The shot list becomes a config file, and the camera holds a phone

tools/scenes.json says WHAT to shoot; tools/clips.js only knows how. Every
knob Oliver asked for is a key: seconds, setting (gore/zombie), beat, court,
boss, weapons, movement, density, diversity, gore, games, screen — documented
in the file's own "_" block, validated in capture.py so a typo names itself
instead of coming back as fifteen seconds of empty court. Nine scenes ship in
the default list, across all four courts.

The frame is a PHONE now (393x852 -> 1080x2340), not 9:16: the portrait branch
derives its logical height from the canvas box, so a 9:16 take was never the
framing a player sees. The player has legs — held arrow keys through the real
axisX, so horde and flamer are no longer a statue with a flamethrower. The
crowd tops itself up where the game's own spawner puts it, diversity walks the
roster, and `gore` paints in the run's history a fifteen-second clip has no
time to earn. The pilot is picked by what the court is doing rather than by
config: tennis mode taps to swing, splatter draws the slingshot.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

PROJECT.md

@@ -3553,27 +3553,37 @@ never an interstitial. An interstitial after death would land exactly in the "on
    Clips the game already contains: the transition (the flagship), a boss walking on, the ball boy
    calmly mopping blood, a flame ball starting an epidemic across a lined-up wave, parrying a boss's
    volley back into him, a horde, the death + run summary.
-   **THE CAPTURE RIG IS BUILT (2026-08-18): `python3 tools/capture.py` and the folder fills up.**
+   **THE CAPTURE RIG IS BUILT (2026-08-18), AND THE SHOT LIST IS DATA.** `python3 tools/capture.py`
-   `tools/capture.py` serves the repo with `tools/clips.js` injected, opens a throwaway-profile
+   fills `promo/clips/`; `python3 tools/capture.py horde boss` shoots two; `python3 tools/capture.py
-   Chrome, and the page stages each highlight through `window.T`, records it, POSTs the webm back;
+   my-shots.json` shoots another list entirely; `--seed 77` re-rolls every take. What to shoot lives
-   ffmpeg writes 1080x1920 h264/aac into `promo/clips/`. Named scenes shoot alone
+   in `tools/scenes.json` — nine scenes today — and its `"_"` block documents every knob:
-   (`python3 tools/capture.py horde boss`). Seven scenes exist and the list in `clips.js` is the
+   `seconds`, `setting` (gore / zombie), `beat` (transition / horde / boss / death / mopboy),
-   place to add one — the gore side is `transition` (the flagship: four seconds of ordinary tennis
+   `court`, `boss`, `weapons`, `movement`, `density`, `diversity`, `gore`, `games`, `screen`.
-   before the turn), `horde`, `flamer`, `mopboy`, `death`, and the zombie-tennis side is `boss` and
+   `tools/clips.js` is the engine that knows how to shoot any of it: `tools/capture.py` serves the
-   `match`. Nothing is faked for the camera: every clip enters through the same doors a player does
+   repo with it injected, opens a throwaway-profile Chrome, and the page stages the scene, records
-   (`T.start`, `T.intoSplatter`, `startHorde`, `startBossFight`, `startMatch`), and the two pilots
+   canvas + audio, POSTs the webm back; ffmpeg writes h264/aac. Nothing is faked for the camera —
-   are deliberately mediocre — the tennis one IS the reachability soak's from `test.js`.
+   every clip enters through the doors a player uses (`T.start`, `T.intoSplatter`, `startHorde`,
-   Four things it learned the hard way, none of them obvious:
+   `startBossFight`, `startMatch`), the crowd walks in where the game's own spawner puts it, and the
+   player walks on held arrow keys through the real `axisX`. The two pilots are deliberately
+   mediocre (the tennis one IS the reachability soak's from `test.js`) and are chosen by what the
+   court is doing, not by config: `G.mode === 'tennis'` taps to swing, splatter draws the slingshot.
+   Six things it learned the hard way, none of them obvious:
    - **The clip is the canvas BACKING STORE, not the window.** Chrome opened maximised and ignored
      `--window-size`, and `resizeTo` did nothing; the frame is pinned instead by giving the canvas a
-     9:16 CSS box, which `render.js` measures (`cv.clientWidth`) through its ResizeObserver.
+     phone-sized CSS box, which `render.js` measures (`cv.clientWidth`) through its ResizeObserver.
-   - **`TUNE.lowPower` defaults ON and caps `RES` at 3**, so the recording came out 810x1440 and
+   - **THE SCREEN IS A PHONE, not 9:16** (Oliver, 2026-08-18): 393x852 like a 15-class iPhone, which
-     needed a blurry 1.33x upscale. The rig sets it to 0; with `--force-device-scale-factor=3` the
+     records at 1080x2340. The game genuinely lays out differently for it — the portrait branch
-     backing store is exactly 1080x1920 and no filter ever touches a pixel.
+     derives its logical height from the box — so a 9:16 take is not the framing a player sees.
+     `screen: "9x16"` is still there for a platform that insists.
+   - **`TUNE.lowPower` defaults ON and caps `RES` at 3**, so the first recordings came out 810 wide
+     and needed a blurry 1.33x upscale. The rig sets it to 0; with `--force-device-scale-factor=3`
+     the backing store IS the output and no filter ever resamples a pixel.
    - **Audio has no master bus** — every voice in `audio.js` connects straight to `ac.destination` —
      so the rig makes `destination` itself a gain node fanning to the speakers AND to a
      `MediaStreamDestination`, patched on `BaseAudioContext.prototype` (not `AudioContext`'s) before
      the game module boots. No refactor of the game for a tool that ships to nobody.
+   - **The court is remembered, not passed**: `main.js` reads `localStorage.court` once at module
+     init, so a scene's court rides the URL and is stored before the module boots.
    - **One page load per scene.** A fresh boot is the only teardown guaranteed correct, and it costs
      a second: the page reloads itself into the next scene and POSTs `/done` when the list is empty.
    `tools/` is in neither the Dockerfile COPY nor the image, and `promo/clips/` is git- and
@@ -3581,6 +3591,7 @@ never an interstitial. An interstitial after death would land exactly in the "on
    Still hand-work after the rig: the name mark on screen (item 5 wants it in EVERY clip), any
    cutting, and the caption. Skipped deliberately — a burned-in watermark is a taste decision and
    ffmpeg `drawtext` needs a font file the repo does not have in a `drawtext`-friendly format.
+
 5. **How a viewer actually reaches the game — the name does the work, not the link.** TikTok and
    Instagram have no clickable caption links, so the bio link costs two taps (profile, then link) and
    converts in the single-digit percents. YouTube Shorts descriptions and pinned comments DO click,

tools/capture.py

@@ -1,51 +1,106 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
-"""Promo clip factory — one command, a folder of postable vertical mp4s.
+"""Promo clip factory — one command, a folder of postable phone-shaped mp4s.
 
-    python3 tools/capture.py                 # every scene
+    python3 tools/capture.py                     # every scene in tools/scenes.json
-    python3 tools/capture.py horde boss      # only these
+    python3 tools/capture.py horde boss          # only these
-    python3 tools/capture.py --keep          # keep the raw webm next to the mp4
+    python3 tools/capture.py my-shots.json       # a different shot list
+    python3 tools/capture.py --seed 77 --keep    # re-roll the randomness / keep the raw webm
 
-Serves the repo with tools/clips.js injected (the game's own files are untouched, and tools/ is not
+THE SHOT LIST IS DATA (tools/scenes.json — its "_" block documents every knob). This file serves
-in the Dockerfile COPY, so none of this ships), opens Chrome at phone-portrait size on a throwaway
+the repo with tools/clips.js injected, opens Chrome on a throwaway profile, and lets the page stage
-profile, and lets the page stage each highlight through window.T, record canvas + audio, and POST
+each scene through window.T, record canvas + audio, and POST the webm back; ffmpeg writes h264/aac
-the webm back. ffmpeg then doubles it to 1080x1920 with NEAREST-NEIGHBOUR — pixel art must not be
+into promo/clips/. The game's own files are untouched, and tools/ is in neither the image nor the
-blurred by an upscale — and writes h264/aac into promo/clips/.
+Dockerfile COPY, so none of this ships.
 
 Why a real browser window and not headless: the recording is real-time off requestAnimationFrame,
-and a backgrounded or headless tab is exactly where Chrome throttles rAF and swiftshader drops
+and headless is exactly where Chrome throttles rAF and swiftshader drops frames. Two minutes of a
-frames. Two minutes of a window in the way is cheaper than debugging dropped frames.
+window in the way is cheaper than debugging dropped frames.
 """
-import http.server, os, shutil, subprocess, sys, threading, urllib.parse
+import http.server, json, os, shutil, subprocess, sys, threading, urllib.parse
 
 HERE = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 ROOT = os.path.dirname(HERE)
 OUT = os.path.join(ROOT, 'promo', 'clips')
 PORT = 8642
 CHROME = '/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome'
-# the scene names, in shooting order — must match SCENES in tools/clips.js
-SCENES = ['transition', 'horde', 'flamer', 'mopboy', 'death', 'boss', 'match']
 INJECT = b'<script src="/tools/clips.js"></script>\n</head>'
 
-args = [a for a in sys.argv[1:] if not a.startswith('-')]
+COURTS = ('grass', 'clay', 'hard', 'gloom')
-keep = '--keep' in sys.argv
+WEAPONS = ('bomb', 'triple', 'beacon', 'flamer', 'rocket')
-scenes = args or SCENES
+BEATS = ('transition', 'horde', 'boss', 'death', 'mopboy')
-bad = [s for s in scenes if s not in SCENES]
+SCREENS = ('phone', 'tall', '9x16')
-if bad:
+DIALS = ('movement', 'density', 'diversity', 'gore')
-    sys.exit('unknown scene(s): %s\nknown: %s' % (', '.join(bad), ', '.join(SCENES)))
 
-done = threading.Event()
+
-made = []
+def check(sc, i):
+    """Validate one scene. The config is hand-written, so a typo must name itself here rather than
+    come back as fifteen seconds of an empty court."""
+    def bad(msg):
+        sys.exit('scenes[%d] (%s): %s' % (i, sc.get('name', '?'), msg))
+    name = sc.get('name')
+    if not name or not all(c.isalnum() or c in '-_' for c in name):
+        bad('needs a name of letters, digits, - and _')
+    if not 3 <= sc.get('seconds', 0) <= 60:
+        bad('seconds must be 3..60')
+    if sc.get('setting') not in ('gore', 'zombie'):
+        bad('setting must be gore or zombie')
+    if sc.get('beat') and sc['beat'] not in BEATS:
+        bad('beat must be one of ' + ', '.join(BEATS))
+    if sc.get('court') and sc['court'] not in COURTS:
+        bad('court must be one of ' + ', '.join(COURTS))
+    if sc.get('screen') and sc['screen'] not in SCREENS:
+        bad('screen must be one of ' + ', '.join(SCREENS))
+    for w in sc.get('weapons', []):
+        if w not in WEAPONS:
+            bad('unknown weapon %r — have %s' % (w, ', '.join(WEAPONS)))
+    for d in DIALS:
+        if d in sc and not 0 <= sc[d] <= 1:
+            bad('%s must be 0..1' % d)
+    if sc.get('boss') is not None:
+        if not 1 <= sc['boss'] <= 10:
+            bad('boss must be chapter 1..10')
+        # ONE MODE OWNS THE COURT (beats.js): a boss fight refuses to start inside a match, so the
+        # config cannot ask for both and quietly get neither.
+        if sc.get('setting') != 'gore':
+            bad('a boss fight is a gore-run beat — set setting to gore')
+    return sc
 
 
 def to_mp4(webm, mp4):
+    # No scaling: at RES 4 the canvas backing store IS the output (a phone box records 1080x2340),
+    # and pixel art must never be resampled. The filter only guarantees even dimensions for h264.
     # -r 60 on the OUTPUT: MediaRecorder writes a variable-rate stream and the platforms want CFR.
     subprocess.run(['ffmpeg', '-y', '-loglevel', 'error', '-i', webm,
-                    '-vf', 'scale=1080:1920:flags=neighbor',   # a no-op at RES 4; the guarantee is cheap
+                    '-vf', 'scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2',
                     '-r', '60', '-c:v', 'libx264', '-preset', 'slow', '-crf', '18',
                     '-pix_fmt', 'yuv420p', '-c:a', 'aac', '-b:a', '160k', '-movflags', '+faststart',
                     mp4], check=True)
 
 
+# ---- the command line: a .json is the shot list, a --flag is a flag, anything else is a scene name
+argv = sys.argv[1:]
+keep = '--keep' in argv
+seed = ''
+if '--seed' in argv:
+    seed = argv[argv.index('--seed') + 1]
+    argv = [a for a in argv if a != seed]
+cfg_path = next((a for a in argv if a.endswith('.json')), os.path.join(HERE, 'scenes.json'))
+wanted = [a for a in argv if not a.startswith('-') and not a.endswith('.json')]
+
+cfg = json.load(open(cfg_path))
+scenes = {}
+for i, sc in enumerate(cfg['scenes']):
+    check(sc, i)
+    scenes[sc['name']] = sc
+order = wanted or list(scenes)
+bad = [s for s in order if s not in scenes]
+if bad:
+    sys.exit('unknown scene(s): %s\nin %s: %s' % (', '.join(bad), os.path.relpath(cfg_path, ROOT), ', '.join(scenes)))
+
+done = threading.Event()
+made = []
+
+
 class Handler(http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler):
     def __init__(self, *a, **kw):
         super().__init__(*a, directory=ROOT, **kw)
@@ -53,19 +108,23 @@ class Handler(http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler):
     def log_message(self, *a):
         pass
 
+    def send_bytes(self, body, ctype):
+        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_header('Content-Type', ctype)
+        self.send_header('Content-Length', str(len(body)))
+        self.send_header('Cache-Control', 'no-store')
+        self.end_headers()
+        self.wfile.write(body)
+
     def do_GET(self):
         if self.path.startswith('/log?'):     # the page's console, since the browser is throwaway
             print('  .. ' + urllib.parse.unquote(self.path[5:]), flush=True)
             self.send_response(204); self.end_headers(); return
+        if self.path == '/scenes':
+            return self.send_bytes(json.dumps(scenes).encode(), 'application/json')
         if self.path.split('?')[0] in ('/', '/index.html'):
             html = open(os.path.join(ROOT, 'index.html'), 'rb').read().replace(b'</head>', INJECT, 1)
-            self.send_response(200)
+            return self.send_bytes(html, 'text/html')
-            self.send_header('Content-Type', 'text/html')
-            self.send_header('Content-Length', str(len(html)))
-            self.send_header('Cache-Control', 'no-store')
-            self.end_headers()
-            self.wfile.write(html)
-            return
         return super().do_GET()
 
     def do_POST(self):
@@ -93,19 +152,26 @@ class Handler(http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler):
 os.makedirs(OUT, exist_ok=True)
 srv = http.server.ThreadingHTTPServer(('127.0.0.1', PORT), Handler)
 threading.Thread(target=srv.serve_forever, daemon=True).start()
-print('shooting %d scene(s): %s' % (len(scenes), ', '.join(scenes)), flush=True)
+print('shooting %d scene(s) from %s: %s' % (len(order), os.path.relpath(cfg_path, ROOT), ', '.join(order)), flush=True)
+
+url = 'http://127.0.0.1:%d/?clips=%s' % (PORT, ','.join(order))
+if seed:
+    url += '&seed=' + seed
+if scenes[order[0]].get('court'):               # the court must be stored before the game module boots
+    url += '&court=' + scenes[order[0]]['court']
 
 profile = '/tmp/splat-capture-profile'
 shutil.rmtree(profile, ignore_errors=True)
 chrome = subprocess.Popen([
     CHROME, '--user-data-dir=' + profile, '--no-first-run', '--no-default-browser-check',
     '--autoplay-policy=no-user-gesture-required',      # the umpire is the hook; he must be in the file
-    '--force-device-scale-factor=3',                   # dpr 3 -> render.js picks RES 4 -> 1080x1920
+    '--force-device-scale-factor=3',                   # dpr 3 -> render.js picks RES 4, the sharp tier
     '--window-size=700,1000', '--window-position=0,0',
-    '--app=http://127.0.0.1:%d/?clips=%s' % (PORT, ','.join(scenes)),
+    '--app=' + url,
 ], stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL, stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL)
 
-ok = done.wait(timeout=60 + 30 * len(scenes))
+budget = 60 + sum(scenes[s]['seconds'] + 14 for s in order)
+ok = done.wait(timeout=budget)
 chrome.terminate()
 srv.shutdown()
 print('%d clip(s) in promo/clips/' % len(made) if ok else 'TIMED OUT after %d clip(s)' % len(made))

tools/clips.js

@@ -1,14 +1,23 @@
-// PROMO CLIP RIG — injected into index.html by tools/capture.py, never shipped (tools/ is not in
+// PROMO CLIP RIG — injected into index.html by tools/capture.py, never shipped (tools/ is in
-// the Dockerfile COPY). It stages a highlight with the real game through window.T, records the
+// .dockerignore and not in the Dockerfile COPY). The SCENES ARE DATA: tools/scenes.json (or any
-// canvas + the WebAudio bus with MediaRecorder, POSTs the webm back to capture.py and reloads into
+// config passed to capture.py) says what to shoot, this file knows how to shoot it. Everything is
-// the next scene. ONE PAGE LOAD PER SCENE — a fresh boot is the only teardown that is guaranteed
+// staged through window.T — the real doors, the real update loop — recorded off the canvas with
-// correct, and it costs a second.
+// MediaRecorder, POSTed back, and the page reloads itself into the next scene.
+//
+// ONE PAGE LOAD PER SCENE: a fresh boot is the only teardown guaranteed correct, and it costs a
+// second. Anything that must happen BEFORE the game module boots (the seed, the audio tap, the
+// remembered court) happens at the top of this file, which runs first as a classic script.
 (() => {
   const q = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
   const list = (q.get('clips') || '').split(',').filter(Boolean);
   if (!list.length) return;
 
-  // ---- determinism: the same seed gives the same take, so a good clip can be re-shot ----------
+  // THE COURT IS REMEMBERED, NOT PASSED: main.js reads localStorage once at module init, so the
+  // pick has to be in place before it boots — which is why it rides the URL rather than the config
+  // fetch. Same door the setup screen writes through.
+  if (q.get('court')) try { localStorage.setItem('court', q.get('court')); } catch {}
+
+  // ---- determinism: the same seed gives the same take, so a good clip can be re-shot ------------
   let seed = (Number(q.get('seed')) || 20260818) >>> 0;
   Math.random = () => {
     seed ^= seed << 13; seed >>>= 0;
@@ -19,11 +28,11 @@
 
   // ---- the audio tap. Every voice in audio.js connects straight to `ac.destination`, so the whole
   // mix is grabbed by making `destination` a gain node that fans out to the real speakers AND to a
-  // MediaStreamDestination. Patching the prototype here (this script runs before the game module)
+  // MediaStreamDestination. Patching the prototype here means the game needs no master-bus refactor
-  // means the game needs no master-bus refactor for a tool that ships to nobody.
+  // for a tool that ships to nobody. NOTE: `destination` lives on BaseAudioContext, not on
+  // AudioContext — walk the chain for it rather than assuming a level.
   let tap = null;
   const AC = window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext;
-  // `destination` is defined on BaseAudioContext, not on AudioContext — walk the chain for it
   let proto = AC.prototype, desc = null;
   while (proto && !(desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(proto, 'destination'))) proto = Object.getPrototypeOf(proto);
   const real = desc.get;
@@ -39,14 +48,22 @@
 
   const sleep = ms => new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, ms));
   const T = () => window.T;
+  const rnd = (a, b) => a + Math.random() * (b - a);
+  const log = m => fetch('/log?' + encodeURIComponent(m));
 
-  // ---- the two autopilots. The tennis one is the reachability soak's from test.js (auto-run plus a
+  // THE SCREEN IS A PHONE. Not 9:16 — a real handset is taller (393x852 on a 15/16-class iPhone,
-  // fixed tap window); the gore one draws the slingshot at the nearest body. Both are mediocre on
+  // aspect 0.46), and the game LAYS OUT differently for it: render.js derives its logical height
-  // purpose — a clip of a perfect player is a clip of nothing happening.
+  // from the canvas box, so the apron between court and rack grows and the framing is the one a
+  // player actually sees. `9x16` stays available for a platform that insists on it.
+  const SCREENS = { phone: [393, 852], tall: [412, 915], '9x16': [270, 480] };
+
+  // ---- the two autopilots, picked by what the court is doing rather than by the config: tennis
+  // rules (the match, and the ordinary tennis a transition opens on) tap to swing; splatter draws
+  // the slingshot at the nearest body. Both are deliberately mediocre — the tennis one IS the
+  // reachability soak's from test.js — because a clip of a perfect player is a clip of nothing.
   let lastTap = 0;
   const pilotTennis = t => {
     const { G, ball, P, keyPressed } = T();
-    if (G.modal) { G.modal = null; G.modalQ.length = 0; }
     if (G.phase === 'pretoss') { if (t - lastTap > 0.6) { lastTap = t; keyPressed('Space'); } }
     else if (G.phase === 'toss') { if (ball.vy < 0.4 && ball.y > 2.4) keyPressed('Space'); }
     else if (G.phase === 'rally' && ball.active && ball.lastHit === 'O') {
@@ -56,8 +73,7 @@
   };
   const pilotGore = t => {
     const { G, P, zombies, TUNE, dragServe } = T();
-    if (G.modal) { G.modal = null; G.modalQ.length = 0; }
+    if (G.horde || G.mgT > 0 || t - lastTap < 0.45) return;   // a burst and a horde fire themselves
-    if (G.horde || G.mgT > 0 || t - lastTap < 0.45) return;
     let best = null, bd = 1e9;
     for (const z of zombies) {
       const d = Math.hypot(z.x - P.x, z.z - P.z);
@@ -68,53 +84,101 @@
     const dx = best.x - P.x, dz = best.z - P.z, len = Math.hypot(dx, dz) || 1;
     dragServe({ mag: TUNE.pullFull + 6, fx: dx / len, fy: dz / len });
   };
+  const pilot = t => (T().G.mode === 'tennis' ? pilotTennis : pilotGore)(t);
 
-  // ---- THE SCENES. `secs` is the take; `at` fires staged events on the clock; `pilot` picks who
+  // ---- LEGS. The player walks on the real input path: held arrow keys, the same axisX/axisZ every
-  // plays. Everything here is the real game reached through the real doors — nothing is faked for
+  // desktop player uses. `movement` 0 is a statue, 1 sweeps the full width — and it only bites in
-  // the camera, which is the only way the footage stays honest when the game changes.
+  // 'rally' or under a burst, because the game's own rule is no walking between points.
-  const SCENES = {
+  const held = {};
-    // SPLATTER GORE -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  const hold = (code, on) => {
-    transition: { secs: 17, pilot: 'tennis', at: [   // the flagship: ordinary tennis, then the turn
+    if (!!held[code] === !!on) return;
-      [0, () => T().start(null)],
+    held[code] = on;
-      [4.5, () => { T().forceZombies(); }],
+    dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent(on ? 'keydown' : 'keyup', { code }));
-    ] },
-    horde: { secs: 14, pilot: 'gore', at: [
-      [0, () => { const t = T(); t.start(null); t.intoSplatter(); t.G.runGames = 6; }],
-      [2.5, () => T().startHorde()],
-    ] },
-    flamer: { secs: 12, pilot: null, at: [
-      [0, () => { const t = T(); t.start(null); t.intoSplatter(); t.G.runGames = 8; t.grantWeapon('flamer', 3); }],
-      [1.0, () => { const t = T(); for (let i = 0; i < 9; i++) t.spawnZombie(-5 + i * 1.25, -9 + (i % 3) * 1.2, i % 3 ? 'a' : 'd'); }],
-      [3.0, () => { const t = T(); t.selectWeapon(1 + t.G.rack.findIndex(s => s.id === 'flamer')); t.dragServe({ mag: 140, fx: 0, fy: -1 }); }],
-    ] },
-    // THE BALL BOY, calmly mopping a massacre — the joke lands only if the court is a mess first,
-    // so the pilot shoots for six seconds and is then switched off to let him work in peace.
-    // ...and they die on the NEAR court on purpose: mopWorthIt only sends him for a stain on his
-    // own side of the net, so a massacre at the far baseline is a massacre nobody mops.
-    mopboy: { secs: 15, pilot: 'gore', pilotUntil: 6.5, at: [
-      [0, () => { const t = T(); t.start(null); t.intoSplatter(); t.G.runGames = 9; }],
-      [0.8, () => { const t = T(); for (let i = 0; i < 8; i++) t.spawnZombie(-4.5 + i * 1.3, 15 + (i % 3) * 1.6, i % 4 ? 'a' : 'b'); }],
-      [7.0, () => { const t = T(); t.G.boy = null; t.sendBoy(0, 18, true); }],
-    ] },
-    death: { secs: 13, pilot: 'gore', at: [
-      [0, () => { const t = T(); t.start(null); t.intoSplatter(); t.G.runGames = 11; }],
-      [1.0, () => { const t = T(); for (let i = 0; i < 7; i++) t.spawnZombie(-4 + i * 1.4, -3 - (i % 2), 'a'); }],
-      [7.0, () => T().killPlayer()],
-    ] },
-    // ZOMBIE TENNIS -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-    boss: { secs: 16, pilot: 'gore', at: [
-      [0, () => { const t = T(); t.start(null); t.intoSplatter();
-        t.G.runGames = 3 * t.TUNE.bossEvery; t.G.bossDue = 0;
-        for (const id of ['bomb', 'triple', 'beacon', 'flamer', 'rocket']) t.grantWeapon(id, 9); } ],
-      [1.2, () => T().startBossFight(3)],
-    ] },
-    // THE OPPONENT BURSTS WHEN HIS GAME IS TAKEN, and that burst is the mode's whole payoff — but a
-    // mediocre autopilot needs a minute to earn one and the clip is eighteen seconds. So every serve
-    // is game point: the rally is real, the wait is not.
-    match: { secs: 18, pilot: 'tennis', each: () => { const s = T().score; if (T().G.phase === 'pretoss') s.pts[0] = 3; }, at: [
-      [0, () => { const t = T(); t.start(null); t.intoSplatter(); t.startMatch(); }],
-    ] },
   };
+  const legs = (t, m) => {
+    if (!m) return;
+    const { P } = T();
+    const tx = Math.sin(t * (0.45 + 0.75 * m)) * m * 5.5;   // a patrol, not a jitter
+    hold('ArrowLeft', P.x - tx > 0.3);
+    hold('ArrowRight', tx - P.x > 0.3);
+  };
+
+  // ---- the crowd. `density` is how many bodies are kept on court, `diversity` how deep into the
+  // roster the mix goes (0 = shamblers only, 1 = the whole club). They enter where the game's own
+  // spawner puts them, behind the far baseline, so they walk in rather than appear.
+  const VARIANTS = ['a', 'b', 'd', 'f', 'e', 's', 'g', 'h', 'k'];
+  let lastSpawn = -9;
+  const crowd = (t, S) => {
+    const g = T();
+    const want = Math.round((S.density || 0) * 14);
+    if (!want || g.zombies.length >= want || t - lastSpawn < 0.3 || g.G.horde || g.G.bossFight) return;   // a boss blocks every other spawn anyway
+    lastSpawn = t;
+    const pool = 1 + Math.round((S.diversity || 0) * (VARIANTS.length - 1));
+    g.spawnZombie(rnd(-4.8, 4.8), -1.5 - Math.random(), VARIANTS[(Math.random() * pool) | 0]);
+  };
+
+  // ---- the mess. Blood normally accumulates over a run; a 15-second clip has no run behind it, so
+  // `gore` paints the history in. Same {x,z,r,a} stain the game pushes itself.
+  const paint = amount => {
+    const { gore } = T();
+    for (let i = 0; i < Math.round((amount || 0) * 30); i++)
+      gore.push({ x: rnd(-6.5, 6.5), z: rnd(2, 22), r: rnd(0.5, 1.8), a: rnd(0.35, 0.9) });
+  };
+
+  // ---- the rack. Everything listed is granted at full stock and the selection walks the list, so a
+  // clip can show three tins in fifteen seconds. Serve tins spend per shot; burst tins arm on the
+  // pilot's next pull and then fire themselves.
+  let lastGun = -9, gunI = 0;
+  const guns = (t, S) => {
+    const g = T();
+    if (!S.weapons || !S.weapons.length || g.G.mgT > 0 || g.G.horde) return;
+    if (t - lastGun < (S.weaponEvery || 4)) return;
+    lastGun = t;
+    const slot = 1 + g.G.rack.findIndex(s => s.id === S.weapons[gunI++ % S.weapons.length]);
+    if (slot > 0) g.selectWeapon(slot);
+  };
+
+  // ---- THE STAGED BEATS. Everything above is a dial; these are the moments, and each is the real
+  // one reached through the real door. `add(at, fn)` books a one-shot on the scene clock.
+  const BEATS = {
+    transition: (S, add) => add(S.turnAt || 4.5, g => g.forceZombies()),      // G.transT runs ~9 s from here
+    horde:      (S, add) => add(2.5, g => g.startHorde()),
+    boss:       (S, add) => add(1.2, g => g.startBossFight(S.boss || 3)),
+    death:      (S, add) => add(Math.max(3, S.seconds - 6), g => g.killPlayer()),
+    // he only walks out for a stain on his OWN side of the net (state.mopWorthIt), which is why the
+    // pilot is switched off first: a mopped court and a shooting player are two different shots.
+    mopboy:     (S, add) => add(Math.max(3, S.seconds - 8), g => { g.G.boy = null; g.sendBoy(0, 18, true); }),
+  };
+
+  function enter(S) {
+    const g = T();
+    g.start(null);                                   // menus down, court/kit/tour selected as remembered
+    if (S.beat === 'transition') return;             // the turn is only reachable from ordinary tennis
+    g.intoSplatter();
+    g.G.runGames = S.games != null ? S.games : (S.boss ? S.boss * g.TUNE.bossEvery : 8);
+    if (S.boss) g.G.bossDue = 0;                     // ...or the schedule queues a SECOND fight behind it
+    if (S.setting === 'zombie' && !S.boss) g.startMatch();
+    for (const id of (S.weapons || [])) g.grantWeapon(id, 9);
+    paint(S.gore);
+  }
+
+  // ---- the frame. The clip is the canvas BACKING STORE, not the window: Chrome opens maximised and
+  // ignores --window-size, and resizeTo does nothing to it, so the format is pinned by giving the
+  // canvas a phone-sized CSS box, which render.js measures (cv.clientWidth) through its
+  // ResizeObserver. At RES 4 (see lowPower below) a 393x852 box records at 1080x2340.
+  function frame(S) {
+    // FULL FAT FOR THE CAMERA. lowPower defaults ON and caps RES at 3 — invisible on a phone, worth
+    // 44% of the fill rate — but the clip is the one place sharpness is judged on a big screen.
+    T().TUNE.lowPower = 0;
+    T().TUNE.pullHintAfter = 1e9;   // and no ghost hand: SWIPE TO DODGE is for a stalled player, on
+                                    // film it is a hint drawn over the art
+    const [w, h] = SCREENS[S.screen] || SCREENS.phone;
+    const st = document.createElement('style');
+    st.textContent = `canvas#c { width: ${w}px !important; height: ${h}px !important; top: 0 !important; }`;
+    document.head.appendChild(st);
+    dispatchEvent(new Event('resize'));   // ...and the ResizeObserver in render.js catches the box
+    return sleep(400);
+  }
 
   async function record(cv, secs) {
     const s = cv.captureStream(60);
@@ -130,58 +194,48 @@
     return new Blob(chunks, { type: 'video/webm' });
   }
 
-  // PORTRAIT IS THE FORMAT, AND THE WINDOW IS NOT ASKED. The clip is the canvas BACKING STORE, not
-  // the window, so the frame is pinned by giving the canvas a 9:16 CSS box (render.js measures the
-  // box, not the viewport) — no window manager, no title bar, no maximised-on-launch surprise.
-  // 270x480 logical at RES 4 (capture.py forces device-scale-factor 3, the dpr tier that picks 4)
-  // is exactly 1080x1920 native: the file needs no upscale, so no filter ever touches the pixels.
-  function frame() {
-    // FULL FAT FOR THE CAMERA. lowPower defaults ON (RES capped at 3) because it is invisible on a
-    // phone and buys 44% of the fill rate — but the clip is the one place the sharpness is judged
-    // on a big screen, and 0 is what makes the backing store exactly 1080x1920 at dpr 3.
-    T().TUNE.lowPower = 0;
-    T().TUNE.pullHintAfter = 1e9;   // ...and no ghost hand: the SWIPE TO DODGE demo is for a player
-                                    // who has stalled, and on film it is just a hint over the art
-    const st = document.createElement('style');
-    st.textContent = 'canvas#c { width: 270px !important; height: 480px !important; top: 0 !important; }';
-    document.head.appendChild(st);
-    dispatchEvent(new Event('resize'));   // ...and the ResizeObserver in render.js catches the box
-    return sleep(400);
-  }
-
   async function run() {
+    const cfg = await (await fetch('/scenes')).json();
+    const S = cfg[list[0]];
     while (!window.T || !window.T.SPR) await sleep(100);
-    await frame();
+    await frame(S);
-    await sleep(1200);                       // let the boot settle: sprites decoded, theme running
-    const name = list[0], sc = SCENES[name];
-    if (!sc) { console.warn('no such scene', name); return next(); }
     const cv = document.getElementById('c');
-    fetch('/log?' + encodeURIComponent(name + ': dpr ' + devicePixelRatio + ', viewport ' + innerWidth + 'x' + innerHeight + ', canvas ' + cv.width + 'x' + cv.height));
+    log(`${S.name}: ${cv.width}x${cv.height}, ${S.setting}${S.beat ? ' / ' + S.beat : ''}, court ${S.court || 'grass'}`);
-    const pilot = sc.pilot === 'tennis' ? pilotTennis : sc.pilot === 'gore' ? pilotGore : null;
+
+    const booked = [];
+    const add = (at, fn) => booked.push([at, fn]);
+    if (BEATS[S.beat]) BEATS[S.beat](S, add);
     const fired = new Set();
+    const pilotUntil = S.beat === 'mopboy' ? Math.max(3, S.seconds - 8.5) : Infinity;
+
+    enter(S);
     const t0 = performance.now();
     const loop = () => {
       const t = (performance.now() - t0) / 1000;
-      for (const [at, fn] of sc.at) if (t >= at && !fired.has(at)) { fired.add(at); try { fn(); } catch (e) { console.error(name, at, e); } }
+      const g = T();
+      if (g.G.modal) { g.G.modal = null; g.G.modalQ.length = 0; }   // no cards over the footage
+      // THE OPPONENT BURSTS WHEN HIS GAME IS TAKEN, and that burst is zombie tennis's whole payoff —
+      // but a mediocre autopilot needs a minute to earn one and a clip is fifteen seconds. Every
+      // serve is game point: the rally is real, the wait is not.
+      if (S.setting === 'zombie' && S.gamePoint !== false && g.G.phase === 'pretoss') g.score.pts[0] = 3;
+      for (const [at, fn] of booked) if (t >= at && !fired.has(at)) { fired.add(at); try { fn(g); } catch (e) { console.error(e); } }
       if (t > 0.2) try {
-        if (pilot && !(sc.pilotUntil && t > sc.pilotUntil)) pilot(t);
+        if (t < pilotUntil) pilot(t);
-        if (sc.each) sc.each(t);
+        legs(t, S.movement);
+        crowd(t, S);
+        guns(t, S);
       } catch (e) { console.error(e); }
-      if (t < sc.secs + 1) requestAnimationFrame(loop);
+      if (t < S.seconds + 1) requestAnimationFrame(loop);
     };
     requestAnimationFrame(loop);
-    sc.at[0][1]();                            // t=0 event before the recorder rolls: no black frames
+    await sleep(250);                          // one beat of staged court before the recorder rolls
-    fired.add(sc.at[0][0]);
+    const blob = await record(cv, S.seconds);
-    await sleep(250);
+    await fetch('/clip/' + S.name + '.webm', { method: 'POST', body: blob });
-    const blob = await record(cv, sc.secs);
-    await fetch('/clip/' + name + '.webm', { method: 'POST', body: blob });
-    next();
-  }
-
-  function next() {
     const rest = list.slice(1);
-    if (!rest.length) { fetch('/done', { method: 'POST' }); return; }
+    if (!rest.length) return void fetch('/done', { method: 'POST' });
-    location.replace('?clips=' + rest.join(',') + (q.get('seed') ? '&seed=' + q.get('seed') : ''));
+    const nx = cfg[rest[0]];
+    location.replace('?clips=' + rest.join(',') + (q.get('seed') ? '&seed=' + q.get('seed') : '')
+      + (nx && nx.court ? '&court=' + nx.court : ''));
   }
 
   addEventListener('load', run);

tools/scenes.json

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+{
+  "_": [
+    "THE SHOT LIST. `python3 tools/capture.py` shoots every scene below into promo/clips/;",
+    "`python3 tools/capture.py horde boss` shoots two; `python3 tools/capture.py my.json` shoots",
+    "another list entirely. Keys starting with _ are ignored, which is where the comments go.",
+    "",
+    "name       file name, and the name you pass on the command line",
+    "seconds    length of the take (3-60)",
+    "setting    gore | zombie      — the splatter run, or the tennis match against the roster",
+    "beat       transition | horde | boss | death | mopboy — the staged moment, optional",
+    "court      grass | clay | hard | gloom",
+    "boss       1-10, the chapter whose boss walks on (gore only; it owns the court, so no match)",
+    "weapons    rack tins granted and cycled through: bomb, triple, beacon, flamer, rocket",
+    "movement   0 statue .. 1 sweeps the full width (only bites in a rally or under a burst)",
+    "density    0 .. 1 how many bodies are kept on court (1 is about fourteen)",
+    "diversity  0 shamblers only .. 1 the whole roster (steward, runner, ball boy, brute, bouncer)",
+    "gore       0 .. 1 blood already on the court when the clip opens",
+    "games      run progress the HUD shows and the speed ramp reads (default 8, or the boss chapter)",
+    "screen     phone (default, 393x852 -> 1080x2340) | tall | 9x16",
+    "seed       whole-shoot seed lives on the command line: --seed 1234 re-rolls every take"
+  ],
+
+  "scenes": [
+    {
+      "_": "THE FLAGSHIP. Four seconds of an ordinary SNES tennis game, then the turn. Nothing else in the clip needs to happen — do not add weapons or a crowd to it.",
+      "name": "transition", "seconds": 17, "setting": "gore", "beat": "transition",
+      "court": "grass", "movement": 0.35, "gore": 0
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "horde", "seconds": 15, "setting": "gore", "beat": "horde",
+      "court": "clay", "movement": 0.85, "density": 0.8, "diversity": 0.9, "gore": 0.45, "games": 14
+    },
+    {
+      "_": "The epidemic: a wave lined up across the far court and a flamethrower opened on it.",
+      "name": "flamer", "seconds": 14, "setting": "gore",
+      "court": "grass", "weapons": ["flamer", "rocket"], "weaponEvery": 6,
+      "movement": 0.7, "density": 0.85, "diversity": 0.6, "gore": 0.3, "games": 9
+    },
+    {
+      "_": "Artillery night: three tins in fourteen seconds on the dark court.",
+      "name": "arsenal", "seconds": 14, "setting": "gore",
+      "court": "gloom", "weapons": ["bomb", "beacon", "triple"], "weaponEvery": 4,
+      "movement": 0.6, "density": 0.7, "diversity": 1, "gore": 0.55, "games": 16
+    },
+    {
+      "_": "The ball boy calmly mopping a massacre. The pilot stops shooting so he can work.",
+      "name": "mopboy", "seconds": 15, "setting": "gore", "beat": "mopboy",
+      "court": "hard", "movement": 0.4, "density": 0.55, "diversity": 0.7, "gore": 0.5, "games": 10
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "death", "seconds": 13, "setting": "gore", "beat": "death",
+      "court": "clay", "movement": 0.5, "density": 0.9, "diversity": 0.8, "gore": 0.7, "games": 11
+    },
+    {
+      "_": "Chapter three's boss walks on with the whole rack already gathered.",
+      "name": "boss", "seconds": 16, "setting": "gore", "beat": "boss", "boss": 3,
+      "court": "grass", "weapons": ["rocket", "bomb"], "movement": 0.75, "gore": 0.4
+    },
+    {
+      "_": "ZOMBIE TENNIS: a rally on real tennis rules, the opponent bursts, the next one is announced.",
+      "name": "match", "seconds": 18, "setting": "zombie",
+      "court": "grass", "movement": 0, "gore": 0.25
+    },
+    {
+      "_": "...and the same mode on clay, deeper into the roster, with the court already bloody.",
+      "name": "match-clay", "seconds": 16, "setting": "zombie",
+      "court": "clay", "movement": 0, "gore": 0.8, "games": 20
+    }
+  ]
+}