#171 verdict: the era witnesses were RIGHT and half of #168 was a mis-fix -- the AC is TRIGGER-TIME HITSCAN (@004bc104, recovered 2026-08-06 but hidden behind projweap.cpp's stale 'body NOT recovered' banner from the old export: the root cause -- #168 generalized the MISSILE launcher's body to ballistics). Binary truth [T1, cross-examined]: AC batches rounds, range-gates at fire time on live effectiveRange (same gate as energy), sends ONE single-panel damage to the locked target, spawns NOTHING (shell class 0xBD1 = dead code, 0xbd1 appears once in the whole export; the visible round is the 0xBCD renderer tracer); missiles genuinely fly with seeker-computed lead (4.0u fuze, swept contact, salvo randomization, lock-drop on death) so 'no leading' is right for them too; Gauss deals NO damage in the shipped binary (charge dump only -- port damage is an invention). #112 shotgun = port per-round scatter vs the binary's one batched message. KB corrected + swept (decomp-reference SS5, combat-damage, projweap banner). NO code behavior changed -- implementation awaits the #171 group decision per Oracle's HOLD; evidence package queued for the ticket (server down)

context/combat-damage.md

@@ -199,14 +199,21 @@ Fixed-torso mechs (the BLH: `TorsoHorizontalEnabled=0` — no jointtorso in the
 boresight dead-ahead. Once locked, `Emitter::FireWeapon` converges with NO aim/arc test
 (part_013.c:7758). `MechWeapon::UpdateTargetState` (`FUN_004b9bdc` [T1]): `targetWithinRange =
 dist < (1 − hostZoneDamage) × weaponRange`. The 0x388 WRITER is in the same un-exported gap.
-⚠ `weaponRange` is **fire-control data only** (#168 audit [T1]): projectile FLIGHT is never
+⚠ ~~`weaponRange` is fire-control data only~~ **RETRACTED 2026-08-13 (the #171 hunt): that
-range-capped — a plain shell (AFC) lives exactly 5.0 s (@4bddec) and a Missile lives
+was MISSILE-only truth mis-generalized to ballistics.** The AC's own FireWeapon @004bc104
-BurnTime+10 s with a y<−1 kill-plane (@4bef78); FireWeapon @4bcc60 has no range gate, so an
+(recovered by the 2026-08-06 re-export; #168 worked from a stale "not recovered" banner and
-AFC50 (authored range 750) landing hits at 2000+ u is AUTHENTIC arcade behavior. Constants +
+generalized from the missile launcher) is TRIGGER-TIME HITSCAN: batched rounds, dist vs LIVE
-the whole flight/expiry chain: [[decomp-reference]] §5 "Projectile/Missile flight & expiry".
+effectiveRange at fire time (the same gate energy uses), ONE single-panel damage message to
-The same audit killed the pool's stale-point auto-hit (unguided contact was tested against
+the locked target, nothing spawned (the shell class 0xBD1 is dead code; the visible round is
-the fire-time pick, so a locked AC shell could not miss a moving target — fixed 2026-08-11:
+the 0xBCD renderer tracer).  So: an AFC50 landing hits beyond its authored range is a PORT
-the contact test now tracks the target's live position on every round kind).
+DEVIATION, not arcade behavior; "a locked AC could not miss a mover" IS the arcade behavior
+(#168's "stale-point auto-hit" kill removed an authentic design while fixing its stale-point
+detail).  Missiles: genuinely flying + seeker-led (the machine leads for the player), 4.0u
+proximity fuze, swept contact, salvo randomization — the #168 flight direction stands THERE.
+Gauss: NO damage in the shipped binary (charge dump only; port damage is an invention).
+#112 (AFC multi-zone shotgun) is the port's per-round scatter vs the binary's one batched
+message.  Full chain + evidence: [[decomp-reference]] §5 (corrected); port fix pending the
+#171 group decision (Oracle's HOLD).
 ⚠ **`hostZoneDamage` is `Subsystem::damageZone->damageLevel` (weapon `@0xE0 → +0x158`), NOT
 heatLoad** — the port originally computed `effectiveRange = (1 − heatLoad) × weaponRange`
 (mechweap.cpp), the SAME `@0xE0`-DamageZone-vs-heat misattribution corrected in

context/decomp-reference.md

@@ -253,14 +253,32 @@ From the weapon `.SUB` records + the charge-curve `.data` constants (PE-parsed a
   @004b0b18) + @004b0abc (auto/manual, modeAlarm@0x2CC); attach/detach @004b0dd8/@004b0e30
   (generator client capacity @0x1e4/count @0x1e8).
 
-### Projectile/Missile flight & expiry (#168 audit, 2026-08-11) [T1]
+### Projectile/Missile flight & expiry (#168 audit 2026-08-11; ⚠ CORRECTED by the #171 hunt 2026-08-13) [T1]
-- **No range cap exists anywhere in the flight chain.** WeaponRange feeds fire-control only
+- ⚠ **#168's "no range cap / WeaponRange is fire-control only" was MISSILE-ONLY truth,
-  (effectiveRange @0x328 = (1−hostZoneDamage)×WeaponRange — targeting/reticle "in range" call).
+  mis-generalized.** The AC's own FireWeapon @004bc104 (recovered by the 2026-08-06 re-export;
-  FireWeapon @4bcc60 reads no +0x328: the trigger fires at any target distance.
+  the old projweap.cpp "body NOT recovered" banner was stale) IS range-gated AND hitscan:
-- **Plain Projectile (AFC shell) live integrator @4bddec** (master); expiry: age since
+  batch counter +0x408, every TracerInterval-th (+0x438) round → dist = |aimPoint(+0x37c) −
+  muzzle| vs LIVE effectiveRange +0x328 (dynamic: WeaponRange × (K − owningZone structure),
+  recomputed @004b9bdc; K @_DAT_004b9c98 presumed 1.0 [T4-unread]) → ONE single-panel Damage
+  (batchedCount × DamageAmount) to the LOCKED target *(mech+0x388) via @004b9728 AT FIRE TIME.
+  Out of range = batch silently discarded (tracer still renders).  The visible AC round is the
+  0xBCD renderer TRACER (tracerModel+0x41C, TOF @004bc06c) — cosmetic.  MissileLauncher
+  @004bcc60 (no fire-time damage, no range read) is the genuinely-flying family.
+  **Gauss @004bdca4 deals NO damage in the shipped binary** (charge dump only — projectile
+  launch designed, never implemented; port damage is an invention pending the #171 decision).
+  **Every FireWeapon (all classes) requires a LOCKED target**: both sims gate the trigger on
+  *(mech+0x388) != 0 — no lock, no fire [T1].
+- **Plain Projectile (shell) class 0xBD1 is DEAD CODE in the shipped binary**: 0xbd1 appears
+  exactly once in the whole export (the DefaultData lookup @004c1590); Make @004be384 has zero
+  code callers; the fully-recovered AC fire path spawns nothing.  Its flight body @4bddec
+  (below) is a complete never-instantiated Model-B implementation — its 5.0s clock is real
+  code that nothing shipped ever runs.  [T1; 6.5% export-gap caveat]
+- **Plain Projectile (dead class) integrator @4bddec** (master); expiry: age since
   spawn(+0x19c) > `_DAT_004be054` = **5.0 s** → FUN_0042061c kill.  Dead-reckon divergence²
   vs predicted pos(+0x260, predictor FUN_00422060 via +0x254) > `_DAT_004be050` = 0.1 →
-  updateModel(+0x18)|=1 (ForceUpdate, replication-dirty — NOT a kill).
+  updateModel(+0x18)|=1 (ForceUpdate, replication-dirty — NOT a kill).  Contact: swept test
+  @0042291c per tick; on hit → explosion msg 0x5C at live pos + direct TakeDamage (zone −1)
+  to the struck entity via @004be078; at EXPIRY silent removal, no damage.
 - **Missile live integrator @4bef78** (master); expiry: age > burnTime(+0x340, model rec
   +0x44) + `_DAT_004bf5ac` = **10.0 s** coast margin, OR pos.y < `_DAT_004bf5b0` = **−1.0**
   kill-plane → FUN_0042061c.  Keepalive: no update for `_DAT_004bf594`=2.0 s → dirty bit.

game/reconstructed/projweap.cpp

@@ -969,10 +969,26 @@ void
 
 //
 // @004bc104 -- slot 18 FireWeapon (overrides MechWeapon's pure-virtual trap
-// @004ba45c).  Body NOT recovered by the decompiler (prologue confirmed at
+// @004ba45c).
-// 0x4bc104, immediately following the 1.0f literal @0x4bc100).  Spawns the
+//
-// generic projectile/tracer.  MissileLauncher overrides this again at @004bcc60
+// STALE-BANNER CORRECTION (2026-08-13, the #171 hunt): this comment said
-// to launch Missile entities.
+// "Body NOT recovered by the decompiler" -- TRUE of the 2025 export, FALSE
+// since the 2026-08-06 re-export (part_013.c:16023-16125), and the stale
+// banner is the ROOT CAUSE of the #168 mis-fix: the ballistic model was
+// generalized from the MISSILE launcher @004bcc60 instead of this body.
+// The RECOVERED truth [T1]: the AC FireWeapon is TRIGGER-TIME HITSCAN --
+// it spawns NOTHING (no shell entity; class 0xBD1 is dead code; the visible
+// round is the 0xBCD renderer tracer).  It batches the round counter
+// (+0x408) and every TracerInterval-th round (+0x438) computes
+// dist = |mech aimPoint(+0x37c) - muzzle| and, gated dist <= LIVE
+// effectiveRange (+0x328, the same gate shape as the Emitter), sends ONE
+// single-panel Damage (amount = batchedCount x DamageAmount) to the LOCKED
+// target *(mech+0x388) via SendDamageMessage @004b9728 -- at fire time.
+// A locked AC inside range cannot miss; out of range the batch silently
+// discards (tracer still flies).  Reconstruction pending the #171 group
+// decision (Oracle's HOLD) -- the current port body below still carries
+// the #168 flight-contact model.  MissileLauncher (@004bcc60) is the
+// genuinely-flying family (Model B) and overrides this slot.
 //
 // Gitea #12: the view/target gate, the ammo pull and the recoil set are
 // STRIPPED from this body -- they belong to the CALLER (the recovered