# SpriteNode Class Layout ## Purpose This note captures the current class-level read of the `SpriteNode` family so later Ghidra class work can move quickly and conservatively. Compared with `EntityDispatchEntry`, this family has a cleaner explicit virtual/event-dispatch surface and a more bounded ownership model. That makes it an excellent second pilot for class lifting. ## Current Best Class-Level Read `SpriteNode` is a tree-based render/UI node family with: - child-chain ownership - accumulated position and bounds propagation - dirty-state tracking - central event dispatch through a small virtual surface - destructor ownership over child nodes and global focus state This already looks much closer to an ordinary C++ object family than many gameplay-side structures. ## Strongest Evidence Anchors ### Destructor #### `000b:326e` `sprite_node_destroy` Current best read: - destructor-style path - sets vtable ptr to `0x501a` - clears global focus pointer `[0x4fd0:0x4fd2]` if `self` - releases child nodes - frees object memory through `mem_free` This is the strongest current single proof that `SpriteNode` should be lifted as an owned object family. ### Event dispatch #### `000b:3ab2` `sprite_node_dispatch_event` Current best read: - large event dispatch switch - checks event types `2/4/8/0x100` - updates global focus pointer at `[0x4fd0:0x4fd2]` - dispatches through virtual slots `+0x14`, `+0x18`, `+0x20`, `+0x24` This is the strongest current proof of a stable virtual method surface. ### Dirty/update family - `000b:3380 sprite_node_is_dirty` - `000b:33a6 sprite_node_mark_dirty` - `000b:40ee sprite_node_update_and_dispatch` These show that node state changes and redraw/update dispatch are methods on the same family, not just free helper functions wandering across unrelated data. ### Recursive tree helpers - `000a:b988 sprite_node_get_or_traverse` - `000b:358d sprite_tree_accumulate_pos` - `000b:3a00 sprite_tree_sum_x_offset` - `000b:3a35 sprite_tree_sum_y_offset` These are strong evidence for a child-linked tree object with inherited coordinate accumulation. ## Candidate Layout This layout is intentionally conservative. | Offset | Current name | Confidence | Current meaning | |---|---|---|---| | `+0x19/+0x1b` | `child_or_next_ptr` | High | Child-chain pointer pair used by recursive traversal and offset accumulation. | | `+0x21` | `local_x_offset` | High | Summed by `sprite_tree_sum_x_offset` / accumulate helpers. | | `+0x23` | `local_y_offset` | High | Summed by `sprite_tree_sum_y_offset` / accumulate helpers. | | `+0x29` | `dirty_flags` | High | Checked by `sprite_node_is_dirty`; manipulated by mark/update paths. | | `+0x17e` | `redraw_flag` | Medium | Cleared by `sprite_clear_redraw_flag`; likely a subtype or larger-object field tied to one SpriteNode family variant. | ## Layout Caveat The current notes likely mix a compact core `SpriteNode` with one or more larger derived UI/display objects. The evidence for `+0x17e` strongly suggests there are bigger family members or wrapper objects in the same virtual ecosystem. So the safe future modeling strategy is: - define a small `SpriteNodeBase` - keep larger UI/display fields in derived or sibling structs until more offsets are closed ## Candidate Method Map ### Strong instance methods | Address | Current function | Candidate method role | |---|---|---| | `000b:326e` | `sprite_node_destroy` | `Destroy()` | | `000b:3380` | `sprite_node_is_dirty` | `IsDirty()` | | `000b:33a6` | `sprite_node_mark_dirty` | `MarkDirty()` | | `000b:3ab2` | `sprite_node_dispatch_event` | `DispatchEvent()` | | `000b:40ee` | `sprite_node_update_and_dispatch` | `UpdateAndDispatch()` | | `000a:b988` | `sprite_node_get_or_traverse` | `GetOrTraverse()` | ### Strong family-local helpers that may remain free/static | Address | Current function | Why it may stay non-method | |---|---|---| | `000b:3a00` | `sprite_tree_sum_x_offset` | Pure recursive accumulation helper; method status depends on later decompile readability. | | `000b:3a35` | `sprite_tree_sum_y_offset` | Same as above. | | `000b:330c` | `sprite_tree_dispatch_wrapper` | Looks like a pure thunk wrapper rather than a meaningful source-level method. | | `000b:3362` | `sprite_tree_unwind_check` | Stack-segment guard helper; probably not worth presenting as a class method. | ## Candidate Virtual Slot Map `DispatchEvent` now gives a materially tighter slot map than the earlier placeholder `A/B/C/D` read. | Slot offset | Current best role | Evidence | |---|---|---| | `+0x04` | event `1` handler | `DispatchEvent` routes event code `1` here directly | | `+0x08` | event `2` handler | same dispatcher | | `+0x0c` | event `4` handler | same dispatcher | | `+0x10` | event `8` handler | same dispatcher | | `+0x14` | event `0x10` handler | same dispatcher | | `+0x18` | event `0x20` handler | same dispatcher | | `+0x1c` | event `0x40` self handler | called after the dispatcher walks child nodes for the same event | | `+0x24` | event `0x100` handler | same dispatcher | | `+0x34` | child-broadcast event `0x40` slot | used on child nodes during the `0x40` walk, not on the root dispatch object itself | The seg091 default-slot helpers are also useful evidence: - `000a:7b44`, `000a:7b49`, `000a:7b53`, `000a:7b4e`, `000a:7b78`, `000a:7b7d`, `000a:7b30`, `000a:7b3f`, `000a:7b35`, `000a:7b3a` - `000a:7b58` returns zero and behaves like a default no-op boolean slot - `000a:7b5f` is a forwarding trampoline slot These likely belong to one or more shared/default node vtables and should be preserved as vtable evidence even if they never become pretty source-level methods. ## Ownership And Global State ### Focus/global state Global focus pointer `[0x4fd0:0x4fd2]` is updated in the dispatch family and cleared in the destructor. That gives the family a real interaction with global UI focus/state, but the key point for class work is simpler: - focus ownership is tied to the node family itself - this is not just an arbitrary free helper changing global UI state ### Child ownership The destructor and recursive sum/traverse helpers strongly suggest real child ownership or at least managed child linkage. That means later class modeling should preserve a node/tree mental model rather than flattening everything into stand-alone display items. ## Candidate Ghidra Modeling Plan When class authoring begins, the safest sequence for this family is: 1. create class namespace `SpriteNode` 2. move `Destroy`, `IsDirty`, `MarkDirty`, `DispatchEvent`, `UpdateAndDispatch`, and `GetOrTraverse` first 3. create minimal `SpriteNodeBase` struct with the stable offsets around `+0x19`, `+0x21`, `+0x23`, and `+0x29` 4. create provisional vtable with slots `+0x14`, `+0x18`, `+0x20`, `+0x24` 5. keep recursive tree helpers outside the class until decompiler output shows they benefit from becoming methods ## Live Ghidra Authoring Status Verified first live `SpriteNode` batch landed on 2026-04-08. - Created class owner `Remorse::SpriteNode` in the active `CRUSADER.EXE` database. - Re-anchored the strongest old `000b:` method batch into the live `1360:` segment by preserved offset delta from `000b:326e -> 1360:046e`. - Created minimal live datatypes `/Remorse/SpriteNodeBase` and `/Remorse/SpriteNodeVtable` from the current safest note anchors. - `/Remorse/SpriteNodeBase` currently names only the bounded field block that is directly supported by the live method batch: - `+0x19 = child_or_next_farptr` - `+0x21 = local_x_offset` - `+0x23 = local_y_offset` - `+0x29 = dirty_flags` - `/Remorse/SpriteNodeVtable` is still the earlier minimal shell in-session, but the live `DispatchEvent` read now supports a deeper slot map than the first authoring batch encoded: - direct self dispatch uses `+0x04`, `+0x08`, `+0x0c`, `+0x10`, `+0x14`, `+0x18`, `+0x1c`, and `+0x24` - child broadcast during event `0x40` uses child slot `+0x34` - Moved the first bounded method set under the class owner with short provenance comments: - `1360:036a` -> `Create` (best current constructor-style anchor; still keep the higher-wrapper caveat visible) - `1360:046e` -> `Destroy` (older note anchor `000b:326e`) - `1360:0580` -> `IsDirty` (older note anchor `000b:3380`) - `1360:05a6` -> `MarkDirty` (older note anchor `000b:33a6`) - `1360:0955` -> `GetOrTraverse` (best current live anchor for older note anchor `000a:b988`) - `1360:0cb2` -> `DispatchEvent` (older note anchor `000b:3ab2`) - `1360:12ee` -> `UpdateAndDispatch` (older note anchor `000b:40ee`) - The live decompiler now makes the core family surface much easier to navigate directly in-session: - `Create` now exists live as the current safest constructor-style anchor: it allocates `0x34` bytes when `this` is null, stamps the `0x501a` SpriteNode vtable, initializes the child-link/core offset fields, and links the incoming parent/child lane. - Direct callers now narrow the subtype story materially: the current call set is dominated by `GumpCreate_*` and adjacent UI wrapper constructors, which supports treating `Create` as the compact shared base-node constructor used by higher-level gump/display objects rather than as a one-off derived leaf. - `Destroy` restores the `0x501a` base vtable, clears the global focus pointer when `this` owns it, releases child linkage, and optionally frees self. - `IsDirty` and `MarkDirty` read and mutate the `+0x29` dirty-state lane exactly as the note predicted. - `GetOrTraverse` now exists live as the best current `000a:b988` re-anchor: it recursively walks the child-linked subtree, adjusts the incoming query coordinates by the local offsets, and returns either the matched child node or the default sentinel through the out pointer. - `DispatchEvent` updates the global focus pointer at `0x4fd0:0x4fd2` and now ties concrete event codes to concrete slot offsets: `1/2/4/8 -> +0x04/+0x08/+0x0c/+0x10`, `0x10/0x20 -> +0x14/+0x18`, `0x40 -> child +0x34 then optional self +0x1c`, and `0x100 -> +0x24`. - `UpdateAndDispatch` now clearly shows the `IsDirty` / `MarkDirty` / recompute / child-walk sequence instead of staying as an anonymous seg1360 helper. - The `SpriteNode` family is therefore no longer note-only. What remains open is narrower now: chiefly whether `Create` should remain the family's public constructor-style entry or later be split into a higher derived/UI wrapper and a smaller base-node constructor once more callers and subtype evidence land, plus the deeper vtable-slot and subtype-layout questions. ## Open Questions - whether the current `Create` signature itself can be cleaned up further now that its caller set points to a shared compact base-node constructor used by higher-level gump wrappers - exact root vtable address or addresses for the main SpriteNode family - whether the `+0x17e` redraw flag belongs to a derived display node rather than the compact base node - whether the recovered event-code map can now be promoted from raw event-code labels to prettier semantic slot names without overfitting UI behavior too early - whether `sprite_tree_accumulate_pos` should become a class method, a static helper, or a separate geometry utility ## Immediate Follow-Up Value The most useful next companion work after this note is not more sprite detail by itself. It is the rebuild-ABI note, because once the first few class families are documented this well, the next real risk is drifting away from the original memory and calling-convention model before any code is emitted.