j178 flagged it and it is real: the capture cannot show WHY a shot did not
happen (gun still hot, turret not aligned). A missing aim_fire record is
ambiguous, not a refusal. Docs only, no code change. Adds the TR_CAPTURE_AIM
row + a 'Known limitations' note to docs/env_reference.md section 8, and a
two-line pointer next to the knob in .env.example.
Rewrites docs/env_reference.md and ModularBot_garage/.env.example so a reader
can act on the file without re-deriving anything, and so every claim in it
can be checked.
WHAT
177 knobs documented across a 6-block format:
WHAT / VALUES / STATUS / GOTCHA / TRY. Values are the built-in defaults,
so `.env.example` is behaviourally identical to a clean run. No default
value changed anywhere; the only added key is TR_FIRE_LAG=0, which is real
(fire_tracker.nim:164).
WHY (traceability)
Every STATUS line now cites the job or commit behind the claim it makes.
A documented default is only useful if you can tell whether it was
verified or copied by hand; the citation makes that decidable without
re-running the experiment.
The presence-gated list was wrong: it claimed 7 knobs, the true number is
10. Three knobs were also wrongly labelled presence-gated; they are
value-based and are now documented as such.
All 31 `# TRY:` example values were checked against the code that parses
them, so no example is rejected when copied.
VERIFICATION
Round-trip (j172 probe: printEnvReport clean vs .env.example applied
through the repo's own env_dotenv loader, reports diffed): 0 mismatches,
0 warnings, 0 dropped keys (177 in file, 177 seen). Re-run after this
commit's comment edit, unchanged.
test_tfil_commit_env 159 PASS / 0 FAIL
test_env_report 25 PASS / 0 FAIL
test_tfil_ring_weights 24 PASS / 0 FAIL (earlier in the series)
Also drops the stale "snapshot of commit 5e32ec1" pin from .env.example: a
pinned hash goes stale the moment the next commit lands, which makes the
"regenerate when a default changes" instruction worse than none. The line
now just says the values mirror current defaults.
TR_TFIL_RING_COMMIT_ARRIVAL and TR_TFIL_RING_NOREV_SPEED were in .env.example
and in the boot env report but had zero mentions in this file - the trap this
document exists to prevent. Added to the movement table, and the 'defaults read
at' line pointer corrected from the stale 116-133 to the real 188-196 / 173-175
(j165 shifted them). Both are labelled NEVER LIVE-TESTED.
TR_RAM_FLOOR_ENERGY (0.0 = off): at/below this self energy we start no NEW
shot, holding back the reserve for a final ram exchange. Justified by the only
energy gain in the game being +3*power per bullet hit LANDED, so not firing
denies the enemy its only refill. Blocks only NEW shots (gunHeat already gates
committed ones) and is bypassed while ramming.
TR_RAM_ENEMY_ENERGY (0.0 = off): last-scanned enemy energy <= this -> ram
mode. Enemy energy IS observable (ScannedBotEvent.energy, schemas.nim:306),
1-8 ticks stale. This is the shipped finisher with its energy tolerance
promoted to a knob, keeping the self>enemy surplus guard because RAM_DAMAGE
0.6 applies to BOTH bots on every contact tick.
Open-loop measurement (measure_ramfloor_energy, 8149 recordings / 29871
rounds / 33.8M ticks): 'both low' is COMMON (10.4% of ticks below 20, 15.1%
below 25) but neither side goes low first (enemy 52.7% / us 47.3%), and the
owner's literal trigger - enemy so low it cannot fire (energy <= 1.95) - is
only 2.5% of ticks, 1.1% while we are healthy.
Guards 136 -> 147 in test_tfil_commit_env.nim, all green. A/B PRE-REGISTERED
in docs/ram_floor_exhaustion_ab.md and NOT RUN.
MEASURED LIVE (common_libs/tests/measure_fire_ghost_lag.py, 4 sessions, 1777
matched ghost spawns, both movers): the server dispatches a turn's fire AFTER
our go() for that same turn, so a turn-T shot's energy drop first reaches our
scan at turn T+1 — and a bullet takes its FIRST step during the turn it is
fired, so the true bullet is already one whole bullet step (11-20 px) downrange.
Both movers place the ghost at the SCANNED enemy position (where the bullet was
born), so the whole ghost trajectory is the true one shifted one turn later and
the arrival deadline is a full tick late.
MEASURED: detection lag +1 tick on 100% of 1777 matched spawns; ghost-vs-
observer displacement 19.06 px mean / 22.00 p90 (tfil) and 16.08 / 21.81
(strafe); arrival-deadline error 0.99 / 0.77 ticks. NOT a rendering artefact:
the draw/advance order is correct (advanceBullets -> detectFires -> build).
THE FIX: TR_FIRE_LAG (int, default 0 = today byte-for-byte) in the shared
fire_tracker, applied by both movers at spawn: x = origin + dir*speed*lag.
The deadline needs no separate change — both movers derive it from the ghost's
own position, so a correct position gives a correct deadline.
WITH IT: displacement 19.06 -> 5.37 px mean (the residue is the enemy's own
<=8 px scan staleness) and the deadline error 0.99 -> 0.06 ticks.
Guards: test_tfil_commit_env 77 -> 87 checks (default golden parity, exact
n-step back-date, deadline shortens by exactly lag, junk/negative degrade to 0,
reaped exactly one tick earlier); test_env_report + test_env_dotenv green.
TR_FIRE_LAG registered in env_report + knownEnvNames + .env.example +
docs/env_reference.md. Live A/B pre-registered in docs/movement_campaign.md
(Batch 8) with its MDE stated up front; arms tools/ab/arms_fire_lag.txt.
TR_FIRE_DIAG gains a per-round ROUND line (the tick->getTurn anchor) and a
per-spawn SPAWN line (the ghost's drawn position).
A `#` preceded by whitespace and outside quotes now ends the value, so
`TR_DEBUG_DRAW=0 # hides the grid` resolves to `0` instead of the
whole tail. Values that are still not plain tokens (whitespace, `#`, an
unclosed quote) get one `[dotenv] WARNING` line naming file, key, raw value
and the fact that the reader falls back to its DEFAULT, instead of being
applied silently. Guard test 29 -> 47 checks.
The offline-harness audit (`e40c849`, `docs/offline_harness_trust.md`) found that the
claim "best offline hit rate of anything measured" for the ring mover was false.
The 20.28% figure is a LIVE number: `docs/feature_ab_results.md` and commit `bfdcdf8`
record 35 real-DrussGT bridge battles with a server-side event sidecar as the ground
truth, and the 6/49 round wins is likewise live. There is no offline measurement of
the ring mover anywhere - the offline harness scores GUNS, not movements, and has no
movement driver at all.
So this was NOT an offline-vs-live calibration failure, which is how it has been
described repeatedly (including by the orchestrator). It was a METRIC MISMATCH: a
movement arm judged on hit rate instead of damage/run and round wins - and hit rate is
precisely the metric that concealed its collapse.
The lesson previously attached to this result was therefore the wrong one. The
paragraph now says what actually happened and points at the audit.
Docs-only; no code touched.
DOCS ONLY. The user set TMH_NSTATES, which is a compile-time {-d:intdefine.}
(-d:TMH_NSTATES=2, tm_horizon.nim:102), not an env var; the runtime var is
TR_TMHORIZON_NSTATES (tm_horizon.nim:139). This rewrites the reference so that
class of confusion cannot recur.
What was WRONG and is now fixed:
- "unparseable warns and falls back" was false for the numeric/bool knobs: only
the enumerated string knobs warn; envInt/envFloat/envBool fall back silently.
- TR_POWER_LOG/TR_RAM_LOG/TR_MOVEMENT_LOG/TR_RECORD_WORLDSTATE/
TR_RADAR_FORCE_SPIN/TR_RADAR_SCANLOG/TR_TRACKER_PROBE are read with existsEnv,
so TR_POWER_LOG=0 turns the log ON. Documented per knob.
- TR_POWER_ENERGY_MIN is a CAP at low energy, not a minimum-power floor.
- TR_TMHORIZON_* knobs are inert unless TR_RACK_TMHORIZON=both; the doc implied
they were live.
- GUN_SELECTOR_WINDOW is clamped 1..100; TR_MOVEMENT silently falls back to tfil
for any value other than tfil_ring.
- The ring file's own header comment (corridor 5 / wall 10) is stale; the code
defaults are 10.0/15.0 (commit 7f6ccfb).
- Compile-time section was incomplete and conflated the two TM modules:
tm_pattern uses TM_NCLAUSES/TM_NSTATES, tsetlin uses TM_N_CLAUSES/TM_N_STATES,
and -d:TM_S_DEF is defined in BOTH.
What was ADDED:
- "COMPILE-TIME vs RUNTIME: the two namespaces": the only define/env pair is
TMH_NSTATES <-> TR_TMHORIZON_NSTATES; everything else is compile-time only.
- "Did my env vars actually reach the bot?": the /proc exec-time check, the note
that grepping only TR_|GUN_ hides a wrongly-named var (grep -i tmh), and the
boot report described as an interface with the two sections + build identity.
- "Measured verdicts" table: window 26.5% vs 49.0% p=0.036 (harmful live),
TMHorizon N=2/8/64 42.9/42.9/53.1% (all p>=0.8), power floor 22/49 vs 21/49
p=1.0, sub-1.0 accuracy 10.80% vs 10.35% p=0.37, shipped bot 49% vs DrussGT.
- "Names that look real but do nothing": TMH_NSTATES (env), TR_VBULLET_METRIC,
TR_POWER_LOW_ENERGY, TR_TRACKER_RECONCILE.
- The adaptive-melee radar's compile-time constants (no env form).
The bot is spawned by the server/GUI, so it inherits the SERVER's
environment. The user could not tell whether their exports reached the
bot, so print a one-shot greppable report at boot:
grep '^\[env\]' /tmp/modularbot_stdout.log
Section A prints every TR_*/GUN_* this process actually received, the
count vs the total env size, a loud warning when nothing matched, and
the process identity (pid/ppid, cwd, self command line, and the PARENT
command line) so the spawn trap is obvious. Section B prints the
resolved effective value of every documented knob with its source
(env|default), including clamps and the rack's empty-set fallback.
Build identity (NimVersion, compile date/time, binary path/size/mtime)
pins the exact artifact. Suppress with TR_ENV_REPORT=0.
docs/env_reference.md: add the missing GUN_SHOTLOG_PATH,
GUN_SELECTOR_MINOBS/FLOOR/POOL/RANK/SHRINK/SEED, TR_ENV_REPORT and
-d:TM_NCLAUSES; record the measured TR_TMHORIZON_WINDOW verdict; and
add a prominent 'Did my env vars actually reach the bot?' section with
the boot report, the /proc/PID/environ no-code check, the correct GUI
launch recipe, and how to prove the trap deliberately.
The user's request: "when our bot is low OR enemy is low, it is useless to use high
power instead low fast bullets have more chances to finish the enemy. Let's do a
math slope: starting from some health down, the power goes down with it."
1. ENERGY SLOPE (`TR_POWER_ENERGY_*`), replacing the old hard step at 50 energy:
cap = ENERGY_MAX at/above ENERGY_HI, ENERGY_MIN at/below ENERGY_LO, LINEAR in
power between, clamped. Defaults HI=80 LO=20 MIN=0.5 MAX=3.0, so no cap >=80,
0.5 at <=20, and e.g. E=65 -> 2.375, E=50 -> 1.75, E=35 -> 1.125.
Rationale: bullet speed is 20-3p, so lower power = FASTER bullet (less lead
error, higher hit chance), fires more often (10+2p) and drains slower (p/shot).
E[dE] = p(3P-1) => break-even hit probability is 1/3 INDEPENDENT of power, and
our measured rates are 5-27%, far below it.
2. FINISHING CAP (`TR_POWER_FINISH_KILL`, default ON): cap power at the SMALLEST
bullet that still removes the enemy's remaining energy -
`E<=4 -> p=E/4` (min 0.1), `4<E<=16 -> p=(E+2)/6`, `E>16 -> no cap`.
Rationale, and it makes the user's instinct stronger than a heuristic: server
1.3.1 caps the damage SCORE at the energy ACTUALLY REMOVED, so overkill is
WASTED damage AND ~6x the energy for ZERO extra score. Damage is 4p (p<=1) /
6p-2 (p>1).
Both are min-composed with the existing far/below-average caps, may only LOWER
power (exhaustively tested), and are exempt while ramming.
`TR_POWER_POLICY=0` still returns the uncapped control exactly.
MEASURED ENERGY SAVING (offline replay of the DrussGT fixtures, 28,797 ticks):
arm shots energy meanP E/1k ticks vs cliff
control(uncapped) 1913 4646 2.43 161.4 -90.2%
cliff (today) 2363 2443 1.03 84.8 0.0%
slope 2404 2178 0.91 75.6 ** 10.9% LESS **
slope+finish 2404 2167 0.90 75.3 ** 11.3% LESS **
So the slope spends ~11% less energy than the cliff AND fires slightly MORE shots
(2404 vs 2363) - both directions at once.
HONEST NOTE on the finishing rule's reach here: ticks where the enemy is low
(0 < E <= 16) are only 2252/28797 = 7.8% of these fixtures, so finishing adds just
~11 energy of saving against DrussGT. It matters in CLOSER fights, not this one.
Verification: test_power_policy 58 (was 26) in BOTH the default and TR_POWER_POLICY=0
control arms - slope at E=100/80/65/50/35/20/5, powerToKill across E=0.1..100, the
inverse-cover property for E<=16, monotonicity, ram exemption, and an exhaustive
sweep proving power <= preference. Guards: test_gun_harness 39, test_vbullet_metric
11, test_power_selection 3, test_adaptive_radar 41, test_tfil_ring_weights 24,
test_ram_decision 40, test_rack_membership 48, test_selector_tiebreak 19,
test_tm_pattern_registration 20, test_vbullet_admit_gate 12. acceptance
12/12 PASS. ModularBot compiles release.
Adds `common_libs/tests/measure_power_policy.nim` (the energy/histogram tool) and
updates docs/env_reference.md for the new `energySlope|finishKill` log reasons.
NOT MEASURED: the battle/hit-rate effect. The offline figures use the fixture
shooter's energy as a proxy, open-loop; the RELATIVE saving is the meaningful part.
Single place to answer 'what env vars exist, what do they default to, and what are
they for'. Grouped by area, with the measured reason each knob exists recorded
next to it, since several defaults are counterintuitive:
- The shipped rack is PATTERN ONLY, with the revert one-liner included.
- GUN_SELECTOR_TIEBREAK defaults off because it measured NEGATIVE on real hit
rate, and the per-tick random draw inside the tie band is load-bearing
(commitment cost 7.02% -> 5.10%, p=0.002).
- The power policy is ON because turning it off measured 10.6% -> 7.9% real hit
rate; TR_POWER_FINISH_KILL exists because server 1.3.1 caps the damage SCORE at
the energy actually removed, so overkill scores nothing.
- The ring mover is NOT the default and must not be shipped: best offline hit
rate of anything measured, but it halves survival (16/49 -> 6/49, p=0.012).
- The proactive ram is off because it converts 0/6 times.
- TR_PATTERN_RAD_* are kept but are structurally incapable of changing the shot
(the aim is bearing-only, measured byte-identical on the path metric).
- TR_TMHORIZON_NSTATES is the automata inertia ('mood'): lower = adapts faster.
- TR_VBULLET_ADMIT_ONLY=1 gave +68% tick rate (87 -> 146 ticks/s).
Documents the read-once-at-start convention and the operational trap that the bot
is spawned by the server/GUI, so a variable exported in an unrelated terminal does
NOT reach it. Also lists the compile-time -d: knobs and the test-harness jars.
Snapshot of the source at this commit; f9f8d84-era knobs added by the in-flight
jobs are included where already present.
SirStone