Joe DiPrimaandClaude Fable 5
f49f35cd43
Corrections (wrong claims fixed + swept): - open-questions: the DuckState 'no CODE consumer, authentic [T1]' verdict RETRACTED (consumer = the unexported posture block; squat clips shipped in BTL4.RES all along); the searchlight fog swap re-marked DONE (was 'STILL DEFERRED'); crouch index pointer updated. - combat-damage: old task-#60 kill-score section marked SUPERSEDED by the report tail (BTPostKillScore retired). - pod-hardware: crouch census rows -> COMPLETE; gauges-hud: 07-20 note (generators 'unreconstructed') re-swept. New knowledge: - reconstruction-gotchas #20: EXPORT-GAP BLINDNESS (4 incidents, 2 falsely T1; the byte-scan/named-member/RES-TOC/manifest checklist) + the verification-viewpoint bullet in #13 (the crouch capture errors). - decomp-reference: master posture/crouch block offsets (+0x3f8/+0x79c, the myomers cluster) + 8 new bench env gates. - rendering: beam-material decode (btfx brighten) + look-pass acceptance. - experience-levels: crouch novice lockout in the +0x25c consumer list. - build-and-run: the stale-link build ritual; test-harness: bench-script gotchas (both previously oral tradition). - glossary: export-gap-blindness; multiplayer: crouch/searchlight ride existing records; subsystems: searchlight visuals pointer. Status refresh: CLAUDE.md front + project-overview current-state -> core gameplay reconstruction COMPLETE (774->801), polish phase, #60 census next. Ledger addenda: INPUT_PATH row 6 complete; RESPAWN_REARM VehicleDead-sender note. .gitignore: content/ bench artifacts (pngs/logs/eggs/exe) out of status. checkctx CLEAN. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
62 lines
3.8 KiB
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62 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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id: project-overview
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title: "Project Overview — what this is, people, goals"
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status: established
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source_sections: "PROGRESS_LOG.md §1-3; README.md"
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related_topics: [pod-hardware, wintesla-port, source-completeness, build-and-run]
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key_terms: [BT, RP, MUNGA, Tesla-platform, WinTesla, pod]
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---
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# Project Overview
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Port VWE's arcade **pod** games (Tesla platform, release 4.10, ~1995-96) to modern Windows and,
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ultimately, the actual arcade pod hardware. Primary target: **BattleTech (BT)**; **Red Planet
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(RP)** shares the engine. Full detail: `docs/PROGRESS_LOG.md §1-3`.
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The ORIGINAL 1995-96 team — the initials in the source headers matched to names by VWE veterans
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(dev team ~8, art ~6, MUNGA by a smaller internal team) — is credited in **`docs/CREDITS.md`**.
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## The stack
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- Two games, one engine: BT + RP. Engine = **MUNGA**; HAL = **L4** (`MUNGA_L4`). Game logic =
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`CODE/BT`, `CODE/RP`. [T1]
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- Original platform: **32-bit DOS** under a **DPMI32** extender, Borland C++ 5 + TASM32, on Novell
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DOS pods. 3D by a proprietary Division **IG image-generator board** (dual EISA), driven by the
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closed **`libDPL.lib`** (binary + VREND microcode). [T1]
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- **The port replaces the IG board/libDPL** with a `dpl_*` → Direct3D9 shim (done in WinTesla as
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L4D3D). Pods now run Windows 10 + a Voodoo/Glide wrapper. BT was abandoned (MechWarrior 4 runs on
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the current pods); this project revives BT. [T1]
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## People / goals
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- **arcattack** (user): doing the port. NVIDIA 3060 + A6000 dev GPUs.
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- **Nick:** owns the pods + the software license (porting is authorized). Runs the pod hardware. The
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gating dependency — the missing BT source likely lives on his backup drives (see [[source-completeness]]).
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- **Goal:** run on (a) a modern dev box and (b) the fixed pod hardware. Multiplayer (pod-to-pod) wanted.
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## Repo orientation (bt411)
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This is the **clean standalone bt411 repo**. `README.md` + the top-level `CMakeLists.txt` are the
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build of record. Tree: `engine/ game/ content/ docs/ reference/ tools/ context/`. Historical
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sections in `docs/PROGRESS_LOG.md` cite old `C:/git/nick-games/...` paths — treat as provenance;
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they map into this repo (reconstructed BT → `game/reconstructed/`, engine → `engine/MUNGA{,_L4}/`,
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content → `content/`, raw decomp → `reference/decomp/`). [T2]
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## Current state (2026-08-06) — core gameplay reconstruction COMPLETE; polish phase
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Field-tested nightly at 4-8 pods over Steam (builds 4.11.622→801). Authentic + benched: the full
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SP+MP loop; per-panel mesh-true targeting/damage (+ crits, cylinder lottery, armour darkening);
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the 1995 SCORING model (kill awards + received penalties + panic cost — the id-0x16 report tail);
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death (blast/splash, wreck, burial) + respawn (full re-arm audit); locomotion (two-channel gait,
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gimp limp, knockdowns, CROUCH F4); the night kit (fog-swap SEARCHLIGHT F5 + beam cone); heat/
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power/myomers (incl. the seek-4 freeze); replication (masters/replicants, kill/death columns,
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ghost+skate field detectors); the Steam wire seam + build gate; the operator console/relay
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lifecycle; gauges/HUD; audio (real OpenAL backend + the AUDIO_FIDELITY trigger waves — footsteps/
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gait/alarms/impacts live in the field). [T2]
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**Remaining (polish + infra):** the #60 export gap census (NEXT — export-gap blindness has caused
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4 wrong conclusions, [[reconstruction-gotchas]] §20); VehicleDead killed-by consumption (operator
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"X killed by Y"); burning-wreck handler (mech-0x17 label mismatch); the id-0x16 type-0 curiosity;
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MechRIOMapper Keypress @004d2514; marker beacon (LoadObject wrapper stub); DIV firmware
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intersection routine (deep-cut); deferred ledger items in [[open-questions]]. [T2]
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## Key Relationships
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- Full detail: `docs/PROGRESS_LOG.md`.
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- Enables: everything — see [[wintesla-port]] (the base), [[source-completeness]] (the gap),
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[[build-and-run]] (how to build).
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