# PQS — Player Queueing System

Documentation generated from a full read of the codebase (2026-07-01).

## 1. What this is

PQS is a **player queueing and mission-management system for a pod-based
mech-combat simulator** (Virtual World / BattleTech-style networked cockpits).
It is deployed at large venues to register, queue, and cycle several thousand
players through a fixed number of physical pods across a day.

The system runs entirely on an **air-gapped LAN**. There is no external
internet dependency and DB credentials (`pqs`/`pqs` on `localhost`) are a
formality of that closed network.

Branding strings in the code reference "FallOut Shelter" and "Cougar CON"
(the operator / an event); the sim itself is referred to as **FS** (the game
pods that consume `getFS*.php`).

## 2. Technology stack

| Layer | Technology |
|-------|-----------|
| Server | PHP (written for PHP 5.4/5.5, `mysqli` procedural API) |
| Database | MySQL 5.1–5.5, MyISAM/InnoDB mix (`pqs` schema) |
| Frontend | Static HTML + jQuery 1.x, AJAX polling via `setInterval` |
| Pod / kiosk hardware | Raspberry Pi running `omxplayer` for intro/trainer videos, GPIO buttons (`docs/omx_button.py`, `docs/get.py`) |
| Time sync | `time.php` shells out to `sudo date -s` to set box clock from a browser |

There is **no framework, no router, no build step, no dependency manager**.
Each `.php` file is a standalone page reached directly by URL. Shared logic
lives in `includes/`.

## 3. Physical / deployment topology

```
                 ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
                 │      Air-gapped venue LAN (10.0.0.x)      │
                 │                                           │
  Players  ─────▶│  Registration kiosk  → callsign.php      │
                 │                                           │
  Staff    ─────▶│  Reg console         → registration.php  │
  Staff    ─────▶│  Game/ops console    → console.php        │
                 │                                           │
  Big TVs  ─────▶│  Queue displays      → combinedqueue.php  │
                 │                        smallcombinedqueue │
                 │                        genconqueue.php    │
                 │                                           │
  Console  ─────▶│  AutoHotkey scripts (NOT YET RECOVERED)   │
  operator PC    │    read getFSgame.php  (mission settings) │
                 │    read getFSplayers.php (roster/pods CSV)│
                 │    → keyboard-inject into the game console│
                 │      which then configures the FS pods    │
                 │                                           │
  Pi video  ────▶│  Poll  playFSTrainer.php  (missing file)  │
                 │         → triggers omxplayer intro video   │
                 └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              All → single PHP + MySQL host
```

## 4. Core domain model

The whole system revolves around **missions** (one pod launch) that fill up
with **players**, then get **committed** (launched) one at a time.

### Lifecycle of a mission

1. **Build** — missions are pre-created (`registration.php?build=N`) or created
   on demand when a player registers and no open mission exists.
2. **Fill** — players self-register at `callsign.php` (kiosk) or staff add them
   in `registration.php`. Each mission holds up to `MissionSize` players
   (= number of active pods).
3. **Lock** — staff can lock a mission so no new players join
   (`locked = 1`).
4. **Commit** — at `console.php` ("Commit Mission"), the lowest-numbered queued
   mission's players are:
   - copied into `pqs_currentmission` (who is in the pods right now),
   - archived into `pqs_pastmissions` (history, with `ctime` timestamp),
   - deleted from `pqs_queue`,
   - the mission row marked `Completed = 1`.
5. **Display** — `ctime` of the last commit + `timepergame + timetoreset`
   drives every "ETD" (estimated departure) and countdown on the display walls.

### How the mission reaches the pods

PQS does **not** talk to the game/pods directly. The console operator runs a set
of **AutoHotkey scripts** (currently **not recovered** — a gap to close) on the
game-console PC. Those scripts read the plain-text output of `getFSgame.php`
(mission settings) and `getFSplayers.php` (per-pod roster) and **keyboard-inject
those values into the game console UI**, which in turn configures the physical
pods. So the `getFS*.php` files are a *data source scraped by AHK*, not an
endpoint the pods poll. Their output layout is dictated by whatever those AHK
scripts expect — recovering the scripts is required to know the exact contract.

### Group registration (squads)

`callsign.php` supports **Group Leader / Group Member** flows: a leader reserves
`N` slots in one mission, creating placeholder rows `LEADER-2`, `LEADER-3`…;
members later "claim" a placeholder by matching `CallSign LIKE 'who-%'`.
Gated by the `GroupAvalible` config flag.

## 5. Database schema (`docs/pqs.sql`)

| Table | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| `pqs_queue` | Players currently waiting, keyed to a `MissionID`. Core working set. |
| `pqs_mission` | One row per mission: size, #players, completed/locked flags, gametype, map, time. |
| `pqs_currentmission` | Snapshot of who is in the pods for the mission that just launched. |
| `pqs_pastmissions` | Append-only history (callsign, mech, mission, `ctime`). Drives all ETD math. |
| `pqs_gameconfig` | Single-row global settings: pod count, time-per-game, weather, radar, friendly fire, etc. |
| `pqs_pods` | Single-row 16 booleans: which physical pods (`pod01`..`pod16`) are active. |
| `pqs_mechinfo` | Static catalog of ~63 mechs (class, tons, stats, roster #, image). |
| `pqs_mapinfo` | Static catalog of maps and which game types each supports. |
| `pqs_gametype` | Static catalog of the 10 game modes. |
| `pqs_infopanel` | Single `Updated` flag used to trigger display-wall ad rotation refresh. |

Notes:
- `pqs.sql` is the canonical schema; `dbbuild.sql` is an older SQLyog dump with
  sample data.
- The **16 pod booleans** (`pod01`..`pod16`) are a fixed structure, not a
  limitation to normalize away: 16 is the max cockpits one game console can
  control, and each pod is toggled individually because the console addresses
  every position regardless of whether it is online/operational (see
  `getFSplayers.php`). `MissionSize` is the *count* of active pods; the booleans
  say *which* ones. `pqs_gameconfig.numpods` caches that count. `console.php`
  keeps these in sync on every config save.

## 6. File-by-file reference

### Player-facing (kiosk)
- **`callsign.php`** — the player registration kiosk. 1024×768 themed screen:
  enter callsign, pick class → mech, optional group role, submit. Inserts into
  `pqs_queue`, auto-creating a mission if none is open. Shows the assigned
  mission # and ETD, then returns to itself.

### Staff-facing
- **`registration.php`** — staff registration console. Add / edit / delete
  players, add one player to multiple future missions, build missions in bulk,
  edit a mission's game type & map, lock missions, search. Polls
  `includes/getreg.php` every 1s.
- **`console.php`** — game-ops console. Sets global game configuration
  (time limits, pods active, weather/radar/damage rules, etc. → `pqs_gameconfig`
  + `pqs_pods`), locks and **commits** missions. Polls `getconsole.php` +
  `mechpods.php` every 2s.
- **`history.php`** — paginated per-mission history viewer (prev/next), reads
  `pqs_pastmissions` joined to `pqs_mission`.
- **`search.php`** — look up a callsign across queued missions with ETDs.
- **`time.php`** — sets the server clock from the browser's JS time via
  `sudo date -s` (keeps the air-gapped box's clock correct without NTP).

### Display walls (read-only, auto-refresh)
- **`combinedqueue.php`** — main wall: next mission + groups 2–5 + current pods
  + clock + rotating info panel. 10s refresh.
- **`smallcombinedqueue.php`** — compact version of the main wall (missions
  1–5 + current pods + info panel), 5s refresh.
- **`genconqueue.php`** — "extended" wall showing missions 6–15 (further-out
  queue). 30s refresh.
- **`combinedqueue2.php`** — mid-range wall showing missions 6–10 + current pods
  + clock + info panel, 10s refresh.

### Game-console integration (plain-text output, no HTML)
Consumed by the operator's **AutoHotkey scripts** (not the pods directly — see
§4 "How the mission reaches the pods"). The AHK scripts are **not yet recovered**.
- **`getFSgame.php`** — emits the next mission's settings as newline-delimited
  values (gametype, map, visibility, weather, … cameraship) for AHK to read.
- **`getFSplayers.php`** — **always emits exactly 16 CSV lines** (one per pod
  slot): `active,callsign,rosterNum,team,unit` — the pod loadout for the next
  mission. The line count is fixed at 16 by design: the game console addresses
  all 16 cockpit positions **positionally** whether or not each is online, so an
  inactive pod is sent as a zeroed line (`0,0,0,0,0`) rather than omitted. 16 is
  the maximum number of cockpits one game console can currently control.
- **`playFSTrainer.php`** — *referenced by `docs/get.py` but missing from the
  repo*; was polled by a Raspberry Pi to trigger the trainer video.

### `includes/` (AJAX fragments & shared code)
- `config.php` — DB connect + load `pqs_gameconfig`/`pqs_pods` into `$_SESSION`.
- `getreg.php` / `getqueue.php` / `getconsole.php` / `getcurrent.php` /
  `getgroup.php` — HTML fragments rendered into the consoles/walls via AJAX.
- `now.php` — clock + "estimated time remaining" for current mission.
- `mechpods.php` — echoes active pod count from session.
- `api.php` — tiny AJAX endpoint: toggle a player's "merc" flag, poll the
  infopanel `Updated` flag.
- `infopanel.php` / `smallinfopanel.php` — rotating advertisement/announcement
  slides (jQuery Cycle).
- `graph.php` — GD-generated progress-bar PNG (appears unused by current pages).

### `docs/` (assets & operator scratch)
- `pqs.sql`, `dbbuild.sql` — schema / seed dumps.
- `omx_button.py`, `get.py` — Raspberry Pi video-kiosk helper scripts.
- `Clear Code.txt` — the SQL to reset for a new event (truncate the 4 live tables).
- `readme screen adjust.txt`, `SQL_TCPip_Fixes.reg`, installer `.exe`s, `.mp4`
  intro/roleplay videos, spare image sets.

## 7. Known issues, risks & technical debt

These matter most for the "improve vs. rewrite" decision.

**Correctness / concurrency**
- **No transactions or locking.** Filling a mission is a read-`numplayers` →
  compare → `UPDATE +1` sequence with no atomicity. With thousands of players
  and a kiosk plus staff console writing concurrently, **race conditions can
  overfill a pod bay** ("Containment Bay OVERLOADED" is literally a handled UI
  state). `numplayers` is a manually-maintained counter that can drift from the
  actual `COUNT(*)` in `pqs_queue`.
- Pod state is spread across `pqs_pods` (which 16 are active), `MissionSize`
  (the count), and `pqs_gameconfig.numpods` (a cached count), reconciled by
  `console.php`. Note the fixed count of **16 is intentional** — the hardware
  max per console — so this is a sync concern, not a "make pod count dynamic"
  concern.

**Security (mitigated only by the air gap)**
- **SQL injection is pervasive** — nearly every query interpolates `$_GET`/
  `$_POST` directly (e.g. `console.php` `nummercs`, `api.php` `playerid`,
  callsign fields). Safe *only* because the network is closed and trusted.
- `time.php` passes a request value into `exec("sudo date -s …")` — command
  execution by design; would be dangerous on any reachable network.
- `api.php` and parts of `registration.php`/`console.php` still emit `DEBUG:`
  output to the page.

**Maintainability**
- Presentation, business logic, and SQL are fully interleaved in every file;
  connection boilerplate is copy-pasted dozens of times.
- Deprecated `mysql_error()` calls remain alongside `mysqli_*` (would fatal on
  PHP 7+). The code targets an EOL PHP 5.x runtime.
- 16 pods are hard-coded as `pod01..pod16` everywhere (schema, console, FS
  output). This is **intentional** — 16 is the hardware max per game console and
  the console requires all 16 positions in a fixed order — but it does make the
  code verbose (16 near-identical branches in `console.php` and
  `getFSplayers.php`). A loop over a pod count of 16 would be cleaner without
  changing the contract.
- Display refresh is fixed-interval full-fragment polling (no change detection
  except the one infopanel flag).
- Inline `<font>` tags, table layouts, and absolute pixel sizes throughout.

**Runtime assumptions**
- Timezone hard-coded to `America/Chicago` in most files.
- URLs hard-coded to `/pqs/…` and to server IP via `$_SERVER['SERVER_ADDR']`.

## 8. Strengths worth preserving

- The **domain model is sound and battle-tested**: mission → fill → lock →
  commit → history, with ETD projected from the last commit time. Any rewrite
  should keep this exact lifecycle.
- It is **operationally simple**: drop PHP files on one box, point kiosks and
  TVs at URLs. No build, no services to orchestrate — valuable at a venue.
- Feature set is complete for real events: group/squad reservations, per-mission
  game/map overrides, merc tracking, bulk mission build, history, live walls,
  and direct pod integration.

## 9. Improve vs. rewrite — starting point

If **improving in place**, the highest-value, lowest-risk fixes first:
1. Make mission-fill atomic (transaction + `SELECT … FOR UPDATE`, or derive
   `numplayers` from `COUNT(*)`) to end overfill races.
2. Parameterize all queries (mysqli prepared statements) and remove `DEBUG:`
   output.
3. Centralize DB access into one include; replace remaining `mysql_*` calls.
4. Make timezone configuration-driven; collapse the 16 repeated pod branches
   into a loop (keep the fixed 16-slot output contract — see below).

If **rewriting from scratch**, preserve section 4's lifecycle and section 5's
tables as the spec. Treat `getFSgame.php` / `getFSplayers.php` output formats as
a **hard contract**, but note the real contract is defined by the **unrecovered
AutoHotkey scripts** that scrape them and keyboard-inject into the game console.
**Recovering those AHK scripts is a prerequisite** to safely changing anything
about how missions reach the pods — without them the exact expected output
layout (field order, delimiters) can only be inferred from the PHP. One part of
the contract is already known and must be kept: `getFSplayers.php` **always
returns exactly 16 lines** in fixed pod order, inactive pods zeroed rather than
omitted, because the game console addresses all 16 positions positionally.
```