goldeneye-pc-port/docs/dev/M-36-TRIAGE.md

M-36 — graphics / QA bug triage sweep

Branch qol/native-pc-input-menu (local). Goal: sort the open GRAPHICS-BACKLOG.md + QA-report bugs into root-cause families so a fix hits several at once, and correct one mis-attribution.

Method: headless GE_PCDUMP captures (-level_36 Surface, GE_STARTMENU=10 briefing) + static read of the implicated port code. Frames in scratchpad/ this session; not committed (auto window size = 1957×1468, can't framediff — visual only).

---

Headline findings

1. The "comb interlacing" is NOT the D159 family

GRAPHICS-BACKLOG.md attributes D176(b) and D182(2) to texSwapAltRowBytes "recurring on re-import". That function is a full #ifdef PORT no-op — src/game/image.c:2199 return; before any work. It cannot be the cause of anything. The mis-attribution is now corrected in the backlog.

The real defect: port/fast3d/gfx_pc.cpp import_texture_* assume full_image_line_size_bytes == line_size_bytes (explicit SUPPORT_CHECK on rgba32/ia4/ia8/ia16/…; the rgba16 one is commented out with "this trips in some places with a garbage size in full_image_line_size_bytes", gfx_pc.cpp:658). When a tile's line (SETTILE pitch) differs from the source image row width — non-power-of-two textures, or a sub-rect tile load — the importer does a flat linear read and every row walks off by a few bytes → diagonal shear that reads as grey static. Matches the Surface cliff/tree walls (-level_36 frame 300–900: structured rock texture tiling but each tile sheared to noise) and the file-select spiral after re-entry.

Open question: why does D182 only scramble after navigating away and back? Either the first import happens to have line == width and the re-import doesn't, or the tile descriptor is stale on the second visit.

2. Briefing objectives are BLANK, not wrong

GE_STARTMENU=10 briefing (Dam): header renders perfectly ("OHMSS / Agent: James Bond / Mission 1: Arkangelsk / Part i: Dam / PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:"). Under it: just the bullet letter "a." with no objective text, and no b/c/d lines. So D178 is the D143/D151 blank-text family (langGet() returns NULL for the objective string slot → text silently blank), not a propDef walk-desync or difficulty-decode problem. Fix = find which lang bank the front-end briefing flow fails to load/map.

Caveat: this repro used the synthetic GE_STARTMENU boot (skips real save/unlock state). The user's D178 report is from a live playthrough, and D143 independently documents blank briefing text, so it is a real defect — but re-confirm the exact "a." + blank shape in a real briefing.

---

Family table

Family	Bugs	Root cause (hypothesis)	Files	ROI
A — fast3d texture line/pitch shear	D176(b) Surface walls; D182(2) file-select bg	HYPOTHESIS DISPROVEN (D183, 4b71435d). 0/166 texture loads on -level_36 are strided; the wall texture is a 32×32 IA8 whose ROM bytes are genuinely a noise field, decoded correctly. A golden-safe de-stride + GE_TEXRAW/GE_DTEX diagnostics landed anyway (latent hardening). D176(b)/D182(2) still OPEN — next: ROM ground-truth decode of the wall texnum (TEXTURE-GLITCH-ANALYSIS.md §7) → likely a tiling-density / UV-scale / shifts/shiftt-LOD issue (RC3/D167 family) or a wrong-texture bind, not a decode bug.	port/fast3d/gfx_pc.cpp	was HIGH, now needs re-scoping
B — front-end string bank not loaded	D178 briefing objectives blank; D143 briefing text blank	FIXED (D178, cd1ed574). Not a bank-load problem — the Ubrief*Z segment is a raw 48-byte BE ROM image loaded with no converter; all 24 u16 (string ids + difficulty gates) read byte-swapped on LE → langGet() NULL → blank, and >= difficulty gate always-false → objectives vanish. romdataFixupBriefing() swaps in place. Verified: all 4 Dam objectives render at 00 Agent with correct gating. D143 was a symptom of this — annotate it superseded. D151 (watch objective text) still owed a re-verify.	port/src/romdata.c, src/game/front.c (#ifdef PORT)	DONE
C — D75 front-end / cutscene 3D models	D75 Nintendo logo; D148 Dam rappel cutscene; D149 MISSION COMPLETE / mode-select models; D182(1) file-select Bond image "renders once"; D173 3rd-person Bond floats; 1P weapon viewmodel absent	mixed: compiled sub-DL corruption (D144/D146), model transform/geometry, render_pos arena lifetime, constructor-runs-once	port/fast3d/gfx_pc.cpp, title.c, bondview*.c, model path	LOW per fix, deep. DEFER (agreed COA).
D — blood / particle	D172 spray magenta/cyan; D174 no blood decals	D172: CC-mode / texture-format decode in the fast3d sprite path. D174: likely D120 PointUsage[] — only takes effect after a full sidecar regen (d43 && d69 && d88 --regen); verify that first.	blood_animation.c, fast3d sprite path; tools_pc/d43_emit.py	MEDIUM. D174 may already be fixed — regen + BUNKER1 firefight to confirm before touching code.
E — transient hang / anim speed / clip	D175 door-open stutter (Runway/Surface); D170 NPC flee runs not walks; D171 Silo grey-triangle sweep	D175: matches D155/D156/D134/D147 known classes (benign texture-import spike most likely). D170: D155/D156 wall-clock deltaFrames anim speed-up, or just scripted. D171: near-plane clip fan (D106 family).	frametiming clamp, chrTick/AI, portal near-plane	LOW–MED — needs interactive repro + N64 reference footage. DEFER.
F — misc cosmetic	D74 dead wrap-block (latent, harmless); D76 disclaimer partial (D164 fix owed an eyeball); D77 audio (Phase 3); D176(a) black sky	D176(a): sky DL not emitting / wrong transform — separate from D176(b), own investigation (could be C-family or a sky-pass issue).	various	LOW, opportunistic.

---

Results (2 subagents, integrated + verified on branch HEAD)

• Family B → FIXED (cd1ed574). Byte-swapped raw briefing segment. Also explains D143. High confidence.
• Family A → hypothesis disproven (4b71435d, D183). D176(b) is not a texture decode bug. Golden-safe de-stride + diagnostics shipped for the latent case. D176(b) / D182(2) remain open and need re-scoping — start from the ROM ground-truth decode of the wall texnum; suspect tiling-density / UV / per-LOD shifts/shiftt (RC3/D167 family) or a wrong-texture bind.

Harness note: both agent worktrees were created from def0e0ac (the M-35 branch point, ~5 commits stale — the M-31 stale-worktree bug again). No harm this round: the integrator re-applied both patches onto branch HEAD and verified there. Check git worktree list HEADs on the next burst.

Next

1. D176(b) re-scope — offline decode the Surface wall texnum from ROM (TEXTURE-GLITCH-ANALYSIS.md §7). Structured rock in ROM → wrong bind or UV/tiling; noise in ROM → not our bug (or a shift-LOD density issue).
2. D176(a) black sky — untouched, separate investigation.
3. D182 — re-test the file-select round-trip now that GE_TEXPITCH / GE_TEXRAW exist; the "renders once" half (D182-1) is Family C.
4. Reassess C/D/E with the user. D174 (blood) is the cheapest — just needs a sidecar regen + BUNKER1 firefight to confirm the D120 fix.