Add architecture documentation
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Claude Opus 4.8
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# PQS — Player Queueing System
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Documentation generated from a full read of the codebase (2026-07-01).
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## 1. What this is
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PQS is a **player queueing and mission-management system for a pod-based
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mech-combat simulator** (Virtual World / BattleTech-style networked cockpits).
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It is deployed at large venues to register, queue, and cycle several thousand
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players through a fixed number of physical pods across a day.
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The system runs entirely on an **air-gapped LAN**. There is no external
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internet dependency and DB credentials (`pqs`/`pqs` on `localhost`) are a
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formality of that closed network.
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Branding strings in the code reference "FallOut Shelter" and "Cougar CON"
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(the operator / an event); the sim itself is referred to as **FS** (the game
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pods that consume `getFS*.php`).
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## 2. Technology stack
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| Layer | Technology |
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|-------|-----------|
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| Server | PHP (written for PHP 5.4/5.5, `mysqli` procedural API) |
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| Database | MySQL 5.1–5.5, MyISAM/InnoDB mix (`pqs` schema) |
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| Frontend | Static HTML + jQuery 1.x, AJAX polling via `setInterval` |
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| Pod / kiosk hardware | Raspberry Pi running `omxplayer` for intro/trainer videos, GPIO buttons (`docs/omx_button.py`, `docs/get.py`) |
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| Time sync | `time.php` shells out to `sudo date -s` to set box clock from a browser |
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There is **no framework, no router, no build step, no dependency manager**.
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Each `.php` file is a standalone page reached directly by URL. Shared logic
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lives in `includes/`.
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## 3. Physical / deployment topology
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```
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ Air-gapped venue LAN (10.0.0.x) │
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│ │
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Players ─────▶│ Registration kiosk → callsign.php │
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│ │
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Staff ─────▶│ Reg console → registration.php │
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Staff ─────▶│ Game/ops console → console.php │
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│ │
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Big TVs ─────▶│ Queue displays → combinedqueue.php │
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│ smallcombinedqueue │
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│ genconqueue.php │
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│ │
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Game pods ────▶│ Poll getFSgame.php (mission settings) │
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(FS sim) │ Poll getFSplayers.php (roster/pods CSV) │
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│ │
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Pi video ────▶│ Poll playFSTrainer.php (missing file) │
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│ → triggers omxplayer intro video │
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└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
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All → single PHP + MySQL host
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```
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## 4. Core domain model
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The whole system revolves around **missions** (one pod launch) that fill up
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with **players**, then get **committed** (launched) one at a time.
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### Lifecycle of a mission
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1. **Build** — missions are pre-created (`registration.php?build=N`) or created
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on demand when a player registers and no open mission exists.
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2. **Fill** — players self-register at `callsign.php` (kiosk) or staff add them
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in `registration.php`. Each mission holds up to `MissionSize` players
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(= number of active pods).
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3. **Lock** — staff can lock a mission so no new players join
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(`locked = 1`).
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4. **Commit** — at `console.php` ("Commit Mission"), the lowest-numbered queued
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mission's players are:
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- copied into `pqs_currentmission` (who is in the pods right now),
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- archived into `pqs_pastmissions` (history, with `ctime` timestamp),
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- deleted from `pqs_queue`,
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- the mission row marked `Completed = 1`.
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5. **Display** — `ctime` of the last commit + `timepergame + timetoreset`
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drives every "ETD" (estimated departure) and countdown on the display walls.
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### Group registration (squads)
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`callsign.php` supports **Group Leader / Group Member** flows: a leader reserves
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`N` slots in one mission, creating placeholder rows `LEADER-2`, `LEADER-3`…;
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members later "claim" a placeholder by matching `CallSign LIKE 'who-%'`.
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Gated by the `GroupAvalible` config flag.
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## 5. Database schema (`docs/pqs.sql`)
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| Table | Purpose |
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|-------|---------|
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| `pqs_queue` | Players currently waiting, keyed to a `MissionID`. Core working set. |
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| `pqs_mission` | One row per mission: size, #players, completed/locked flags, gametype, map, time. |
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| `pqs_currentmission` | Snapshot of who is in the pods for the mission that just launched. |
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| `pqs_pastmissions` | Append-only history (callsign, mech, mission, `ctime`). Drives all ETD math. |
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| `pqs_gameconfig` | Single-row global settings: pod count, time-per-game, weather, radar, friendly fire, etc. |
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| `pqs_pods` | Single-row 16 booleans: which physical pods (`pod01`..`pod16`) are active. |
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| `pqs_mechinfo` | Static catalog of ~63 mechs (class, tons, stats, roster #, image). |
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| `pqs_mapinfo` | Static catalog of maps and which game types each supports. |
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| `pqs_gametype` | Static catalog of the 10 game modes. |
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| `pqs_infopanel` | Single `Updated` flag used to trigger display-wall ad rotation refresh. |
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Notes:
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- `pqs.sql` is the canonical schema; `dbbuild.sql` is an older SQLyog dump with
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sample data.
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- "Number of pods" is duplicated in three places (`pqs_gameconfig.numpods`,
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the 16 booleans in `pqs_pods`, and each `pqs_mission.MissionSize`) and kept
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in sync manually by `console.php` on every config save.
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## 6. File-by-file reference
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### Player-facing (kiosk)
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- **`callsign.php`** — the player registration kiosk. 1024×768 themed screen:
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enter callsign, pick class → mech, optional group role, submit. Inserts into
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`pqs_queue`, auto-creating a mission if none is open. Shows the assigned
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mission # and ETD, then returns to itself.
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### Staff-facing
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- **`registration.php`** — staff registration console. Add / edit / delete
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players, add one player to multiple future missions, build missions in bulk,
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edit a mission's game type & map, lock missions, search. Polls
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`includes/getreg.php` every 1s.
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- **`console.php`** — game-ops console. Sets global game configuration
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(time limits, pods active, weather/radar/damage rules, etc. → `pqs_gameconfig`
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+ `pqs_pods`), locks and **commits** missions. Polls `getconsole.php` +
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`mechpods.php` every 2s.
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- **`history.php`** — paginated per-mission history viewer (prev/next), reads
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`pqs_pastmissions` joined to `pqs_mission`.
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- **`search.php`** — look up a callsign across queued missions with ETDs.
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- **`time.php`** — sets the server clock from the browser's JS time via
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`sudo date -s` (keeps the air-gapped box's clock correct without NTP).
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### Display walls (read-only, auto-refresh)
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- **`combinedqueue.php`** — main wall: next mission + groups 2–5 + current pods
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+ clock + rotating info panel. 10s refresh.
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- **`smallcombinedqueue.php`** — compact version of the main wall (missions
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1–5 + current pods + info panel), 5s refresh.
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- **`genconqueue.php`** — "extended" wall showing missions 6–15 (further-out
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queue). 30s refresh.
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- **`combinedqueue2.php`** — mid-range wall showing missions 6–10 + current pods
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+ clock + info panel, 10s refresh.
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### Pod / hardware integration (plain-text output, no HTML)
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- **`getFSgame.php`** — emits the next mission's settings as newline-delimited
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values (gametype, map, visibility, weather, … cameraship) for the sim to read.
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- **`getFSplayers.php`** — emits 16 CSV lines (one per pod slot):
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`active,callsign,rosterNum,team,unit` — the pod loadout for the next mission.
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- **`playFSTrainer.php`** — *referenced by `docs/get.py` but missing from the
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repo*; was polled by a Raspberry Pi to trigger the trainer video.
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### `includes/` (AJAX fragments & shared code)
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- `config.php` — DB connect + load `pqs_gameconfig`/`pqs_pods` into `$_SESSION`.
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- `getreg.php` / `getqueue.php` / `getconsole.php` / `getcurrent.php` /
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`getgroup.php` — HTML fragments rendered into the consoles/walls via AJAX.
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- `now.php` — clock + "estimated time remaining" for current mission.
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- `mechpods.php` — echoes active pod count from session.
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- `api.php` — tiny AJAX endpoint: toggle a player's "merc" flag, poll the
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infopanel `Updated` flag.
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- `infopanel.php` / `smallinfopanel.php` — rotating advertisement/announcement
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slides (jQuery Cycle).
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- `graph.php` — GD-generated progress-bar PNG (appears unused by current pages).
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### `docs/` (assets & operator scratch)
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- `pqs.sql`, `dbbuild.sql` — schema / seed dumps.
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- `omx_button.py`, `get.py` — Raspberry Pi video-kiosk helper scripts.
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- `Clear Code.txt` — the SQL to reset for a new event (truncate the 4 live tables).
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- `readme screen adjust.txt`, `SQL_TCPip_Fixes.reg`, installer `.exe`s, `.mp4`
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intro/roleplay videos, spare image sets.
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## 7. Known issues, risks & technical debt
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These matter most for the "improve vs. rewrite" decision.
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**Correctness / concurrency**
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- **No transactions or locking.** Filling a mission is a read-`numplayers` →
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compare → `UPDATE +1` sequence with no atomicity. With thousands of players
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and a kiosk plus staff console writing concurrently, **race conditions can
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overfill a pod bay** ("Containment Bay OVERLOADED" is literally a handled UI
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state). `numplayers` is a manually-maintained counter that can drift from the
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actual `COUNT(*)` in `pqs_queue`.
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- Pod-count is denormalized across three tables and reconciled by hand.
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**Security (mitigated only by the air gap)**
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- **SQL injection is pervasive** — nearly every query interpolates `$_GET`/
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`$_POST` directly (e.g. `console.php` `nummercs`, `api.php` `playerid`,
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callsign fields). Safe *only* because the network is closed and trusted.
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- `time.php` passes a request value into `exec("sudo date -s …")` — command
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execution by design; would be dangerous on any reachable network.
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- `api.php` and parts of `registration.php`/`console.php` still emit `DEBUG:`
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output to the page.
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**Maintainability**
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- Presentation, business logic, and SQL are fully interleaved in every file;
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connection boilerplate is copy-pasted dozens of times.
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- Deprecated `mysql_error()` calls remain alongside `mysqli_*` (would fatal on
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PHP 7+). The code targets an EOL PHP 5.x runtime.
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- 16 pods are hard-coded as `pod01..pod16` everywhere (schema, console, FS
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output) — changing pod count is a code edit, not config.
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- Display refresh is fixed-interval full-fragment polling (no change detection
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except the one infopanel flag).
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- Inline `<font>` tags, table layouts, and absolute pixel sizes throughout.
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**Runtime assumptions**
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- Timezone hard-coded to `America/Chicago` in most files.
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- URLs hard-coded to `/pqs/…` and to server IP via `$_SERVER['SERVER_ADDR']`.
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## 8. Strengths worth preserving
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- The **domain model is sound and battle-tested**: mission → fill → lock →
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commit → history, with ETD projected from the last commit time. Any rewrite
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should keep this exact lifecycle.
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- It is **operationally simple**: drop PHP files on one box, point kiosks and
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TVs at URLs. No build, no services to orchestrate — valuable at a venue.
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- Feature set is complete for real events: group/squad reservations, per-mission
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game/map overrides, merc tracking, bulk mission build, history, live walls,
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and direct pod integration.
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## 9. Improve vs. rewrite — starting point
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If **improving in place**, the highest-value, lowest-risk fixes first:
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1. Make mission-fill atomic (transaction + `SELECT … FOR UPDATE`, or derive
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`numplayers` from `COUNT(*)`) to end overfill races.
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2. Parameterize all queries (mysqli prepared statements) and remove `DEBUG:`
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output.
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3. Centralize DB access into one include; replace remaining `mysql_*` calls.
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4. Make pod count and timezone configuration-driven, not hard-coded.
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If **rewriting from scratch**, preserve section 4's lifecycle and section 5's
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tables as the spec, and treat `getFSgame.php` / `getFSplayers.php` output
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formats as a **hard contract** the physical pods depend on — document those
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byte-for-byte before changing anything on the sim side.
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```
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