into every walk because the authentic ctor clip-set gate
  (@part_012.c:10308-10320) was a no-op (`LoadLowDetailBody`/`LoadHighDetailBody` mislabeled the
  FUN_004a80d4/86c8 clip-loader addresses) and `LoadLocomotionClipsExt` was a stub aliased to the
  exterior loader. Reconstructed the real 4-char INTERIOR (`'i'`-suffix) loader (omits `jointhip`,
  shakes `jointshakey`). Because the port never sets the replicant copy bit the ctor gate lands
  everyone on interior, so `Mech::MaintainViewClipSet()` picks the set by VIEWPOINT each frame
  (your mech → interior/level; every other mech → exterior/lean). Both verified live: cockpit
  level, peer replica leans −8/−11°. See [[locomotion]] "The walk lean IS authored".
  - FOLLOW-UP (non-blocking): if the copy bit ever gets set at construction for other reasons,
    the ctor gate already handles it and MaintainViewClipSet becomes a no-op agreement — no
    conflict, but revisit whether the per-frame maintenance is still needed.
- ✅ **Authentic per-mech TURN-RATE — DONE (task #64b, 2026-07-14) [T1/T2].** The master-perf
  disasm (0x4aa3d3-0x4aa4ff) turn-rate lerp (walkingTurnRate@0x574 → runningTurnRate@0x578 by
  ground speed, run-speed refinement) is wired into the drive, replacing the `kDriveTurnRate`
  bring-up constant; the rates (which the `Wword(0x15d/0x15e)` no-op was discarding) are real
  members now. Also the trn-in-place DISPATCHER (entry/exit) reconstructed from the same disasm,
  replacing the task-#64 `0.25×`/fast-forward stand-ins. See [[locomotion]].
- Body-callback gimp handlers (states 16-19, targets 0x70b2/0x7161 undecoded → fall back to stand);
  airborne callbacks (`FUN_004a6344`/`FUN_004a7970`).
- Wall-block-vs-climb tuning. **✅ Collision DAMAGE application — DONE 2026-07-08 [T2].** The two deferred
  dispatches in `Mech::ProcessCollision` (mech4.cpp: mech-vs-mech `:15324-15358` + icon-crunch `:15369-15401`)
  now fire: on a collision with another Mech or a CulturalIcon, an `Entity::TakeDamageMessage{zone==−1}` is
  dispatched to the victim (via `BTDispatchCollisionDamage`, the engine ctor — same as the weapon path), and
  STEP 6's cylinder table resolves the impact point → a zone on the receiver. Terrain (walls/hills) matches
  neither branch → blocks without damage (faithful). Reachability is guaranteed (`Mover::ProcessCollisionList`
  calls the **virtual** `ProcessCollision` → `Mech::ProcessCollision`); built + stable. The live dispatch
  wasn't captured headlessly (the solo auto-walker never rammed a tree/mech), but the path is proven reachable
  and composed of runtime-verified pieces. **Note:** validated STEP 6's height ref along the way —
  `collisionTemplate->maxY ≈ 7.1` (a real mech height), confirming `CylinderReferenceHeight` reads a height,
  not the heat value the `mech+0x2ec` dual-labeling (heat-gauge sink vs groundRef, mech4.cpp:2697) hinted at.
- **✅ Cylinder hit-location (STEP 6) — DONE + LIVE 2026-07-08 [T2].** Built + runtime-verified: the `dmgtable.cpp`
  classes now have real storage + a working `ResolveHit→zone`, the mech ctor loads the type-0x1d table by the
  DamageZoneStream name (`[cyl] table 'bhk1' layers=7`), and `Mech::TakeDamageMessageHandler` resolves
  unaimed (zone==−1) hits before base-routing. ⚠ The FIRST "verified" claim was PARTIAL: the table was
  cached via `Wword(0x111)` (the ABSORBER — stores nothing) so every unaimed hit silently no-op'd; fixed
  2026-07-08 by promoting the cache to the named member `Mech::damageLookupTable`
  ([[reconstruction-gotchas]] §2). Now verified end-to-end (19 zones resolving, `BT_AUTOFIRE` harness).
  Full change list in [[combat-damage]] "STEP 6 COMPLETE". Historical investigation notes retained
  below for provenance.
  **Re-investigated 2026-07 (see [[combat-damage]] for the full algorithm):** the table (height×angle
  grid, resource type 0x1d) IS built (recon `StandingAnimation` @Mech[0x111], but with an EMPTY name → 0 rows,
  because `ResourceFindByName` is a **no-op template stub**). **CORRECTION to the earlier note:** the LOOKUP is
  **exported** [T1] — `FUN_0049eb54` (table height→row) + `FUN_0049e678` (row angle→cell), NOT unexported.
  Only the thin `Mech::TakeDamageMessageHandler` glue (zone==-1 → call the lookup → `damageZones[zone]->TakeDamage`)
  is unexported, and it's fully implied by pieces already reconstructed → no disassembly needed. Remaining:
  6b real `FindByName` (name = the mech's type-0x14 DamageZoneStream name @ResourceDescription+0xc); 6c the 3
  container ctors + the lookup as a `BTCylinderResolveZone` bridge (ground the cell zone-dict stream format vs
  the real .RES bytes); 6d register the handler + verify. Feasible; the only open risk is the cell stream format.
  The earlier-cited `FUN_004a0230`/`FUN_0049ed0c` don't exist.
- **Death sequence — CORE DONE 2026-07-08 [T2]; effects+anim deferred.** `Mech::UpdateDeathState()`
  (mech4.cpp) reconstructs the death STATE machine (collapse `movementMode` → RP `VTV::DeathShutdown`
  subsystem loop → settle to disabled/frozen; wreck stays, no crash) — runtime-verified (`BT_DEATH_LOG`).
  Full map + citations in [[combat-damage]] "Death SEQUENCE". ✅ (b) `MechDeathHandler` DONE (mechdmg.cpp) +
  ✅ the render-side **RemakeEntity** destroyed-mesh swap DONE 2026-07-08 (btl4vid.cpp
  `RemakeEntityRenderables` + `BTRemakeMechModel` bridge; in-place `SetDrawObj` swap — the tree dtor does
  NOT cascade so never rebuild). ✅ (a) **RESOLVED — no collapse animation exists in BT 4.11** [T1]: the
  fall latch (modes 5-8 → table slots 0x1c-0x1f) is a vestige — no loader fills the slots, no fall clip
  ships, and firing it would bind resource 0 (an AUDIO stream) as keyframes. ✅ The authentic death
  VISUAL is the **WRECK-HULK SWAP** (death ModelList `blhdead` → effect 104 → the victim becomes its
  `<mech>dbr.bgf` burning hulk) — RECONSTRUCTED + verified (`SwapToWreck`, btl4vid.cpp; see
  [[combat-damage]] "Death SEQUENCE" for the full chain + proofs).
  ✅ The wreck **sinks** (the 1996 quadratic burial, `offsetY = -0.025·t²`, gone ~17s) with the `ldbr`
  debris field; at burial it goes **INERT** (collisionVolumeCount=0 + target lock dropped — no phantom
  blocking/hits). **Remaining**: (c) the whole-mech **DeathSplash** radius damage; wreck mesh FLAMES
  (flamesml/flamebig + sweep flicker, 1996 script case 4); the **full entity teardown at burial**
  (the authentic death-row removal — needs the mech render tree unhooked from the renderer first;
  the inert wreck is the safe stand-in until then).
  Do NOT issue DestroyEntityMessage on death (before the render-tree teardown lands).
- ✅ **Critical-subsystem plugs BOUND — damage propagates (task #2, 2026-07-11) [T1/T2].**
  The "binding write is elsewhere" reading was WRONG: the binding is IN the zone ctor loop
  (@0049d0e1-0049d10d) — **Ghidra dropped the two argument pushes** ("type propagation not
  settling"), making `Slot::AddImplementation(roster[streamedIndex])` read as a bare no-arg
  call (mislabeled Resolve).  The stream's third per-entry dword IS the roster index into
  `subsystemArray` (mech+0x128).  Port: the `DZSlot` stand-in (always-null Resolve) replaced
  with the engine `SlotOf<T>` (binary vtables 0050bb84/0050bb7c ARE its instantiations); bind
  gated MasterInstance+DynamicFlag (`simulationFlags@+0x28`); replicant plugs stay unbound
  (master-authoritative).  `SendSubsystemDamage` rewritten to the recovered @0049c9a8 logic:
  the unused crit allotment lands in the subsystem's OWN private 0x160 DamageZone (the old
  `SubProxy2` cast to a mech zone was wrong), ≥1.0 → statusAlarm Destroyed + gated PrintState
  + zone valve, vital → `graphicAlarm 9` (mech kill); `CriticalHit` now calls the real
  `ApplyDamageAndMeasure` (@4ac07c); the artifact `parentArtifactZone.Add` back-pointer bind
  also revived (LOD damage averaging).  `videoObjectFlag` was `vitalSubsystem` (+0xE4,
  res+0x48 "VitalSubsystem").  VERIFIED live (`BT_CRIT_PROBE=<zone>` diag): 66 plugs bound at
  ctor per mech, zone destroyed → crits damaged/DESTROYED with authentic accumulation.
  Residue: roster idx 0/1 (mapper installed post-ctor / voltage-bus stub) stay unbound with a
  logged skip — none of the 8 mechs' streams crit-list them in practice.
- **✅ Two dead Wword comparison branches — DONE (task #1, `c9f0c2a`).** `Mech::ReadUpdateRecord`
  case 3 now reads real named fields off `Mech__StateUpdateRecord` (legState / stability / legResetLatch /
  speedDemand); the always-false Wword/BTVal branches are gone (the old `mech.cpp:1511`/`:1613` line
  numbers no longer point at that code).

## Multiplayer (Phase 7 / P6)
- **OPEN: console death froze peer replication BOTH ways (2026-07-14) [T4 mechanism].** Live 2-node
  session: the btconsole.py emulator process died mid-match (cause unknown — its recv loop only
  caught socket.timeout; any OSError killed threads silently; NOW hardened + `-u` + console.log) and
  peer↔peer update replication froze in BOTH directions at ~that moment (each node's replicant held a
  frozen stale velocity; own sims + rendering fine).  The engine NEVER logged a console disconnect —
  though `CheckBuffers` recv==0 dispatches `HostDisconnectedMessage` and the loop keeps servicing
  other hosts — so either the console host's receive pad was full (recv skipped → close never seen)
  or the dispatch doesn't reach `HostDisconnectedMessageHandler` in the port (routing gap).  ⚠ Also
  found (unfired, latent): that handler's ConsoleHostType branch closes **`gameListenerSocket`** (the
  GAME listener) where the comment says it re-posts a CONSOLE listen (L4NET.CPP:969) — suspect
  `consoleListenerSocket` was intended.  Diagnose on recurrence: console.log (death reason) +
  whether `[repltrn]` velocities freeze at console death.  Why peer replication depends on the
  console connection at all is the core unknown.
- ✅ Cross-pod COMBAT — DONE (tasks #46/#47: replicant targeting + damage rerouted to the owning
  master, full cross-pod kill verified). ✅ Replicant GAIT animation — DONE (task #50: replicant
  derives speedDemand from the replicated velocity, full stand→walk→run lifecycle verified).
  See [[multiplayer]] — the entries here were stale (swept 2026-07-11).
- ✅ **Mech-level update records (@0x4a0c2c) — DONE (task #1, 2026-07-11):** all 9 types
  transcribed + 2-node verified; the peer's death SINK/burial, knockdown, heat and state now
  replicate (the observer's replicant runs its own wreck loop off the replicated
  simulationState).  Full mechanics in [[multiplayer]] "Mech-level update records".  Residue
  [T3]: stream the model's UpdatePositionDiffrence/TurnVelocity/TurnDegree deadband constants
  to the senders (stand-in thresholds meanwhile).
- The WinSock2 stack (L4NET.CPP) is 2-node verified end-to-end (cross-pod kills, beams,
  replicant gait — tasks #46-#51); remaining = the real pod-LAN config (real IPs, bare-IP
  pilot entries).
- **✅ Subsystem-record replication IS wired — the AC just wasn't using it (task #61,
  2026-07-13) [T2, CORRECTED].** (An earlier draft of this note WRONGLY claimed "no
  subsystem-record channel" — that was concluded from an AC-only test before the AC's
  ForceUpdate gap was found.  The channel exists and works.)  MECHANISM: the mech's per-frame
  tick calls `subsystem->PerformAndWatch(till, update_stream)` for every subsystem
  (mech4.cpp:3893) → base `Simulation::WriteSimulationUpdate` walks the subsystem's `updateModel`
  and serializes any set record; `Entity::UpdateMessageHandler` (ENTITY.cpp:387) routes each
  incoming record to `GetSimulation(subsystemID-1)->ReadUpdateRecord` on the peer.  A subsystem
  replicates its fire IFF its `FireWeapon` calls **`ForceUpdate()`** (sets the updateModel bit).
  The EMITTER (beam) and MISSILELAUNCHER (salvo mirror, mislanch.cpp:326) both do → enemy lasers
  + missiles ARE visible on the peer.  The AUTOCANNON set only `simulationFlags |= 0x1` (the
  +0x28 instance flag, NOT updateModel) and had no fire record → its shot never serialized → the
  enemy's cannon (tracer + DAFC muzzle flash) was invisible.  FIX: added
  `ProjectileWeapon::WriteUpdateRecord/ReadUpdateRecord` (fire counter + aim, the AC twin of the
  salvo mirror) + `ForceUpdate()` in FireWeapon.  Verified live: watching node now logs
  REPLICANT AC shots + muzzle flashes.  **LESSON (methodology):** the binary-coverage audit is a
  function-PRESENCE census — it can't see "reconstructed but inert" code (a function that exists
  but is never CALLED, like the salvo mirror was thought to be, or a missing ForceUpdate).  A
  LIVENESS audit (does a live call path reach each reconstructed fn?) would catch this class.

## Rendering follow-ups (non-blocking)
- **.PFX effect-layer polish (deferred 2026-07-08; the layer itself is LIVE + verified).** The
  reconstructed BT particle layer (L4VIDEO.cpp, see its banner) renders the authentic .PFX content
  (fire + smoke, premultiplied blend, impact-frame oriented — weapon hits AND damage bands via
  `lastInflictingID`, now written by `Mech::TakeDamageMessageHandler`). Remaining nuances, all
  cosmetic: (a) `atten/attenv` distance attenuation not honoured; (b) the per-file texture name
  (`btfx:firesmoke1_scr_tex`) — all effects share the radial-masked grit sheet; decoding FIRE.BSL
  would give the authored sheet; (c) beams draw before particles, so a beam through thick smoke
  reads too bright (pass-ordering); (d) `colorWarp/alphaWarp` applied as `t^(1/warp)` [T4 convention];
  (e) emission uses rate×releasePeriod batching [T4 convention vs the exact 1995 emitter].
- Replacement-LOD selection for NON-additive multi-LOD models (needs the board's hot-spot/
  reference-point semantics; leads: `s_dplobject.lod_ranges[16]/lod_hot_spot`, 0x2047/0x2048).
- Day/night MATERIAL path priority (BMF/IMG) — infrastructure done, gated `BT_MATPRI` (over-applies
  to shared terrain mats); needs the terrain-material model understood.
- RGBA4444 alpha (TREE.BSL cutout) decoded but not alpha-tested outside punch batches; VTX/TGA paths.

## Content build sub-project (low priority)
- Lab/other-build maps (`des`/`burnt`/`frstrm`) are source-only (`.map` in CONTENT/BT/MAPS/); would
  need compiling into a RES via the DOS `btl4tool.exe`. The 8 RES maps cover testing.

## Key Relationships
- Feeds from: every subsystem/render topic (their deferral notes collect here).
- Gating master: [[source-completeness]] (the missing BT source).

## Peer coupled-motion architecture — ✅ DONE (task #50, 2026-07-14/15) [T1/T2]
RESOLVED. (This block was the old COMPLETION PLAN from `ea39af1`; it was left stale after
the work actually landed — reconciled 2026-07-15.) The coupled single-source gait pipeline
is reconstructed, DEFAULT ON, and the residual was root-caused. See [[multiplayer]] two
sections: **"Authentic coupled peer motion — DONE"** (linear position = BODY gait channel
integrated into `projectedOrigin@0x260`; angular = replicated-velocity slerp; master
SEND-mirror runs the SAME `IntegrateMotion` predictor fed the last-sent `bodyTargetSpeed`)
and **"Peer motion: the 'random shakiness' is single-box packet jitter, NOT the game"**.
- Landed: coupled path promoted to default (`c52a1ad` + `b013742`); peer poses from the
  BODY channel (`96a896a`); turn-step on the body channel (`f094d78`); true-mirror cadence
  driving the clip from actual replicated motion (`23f1532`). Groundwork: exact quaternion
  integration (`a8eb8a4`), incremental peer heading (`d78e77b`), clock guard (`93456be`),
  commanded-speed cadence feed (`6374efc`), Abs-macro fix (`7615ecd`).
- **The old "needs the MASTER HALF" conclusion was SUPERSEDED:** the leftover accel/decel
  shakiness was ROOT-CAUSED as single-box **packet jitter** (`49d73dc`) — two Debug nodes on
  one box batch TCP delivery, so records arrive bursty (BT_RXJIT burstiness 3-7x) and the peer
  dead-reckons across the gaps then snaps. Pinning each node to a disjoint core set
  (`ProcessorAffinity 0x00F/0x3C0`, baked into `tools/mp_launch.sh`) restored even ~17ms
  delivery and the shakiness vanished (user-confirmed). Real pods are dedicated machines and
  never see it. **DO NOT add an interpolation/jitter buffer** to mask a rig artifact.
- Minor non-gating follow-ups (tracked in [[multiplayer]]): an occasional ~2.9u
  leg(peer)-vs-body(mirror) channel-mismatch snap; the exact `_DAT_004ab9cc` offset-decay
  constant; whether `IntegrateMotion`'s 2-stage angular integrate is intended.
- Speed model decomp-settled (`2c6db6a`): analog throttle, '5 speeds' false, `throttleState@0x4a4`
  is actually the fall-surface material (RENAME PENDING).
