Remove ATL dependency so VC++ Express can build

The Express editions of Visual C++ ship without ATL. The only ATL usage was
in MUNGA_L4/L4APP.cpp (atlbase.h/atlconv.h + USES_CONVERSION/W2A macros, all
in that one file) for wide-to-ANSI conversion of command-line arguments.

- Replace the ATL includes with a self-contained L4WideToAnsi helper (a
  WideCharToMultiByte wrapper) and local USES_CONVERSION/W2A macros that
  reproduce ATL's W2A semantics. All call sites consume the result immediately
  (stricmp / CString assignment / atoi / atol), so behaviour is unchanged.
- Set UseOfATL="0" in Munga_L4.vcproj, RP_L4.vcproj and their VS2008 variants.
- Document the Express build path and the confirmed June 2010 DirectX SDK in
  BUILD.md (new section 6) and docs/BUILD-NOTES.md.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

BUILD.md

@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ You must supply the toolchain — none of it is checked into this repo.
 
 | Component | Required version | Notes |
 |-----------|------------------|-------|
-| **Visual Studio** | 2005 (v8) or 2008 (v9) | Project files are the legacy `.vcproj` format. Modern MSBuild **cannot** build `.vcproj` directly — it needs `VCBuild.exe`, which only ships with VS 2005/2008. A newer VS (2022) can build these but will first *upgrade* the projects to `.vcxproj`. |
-| **DirectX SDK** | March 2009 (June 2010 also works) | Provides `d3d9.lib`, `d3dx9.lib`, `dinput8.lib`, `dxguid.lib`, `dxerr.lib` and headers. |
-| **Windows SDK / Platform SDK** | Matching your VS | Provides `WS2_32.lib`, `dbghelp.lib`, etc. |
+| **Visual Studio** | 2005 (v8) or 2008 (v9) — **Express is fine** | Project files are the legacy `.vcproj` format. Modern MSBuild **cannot** build `.vcproj` directly — it needs `VCBuild.exe`, which only ships with VS 2005/2008. A newer VS (2022) can build these but will first *upgrade* the projects to `.vcxproj`. The code uses **no MFC** and (as of the ATL-removal change) **no ATL**, so the free **Visual C++ Express** editions build it — see §6. |
+| **DirectX SDK** | June 2010 (installed) — March 2009 also works | Provides `d3d9.lib`, `d3dx9.lib`, `dinput8.lib`, `dxguid.lib`, `dxerr.lib` and headers. ✅ Confirmed installed at `C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft DirectX SDK (June 2010)` with `DXSDK_DIR` set machine-wide. |
+| **Windows SDK / Platform SDK** | Matching your VS (e.g. Windows SDK 7.1) | Provides `WS2_32.lib`, `dbghelp.lib`, etc. With an Express edition, install the standalone Windows SDK 7.1 to guarantee these. Note: `dbghelp.lib` is listed as a link input but **no source references it** — drop it from the linker line if it isn't found. |
 | **`DXSDK_DIR` environment variable** | — | The DirectX SDK installer sets this automatically (includes a trailing backslash). The projects reference the SDK **only** through this variable — see §4. |
 
 ### Bundled third-party libraries (already in the repo)
@@ -116,3 +116,28 @@ $env:DXSDK_DIR = "C:\DXSDK\"   # note the trailing backslash
 - Requires the OpenAL and libsndfile **runtime DLLs** at run time (see §1).
 - See [docs/BUILD-NOTES.md](docs/BUILD-NOTES.md) for the repository cleanup
   history, orphaned files, and the full findings behind this document.
+
+---
+
+## 6. Building with Visual C++ Express (2008)
+
+The Express editions are free but ship **without MFC and without ATL**. This
+codebase uses no MFC, and its only ATL dependency has been removed, so Express
+now builds it:
+
+- `MUNGA_L4/L4APP.cpp` previously included `<atlbase.h>` / `<atlconv.h>` and used
+  the `USES_CONVERSION` / `W2A` macros to convert wide command-line arguments to
+  ANSI. These were replaced with a small self-contained `L4WideToAnsi` helper
+  (a thin `WideCharToMultiByte` wrapper) that reproduces ATL's `W2A` behaviour.
+- `UseOfATL` was set to `0` in `Munga_L4.vcproj`, `RP_L4.vcproj` and their
+  `VS2008` variants.
+
+Checklist for a clean Express build:
+
+1. Install **Visual C++ 2008 Express SP1**.
+2. Install the **Windows SDK 7.1** (for `WS2_32.lib`, `dbghelp.lib`, core Win32
+   headers/libs that Express's bundled SDK subset may not fully cover).
+3. Install the **DirectX SDK** (already done — June 2010) and confirm `DXSDK_DIR`.
+4. Open `WinTesla.sln`, pick `Release|Win32`, build.
+5. If the linker can't find `dbghelp.lib`, remove it from
+   `RP_L4` → Linker → Input → Additional Dependencies (it is unused).

MUNGA_L4/L4APP.cpp

@@ -13,8 +13,45 @@
 #include "l4mppr.h"
 #include "..\munga\player.h"
 #include "..\munga\mission.h"
-#include <atlbase.h>
-#include <atlconv.h>
+//
+// Minimal stand-in for ATL's <atlconv.h> USES_CONVERSION / W2A macros.
+// VC++ Express and the Windows SDK do not ship ATL, and the only ATL feature
+// this file used was wide-to-ANSI conversion of command-line tokens below.
+// L4WideToAnsi mirrors ATL's W2A semantics: each use produces an independent
+// buffer that stays valid until the end of the enclosing full-expression.
+//
+namespace
+{
+	class L4WideToAnsi
+	{
+	public:
+		explicit L4WideToAnsi(const wchar_t* wide) : mBuffer(0)
+		{
+			int needed = (wide != 0)
+				? ::WideCharToMultiByte(CP_ACP, 0, wide, -1, 0, 0, 0, 0)
+				: 0;
+			if (needed <= 0)
+			{
+				needed = 1;
+			}
+			mBuffer = new char[needed];
+			if (wide == 0 ||
+				::WideCharToMultiByte(CP_ACP, 0, wide, -1, mBuffer, needed, 0, 0) <= 0)
+			{
+				mBuffer[0] = '\0';
+			}
+		}
+		~L4WideToAnsi() { delete [] mBuffer; }
+		operator char*() { return mBuffer; }
+	private:
+		char* mBuffer;
+		L4WideToAnsi(const L4WideToAnsi&);				// non-copyable
+		L4WideToAnsi& operator=(const L4WideToAnsi&);
+	};
+}
+
+#define USES_CONVERSION	((void)0)
+#define W2A(w)			(static_cast<char*>(L4WideToAnsi(w)))
 
 L4Application*&
 	l4_application = (L4Application*&)application;

MUNGA_L4/Munga_L4 VS2008.vcproj

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="..\lib"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="4"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool

MUNGA_L4/Munga_L4.vcproj

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="..\lib"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="4"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="..\lib"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="4"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="..\lib"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="4"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool

RP_L4/RP_L4 VS2008.vcproj

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="$(SolutionDir)$(ConfigurationName)"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="1"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="$(SolutionDir)$(ConfigurationName)"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="1"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool

RP_L4/RP_L4.vcproj

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="$(SolutionDir)$(ConfigurationName)"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="1"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="$(SolutionDir)$(ConfigurationName)"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="1"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			WholeProgramOptimization="1"
 			>
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@
 			OutputDirectory="$(SolutionDir)$(ConfigurationName)"
 			IntermediateDirectory="$(ConfigurationName)"
 			ConfigurationType="1"
-			UseOfATL="1"
+			UseOfATL="0"
 			CharacterSet="1"
 			>
 			<Tool

docs/BUILD-NOTES.md

@@ -91,6 +91,33 @@ $(DXSDK_DIR)Lib\x86
 `DXSDK_DIR` is set by the DirectX SDK installer and ends in a trailing
 backslash, so `$(DXSDK_DIR)Include` resolves correctly.
 
+> **Status update:** the **DirectX SDK (June 2010)** is now installed at
+> `C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft DirectX SDK (June 2010)\`, and `DXSDK_DIR`
+> is set machine-wide to that path. All required headers (`d3d9.h`, `d3dx9.h`,
+> `dinput.h`) and libs (`d3d9.lib`, `d3dx9.lib`, `dxerr.lib`, `dxguid.lib`) are
+> present. The un-hardcoded projects resolve to it automatically.
+
+### 2.4 ATL removed (enables VC++ Express)
+
+The Express editions of Visual C++ ship without ATL. The codebase's only ATL
+usage was in `MUNGA_L4/L4APP.cpp` — `<atlbase.h>` / `<atlconv.h>` and the
+`USES_CONVERSION` / `W2A` macros (28 references, all in that one file), used
+purely to convert wide command-line arguments to ANSI in the arg parser. No
+COM, no `CComPtr`, no ATL windows.
+
+Changes:
+- Replaced the ATL includes with a self-contained `L4WideToAnsi` helper class
+  (a `WideCharToMultiByte` wrapper) plus local `USES_CONVERSION` / `W2A` macros
+  that reproduce ATL's `W2A` semantics — each use yields an independent buffer
+  valid until the end of the enclosing full-expression. Every call site consumes
+  the result immediately (compare via `stricmp`, assign to MUNGA's `CString`,
+  or pass to `atoi`/`atol`), so the behaviour is identical.
+- Set `UseOfATL="0"` in `Munga_L4.vcproj`, `RP_L4.vcproj`, and the two `VS2008`
+  variants.
+
+`CString` in this file is **MUNGA's own** class (`MUNGA/CSTR.h`), not ATL's, so
+dropping the ATL headers does not affect it.
+
 ---
 
 ## 3. Project reference data