Begins the BT gauge WIDGET reconstruction -- making the cockpit instruments show
live data instead of just frame art. The BT gauge method table
(BTL4MethodDescription[]) was a chain-only stub with zero registered
methodDescriptions, so every BT-specific gauge keyword was parse-skipped.
Registers the first widget, cmHeat (ColorMapperHeat -- tints the heat/critical
schematic palette by a named subsystem's live temperature):
- Added ColorMapperHeat::methodDescription (keyword "cmHeat", param list
R,Md,C,St,St,St matching the binary .data) and registered it in
BTL4MethodDescription[] (chain link stays last).
- Rewired ColorMapperHeat::Make to read methodDescription.parameterList[]
(the interpreter restores each instance's parsed params there) instead of the
earlier unrecovered DAT_* placeholders -- so it uses the real CFG rate/mode/
colour-slot/palette/subsystem-name, and the runtime port arg as the graphics
port.
Registering it exposed the /FORCE trap: two REAL functions in the chain were
undefined (silently stubbed -> would AV once the gauge builds). Reconstructed
both from the decomp:
- ColorMapper::BecameActive (@004c395c): invalidate the cached colour index +
last-written RGB so the next Execute re-pushes the hardware palette.
- ColorMapperHeat::~ColorMapperHeat: empty -- the base chain (~ColorMapper ->
~Gauge) releases the HeatConnection + palettes.
Verified: register->parse->Make->ctor->FindSubsystem("GeneratorA") (resolves,
no "does not exist")->HeatConnection->Execute->palette-push runs end-to-end
under BT_DEV_GAUGES; no parse desync; combat un-regressed (TARGET DESTROYED,
0 crashes). Establishes the registration recipe + the /FORCE-check discipline
for every remaining widget. Details + priority order: docs/GAUGE_COMPOSITE.md.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Clean, self-contained extraction of the BattleTech-specific work from the
reverse-engineering workspace -- engine + game + content + build, with nothing
from Red Planet or the raw archive dumps. Builds green (Win32) and runs the
single-player drive->animate->target->fire->damage->destroy loop out of the box.
Layout:
engine/ MUNGA + MUNGA_L4 shared 2007 engine, carrying our BT render/loader
work (bgfload/L4D3D/L4VIDEO: BSL bit-slice decode, LOD/ground/shadow
models) + image codec; the minimal rp/ headers the audio HAL needs
game/ reconstructed BT logic + surviving-original BT source + fwd shims
+ WinMain launcher
content/ full runtime tree (BTL4.RES, VIDEO/, GAUGE/, AUDIO/, eggs, BTDPL.INI)
docs/ format specs + reconstruction ledgers
reference/ raw Ghidra pseudocode (recon source-of-truth) + decomp exporter
tools/ MP console emulator + map/resource scanners
One top-level CMake builds munga_engine lib + bt410_l4 game lib + btl4.exe.
All paths relativized (186 fwd shims + ~437 CMake abs paths -> repo-relative);
DXSDK is the one external, overridable via -DDXSDK. Verified: builds to a
byte-identical 2.27MB exe and runs combat (TARGET DESTROYED, 0 crashes) against
the bundled content.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
