The cart boot matrix scored real-BIOS runs from frame 0, so the identical
~490-frame boot logo animation and jingle counted as every title's "video"
and "audio", and carts the boot ROM rejects (red "Jaguar" screen) read as
"BIOS works".
cart_boot_probe now finds the boot-ROM -> cart handoff itself (68K or any of
its last 1024 instructions, via pcQueue, in $800000-$DFFFFF) and restarts
scored_* counters there; --post-handoff N runs N frames past it (--frames is
the cap) and stops early once the boot ROM sits on its BRA.S * halt loop.
Headerless RAM-loaded .jag files never run the boot ROM (bios_ran=0): whole
run scored, never a reject.
The classifier moves to test/tools/cart_classify.sh (so a unit test can feed
it synthetic logs) and gains BIOS_REJECT (boot ROM ran, no handoff, parked on
BRA.S *) and ? (bios_trap) (cart got control, then PC fell back into the
boot ROM: a crash, not a reject). Crash-watchdog signatures stay whole-run:
an early escape is a real bug (#853), not excused.
matrix_diff.py ranks BIOS_REJECT equal to GAME_CODE: GAME_CODE -> BIOS_REJECT
is a lateral scoring correction, and HLE GAME_CODE / BIOS BIOS_REJECT is not
an HLE-vs-BIOS asymmetry. BIOS runs get FRAMES+700 frames and a 150s default
timeout. docs/cart-boot-matrix.md prose updated; table not regenerated.
Closes#852
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>
test/tools/matrix_diff.py OLD.md NEW.md compares two cart or CD boot
matrices per row. Stage rank (low->high): -1 ?(core_error|build_mismatch|
no_reg), 0 LOAD_FAIL, 1 HARNESS_HANG/?/?(pc_escape|timeout|BIOS band),
2..6 BIOS_INTRO, BOOT_STUB, GAME_CODE, MENU, IN_GAME. At equal rank a new
crash-watchdog signature (from the notes/Watchdog cell) is backward.
Prints regressed / still-asymmetric / improved / added / removed; exits
1 on any backward move, 2 on parse error. test/test_matrix_diff.sh (43
checks) runs in make test. The cart matrix header (generator + doc) now
carries the never-backward rule; docs/release-process.md gains the
pre-tag checklist (regenerate both matrices on the RC on the corpus
machine, diff vs the previous tag, a backward row blocks the tag until
ticketed and deferred, improved list feeds release notes).
Sanity: cart v3.7.0 -> v3.7.1 shows 5 regressed cells (Music Demo BIOS
GAME_CODE -> ?(pc_escape); inframe_hang newly visible on 4 homebrew).
Closes#749
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>
