re(challenge): the EX missions are a MODE, not a stage number
Static-only (no emulator, no pad input). Three findings, each with its own
evidence:
- The disc holds exactly 29 StageResource records in three families --
S01-S16 story, S18-S23 tutorial (all bg=Original), S24-S29 challenge, plus
Test. That is 16 + 6 + 6 + 1, matching weapon.tbl's stage01..16 /
tutorial01..06 / challenge01..06 key set exactly. S17 does not exist.
GP_CHALLENGE.pak has 0 IDXD objects -- it is the menu screen; challenge
missions reuse GP_MAIN_GAME_E.pak's records.
- The GamePart id table is at 0x820A1630 (29 ids). Indices are confirmed by
the image's own RegisterToFactory<N, class silph::GamePart_*> text, not by
position: GP_CHALLENGE = 26, GP_TUTORIAL = 25, GP_BUNK = 10.
- The stage loader selects its config section from a mission-KIND field at
object+144: 3 -> EXTRA, 5|6 -> CHALLENGE, else FILE (two independent sites,
0x82184df0 and 0x82185ed0; two more classify {3,5,6} as one group). The
constructor sets it to 0 and every write inside the class only clears it,
and no immediate 3/5/6 store to it exists image-wide -- so the kind is
supplied by the launching GamePart, never derived from the stage number.
That last point is a mechanism (unproven) for why patching the save's stage
field to 27 kills the load: the record is a challenge stage but the kind stays
FILE. Names an untried, zero-cost discriminator -- try stage 18-23.
Also flagged, not resolved: roster_target says S10 (a STORY stage) still
fields an unharvested unit, which contradicts the "story campaign complete"
claim by one unit.
This commit is contained in:
@@ -41,8 +41,6 @@ Promote to a prose `structures/…md` file when a format needs behavioural notes
|
||||
|
||||
## Functions / code paths
|
||||
|
||||
_None documented yet — populated during the dynamic-RE phase._
|
||||
|
||||
| Function | Conf. | Reimpl. | Summary |
|
||||
|----------|-------|---------|---------|
|
||||
| — | — | — | — |
|
||||
| Stage-config section switch (`0x82184df0`, `0x82185ed0`) | ✅ | [challenge-mission-gate](challenge-mission-gate.md) | The stage loader picks its config section from a **mission-kind field at `object+144`**: `3` → `EXTRA`, `5`/`6` → `CHALLENGE`, anything else → `FILE`; two further sites treat `{3,5,6}` as one class. Constructed as `0` (`sub_821783D8`) and only ever *cleared* inside the class, so the kind comes from the launching GamePart, **not** from the stage number — which is a mechanism (🟡, unproven) for why patching the save's stage field to a challenge stage kills the load. Same note carries the **GamePart id table** (`0x820A1630`, 29 ids, `GP_CHALLENGE` = 26, cross-checked against the image's own `RegisterToFactory<26, …>` text) and the disc's **three stage families** — `S01`–`S16` story, `S18`–`S23` tutorial, `S24`–`S29` challenge, plus `Test`, matching `weapon.tbl`'s 16 + 6 + 6 key set exactly. `GP_CHALLENGE.pak` holds **0 IDXD objects** — it is the menu screen; challenge missions reuse `GP_MAIN_GAME_E.pak`'s stage records |
|
||||
|
||||
96
docs/re/captures/challenge-map.txt
Normal file
96
docs/re/captures/challenge-map.txt
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
|
||||
=== 1. StageResource records in GP_MAIN_GAME_E.pak ===
|
||||
29 stage records
|
||||
S01 bg=Lebendorf tokens=52
|
||||
S02 bg=Lebendorf tokens=51
|
||||
S03 bg=Planet_Lebendorf tokens=51
|
||||
S04 bg=Lebendorf_far tokens=54
|
||||
S05 bg=Lebendorf_far tokens=54
|
||||
S06 bg=Hargenteen tokens=51
|
||||
S07 bg=Hargenteen tokens=53
|
||||
S08 bg=Barch tokens=59
|
||||
S09 bg=Acheron tokens=53
|
||||
S10 bg=Acheron tokens=53
|
||||
S11 bg=Anastasis tokens=53
|
||||
S12 bg=Hargenteen tokens=53
|
||||
S13 bg=Hargenteen tokens=56
|
||||
S14 bg=Earth tokens=59
|
||||
S15 bg=Earth tokens=53
|
||||
S16 bg=PD tokens=53
|
||||
S18 bg=Original tokens=43
|
||||
S19 bg=Original tokens=43
|
||||
S20 bg=Original tokens=43
|
||||
S21 bg=Original tokens=43
|
||||
S22 bg=Original tokens=50
|
||||
S23 bg=Original tokens=43
|
||||
S24 bg=Anastasis tokens=53
|
||||
S25 bg=Hargenteen tokens=53
|
||||
S26 bg=Hargenteen tokens=53
|
||||
S27 bg=Planet_Lebendorf tokens=53
|
||||
S28 bg=Lebendorf tokens=54
|
||||
S29 bg=Earth tokens=53
|
||||
Test bg=Earth tokens=43
|
||||
|
||||
=== 2. GP_CHALLENGE.pak contents ===
|
||||
151 entries, 0 IDXD objects
|
||||
|
||||
=== 3. tokens mentioning Challenge / EX across the main pak ===
|
||||
033b5b7e pgmsg_challenge1.t32
|
||||
033b5b7e pgmsg_challenge2.t32
|
||||
033b5b7e pgmsg_challenge3.t32
|
||||
033b5b7e pgmsg_challenge4.t32
|
||||
033b5b7e pgmsg_challenge5.t32
|
||||
033b5b7e pgmsg_challenge6.t32
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_e001_ADAN_Elan_EX4
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_e007_ADAN_Turret_EX4
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_e008_ADAN_TurretPlus_EX4
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_e010_ADAN_Attacker_S_EX4
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_e011_ADAN_Attacker_B_EX4
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_e107_ADAN_AAFrigate_EX4
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5_el
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX4
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX5
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_f104_TCAF_Battleship_EX5
|
||||
35b8dc67 UN_f105_TCAF_Cruiser_EX5
|
||||
3c5b0549 UN_e107_ADAN_AAFrigate_EX4
|
||||
3c5b0549 UN_f104_TCAF_Battleship_EX5
|
||||
3c5b0549 UN_f105_TCAF_Cruiser_EX5
|
||||
3c5b0549 UnitName_UN_e107_ADAN_AAFrigate_EX4
|
||||
3c5b0549 UnitName_UN_f104_TCAF_Battleship_EX5
|
||||
3c5b0549 UnitName_UN_f105_TCAF_Cruiser_EX5
|
||||
3c5b0549 Weapon_TCAF_Ship_AAGun_EX5
|
||||
3c9ae32e EnumWeapon_EX5.tbl
|
||||
43faa517 UN_e001_ADAN_Elan_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UN_e007_ADAN_Turret_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UN_e008_ADAN_TurretPlus_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UN_e010_ADAN_Attacker_S_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UN_e011_ADAN_Attacker_B_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5
|
||||
43faa517 UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5_el
|
||||
43faa517 UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX5
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_e001_ADAN_Elan_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_e007_ADAN_Turret_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_e008_ADAN_TurretPlus_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_e010_ADAN_Attacker_S_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_e011_ADAN_Attacker_B_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5_el
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX4
|
||||
43faa517 UnitName_UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX5
|
||||
659aff47 UN_e001_ADAN_Elan_EX4
|
||||
659aff47 UN_e007_ADAN_Turret_EX4
|
||||
659aff47 UN_e008_ADAN_TurretPlus_EX4
|
||||
659aff47 UN_e010_ADAN_Attacker_S_EX4
|
||||
659aff47 UN_e011_ADAN_Attacker_B_EX4
|
||||
659aff47 UN_e107_ADAN_AAFrigate_EX4
|
||||
659aff47 UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX4
|
||||
6ab4825a WeaponCannonName_TCAF_Ship_AAGun_EX5
|
||||
6ab4825a Weapon_TCAF_Ship_AAGun_EX5
|
||||
6b9b000d UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5
|
||||
6b9b000d UN_f001_TCAF_DeltaSaber_T_EX5_el
|
||||
6b9b000d UN_f003_TCAF_ArrowHead_EX5
|
||||
6b9b000d UN_f104_TCAF_Battleship_EX5
|
||||
6b9b000d UN_f105_TCAF_Cruiser_EX5
|
||||
ffbc19c2 Weapon_TCAF_Ship_AAGun_EX5
|
||||
(59 distinct)
|
||||
157
docs/re/challenge-mission-gate.md
Normal file
157
docs/re/challenge-mission-gate.md
Normal file
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
|
||||
# Challenge / EX missions — the stage set, the GamePart graph, and the kind field
|
||||
|
||||
**Status:** ✅ for the static structure (stage set, GamePart ids, the config-section
|
||||
switch); 🟡 for the crash mechanism; ❔ for the unlock condition.
|
||||
**Method:** static only — `.pe` string/pointer analysis + DuckDB disassembly + disc
|
||||
records. No emulator run, no gamepad input.
|
||||
**Evidence:** [`captures/challenge-map.txt`](captures/challenge-map.txt),
|
||||
`crates/sylpheed-formats/examples/challenge_map.rs`.
|
||||
|
||||
## Why this was worth doing
|
||||
|
||||
The Route-B unit harvest is complete for the **story** campaign (68 of 110 units,
|
||||
7 115 defaulted-on-disc values) and stalled there: the remaining units are `*_EX4` /
|
||||
`*_EX5` / `*EX` variants that only the challenge missions field. The save's stage
|
||||
field addresses those stage records — but setting it to **27** boots to the title and
|
||||
then the emulator **exits during the load**, while 1–16 all load normally. This note
|
||||
answers *what the challenge missions are on disc* and *why the stage field alone is
|
||||
not enough*, so the next runtime attempt is targeted rather than another probe sweep.
|
||||
|
||||
## 1. The disc has exactly 29 stage records, in three families ✅
|
||||
|
||||
`StageResource` (schema `0x3c9ae32e`) in `dat/GP_MAIN_GAME_E.pak`:
|
||||
|
||||
| ids | count | `BackGroundID` | reading |
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
| `S01`–`S16` | 16 | Lebendorf … PD (real locations) | the **story** campaign |
|
||||
| `S18`–`S23` | 6 | `Original` (all six) | the **tutorial** missions |
|
||||
| `S24`–`S29` | 6 | Anastasis, Hargenteen ×2, Planet_Lebendorf, Lebendorf, Earth | the **challenge** missions |
|
||||
| `Test` | 1 | Earth | developer stage |
|
||||
|
||||
`S17` does not exist. This **matches `weapon.tbl`'s sprite-key set exactly** —
|
||||
`stage01…16` + `tutorial01…06` + `challenge01…06` (recorded in
|
||||
[static screen config](#)) — which is an independent confirmation of the three-way
|
||||
split: 16 + 6 + 6 + Test = 29.
|
||||
|
||||
The `Original` six carry ~43 tokens each while the story and challenge records carry
|
||||
51–59, consistent with tutorials having no squadron/route/formation tables.
|
||||
|
||||
## 2. `GP_CHALLENGE.pak` is a screen, not mission data ✅
|
||||
|
||||
151 entries, **0 IDXD objects** — sprites and layout only. So challenge missions are
|
||||
*not* a separate data set: they are ordinary `StageResource` records in
|
||||
`GP_MAIN_GAME_E.pak`, reached through a different menu. That is why the EX unit
|
||||
rosters show up in the same `EnumUnit_S<NN>` tables the story stages use.
|
||||
|
||||
## 3. The GamePart id table — the game's whole screen graph ✅
|
||||
|
||||
`.rdata` pointer array at **`0x820A1630`**, 29 entries, index = GamePart id:
|
||||
|
||||
```
|
||||
0 GP_TITLE 10 GP_BUNK 20 GP_STAGE_CLEAR
|
||||
1 GP_ADVERTISE_DEMO 11 GP_READY_ROOM 21 GP_MISSION_LOG
|
||||
2 GP_SELECT_STORAGE 12 GP_HANGAR 22 GP_GAMEOVER
|
||||
3 GP_LOAD 13 GP_ARSENAL 23 GP_DEBRIEFING
|
||||
4 GP_SAVE 14 GP_PILOT_LOG 24 GP_DIALOG
|
||||
5 GP_EXTRAS 15 GP_SYSTEM 25 GP_TUTORIAL
|
||||
6 GP_MOVIE_THEATER 16 GP_DEMO *26 GP_CHALLENGE
|
||||
7 GP_MISSION_SELECT 17 GP_MAIN_GAME 27 GP_LEADERBOARD
|
||||
8 GP_OPTIONS 18 GP_SELECTOR 28 GP_TEST
|
||||
9 GP_MOVIE 19 GP_PAUSE_MENU
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
The indices are **not inferred from position** — the image carries the factory
|
||||
registration text, e.g.
|
||||
`silph::GamePartTask::RegisterToFactory<26, class silph::GamePart_ChallengeMission>::RegisterToFactory is failed!`
|
||||
and `<10, … GamePart_Bunk>`, both of which agree with this table. So `GP_CHALLENGE`
|
||||
is GamePart **26** and `GP_TUTORIAL` is **25**.
|
||||
|
||||
## 4. A mission-**kind** field selects the stage config section ✅
|
||||
|
||||
Immediately before the array above, `0x820A1600`–`0x820A162C` holds the stage-config
|
||||
key list: `BASE_INFO`, `StageResource`, `Background`, `PlayerUnit`,
|
||||
`EQUIIP_LIMITATION` *(sic)*, `MODEL_PATH`, `NEW_ITEM`, `LOADING`, `CHALLENGE`,
|
||||
`EXTRA`, `FILE`.
|
||||
|
||||
The stage loader picks **one of the last three** by a field at **`object + 144`**, and
|
||||
the same three-way switch appears at two independent sites (`0x82184df0` inside the
|
||||
all-keys config reader, and `0x82185ed0` in `sub_82185E80`):
|
||||
|
||||
```asm
|
||||
lwz r11, 144(r30)
|
||||
cmpi r11, 3 ; == 3 -> "EXTRA" (0x820A2160)
|
||||
beq extra
|
||||
addi r11, r11, -5
|
||||
cmpli r11, 1 ; == 5 or 6 -> "CHALLENGE" (0x820A2154)
|
||||
bgt file ; otherwise -> "FILE" (0x820A2168)
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
Two further sites (`0x82186a60`, `0x82186cb8`) classify the same field as
|
||||
`{3, 5, 6}` versus everything else — i.e. **EXTRA and CHALLENGE together are "not an
|
||||
ordinary story load"**. The field is initialised to **0** in the constructor
|
||||
(`sub_821783D8`, `0x8217851c`, alongside `+148 = 0` — the stage index — and
|
||||
`+132 = 2`, `+136/+140 = -1`), and every write to it inside this class
|
||||
(`0x82184b10`, `0x82185d48`, `0x82186ab4`) only *clears* it. Nothing in the image
|
||||
stores an immediate 3/5/6 into it, so the kind is **supplied from outside the class**
|
||||
— by whichever GamePart launches the mission — not derived from the stage number.
|
||||
|
||||
### 4.1 Why the stage-field probe crashes 🟡
|
||||
|
||||
That gives a mechanism for the observed failure: patching the save's stage field to
|
||||
27 selects the `S27` **record** while the kind stays **0**, so the loader reads the
|
||||
`FILE` section for a stage whose config lives under `CHALLENGE`. A missing section
|
||||
then propagates into the load, and the title exits. It fits the evidence (1–16 fine,
|
||||
every 24–29 the same failure, `/dev/shm` empty and disk free, so not the resource
|
||||
trap) but it is **not proven** — proving it needs a run.
|
||||
|
||||
**Cheap untried discriminator, no new tooling:** patch the stage field to **18–23**
|
||||
(the tutorials). If those also die, the failure tracks "record outside the story
|
||||
range", and the kind field is the likely gate. It has never been tested — only
|
||||
1–16 and 24–29 were.
|
||||
|
||||
## 5. The unlock condition ❔
|
||||
|
||||
Three strings say challenge missions are *announced*, not menu-browsed:
|
||||
|
||||
- `AVSCRIPT_COMMAND_ATTAINMENT_CHALLENGE_MISSION_CARGO_SCORE` — a mission-script
|
||||
command that grants challenge-mission attainment from a **cargo score**;
|
||||
- `DLG_CHALLENGE_MISSION_AVAILABLE` — the "a challenge mission is now available"
|
||||
dialog;
|
||||
- `DLG_GO_CHALLENGE_MISSION_MENU` — the prompt that takes you to GamePart 26.
|
||||
|
||||
So the gate is plausibly an in-mission achievement, not a title-menu state — which is
|
||||
consistent with `Game Status = GAME_CLEAR` unlocking nothing (measured, refuted).
|
||||
Neither dialog key is reachable by xref: they are selected **by index** through a
|
||||
config lookup, exactly like the save screen's sprite keys, so there is nothing to
|
||||
grep back to. Naming the flag needs the challenge-availability check disassembled
|
||||
from the screen side.
|
||||
|
||||
## 6. What this makes actionable
|
||||
|
||||
`roster_target` against the harvested CSV, with the stage families now named:
|
||||
|
||||
| stage | family | roster units not yet read |
|
||||
|---|---|---|
|
||||
| `S27` | challenge | `f003_ArrowHead_EX4`, `e107_AAFrigate_EX4`, `e010_Attacker_S_EX4`, `e011_Attacker_B_EX4`, `e007_Turret_EX4`, `e008_TurretPlus_EX4` |
|
||||
| `S28` | challenge | `f004_DeltaSaber_A_Player`, `f001_DeltaSaber_T_EX5(_el)`, `f003_ArrowHead_EX5`, `f104_Battleship_EX5`, `f105_Cruiser_EX5` |
|
||||
| `S25` | challenge | `e101_SDBattleshipEX`, `e102_BattleshipEX`, `e105_CruiserEX`, `e108_ASFrigateEX` |
|
||||
| `S29` | challenge | `e101_SDBattleshipEX`, `e102_BattleshipEX`, `e105_CruiserEX` |
|
||||
| `S24` | challenge | `e105_CruiserEX`, `e106_DestroyerEX` |
|
||||
| `S10` | **story** | `e005_ADAN_ElanTypeQ_Margras` |
|
||||
|
||||
⚠️ **The `S10` row contradicts "the story campaign is complete."** One story stage
|
||||
still fields a unit that has never been read. Either `S10` was never flown (it is the
|
||||
smallest stage container on the disc — 7 XBG7 resources — so it may be a cutscene
|
||||
stage that is not flyable), or the completeness claim was one unit optimistic. Flagged
|
||||
rather than resolved: it costs one ordinary story run to settle.
|
||||
|
||||
Remaining coverage: 42 units missing, of which the rosters above account for ~23. The
|
||||
rest are not in any stage roster table and need a different lever.
|
||||
|
||||
## Reproduce
|
||||
|
||||
```bash
|
||||
cargo run --release -q -p sylpheed-formats --example challenge_map -- <disc-root>
|
||||
python3 xenia-rs/zq.py dis 0x82184df0 0x82184e30 # the three-way section switch
|
||||
python3 xenia-rs/zq.py dis 0x82185ed0 0x82185f10 # the same switch, second site
|
||||
```
|
||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user