Files
BT411/context/project-overview.md
T
arcattackandClaude Opus 4.8 f914fc040a context-system: complete migration -> CLAUDE.md is now a 160-line router (zero context lost)
Full migration of the 2236-line monolithic CLAUDE.md into the progressive-context
knowledge graph (per spark-lesson / expert-seed.md), so the deep RE knowledge loads
on-demand instead of every session.

ZERO CONTEXT LOST:
- docs/PROGRESS_LOG.md = the complete old CLAUDE.md, VERBATIM (byte-identical) -- the
  lossless safety net + the "full detail" quick-lookup fallback.
- 18 context/*.md topic files (1343 lines) digest every section (§1-3 -> project-overview,
  §4 -> content-archives, §5 -> asset-formats/bgf-format, §5a -> source-completeness,
  §5b/§8 -> wintesla-port, §7/§10 -> locomotion, §10a -> build-and-run, §10b ->
  reconstruction-method, §10c -> combat-damage + reconstruction-gotchas, §10d -> subsystems,
  render notes -> rendering, gauges -> gauges-hud, MP -> multiplayer, §9 -> open-questions).
- reference/glossary.yaml (53 terms). decomp-reference.md = the offsets/ClassIDs/addresses hub.

CLAUDE.md (160 lines) = router: identity, answer/reason protocols, quick-lookup table,
evidence tiers (T0 engine-truth / T1 decompiled+verified / T2 reconstructed+runtime /
T3 guarded / T4 hypothesis), conventions + DO-NOT (the systemic bug classes), structure.
Retains the load-bearing work directives (build recipe pointer, "keep current" mandate).

Knowledge graph validates CLEAN (scratchpad/checkctx.py -- all [[links]] + quick-lookup +
docs refs resolve; [[name]] -> topic file or glossary term). docs/*.md ledgers stay as the
detailed logs; context/*.md are the curated digests that route into them.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-07-07 22:19:50 -05:00

49 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown

---
id: project-overview
title: "Project Overview — what this is, people, goals"
status: established
source_sections: "PROGRESS_LOG.md §1-3; README.md"
related_topics: [pod-hardware, wintesla-port, source-completeness, build-and-run]
key_terms: [BT, RP, MUNGA, Tesla-platform, WinTesla, pod]
---
# Project Overview
Port VWE's arcade **pod** games (Tesla platform, release 4.10, ~1995-96) to modern Windows and,
ultimately, the actual arcade pod hardware. Primary target: **BattleTech (BT)**; **Red Planet
(RP)** shares the engine. Full detail: `docs/PROGRESS_LOG.md §1-3`.
## The stack
- Two games, one engine: BT + RP. Engine = **MUNGA**; HAL = **L4** (`MUNGA_L4`). Game logic =
`CODE/BT`, `CODE/RP`. [T1]
- Original platform: **32-bit DOS** under a **DPMI32** extender, Borland C++ 5 + TASM32, on Novell
DOS pods. 3D by a proprietary Division **IG image-generator board** (dual EISA), driven by the
closed **`libDPL.lib`** (binary + VREND microcode). [T1]
- **The port replaces the IG board/libDPL** with a `dpl_*` → Direct3D9 shim (done in WinTesla as
L4D3D). Pods now run Windows 10 + a Voodoo/Glide wrapper. BT was abandoned (MechWarrior 4 runs on
the current pods); this project revives BT. [T1]
## People / goals
- **arcattack** (user): doing the port. NVIDIA 3060 + A6000 dev GPUs.
- **Nick:** owns the pods + the software license (porting is authorized). Runs the pod hardware. The
gating dependency — the missing BT source likely lives on his backup drives (see [[source-completeness]]).
- **Goal:** run on (a) a modern dev box and (b) the fixed pod hardware. Multiplayer (pod-to-pod) wanted.
## Repo orientation (bt411)
This is the **clean standalone bt411 repo**. `README.md` + the top-level `CMakeLists.txt` are the
build of record. Tree: `engine/ game/ content/ docs/ reference/ tools/ context/`. Historical
sections in `docs/PROGRESS_LOG.md` cite old `C:/git/nick-games/...` paths — treat as provenance;
they map into this repo (reconstructed BT → `game/reconstructed/`, engine → `engine/MUNGA{,_L4}/`,
content → `content/`, raw decomp → `reference/decomp/`). [T2]
## Current state (2026-07)
`btl4.exe` boots, renders the world + a skinned mech, and runs a **drive → animate → target → fire
→ damage → destroy** single-player loop. The engine/renderer/HAL/audio are done (WinTesla); the
active work is reconstructing each BT subsystem's authentic behavior from the binary. The **gauge
system is complete** ([[gauges-hud]]). [T2]
## Key Relationships
- Full detail: `docs/PROGRESS_LOG.md`.
- Enables: everything — see [[wintesla-port]] (the base), [[source-completeness]] (the gap),
[[build-and-run]] (how to build).