sots-re/campaign/open-questions.md

Open questions

Each links to the finding that raised it. Promoted to backlog or closed by re-quartermaster.

• Compiler archive mismatch — imports say MSVCR100/MSVCP100 (VS2010), but Ghidra applied windows_vs12_32 datatypes (closest available). Confirm the exact toolchain from the PE Rich header; decide which datatype archive best fits. (from 01-fingerprint)
• Battle-load root cause — inferred as single-threaded engine + core-count-sensitive code; must be confirmed by a ForceSingleCore=0 vs =1 diff once the main loop is mapped. (from 00-strategy)
• Save-editor struct coverage — community editors cover players/tech/systems; fleet/combat state coverage may be partial. Treat as strong hints, verify each field against real saves.
• Lockstep determinism — @SYNC ERROR DETECTED: Frame %d indicates a deterministic lockstep sim. Big for reimplementation + old-vs-new differential (determinism makes equivalence checkable frame-by-frame). Confirm scope. (from strings-and-config)
• Mods override mechanism — .gob = gobio::ZipFileSystem with a NativeFileSystem loose-file override; this is how ./Mods wins over archived files. Verify load order. (from strings-and-config)
• Battle-load root cause — the shipped fix is a blunt process-affinity pin (FUN_0089ee70) with NO CPU-topology detection, so there is no adaptive branch. The real cause is emergent multi-core contention: which thread(s)? Investigate the 3 CreateThread sites (FUN_00902350, FUN_00736e30, startup FUN_008a0e50), the streaming-sound thread, and lockstep sync waits. (from ghidra-recon)
• Save-struct contradictions (R1 vs R2) — field widths (Abdn/Dstyd/ltis Int16 vs Int32; Bats2), R2's OID = PID*16 owner-handle claim, species id 4 (_NPC vs 'AI Rebellion'). Resolve against the binary's Streamable read code. (from save-editor-structs)
• Unlabeled save blocks — CdPlayer (unknown1..35), empty SimSystemDetailSpy, opaque ~2500 B RNG blob. Analyst targets once the Streamable readers are located. (from save-editor-structs)