Commit Graph
86 Commits
Author SHA1 Message Date
CydandClaude Opus 5 1debbeb240 Mech::DuckRequest -- the CROUCH button, and a dead-button census that lied
The 2026-07-20 audit listed 8 panel buttons dispatching a streamed message with
no reconstructed handler.  Only ONE was still missing: generator on/off,
ToggleSeekVoltage, EjectAmmo, ToggleCooling and BalanceCoolant had all landed
between 07-20 and 07-25 while pod-hardware.md and open-questions.md still called
them dead.  docs/INPUT_PATH_AUDIT.md had already flagged the census as "stale in
both directions" and was right -- swept both files, and recorded the rule: check
the code, not the census.

DuckRequest @0049fa00 (id 0x1a, RIO 0x13 -- the manual gives crouch a whole
section).  The binary's entire body:

    if (0 < *(int *)(param_2 + 0xc)) { *(undefined4 *)(param_1 + 0x398) = 1; }

Press-only; sets duckState (mech+0x398, attribute 0x37).  A one-shot REQUEST
flag, not a posture toggle -- the handler never clears it and the only other
writer in the whole binary is the mech reset (part_012.c:9439, the same reset
that zeroes incomingLock, which is how that region was already mapped).

WHY THE FLAG HAS NO READER, AND WHY THAT IS CORRECT.  duckState has ZERO readers
anywhere in the decomp, because it is published as an ATTRIBUTE and consumed
through DATABINDING: content/GAUGE/L4GAUGE.CFG runs a 3-frame bduck.pcc
oneOfSeveralPixInt bound to DuckState -- "crouch mode: button 4" on the map's
legend column.  Verified live by capturing the Secondary/Radar window before and
after a 0x13 press: the crouch icon goes grey -> orange.  So the handler is
COMPLETE.  A crouch pose invented here would be a stand-in for data we have not
found (no SQUAT clip name survives in the decomp or in content/, only
DuckServo01.wav in AUDIO1.RES).

Bonus: those gauge widgets sit at offsets 537/430/322/215/108 -- a 107 pitch,
independently corroborating the map legend grid measured from pixels.

Still open from that census: MechRIOMapper's own Keypress @004d2514 (id 0x19).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-26 02:23:58 -05:00
arcattack 4537cb42e5 KB: link the fourth deferred defect (#65 HandleMessage non-virtual) -- the sed anchor missed on the first pass 2026-07-25 18:15:38 -05:00
arcattack 23978bd27a KB: link the four deferred defects to their new Gitea reports (#62 AutoConnect / #63 PlayerStatus databinding / #64 damageZone shadow / #65 HandleMessage non-virtual)
Findings from the #46/#47/#48 work were living only in context/open-questions.md.
Each is a real defect with player-visible or latent-crash impact, so each now has
a tracker item with evidence + fix design; the KB entries point at them by number
so the two stay in sync.
2026-07-25 18:15:13 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 f3179ef020 #47 follow-up: restore the DAMAGE TIER to the heat branch -- HeatableSubsystem::GetStatusFlags was a stub returning 0
Found while auditing today's vtable change before release.  The binary's
HeatSink::GetStatusFlags @004add30 OPENS with `call 0x4ac144` --
MechSubsystem::GetStatusFlags, the damage tier (damageLevel >= 1.0 -> bit 0
Destroyed; > 0 -> bit 1 Damaged).  There is no zero-returning
HeatableSubsystem override anywhere in the image.

Our port routed that call through `HeatableSubsystem::GetStatusFlags()
{ return 0; }` -- a "neutral default" that silently dropped bits 0 and 1 for
the ENTIRE heat branch (every weapon, sensor, emitter, PPC, generator,
powered subsystem).  Two live consequences:

  * Destroyed / Damaged could never reach MechTech's annunciator scan --
    gutting half the shipped mechalrm table (Destroyed -> gotoEngineering +
    engCooling + engBusMode) hours after #47 shipped the flash;
  * PoweredSubsystem's AutoConnect gate (`GetStatusFlags() == 0`,
    powersub.cpp:358) read a DAMAGED subsystem as pristine.

One-line fix: chain the real tier, reproducing @004add30 exactly.  The call
site's own comment already said `// FUN_004ac144` -- the implementation had
simply never matched it.

Also corrected a stale comment on MechSubsystem::GetStatusFlags that read the
field as a STRUCTURE level ("1.0 = intact, 0 = dead") -- backwards.  The
engine member is damageLevel and ACCUMULATES to 1.0 = destroyed (mechdmg's
crit cascade tests `level >= StructureMax` for exactly that), which is what
makes bits 0/1 line up with TechStatusType Destroyed/Damaged.  Behaviour was
always right; the comment was a leftover of the same structureLevel misreading
#46 retired.

VERIFIED (3-pod combat sim, BT_LAMP_LOG): the annunciator is genuinely live --
Jammed x7, AmmoBurning x5, BadPower x20, Overheating x207 (Overheating
correctly maps to NO lamp: the shipped table has no entry for it).  The lamp
resolution is per-subsystem as designed -- different weapons flash their own
panel buttons (lamps 0xf/0x5/0xb/0x3 under distinct mode masks), 32 flash
writes across a whole battle, no thrash.  Zero crashes, zero plane/OOB
tripwire hits across all three pods.

FILED, deliberately NOT fixed tonight (open-questions.md): vtable slot +0x40
is misattributed.  The binary calls it `(this, 0)` in AutoConnect's outer gate
and `(this, candidateGenerator)` in the roster walk -- a one-arg voltage query
(HasVoltage(source)), not GetStatusFlags().  Modelling both as the no-arg
GetStatusFlags makes the outer gate demand "no flags" and the inner "some
flag" with nothing between them, so AutoConnect's loop body can never execute.
Pre-existing before and after this change; it is a live power-bus behaviour
change and deserves its own playtest cycle, not a release-eve patch.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-25 17:58:20 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 6bb03aed0b Gitea #48 ROOT-CAUSED + FIXED: MFD "stray blocks / misplaced lamps" = uninitialized translation-table entries leaking pixels into other displays' bit-planes
The conviction was empirical, not theoretical: a new write-site trap
(BT_PLANE_AUDIT) in the seven L4VB16 drawing primitives logs any draw whose
color carries bits outside its port's plane mask -- the exact cross-display
corruption condition (Replace ORs an unmasked color; Or/Xor ignore the mask
entirely; And clears foreign planes).  A quiet solo session produced 15-30
leaks per minute:

    [plane] PORT 'sec' pixmap draw at(0,0) idx 217 entry=0xffffff00 mask=0x3f
    [plane] LEAK DrawPixelMap8[table] at(639,0) color=0xffffff00 mask=0x3f leak=0xff00

THE DEFECT: L4GraphicsPort::translationTable[256] is never initialized in the
ctor, and BuildSecondaryTranslation fills only the entries its BitWrangler
reaches -- 2^numberOfBits: 64 for the sec plane (mask 0x3F), 4 for the overlay
(0xC0).  Entries above that stay heap garbage.  Every draw resolves color
through this table, and the PIXMAP path indexes it with raw pixel values
0..255: the 480x640 radar background carries pixel index 217, whose garbage
entry's high bits (0xFF00 = ALL EIGHT MFD planes) were stamped into the shared
640x480 buffer -- invisible on the culprit page (the in-plane bits happened
dark) and visible as bright fragments at the same coordinates on every OTHER
display.  That is the operator's screenshot exactly: the same-position blips
on Mfd1+Mfd2 and the Heat-display block.

FIX (engine, both layers):
  * zero translationTable in the L4GraphicsPort ctor (plane-neutral default);
  * BuildSecondaryTranslation now cycles the in-plane pattern across entries
    [2^bits..255] -- high-index art degrades to its (index mod 2^bits) colour
    IN-PLANE and can never leak.  The 1995 binary ships the SAME 64-entry fill
    and survived on 6-bit art discipline; garbage is not a preservable
    behaviour, so the cycle-fill is a guarded PORT deviation (documented).

A/B PROOF: same probe, 60s -- 0 leaks after the fix (15-30/min before).
sim3 3-pod regression: zero crashes.

SECOND real defect found + fixed en route: sessions configure the CAMERA seat
first ("cameraInit" -- which includes the MISSION-REVIEW context:
configure(0, sec, 0, 0x00FF, native, rgb, mrpal.pcc), a DirectColor context
whose translation tables legitimately hold full RGB565 values spanning all 16
plane bits), and the viewpoint swap to the mech re-configured WITHOUT tearing
that tree down (btl4app's s_gaugeTreeBuilt latch treats the mech build as the
first).  The orphaned review gauges kept executing through stale DirectColor
ports.  BTL4GaugeRenderer::ConfigureForModel now overrides (ConfigureForModel
made virtual in L4GREND.h) and tears the prior entity-bound tree down before
every rebuild -- safe on first build, and the review screen rebuilds the same
way when the seat returns to the camera.

Also logged (open-questions): the review-screen PlayerStatus panels read the
compiled player at RAW BINARY OFFSETS (+0x1FC vehicle / +0x1C8 score /
+0x1C4 alive-dead box) -- the databinding trap, dormant until the review
screen runs; bridge before enabling the review.

Ruled out along the way (with evidence): the pilot-list label/erase geometry
(erase box 128x32 covers the 64x16 name rasters), the radar name labels
(view-level ClipImage clips them), PlayerStatus in-game execution ([ps] probe:
never runs in-game), and the PNAME bitmap dimensions (egg generator emits
64x16 exactly).

Why it "started with the comms feature" (#43): that wave registered the new
gauge classes with the config interpreter, letting more of the authored page
furniture parse and draw than before -- the leaking high-index pixmaps rode in
with it.  [T3 correlation detail; the leak + fix are T2 live-verified.]

Diagnostics kept (env-gated): BT_PLANE_AUDIT (the leak trap, now a permanent
regression tripwire), BT_PS_LOG, the port-level pixmap identity trap.

KB: gauges-hud.md (#48 section), decomp-reference.md (BT_PLANE_AUDIT),
open-questions.md (PlayerStatus databinding entry).  checkctx CLEAN.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-25 17:20:19 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 6f5a264835 Gitea #47 COMPLETE: the ENG-button attention FLASH is live (jam / bay fire) -- MechTech status scan + BTL4GaugeAlarmManager + lamp chain, all from the binary
The pod behaviour Cyd described -- "on a jam or bay fire the display eng button
for the system flashes" -- is authored data + a five-stage chain, now running:

  MechTech::TechnicalAssistance (@004ad33c, per frame)
    edge-scans every monitored subsystem's GetStatusFlags() 7-bit condition
    mask (TechStatusType: Destroyed 0, Damaged 1, CoolantLeaking 2,
    Overheating 3, AmmoBurning 4, Jammed 5, BadPower 6)
  -> Start/StopEntityAlarmMessage (@00436688 id 7 size 0x20 / @004366b8 id 8
     size 0x1C; broadcast @004364e4; port shape: direct
     Start/StopEntityAlarmImplementation calls on the gauge renderer)
  -> GaugeAlarmManager::Activate(alarmModel) -- alarmModel = MechTech+0x100 =
     the 'mechalrm' ModelList (id 83) -> SearchList(83, type 31) -> the baked
     GaugeAlarmStream (id 331, 11 items {condition, lampCode}), decoded:
         Destroyed      -> gotoEngineering + engCooling + engBusMode
         CoolantLeaking -> gotoEngineering + engCooling
         AmmoBurning    -> gotoEngineering + engEject
         Jammed         -> gotoEngineering + engEject
         BadPower       -> gotoEngineering + engBusMode
  -> BTL4GaugeAlarmManager::ReadGaugeAlarmStreamItem -- THE REAL BODY, from
     @004cc2fc + helpers @004cc108/148/1a0/264/27c + tables @0051cf1c..0x51d084
     (gotoEngineering 0x80 = the subsystem's QUAD-SELECT bezel button via
     lamp[aux]/mode[aux] tables; 0x81+ descend the eng-page bank; Condenser /
     Generator specials on CoolantLeaking; <0x80 = the heat-bank fixed map).
     btl4galm.cpp's old bodies were admitted fabrications and its provenance
     note ("no override body exists in the image") was wrong -- corrected.
  -> LampManager::FindLamp (@00444c80) -> Lamp::SetAlertState (@00444e64, a
     COUNTER so stacked alarms hold the flash) -> L4Lamp::NotifyOfStateChange
     emits RIO flashFast states 0x37/0x13 (== T0 L4LAMP.cpp:234-239) -> the
     pod's physical lamps AND the glass panels (PadRIO IS rioPointer there).

FOUR load-bearing defects found and fixed en route -- each independently fatal
to the feature:

  1. HeatableSubsystem's Derivation chained Subsystem directly, SKIPPING
     MechSubsystem (written before the WAVE-1 re-basing) -- so EVERY subsystem
     on both family branches failed IsDerivedFrom(MechSubsystem), which is
     exactly MechTech's monitor filter: the status scan watched NOTHING.
  2. MechSubsystem::GetStatusFlags was non-virtual (binary: vtable slot 12) --
     the scan's MechSubsystem* call bound statically to the base tier and the
     weapon bits could never surface.
  3. ProjectileWeapon::GetStatusFlags sat in a Ghidra export gap -- raw-disasm
     @004bbf88: base | 0x20 (weaponAlarm==5 Jammed) | 0x10 (linked bin
     cookOffArmed@0x18C AmmoBurning).  The port had "defer to base".
  4. Mech::Reset's respawn sweep blanket-cast every roster entry to
     MechSubsystem and called RespawnRepair -- wrong for the Subsystem-level
     entries (MechTech 0xBDC, SubsystemMessageManager 0xBD3).  On MechTech the
     recon damageZone slot lands on its subsystemMonitors chain head: NULL
     while the scan was broken (fix #1's bug MASKED this one), but the moment
     the monitors populated, RespawnRepair virtual-called through a
     SubsystemMonitor as if it were a DamageZone -> load-time crash in
     StateIndicator::SetState (caught with cdb; call [edx+14h] on code bytes).
     The sweep now filters IsDerivedFrom(MechSubsystem) before the cast.

Also: GUID identities pinned -- 0x50f4bc = PoweredSubsystem::ClassDerivations
(via @004b1208 = its TestInstance; btl4gau2's two "Generator" comments were
wrong, swept), 0x50fb60 = Generator's.  A shadow-field instance documented for
the deferred de-shadow: MechSubsystem::damageZone re-declares the PUBLIC engine
Subsystem::damageZone (SUBSYSTM.h:159) -- mechtech's naive `sub->damageZone`
read the never-written engine member (0 monitors again); now reads the recon
member via GetDamageZoneProxy().  Logged in open-questions.

Wiring: BTL4GaugeRenderer now constructs + assigns the BTL4GaugeAlarmManager
(the base ctor NULLs it and Activate Check()s it); MechTech's Report*/
StatusMessageSink stubs are real; alarmModel confirmed baked (= 83) at runtime.

VERIFIED LIVE (scratchpad/lampflash.py, BT_LAMP_LOG chain trace):
    [techstat] MechTech id 32 monitors 29 subsystems, alarmModel 83
    [techstat] LRM15_1 condition 4 SET (alarmModel 83)      <- bay fire armed
    [galarm] condition 4 code 0x80 -> lamp 0xd mode 0x1 FLASH
    [lamp] 0xd <- 0x37  (FLASHING)                          <- the select button
    [galarm] condition 4 code 0x85 -> lamp 0xb mode 0x4 FLASH   <- engEject
    [techstat] LRM15_1 condition 4 CLEARED                  <- detonation clears
    [techstat] AmmoBinLRM15_1 condition 0 SET               <- bin Destroyed
Regressions: baytest PASS (bay fire kills), baypurge PASS (purge extinguishes),
sim3 3-pod brawl PASS with ZERO crashes (6 kills, organic heat-route bay fires,
respawns clean through the new sweep filter).

Env: BT_LAMP_LOG ([techstat]/[galarm]/[lamp]).  KB: gauges-hud (the flash
section), decomp-reference (the GaugeAlarm closure + tables + GUIDs),
open-questions (built-note + the de-shadow deferred item), btl4gau2 comment
sweep.  checkctx CLEAN.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-25 16:04:34 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 5ae4410914 Gitea #46: ammo bay fire now DETONATES and KILLS (+ #47 fire icon) -- three stacked kill-switches removed, the fuse decoded, and a vptr-alias corruption caught by regression
Field report (night 3): "two ammo bay fires and no death" (Cyd + RajelAran; one
purged, one left burning).  Root cause = THREE independent kill-switches stacked
on the same path, all in ammobin.cpp:

  1. `GameClock::Now() { return 0; }` -- `cookOffTime < Now()` was `0 < 0`, so
     an ARMED bay fire never detonated.
  2. `InjectHeat(void*) {}` -- the detonation body was a no-op.
  3. The bin's Damage record was never stamped -- 0 damage of type 0 (which the
     mech TakeDamage handler drops) even if 1+2 had fired.

THE FUSE (raw disasm, scratchpad/disammo.py): the old "RandomDelay" was a Ghidra
carve artifact -- FUN_004dcd94 is __ftol and the export DROPPED the caller's x87
expression.  The real bytes @004bd450: fld 10.0 / fmul [ticksPerSecond] /
fadd 0.5 / __ftol -- a FIXED 10.0-SECOND fuse in clock ticks.  New gotcha #19
(reconstruction-gotchas.md) documents the __ftol export blind spot.

THE DAMAGE RECORD: bin+0x1F0..0x21C is a real engine `Damage` (FUN_0041db7c IS
Damage::Damage(), byte-matched to T0 DAMAGE.cpp).  The linked ProjectileWeapon's
ctor @004bc3fc stamps it from weapon->damageData @0x3A8 via
owner->roster[0x128][res+0x1C0] -- projweap.cpp's old comment called this "the
bin's HUD display block ... wired in the AmmoBin family"; both halves were wrong
and it was wired nowhere.  Now stamped (before MissileLauncher's ctor divides by
missileCount -- a missile bin authentically holds the per-SALVO amount).

THE DETONATION (@004ac274 = MechSubsystem::DistributeCriticalHit -- the old
"HeatableSubsystem::InjectHeat" label was wrong, and the old reconstruction
iterated a stand-in CriticalChain whose First()/Next() returned 0):
statusAlarm pulse Exploding(2)->Destroyed(1) (slot 13 = the printSimulationState
state PRINT @004ac8c0, not an "explosion notify"), own private zone pinned
destroyed, then collect the mech DamageZones whose crit entries plug the bin
(the binary filters plug classID 0x4E = DamageZoneClassID -- VDATA.h idx 78,
cross-checked via idx 28 = AudioStateTrigger), split the amount evenly, and send
the OWNER one full Entity::TakeDamageMessage per zone: inflictingEntity = SELF,
damageZone = the zone index, inflictingSubsystemID = the bin (the message-
manager explosion-bundling key, ENTITY3.h's own NOTE), printing the binary's
exact "ammo explosion damaging <zoneName>" @0050df61.
Port shape: Mech::AmmoExplosionFanOut (mechdmg.cpp) behind a databinding bridge;
guarded deviation: zoneCount==0 warns instead of the binary's unguarded divide.
CriticalChain/CriticalEntry stand-ins DELETED from mechrecon.hpp.

VERIFIED LIVE (BT_BAYTEST hook = message 1, the crit-induced arm channel):
  scratchpad/baytest.py : arm -> 10s -> "20 rounds x 35 = 700 (type 2)" ->
    "ammo explosion damaging dz_ltorso" -> zone cascade -> mech DESTROYED
    (authentic death list).
  scratchpad/baypurge.py: arm -> eject-hold purge -> "bay fire EXTINGUISHED
    (bin empty)", no detonation.
  scratchpad/sim3.py    : the HEAT route arms organically in combat (overheated
    AFC100), detonates "11 x 25 = 275 (type 1)" split across dz_larm + dz_lgun.
  BAYBOOM matchlog record added for MP field forensics.

FIX-OF-THE-FIX (caught by the sim3 regression, would have shipped a crash):
MechSubsystem's ReconDamageZone proxy puts structureLevel at OFFSET 0 -- which
ALIASES THE REAL DamageZone's VTABLE POINTER (the private zone is `new
DamageZone`, mechsub.cpp:154; mechsub.hpp:260 documents the alias).  My first
DistributeCriticalHit kept the old body's `damageZone->structureLevel = 1.0f`
and OVERWROTE THE ZONE'S VPTR with 0x3F800000; the respawn sweep's virtual
SetGraphicState (vtable+0xC) then called through it -> AV at 0x3f80000c in
RespawnRepair, one frame after a bay-fire death.  ALL EIGHT proxy-view sites in
mechsub.cpp swept to the engine view (((DamageZone*)damageZone)->damageLevel
@0x158) -- including two silently-wrong LIVE readers: GetStatusFlags (vptr as
float -> always "intact") and ApplyDamageAndMeasure (the crit cascade's
measure).  Ruled out first by evidence: the weapon->bin stamps were all clean
(six stamps, all classID 0xbcb, logged).

#47 (half 1 -- the FIRE ICON): BallisticWeaponCluster::Execute @004c9a38 reads
bin+0x18C = cookOffArmed into the btefire.pcc TwoState, and while armed computes
(Now - cookOffTime)/ticksPerSecond -- the COOK-OFF COUNTDOWN -- into the numeric
beside it.  The old reconstruction misread 0x18C as "the reload state" and
bridged the icon to BTAmmoBinFeeding, so it blinked on every feed and never lit
on a bay fire (RajelAran: "it doesn't").  Now driven by the
BTAmmoBinCookOffArmed/CookOffTime complete-type bridges.  [T2 -- the data path
is rig-verified; the pixels await the next live session.]

#47 (half 2 -- the ENG-BUTTON FLASH): fully mapped, deliberately NOT built this
session.  The authored data SHIPS (BTL4.RES carries exactly one type-31
GaugeAlarmStream); the chain is alarm SetLevel -> gauge-watcher socket ->
Renderer msg 7 -> GaugeAlarmManager::Activate @00448d00 (T0) -> the BTL4
override @004cc148..@004cc2fc (btl4galm.cpp's provenance note claiming "no
override body exists" is WRONG -- corrected in-file) -> LampManager::FindLamp
@00444c80 -> Lamp::SetAlertState @00444e64 (flash counter) -> the L4 flush
@00474e94 emitting flashFast states 0x37/0x13 (== T0 L4LAMP.cpp:234-239).
Missing: the override bodies, the gauge-watcher sender, the aux-button lamps.
3-piece plan in context/open-questions.md.

Also logged: HandleMessage is vtable slot 8/9 in the binary but NON-virtual
across 10 reconstruction classes (bit the BT_BAYTEST hook; typed call used, gap
documented in open-questions).

KB: combat-damage.md (the full cook-off section), decomp-reference.md (the
cluster addresses + the GaugeAlarm/lamp map + BT_BAYTEST env), gauges-hud.md
(the fire-icon correction), reconstruction-gotchas.md #19 (__ftol),
open-questions.md (2 entries), btl4galm.cpp provenance correction.
checkctx CLEAN.  40 LNK2019 unchanged (the two pre-existing families).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-25 14:58:16 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 5 f3bdb3b85a Searchlight + ThermalSight ToggleLamp WIRED (#61) -- and a swapped table attribution ROOT-CAUSED, retracting a false "1995 latent bug"
Both classes' Receiver::MessageHandlerSet were default-constructed blackholes
(input-path audit systemic cause #1): entryCount 0, no parent chain, Find()
returns NullHandler for every id, Receive drops silently.  The new unhandled-
message trace printed it on the first press:

    [btntest] PRESS 0x14 at poll 400
    [msg] UNHANDLED: Searchlight has no handler for message id 3

Each class now has a GetMessageHandlers() function-local static chained to
PowerWatcher's (which name-resolves through HeatWatcher/MechSubsystem to
Receiver's empty ROOT set, so id 3 does NOT collide with HeatSink's
ToggleCooling), plus a correctly-typed forwarder -- Receiver::Handler is
void(const Message*) while the decomp shape is Logical(Message&), so a cast
would be UB that merely happens to work on x86 __thiscall.  DefaultData
re-pointed off the dead empty sets.  MessageArg now reads the NAMED
ReceiverDataMessageOf<int>::dataContents with a static_assert locking it to the
binary's message+0xC (was a raw offset read -- databinding rule).

ROOT CAUSE of a long-standing misattribution: @004b860c is **ThermalSight's**
ToggleLamp (table @0x51120C), NOT Searchlight's.  The two TUs emit parallel
shared-data blocks with identical stride (msg entry, +0x5C attrs, +0x84
Performance triple); what pins each entry to its TU is that "ToggleLamp" is NOT
pooled across them -- two copies exist, each emitted immediately before its own
class-name string ("Searchlight"@0x51144B, "ThermalSight"@0x511475).
[T1: reference/decomp/section_dump.txt:69661-69711]

Searchlight's own handler is @004b838c, which sits in a Ghidra EXPORT GAP (#60).
RECOVERED by raw disassembly of content/BTL4OPT.EXE (scratchpad/dis838c.py, the
EjectAmmo technique) -- and it corrected two things I had inferred wrong:
  * NO ControlsAllowLights/+0x25C novice gate.  Searchlight tests the press
    alone; that lock is ThermalSight-only.  A NOVICE pilot CAN work the lamp.
  * `or word ptr [this+0x18],1` sits AT the jle target -> the graphics-dirty bit
    (updateModel == ForceUpdate(), per #59) is raised UNCONDITIONALLY.

Consequence: the "ORIGINAL 1995 LATENT BUG -- the searchlight can never light"
claim is RETRACTED.  It compared Searchlight's Performance (@004b841c, reads
requestedOn@0x1E0) against ThermalSight's toggle (0x1DC) -- two different
classes -- and so invented a missing 0x1DC->0x1E0 bridge.  Every sibling toggles
the field its own Performance reads.  The searchlight DID light in the arcade,
the searchlight->fog swap was NOT inert there, and building PullFogRenderable is
FAITHFUL rather than a designer-intent deviation (the 2026-07-13 "left as-is"
decision is void; the sim needs no repair).

Verified live, real click seam (BT_BTNTEST):
  0x14 -> [light] requested ON -> reported lightState 0 -> 1     (lamp lights)
  0x12 -> [light] thermal sight requested ON -> thermalActive 0 -> 1
UNHANDLED lines for both classes gone; 40 LNK2019 unchanged (the pre-existing
CreateStreamedSubsystem + Entity__SharedData::DefaultData families only).

Swept the misattribution out of searchlight.cpp/.hpp, thermalsight.cpp/.hpp,
hud.cpp:282 (it had claimed @00511180/@004b838c as HUD's), btplayer.cpp's +0x25C
consumer list, context/{decomp-reference,subsystems,rendering,open-questions,
pod-hardware,experience-levels}.md, docs/{GLASS_COCKPIT,INPUT_PATH_AUDIT}.md.
checkctx.py CLEAN.

Still open (documented, not fixed): ThermalSight has no visible IR effect
(ToggleGlobalThermalVision is a marked no-op, pvision unported, IsLocallyViewed
returns False); ThermalSight publishes "LightState"->0x1D8 where the binary has
"LightOn"->0x1D8 and "LightState"->0x1E0; Searchlight's commandedOn@0x1DC has no
identified role and measured 21 live, hinting our SubsystemResource +0x28 differs
from the binary's.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-25 10:46:59 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 5 35c750dc7c Gitea #44: the reticle TARGET NAME PLATE (PNAME1-8) -- the target's callsign under the crosshair
Reconstructed the last deferred piece of the 1995 reticle, decoded from the
Execute disassembly @004cdcf0 [T1]:
 - selection: target_mech+0x190 (owning BTPlayer) -> player+0x1e0
   (playerBitmapIndex), 1-based into the mesh table at this+0x2e8
 - placement: re-placed every frame the aim moves -- scale 0.12 uniform,
   translate (K*retPos.x, K*retPos.y - 0.08, -1.0), K = 1/2.8 (the x87 long
   double @0x4cee64) -- so the label TRACKS THE AIM POINT, not screen centre
 - visibility: the LOCK attribute (this+0x184, cached +0x188) AND an owning
   player; reticle-off / simple-X also hide it
 - art: the plate quad UV-addresses a shared 128x64 bitslice texmap whose
   texels the pod OVERWROTE each mission with the egg's callsign rasters
   (original source commented out at L4VIDEO.cpp:5682-5710) -- the baked
   'PLAYER n' art in BMAP.BSL is only the shipped fallback.  Material colour
   is a neutral (0.5,0.5,0.5): grey-white, not phosphor green.

Port: same geometry in reticle units (0.224 below the aim point, 0.336x0.084)
drawn as the target's egg callsign texture through the reticle's own MapX/MapY
mapping, so it follows the world view in every layout and BT_SHOT captures it.
New: dpl2d_DrawTexturedRect, BTReticleTargetPlate, BTGetPlayerNameTexture.

Also: kRetCaret corrected 0.02f -> 0.025f (_DAT_004cd7f4 read from the binary;
the old value was a T3 guess, 20% small).

KB: gauges-hud + open-questions corrected (the chain was filed as deferred and
mis-attributed to 'the 3D marker'); TWO PNAME consumers now distinguished (this
plate, and CameraShipHUDRenderable's ranking window which shipped 2026-07-18);
new bgf-format section on the plate atlas.

Rig-verified: 2-node relay, BT_GOTO=enemy -> '[hud] name plate: bmp=2 tex=1'
and 'Boreas' rendered under the crosshair on the locked target.  Solo clean.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_0166KTsC7ADm7VXEi1HF1jNg
2026-07-24 18:36:02 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 5 ef5a15ae2c KB: late-join make-sync gap + revolving-door plan digest (multiplayer, open-questions)
The 1995 engine tolerates late HOST attach but never finished late ENTITY
sync (NotifyOfReplacementEntityCreation = Fail stub, makes broadcast-once).
Routes to docs/REVOLVING_DOOR_PLAN.md.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_0166KTsC7ADm7VXEi1HF1jNg
2026-07-24 16:13:29 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 225fe43f0c CORRECTION: EJECT tap IS the in-mission unjam (EjectAmmo @004bb9b8 decoded)
Old-timer testimony (tap = eject one round, hold = eject the bay, eject
clears a jam) checked against the binary: raw disasm of the export-gap
handler @004bb9b8 confirms it byte-for-byte.  PRESS arms the ~3s
UpdateEject countdown (hold-to-completion = DumpAmmo whole bay ->
NoAmmo); RELEASE before completion (TAP) ejects ONE round (@004bd4f4)
and, with ammo remaining, sets weaponAlarm 3 + restarts the reload --
the weapon returns to service.  A tap even recovers a FailureHeat
level-7 launcher while rounds remain (empty-bin gate 2 re-pins 7 only
when the bay is dry).

The earlier 'jams are mission-permanent / no unjam exists' claim read
only the HOLD path -- corrected + swept: projweap.cpp case-5/jam-log/
CheckForJam comments, players/README.txt, decomp-reference.md
(message-tables entry), open-questions.md (state-7 recovery note).
Gitea #31 updated; wiring the handler now restores the pod's actual
jam-recovery mechanic.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-23 12:21:06 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 89b4f53046 Gauges: trigger-config joystick is LIVE -- @004c6ee0 is LinkToEntity, not SetColor
The weapon panel's btjoy trigger-config display (ConfigMapGauge) never rendered
because the reconstruction labelled @004c6ee0 as "SetColor(int)" and, finding no
caller, concluded the gauge was authentically dormant (task #6), gating it
behind a BT_CONFIGMAP dev env.

The user challenged this (the PROGRAM/TRIGGER CONFIG button implies the display
visualizes your config).  Re-verification found the old analysis failed twice:
the "no caller" search looked for direct calls to a VIRTUAL, and its slot math
used the wrong vtable copy.  The real ConfigMapGauge vtable @0051a1b8, matched
against the T0 GaugeBase virtual roster (GAUGE.h), pins @004c6ee0 at slot 9
(+0x24) == GaugeBase::LinkToEntity, and @0x94 is the linkedEntity -- the
Execute gate is "not yet linked", not "disabled".  The engine broadcasts
LinkToEntity(viewpointEntity) to every gauge at viewpoint bind (APP.cpp:1277 ->
GaugeRenderer::LinkToEntity GAUGREND.cpp:3011), arming the gate -- the joystick
DOES render in the shipped game, showing per-trigger mapping state (solid =
mapped, matching the DOSBox reference).

Port fix: SetColor(int color) -> LinkToEntity(Entity*), color -> linkedEntity,
BT_CONFIGMAP dev enable deleted (the authentic path lights it).  Render-verified
with no env override: the joystick + mapped-trigger lamp draw on weapon panels.

KB swept per the correction mandate: gauges-hud.md, decomp-reference.md,
open-questions.md, GAUGE_COMPOSITE.md, VEHICLE_SUBSYSTEMS.md.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-21 08:49:58 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 89ddd49283 Add [ammo] fire trace (BT_AMMO_LOG); reproduces the missile FailureHeat->NoAmmo brick
Playtest: "lost missiles mid-fight, no pips, sad noise -- out of ammo?"  The default
build didn't trace ammo, so it couldn't be answered from the log.  Added a [ammo]
trace (env BT_AMMO_LOG) at the four ProjectileWeaponSimulation decision points --
FIRED+rounds-left, gate1/gate2 dry-transition edge, dry-fire blip, and denial -- plus
a public AmmoBin::GetAmmoCount() const getter.

Reproduced the actual cause: NOT ammo depletion.  The SRM6 trips gate 1 FailureHeat
(heatLvl=2) after ~5 volleys and latches into the permanent NoAmmo roach-motel with
19 rounds still in the bin:
  [ammo] SRM6_2 FIRED, rounds left=19
  [ammo] SRM6_2 -> NoAmmo (gate1): destroyed=0 failHeat=1 heatLvl=2 mechDisabled=0
Logged as the concrete instance of the heat-economy open question (open-questions.md).
Trace-only; no behavior change (all output gated on BT_AMMO_LOG).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-20 21:59:46 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 d7158f1f82 Experience levels WIRED: the egg field drives the simulation tier (Gitea #2)
BTPlayer's master ctor now seeds the flag block from
btMission->ExperienceLevel() + AdvancedDamageOn() (accessors from the
SURVIVED 1995 BTMSSN.HPP [T0]) instead of the NULL-stubbed scenario
role -- the egg experience knob works for the first time.  Both switch
slot errors fixed vs the binary @4c0bc8; phantom btMission duplicate
member removed (+0x1f8 IS Player::playerMission).

SEVEN gate stubs unified onto the real flags (two found empirically):
HeatModelActive, OwnerAdvancedDamage, LiveFireEnabled,
ControlsAllowLights, powersub @4b0efc, emitter's file-local FUN_004ad7d4
+ FUN_004ac9c8 stubs.  FUN_004ac9c8 family swept (incl. a live raw-offset
databinding trap in MechSubsystem::IsDamaged).  Flag block renamed to its
true semantics (simLive/heatModelOn/...), scoring-era names kept as
comments.  Includes the #5 [aud-tail] diag in emitter.cpp.

ALL 19 shipped eggs say experience=expert -> default behavior UNCHANGED
(per-tier verified: novice/standard = no heat/jams, authentic; veteran/
expert = today's exact behavior).  Real delta: egg advancedDamage=1 now
reaches player+0x264/0x268 (was hardwired 0).  Follow-up flagged: the
glass FE defaults empty experience to veteran (one tier below shipped).

Awaiting human verification.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-20 14:51:35 -05:00
Cyd 4a38fba2c9 Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/master' into glass-cockpit 2026-07-20 08:59:35 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 5dd35365c7 Glass input audit: RIO mapper id fix (panel banks live), keyboard reconciliation
Root cause of the dead on-screen panel: MechRIOMapper's message-id enum
chained off L4MechControlsMapper::NextMessageID (=0x19), registering all 18
RIO override handlers at 0x19-0x2a while the streamed .CTL EventMapping
records carry the binary's ids -- the binary RIO table @0051dd30 re-registers
the BASE aux/zoom ids 3..0x13 (Hotbox 0x1a @0051de98).  Every MFD-bank/zoom
press hit the base ConfigureMappableMessageHandler FAIL trap (26/72 buttons
dead; an abort() on a trap-armed pod).  Ids now pinned to the binary
numbering + static_assert-locked (btl4mppr.hpp) -- panel goes 26 -> 52
working buttons (8 await handler reconstruction, filed on Gitea; 12 have no
streamed mapping authored = authentically inert).

Keyboard reconciliation (glass-only): the merged map -- keyboard hosts the
~20 core gameplay actions on the CONTROLS.MAP keys, the panel covers every
pod address by click (right-click = hold latch):
- W/S throttle lever, A/D pedals, Q/E twist, R/F elevation, X all-stop,
  arrows drive; numpad flight cluster kept (Cyd)
- 1/2/3/4/Space/LCTRL/RCTRL fire, LALT reverse, B look-behind (0x41)
- M=0x18 mode cycle, N=0x15 display cycle, H=0x2C coolant flush (hold),
  C=0x2F Condenser1 valve, G=0x0E weapon-1 configure (Mfd1-Quad-gated)
- F5-F9 = Mfd2 bank 0x27-0x24 + 0x22 (page-gated gen A-D / gen mode)
- hardcoded: ` or V = view toggle, J/K/L = Mfd1/2/3 preset-page cycle
  (PadRIO edges -> gBTPresetCycle; no pod "cycle" button exists)
- PadRIO::SuppressKey: bound keys are swallowed from the typed 1995 channel
  (the btinput suppression pattern, glass side) -- ends the glass double
  dispatch ('w'=pilot select 0, 'a'..'g'=MFD2 presets, NUMPAD/F-key key-up
  VK aliases like VK_F5=0x74='t').  Unbound keys keep their authentic
  meanings (5/z presets, t-o pilot select, +/- zoom, F1/F2 align).

DISPLACED from Cyd's default bindings (each reachable on the panel or by a
bindings.txt edit -- flagging for Cyd's veto): number row -> secondary panel
(1-4 now fire), QWERTY row -> pilot keypad (dropped), arrows -> hat looks
(now drive), V/C/B -> fire 0x47/0x46/0x45 (now view/valve/look-behind),
LCTRL -> throttle-down (now fire).  XInput pad section untouched.

Audit by-products (KB updated): the always-active msg-4 records identified
(0x2C = Reservoir flush, 0x29-0x2F = condenser valves, 0x1A-0x1D =
GeneratorA-D ToggleGeneratorOnOff @004b1ed0 unreconstructed); 0x13 = Mech
DuckRequest (crouch), 0x28 = BalanceCoolant; Searchlight/ThermalSight
ToggleLamp handler-sets are default-constructed EMPTY; weapon Eng-page msgs
0x3/0xb = ToggleCooling / ToggleSeekVoltage / EjectAmmo, all unwired;
unhandled messages are SILENT (no [FAIL] -- census = BT_CTRLMAP_LOG dump x
handler tables).

Verified live (build-glass2, ARENA1): panel presets/zoom/display/flush;
W drive (speedDemand 61.5, gait advances), Q turn (BAS), M -> MID, A turn
(MID), Space fires, N display, J/K/L presets, H flush drain, C valve 1->5;
suppression ('w' swallowed, 't' flows, F5-keyup swallowed); BT_SHOT frame.
Un-regression: pod build (gates OFF) compiles 0 errors, forced-walk drives,
streamed ids unchanged; CONTROLS.MAP/btinput untouched.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-20 08:35:55 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 0d032029a0 Fix 2 (Gitea #12): gauge tree survives the in-session mech re-stream
The pre-launch host drop/rejoin re-stream re-creates every mech at mission
launch; the LOBBY-built gauge tree kept attribute pointers into the freed
first-stream mechs, every widget Execute AV'd, and the BT_DEV_GAUGES SEH
guard (Gauge::GuardedExecute, GAUGE.cpp:618) disabled each one PERMANENTLY
(rate=0, no rebind) -- the frozen dev-gauges window of incident #12.  The
authentic engine flow only tears the tree down at mission transitions
(Application::Shutdown -> gaugeRenderer->Shutdown() -> ShutdownImplementation
-> Remove(0), APP.cpp:787 / GAUGREND.cpp:3264); the re-stream bypassed it.

Fix: BTL4GaugeRenderer::TearDownForViewpointRestream() performs the
ENTITY-BOUND half of that same ShutdownImplementation sequence, in order
(gaugeAlarmManager->RemoveAllAlarms() -> Remove(0) -> moving/static entity
grid Clear), keeping the mission-scoped state (warehouse, graphics ports,
interpreter, controls-owned L4Lamps -- RemoveAllLamps would delete them
behind the buttonGroup's &lamp->automaticValue registrations).  Called from
BTL4Application::MakeViewpointEntity before ConfigureForModel("Init") on any
viewpoint RE-make -- that handler runs once per stream (the incident log's
[ctrlmap] installing x2) -- so the tree rebuilds bound to the NEW mech via
the renderer's existing lazy build.  Sentinel: "[gauge] viewpoint re-stream:
tearing the gauge tree down for rebuild".

Verified with the 2-instance relay harness (port 15600, MP_RELAY.EGG,
the incident sequence): join A (dev gauges) + B, kill B by exact PID at
WAITING FOR OPERATOR LAUNCH, rejoin B, operator launch.  Pod A re-streamed
(2x ctrlmap install, 4x zonebuild), logged the sentinel, and post-launch the
docked composite is fully live (mission clock/heading/radar advancing between
BT_SHOT frames) with ZERO [gauge-fault] DISABLED lines (the incident had 11).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-19 23:30:43 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 2215932016 KB: Gitea #12 incident findings -- @004bbd04 firing machine recovered, gauge-freeze root cause, dirty-bit gotcha
- decomp-reference: ProjectileWeaponSimulation @004bbd04 FULLY RECOVERED (capstone):
  fault gate reads simulationState@0x40==1 (not simulationFlags); ammo-bin gates;
  Loaded-case view/target denial = SetLevel(4);SetLevel(2) blip BEFORE FeedAmmo;
  updateModel@0x18|=1 is the replication dirty (== ForceUpdate); slot 17 @004b9c9c
  = rechargeLevel writer; FireWeapon @004bcc60 carries no gating.
- gauges-hud: CORRECTION -- launcher recharge dial is NOT authentically static
  (slot 17 @004b9c9c animates it); MP gauge-window freeze root-caused = lobby-built
  gauge tree dangling over the launch mech re-stream + permanent SEH disable.
- reconstruction-gotchas #20: updateModel@0x18 vs simulationFlags@0x28 bit 0
  (DelayWatchersFlag) mis-mapping class (Emitter::SetDirty, mislanch salvo mark).
- open-questions: #12 status ledger -- fixes pending a live-verify window; J/K/L
  preset hypothesis refuted for solo (scripted A/B); symptom-4 pip set unresolved.
- GAUGE_COMPOSITE row 13 verdict corrected (WRONG-STATIC, fix pending).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-19 22:46:10 -05:00
CydandClaude Fable 5 ec43e365fa 4.10 literal-source campaign: manifest DP upgrade, Route A closed, toolchain facts
- manifest410.py: monotone-DP TU labeling (data-cluster affinity + CLASSMAP
  seeds + recon @addr soft votes) replaces naive fill; BT region = 917 fn /
  ~230 KB, extents match every independently-known TU boundary.
- source-completeness: ROUTE A CLOSED (Nick holds no further assets);
  toolchain = BC++ 4.52 PROVEN by CW32.LIB byte-match, archived at
  TeslaRel410/BORLAND; OPT.MAK = the shipped binary's exact recipe; extender
  corrected to Borland PowerPack DPMI32 (was "Phar Lap TNT"); "all BT headers
  survive" corrected (17/36 bt-side; mech.hpp etc. reconstruction-only);
  engine gaps enumerated (vdata.hpp first, back-dated from BT412).
- phases/phase-03: rounds 1-3 of the source410 campaign - 6/10 surviving
  originals compile clean under BC4.52; console wire IDs recovered from the
  binary ctors (Killed=9 Damaged=10 ScoreUpdate=13 DWH=15 [T1], TeamScore
  guessed 12 [T4] - answers the TeslaSuite console-port spec's open item);
  round-3 finding: MECH.HPP is the capstone grown with the mech TU
  reconstructions, BTREG.CPP green = the header-family milestone.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-19 07:33:59 -05:00
0bcba26213 KB: land the EXPERIENCE-LEVELS decode from glass-cockpit (Cyd)
Brings Cyd's experience-level / simulation-mode research onto master (the
KB-decode portion of glass-cockpit 4e01e83; the bundled BT410 source
manifest is left for the full glass-cockpit merge).

- context/experience-levels.md (NEW): the egg per-pilot 'experience' field
  (novice/standard/veteran/expert) is the pod's SIMULATION-FIDELITY tier,
  decoded end-to-end. FUN_004c0bc8 reads btMission->experienceLevel(+0xe4)
  and fans it into the +0x25c/+0x260/+0x26c/+0x270/+0x274 flag block:
  +0x25c 'sim live' (novice lockout: jams/searchlight/powersub), +0x260 the
  HEAT-MODEL master switch (veteran+expert; FUN_004ad7d4), +0x274 raw level
  (FUN_004ac9c8 = ==0 novice predicate; the valve/advanced-cockpit lockout).
  4.0->4.10 drift: the viewscreen hunting-aid gate is GONE in 4.10 (HUD reads
  none of these flags), and movement heat is veteran+expert not expert-only.
- btplayer.cpp/.hpp: CORRECTED comments/labels -- the +0x25c..+0x274 block is
  seeded from btMission experienceLevel/advancedDamageOn, NOT the scenario
  role's returnFromDeath; the 'roleClassIndex/showKills' names are scoring-era
  mislabels. Code logic UNCHANGED (comment-only): the ctor still reads
  scenarioRole (STAND-IN, defaults 2 = veteran) pending the wiring task.
- Corrections swept into gauges-hud.md (ROOKIE->novice lockout),
  open-questions.md (player+0x260/0x274 semantics now PINNED),
  pod-hardware.md, subsystems.md, decomp-reference.md; CLAUDE.md router row.

No code-logic change -> no rebuild needed (comment + markdown only). The
runtime wiring (seed from BTMission::ExperienceLevel()) remains TODO.

Co-Authored-By: Cyd <cyd@falloutshelterarcade.com>
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-18 23:20:51 -05:00
CydandClaude Fable 5 4e01e83563 KB: EXPERIENCE LEVELS decoded -- the 0x25c block is the simulation-mode flags
The egg's per-pilot 'experience' (novice/standard/veteran/expert) is the
pod's simulation-fidelity tier -- stored at BTMission+0xe4 and seeded into
the BTPlayer ctor's flag block @4c0bc8 [T1].  The old 'per-role display
toggles / returnFromDeath' reading was WRONG: the source is
mission->experienceLevel, and the neighboring pair copies
mission->advancedDamageOn (the egg's technician splash/collision switch),
not role floats.  Known consumers: 0x260 = the HEAT-MODEL master switch
(FUN_004ad7d4), 0x25c = the novice sim-lockout (jams/searchlight/powersub),
0x274 = the raw level (FUN_004ac9c8 ==0 novice predicate).

NEW established topic context/experience-levels.md (data path, binary flag
rows per level, manual cross-refs, corrections log) + router row; sweeps in
decomp-reference/gauges-hud/open-questions/pod-hardware/subsystems.
btplayer.cpp/.hpp re-annotated with the corrected semantics; the guarded
role-based seeding stays as a marked [T3] stand-in (slot drift vs the
binary switch documented inline) until the wiring task points it at
BTMission::ExperienceLevel().

(Research by the parallel context session; committed from the glass line.)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-18 22:45:37 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 0a77d8e54b Camera-seat ranking window LIVE: the 1995 broadcast overlay reimplemented
The stubbed dpl-instance ranking display is reborn as screen-space
quads in CameraShipHUDRenderable::Render:
  - followed-player callsign banner (bottom center; the old direct
    index was correct -- Execute already converts to the 0-based
    texture slot)
  - the RANKING WINDOW: one row per scoring player, [ordinal][callsign]
    in rank order right of center; visibility = the Director's
    authentic flash logic (10s on / 15s off, solid final 30s); rows
    follow LIVE playerRank pointers so they re-sort as scores change
  - discovery: each 128x32 ordinal bitmap packs TWO ordinals side by
    side ('1st|2nd', '3rd|4th' -- why 4 bitmaps serve 8 players);
    draw = texture rank/2 with a u-half selected by rank parity
  - alpha-blended A4R4G4B4 white-on-transparent textures x green
    diffuse = the authentic green look

BT_SHOT moved AFTER the 2D pass -- it captured the backbuffer pre-HUD,
so overlays were on screen but invisible to screenshots (cost one
false debugging round).  GetOrdinalTexture accessor added.

Screenshot-verified: '1st MAVERICK' standings + MAVERICK banner over
live auto-directed coverage; 2-node mech smoke PASS (un-regressed;
the new render path only executes when a CameraDirector HUD exists).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-18 16:32:23 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 4459262b9c Camera seat LIVE + Mech::PlayerLinkMessageHandler reconstructed (@0049f624)
The spectator/broadcast seat works end-to-end: a hostType=1 +
vehicle=camera pilot page boots a CameraShip whose 62-camera arena1
network loads from the BTL4.RES type-27 resource (the engine's
CreateStreamedCameraInstances existed all along -- the file probe falls
back to it), the BTCameraDirector locks onto the first live mech, and
the ship TRACKS it (sees=1, goal advancing) and CUTS between authored
camera positions (screenshot-verified: wide arena shot -> close
tracking shot).

The missing piece was the Mech override of PlayerLinkMessageHandler
(@0049f624), which the reconstruction never filled.  The engine base
resolves mech->player; BT's override adds:
  1. the REVERSE link player->playerVehicle = this on EVERY node
     (replicants included) -- how the camera director and scoreboard
     find a REMOTE player's mech; without it a spectator parks forever
     ('NO goal entity')
  2. clears NonScoringPlayerFlag (0x4000 = bit 14): a pilot with a
     vehicle is a SCORING player -- this admits REPLICATED players to
     the ranking pass, so cross-node rank/score displays work
  3. master only: seeds the heat bank's ambientTemperature (bank
     @0x1d4) from the mission [mission] temperature= (BTMission+0xf4)
     -- correcting the heat family's 'frozen 300' deviation note (it
     was never frozen; THIS is the writer)

Bridge BTSetBankAmbientTemperature lives in heatfamily_reslice.cpp
(mech.cpp cannot include subsystem headers -- local-stub collision).
BT_CAM_LOG diagnostics: camera-network count, director pick + Players
group census, ship follow state, link dispatch/receive.

Verified live: 2-seat (mech + camera) relay session -- replicated
player shows +veh, director goal locked w/ 30s timer, ship tracking a
moving mech through camera cuts; standard 2-node mech smoke PASS
(un-regressed).  Lesson re-learned: a 'clean' build filtered on 'error
C' missed a linker file-lock failure -- one whole test cycle ran
against a stale exe (the /FORCE gotcha's cousin; grep -i error, not
error C).

Remaining (task open): ranking-window overlay draw (L4VIDRND stubs),
operator-app camera-seat row, shot polish.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-18 16:10:29 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 74d9d3b6ff Camera networks FOUND: BTL4.RES type 27, all 8 maps -- KB corrected
The 'cameras\ directory missing, ask Nick' entry (a03b16f, same day)
was WRONG: the file path is only the DEV OVERRIDE (the RP-style loose
.CAM files -- present for RP in the nick-games 410SRC archive, which
prompted the re-check).  The shipped binary falls back to a BTL4.RES
resource TYPE 27 (0x1b) named after the map (FUN_0042be3c probe ->
FUN_0042c078 res loader; per-cam binary records, parsers @0042ad54/
@0042b9f8) -- and our res has ALL 8 maps' networks (arena1 = 62
cameras; cavern/dbase/grass ~57KB each).  First arena1 record parses
clean (pos+quat, type 2).

The spectator/broadcast seat needs no external data: remaining work is
the type-27 loader in the WinTesla CAMMGR (file flavor only today),
the stubbed ranking-window draw, and a camera-vehicle boot test.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-18 15:29:48 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 a03b16fe6c KB: camera-seat/broadcast system investigated -- cameras\ data missing
The CameraShip spectator system is engine-complete (CameraDirector
auto-follows the score leader, CAMSHIP cuts between fixed map camera
positions like TV coverage, ranking window flashes 10s/15s + final
30s), but the per-map cameras\<mapname> notation files are absent from
the archive -- added to the get-from-Nick list with the reconstruction
alternatives (author our own / chase-cam fallback) and the two code
gaps (stubbed ranking-window draw, camera vehicle never boot-tested).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-18 15:24:51 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 0fcd0c3106 KB sweep: env-gate hub table catches up (BT_RELAY/BT_SELF/BT_KEY_STOP/...); stale MP remaining-work line updated; gauges-hud callsign cross-ref
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-18 12:36:53 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 e0474ff92a Per-pilot mech paint: wire the color/badge/patch substitution end-to-end
- Mech::resourceNameA/B/C -> real CString members (the binary's 16-byte
  CStringRepresentation; deep-copy bind from the MakeMessage = FUN_00402a98,
  implicit member dtors) + paint-name accessors
- SetupMaterialSubstitutionList reads the real egg names ([paint] log);
  TearDown clears the callback first (FUN_004d11e8)
- dpl_SetMaterialNameCallback is real now (L4VIDEO registry); bgfload
  MaterialResolver::resolve() applies it to every material name -- the
  port analogue of the dpl board rewriting names at load
- MP_BHMC.EGG: color=Red -> Crimson (vehicletable has no Red; binary Fail()ed)

Verified live 2-node MP: crimson MadCat with hip hazard stripes + yellow VGL
leg emblems; white Blackhawk + emblems; replicants painted on both nodes.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-17 09:50:23 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 dda517b65c KB: mech paint audit -- per-pilot color/badge/patch substitution authored but unwired (the 'missing stripes/coloration' report)
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-17 09:32:53 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 46446f3870 KB: pod-hardware readiness gaps -> open-questions (Phase 8 assessment)
What's carried + plausibly functional vs what will need real work on modern
hardware: RIO serial chain / RGB-splitter channel packing / multi-output
selection / plasma driver all EXIST but are pod-untested; expected work =
multi-head D3D9 fullscreen modernization, the folded-away rear sound card
(4-speaker split), RIO protocol timing, and the undocumented pod bring-up.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-17 07:32:20 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 224092aaff KB: reconcile the context system with the day's work
- decomp-reference.md: the binary ATTRIBUTE-TABLE section -- 16-byte
  {id,name,off+1,0} row format (alignment warning), the walker technique,
  and the three recovered tables (Mech ids 21-56 incl the corrected
  EyepointRotation@0x360 / RearFiring@0x410 / DistanceToMissile@0x400
  labels; HeatSink 3-12; Torso 3-15; the weapon RearFiring 'b' marker).
- combat-damage.md: the REAR-FIRE + look-view system (roster survey: the
  Blackhawk's ERMLaser_2/3 are the game's only rear weapons; every missile
  rack forward), the missile mount-frame launch truth, and the BANKED
  full Missile flight-model decode (three performances, proximity fuse).
- wintesla-port.md: post-Phase-4 closures (instability model live, F14
  static filter baked, the footstep warm-up bug + its trace-cap lesson);
  deferred list trimmed to F21/HRTF.
- AUDIO_FIDELITY.md: status block -- F14 FIXED, warm-up bug noted.
- open-questions.md: "which mechs used rear fire" answered from data;
  remaining look-view key bindings noted.
checkctx: CLEAN.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-16 18:07:15 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 aa004eb7b8 Gait: keyboard detent snaps the lever out of the walk/run DEAD BAND + KB
Byte-decoded finding [T1]: the gait SM has no stable state for a demand in
(walkStrideLength@0x534, reverseSpeedMax@0x538).  Cap semantics settled from
LoadLocomotionClips @0x4a80d4: 0x538 is the walk->run TRANSITION CLIP's exit
speed (the run ENGAGE threshold -- not a reverse max) and 0x34c (run-cycle avg
root speed) is the mapper's continuous demand multiplier (FUN_004afd10).  The
finished-callbacks up-shift when tgt > 0x534 but enter/sustain run only when
tgt >= 0x538, so a demand parked between them (Blackhawk: 22.02-30.87 =
throttle 36-50%) hunts walk -> shift-up -> shift-down forever, firing the
authored EngineShiftFwd/Rev sounds each swing -- the user's repro, faithfully
reproduced by all-authentic logic + data.  Likely masked on the pod by
MECHANICAL throttle-quadrant detents ("5 speeds" lore; the software path is
notch-free) [T4] -- added to get-from-Nick.

Accommodation (keyboard = our stand-in lever): at key REST, snap the lever to
the nearer dead-band edge (walk cap, or run engage + margin since the cont
check is >=).  Sweeping THROUGH the band while held stays continuous -- an
authentic moving lever; the single shift it fires is the authentic shift.
BT_GAIT_TRACE logs [gaitdetent] snaps.

KB: locomotion.md gait-dead-band section, pod-hardware.md mechanical-notch
hypothesis, open-questions.md Nick item.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-16 11:34:18 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 3224009dc1 MP: peer accel/decel "snap" MEASURED ~0.64u (not ~2.9u) -- effectively resolved (task #50)
Went after the flagged ~2.9u peer-motion snap. Added a BT_SNAPLOG diagnostic
(mech4.cpp: logs the re-anchor drift eMag = |authority - dead-reckon| absorbed per
frame) and ran a controlled accel/decel soak: node B BT_AUTODRIVE + BT_DRIVE_SWEEP0
sweeping the throttle through STOP, node A observing, affinity-pinned.

Result: peer drift maxes at ~0.64u (median 0.54u, 18 events >0.5u over 48s), gently
absorbed at k~0.24/frame -- SUB-UNIT, at the noise floor. The ~2.9u figure was stale:
it predated the peer body-channel swap (96a896a, which put the peer on the same
channel the master's mirror predicts) AND was measured without the CPU-affinity fix
(packet-jitter-sparse records inflate the drift). The old "run the master mirror on a
leg-channel prediction" plan is moot now the peer is on the body channel.

No motion-code change -- just the measurement + the BT_SNAPLOG diagnostic (retained).
KB (multiplayer.md, open-questions.md) corrected to the measured value. checkctx CLEAN.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-15 16:15:56 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 bc4d6e5597 MP: console-death freeze NOT REPRODUCIBLE + fix the latent game-listener-close bug (task #50)
Investigated the "console death froze peer replication" open question (2026-07-14)
with a direct 2-node repro (BT_REPL_LOG on a circling peer, affinity-pinned):

- Clean relay kill -> replicant kept circling smoothly through the kill, NO
  disconnect logged, node survived. Replication did NOT freeze.
- Deliberately STUCK console (scratchpad/btconsole_stuck.py: connect, start
  mission, then stop recv() while holding the socket OPEN = the exact
  "receive pad full -> close never seen" mode hypothesized) -> replicant kept
  moving the whole run. Replication did NOT freeze.

Conclusion: peer replication is INDEPENDENT of the console (pods replicate
peer-to-peer over the GAME socket; the console is a separate egg/mission/status
channel). The original freeze was a transient -- plausibly the same single-box
packet-jitter/CPU-contention artifact root-caused in 49d73dc -- or was fixed by
later MP work.

FIX (the one real bug found): L4NetworkManager::HostDisconnectedMessageHandler's
ConsoleHostType branch closed gameListenerSocket (the GAME listener) on a CONSOLE
disconnect -- a naming bug (the comment + commented-out OpenConnection intended a
CONSOLE re-listen, which CreateConsoleHost already does). Removed. Harmless to
established peer sockets (why a live match survives console loss) but it would
have blocked a NEW peer from joining after a console cycle. Verified: 2-node
still connects (All connections completed!) + the peer circles.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-15 15:52:35 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 82e6bb306a KB: sweep STALE "unfinished" claims -> match landed commits (context-system audit)
4-agent audit cross-checked every open/pending/stub/deferred claim in the context
system against git + code. Fixed ~13 stale spots (currency only, no code change),
each contradicted by its own file body + a landed commit:

- 0xBD3 SubsystemMessageManager (task #7, afefaee): subsystems.md frontmatter+body
  line 57; decomp-reference.md 0xBD3 row + +0x434 row -- all still said
  "MISLABELS controlsMapper / WAVE 8 untangle" (done; mech.hpp names it messageManager).
- Cylinder hit-location STEP 6 (d07ac7d): combat-damage.md frontmatter;
  decomp-reference.md "not reconstructed" line.
- Per-mech turn-rate wiring (task #64b, a83995a): multiplayer.md + locomotion.md
  frontmatter (still "bring-up constant / not yet wired").
- Mech-level update records (task #1, c9f0c2a): open-questions.md "dead Wword
  branches mech.cpp:1511/1613" (those branches are gone; named fields now).
- Collision damage + DeathShutdown (2026-07-08/12): combat-damage.md frontmatter.
- Myomers un-stub (8b36440): decomp-reference.md "INERT un-stub" row.
- Day/night BT_MATPRI (shipped, default-on): rendering.md frontmatter (LOD half kept).
- Fire-trigger path (task #5, 8ed6184): open-questions.md "still gBTWeaponTrigger
  bring-up" (globals retired/never-read).
- HEAT entry FACTUAL fix: "heatLoad -> effectiveRange 0 = overheat cutout" was false
  per aab7a8a -- effectiveRange reads host-zone damage; the real cutout is the
  FailureHeat charge-hold.

Frontmatter open_questions re-pointed at genuinely-open items. VERIFIED NOT stale
(left as-is): multiplayer body-channel-projection notes (a real open [T3] residual
per the coupled-motion section's ~2.9u leg-vs-body snap). Genuinely-open items
(factory roster loops 2-4, subsystem-panel gate, missile cluster, console-death
freeze, gyro tails, etc.) untouched. checkctx CLEAN.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-15 14:35:41 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 ac599c0d2a KB: reconcile STALE peer coupled-motion "COMPLETION PENDING" entry -> DONE (task #50)
The open-questions.md block was the old completion PLAN (ea39af1) and was never
updated after the work actually landed + the residual was root-caused. It
contradicted multiplayer.md (which correctly documents both "Authentic coupled
peer motion -- DONE" and the packet-jitter resolution). Reconciled to DONE:
coupled single-source gait pipeline default-on (c52a1ad/b013742/96a896a/f094d78/
23f1532); the "needs master half" conclusion superseded by 49d73dc (residual
shakiness = single-box packet jitter, a test-rig artifact, fixed with CPU
affinity, user-confirmed -- NOT a game bug). Minor follow-ups (2.9u channel-snap,
decay constant) tracked in multiplayer.md. No code change -- KB currency only.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-15 14:19:43 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 de8f6d02c1 MP: world structures (garages/walls) TARGETABLE -- boresight ray-tests the static collision tree (task #50)
The boresight's non-mech pick only sampled the VISUAL heightfield (BTGroundRayHit),
which on arena1 is a single flat 'sky'-named ground mesh (and class-42 BuildTables
likewise holds only 'sky') -- so shots passed THROUGH the garages/walls and only mechs
moved the HUD range axis (user-reported regression: "buildings used to move the range
axis; now only mechs do, and you can only fire at a peer").

Real fix: the boresight now ALSO ray-tests the ZONE'S STATIC COLLISION SOLID TREE --
the same geometry that already blocks the mech's walk. Authentic engine mechanism:
Mover::FindBoxedSolidHitBy already tests the static world via
zone->GetCollisionRoot()->FindBoundingBoxHitBy(line). Factored its "static world" tail
into Mover::FindStaticSolidHitBy(Line*) (static solids only, no movers), wrapped by
Mech::WorldStructurePick(start,dir,range,&hit) (builds the world-space Line, reads the
entry point back via line->FindEnd since HitByBounded clips line->length=enter).

Boresight pick order is now: closest MECH (PickRayHit, damage zones + lock) -> closest
STRUCTURE (WorldStructurePick; occludes a mech BEHIND it; designates the gBTTerrainEntity
sentinel + entry point, so the range caret reads the structure distance and NO lock ring
draws, mech4.cpp:4529) -> flat ground (BTGroundRayHit) -> sky (fire-at-nothing). Also
un-skips arena1's misnamed-'sky' flat ground so the ground tier works (btvisgnd
geometry-aware skip + [mapent]/[rendent] census).

Verified headless: a BT_WSWEEP horizontal ray-fan on arena1 tracks position (3/24 hits
near the boundary -> 17-21/24 inside the interior garage cluster -> 3/24 past it =
DISCRETE interior solids, not an enclosing box), no crash/assert/AV. Interactive aim
(BTGetAimRay) can't run headless (no window -> noRay), so the sweep is the headless proof;
interactive aim is user-verified.

Note: FindBoundingBoxUnder (the ground/containedByNode BoundingBoxTree) is DOWNWARD-only
(gravity/ground-snap: *height = FindDistanceBelowBounded), useless for a horizontal
boresight; the static SOLID tree's FindBoundingBoxHitBy is the only ray-vs-world query.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-15 10:08:45 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 ea39af1ff6 KB: peer coupled-motion architecture -- completion plan + session landings (task #50)
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 20:00:25 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 e6ad29d648 KB: log the console-death replication-freeze open question (task pending recurrence)
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 09:31:21 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 da80727467 KB: autocannon jam/coolant -- SOLVED from decomp, QA behavior CONFIRMED faithful
Reproduced the QA report end-to-end from the decomp + raw-binary-verified constants.
The coolant-priority effect is real but fire-rate-dependent: at the ~11s combat
cadence, not-boosted jams (T=1058>1000) while boosting the AFC's condenser keeps it
below the line (T=953, no jam) -- exactly as the QA described. Max-spam (8s) overheats
regardless (why the earlier 'weak boost' read was wrong); 16s never jams. All AFC100
constants verified authentic vs BTL4.RES raw bytes (afc_dump.py). No bug, no stand-in.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 07:27:01 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 21abe2212e KB: autocannon jam/coolant-priority -- mechanism is FAITHFUL + COMPLETE (decomp hunt)
Two-agent decomp hunt on the QA report ('AFCs jam on 3rd shot if coolant priority
not boosted'). Conclusion: the whole coolant->jam chain is reconstructed end-to-end
and FAITHFUL -- the weapon's constant coolantFlowScale=1.0 is authentic (only
condensers' 0x15C is written from the valve, via RecomputeCondenserValves over the
condenser chain mech+0x7cc). Authentic mechanism is second-order-in-equation but
first-order-in-outcome: weapon -> its condenser -> bank; boosting a condenser's valve
share (~5x conductance swing) keeps its weapon below degradationTemp -> no jam.
Distinguished the sticky probabilistic jam (degrad 1000, JammedState 5) from the
self-clearing overheat lockout (failure 2000, weaponAlarm 7). Empirically the port is
directionally correct (~4th-shot probabilistic) but not the QA's deterministic 3rd
shot -- a calibration/scenario question pending QA clarification, NOT a stubbed path.
Do not tune the heat economy to force it without ground-truth.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 06:56:34 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 844edbd2aa KB: FX per-zone chain LIVENESS-VERIFIED (BT_CRIT_PROBE solo)
Closed the loop: BT_CRIT_PROBE=8 on solo DEV.EGG drove the full per-zone FX chain
end-to-end -- [zonefx] entity 1:321 seg 12 psfx 12/13 -- proving TakeDamage ->
mechdmg effect loop -> BTStartZoneEffect -> StartEntityEffectImplementation (segment
world-pos resolve) -> BTStartPfxAttached fires live. The 2-node fight harness didn't
engage (mechPicks=0, an MP-harness spawn/connect issue, not FX); BT_CRIT_PROBE is the
reliable solo liveness path.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 06:12:12 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 a198e5fb4a KB: fix my botched FX entry -- the impact/destruction FX chain IS reconstructed
Reverting a wrong 'correction' I just made: I claimed the six L4VIDRND explosion
renderables were STUBBED and 'never draw'. WRONG -- ScalingExplosionRenderable has a
real ctor/Execute body, and the impact/fire/detonation FX were reconstructed in the
Fire VISUALS (48c9c84) + Impact-FX FORENSICS (065c114) waves. The '//STUBBED: DPL RB'
markers I grepped are benign 2007 empty ctor/dtor notes on unrelated renderables
(InnerProjectile/DPLObjectWrapper/ChildLight), not the explosion FX. Only genuine
open item: the chain is not yet liveness-verified headlessly (no solo enemy).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 06:06:45 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 31d338b6ff KB: correct stale StartEntityEffectImplementation entry (dispatcher DONE 2026-07-13)
The per-zone effect dispatcher was reconstructed + wired the same day the audit
flagged it as 'RECOMMENDED NEXT TARGET' -- the entry was never updated. Correct it:
dispatcher done (btl4vid.cpp:889, wired at mechdmg.cpp:1120); the real remaining
FX gap is the six still-STUBBED L4VIDRND scaling-explosion renderable bodies.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 06:01:53 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 8f7b304069 KB: mark authentic per-mech turn-rate DONE (task #64b)
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-14 05:56:48 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 c0a0ec5e69 KB: document the searchlight fog-swap latent bug (task #63, left as-is by decision)
Investigation (workflow) found the searchlight-driven fog swap never worked in the
ORIGINAL 1995 binary either -- it's a latent bug, not a port regression:
SearchlightSimulation (@004b841c) reads requestedOn@0x1E0 (never written) while
ToggleLamp (@004b860c) toggles commandedOn@0x1DC; no bridge exists, so lightState
@0x1D8 is perpetually 0 (lamp never lights). The self-consistent sibling
ThermalSight reads the field it toggles (0x1DC) -- the tell. The port reproduces
the bug faithfully (searchlight.cpp:189). Additionally the port never constructs
PullFogRenderable, so even absent the bug the swap wouldn't fire.

Decision: LEAVE AS-IS + document (faithful to the buggy original); the port keeps
the static lights-ON fog= values. A working swap would DEVIATE from the shipped
binary (repair the sim to read commandedOn + construct PullFogRenderable at the
btl4vid MakeMechRenderables inside pass + a toggle input) -- fully scoped in the KB
if ever wanted. No code change this commit.

Documented in rendering.md (fog section), open-questions.md (deferred subsystems),
subsystems.md (Searchlight). Core per-map/time/weather fog (task #63) is unaffected.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-13 22:04:29 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 12fbc023a8 Combat: MISSILE SPLASH DAMAGE -- Explosion::SplashDamage reconstructed (task #62)
Area-of-effect blast on missile detonation, from the T0 source EXPLODE.cpp:50-254
(@0042fad0) + the arcade decomp. Fires on ANY missile impact (world or mech) --
the +0x360 gate sits in the Missile::Perform collision branch (part_013.c:10097).
Only missiles splash; the AC's tracer is not a Missile.

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) -- NOT
the launcher's ExplosionModelFile (which resolved to 0). Live-resolved radius = 30
for both MP missile launchers; 0 for AC/Emitters.

Burst falloff = baseBurst / dist^exp floored at 1 (arcade 1.25 = decomp 0x3ff40000;
WinTesla EXPLODE.cpp:209 drifted to 1.2f). damageType/amount pass through unchanged;
only burstCount, radial damageForce, and impactPoint are set. Excludes shooter +
direct victim; dist>radius gated; delivered via msgmgr (cross-pod) or Dispatch.

New: BTResolveSplashRadius / BTApplySplashDamage (mech4.cpp), hooked at both the
world-impact and contact detonation paths; BTAmmoRoundModelResource bridge
(ammobin). Env: BT_SPLASH_LOG, BT_SPLASH_TEST (synthetic near-miss), BT_AF_MISSILE
(missile autofire). Verified: near-miss dist=15 -> 1 burst to a bystander; live
missiles detonate + exclude the direct victim; AC does not splash; no crash.

Deferred (T3): per-player enable sub-gate missile+0x360 = BTPlayer+0x264 (writers
read as a per-frame toggle, not a config flag) -- port treats SplashRadius>0 as the
enable. KB: combat-damage.md + open-questions.md updated.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-13 19:06:24 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 4c54f7ef0c Ballistic FX: DAFC muzzle flash + autocannon fire replication (task #61)
The autocannon gains its authentic muzzle effect AND becomes visible when an
enemy fires it -- the ballistic-FX gap behind "I only see the AC from my own
view."

MUZZLE FLASH (the genuine shipped effect, not the cut card):
- MUZFLASH.BGF is an orphaned/cut asset (nothing references it) -- so it is NOT
  rendered.  The shipped projectile-gun muzzle effect is DAFC.PFX, which
  BTDPL.INI documents as "the effect used on all projectile guns" (psfx 6
  external / 14 internal): an orange fire-smoke blast (btfx:firesmoke1),
  maxIssue 25 over ~0.2s so the emitter auto-expires = one burst per shot.
- BTFlashMuzzle (mech4.cpp) spawns it on the gun-port SEGMENT via the existing
  BTStartPfxAttached path; the segment frame sprays -Z out the barrel.  Hooked
  at ProjectileWeapon::FireWeapon (the fire edge).  Default ON (BT_MUZZLE=0
  disables).  AC only -- lasers show their beam, missiles their launch.

ENEMY AC FIRE NOW REPLICATES (the real find):
- ROOT CAUSE: the subsystem-record replication channel EXISTS and works (mech
  ticks subsystem->PerformAndWatch(update_stream); Entity::UpdateMessageHandler
  routes incoming records to GetSimulation(subsystemID-1)->ReadUpdateRecord).
  The emitter (beam) and MissileLauncher (salvo mirror) both call ForceUpdate()
  so their fire serializes -> enemy lasers + missiles ARE visible on the peer.
  The AUTOCANNON set only `simulationFlags |= 0x1` (the +0x28 instance flag,
  NOT the updateModel bit WriteSimulationUpdate walks) and had NO fire record,
  so its shot never crossed the wire -- the enemy's cannon was invisible.
- FIX (the AC twin of the missile salvo mirror): ProjectileWeapon::
  WriteUpdateRecord/ReadUpdateRecord (fire counter + aim) + ForceUpdate() in
  FireWeapon.  The replicant edge-detects the counter and mirrors ONE visual
  round + DAFC muzzle flash from its own resolved muzzle; a null/untargeted aim
  streaks straight out the barrel (launchVelocity) instead of toward origin.
- Verified live 2-node: the watching node logs REPLICANT AC shots + DAFC
  flashes at the enemy's gun-port (seg 7), aimed shots fly to the real target;
  no crashes.

TRACER: all ACs author TracerInterval=1 (every round is a tracer); the existing
amber streak is acceptable-authentic, so no tracer change was needed.

KB: open-questions.md -- CORRECTED the (wrong) earlier note that claimed no
subsystem-record channel exists; it does, the AC just wasn't using it.  Logged
the methodology lesson: the coverage audit finds UNWRITTEN functions, not
"reconstructed but inert" ones (a function present but never called -- the AC
record + the missile mirror both looked done); a LIVENESS audit would catch
that class.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-13 17:23:59 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 267059ab88 Damage economy RECONCILED: 3 stand-ins fixed, 3 paths confirmed authentic (task #60)
Full 5-path audit of the damage economy vs the decomp (5-finder +
adversarial-verify workflow), resolving the KB self-contradiction the
binary-coverage audit flagged.

CONFIRMED AUTHENTIC as-is (no change needed):
- Energy beam (emitter.cpp): damagePortion = authored DamageAmount x
  (charge/seekV)^2; the ctor x1e7 and fire x1e-7 cancel (_DAT_004bafbc
  dumped from the exe = x87 80-bit 1e-7 exactly).
- Autocannon (projweap.cpp): full authored DamageAmount from resource
  +0x19C delivered unmodified; the 0.0625 at :667 is the shooter's own
  gyro recoil, not the round.
- Zone-armor BASE model: damageLevel += amount x damageScale[type]
  (engine DAMAGE.cpp:379, called mechdmg.cpp:427), legs x0.5, 1.0=dead.

3 STAND-INS FIXED (all byte-verified against the decomp):
- A. mechdmg.cpp:451 -- read the phantom `stance` member (no binary
  offset, zero writers -> perma-0), so the leg-shot-out -> fall/death
  branch was DEAD. Now MovementMode() (mech+0x40, @part_012.c:6910).
- B. mechdmg.cpp:458 -- guarded the leg partial-failure graphic on the
  always-0 IsAirborne() stub where the binary calls IsDisabled()
  (@0049fb54 = movementMode 2||9). On a wreck the binary SUPPRESSES the
  write; the stub let it corrupt graphicAlarm 9->4/3 -- the task-#52
  wreck-graphic bug, now fixed AT SOURCE (was only masked by the
  IsMechDestroyed latch).
- C. mech4.cpp:1551 -- flat kShotDamage=12 fed as the kill-score
  damageAmount (the KB self-contradiction: task #8 claimed it retired,
  but it was live). The score handler @0x4c02e4 derives the whole kill
  award from it, so every kill scored identically regardless of weapon.
  Now lastInflictingDamage -- the real killing-blow magnitude, latched
  in TakeDamageMessageHandler (mech.cpp:624), mirroring the per-hit path
  (mech4.cpp:1207). The phantom `int stance` slot is reused for the new
  Scalar member (size-neutral, no layout shift); init 0 in the ctor.

DEFERRED (task #60-D, documented): the missile CLUSTER model -- the port
fires N flying rounds (net armor total authentic) vs the binary's ONE
missile with a random burstCount cluster roll (loses cluster variance +
single-zone concentration). Blocked on an OPEN decomp semantic (does
burstCount multiply armor or only the gyro kick? settle at FUN_004bef78
-> FUN_004be078 -> EXPLODE.cpp:209-210).

VERIFIED live: clean build; 2-node fight -> clean center-mass kill (no
crash, kills 0->1); [zone-armor] dump confirms per-zone armor 50-140 +
legs x0.5. NB the displayed POINTS score still reads 0 -- a SEPARATE
open gap (scoreAward + role/team/tonnage multipliers unwired); fix C
corrected the damage INPUT to that formula.

KB swept: open-questions.md (self-contradiction resolved + task #60
summary + deferred missile item), combat-damage.md (damageScale is
type-indexed not even/odd; task-#52 source fix; kill-score section),
RECONCILE.md (missile = ONE spawn not N), stale comments in mechweap.cpp
(SendDamageMessage is LIVE), mislanch.hpp, mechdmg.cpp (FUN_0049fb54 =
IsDisabled).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-13 15:38:04 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 2e9c78d604 Gait: the AUTHENTIC walk lean -- interior/exterior clip sets, level cockpit + leaning mechs (task #59)
The MadCat (and every leg-mech) leans -8deg into a walk / -11deg into a run --
an authored jointhip (hingex) pose in the EXTERIOR gait clips that the walk/run
CYCLE clips never rebind, so it HOLDS.  The 1995 game keeps a separate INTERIOR
('i'-suffix) clip set for the mech you PILOT: those shake jointshakey (cockpit
rattle) and OMIT jointhip, so your own view stays level while everyone else sees
you lean.  The port had this entirely dead -- the local cockpit mech pitched
-8deg into the ground (user-reported "staring at the ground").

ROOT CAUSE (two stacked bugs):
- The authentic ctor clip-set gate (@part_012.c:10308-10320) was reconstructed
  as no-op stubs: LoadLowDetailBody/LoadHighDetailBody MISLABELED the
  FUN_004a80d4/86c8 GAIT-CLIP loader addresses as a "body LOD" pair, so the gate
  did nothing and a separate unconditional LoadLocomotionClips always loaded
  EXTERIOR clips.
- LoadLocomotionClipsExt (the interior loader) was a stub aliased to the
  exterior loader.

FIX:
- Reconstructed the real 4-char INTERIOR loader (byte-exact vs @004a86c8; the
  'i'-suffix table dumped from the exe @0x10d74d: swri/wwri/wwli/...; all 18
  base clips confirmed present in BTL4.RES for mad/blh/ava).
- Fixed the ctor gate: getenv("L4VIEWEXT") || (instanceFlags&0xC)==4 -> exterior
  (replicant / forced external view); else -> interior (local cockpit master).
  Removed the mislabeling no-op stubs.
- PORT ADAPTATION (MaintainViewClipSet, per-frame in PerformAndWatch): the port
  never sets the replicant COPY bit (all MP mechs build as local masters --
  heat-sim/scoring/torso-watcher-connect all run on both, by design), so the
  ctor gate lands everyone on interior.  Pick the set by VIEWPOINT instead: the
  mech you pilot keeps interior (level cockpit), every other mech flips once to
  exterior (the lean).  Reloads only on a viewpoint-status change; the sets
  share stride data so the swap is seamless.  Model pointers stashed at ctor.

VERIFIED live (BT_HIP_LOG probe): your walking mech writes jointhip=0 (level);
the peer's replica in the other pod's view leans at exactly -8.0/-11.1deg --
the authored clip values.  A/B control: L4VIEWEXT=1 forces the walking master
back to 74 sustained -8/-11 writes.

KB: locomotion.md ("NO walk lean" audit conclusion CORRECTED -- the lean is
authored + sustained + clip-set-specific), asset-formats.md (.ANI parses
pitch/yaw/roll for all joint types; KeyJointPos translation; cycle clips carry
no pitch), open-questions.md (item closed).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-13 14:46:22 -05:00
arcattackandClaude Fable 5 02cdfd6576 Torso: the TWIST goes LIVE -- electrical watchdog chain, centered crosshair, coherent controls (task #57/#58)
The MadCat torso twists, the view turns with it, and targeting follows.
Three reconstruction fronts closed:

THE ELECTRICAL WATCHDOG CHAIN (why the torso never powered up):
- PowerWatcher::UpdateWatch reconstructed (@004b181c, the REAL registered
  Performance -- PTR @0050f5fc; Ghidra missed the fn start): the watchdog
  MIRRORS the watched subsystem's electrical level (+0x278), brownout
  downgrade when gen output <= minVoltage% x rated.  @004b1804 relabeled
  ResetToInitialState (slot 10) -- the old "Simulation" tag was wrong.
- The factory watcher-CONNECT pass reconstructed (vtable slot +0x38,
  @004aee2c/@004b1a40 byte-identical, recovered from raw exe bytes):
  watchedLink.Add(roster[watchedSubsystem]) on the master node.  Was the
  SubProxy::Start() no-op -- every watchdog sat at 0 forever.
- MinVoltageScale = 0.01 (a 10-byte x87 literal @0x4b1924; was 1.0f =
  permanent brownout) and PowerWatcher's Derivation chains its REAL base
  HeatWatcher (the HeatableSubsystem stand-in broke IsDerivedFrom for the
  whole Torso/Searchlight/ThermalSight family).
- KB correction swept: derivation tag 0x50e604 = HEATWATCHER (not
  "HeatSink"); the btl4gaug heat-widget gate now tests it via the
  BTIsHeatWatcher bridge.

THE CROSSHAIR (task #58 forensics, 6-agent workflow + live probes):
- The VIEW is TORSO-MOUNTED: jointtorso -> jointeye -> siteeyepoint in
  every twist-capable .SKL; the camera + canopy ride the same hinge
  subtree through HingeRenderable's live matrix-stack compose -- ALREADY
  WORKING in the port.  The crosshair stays screen-centered (center IS
  the boresight); the twist reads on the tape carets/compass/radar.
- The real bug was the port's gBTAimX = tan(twist) slew (the falsified
  "body-mounted view" model): the camera already carried the twist, so
  the crosshair counter-slid to hull-forward and the fire ray with it.
  Deleted; the pick ray inherits the twist from the yawing eye basis.
- Two instrumentation traps documented (chase-eye-as-default-camera,
  BT_FORCE_TORSO clobbering real joints -> the hook now only fills
  unresolved ones); an over-correcting explicit eye compose was added on
  those false readings and retired the same day.

CONTROLS + REPLICATION:
- Q/E spring-center on release (the axis is a twist-RATE demand; the old
  hold-deflection model drifted forever); X also zeroes the axis and
  pulses the authentic torso Recenter (@004b6918).  M cycles control
  mode via the real CycleControlMode body.
- Torso update-record DIRECTION fixed: engine truth is Write=serialize /
  Read=apply; @004b6a78 is the READ (was mislabeled Write) and the
  missing WRITE @004b6a1c recovered from raw disasm (recordLength 0x1C,
  twist/vel/rate at +0x10/14/18) -- kills the replicant's 0xCDCDCDCD
  -140-degree ghost twist.
- Marching-ghost desync: 4 Standing-case guards zero stale reverse
  cycleSpeed (negative cadence passed the <= ZeroSpeed stop gate).
- Kill credit rerouted to the OBSERVED killer (lastInflictingID ->
  killer's player link) -- kills count, target K/D populates.

KB: subsystems.md (watcher chain), multiplayer.md (record direction),
combat-damage.md + gauges-hud.md + cockpit-view.md (torso-mounted view
re-correction), decomp-reference.md (new addresses + tag fix),
open-questions.md (dead capability-roster loops 2-4, snapshot CD read).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-13 13:27:49 -05:00