RP's cockpit displays decoded near-empty (top-strip only, a copy off-screen at
VRAM 0x100000) while BT's were full. Root cause was NOT the VDB decode (byte
split/palettes/stride all correct, proven by BT) but an SVGA bank-switch
GRANULARITY mismatch: RP's REL410/RP/GAUGE/L4GAUGE.INI [640x480x16] used
granularityInKB=4 vs BT's 64 on the same STB Horizon+ (CL-GD5434). DOSBox-X's
CL-GD5434 bank emulation handles 64KB granularity (BT full) but mishandles the
4KB-granular paged gauge writes, scattering them off-screen.
FIX (config, no rebuild): RP L4GAUGE.INI granularityInKB 4->64 (matches BT,
same card). VERIFIED live: VRAM content scan went from 0x0+0x100000 (top-strip
+ off-screen) to the FULL framebuffer 0x0..0x90000 populated; radar +
upper-center MFD confirmed correct, rest under reference check.
Also commits the VDB diagnostic tooling that found it (vpxlog.cpp, all
default-off): VDB_SCAN (VRAM content locator -- decisive), VDB_PALDUMP,
pixel-mask value logging, VDB_REALSTRIDE + live mode/stride/start logging,
VDB_BASE read-base override, VDB_APPLYMASK DAC-mask honoring. Full writeup in
VDB-NOTES.md.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The plasma serial2 addition put COM2 (IRQ 3) in conflict with nicirq=3:
netnub phase worked, then BTL4OPT opened the plasma port and NIC RX died,
so the pod never checked in to the console. NIC now on IRQ 10 in all net
confs + NET.CFG INT 10 (both sides must agree). Verified live: two full
console missions with plasma running.
Also: launch_pod.ps1 prepends the Npcap dir to PATH itself (a bare shell
gave "NO PACKET DRIVER FOUND"); net_diag.conf = packet-stack-only boot
with the NCSA Telnet suite on E: for DOS-side TCP tests; net_loop.conf
promoted to full production parity (sound + plasma + IRQ 10) -- the
GO.BAT-style instant netnub relaunch is also what lets the console
recover its zombie TCP session between missions (see NET-NOTES).
NET-NOTES: full 7/08-09 forensics writeup (TAP RX counter lie, console
IP .10, SBK re-upload measured, zombie-session mechanics).
LAST.EGG = the operator's missions from tonight's runs.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
BT411's mapscan (full RES container format) run against our RES settles
the walls question: arena1/arenall and arena2/arenall2 place the open
city set only; the wall1/2/3 segments belong to the RAV map (18+8+5
placements: a canyon maze), and cavern/grass/dbase carry the wall10k
outer ring. Nothing was ever dropped by the renderer.
TESTRAV.EGG = TESTARN.EGG with map=rav; gauge_rav_sound.conf boots it.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Renderer (dpl3-revive/patha):
- Instance visibility honored at DRAW time (stored word 4 = live
dpl_SetInstanceVisibility field): laser beams (4-frame pulses) and
missile models now render; cache tags w3 0/1 instances 'gated'
- PSFX world bursts (dcs=0 muzzle/impact/explosion) rendered; psfx
storage list-based so one-shot bursts stop collapsing onto one key
- fix_degenerate applied to INSTANCE chains (was camera-only): the
beam chain rides four rank-2 rig DCSs; composed rank-2 drew beams
away from the guns. Offline f1635 now shows both arm beams
converging on the aim point
- First-person canopy cull: the always-armed cockpit model at the
head drew as a vertical line down screen center (user-confirmed
fixed live)
Device (vpx-device/vpxlog.cpp):
- CAM backchannel on the fifosock: bridge streams its validated
camera (+ vehicle root DCS); raycast_pick aims along the player's
real look instead of the static view-node pose, which had locked
every missile/beam onto one fixed wrong world point
- raycast_pick skips hidden-until-armed instances and the player's
own articulation subtree: picking own beams created a target
feedback loop, picking own missiles retargeted salvos mid-flight,
and a picked missile's deleted DCS froze the game (arena2 crash)
Sound (vpx-device/vweawe.cpp): stereo-linked peak limiter replaces
the hard output clamp (the "generator out" crackle); VWE_AWE_LOG
reports pre-limit peaks + duck counts, enabled in launch_pod.ps1.
Missile-fire crackle persists: per-voice EMU8000 clamp suspected.
Eggs/confs: TESTAR2.EGG + gauge_arena2_sound.conf (map=arena2 city
variant); cavern.egg (console-era reference); plasma display on COM2
in the gauge confs; gauge_arena_net_sound.conf (slirp net stack).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Un-ignored: this is the working copy the emulator actually boots (patched
BTL4OPT.EXE v4 lineage + .orig/.nop14/.pre_idle/.pre_limit backups,
TESTARN.EGG arena1 test egg, REL410 BT+RP trees, VGL_LABS pod boot bats,
VWETEST factory test suites, SB16 Creative utilities). The pristine
untouched image remains ALPHA_1.zip.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
CydandClaude Fable 5