docs/re: the game's own in-flight action list, off the disc

Decoded dat/GP_OPTIONS.pak (po_keys_btn* sprites): the OPTIONS key-config screen
lists every bindable in-flight action. Two of them change the plan.

'Change Target' exists — so target selection IS an input, and the earlier probe
that swept LB/X/B/A/LS/RS found nothing only because it watched the ammo
counters, which those actions do not touch.

'Padlock Mode Toggle' is a view/aim lock onto the selected target: the aim-dwell
problem solved by a game mechanic rather than by tuning a PD controller, and
presumably how a human holds a contact long enough to lock a missile.

Confirms our measured bindings (Use Nose Weapon = RB, Use Main Weapon = Y,
Accelerate/Decelerate = RT/LT, Radar Map Toggle = d-pad) and adds Special Move,
Maneuver, Resupply and Change Main Weapon (which would reach ASMissile, Power
5000). Also records that CONTROL SETTINGS carries a Control Type preset plus
yaw/pitch/roll sensitivity, so the mapping is not fixed and any stick
calibration is only valid for the save's current profile.

Tutorial menu (GP_TUTORIAL.pak) names the six lessons: BASIC CONTROLS,
HEADS-UP DISPLAY, RADAR, SUPPLY AND SPECIAL MOVES, RADIO ORDERS, ADVANCED
CONTROLS.
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2026-07-30 18:54:16 +00:00
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@@ -36,6 +36,46 @@ enough to complete a lock. The next thing worth doing is making aim *dwell* —
cheapest oracle for whether a lock ever completes is the reticle itself, or finding the cheapest oracle for whether a lock ever completes is the reticle itself, or finding the
lock timer in the player object with the same anchoring trick used for hull. lock timer in the player object with the same anchoring trick used for hull.
## The game's own action list (from the OPTIONS key-config screen)
Decoded from `dat/GP_OPTIONS.pak` (`po_keys_btn*` sprites) — this is the authoritative
set of bindable in-flight actions, straight off the disc, no probing required:
| # | Action | Our mapping |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aircraft Control | LX/LY ✅ |
| 2 | View Point Control | RX/RY (unused by the pilot) |
| 3 / 4 | Left / Right Yaw Control | — (separate from pitch/roll!) |
| 5 / 6 | Accelerate / Decelerate | `RT` / `LT` ✅ |
| 7 | **Use Main Weapon** | `Y` ✅ |
| 8 | **Use Nose Weapon** | `RB` ✅ |
| 9 | Special Move | ❔ |
| 10 | Maneuver | ❔ |
| 11 | Resupply | ❔ |
| 12 | **Change Target** | ❔ — **this is the target-select the loop needs** |
| 13 | Change Main Weapon | ❔ (would reach `ASMissile`, Power 5000) |
| 14 | **Padlock Mode Toggle** | ❔ — **the aim-dwell mechanism** |
| 15 | Radar Map Toggle | d-pad 🟡 (matches the observed map overlay) |
Two entries change the plan outright:
- **`Change Target` exists**, so target selection *is* an input after all. The earlier
probe swept `LB/X/B/A/LS/RS` and found no ammo change — consistent with those being
exactly these non-weapon actions. The probe simply watched the wrong indicator.
- **`Padlock Mode Toggle`** is a view/aim lock onto the selected target. That is the
aim-dwell problem solved *by a game mechanic* rather than by tuning a PD controller —
and it is why a human player can hold a contact long enough to lock a missile.
Also note `CONTROL SETTINGS` carries a **`Control Type`** preset plus **Yaw / Pitch /
Roll Sensitivity** and a separate **`Throttle`** option: the mapping is not fixed, and
the craft's response to a given stick deflection is configurable. Any calibration done
against one profile (e.g. the `ctrl_probe.py` throttle numbers) is only valid for the
save's current settings.
**Next:** bind physical buttons to actions 914 by watching the *reticle and target
panel* (not the ammo counters) — and once `Change Target` and `Padlock` are identified,
re-run the missile test with a locked target.
## Notes for the reimplementation ## Notes for the reimplementation
- Two independent weapons with separate ammo pools and separate HUD counters: - Two independent weapons with separate ammo pools and separate HUD counters: