docs+feat(ui): retail UI deep-dive research + C# port scaffold
Deep investigation of the retail AC client's GUI subsystem, driven by 6
parallel Opus research agents, plus the first cut of a retail-faithful
retained-mode widget toolkit that scaffolds Phase D.
Research (docs/research/retail-ui/):
- 00-master-synthesis.md — cross-slice synthesis + port plan
- 01-architecture-and-init.md — WinMain, CreateMainWindow, frame loop,
Keystone bring-up (7 globals mapped)
- 02-class-hierarchy.md — key finding: UI lives in keystone.dll,
not acclient.exe; CUIManager + CUIListener
MI pattern, CFont + CSurface + CString
- 03-rendering.md — 24-byte XYZRHW+UV verts, per-font
256x256 atlas baked from RenderSurface,
TEXTUREFACTOR coloring, DrawPrimitiveUP
- 04-input-events.md — Win32 WndProc → Device (DAT_00837ff4)
→ widget OnEvent(+0x128); full event-type
table (0x01 click, 0x07 tooltip ~1000ms,
0x15 drag-begin, 0x21 enter, 0x3E drop)
- 05-panels.md — chat, attributes, skills, spells, paperdoll
(25-slot layout), inventory, fellowship,
allegiance — with wire-message bindings
- 06-hud-and-assets.md — vital orbs (scissor fill), radar
(0x06001388/0x06004CC1, 1.18× shrink),
compass strip, dat asset catalog
Key insight: keystone.dll owns the actual widget toolkit — we cannot
port a class hierarchy from the decompile because it's not there.
Instead we implement our own retained-mode toolkit with retail-faithful
behavior (event codes, focus/modal/capture, drag-drop state machine)
and will consume the same portal.dat fonts + sprites so the visual
identity is preserved.
C# scaffold (src/AcDream.App/UI/):
- UiEvent — 24-byte event struct + retail event-type constants
(0x01 click, 0x15 drag-begin, 0x201 WM_LBUTTONDOWN,
etc.) matching retail decompile switches
- UiElement — base widget: children, ZOrder, focus/capture flags,
virtual OnDraw/OnEvent/OnHitTest/OnTick; children-
first hit test + back-to-front composite
- UiPanel — panel, label, button primitives
- UiRenderContext — 2D draw context with translate stack
- UiRoot — top-of-tree + Device responsibilities (mouse/
keyboard state, focus, modal, capture, drag-drop,
tooltip timer); WorldMouseFallThrough/
WorldKeyFallThrough preserves existing camera
controls when no widget consumes
- UiHost — packages UiRoot + TextRenderer + input wiring
helpers for one-line integration into GameWindow
- README.md — orientation for future agents
Roadmap (docs/plans/2026-04-11-roadmap.md):
- D.1 marked shipped (debug overlay from 2026-04-17)
- D.2 expanded to include the retail UI framework landed here
- D.3-D.7 added: AcFont, dat sprites, core panels, HUD, CursorManager
- D.8 remains sound
All existing 470 tests pass. 0 warnings, 0 errors.
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