The pre-mission overlay painted the window DC AFTER ExecuteIdle's
Present -- every cycle flashed the black D3D frame before the GDI
redraw, visible as flicker while the game loads (user report). The
overlay now lands IN the presented frame: the backbuffer refuses GetDC
on this driver (D3DERR_INVALIDCALL without LOCKABLE_BACKBUFFER, not
worth forcing game-wide), so the text+spinner GDI-paint goes into a
cached offscreen plain surface (GetDC always legal there) and
StretchRects onto the backbuffer before Present. D3DPOOL_DEFAULT cache
released at every device-Reset site; window-DC path remains for the
pre-device seat wait and as the fallback; one-shot [waitscreen] boot log
says which path is live.
Verified: 14 rapid PrintWindow captures of the waiting state all carry
the text (pre-fix runs alternated black frames).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The operator no longer has to match the roster row count to the exact
player count (or watch the "empty seats will STALL" warning). Two
mechanisms:
1. PRESENCE BEACONS: the pod keeps its seat-request TCP connection open
for the process lifetime; the relay reads a live beacon as "seated"
and a pre-claim FIN frees the seat (no ghost seats -- a ghost stalls
every pod at the connection gate). Reservation expiry spares
beaconed seats.
2. TRIM-ON-LAUNCH (manual/GUI mode): operator LAUNCH before the roster
fills shrinks the session to the seats present -- egg [pilots]/pages
trimmed, seat ids REMAPPED by position (pods re-derive their host id
from their tag's roster position, so walk-up prefs and beacons re-key
consistently), roster/expected_ids shrink, eggs release, the launch
pair fires as ACKs land.
GUI: roster rows now update LIVE from the walk-up requests (SEAT n
PRESENT/FREED lines -> callsign/mech cells + a blue "seated" status
light), and LAUNCH MISSION enables from the first seated player with a
"starts with whoever is here" banner.
Verified 2-node: 2-of-4 trim ran the mission with the requested mechs;
and the mid-roster GAP case -- three joined, the middle player quit
pre-launch (beacon FIN freed the seat), trim remapped seat 4->3 with the
survivor's callsign/mech following, both survivors registered under the
remapped ids and ran the mission. Also: stdin reader guarded against
sys.stdin=None spawn shapes (the GUI QProcess pipe is the supported
operator channel).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The 1995 front-desk conversation, over the internet. join.bat/
join_lan.bat now open a JOIN-GAME menu (the FE in BT_FE_JOIN trim:
CALLSIGN edit + the 18-mech list + JOIN); the choice relaunches into the
normal join with BT_CALLSIGN/BT_MECH env, rides the relay SEAT_REQUEST
as {callsign NUL mech NUL} (empty payload = roster defaults, wire-
compatible), and the relay validates the mech tag, HOLDS egg delivery
until every pod's console pad is connected, rewrites the egg via
eggmodel (vehicle= + rasterized callsign bitmaps, graceful no-PySide6
fallback) and streams it to all pads -- so every player's egg copy
carries every player's callsign.
The hold is gated on CONSOLE-PAD count, not game-side registration: a
pod HELLOs only after parsing the egg's roster, so a registration gate
deadlocks (hit live in the first run; pods animate in WAITING FOR
MISSION ASSIGNMENT during the hold).
Verified 2-node e2e (env-injected requests): thor/vulture requested over
roster defaults bhk1/ava1 -> relay held 1/2, released at 2/2, rewrote
both seats (relay log), the delivered egg carries vehicle=thor/vulture +
name=VIPER/MONGOOSE, both pods launched and built [cyl] tables for both
requested mechs. Join-menu layout screenshot-verified; the menu's
click-through relaunch awaits live human verification.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Distributed test zips go stale and stray. BT_EXPIRE (CMake option,
DEFAULT ON so a zip can never accidentally ship without it) makes the
exe refuse to start BT_EXPIRE_DAYS (default 14) after its build day:
boot logs the remaining window, an expired build logs + shows a
"test build expired -- ask the operator for the current build" box and
exits. btversion.h now stamps BT_BUILD_UNIX (UTC-midnight-rounded so
the only-on-change header churns once per day, not every build) +
BT_BUILD_DATE. Dev is unaffected: every build re-stamps the day.
-DBT_EXPIRE=OFF builds a non-expiring exe; mkdist reads the cache and
marks such a zip "-noexpire" + prints a warning, and the tester README
expiry note is {EXPIRE}-marker-gated like the steam lines. Second
compile-gate exception after BT_STEAM (convention updated in
glass-cockpit.md). Quality gate, not DRM -- a clock rollback defeats it.
Verified live: default build logs "test build window: 14 day(s) left";
a -DBT_EXPIRE_DAYS=0 build logs TEST BUILD EXPIRED and parks on the
explanation box (window title checked) without starting the game;
restored to 14 and rebuilt clean.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
For the 8-player playtest. Damage authority is VICTIM-side, so no single
peer sees the whole match: every -net instance now writes a compact
machine-parseable matchlog_<date>_<time>_<pid>.txt (auto-armed by -net;
BT_MATCHLOG=1/0 overrides; solo silent), and at mission end a relay-mode
pod dials the relay game port (the seat-request throwaway-dial pattern,
envelope route -9) and streams the file back -- the relay saves every
peer's copy under matchlogs/ on the operator's machine, so testers send
nothing by hand. tools/matchcheck.py <dir> reconciles all of them:
damage claimed (FIRE/PROJ/SPLASH/RAM, shooter-side) vs applied (DMG,
victim-side authoritative), kill/death replication across observers,
PLAYER_DEAD counts, scores, version skew, replicant-application and
unattributed-damage anomalies, mid-mission disconnects.
Hooks at the authoritative sites: Mech::TakeDamageMessageHandler (DMG,
post-base, zone + post-application damageLevel), MechWeapon::
SendDamageMessage (FIRE), projectile impact/splash/collision dispatch
(PROJ/SPLASH/RAM), wreck entry (DEATH -- a ONE-SHOT latch at
MovementMode 9, NOT the transition: a replicant arrives at 9 straight
from the type-6 record header and never runs the transition branch),
BTPlayer vehicle/death/score handlers (VEHICLE/PLAYER_DEAD/SCORE), zone
crit cascade (CRIT), APP.cpp RunningMission (MISSION), L4NET host
handlers (PEER_UP/PEER_DOWN). Every line t=/w=/st=-stamped + fflushed.
Verified 2-node: mesh run pairs A's 22 FIRE 1:1 with B's 22 DMG (same
amounts, cylinder-resolved zones, ~200ms latency); force-damage kill run
logs 103 DMG + 3 DEATH inst=M + 3 PLAYER_DEAD across three respawn
cycles victim-side and the kill SCOREs shooter-side; relay-mode run
auto-uploaded BOTH peers' files at the mission-clock stop and matchcheck
produced the full report with exactly one (correct) anomaly -- the force
hook's claim-less damage, the unattributed-damage detector working.
Relay gained a route-specific 8MB cap for the upload frame (game frames
stay capped at 1600).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Root cause of the keymap whack-a-mole: three input layers exist (PadRIO/
bindings.txt under glass; btinput/CONTROLS.MAP under DEV; the bring-up
drive bridge also under DEV, which clobbers e.g. Alt-reverse every frame),
and DEV was the DEFAULT -- so every launcher that forgot BT_PLATFORM=glass
booted the old stack: the play bats, then play_steam, then the operator
console's local instances, each fixed with the same one line.
Omission can't resurrect it now: with no BT_PLATFORM, desktop boots GLASS
(and the menu on a zero-arg launch -- bare double-click of btl4.exe opens
the mission menu). BT_PLATFORM=dev explicitly opts into the legacy DEV
profile for debugging. BT_PLATFORM=pod is the cabinet profile; the real
pod's SETENV.BAT must set it (contract recorded in glass-cockpit.md --
the old "bare boot == cabinet shape" menu-guard assumption is retired).
Verified: no-env mission launch boots GLASS; bare no-env launch opens the
MENU; BT_PLATFORM=dev boots DEV.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Source archaeology (the per-file modification tables in the surviving
headers) surfaced six programmer initials: JM, ECH, CPB, GDU, JMA, GAH.
Read to VWE veterans on the project Discord (2026-07-21), VGL Lynx --
who watched the first multiplayer Thor walk terrain on a Red Planet map --
identified them: Jim Albertson, Eric Nichols (uncertain), Chris Brewer,
Gabe Underwood, Joanna Mason (mapping inferred), Garth Hermanson; hardware
initials MC = Marek Ciolek (AC unresolved), via Cyd.
Team size per Lynx: dev ~8, art ~6, MUNGA by a smaller parallel internal
team with crossovers, no outsourcing. Identifications marked T3 (oral
history, as-typed spellings) against the T0 initials; a corrections
invitation is included. Linked from context/project-overview.md.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The tester's ER small laser died permanently (recharge arc + ready dot dark,
no fire) after idle seek-gear clicking. Root cause, byte-verified + headless-
reproduced -- a latent bug in the SHIPPED ARCADE BINARY:
- The charge integrates toward the GENERATOR voltage (@004ba838), not the
gear target; "full" is only detected inside the +-1% snap window around
seekVoltage[idx] (@004ba738), and overcharge reads ZERO (the byte-verified
_DAT_004ba830 = 0.0 clamp).
- Toggle seek while a charge is in flight and the level can land ABOVE the
new gear's window: rechargeLevel pins to 0, the ==1.0 Loaded test can
never fire, and charging continues to the generator ceiling where EVERY
gear reads overcharged. Permanent brick; generator reselect cannot help.
- The arcade dodged it by circumstance (locked 60 fps, rare seek use); the
port's clickable seek button hits it in seconds of casual clicking.
Fix (marked divergence in the Loading tick): overcharge counts as fully
charged -> Loaded. The arcade's own discharge algebra says full == the
gear's seek voltage, so an overcharged weapon IS full.
Verified: the same 2.5-min BT_SEEKTEST abuse that bricked the laser pre-fix
now fires 38 overcharge rescues and ends Loaded/pct=1. [seek] log now also
prints the per-gear voltage table + gen voltages (diagnosis instrumentation).
Ruled out on the way (documented in #21): overheat fuse (no firing occurred;
a 4-min autofire+coolant-abuse run wouldn't fuse), generator detach (gen
cycling + healthy siblings), seek-table corruption (table {6000,7000,8000,
9900} healthy).
KB: decomp-reference.md records the arcade-latent-bug analysis.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Third instance of the silent-swallow pattern (unregistered handler id ->
Receiver NullHandler). The Mech handler table @0x50BDF8 binds
{0x16, "BalanceCoolant" -> @0049f728}; the reconstruction never registered it.
Disasm-verified body (@0049f728): press-only guard (msg+0xc > 0; the binary
has NO novice lockout on this one), set EVERY condenser's valveState@0x1D0
to 1 (equal weights), then the shared redistribute @0049f788 -- which the
port ALREADY had faithfully as BTRecomputeCondenserValves (flow =
valve/total + condenserAlarm pulse; MoveValve calls it). So the fix is:
- mech.hpp/mech.cpp: BalanceCoolantMessageID=0x16 + handler + MESSAGE_ENTRY
- heatfamily_reslice.cpp: BTBalanceCondenserValves bridge (Condenser is a
complete type there; sets valves to 1 + redistributes)
- mech4.cpp: BT_BALTEST scripted harness (MoveValve press alternating with
a Balance press)
VERIFIED headless (BT_BALTEST=1 BT_VALVE_LOG=1):
boot -> all valves 1, flows 0.1667 each
MoveValve-> condenser#1 valve 5, flows 0.5 / 0.1x5 (the priority boost)
BALANCE -> all valves 1, flows 0.1667 each (equalized)
Awaiting the tester's live ADV-mode confirmation.
KB: decomp-reference.md Mech-table row marked wired.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Root cause -- NOT issue #2 (the experience mis-seed pins everyone to VETERAN,
which PASSES the novice lockout; the gates were never the blocker). Two
unwired handlers, the same silent-swallow pattern ToggleCooling had
(Receiver::Receive -> NullHandler for an unregistered id):
- Myomers (handler table @0x51158C {9,"ToggleSeekVoltage"@004b8a48}): the
reconstruction had an EMPTY stub (the address falls in the untagged decomp
gap 0x4b8837..0x4b8a8c) and never registered the id. Body reconstructed
faithfully from the raw disassembly (tools/disas2.py 0x4b8a48): novice
lockout (@4ac9c8) -> heat-model gate (@4ad7d4) -> press-only (msg+0xc>0) ->
currentSeekVoltageIndex@0x320 = (idx+1) % (maxSeekVoltageIndex@0x32C + 1).
Modulo from zero, min index not consulted, no ResetFiringState.
- Emitter (energy-weapon table @0x511DB8 {0xb,"ToggleSeekVoltage"@004ba478}):
the faithful body already existed as the orphaned "AdvanceSeekVoltage"
(ZERO callers) -- converted to the registered message handler (same guards;
cycle + ResetFiringState when not wrapping, disasm re-verified). PPC and
GaussRifle copy-inherit the set; the ammo branch keeps its own id 0xb ==
EjectAmmo (still unwired, tracked separately).
Both registered via MESSAGE_ENTRY on top of the inherited chains. Permanent
diagnostics: [seek] gear log (BT_SEEK_LOG) + BT_SEEKTEST scripted dispatch
harness (mech4.cpp, the cooltoggle pattern).
VERIFIED headless: [seek] Myomers -> 3,0,1,2,3... and [seek] PPC_1 ->
3,0,1,2,3... (modulo-4 wrap, matching the binary's arithmetic). Awaiting
the tester's live ADV-mode confirmation for the real MFD button route (the
routing layer is the same streamed-EventMapping path ToggleCooling verified).
KB: decomp-reference.md message-table rows marked wired.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The unification flattened BT_STEAM into the always-on exe; the user flagged
the constraint that makes it the one legitimate compile gate: the Steamworks
SDK license bars a public release with Steam inside, so a release build must
exclude it entirely.
- CMakeLists: option(BT_STEAM OFF) restored around the Steamworks block --
an OFF configure touches no SDK headers, no steam_api.lib, no DLL copy.
BT_GLASS stays retired (always defined); ONE build dir either way.
Dev checkout: build/ configured once with -DBT_STEAM=ON.
- mkdist: reads BT_STEAM from build/CMakeCache.txt. Steam-OFF zips exclude
play_steam.bat + steam_api.dll (explicitly filtering a STALE DLL left by
an earlier ON build), strip the README steam section ({STEAM} line
markers), and take a -nosteam name suffix so the flavors never clobber
(found live: both stamped 4.11.436 and the release zip overwrote the dev
zip).
Verified both flavors:
ON (dev build): steam smoke degrades to Winsock without the client;
zip carries play_steam.bat + steam_api.dll + README steam lines.
OFF (scratch build-relcheck, deleted after): 0 compile errors; exe dir =
btl4.exe + OpenAL32.dll only; boots + simulates; BT_STEAM_NET=1 inert
(transport not in the binary); end-to-end zip has zero steam bits and
a clean README.
KB: context/glass-cockpit.md unified-build section records the license gate.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The three build dirs (build\ pod, build-glass\, build-steam\) were compile-
time splits of the same game; the tax was real: a stale steam exe shipped 2
days behind, the felt keymap flipped with the boot flavor, and cockpit
clicks were silently dead in the pod build (the trigger-config incident).
Now everything compiles into the single build\ exe:
- CMakeLists: BT_GLASS/BT_STEAM options removed; the glass TUs (PadRIO,
bindings, panel, glass windows, plasma) + FE/console + Steam transport
compile unconditionally; both macros always defined (seam markers).
- Steam: steam_api.lib linked with /DELAYLOAD:steam_api.dll + delayimp --
the DLL maps only when SteamAPI is first called, and every call site
gates on BT_STEAM_NET=1 (BTSteamNet_* short-circuit on steamActive), so
machines without the DLL run everything but Steam sessions.
- CABINET GUARD (btl4main): the miniconsole menu previously claimed any
zero-arg launch -- unified, that would hijack the pod cabinet's boot
shape. The menu now requires BT_PLATFORM=glass (or BT_FE_MENU=1);
platform parse moved above the fe_menu_mode computation. A bare boot
behaves exactly like the old pod build (DEV profile, wait for egg).
- Bats (play_solo/join/join_lan/play_steam) + the btoperator.py template:
single build\ path + BT_PLATFORM=glass. mkdist: one exe (+DLL scan
picks up OpenAL32 + steam_api). build-glass\/build-steam\/build-glass2\
(a stale Jul-20 cache) deleted.
Verified matrix on the unified exe:
bare zero-arg boot == old pod exe (same DEV profile + egg-load path;
the segfault on a missing egg is pre-existing, baselined vs the zip exe)
glass + BT_BTNTEST scripted click -> [cfgmap] ENTER/EXIT (trigger config)
runs with steam_api.dll ABSENT (delay-load proven)
glass zero-arg -> miniconsole menu
2-node loopback MP: 145 ticks each, cross-connected
BT_STEAM_NET=1 without Steam client -> "staying on Winsock", game runs
KB: context/glass-cockpit.md compile-gates section rewritten for the
unified model.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
context/glass-cockpit.md: record the BT_PLATFORM=glass/PadRIO click gating
(the dead-clicks root cause), the verified live regroup loop, the [cfgmap]/
BT_BTNTEST diagnostics, and the one-keymap settlement (babf5b1).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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>
context/gauges-hud.md: record [this+0xA0]=fillColor(green)/[this+0xA4]=
backgroundColor(black), the zone colours, and the swapped-colour bug that
rendered the remainder green. Commit 4fbc911.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
context/gauges-hud.md: new section on the TEMP/STATUS bar's three-zone tiled
render (@004c4340) and the port bug where Execute solid-filled from warnPix and
ignored the tile image. Commit 4d4436e.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
context/gauges-hud.md: new section on BallisticWeaponCluster::DrawWarningLamp
(@004c9b50) swapping the ammo NumericDisplayInteger colours by the fire-ready
dot state (green-on-black when absent, black-cut-out when present), and the
port bug where only the non-virtual base existed. Commit 66dcdf2.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The eng-page generator-voltage bar (evolt.pcc, ScalarBarGauge @004c721c) and
the MyomerCluster seek-voltage graph were fed by GeneratorVoltageConnection,
which walked the same dead path as the generator-letter lamp:
ResolveLink(AttributePointerOf(subsystem,"InputVoltage")) -> read resolved
+0x1DC == Generator::outputVoltage. The BT_DEV_GAUGES audio attribute rows
shifted the chained attribute ids so AttributePointerOf no longer lands on
voltageSource@0x1D0 -> the bar always read 0.
New BTGeneratorVoltage(subsystem) bridge (powersub.cpp) reads the NAMED member
via PoweredSubsystem::ResolveVoltageSource()->Generator::MeasuredVoltage()
(outputVoltage@0x1DC), bypassing the attribute table -- same pattern as
BTPowerSourceFrame/BTCoolingLoopFrame. Both GeneratorVoltageConnection callers
(the ScalarBarGauge param + the MyomerCluster seekValue) now pass subsystem_in.
[voltfeed]-verified: Myomers -> 10000V from GeneratorD (was 0 on the dead
path). Both pod + glass builds clean. Eng-page render awaiting live playtest.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
User confirmed live (pod build, solo ARENA1 cockpit) that the loop-number
and generator-letter boxes render correctly on the weapon MFD panels.
Fix commit e634709.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
context/gauges-hud.md: new section recording the color-drop + shadow-field +
attribute-table-shift fixes for the btploop/btpbus lamps (commit e634709),
with the lesson that gauge value feeds must read named members through a
complete-type bridge, not AttributePointerOf+ResolveLink. Notes the eng-page
GeneratorVoltageConnection as the remaining sibling on the old path.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The #2 audit (BT_CTRLMAP_LOG) proves the Eng-page button->msg-3 route was always
authored (121-mapping L4 ControlMappingsList, ~a dozen EVENT msg 0x3 entries;
weapons via Eng-page aux elem 0x21 mask-gated per ModeMFD page). It was "silently
dead" ONLY for lack of the id-3 handler, which the prior commit wired -- so coolant
priority via the MFD "Display -> Coolant" button now works end-to-end. (The
mask-0xffffffff msg-3 entries at 0x12/0x14 go to ThermalSight/Searchlight on the
PowerWatcher branch -- separate, untouched, no collision.)
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Coolant priority (Lynx: weapon MFD -> Display -> Coolant) was unreachable: the
ToggleCooling handler (@004ad6f8, HeatableSubsystem table @0x50E41C id 3) was
undefined AND the handler chain skipped it -- PoweredSubsystem::GetMessageHandlers
chained straight to the Receiver root, bypassing HeatSink/HeatableSubsystem, so a
weapon's dispatch never saw id 3.
Reconstructed ToggleCooling from the disassembly (tools/disas2.py 0x4ad6f8): a
per-subsystem coolant on/off TOGGLE -- novice-locked (owner->BTPlayer->
roleClassIndex+0x274==0, the same guard as MoveValve), press-only, then flip
coolantAvailable(+0x134) 0<->1 and coolantFlowScale(+0x15C) 0.0f<->1.0f. Cutting a
system's cooling frees the shared loop for the rest -- the emergent "coolant
priority" (the mechanism is a toggle, not a multi-level cycle).
- heat.hpp / heatfamily_reslice.cpp: HeatSink::ToggleCoolingMessageHandler (id 3)
+ HeatSink::GetMessageHandlers. Registered at HeatSink (the abstract
HeatableSubsystem never instantiates; every concrete heatable subsystem is a
HeatSink, where the coolant fields live) -- identical coverage to the binary's
base-table registration, no downcast.
- powersub.cpp + Condenser/Reservoir: chain their handler sets through
HeatSink::GetMessageHandlers so id 3 reaches every heatable subsystem.
- mech4.cpp: BT_COOLTOGGLE_TEST scripted inject (dispatch id 3 to the first weapon)
for verification.
Verified (BT_COOLTOGGLE_TEST + BT_COOL_LOG, expert egg): "[cool] PPC_1 ToggleCooling
reached" then coolant OFF(flow 0.0) <-> ON(flow 1.0) each press -- chain routes,
handler toggles, novice guard honored. Both build/ + build-glass/ compile clean;
existing ids 4-8 unaffected (found before id 3). NEXT: the #2 MFD button routing.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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>
Under BT_DEV_GAUGES the DEFAULT is now the pod-faithful cockpit surround: the 3D
world CENTERED with the six gauge surfaces composited AROUND it in the single main
window at 1/2 native scale, plus clickable RIO button lamps. Iterated as a visual
reference with the user, then landed in the engine.
- L4VB16.cpp/.h: BTCockpitLayout + BTCockpitComputeLayout (layout single source of
truth, computed from the backbuffer canvas); BTDrawCockpitPanels (band fill ->
button lamp quads -> 9-entry surface loop, phosphor-green mono / amber palette
sec, Eng-sibling slot map -> GDI-atlas flight labels; D3DSBT_ALL state-block
isolation = the floating-rocks trap); BTCockpitMouseDown/Up (client->bb hit-test
+ glass press/release/right-latch contract); BTApplyWorldViewport + DevGaugeDocked
cockpit branches; shared BTLampBrightnessOf inline. Hooked at the top of
BTDrawGaugeInset (before BT_SHOT, so shots include it).
- btl4main.cpp: glass preset (cockpit default, per-display panels opt-in); mode
resolution -> gBTGaugeCockpit with work-area-clamped window sizing (-res = view
size); WndProc WM_L/RBUTTON routing.
- L4VIDEO.cpp: BTWorldAspectOf cockpit branch (view rect on-screen aspect).
- L4VIDRND.cpp: CameraShipHUDRenderable::Render made viewport-relative.
Buttons = the L4GLASSWIN address banks x0.5 (Heat 0x2F, Mfd2 0x27, Comm 0x37, Mfd1
0x0F, Mfd3 0x07 red; radar rails 0x10-0x1B yellow; flight 0x38-0x47 blue, labeled).
Full rect is the hit target; the surface draws over it so only the lamp edge shows.
Precedence: BT_GLASS_PANELS=1 stands cockpit down > BT_COCKPIT=1 > _WINDOW/_DOCK
opt-out > cockpit default; BT_COCKPIT=0 = dock-bottom. Green tunable via
BT_COCKPIT_TINT. Renders in ALL builds; only the PadRIO click/lamp seam is
BT_GLASS-gated.
Verified (awaiting playtest): both build/ + build-glass/ compile (0 error C);
glass BT_SHOT matches the mockup; 500-click storm during a live mission survived
(Gitea #18 Receiver-gap fix holds); BT_COCKPIT=0 dock-bottom unregressed;
BT_GLASS_PANELS=1 stands cockpit down; pod build renders the panels.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Clicking a per-display glass Engineering panel button (0x21 on an Eng page)
hard-crashed via a wild call through an uninitialised pointer (eip=cdcdcdcd
debug / 0x01048748 release), zero btl4 frames above Receiver::Receive.
Root cause is the dense message-handler-table gap hazard (reconstruction-
gotchas #11), the message-side twin of the attribute-table one -- NOT a /FORCE
unresolved external (the glass link log carried only the known-benign mech3.obj
CreateStreamedSubsystem set). Receiver::MessageHandlerSet::Find(id) returns
messageHandlers[id-1].entryHandler for any id <= entryCount with no populated-
check, and Receive() calls it when != NullHandler. The streamed Eng-page .CTL
dispatches subsystem msg id 3/0xb to whatever subsystem is shown; a weapon
(Emitter) registers only PoweredSubsystem 4-8 + MechWeapon 9-10, so id 3 is a
gap below entryCount 10. Build did new HandlerEntry[entryCount] and left gaps
uninitialised -> (this->*garbage)(msg). The 1995 binary has the identical non-
zeroing new[] (part_002.c Build) and survived only on fresh-heap-zero luck: a
weapon receiving id 3 was always meant to IGNORE it (id 3 = a Condenser/
Reservoir action in a different subsystem branch; the uniform Eng-page button
template makes buttons for unimplemented actions authentically inert). The new
per-display windows just made the id reachable live.
Fix (engine, class-wide, faithful): Build now null-inits every slot
(entryID=0/entryName=""/entryHandler=NullHandler) before copying inherited /
placing supplied, so a gap is deterministically NullHandler -> Receive drops it
(the authentic "Receiver ignores unhandled messages"), with an empty never-NULL
name so the name-based Find() strcmp can't deref a gap. Correct dispatch
contract, not a glass-path guard -> protects the whole dead-button class (#14).
Also lands the [glasswin] CLICK crash-forensics log (names the button before
dispatch).
Verified under cdb: click-soaked every MFD bank (Engineering/L+R Weapons/Heat/
Comm, ~130 clicks through Quad<->Eng page cycles) -> zero AVs, reconstructed
mapper preset selects still fire ([mode] preset (1,1)/(2,1)...); pod build +
solo mission un-regressed.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
One window per pod display (Heat/Engineering/Comm/Weapons x2/radar +
Flight Controls), each carrying its surface with its RIO button bank
arranged pod-faithfully; CPU-expanded surfaces, buttons under the
imagery. Runtime gate BT_GLASS_PANELS (=0 = the legacy single panel).
Merged on top of today's landed fix pile (audio-crash, experience,
parallax); the L4PADRIO overlap with the gait-detent commit resolved
preserving BOTH (his window refactor + our at-rest band snap).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
# Conflicts:
# context/glass-cockpit.md
PARALLAX (#16): the pick/fire ray was anchored at mech.y+5.0 (a port
improvisation) while the sight line ran from the eyepoint (y=6.23) --
two parallel rays whose constant offset grew into the reported low-miss
as range closed (measured ry +0.072 @50u -> +1.54 @2.7u). The decomp's
sight and pick share the eye origin (HudSimulation @4b7830 chain). Fix:
the viewpoint mech's cockpit eye owns the aim-camera publish in BOTH
views, origin = its own eye translation; leveling + deliberate elevation
untouched; chase view now converges to cockpit ballistics (V cannot
change where shots land). After: pick pinned to the crosshair (ry <=
5e-6) from 50u to point-blank; 26 laser + 8 missile center-mass hits at
3/4-screen. Awaiting the reporters' approach-test.
VERDICT INSTRUMENTATION (#4 closed authentic, #5 verdict posted):
BT_RANGE_LOG per-frame pick tracing + BTGroundRayHitExact analytic
cross-check (0/8000 arena fall-throughs; cavern 6/8400 single-frame
grazes -- the 'crazy sliding' is the authentic world-pick + 500 m/s
slide over depth discontinuities); BT_AUD_TAIL StopNote/fade timing +
BT_FIRE_PULSE single-shot driver (the energy 'buzz' is the AUTHORED
charging loop: crescendo through recharge, 1.309s authored release,
measured within one frame). CAVERN.EGG: solo cavern test egg.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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>
The weekend's crash family root-caused under cdb: SourceSet.sources[5]
receives the AllExplosion death preset's 25 streamed voices --
RequestAudioChannels wrote 20 OpenAL source ids past the array, smashing
the neighbouring heap object (Release: a vtable overwritten with a source
id -> delayed silent AV at AudioControlEvent::Send; Debug: CRT heap-
corruption abort in the death Explosion's audio teardown). Explains all
three #12 crash flavors (solo enemy kill -- stack-confirmed; MP self-
death; MP peer PEER_DOWN cascade -- same generic teardown).
Fix: sources[] sized to AUDIO_SOURCESET_CAPACITY=25, static_assert
lockstep with MAX_PRESET_SAMPLES, + defence-in-depth clamps at the ctor
and acquisition sites. Soak: 26+ deaths across glass AND pod builds
under cdb, zero faults, full wreck lifecycle every time. Gotchas S21:
the fixed-array-vs-streamed-count overflow class + sweep note.
Awaiting human verification: the MP death-and-survive session.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Break the desktop glass cockpit's secondary displays out of the single
combined pad panel + D3D gauge strip into ONE window per pod display, each
carrying that display's surface with its RIO button bank, arranged
pod-faithfully around the main view. New TU engine/MUNGA_L4/L4GLASSWIN.*
(BT_GLASS-only), selected by the -platform glass preset via the new runtime
gate BT_GLASS_PANELS (=0 falls back to the legacy single panel + dock).
- Surfaces are CPU-expanded from the shared gauge buffer
(SVGA16::ExpandPlaneToBGRA, no D3D) and StretchDIBits'd in -- the D3D
dev-composite path (dock / window / overlay) stands down while active.
- Buttons sit UNDER the imagery: big hidden click targets that reach into
the display, with only a small protruding edge showing as a lamp light.
Red MFD banks tile the top/bottom; radar rails run the sides + a bottom
row; a Flight Controls window hosts the no-display banks.
- Windows: Heat / Engineering / Comm / Left Weapons / Right Weapons / radar
+ Flight Controls; edge-to-edge (no in-client margin/title; OS caption
labels each).
- Fix blank surfaces: application/ghWnd are duplicate-defined and bind
non-deterministically under /FORCE, so the fresh L4GLASSWIN TU read NULL.
Reach the renderer/window via BTResolveGaugeRenderer/BTResolveMainWindow
defined in btl4main.cpp off the real btl4App/hWnd pointers. New gotcha:
reconstruction-gotchas.md S6 duplicate-GLOBAL corollary.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Human re-test on the fresh build: zero-stop OK, but the lever could PARK inside
the walk/run hysteresis band (walkStrideLength@0x534 .. reverseSpeedMax@0x538)
where the gait SM has no stable state -- walk<->run hunt, EngineShiftFwd/Rev
retriggering ("mixed walk/run mode + repeated acceleration sample"). The
pod-build keyboard lever already snaps out of the band to the NEARER edge at
key-rest (mech4.cpp GAIT DETENT); the PadRIO slew channel lacked it.
Faithful port, not an invention: mech4.cpp publishes the band in lever units
every driven frame (gBTGaitDetentLo/Hi seam, same guards + the same +0.002
engage margin); L4PADRIO Poll() applies the identical nearer-edge snap to the
Throttle channel when the slew rests (no slew key held, no pad slew axis
deflected). Sweeping through the band while held stays continuous (the
authentic moving lever, one authentic shift).
Verified (DEV.EGG glass, graduated parks each ~0.10 of the sweep,
BT_GAIT_TRACE+BT_MPPR_TRACE): band [0.358026,0.50388) = demand 22.02-30.87;
in-band parks snap both directions (0.4137->lo, 0.465126->hi); no at-rest
sample in the band; exactly ONE walk->run clip (state 10) up and ONE run->walk
(state 14) down across the whole sweep; zero-stop unaffected; pod build
rebuilt + BT_AUTODRIVE smoke clean.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The live-reported glass regressions (arrows dead / lever+detent missing /
V+J/K/L+N inert / weapons into the ground) were build-glass/Release/btl4.exe
built at 07:47 running the pre-5dd3536 image: no suppression tables, no V/J/K/L
keys, unpinned RIO ids. content\bindings.txt already carried the merged map
(arrows = W/S lever + A/D pedals) and parsed clean. Clean rebuild closed every
symptom; SendInput re-verification: lever holds on release + stops at zero,
LEFT/RIGHT turn in MID (wire-sign correct), V toggles with BT_SHOT pair, level
boresight at spawn, R/F elevation drive; pod build rebuilt + smoked un-regressed.
Code delta: BT_MPPR_TRACE [mppr-c] line enriched with mode/pedals/stick/turn/elev
so one env-gated line proves the whole control surface.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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>
Replace the RivetGun-modeled ProjectileWeaponSimulation body with the fully
recovered binary machine (capstone disasm, every branch address-cited):
- gate 1 @4bbd36: simulationState@0x40==1 (destroyed) || heatAlarm==FailureHeat
|| owner disabled -> recoil=rechargeRate + alarm 7 (was: simulationFlags==1)
- gate 2 @4bbd71: bin alarm 2/3 or bin destroyed -> alarm 7 re-pinned per frame
- Loaded @4bbec2: DENIED shots (viewFireEnable off / no owner target) blip
SetLevel(4);SetLevel(2) and STAY LOADED, no ammo pull (the old FireWeapon
early-returns under an unconditionally-cycling caller faked a full firing
pip cycle -- the "missiles cycle but never launch" incident mechanic);
the ammo pull is bin->FeedAmmo @4bbee6 in the CALLER; both updateModel|=1
marks (@4bbf05/@4bbf4c = ForceUpdate) bracket FireWeapon; recoil set @4bbf51
- Loading @4bbdd2: recoil bleeds ONLY here at electrical Ready and CLAMPS at 0
(it ran to -114 before); bin Loaded -> weapon Loaded
- 7 @4bbe4d: binary-faithful roach motel (re-asserted unconditionally;
recovery = ResetToInitialState only)
- slot 17 @004b9c9c reconstructed as MechWeapon::ComputeOutputVoltage
(rechargeLevel=(rechargeRate-recoil)/rechargeRate, Emitter overrides with
@4ba738) and called from Loading/7 -- the launcher recharge dial ANIMATES
(the old "authentically static" claim was wrong)
FireWeapon bodies stripped to heat+spawn only per @004bcc60 (no view gate, no
ConsumeRound, no recoil); ConsumeRound retired (not a binary method).
Gotcha #20 sweep (all sites disasm-verified): simulationFlags|=0x1 == engine
DelayWatchersFlag (audio watchers muted forever) removed everywhere --
projweap/mislanch fire marks, ProjectileWeapon::ResetToInitialState (@4bbb47
= updateModel|=1); Emitter::SetDirty retired and split per binary site into
ForceUpdate() (@4bafaa/@4ba55d) vs ExecuteOnUpdate() (@4ba99a/@4ba943);
Emitter fault gate GetFlags()==1 -> simulationState==1 (@4baab9).
AmmoBin::GetAmmoState() accessor added (named-member read of ammoAlarm@0x1A8).
BT_LOOK_TEST=<frame> scripted verify added (mech4.cpp): holds the rear-view
button 300f on/300f off to drive viewFireEnable headlessly.
Verified solo ARENA1 (bhk1, autofire): 54-60 [projectile] PUSH + impact smoke;
look-back denial window = trigger pulses, state stays 2, zero launches,
resumes on release; enemy (disabled) mech launchers pinned 7 + full recoil;
STREAK-6 recharge dial sweeps across BT_SHOT frames; lasers fire throughout;
zero gauge faults.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The #10 audit's one WRONG: the port Execute was a bring-up no-op, so the
emitter/myomer engineering pages never erased their top data box -> stale
sibling-page ghosts on the shared Eng bit-plane (SYSTEM 10 PPC showing the
Streak ammo box, etc). Full faithful widget landed:
- btl4gau2: ctor/BecameActive/Execute/clear/ticks/cursor recovered from the
capstone disasm of @004c6798/@004c6920/@004c6934/@004c6be4/@004c6c30/
@004c6c6c (Ghidra dropped every x87 arg). Plot: v=0..12000 step 1200,
x=Round(response(v)*230), y=Round(v*(1/12000)*187) (ld80 @004c6bd0/@004c6d74
= exactly 1/12000); change-test samples the response at 12000V vs the 9999
activation sentinel; XOR op for tick/cursor move-by-redraw; destroyed branch
centres edestryd.pcc and revives via own vtbl+0xC (BecameActive, slot 3 of
PTR_0051a1fc -- vtable-dump verified).
- The vtbl+0x3C sampler identified from the binary vtables: Emitter slot 15
@004bb42c = sqrt(P(v)/2.0e8), P @004bb3f4 = damageFraction*v^2*0.5*
energyCoefficient; Myomers slot 15 @004b8f94 = sqrt(AvailableOutput(v)*3.6/
350). FUN_004dd138 == sqrt (part_015.c:4026): myomers' fabs reading
corrected, GetSpeedReading renamed SeekVoltageResponse. Port dispatch via
complete-type bridges BTSeekVoltageSample/BTMyomersSeekSample +
BTSubsystemDestroyed (databinding rule).
- Emitter's AUTHENTIC attribute table recovered (binary @0x511dd4, ids
0x1D-0x25) and published: Laser*/Seek*/OutputVoltage@0x414 (currentLevel,
RAW volts -- the live-cursor feed). Field renames per the table:
0x3F8 minSeekVoltageIndex / 0x3FC maxSeekVoltageIndex (static_assert-locked).
The MechWeapon 0x1D OutputVoltage PORT ALIAS retired (binary table ends
0x1C; Find walks lowest-id-first, the alias shadowed the authentic row).
PPC::DefaultData -> Emitter::GetAttributeIndex().
- mech4: BT_PRESET_HOLD=<n> (freeze the #9 preset cycler after n pulses) for
steady-state pixel verification; BT_SEEK_LOG diag.
Verified live (BLH, autofire): both #10 repro pairs held ghost-free for
minutes (SYS09->SYS10 PPC, SYS02->SYS04 ERMed, SYS05->SYS06 Myomers); curves
draw with live cursors; one replot per activation; quad panels/J-K-L/sec
panel un-regressed.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
docs/GAUGE_COMPOSITE.md gains the AUDIT 2026-07-19 section: every widget on the
6 pod MFD surfaces + the secondary screen + the HUD reticle audited for
binary-correct data (static pass vs decomp + two instrumented live sessions).
Verdicts: 34 CORRECT / 1 WRONG (filed) / 6 AUTH-STATIC / 6 DEFERRED-FEED.
Findings:
A. The 'SYSTEM 10 PPC ammo readout' (entry a) root-caused: header/label/screen
mapping are CORRECT ([vss] dump == authored sub+0x1dc); the ammo box is a
GHOST -- stale pixels from the sibling ballistic/sensor page on the shared
Eng plane, persisting because the port SeekVoltageGraph::Execute is a
bring-up no-op. In the binary the graph IS the top-box eraser (view =
(0x97,0x80)-(0x17d,0x13b) @004c6798; clear @004c6be4 on the @004c6920
activation sentinel) -- ghost-free on the pod. Full reconstruction FILED
(4 Seek* attrs + vtbl+0x3C sampler + x87 recovery); no erase-only stand-in.
B. HUD attr table @5110c0 conflict (entry b) RESOLVED -- see commit 904c75a.
C. Entry c: no [T3] tags remain in gauges-hud.md; the single [T4]
(reticlePosition writer) stays flagged.
D. BT_SHOT dock-capture regression found + fixed (commit 904c75a).
Live re-verifications this audit: heat digits climb (515->680 under autofire),
reservoir flush 6->0 (~1s held) + PFX cloud, ammo counter moves (24->19 after
missile autofire), heading 089->120 + speed 0->182 under BT_GOTO, secondary
dama->crit->heat cycle (masks 0x450421/0x490421/0x510421), preset cycles visit
exactly the populated page set (MFD1:1,2,4 MFD2:1-4 MFD3:1,2), mission clock,
Comm 0/0, pips/compass/tape/caret render.
Audit performed by the agent; findings await human review, fixes await human
verification.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
table re-decoded to the ModeMFD bits + desktop J/K/L page cycle
The preset system was unwired by ONE defect in the message layer: the
SetPresetMode @004d1b24 table @0051dbf0 had been transcribed from the
section dump as BIG-endian dwords ({0x1e,0x01000000} instead of
{0x1e,0x01}), so a preset press set a garbage high bit -- and for group 1
items 3-4 / group 2 items 0-2 stomped the LIVE NonMapping / Intercom /
ModeSecondary* bits -- while the real page bits never moved. Ground
truth (section_dump.txt:72901-72908, little-endian + BTL4MODE.HPP [T0]):
set = ModeMFD{1,2,3}{Quad,Eng1-4} = 1<<(group*5+item), bits 0-14, fully
disjoint from the #6 secondary trio (bits 18-20); group 2 is MFD3, NOT a
duplicate of the secondary views.
What the 15 presets show (l4gauge.cfg): group = the MFD (Mfd1 lower left
/ Mfd2 upper center / Mfd3 lower right), item 0 = the btquad.pcx Quad
overview (up to 4 vehicleSubSystems cluster panels), items 1-4 = the
full-screen engineering-detail pages (bteng.pcx + prepEngr screens
group*4+1..4 + the cluster eng children: GENERATOR SELECT A-D, POWER
graph, COOLING loop, DAMAGE, ammo). Empty screens are authored per mech
(Blackhawk: 3/11/12 empty).
Authentic dispatch (streamed "L4" .CTL EventMappings, BT_CTRLMAP_LOG
dump): each MFD owns the 8-button RIO bank around it, MODE-MASK-gated --
Mfd1 = 0x08-0x0F, Mfd2 = 0x20-0x27, Mfd3 = 0x00-0x07. Quad page ->
direct-select buttons for the POPULATED eng pages (mapper msgs
Aux1Eng1-4 0x4-0x7 / Aux2* 0x9-0xC / Aux3* 0xE-0x11); eng page -> one
back-to-Quad button (0x3/0x8/0xD) + per-subsystem controls. These
records already install and fire on desktop (btinput passes the live
manager mask), so the NUMPAD profile's 0x20-0x27 keys page MFD2
authentically.
Port wiring (the #6 pattern): keys J/K/L -> actions Mfd1/2/3Cycle ->
gBTPresetCycle -> L4MechControlsMapper::CyclePresetModeNow(group) -- a
documented desktop shim (24 mode-dependent pod buttons don't fit a
keyboard) that cycles Quad -> populated Eng pages -> Quad, visiting
exactly the pod-reachable set; the body is the authentic SetPresetMode.
Dev-composite: BTDrawGaugeSurfaces now draws the Eng1-3 planes at their
sibling cells and skips any mono plane whose channel is BlankColor,
honoring the mode-driven reconfigure (RemapGraphicsPort) -- each dev
cell shows the ACTIVE page like the pod monitor. This supersedes and
removes the 2026-07-12 GAUGREND "frozen-dial" scaffold (forced all 15
page bits active under BT_DEV_GAUGES; it pinned the shared Eng plane on
the highest screen and ate the page flips).
Pixel-verified (BT_PRESET_TEST + BT_DEV_GAUGES_DOCK + BT_SHOT,
Blackhawk): all three MFDs page Quad -> SYSTEM NN eng details -> back to
Quad in lockstep with the [mode] preset mask log; group 0 skips the
authored-empty screen 3, group 2 skips 11/12. Un-regressed: N display
cycle (0x450421->0x490421->0x510421, page bits intact), M control mode,
CONTROLS.MAP 52 bindings parse clean.
Diags: BT_MODE_LOG ([mode] preset), BT_PRESET_TEST=<frame>.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
NotifyOfDisplayModeChange override (vtbl+0x4C @4d1ae4) + wire desktop 'N'
The secondary screen's schematic selector was mislabeled: @004d1ae4 (the
bits-18..20 ModeSecondary* mask swap) was reconstructed as a non-virtual
"SetControlMode" that nothing called, so the desktop stayed pinned on the
Damage view. The binary's L4 vtable @0051e440 pins the truth:
+0x48 = @004d1acc <- CycleControlModeMessageHandler (FUN_004afbe0):
forwards to the base RET no-op @004b048c. A BAS/MID/ADV
control-mode change never touches the secondary view
(empirically confirmed: BT_MODECYCLE_TEST cycles the CONTROL
MODE lamp, mask bits 18-20 unchanged, schematic stays ARMOR).
+0x4C = @004d1ae4 <- CycleDisplayModeMessageHandler (FUN_004afcac):
THE Damage/Critical/Heat selector, indexed by displayMode
(table @0051dbe4 = ModeSecondaryDamage/Critical/Heat).
Authentic pod inputs (streamed type-6 .CTL EventMappings, dumped via the
new BT_CTRLMAP_LOG EVENT records): secondary-panel button 0x15 -> msg
0x15 CycleDisplayMode (manual p13, the "'Mech status Info center" bottom
left of the secondary screen), button 0x18 -> msg 0x14 CycleControlMode
(manual p6, top right), 0x10/0x11 -> ZoomIn/Out. The DOS keyboard
fallbacks (Keypress 0x13d/0x13e = extended F3/F4) are dead under the
WinTesla VK map, hence the desktop pin.
Port wiring (the M/ModeCycle pattern): key N / pad RightThumb -> action
DisplayCycle -> gBTDisplayCycle -> CycleDisplayModeNow() -- the same body
the pod console button message drives. Both .MAP profiles + the
compiled-in default updated.
Verified live (docked gauges + BT_SHOT, BT_VIEWCYCLE_TEST): the sec
panel cycles ARMOR DAMAGE silhouette -> CRITICAL DAMAGE subsystem list
-> HEAT DAMAGE colored list, mask 0x450421 -> 0x490421 -> 0x510421; M
control-mode cycling un-regressed (BAS/MID/ADV lamp cycles, view pinned).
Diags: BT_MODE_LOG, BT_VIEWCYCLE_TEST=<frame>, BT_MODECYCLE_TEST=<frame>,
BT_CTRLMAP_LOG now dumps EVENT records. KB: gauges-hud secondary-view
section rewritten, CLASSMAP +0x48/+0x4C slots, decomp-reference env
gates, GAUGE_COMPOSITE phase-4 entry resolved.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The playtest report (sound plays, no gauge drop, no cloud) traced to the
Reservoir's InjectCoolant chain being dead in three places:
- The handler was never REGISTERED: the binary's Reservoir handler table
@0x50e680 has one entry {4, "InjectCoolant", @4aee70}; added
Reservoir::GetMessageHandlers + the press/release handler (press starts
the flush gated on coolantLevel@0x12C > 0 -- the old body misread +0x12C
as currentTemperature; release stops it; novice lockout via FUN_004ac9c8).
- Reservoir::InjectCoolant (@4aefa4, 1019 bytes) was an empty stub -- the
drain the coolant gauge reads. Reconstructed in full: work list =
condenser/weapon/heatable chains (+0x7cc/+0x7bc/+0x7ac, roster-walk
emulation with the binary's duplicate-visit weighting; HeatSink-filtered
[T2 guarded]) + the linked master sink; per sink with flowScale != 0 move
squirtMass x flowScale x dt (clamped to the tank / sink capacity) and
credit pendingHeat with the negative carried-heat delta capped at
sinkMass x reservoir startingTemperature -- the set%-biased flush of the
manual (p24), riding the existing heat model.
- Two latent ctor decode bugs surfaced and fixed: the master gate @4af408
(and @4aeb40 HeatWatcher, swept) reads the OWNER MECH's simulationFlags
(*(param_2+0x28)), not the resource's subsystemFlags (the misread left
the CoolantSimulation Performance unregistered); and the capacity scale
FILDs the bank's INTEGER HeatSinkCount ((float10)*(int*)(link+0x1d0)) --
the float reinterpret gave ~1e-44 -> a permanently empty tank.
Capacity = 0.05 x heatSinkCount x streamed CoolantCapacity (BLH: 6.0).
Visual: the binary's mode-1 coolant-effect renderable (FUN_00456a68, built
for classID 0xBC0 on "ReservoirState", part_014.c:5439; tick @part_007.c:
8780) starts psfx 19 = FLUSH.PFX ("Coolant flush", BTDPL.INI) when the
state changes to 1 -- BTSpawnFlushCloud (mech4.cpp) spawns it on the same
alarm edge as an attached emitter at torso height.
Input: new CONTROLS.MAP action "Flush" on 'H' (HELD; press+release both
dispatch, the held-button payload). Diags: BT_FLUSH_LOG, BT_FLUSH_TEST.
Verified live (FOGDAY): [flush] Reservoir level 6 -> 0.13 -> 0 over ~0.6 s
held (= the manual's 3-4 punches to empty), the coolant vertBar source
Reservoir/CoolantMass drains, and the bluish condensation cloud rises from
the mech (scratchpad/flush_cloud.png vs flush_before.png).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
User + tester reports: pitch does not work. Root cause: the Torso sim
integrated the R/F / stick-Y axis into currentElevation (authored limits
and rates all correct) but NOTHING consumed it -- eyepointRotation's only
writer was the look-state switch, so neither the cockpit view nor the aim
ray (camera basis) ever pitched. Shots always flew level; low targets
(trucks) were unhittable.
Fix (faithful: the pod's stick-Y pitches the EYE; the torso geometry does
not tilt): per-frame compose in the HUD tick --
eyepointRotation = EulerAngles(lookPitch + torsoElevation, lookYaw, 0);
BTCommitLookState now stores its look component in gBTLookPitch/Yaw; new
complete-type bridge BTGetTorsoElevation (torso.cpp, mirrors
BTGetTorsoTwist). DPLEyeRenderable consumes it every frame, so the view
and the boresight aim pitch together (crosshair stays screen-centred).
Sign PIXEL-CALIBRATED via new diag BT_FORCE_ELEV=<-1..1> (pins the axis
headless): screenshots confirm axis +1 (key R) = aim UP, -1 (F) = down.
X still recenters. Awaiting human verification.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
(b) The 'tiny explosion' on the ram kill is AUTHORED: crunch res 31 = 'stephit'
(one video object, effect 1008 = ddam5 damage smoke) -- a step/ram squash is
small by design. The FULL explosion res 32 = 'trkdead' = psfx 15 dtrkboom
(fiery omni burst) + psfx 16 dtrkburn (the burning-wreck fire), reached by
WEAPON kills -- which the 1995 binary dispatches [T1]:
- MechWeapon::SendDamageMessage @004b9728 (part_013.c:6765) gates only
"target NOT derived from Mech@0x50bdb4 OR aimed zone set": a non-Mech
boresight target takes the zone=-1 damage UNCONDITIONALLY;
- Missile contact @004be078 dispatches at the struck solid's OWNER entity
with no class test at all.
Port wiring: Mech::WorldStructurePick returns the struck solid's owning entity
(BoxedSolid::GetOwningSimulation; TERRAIN.cpp:107/246 build every static solid
with its Terrain/CulturalIcon/Door entity as owner); the mech4 pick block
designates IT instead of the gBTTerrainEntity sentinel (sentinel = fallback);
the projectile contact path grew the non-mech damage-zoned else-branch
(@004be078 mirror, direct Dispatch). Plain terrain ignores the damage
(ENTITY.cpp:885 zone==-1 guard); an icon's handler maps -1 -> 0 and dies.
Truck armor is WeaponDamagePoints=1 (TRK.DMG): one laser = one dead truck.
(c) The burning fire is dtrkburn.pfx, authored INTO the death package (every
icon family carries 1016: trkdead/bigdead/meddead/msldead/twrdead). There is
NO looping BurningState fire in the binary: the damage-zone effect watcher
ctor @0042a984 has exactly one call site (the Mech ctor, part_012.c:10405), so
icon ExplosionTables are inert, and CulturalIcon has no Performance.
Documented as authentic -- nothing invented.
Verified live (BT_SHOT pixel capture): 26 laser kills, [cult] TakeDamage
type=3 -> DYING res=32 -> DPLIndependantEffect 1015+1016 at the icon origin;
frames show the orange dtrkboom fireball, dtrkburn flames on the fresh wreck,
and the rubble aftermath; ram harness re-run still fires crunch res 31.
Diags: BT_FIRE_AT_ICON (designate nearest ahead icon; live-icon census in
CULTURAL.cpp), BT_FX_TEST="1015,1016".
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
MECHMD's scorch base (basev:bvx9_mtl, bexp9_tex = BEXP.BSL RGBA4444
slice 8, ramp cdusty) drew as a hard-edged dark square for two stacked
reasons:
1. The blanket 'truecolor BSL slice (channel >= 6) never ramps' gate
blocked its cdusty ramp. Corpus scan: only 4 shipped textures use
truecolor slices; bexp9/bdet9 are grayscale in RGB (100% / 98.8%
r==g==b) and their materials author ramps -- only bdam8 (damage
sheet) is truly coloured. bgfload rampableSlice() now probes the
decoded slice: a truecolor slice ramps iff effectively gray (>=95%),
keeping bdam8's colour protected.
2. The RGBA4444 authored alpha channel -- a binary 0/240 cutout mask
(the splat silhouette, 78.5% transparent) -- was never alpha-tested,
so the quad's transparent surround rendered as an opaque rectangle.
New BgfDrawBatch.texAlpha (channel >= 8) routes these batches
through the PUNCH alpha-test draw states, WITHOUT the black-texel
keying (which would hole the near-black charred centre). Side
benefit: tree9 (tree/leaf cards) + bdet9 (trans-rail lattice) get
their authored cutouts too.
Pixel-verified (ram-kill run, BT_SHOT): irregular char splat, dark
brown (71,44,34) lifting to near-terrain tan (115,100,91 vs terrain
131,119,108), no rectangle; pre-death frames unregressed (vehicles
stay lit/diffuse -- hasNormals gate untouched). Awaiting human
verification.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Human-verified: wreck swap works live; small ram explosion visible.
Remaining detail recorded for the next session.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
