pod: make the frozen rig survive a NEW BUILD, not just a reboot

Both frozen files live inside the versioned install and neither ships in the
zip -- environ.ini is generated on first run, glass_layout.cfg is ours.  So
Nick extracting the next build would get a cab that comes up wrong with no
error anywhere, which is exactly the failure the freeze was supposed to end.

Masters now live at the stable C:\bt411\ (podprofile.ini, glass_layout.cfg,
podkit.ps1).  setup_pod.bat pushes them into the newest BT411_* folder -- run
once per extract.  runpod.bat resolves the newest install and applies the kit
itself, so the remote launch path needs no per-build edit.  Re-tuning means
editing the MASTER: the apply overwrites the install's copy on purpose, so a
moved panel has one place to look.

Also records, for playtesting on the cab: all five tester launchers set no pod
key at all, so each inherits the rig from environ.ini without knowing the pod
exists -- verified by running play_solo.bat on the cart (7 settings applied,
not 9, because the bat sets BT_PLATFORM and BT_START_INSIDE itself and the
real environment wins).  That is the case against a separate pod-only ini: a
second file would need every launcher to opt in.

Verified: kit re-applies idempotently, and the rewritten runpod.bat brings the
cab up correct -- 9 settings, GLASS, -fit borderless, all three surfaces on
their intended displays.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Rw7No5wLTpkaUgA3ANbtZZ

scratchpad/pod/glass_layout_alphamr.cfg

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# ALPHA-MR cab layout -- VERIFIED BY EYE 2026-08-06 (do not re-guess from
+# desktop coordinates; they say nothing about physical cab position).
+#   DISPLAY4 -> the COLOUR RADAR LCD in the yellow-button frame, so the colour
+#               surface goes there.  (An RGB composite landed here first and
+#               showed all three channels overlaid.)
+#   DISPLAY2 -> the VGA port feeding the Heat + Comm + Mfd2 CRT group.
+#   DISPLAY1 -> the VGA port feeding the Mfd1 + Mfd3 CRT group.
+# monitor: binding, not pixel rects -- the USB graphics adapter re-enumerates.
+Secondary / Radar=monitor:DISPLAY4,bare
+VGA Port A=monitor:DISPLAY2,bare
+VGA Port B=monitor:DISPLAY1,bare

scratchpad/pod/podkit.ps1

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# Apply the ALPHA-MR pod kit to a BT411 install's content directory.
+#
+# WHY THIS EXISTS: the frozen rig config lives in content\environ.ini and
+# glass_layout.cfg -- both INSIDE the versioned install folder, and neither is
+# shipped in the zip (environ.ini is generated on first run).  So extracting a
+# new build gives you a cab that comes up wrong with no error anywhere.  The
+# MASTERS live beside this script at a stable path; this pushes them into
+# whichever install you point it at.  Idempotent -- safe to re-run.
+param([Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][string]$Content)
+
+$here = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition
+$prof = Join-Path $here 'podprofile.ini'
+$lay  = Join-Path $here 'glass_layout.cfg'
+$ini  = Join-Path $Content 'environ.ini'
+
+if (-not (Test-Path $Content)) { Write-Output "NO SUCH CONTENT DIR: $Content"; exit 1 }
+if (-not (Test-Path $prof))    { Write-Output "MISSING MASTER: $prof";        exit 1 }
+
+# --- the env block: replace anything between the markers, keep the rest ------
+$block = Get-Content $prof
+$keep  = @()
+if (Test-Path $ini) {
+    $inBlock = $false
+    foreach ($line in (Get-Content $ini)) {
+        if ($line -match '^# ==== BT411 POD PROFILE')     { $inBlock = $true;  continue }
+        if ($line -match '^# ==== END BT411 POD PROFILE') { $inBlock = $false; continue }
+        if (-not $inBlock) { $keep += $line }
+    }
+    while ($keep.Count -gt 0 -and $keep[-1].Trim() -eq '') { $keep = $keep[0..($keep.Count-2)] }
+}
+($keep + @('') + $block) | Set-Content $ini -Encoding ascii
+
+# --- the layout: the master always wins -------------------------------------
+# Re-tuning the cab means editing the MASTER beside this script, not the copy
+# in the install -- a BT_GLASS_LAYOUT=save drag inside an install is overwritten
+# on the next apply, on purpose.  One place to look when a panel moves.
+if (Test-Path $lay) { Copy-Item $lay (Join-Path $Content 'glass_layout.cfg') -Force }
+
+Write-Output "pod kit applied to $Content"
+Get-Content $ini | Select-String '^(BT_|L4)' | ForEach-Object { "  " + $_.Line }
+if (Test-Path $lay) { Get-Content (Join-Path $Content 'glass_layout.cfg') | Select-String '^[A-Z]' | ForEach-Object { "  " + $_.Line } }

scratchpad/pod/runpod.bat

@@ -1,9 +1,22 @@
 @echo off
-REM BT411 pod -- ALPHA-MR.  The rig config is FROZEN in content\environ.ini
-REM (glass panels, RGB split, channel map, radar rotation, -fit, no plasma),
-REM so this launcher carries nothing but the log switches and the mission.
-REM Fallback if environ.ini is ever lost: runpod_env.bat sets it all inline.
-cd /d C:\bt411\BT411_4.11.801\content
+REM BT411 pod -- ALPHA-MR.  Resolves the NEWEST BT411_* install, applies the
+REM frozen rig config (so a fresh zip drop needs no hand-editing), and launches
+REM straight into a mission.  The rig itself is frozen in content\environ.ini;
+REM this carries only the log switches and the mission.
+REM Fallback if the kit is ever lost: runpod_env.bat sets everything inline.
+setlocal
+set ROOT=C:\bt411
+set INSTALL=
+for /f "delims=" %%d in ('dir /b /ad /o-d "%ROOT%\BT411_*" 2^>nul') do (
+    if not defined INSTALL set INSTALL=%ROOT%\%%d
+)
+if not defined INSTALL goto noinstall
+powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%ROOT%\podkit.ps1" -Content "%INSTALL%\content" >nul
+cd /d %INSTALL%\content
 set BT_GLASS_LOG=1
 set BT_LOG=podrun.log
 start "" ..\build\Release\btl4.exe -egg PODTEST.EGG
+exit /b
+:noinstall
+echo No BT411_* folder found under %ROOT%.
+exit /b 1

scratchpad/pod/setup_pod.bat

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+@echo off
+REM ============================================================================
+REM  RUN THIS AFTER EXTRACTING A NEW BT411 BUILD.
+REM  It finds the newest BT411_* folder under C:\bt411 and pushes the cab's
+REM  frozen rig config into it (environ.ini block + glass_layout.cfg).
+REM  Without it a fresh extract comes up with the MFDs wrong and no error.
+REM ============================================================================
+setlocal
+set ROOT=C:\bt411
+set INSTALL=
+for /f "delims=" %%d in ('dir /b /ad /o-d "%ROOT%\BT411_*" 2^>nul') do (
+    if not defined INSTALL set INSTALL=%ROOT%\%%d
+)
+if not defined INSTALL goto noinstall
+echo Newest install: %INSTALL%
+powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%ROOT%\podkit.ps1" -Content "%INSTALL%\content"
+echo.
+echo Done.  play_solo.bat / join.bat / play_steam.bat in that folder will now
+echo all come up on the pod glass -- they inherit it from environ.ini.
+pause
+exit /b
+:noinstall
+echo No BT411_* folder found under %ROOT%.  Extract the zip there first.
+pause