Three unrelated source-data bugs surfaced while round-tripping our own
Content/Mechs tree against the decompiled V4H packages. All three were
found because a decompiler verifier disagreed with the shipped data, not
by inspection.
Hellspawn / Sunder: unterminated section headers
-------------------------------------------------
hellspawn.subsystems:101 [HeatSink10 -> [HeatSink10]
sunder.subsystems:120 [HeatSink16 -> [HeatSink16]
The notation parser keys a page on the bracketed name. With the closing
bracket missing the page name is malformed, so that heat sink's block is
not registered as its own page and its Model/ExecutionState/
InternalLocation keys are absorbed by the preceding page. Net effect: one
heat sink silently missing from each mech (Hellspawn LeftTorso, Sunder
LeftArm), and the preceding sink's location keys overwritten.
CauldronBorn: undefined macro in TwistRadius
--------------------------------------------
cauldronborn.torso:15 TwistRadius=$(OBSTUSE_TRADIUS) -> 100
OBSTUSE_TRADIUS is a typo and is defined nowhere in the define tables;
the intended symbol is OBTUSE_TRADIUS (=140). An undefined macro does not
fail loudly - the factory substitutes its own default - so this shipped
for years as a silent fallback.
Resolved to the literal 100 rather than $(OBTUSE_TRADIUS) because the
compiled .torso record in the shipped package holds 100.0f, i.e. the
factory default that has always been in effect. Using 140 would change
long-standing behaviour; 100 preserves it and makes it explicit. Verified
against the packaged record: verify_smallmodel now reports 1280/1280 keys.
Lesson recorded: an undefined macro is not a build error here. Check what
the compiled package actually holds before "correcting" a symbol name.
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5 (Anthropic) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <copilot@github.com>
Console lobby now reads "BattleTech Console V5.1.0b2", covering the
240-minute time limit work and the default-time fix on this branch.
Also corrects the testing checklist, whose section 5 still asserted the
V5.1.0b1 title and an 18-entry time list -- both would now fail on the
bench. Added a check for the 7-minute default, which was silently
landing on 4 before this branch's TIME_LIST_DEFAULT fix.
Content only, no MW4.exe rebuild. ConLobby.script lives in props.mw4, so
this needs build-env\build-resources.ps1 to appear in game.
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5 (Anthropic) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <copilot@github.com>
Time-limit pick lists go to 23 entries: 1-15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60, 120,
180, 240. Content + console only, no MW4.exe rebuild -- nothing between
the dropdown and the mission timer clamps the value, and m_gameLength is
8 bits on the wire (MWApplication.cpp:790), so 255 was always the ceiling.
Hand-applied rather than merged. LYLT reverted aa500be7 (9aa317ea) and
built on the original 9-entry list, while this branch carries the fixed
18-entry version from 456e1978, so the two sides have different bases.
Merging the branch would also drag in that revert of the Battlemaster and
Behemoth loadout work.
Two deliberate deviations from 3514acf6:
- Its max_displayed restructure is NOT taken. Both sides independently
reached the same logic (i==5 -> 10, i==6 -> 4, else 16), but LYLT wrote
the outer else without braces. That bare else-then-if is the construct
behind the null-reference console lobby crash in the aa500be7
regression; 456e1978 already fixed it here. Ours is kept.
- HostLobbyMission.script was untouched on this branch so LYLT's version
is taken wholesale, but its else block (i==5 / i==11) is re-braced for
the same reason before it can bite the PC host lobby.
Fixes a real bug this branch already had: TIME_LIST_DEFAULT was still the
C++ global g_nTimeList_Index (3), which indexed "7" in the old 9-entry
list but indexes "4" in the expanded one -- the default mission time had
silently become 4 minutes. Now the literal 6, which is "7" in both the
18- and 23-entry lists. Kept as a literal so the script stays independent
of the exe; the reset-to-defaults path matches by value (g_nTimeList_Value
= 7) and needed no change.
The rest scales on its own: drop_list_size[5], the doh loop bounds and the
nselected fallbacks in ConLobbyMission all already used TIME_LIST_COUNT /
TIME_LIST_DEFAULT symbolically. The DEMO_CODE list (11 entries, default 5)
is untouched. Verified 23 contiguous entries and balanced braces in both
files, no unbraced else-if left, CRLF and us-ascii preserved.
Not yet repacked: these live in props.mw4, so run build-env\build-resources.ps1
on the Windows box, deleting resource\props.mw4 + props.dep first to force a
full repack (incremental carries stale entries forward). Not run on a real bay.
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5 (Anthropic) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <copilot@github.com>
- Stabilize Load File first-click behavior across mission/map/options/slots.
- Fix map sequencing by rebuilding game-type scenario list before mission lookup.
- Resolve mission-name miss to map index 0 fallback for selected game type.
- Fix decal handling: map INI decal IDs to dropdown indices, clamp invalid indices, display actual decal IDs in UI labels, and avoid redraw-time decal overwrite.
- Fix option apply timing and UI visibility issues, including Weapon Jam refresh.
- Add NoReturn support end-to-end: parse/store in MW4Shell auto globals, expose script variable, and apply to respawn/no-return mission params and UI checkbox.
- Update autoconfig spec to reflect actual parser/default/fallback behavior and add NoReturn examples.
'gui_objects have no parent' crash at line 907: initialize(this) cannot be
called from sender==@conlobby@ context (external mail). Fix:
1. Replace initialize(this)+mail(-9998,parent) in MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION
with mail(MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION_DONE=-8888, this) -- a self-mail.
2. Add MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION_DONE handler in sender==this block, which
safely calls initialize(this)+mail(-9998,parent) from the correct context.
Also repaired a corrupt duplicate MAIL_PREVIOUS_MISSION_PARAMS block
that was left orphaned by an earlier edit (the original body of
MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION had been inserted there when the handler was
moved from sender==this to sender==@conlobby@).
No rebuild required (script-only).
Handler was inside 'if (sender == this)' but MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION is sent
from ConLobby (sender != this), so it never fired. All game params (FriendlyFire,
SplashDamage, UnlimitedAmmo, WeaponJam, AdvanceMode, ArmorMode, etc.) were
silently ignored on every Load File click.
Fix: move the ~70-line handler to the 'if (sender == @conlobby@)' block,
alongside MAIL_SET_ROOKIE_MISSION and MAIL_PREVIOUS_MISSION — where all
ConLobby-originated mails are handled. No rebuild required (script only).
Issue 1 — double press to fix team/FFA display:
cur_team_val is updated by ConLobbyMission's -9998 signal which was async.
Fix: call SetNetworkMissionParamater(team_allowed, ...) directly in ConLobby
before the slot loop, then re-read cur_team_val via CTCL_GetTeamParams.
This is synchronous so the slot display is correct on the first click.
New file keys: TeamAllowed=0/1, TeamCount=2 (default 2 teams).
Issue 2 — Default button broken after Load File click:
CTCL_LoadAutoFile was overwriting g_nRookieGameType/g_szRookieMission etc.
so the Default button loaded the last auto-file params instead of defaults.
Fix: 14 new dedicated g_nAutoXxx/g_szAutoMission globals. CTCL_LoadAutoFile
populates ONLY these. Rookie Mission globals are never touched.
New MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION (-6666) sent to ConLobbyMission applies the Auto
globals (mirrors MAIL_SET_ROOKIE_MISSION_PARAMS but uses g_nAutoXxx).
ConLobby reads game type/mission from Auto globals directly into the
ConLobbyMission dropdowns (@ConLobbyMission@o_game_options[N].nselected).
Files changed:
MW4Shell.cpp: 16 new globals, StartUp/ShutDown registration, CTCL_LoadAutoFile
ConLobby.script: MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION define, updated handler
ConLobbyMission.script: MAIL_LOAD_AUTO_MISSION define + handler
autoconfig-file-spec.html: document TeamAllowed + TeamCount fields
Rebuild required: MW4.exe (Release + Profile).
1. Expose g_bAutomaticMode as gosScript variable so ConLobby can check
it at init time. o_load_file.state is set to 3 (disabled/hidden) if
automaticmode != 1 in options.ini. Button is fully visible and active
only when the feature is intentionally enabled.
Rebuild required: MW4.exe (Release + Profile).
2. Remove cur_team_val conditional for team/skin slot assignment.
Previously, only one of o_team[k] or o_skins[k] was set depending on
cur_team_val at click time, but MAIL_SET_ROOKIE_MISSION propagates the
new game type asynchronously -- cur_team_val would not reflect the
file's GameType until the next frame, requiring a second click.
Fix: always set both o_team[k] and o_skins[k] unconditionally. The
mission launch code uses whichever is relevant for the active mode;
the other is harmlessly ignored. No rebuild (script-only).
mech[j] in the flat sorted array hits variant entries (e.g. 'Assassin2 A'
sorts before 'AssassinII' alphabetically, pushing all subsequent chassis
indices off by 1 or more). The script's stock_array[] maps each chassis
index -> its actual position in the flat mech[] array, bypassing variant
entries.
Fix: mech[allowed_mechs[j]] -> mech[stock_array[allowed_mechs[j]]]
Only stock (chassis) names are supported in Mech= field. Operators can
adjust variants manually after Load File is clicked. No rebuild required
(script-only change).
Script calls callback(CTCL_GetAutoSlotInt, k, 0/1/2/3) where 0-3 are
integer literals. The script engine passes literals as (void*)N directly
(not as pointers), so INTPARM(1) = *((int*)data[1]) dereferences NULL
when field=0, producing the 'Attempt to read from NULL' STOP.
Fix: VALUEPARM(1) = (int)data[1] reads the value without dereferencing.
k (data[0]) remains INTPARM because it is a script variable (passed as
a pointer to the variable's storage, not a literal).
Also add exists(@ConLobbyMission@) guard before MAIL_SET_ROOKIE_MISSION
for defensive safety if the sub-script is not running.
Rebuild required: MW4.exe (Release + Profile).
options.ini [automaticmode] section:
automaticmode=1
automaticfile=c:\path\to\config.ini
Right-click was considered then dropped in favor of a dedicated button
at 467,510 (below Pick Cond., left of Reprint).
C++ (MW4Shell.cpp):
- SAutoFileSlot struct + g_aAutoSlots[16], g_bAutomaticMode, g_szAutomaticFile globals
- [automaticmode] ini read at StartUp
- CTCL_LoadAutoFile: checks file exists, reads [mission] page into existing
g_nRookieXxx globals + [slot0]..[slot15] pages into g_aAutoSlots[]; returns 1 if loaded
- CTCL_GetAutoSlotName(out_str, k): pilot name for slot k
- CTCL_GetAutoSlotMech(out_str, k): mech display name for slot k
- CTCL_GetAutoSlotInt(k, field): Type/Team/Skin/Decal for slot k (fields 0-3)
- Register/unregister all 4 callbacks in StartUp/ShutDown
Script (ConLobby.script):
- o_load_file button at 467, 510
- Handler: CTCL_LoadAutoFile -> if loaded, sends MAIL_SET_ROOKIE_MISSION to
ConLobbyMission (game options), clears all slots, then applies per-slot data
in a loop (pilot names, mech by display-name lookup in allowed_mechs[], team,
skin, decal). USE_ALLOWED_MECHS/non-ALLOWED_MECHS both handled via #if.
File not consumed (stays on disk); external app overwrites for next load.
Rebuild required: MW4.exe (Release + Profile).
MW4Shell.cpp:
- CTCL_DefaultHostSetup (non-coop): replaced hardcoded
Environment.NetworkMaxPlayers=16 with
params->m_maxPlayers + (CTCL_GetTeslaCountAll() - CTCL_GetTeslaCount())
so DirectPlay reserves one extra slot per installed cameraship.
CTCL_GetTeslaCountAll() - CTCL_GetTeslaCount() = camera-only seat count.
- SetNetworkMissionParamater / PLAYER_LIMIT_PARAMETER: applied the same
camera-slot formula when the host changes the player limit at runtime.
Also restored the gos_NetServerCommands(gos_Commend_UpdateMaxPlayers)
call (was accidentally dropped) and the missing break that caused
fall-through into JOIN_IN_PROGRESS_PARAMETER.
- COOP branch: no change (capped at 9+bots; camera seats not needed there).
ConLobby.script:
- Raised the launch-guard cap from nTempPlayerCount > 16 to > 17,
allowing the 17th connection (the cameraship) to not trigger the
'Too many player/bots' error.
Version bumped to V5.1.0b1 to align with the 5.1.0b-in-progress branch name and
the goal of producing a tested release candidate.
Incorporated manually-tested script changes from Buddy 'Highlight' Taylor of
MechCorps (MCHL), who expanded the default mech pool from Fab4 to Super6:
- ROOKIEMECH defines extended to 6 entries (added Archer ID=1, Warhammer ID=62)
- 16-slot default mech assignments updated to cycle through all 6 Super6 mechs
- Right-click mech randomizer expanded from random(0,3) to random(0,5) to
include Archer and Warhammer in the pool
Changelog entries for Cyd (06/24/26), MCHL (06/27/26), and RT (07/19/26)
added to the script header.
Co-authored-by: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <copilot@github.com>
Battlemaster stock loadouts (Content\Mechs\Battlemaster\battlemaster.subsystems):
- Replace lone MediumPulseLaser with full IS stock: PPC (Special2, group 1),
6×ML (3 RT + 3 LT, group 1), 2×MG (LA, 200 rds, group 1), SRM6 (Special1,
15 rds, group 2).
Battlemaster Clan 2C (battlemaster2c.subsystems):
- Replace ClanMediumPulseLaser with: ER PPC (RA, group 1), 6×ER ML (3 RT + 3
LT, group 1), 2×Clan Gauss (LA, 16 rds each, group 1), Clan SSRM6 (Special1,
15 rds, group 2).
Behemoth / Behemoth2 (.subsystems):
- Move Gauss rifles from weapon group 3 → group 1 (3 occurrences each).
Resource builder (build-resources.ps1):
- Always run with -window (windowed + DDrawCompat). Fullscreen native DDraw
fails on VMs with the generic Microsoft display adapter.
- Remove dgVoodoo2 D3D interceptors (D3D8/D3D9/D3DImm.dll) from Gameleap\mw4:
they silently break the builder (process exits 0 without packing anything).
Script also defensively moves any such files aside via $dgvMoved block.
- Remove dgVoodoo.conf and dgVoodooCpl.exe (abandoned experiment, no longer used).
- Expected: 'Hardware Error: not compatible with MechWarrior 4' dialog at end
of build on VMs -- click OK, packages are built correctly regardless.
CLAUDE.md: updated with mfdsplit branch notes covering all 2026-07-18 work.
Co-authored-by: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <copilot@github.com>
ConLobbyMission.script:
- Expand MP time-limit dropdown from 9 to 18 entries (1-15, 20, 25, 30 min)
with max_displayed=10 so the list scrolls cleanly.
- Fix bare else-if syntax (missing braces) that caused null-reference crash
on console lobby load when this was merged from main.
- Fix i==5 vs i==6 max_displayed assignment for time vs radar dropdowns.
build-resources.ps1:
- DDrawCompat's ddraw.dll is fatal to MW4pro.exe in FULLSCREEN but works
in WINDOWED mode. Don't move it aside; instead run the builder with
-window when ddraw.dll is present. This fixes builds on VMs with generic
display adapters (no hardware DirectDraw) and avoids the EnterWindowMode
CreateSurface crash on Win10/11 without a functioning DWM shim.
- Also temporarily set options.ini bitdepth=32 when running without any
ddraw interceptor (bare-metal fallback), restored in finally block.
- Remove stale comment about ddraw being fatal; update interceptor detection
to correctly identify DDrawCompat vs dgVoodoo2 via dgVoodoo.conf presence.
Co-authored-by: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <copilot@github.com>
MySQL database export (dbexport.h / dbexport.cpp):
- New files dbexport.h / dbexport.cpp implement late-bound MySQL export.
libmysql.dll is loaded at runtime via LoadLibrary/GetProcAddress so no
MySQL SDK is required at compile time; the app runs normally if the DLL
is absent.
- After each print job, match data is exported to a MySQL server before
PrintDlg() is called: one row in 'match', one row per player in
'player_result', one row per attacker/victim pair in 'pvp'. An optional
'event' table records every individual SRecScore entry (off by default).
Tables are created automatically (CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS) on first
connect.
- Config stored in mw4print.ini (app directory), section [MySQLExport]:
Enabled, Host, Port, Database, Username, Password, ExportEvents.
- Config loaded at startup (OnCreate); DB_LoadConfig() / DB_SaveConfig().
- Connection timeout set to 5 seconds so the app does not hang if the
server is unreachable.
- libmysql.dll (MySQL Connector/C 32-bit) added to Gameleap/mw4/ so the
deploy script copies it to MW4/ alongside mw4print.exe.
Database Settings dialog (File > Database Settings... / Ctrl+D):
- MFC dialog: enable checkbox, Host/Port/Database/Username/Password fields,
Export Events checkbox, Test Connection button with live status label,
OK/Cancel. OK persists settings to mw4print.ini immediately.
Configurable banner text (File > Banner Setting...):
- The 'WWW.MECHJOCK.COM' URL string printed at the bottom of every score
sheet is now configurable. Stored as BannerText= in options.ini under
[battle tech print] (same section/file as the other print layout params).
File > Banner Setting... opens a dialog to edit it; OK saves to options.ini
and takes effect on the next print job with no restart needed.
Default value is the original MECHJOCK string if the key is absent.
FS507D_20161015 release analysis wrap-up (drop itself is gitignored; art-review
folder kept local for review):
- Recovered the only assets our tree lacked: 13 hsh HUD/radar/mech bmps and the
two 5.07D lobby decals (decal_46/47.tga, extracted from release props.mw4 via
a ported gos_LZDecompress).
- ResourceImagePool.cpp: missing-texture placeholder is now LAB_ONLY (editor
keeps degraded mode); Release restores the original fatal STOP. Release +
Profile rebuilt, 0 errors.
Console script reconciled:
- ConLobby.script.new ("BattleTech Console V5.0.7Df", newest revision anywhere)
promoted to Content\ShellScripts\ConLobby.script; .new removed; stale loose
deploy copy removed. Verified in-game (console title shows V5.0.7Df).
- Corrected CLAUDE.md: the release never "renamed" the console to
ComputerPlayer.script -- the resource packer stores script contents under
alphabetically skewed entry names (runtime resolves the same pairing).
Packer quirks documented (stale entry carry-forward on incremental builds,
name/content skew in directory sweeps).
Mechlab bug fix (first FireStorm bug hunt):
- New-Mech dialog showed blank rows for Wolfhound/Zeus and crashed (KERNELBASE
read AV) when creating a Zeus. Root cause: newmech in chassis.script created
its Type droplist without setting $$m_listBoxSize$$, so capacity defaulted to
60 while 65 chassis were written in -- OOB script-array writes. Fixed by
sizing the list from $$m_chassisCount$$. Latent stock-MW4 bug armed when the
FireStorm roster passed 60 chassis. Verified: Zeus variant creates cleanly.
props.mw4 fully repacked (decals + promoted console + mechlab fix, junk
.new/.org entries gone); game deploy refreshed at MW4\. Gitignore: FS507D drop
and player-created MW4\Resource\Variants.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Complete disaster-recovery snapshot: engine/game source, game data assets,
VC6 toolchain + DX SDKs, build outputs, deployed game, and _UNUSED archive.
Large binaries in Git LFS; text preserved byte-for-byte (core.autocrlf=false,
no eol attributes). See RECOVERY.md for the one-clone rebuild procedure.
CydandClaude Fable 5