Fractured/contrib/fractured-dev-extras/CLIENT-PATCHES.md

# Fractured Client Patches

Binary client artifacts that pair with this server. They live on the
[Releases page](https://github.com/Dawnforger/Fractured/releases),
**not** in the tree, so the repo stays lean and binaries can be
re-downloaded without bloating `git clone`.

This file is the table of contents and install guide.

---

## What ships in a release

| Artifact | Size | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `patch-enUS-4.MPQ` | ~5 MB | DBC + GlueXML bake. Adds `CLASS_PARAGON` (id 12), the character-create slot, glue strings, talent-tab DBC entries, and the Paragon resource bar definitions. Required for character creation as Paragon to even show up. |
| `patch-enUS-5.MPQ` | ~40 KB | FrameXML overrides. Replaces stock `PlayerFrame.lua` / `RuneFrame.lua` / `ComboFrame.lua` / `UnitFrame.lua` with Paragon-aware versions: rune simulator, combo-point simulator, server-authoritative resource sync over the `PARAA` addon channel, action-button usability + click guards. |
| `patch-enUS-6.MPQ` | ~160 KB | The `ParagonAdvancement` addon. Replaces the talent pane (`N` key) for Paragon characters with the Character Advancement panel: per-class spell tabs, talent grid, Overview/Search tabs, AE/TE currency, commit / reset / preview, login-time toast suppression. |
| `Wow.exe` | ~7.5 MB | 3.3.5a (build 12340) client byte-patched to skip the MPQ signature check so custom `patch-enUS-N.MPQ` files load. Diff against stock is a few bytes; everything else is unchanged. |

Server and client work as a pair: the addon talks to `mod-paragon` on the
worldserver via `WHISPER` addon-channel messages with the `PARAA` prefix
(currency push, spell/talent snapshot, commit, combo points, rune
cooldowns, learn-toast silence window). Mismatched versions usually
manifest as the panel rendering blank or AE/TE reading 0/0.

---

## Install

You need a 3.3.5a (build 12340) WoW client. ChromieCraft's free 3.3.5a
download is the canonical clean source if you don't already have one.

1. Download every artifact from the latest release matching this server
   build:
   `https://github.com/Dawnforger/Fractured/releases/latest`
2. Replace `Wow.exe` at the root of your client install with the patched
   one from the release. Keep a backup of the original if you want.
3. Drop `patch-enUS-4.MPQ`, `patch-enUS-5.MPQ`, `patch-enUS-6.MPQ` into
   `Data/enUS/`. (For other locales, rename the suffix accordingly —
   contents are locale-independent, only the filename ordering matters
   to the loader.)
4. Edit `Data/enUS/realmlist.wtf` to point at your server, e.g.
   `set realmlist your.host.tld`.
5. Launch `Wow.exe`. The login screen should reach the realm list. Make
   a Paragon character (the new class entry on the create screen) and
   press `N` in-world to open the Character Advancement panel.

If the panel opens empty / AE+TE read 0/0 / `N` opens the stock talent
pane: your client is loading an older `patch-enUS-6.MPQ`, or the
worldserver image is older than commit `4d2a80d` (the
`character_paragon_panel_spell_revoked` migration). Pull both ends to
the same release tag and rebuild the worldserver image.

If the **client** shows the Paragon class on the create screen but the
server replies **Character Creation Failed** when you pick it on a
**very old** server checkout (predating commit landing
`modules/mod-paragon/data/sql/db-world/updates/2026_05_09_00.sql`):
pull `main` and run `docker compose up -d ac-db-import`. Recent
Fractured server builds ship the Paragon DBC overlay as a SQL
migration (see **Server-side Paragon DBC overlay** below); fresh
checkouts do **not** need the patched DBCs copied into `data/dbc/`.

---

## Server-side Paragon DBC overlay (automatic)

The Fractured **client** learns about Paragon from `patch-enUS-4.MPQ`
(DBC + GlueXML). The **worldserver** never reads your MPQs — it reads
plain `.dbc` files under its `DataDir` (`.../data/dbc/` by default).

Stock Docker installs populate `data/dbc/` from a vanilla 3.3.5a
extract (`ac-client-data-init` in `docker-compose.yml`). That tree has
no `ChrClasses` row for id **12** and no class-12 bit on
`SkillRaceClassInfo` rows, which would normally trigger:

`Class (12) not found in DBC while creating new char ... wrong DBC files or cheater?`

…and reject the create with `CHAR_CREATE_FAILED`.

To remove that gap, the repo ships
`modules/mod-paragon/data/sql/db-world/updates/2026_05_09_00.sql`,
which `INSERT`s the Paragon class-12 deltas into:

- `chrclasses_dbc` — 1 row defining class 12 ("Paragon", power=Mana,
  family=Warrior, expansion=2).
- `skillraceclassinfo_dbc` — 235 rows replacing stock entries with the
  patched ClassMask (class-12 bit OR'd in) so every baseline skill is
  available to Paragon characters.

`AzerothCore`'s DBC loader (`DBCStores.cpp::LoadDBC` -> `LoadFromDB`)
merges these rows on top of whatever `data/dbc/` contains at every
worldserver boot. The DBUpdater in `ac-db-import` (Docker) or the
worldserver itself (native) applies the migration automatically — so
the **only** steps a fresh contributor needs are `git clone` and
`docker compose up -d`.

### Regenerating the migration

The SQL is auto-generated from the patched DBCs that already live
inside `patch-enUS-4.MPQ`. The bake script lives outside this repo
(per the repo-tidy policy) at:

`fractured-tooling/from-workspace-root/_gen_paragon_dbc_overlay_sql.py`

Re-run it whenever you change the Paragon DBC bake — for example,
adding a new race to the Paragon class mask. It diffs the patched
DBCs against a stock 3.3.5a DBC extract and emits a fresh
`2026_05_09_00.sql` (or successor migration with a new timestamp if
deltas change). Workflow:

```powershell
# Extract the patched DBCs once:
.\tools\mpq\mpqcli.exe extract `
    "ChromieCraft_3.3.5a\Data\enUS\patch-enUS-4.MPQ" `
    -o "$env:TEMP\paragon-dbc-extract"

# Regenerate the SQL migration:
python fractured-tooling\from-workspace-root\_gen_paragon_dbc_overlay_sql.py
```

If the regenerated SQL has new content, commit it as a **new** dated
migration filename (e.g. `2026_06_01_00.sql`) — never edit a file that
has already been applied to live databases, AC's DBUpdater will detect
the hash change and re-run the SQL, which can be fine but is best
reserved for emergencies.

### Manual DBC overlay (rare, fallback)

If you ever need the patched DBCs *on disk* — e.g. for a tool that
reads `data/dbc/` directly outside the worldserver, or to verify a
client-vs-server DBC mismatch — extract `patch-enUS-4.MPQ` and copy
its `DBFilesClient/*.dbc` into `data/dbc/`:

**Docker:**

```powershell
docker run --rm `
  -v ac-client-data:/data `
  -v ${PWD}\paragon-dbc-extract:/patch:ro `
  alpine sh -c "cp -f /patch/*.dbc /data/dbc/"
docker compose restart ac-worldserver
```

**Native:** copy into `<CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX>/data/dbc/` and restart.

This is **not required** for normal operation — the SQL migration
covers everything `mod-paragon` needs at runtime. Use the manual
overlay only when you're consciously bypassing the SQL merge layer.

---

## Building the patches yourself

The MPQs are reproducible from the dev tree (not in this repo —
`Classless Dev/Paragon Patch UI/` and
`Classless Dev/Paragon Advancement/` on the maintainer's workstation)
via two PowerShell scripts in `tools/`:

```
tools\build_paragon_ui_patch.ps1 -Deploy            # -> patch-enUS-5.MPQ
tools\build_paragon_advancement_patch.ps1 -Deploy   # -> patch-enUS-6.MPQ
```

`patch-enUS-4.MPQ` is the DBC + GlueXML bake; the bake scripts live with
the rest of the dev tooling and are not part of this repo by design
(see the repo-tidy policy in `README.txt` next to this file).

The patched `Wow.exe` is a one-time hex-edit of the stock 3.3.5a
client. The diff is publicly documented in the WoW emulation community
under names like "MPQ signature patch" / "no-CD-signature patch".

---

## Versioning

Releases are tagged to match the state of `main` they were built from.
The release notes call out which server commit shipped alongside each
artifact set, so a contributor running `git checkout <tag>` on this
repo can pull the matching client bundle and have a guaranteed-aligned
end-to-end build.