Aesthetic Computer Xbox native runtime #

This directory is the portability seam for the native Xbox AC BIOS. The target does not host a WebView: Direct3D renders AC drawing commands, XAudio2 plays sound, Windows.Gaming.Input supplies input, and an interpreter compiled into the package runs downloaded AC JavaScript pieces. The WebView dynamic shell is an experimental comparison target, not the production architecture.

Compatibility target #

Piece API	Xbox native shape	Notes
`boot(api)` / `sim(api)` / `paint(api)` / `act(api)` / `leave(api)`	`Piece` virtual methods	Same lifecycle and fixed-step intent
`api.screen.{width,height}`	`Api::screen`	Physical backbuffer dimensions
`api.clock.time()` / `seconds`	`Api::clock`, `Api::seconds`	QPC monotonic time plus midpoint-adjusted `/api/clock` Unix time and sync RTT
`wipe`, `box`, `line`, `write`	`Graphics` command interface	D3D renderer batches these commands
`triangles3d(Float32Array, count?)`	Flat 12-float triangle stream	One JS→native call and one hardware draw for up to 4,096 triangles
`sprites3d(Float32Array, count?)`	Flat 8-float screen-facing sprite stream	Point-sampled two-frame atlas, depth/stencil tested, up to 512 sprites
`texturedTriangles3d(Float32Array, count?)`	Flat 18-float position/UV/light stream	Point-sampled Jeffrey material texture, depth/stencil tested, up to 2,048 triangles
system type and Xbox button symbols	`systemWrite`, `systemGlyph`	DirectWrite with Segoe UI / Segoe MDL2 Assets
latest user painting	`painting`	Host downloads and decodes an allowlisted AC image
`sound.synth({...})`	`Sound::synth(SynthVoice)`	Submit immediately to XAudio2, outside Present
MIDI instrument input	`Windows.Devices.Midi` → XAudio2	Hot-plug scans the first input; Note On/Off gates a sine voice, 14-bit pitch bend shifts ±2 semitones, CC1 supplies modulation, CC7 sets level, and QPC measures event-to-submit latency
continuous sine oscillator	`Sound::oscillator`	One looped pure-sine XAudio2 buffer, with pitch and level changed in real time
mood / clock chat / painting metadata	`Api::ac`	Immutable host-polled snapshot; no general piece HTTP API
keyboard direction events	translated D-pad events	Existing `nom.mjs` names are preserved
Space/Enter munch	A/Menu translated events	A maps to Space, Menu maps to Enter
`api.dark`, handle, online state	`Api::system`	Populated by host/control session

numbnom primarily needs the lifecycle, clock, four drawing primitives, direction/munch events, synth, deterministic random numbers, and text. HD canvas, speech, pointer tap-to-walk, and the shared JS Synth percussion helpers are the next compatibility tier. Until those exist, the native port should retain its game rules but use native text and basic oscillator cues.

Host loop #

Poll Windows.Gaming.Input as tightly as the foreground policy permits.
Timestamp transitions with QPC and call act immediately.
Run sim at a fixed 60 Hz; catch up with a bounded number of steps.
Build one graphics command list in paint, then present once.
Enqueue Sound::synth directly to a preallocated XAudio2 source voice.
Poll the outbound ControlChannel and emit timestamped telemetry.

The host reports XAudio2's CurrentLatencyInSamples, submit time, event-to-submit time, and engine glitch count through runtime(). These are pipeline measurements, not an acoustic round-trip measurement; measuring speaker-to-room latency still requires a microphone or loopback interface.

Live piece loading #

JsEngine is the narrow adapter for an embedded interpreter. The intended first engine is QuickJS: it is MIT licensed, small, has no required external dependencies, and is an interpreter (so it does not require runtime code generation/JIT privileges). Pin and vendor an audited release in the build; never download the engine itself at runtime.

The AC endpoint returns a bounded PieceBundle containing slug, immutable version, UTF-8 source, and SHA-256. The host downloads it with Windows.Web.Http.HttpClient, requires HTTPS, verifies the digest, then asks PieceSupervisor to stage it. Staging creates a fresh JS runtime with only AC bindings, compiles and calls boot; activation happens at a frame boundary. The prior context remains the last-known-good fallback until the new generation has survived its probation window. Syntax/boot/runtime/watchdog failures emit telemetry and roll back without restarting the binary.

The JS global surface must not expose WinRT, filesystem/process APIs, eval of untrusted secondary sources, raw sockets, or a general-purpose browser API. Heap, source size, stack, callback time, and pending-job counts are bounded. Network access is host-mediated and restricted to declared AC endpoints.

This dynamic model must remain consistent with the product's declared purpose. Microsoft Store policy 10.2.2 disallows using downloaded code to fundamentally change or extend an app's described functionality. AC pieces therefore need to be presented and certified as the title's normal content/runtime model, not as a way to install unrelated programs. Dev Mode testing is feasible now; retail certification needs an explicit policy review before relying on remote source.

The control channel accepts configuration, piece source, and probe identifiers. It must never accept downloaded native code. Native BIOS changes still require a rebuilt and signed package.

Nom porting plan #

Keep board generation and gameplay in a platform-neutral NomGame class. Put rendering and sound behind Graphics/Sound, and adapt controller transitions through input_map.hpp. This lets numbnom, engnom, and the other editions share one engine just as they share lib/nom.mjs today.