Validate combined title framework checkpoint before consumer pin refresh #768

The 2026-10-25 title checkpoint combines the existing overlay export, opt-in GTE HUD anchoring/display-width culling, pending-save polling, exclusive Windows debug listener, silent SPU voice fetch, resident CD completion, and guarded single-sector FIFO delivery changes on upstream master.

Integration head: f42d2c0 (base 7097d53). Merge conflicts preserved the newer upstream savestate implementation, both resident CD APIs, and a unified synthetic raw-sector fixture. No framework fork is used.

Validation completed on the combined source: 12 focused tests passed (CD FIFO, resident sector delivery/snapshots/declines, IRQ mask, silent SPU fetch, pitch-zero, guest clock, sample banks, HUD anchoring, GTE projection, prepass guard, UI grouping, and display-width culling). These tests were built with the portable Windows Clang toolchain. Existing consumer gameplay evidence applies to each consumer's recorded pre-integration pin.

Outstanding:

• Build/regenerate representative consumers against this combined master and check gameplay, current-build save/load, normal CD/media fallbacks and runtime performance.
• Validate full framework/runtime integration in the supported consumer build, including both resident CD guest-service exports.
• Refresh consumer pins/generated C only with matching validation; existing checkpoints intentionally retain their tested revisions.

No game launch or new enhancement implementation was performed for this publication step. Consumer acceptance and unfinished adapters remain tracked privately.

October 26 consumer validation

A supported isolated consumer build exposed two objective combined-source defects: save-status JSON could remain pending after successful request completion, and the resident-test fixture had a duplicate netplay stub plus a missing PCM overlay stub. Local fix a946bf5b2d62898657b64abc08379d0da5ffd9ba uses the canonical pending flag and repairs the fixture; the release-build regression test now executes its assertions. The fix does not alter serialization, resume boundaries or timing and has not been pushed/merged.

That consumer now passes supported regeneration/build, five title tests, seven focused framework CTests, native execution, current-build movement/save/restore, two gameplay-scene camera sweeps, 2160-line output with active PGXP, and fresh package on/off configurations. Regenerated game C is byte-identical. A visual failure initially suspected as a framework regression also reproduces at the previous framework pin and was fixed in private title code.

Normal-window owner audio/pacing acceptance, the remaining representative consumers, and combined pin promotion are still outstanding. One consumer result does not qualify the full batch. Tracking remains beads-eio.3.414.

Owner update, October 26: the owner says the reviewed consumer looks decent and has recorded a loading Pass. Count that consumer's visual regression handoff as accepted; do not repeat it or request another formal approval for this reviewed build. Upscaling/optional AA polish is explicitly deferred. Remaining representative-consumer validation and combined pin promotion are still open.

Owner update, October 26 (second consumer): the owner says the second reviewed consumer all looks good. Its combined candidate uses framework a946bf5b2d62898657b64abc08379d0da5ffd9ba and recomp-ui 3f1d6f122a58823614abce14f5b86f4d165a629c. Supported build/regeneration, seven title checks, all 20 captured native regions, representative matched resident load/retry checks, camera sweeps, current-build movement/save-load, live upscaling/PGXP and fresh all-off restoration passed before this review. Count this consumer's visual regression handoff as accepted; no additional formal approval naming these framework heads or repeat game presentation is required. Individual unrecorded setup results are not inferred. Other representative-consumer coverage, independent technical gaps and publication/pin promotion remain open. The live owner review is preserved.

October 26 (third consumer, owner review pending): supported regeneration and six title CTests pass with the combined source. A reproducible save-after-load failure exposed an abandoned dirty-pump site marker: restore cleared the dirty PC but not its scoped site after a scheduler escape. Local fix 796737bd clears both on init/restore, retaining the snapshot safety guards. The actual restore regression passes with portable Ubuntu cc/LTO, and repeated consumer menu/gameplay snapshots now succeed. Native coverage retains exactly the prior unsupported-fragment set. Two gameplay scenes, fast camera sweeps, exact-binary 1080p/PGXP, automatic native-aspect menus/movie, stock media fallback and a fresh all-off profile were checked. The new fix has not been pushed or merged; owner handoff and remaining consumer/publication gates stay open. Earlier accepted consumer checks remain complete.

October 26: the owner accepted the third consumer built with 796737bd / UI 3f1d6f1 (“south park looks good”). This clears that consumer’s owner regression handoff for the combined framework candidate, including the restore-scope fix; no repeat formal approval naming framework commits is required. Title-specific pause-aspect/distant-culling observations remain tracked with that title. Other independent qualification and publication gaps above remain; no merge or push performed in this update.