# RIOJoy — modernization plan

Modernize the cockpit RIO interface app for Windows 10/11, **removing the vJoy
dependency** and replacing it with a custom virtual HID device, rewritten in
C#/.NET as a background tray app with **per-game profiles**.

The legacy app is preserved under [`legacy/`](../legacy/) as the behavioral
reference. The RIO wire format and input map are documented in
[PROTOCOL.md](PROTOCOL.md).

---

## Purpose

The cockpits run two native games (**Firestorm**, **Red Planet**) that talk to
the RIO hardware **directly** and never use this app. RIOJoy exists to **broaden
which other games can run in the cockpits**: arbitrary games don't know about the
cockpit's extra hardware (5 analog axes, 96 lighted buttons, the plasma/VFD
display, the labeled wallpaper), so RIOJoy bridges the RIO to whatever input
those games *do* understand — joystick, keyboard, and mouse — and drives the
cockpit's outputs on their behalf.

---

## Target architecture

```
   ┌────────────────── C# / .NET Framework 4.8 tray app (x64) ─────────────────┐
   │  Serial (RIO protocol)   →  Input mapper (profile)   →  Output router      │
   │   COM port, 9600 8N1         72 inputs + keypads          ├─ Keyboard/Mouse: SendInput (P/Invoke)
   │   packet parse + ACK/NAK     decode iRIO bitfield         ├─ Joystick: HID report → DeviceIoControl ↓
   │   analog poll + recovery     axis calibration            └─ Lamps: LampRequest back over serial
   │  Plasma/VFD on 2nd COM   ·  Profiles + auto-switch + tray UI + logging      │
   └───────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
                                                     │ IOCTL (input report bytes)
   ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────▼──────────────────────────┐
   │  RioGamepad.sys  — KMDF + VHF (vhf.sys) virtual HID device                   │
   │  Report descriptor: X,Y,Z,Rx,Ry,Rz (16-bit) · 1 hat · 96 buttons            │
   │  Control device + custom IOCTL  →  VhfReadReportSubmit()  →  Windows sees    │
   │                                                              a HID gamepad   │
   └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Decisions (confirmed)

- **Virtual joystick:** custom **VHF/UMDF HID driver** (full fidelity: 6 axes,
  96 buttons, 1 hat — exactly the legacy vJoy layout). Not ViGEm (can't hold 96
  buttons).
- **Stack:** C# / **.NET Framework 4.8**, x64 — in-box on Windows 10/11, so
  deployed builds are framework-dependent with no runtime to install. (Modern C#
  language features that net48 lacks are supplied by the PolySharp source
  generator + a few NuGet shims; see `src/RioJoy.Core/Compat/`.) Driver is C
  (WDK), separate toolchain.
- **Form:** background **tray app** (NotifyIcon); start/stop managed by the
  TeslaConsole launcher (no logon auto-start).
- **Targets:** Windows 10/11 **x64 only**. The legacy x86 / WinXP targets are
  dropped.

### What ports over vs. what's new

| Concern | Legacy | Modern |
|---|---|---|
| Serial + RIO protocol | overlapped I/O + watch thread | `SerialPort` + async loop; faithful port of the packet state machine |
| Input decode | `iRIO[]` bitfield + `Press_V2` | same semantics, ported to C# |
| Keyboard/mouse | `SendInput` scancode | `SendInput` via P/Invoke (≈verbatim) |
| Joystick | vJoy `SetAxis/SetBtn/SetDiscPov` | **HID report → IOCTL → RioGamepad.sys** |
| Lamps | `LampRequest` over serial | same |
| Axis calibration | `UpdateJoystick/Throttle/Padal` | ported math |
| Plasma display | `CPlasma` (COM2) | ported; content per-profile |
| Config | SimpleIni, single file, hard-coded COM1 | profile library (JSON), configurable ports; importer for legacy `RIO.ini` |

---

## Profiles (the core abstraction)

A **profile** fully describes how the cockpit behaves for **one non-native
game**. Everything is per-profile, not global:

- Button/keypad mapping (the decoded `iRIO` table for this game)
- Axis calibration, curves, and invert flags
- Lamp behavior
- Plasma/VFD content (or "off")
- Cockpit overlay labels + the generated wallpaper (Phase 7)
- Display/resolution targets

Profiles **never** describe the native games — those are the "hands-off" case.

### Serial-port yield & the auto-switch state machine

Because the native games own the RIO's COM port directly, RIOJoy must yield it.
A process/window watcher drives three states:

| Detected running app | RIOJoy behavior |
|---|---|
| **Native game** (Firestorm, Red Planet) | **Release COM port, go fully dormant** — no serial, no HID, no overlay |
| **Supported non-native game** | Acquire port, load that game's profile, drive HID / keyboard / mouse / lamps / plasma / wallpaper |
| **Nothing / desktop** | Idle — port released or a configurable neutral default |

Config therefore holds: the per-game profile library, a **list of native games
to yield to**, and the executable→profile match rules. Manual override from the
tray menu is always available.

---

## Phases

### Phase 0 — Repo & scaffold ✅ (this commit)
- `git init`, remote `https://gitea.mysticmachines.com/VWE/RIOJoy.git`.
- Legacy C++ moved to `legacy/`; cockpit art to `docs/reference/`.
- Solution `RioJoy.sln` with `src/RioJoy.Core` (lib) + `src/RioJoy.Tray`
  (tray app); `driver/` placeholder for the WDK project.
- This plan + [PROTOCOL.md](PROTOCOL.md).

### Phase 1 — Virtual HID driver — test-signed, installed, verified ✅
Implemented in [`driver/RioGamepad/`](../driver/RioGamepad/); builds to
`RioGamepad.sys` against the EWDK (KMDF 1.15 + VHF, x64, warnings-as-errors).
- KMDF + VHF virtual HID gamepad: report descriptor = 6×16-bit axes, 1 hat,
  96 buttons ([`ReportDescriptor.h`](../driver/RioGamepad/ReportDescriptor.h)).
- Device interface + custom `IOCTL_RIO_SUBMIT_REPORT` → `VhfReadReportSubmit`; the
  driver is a thin relay, with the 25-byte report layout pinned in
  [`Public.h`](../driver/RioGamepad/Public.h).
- C# side of the contract: `RioJoy.Core.Hid.RioHidReport` packs axes/hat/buttons
  into that exact report (unit-tested). Replaces the throwaway test harness idea.
- Test-signed + `pnputil`-installed on the cabinet; INF declares `vhf` as a
  **lower filter** (`LowerFilters` AddReg) — without it `VhfCreate` fails and the
  device shows Code 31. The EWDK's in-build catalog/sign tasks are bypassed; the
  `.cat` is made with `inf2cat`/`signtool` at install time (`driver/*.ps1`,
  [`driver/README.md`](../driver/README.md)).
- **End-to-end verified:** the real `HidFeederJoystickSink` opens the device and
  submits reports; axes (min/mid/max), buttons, and the POV hat all read back
  correctly through `winmm joyGetPosEx` / `joy.cpl`. The controller's `joy.cpl`
  name is set via the DirectInput `OEMName` registry value at install
  (VHF can't supply a HID product string).
- ⏳ **Remaining:** none for the driver itself; redistribution off owned cabinets
  would need attestation signing (Phase 6).

### Phase 2 — Serial + RIO protocol core (`RioJoy.Core`) — code-complete ✅
Implemented in `src/RioJoy.Core/Protocol` + `Serial`, covered by
`tests/RioJoy.Core.Tests` (xUnit, 54 tests):
- Packet parser/builder: command/length table, 7-bit checksum, control chars,
  framing resync on a high-bit byte mid-packet (`PacketParser`, `PacketBuilder`).
- Typed RIO→PC decodes: `AnalogReport` (14-bit sign-extend), `VersionInfo`,
  `CheckStatus`; lamp-state composition (`RioLampState`).
- `RioSerialLink`: async receive loop with ACK/NAK policy (legacy force-accept
  vs. opt-in `VerifyInboundChecksum`), analog poll timer + >5 s reset-recovery.
- `IRioTransport` abstraction with a `SerialPort`-backed implementation
  (9600 8N1, DTR reset pulse); **clean COM-port acquire/release** = create/dispose
  the transport (foundation for serial yield). The read loop is tested against an
  in-memory fake transport.
- ⏳ **Remaining:** verify against real hardware (version reply, check reply,
  analog stream) — needs a cabinet; can't be done off-device.

### Phase 3 — Input mapping + output routing — code-complete ✅
Implemented in `src/RioJoy.Core/Mapping` + `Output`, covered by the
`Mapping` tests (xUnit, 84 tests total):
- `RioMapEntry` decodes the 16-bit `iRIO` word (flags + value) and resolves the
  routing `Kind` by the legacy precedence (joy+hat+mouse ⇒ RIO command; none ⇒
  keyboard; else joy → hat → mouse).
- `RioAddress` (button + keypad→address offsets) and `RioInputMap` (112-entry
  per-profile table) replace the hard-coded `iRIO[]`.
- `InputRouter` ports `Press_V2`/`Release_V2`: modifier ordering, scancode keys,
  joystick buttons, POV hat, mouse move/click, RIO-command dispatch, and lamp
  feedback (bright on press / dim on release; RIO commands carry none).
- Output is split behind sink interfaces (`IInputSink`, `IJoystickSink`,
  `ILampSink`, `IRioCommandSink`) so routing is pure and unit-tested; `SendInputSink`
  is the real `SendInput` keyboard/mouse adapter.
- The joystick sink's real adapter — the **HID feeder → RioGamepad driver via
  `DeviceIoControl`** (`Output/HidFeederJoystickSink`) — is implemented, wired in
  (`RioCoordinator` selects it when the driver is present, else `NullJoystickSink`),
  and verified end-to-end against the installed driver (Phase 1).
- ⏳ **Remaining:** the legacy default map / `RIO.ini` becomes an importable
  profile (Phase 5/7).

### Phase 4 — Axis calibration + plasma display — code-complete ✅
Implemented in `src/RioJoy.Core/Calibration` + `Plasma` (105 xUnit tests total):
- `AxisCalibrator` ports `UpdateThrottle`/`UpdatePadal`/`UpdateJoystick`: throttle
  deadzone + ratchet field, pedal deadzones, X/Y auto-ranging from observed
  min/max, rudder mixing (`enableZR`), and all per-axis invert flags. Stateful
  (start positions, last outputs) like the legacy globals, with the RIOcmd axis
  resets. Outputs clamp to the documented `0..32766` range.
- `IJoystickSink` gains `SetAxis(JoyAxis, value)` so calibrated axes reach the HID
  feeder; `AxisOutputs` carries the six values.
- `PlasmaCommands` ports the `CPlasma` ESC command set (clear/cursor/font/attr/box
  draw+fill/text) + `GetFontSize` + the `PlasmaPosText` auto-fit/centering;
  `PlasmaDisplay` writes them over the secondary COM transport.
- ⏳ **Remaining:** hardware verification of axis feel + plasma output; the
  game-specific `PlasmaScoreDraw` layout is profile content (Phase 5/7).

### Phase 5 — Tray app + profiles — code-complete ✅
Core logic in `src/RioJoy.Core/Profiles` + `RioRuntime`; UI/OS in `src/RioJoy.Tray`
(241 xUnit tests total across the suite):
- `RioProfile` + `AppConfig` model; `ConfigStore` JSON persistence (round-trip
  tested); `RioIniImporter` ports the legacy `RIO.ini` (buttons/inverts/greeting).
- `AutoSwitchResolver` + `AutoSwitchWatcher`: the three-state decision
  (Yield native / Activate profile / Idle) from the foreground executable, native
  always winning; raises only on change. Pure + tested.
- `RioRuntime` assembles a profile's live pipeline: serial button/keypad packets →
  `InputRouter`; analog replies → `AxisCalibrator` → the six joystick axes; RIO
  commands → calibration resets + serial requests + lamp re-init. End-to-end tested
  over the fake transport.
- Tray: `NotifyIcon` menu mirroring the legacy console menu (axis resets,
  version/status, diagnostic toggles, quit) + profile selection (auto vs. manual);
  `RioCoordinator` owns the serial acquire/release tied to the watcher (native-game
  COM-port yield); OS adapters (`ForegroundProcessProvider`). The app's start/stop
  lifecycle is owned by the TeslaConsole launcher (no logon auto-start).
- Joystick output now uses the real `HidFeederJoystickSink` when the driver is
  present (verified end-to-end); `NullJoystickSink` remains only as the
  no-driver fallback.
- ⏳ **Remaining:** full on-cabinet verification of the auto-switch +
  acquire/release lifecycle against real RIO hardware.

### Phase 6 — Packaging / signing / deploy — done ✅
- Driver test-signing + `pnputil` install scripted (`driver/sign.ps1`,
  `driver/install.ps1`, `driver/uninstall.ps1`, [`driver/README.md`](../driver/README.md));
  proven on the cabinet.
- **Deployment package** ([`deploy/`](../deploy/)): `build-package.ps1` produces
  `dist/RIOJoy-<version>.zip` (framework-dependent net48 app + `postinstall.bat` /
  `install-rio.ps1` / `pre-uninstall.bat` / `uninstall-rio.ps1`, all idempotent) with
  the cabinet doc [`README-DEPLOY.txt`](../deploy/README-DEPLOY.txt). Deployed builds
  use the **signed ViGEmBus** virtual controller (Xbox 360 layout, 11 buttons) so no
  test signing / Secure Boot change / reboot is needed; the custom RioGamepad driver
  remains the full-fidelity option for owned cabinets. App lifecycle is owned by the
  TeslaConsole launcher (no auto-start). ⏳ Verify remaining: first real deploy on a
  cabinet via TeslaConsole.

### Phase 7 — Profile/mapping editor + cockpit overlay generator — in progress
Replaces the legacy Google-Sheet → `.data` → GIMP → Script-Fu pipeline
(see [`docs/reference/customBackground/`](reference/customBackground/)).
- **Overlay generator — done ✅, verified on real assets.** `RioJoy.Core/Overlay`
  is the pure, unit-tested layout engine: `FontFitter` is a faithful port of the
  `calc-fontsize` auto-fit search (validated against a brute-force oracle),
  `OverlayLayoutEngine` ports `create-data-layer`'s fit + horizontal/vertical
  justification, and `OverlayTemplate`/`OverlayRegion` (a `regions.json` via
  `OverlayTemplateStore`) hold the cell geometry/color. Label text is per-profile
  (`RioProfile.OverlayLabels`); `GoobieDataImporter` reads the legacy `.data`
  sheet into label rows. The rasterizer lives in `src/RioJoy.Overlay`
  (**SkiaSharp**): `SkiaTextMeasurer` (shared with the engine so measured layout
  == drawn output) + `SkiaOverlayRenderer` (draw labels → PNG). The full chain is
  exercised end-to-end on the real cockpit art (`regions.json` + `riojoy.png` +
  `TEST.data`) by `OverlayRenderIntegrationTests`. `RioJoy.Tray/WallpaperApplier`
  applies the result via `SystemParametersInfo`.
- **Region authoring — done ✅.** `tools/XcfRegionExtract` parses the
  GIMP source (`riojoy.xcf`) and writes the 119-cell
  `docs/reference/customBackground/regions.json` (per-layer offsets/size/font/color,
  `BaseImagePath` → exported `riojoy.png`), anchored by `CockpitRegionsTests`.
  The **in-app box editor** lives in the wallpaper maker ("Edit cell boxes"): the
  selected cell grows resize handles — drag to move/resize (plain clicks still
  cycle stacked cells), or type exact X/Y/W/H — with the move/resize math in
  `RioJoy.Core/Overlay/OverlayRegionEdit` (unit-tested, min-size clamped).
  "Save template" persists the shared geometry back to the regions.json;
  "Reload template" discards unsaved box edits.
- **Runtime wiring — done ✅ (opt-in).** `RioJoy.Overlay/ProfileWallpaperGenerator`
  renders a profile's labels onto the template base image; `RioCoordinator`
  generates + applies the wallpaper on profile activation when
  `AppConfig.OverlayTemplatePath` is set (best-effort, off by default, never breaks
  activation). The live `SystemParametersInfo` apply changes a user setting, so it
  is gated behind config and not exercised by tests. ⏳ Optional: restore the prior
  wallpaper when going dormant.
- **Wallpaper maker — done ✅.** `RioJoy.Tray/Editor/WallpaperMakerForm` (tray →
  "Wallpaper maker") is the interactive replacement for the Sheet → GIMP pipeline:
  it renders the profile's wallpaper live on the template base image, outlines all
  119 cells, and lets the user click any cell — including the heading/banner cells
  the button editor can't reach — to edit its text with debounced re-render.
  Clicking a stacked cell cycles through the regions at that pixel
  (`RioJoy.Core/Overlay/OverlayHitTester`, unit-tested — stacking is legitimate:
  the image feeds six chroma-split displays). Imports a legacy `.data` sheet row
  (game picker for multi-row sheets), exports the PNG, and can apply the desktop
  wallpaper immediately (same per-profile path the runtime uses). Prompts for and
  remembers `AppConfig.OverlayTemplatePath` on first use.
- **Mapping editor — done ✅ (cockpit control-panel layout).**
  `RioJoy.Tray/Editor/ProfileEditorForm` shows the cockpit as a clickable control
  panel matching the **original Win32 RIO design** (docs/Win32RIO/, by FASA/Michel
  Lowrance): five MFD clusters, four board columns (Throttle/Secondary/Screen/
  Joystick-Hat), an encoder-gauge strip, and the two later-added 4×4 keypads
  (rendered without lamps). The layout (`RioJoy.Core.Editing.CockpitPanel`, which
  places every address 0x00–0x47 / 0x50–0x6F exactly once, unit-tested) deliberately
  follows the design, **not** the wallpaper positions (those are a VGA chroma-split
  display artifact). Lamp buttons shade Off/assigned; keypads are neutral. Clicking
  a button edits its label and action/modifiers/lamp; the `iRIO` word goes through
  `ButtonBinding` ↔ `RioMapEntry.Create` — no hex. The value field is a
  context-sensitive picker (keyboard key by name via `KeyCatalog`, joystick Button N,
  hat direction, mouse/RIO-command enum); modifiers enable only for keyboard.
  Opened from the tray ("Edit profile…"); Save persists the profile. The encoder
  gauges are **live**: `RioRuntime.AxesUpdated` streams an `AxisReadout` (the six
  virtual-joystick outputs plus the calibrated pre-mix pedal positions) into the
  strip at the analog poll rate — Z and the L/R pedals fill bottom-up, Rz deflects
  from its center tick, and the X/Y box tracks the stick as a dot (pure fraction
  math in `RioJoy.Core.Editing.AxisGauges`, unit-tested). L/R read the pedals
  from before the ZR mix, since the mix pins Rx/Ry to center.
  ⏳ Still to refine: showing each button's assigned key as a
  caption, grouping a button's two bank addresses, and clone-from-existing.
- The unified profile JSON supersedes both `RIO.ini` and the Google Sheet, with
  importers for each.
- To confirm at Phase 7: target wallpaper resolution(s); static wallpaper vs.
  live overlay (e.g. lit-button highlighting mirroring lamp state).

### Phase 8 — Windows XP compatibility (dual-target) — in progress
(8A/8C/8D done ✅; remaining: 8B driver + 8E XP-VM/cabinet verification)
Bring RIOJoy back to the original XP-era cabinets (x86, XP SP3) **without
regressing Windows 10/11**. Strategy: one codebase, two flavors, **one
universal deployment archive**. The mapping editor ships everywhere
(decided); only wallpaper *generation* (SkiaSharp) stays modern-only —
XP consumes pre-rendered wallpapers.

| | Windows 10/11 (unchanged) | Windows XP SP3 |
|---|---|---|
| TFM / arch | net48, x64 | **net40, x86** (.NET 4.0 is XP's ceiling; 4.5+ needs Vista) |
| Virtual joystick | ViGEm → RioGamepad → none (unchanged) | **RioGamepadXP.sys** — our own thin WDM HID minidriver (same feeder contract) — full 6-axis/96-button fidelity |
| Overlay render | SkiaSharp (generate + apply) | consume pre-rendered wallpaper only (**PNG→BMP** — XP's `SystemParametersInfo` takes BMP only) |
| Editor | full (incl. wallpaper maker) | **mapping editor included** (decided; pure WinForms/GDI+); wallpaper maker gated (Skia) |
| JSON | System.Text.Json → **Newtonsoft 13** | Newtonsoft 13 (STJ needs net461+; one serializer for both flavors) |
| Install scripts | PowerShell | **.bat only** (XP has no in-box PowerShell) |

- **8A — Core retarget — done ✅** (`net48;net40` multi-target): de-Span the
  protocol/serial layer (≈20 uses / 11 files → `byte[]`/`ArraySegment`;
  System.Memory doesn't go below net45, and at 9600 baud Span buys nothing);
  swap System.Text.Json → Newtonsoft in `ConfigStore`/`OverlayTemplateStore`
  (both TFMs, so the config format can't drift); async on net40 via
  **Microsoft.Bcl.Async** + a `Compat/TaskCompat` shim (6 call sites:
  Task.Run/Delay/WhenAny/WhenAll → TaskEx; XP prereq: KB2468871, bundle it);
  shim the one `HashCode.Combine`; `#if`-gate the net48-only sinks
  (`ViGEmJoystickSink`, `HidFeederJoystickSink`, `Hid/`).
  *Risk fallback:* if Bcl.Async misbehaves on real XP, the receive loop
  reverts to a dedicated thread (the legacy `CommWatchProc` shape) for net40.
- **8B — RioGamepadXP.sys — built ✅ (static; XP bring-up pending in 8E).**
  Source in [`driver/RioGamepadXP/`](../driver/RioGamepadXP/): a WDM HID
  minidriver (`HidRegisterMinidriver`, **polled mode** so there's no pending-
  IRP/cancel machinery) presenting the 6-axis/hat/96-button joystick, plus a
  named sideband control device (`\\.\RioGamepadXP`) that takes
  `IOCTL_RIO_SUBMIT_REPORT` — the **identical `Public.h` contract** as the
  modern driver (same 25-byte report, VID/PID). A dispatch wrapper routes the
  control device's CREATE/CLOSE/DEVICE_CONTROL to us and forwards the HID FDO's
  to hidclass. Builds with WDK 7.1.0 (`build.cmd` → `setenv … fre x86 WXP
  no_oacr`) to `RioGamepadXP.sys` (x86, subsystem 5.01). XP enforces no kernel
  signing, so install is unsigned; the device is root-enumerated so it needs
  **devcon** (`devcon install RioGamepadXP.inf root\RioGamepadXP`, also built
  from the WDK) rather than InstallHinfSection. The net40 feeder opens the
  driver by name (`#if NET40` branch in `HidFeederJoystickSink`); XP can't
  register a device interface on a bare control device (no PDO), the one
  contract nuance. Bundled into the package's `vendor\xp\`. Precedent: the
  original FASA `tasgame.sys` was itself an XP HID minidriver (docs/Win32RIO/,
  analyzed); ours stays thin with serial in user mode. No third-party virtual
  joystick (vJoy/PPJoy unmaintained). Acquisition order: net48 ViGEm →
  RioGamepad → Null (unchanged); net40 RioGamepadXP → Null. ⏳ **8E:** the
  driver compiles clean but is **unverified at runtime** — needs an XP target
  to confirm joy.cpl enumeration + report flow. *Staging:* the app is useful
  before the driver — milestone 1 ships keyboard/mouse + lamps + plasma
  (joystick = Null sink) if the driver isn't present.
- **8C — Tray on net40/x86 — done ✅:** multi-target `RioJoy.Tray` (net40 drops the
  ViGEm + RioJoy.Overlay references); gate `WallpaperMakerForm` + overlay
  generation; `WallpaperApplier` converts PNG→BMP via GDI+ before
  `SystemParametersInfo` (harmless on 10/11, required on XP); profile editor
  stays (Segoe UI falls back to Tahoma). XP cabinets consume wallpapers
  pre-rendered on a modern machine (`RioProfile.WallpaperPath` travels with
  the config).
- **8D — Packaging — done ✅ (one universal archive, two install entry
  points).** `build-package.ps1` produces a single `RIOJoy-<ver>.zip` (~75 MB
  with the offline XP redistributables) that deploys on **both** XP and 10/11;
  the RioGamepadXP driver files bundle automatically once 8B lands
  (warn/skip until then). The shared OS-detecting install logic lives in
  `RIOJoy\install-core.bat` (pure cmd on the XP path); shortcuts via
  `make-shortcut.vbs` (works on XP and 10/11 alike):
  - Layout: `RIOJoy\app\` (net48 x64) + `RIOJoy\app-xp\` (net40 x86) +
    `RIOJoy\vendor\` (ViGEmBus installer for 10/11; RioGamepadXP.sys + INF
    for XP; **.NET 4.0 Full + KB2468871 redistributables** so an offline XP
    cabinet needs nothing else — adds ~70 MB, XP can't download anymore) +
    `VERSION.txt` + README-DEPLOY (payload-internal detail doc).
  - **`README.txt`** (zip root): written for a person installing on a
    standalone computer — which Windows versions are supported, what the
    two .bat entry points are and which one to run (`install.bat` for a
    standalone machine; `postinstall.bat` is the cabinet launcher's hook),
    that all prerequisites are bundled for offline install, and where the
    app lands. Plain ASCII so XP-era Notepad renders it cleanly.
  - **`postinstall.bat`** (zip root, unattended): the TeslaConsole/launcher
    entry point, as today — detects the OS (`ver` → 5.1 = XP, 10.x = modern),
    installs the matching prereqs (ViGEmBus silently via the existing
    PowerShell on 10/11; .NET 4.0 + KB2468871 + driver INF on XP), and wires
    the matching app flavor. No prompts, idempotent. **Its final step
    deletes `install.bat` and the root `README.txt`** — on cabinet deploys
    the zip extracts into `C:\games`, and only launcher-managed files may
    stay at that root (`del` tolerating already-missing files, so re-runs
    stay idempotent).
  - **`install.bat`** (zip root, freestanding computers): same OS detection
    and prereq install, plus what a machine without the launcher needs —
    Start Menu/desktop shortcut to the right flavor's exe (still no logon
    auto-start; starting RIOJoy stays deliberate). Pure cmd.exe on the XP
    path; may call PowerShell only on the 10/11 path. Leaves the README in
    place (it's the standalone machine's documentation).
  - `pre-uninstall.bat` / uninstall mirror both scenarios. Release the one
    zip to Gitea per the established process.
- **8E — Verification:** full suite stays net48-hosted (xUnit needs
  net452+; shared sources are what's tested) + a tiny net40 console
  self-test for the shims, run on XP. Ladder: net40/x86 binary boots on
  Win10 → XP VM with vRIO over a virtual COM pair (app milestone; the
  driver needs real/virtualized XP too — vhidmini-class drivers run fine
  in a VM) → real cabinet (joy.cpl shows 6 axes + 96 buttons, SendInput
  into a game, lamps, plasma, auto-switch yield, BMP wallpaper).
- **All open decisions resolved:**
  1. The Xbox 360 pad (ViGEm) remains the preferred controller on
     Windows 10/11 whenever ViGEmBus is present.
  2. **No third-party virtual joystick drivers** (vJoy/PPJoy are
     unmaintained) — XP gets our own RioGamepadXP.sys.
  3. The **mapping editor ships in all instances**, XP included.
  4. **Both install scenarios** in one archive: `postinstall.bat`
     (TeslaConsole/launcher, unattended) and `install.bat` (freestanding
     computers, adds shortcuts); the single dist zip carries everything
     needed for both XP and 10/11, including offline redistributables.

---

## Open items / risks

- **Driver signing** is the main friction point. Test-signing is fine for owned
  cabinets; redistribution needs attestation signing (EV cert + Partner Center).
- **Input injection vs. session:** `SendInput` targets the interactive session —
  fine for a tray app, which is why a Windows service was rejected.
- **Legacy quirks to decide on** (see PROTOCOL.md ⚠️ notes): disabled inbound
  checksum verification; odd mouse-move deltas.
