LANTERN P1 step 6: manual-aim windups (SoD readable telegraphs)

AbilityDefBlob/AbilityDefinition gain WindupTicks. AbilityFireSystem's socket
loop resolves each socket at the historical command (serverTick - WindupTicks)
via GetDataAtTick — a pure fn of replicated data on both worlds (Build Spec §4/
DB-6: no local fireAtTick that would diverge under reprediction; fireCount from
that command, spawn uses the current tick's aim/pos; history gap = no-fire).
WindupTicks set on the 4 non-Blink Sparks (Blink is movement, resolved by
BlinkSystem). 497 EditMode green (no regression). Client telegraph VFX + the
reprediction L3 test are operator-eyes / netcode-world follow-ups.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Assets/_Project/Abilities/Ability_DecoyWisp.asset

@@ -23,4 +23,5 @@ MonoBehaviour:
   CooldownTicks: 360
   Reel: 0
   EffectDurationTicks: 480
+  WindupTicks: 12
   ProjectilePrefab: {fileID: 3885353946372160549, guid: a5b1532dc1acca045856fd653fe392b9, type: 3}

Assets/_Project/Abilities/Ability_HookPull.asset

@@ -23,4 +23,5 @@ MonoBehaviour:
   CooldownTicks: 120
   Reel: 1
   EffectDurationTicks: 0
+  WindupTicks: 8
   ProjectilePrefab: {fileID: 8857056134628386430, guid: 700fb9c3f7cf94830a0ee78c4e4f1290, type: 3}

Assets/_Project/Abilities/Ability_LightZone.asset

@@ -23,4 +23,5 @@ MonoBehaviour:
   CooldownTicks: 480
   Reel: 0
   EffectDurationTicks: 420
+  WindupTicks: 18
   ProjectilePrefab: {fileID: 3885353946372160549, guid: e12b85c23fd562d49b27a3d2fdfd9cad, type: 3}

Assets/_Project/Abilities/Ability_Vortex.asset

@@ -23,4 +23,5 @@ MonoBehaviour:
   CooldownTicks: 420
   Reel: 0
   EffectDurationTicks: 300
+  WindupTicks: 20
   ProjectilePrefab: {fileID: 3885353946372160549, guid: 6e31b46e818d7f348931e3d0ea73bf23, type: 3}

Assets/_Project/Scripts/Authoring/Combat/AbilityDatabaseAuthoring.cs

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ namespace ProjectM.Authoring
                         CooldownTicks = def.CooldownTicks,
                         EffectFlags = (byte)(def.Reel ? ProjectileEffectFlag.Reel : (byte)0),
                         DurationTicks = def.EffectDurationTicks,
+                        WindupTicks = def.WindupTicks,
                         Name = def.DisplayName,
                     };
                 }

Assets/_Project/Scripts/Authoring/Combat/AbilityDefinition.cs

@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ namespace ProjectM.Authoring
         public bool Reel = false;
         [Min(0), Tooltip("Aoe/zone + decoy lifetime in ticks (0 = system default).")]
         public int EffectDurationTicks = 0;
+        [Header("Manual-aim windup")]
+        [Min(0), Tooltip("Telegraph delay (ticks, ~60/s) before the ability resolves. 0 = instant. The SoD 'readable windup'.")]
+        public int WindupTicks = 0;
 
         [Header("Prefab (baked into the prefab buffer, not the blob)")]
         public GameObject ProjectilePrefab;

Assets/_Project/Scripts/Simulation/Combat/AbilityDatabaseBlob.cs

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ namespace ProjectM.Simulation
         public int CooldownTicks;
         public byte EffectFlags; // ProjectileEffectFlag bits stamped at spawn (the Reel bit ⇒ HookPull homes the hit target to the caster). Config, not replicated.
         public int DurationTicks; // Aoe/zone + decoy lifetime, ticks (0 = system default). Reel leash is a system const.
+        public int WindupTicks; // manual-aim telegraph delay (ticks) before the ability resolves; 0 = instant (Build Spec §4/DB-6)
         public FixedString64Bytes Name;
     }
 

Assets/_Project/Scripts/Simulation/Combat/AbilityFireSystem.cs

@@ -131,9 +131,8 @@ namespace ProjectM.Simulation
                 BoonEffects bfx = m_BoonEffectsLookup.HasComponent(entity) ? m_BoonEffectsLookup[entity] : default;
                 bool pull = (bfx.Flags & BoonFlag.KnockToPull) != 0;
 
-                // Replicated command buffer at this tick (per-socket fire count for the SpawnId + scheme for aim assist).
+                // Replicated command buffer (windup resolve + per-socket fire count for the SpawnId + scheme for aim assist).
                 var inputBuffer = SystemAPI.GetBuffer<InputBufferData<PlayerInput>>(entity);
-                bool haveApplied = inputBuffer.GetDataAtTick(serverTick, out var applied);
 
                 bool cdDirty = false;
                 int socketCount = math.min(SocketId.Count, sockets.Length);
@@ -141,7 +140,23 @@ namespace ProjectM.Simulation
                 {
                     byte sparkId = sockets[sk].SparkId;
                     if (sparkId == 0) continue;                       // empty socket
-                    if (!input.ValueRO.GetSocket(sk).IsSet) continue; // this socket not fired this tick
+
+                    EffectiveSocketStats es = sk < effSockets.Length ? effSockets[sk] : default;
+                    byte archetype = adb.TryGetAbility(sparkId, out var adef) ? adef.Archetype : (byte)AbilityArchetype.Projectile;
+
+                    // MANUAL-AIM WINDUP (Build Spec §4/DB-6): resolve when the command WindupTicks ago had this socket
+                    // set, so the resolve tick is a pure fn of replicated data on both worlds (no local fireAtTick that
+                    // diverges under reprediction). fireCount comes from THAT command; the spawn uses the CURRENT tick's
+                    // aim/position. WindupTicks == 0 = instant. A history gap (older than the buffer window) = no-fire.
+                    NetworkTick resolveTick = serverTick;
+                    if (adef.WindupTicks > 0)
+                    {
+                        uint riNow = serverTick.TickIndexForValidTick;
+                        if (riNow <= (uint)adef.WindupTicks) continue;   // not enough history yet -> no-fire
+                        resolveTick = new NetworkTick(riNow - (uint)adef.WindupTicks);
+                    }
+                    if (!inputBuffer.GetDataAtTick(resolveTick, out var applied)) continue; // history gap -> no-fire
+                    if (!applied.InternalInput.GetSocket(sk).IsSet) continue;               // socket not fired at the resolve tick
 
                     // Per-socket cooldown gate (0 = ready).
                     uint nextFireRaw = cd.Get(sk);
@@ -151,9 +166,6 @@ namespace ProjectM.Simulation
                         if (nextTick.IsValid && nextTick.IsNewerThan(serverTick)) continue;
                     }
 
-                    EffectiveSocketStats es = sk < effSockets.Length ? effSockets[sk] : default;
-                    byte archetype = adb.TryGetAbility(sparkId, out var adef) ? adef.Archetype : (byte)AbilityArchetype.Projectile;
-
                     // CONE: no projectile ghost. Predict the cooldown on both worlds; apply server-only cleave.
                     if (archetype == (byte)AbilityArchetype.Cone)
                     {
@@ -261,7 +273,6 @@ namespace ProjectM.Simulation
                         if (abilityPrefabs[i].Id == sparkId) { prefab = abilityPrefabs[i].Prefab; break; }
                     }
                     if (prefab == Entity.Null) continue;
-                    if (!haveApplied) continue;
 
                     uint socketFireCount = applied.InternalInput.GetSocket(sk).Count;