romdevtools 0.28.0 → 0.29.0

package/examples/genesis/templates/puzzle.c

@@ -1,333 +1,766 @@
-/* ── puzzle.c — Genesis SGDK match-3 falling-block scaffold ───────
+/* ── puzzle.c — Genesis falling-gem versus puzzle (complete example game) ─────
  *
- * 6-wide × 12-tall grid. A 1×3 active piece (3 colours, randomly
- * chosen from the cell palette) drops from the top; LEFT/RIGHT
- * shifts, A rotates the colour order, DOWN soft-drops, START
- * triggers a hard-drop. Horizontal triples clear and bump score.
+ * SHARD SIEGE — a COMPLETE, working game: title screen, 1P MARATHON mode
+ * (levels speed the fall as you clear) and 2P SIMULTANEOUS VERSUS mode —
+ * two 6x12 wells side by side, P1 on controller 1, P2 on controller 2,
+ * both falling at once, where every cascade chain you score lays SIEGE to
+ * the other well: garbage rows rise from the bottom of your rival's board.
+ * Score + persistent hi-score (cartridge SRAM), music + SFX.
  *
- * The grid lives in plain RAM (u8 grid[12][6]) and is drawn to plane
- * B via VDP_setTileMapXY each frame the grid changes — we don't
- * redraw every frame, only on landings and clears, so the budget is
- * comfortable.
+ * The game: a falling-trio match-3. A vertical trio of gems drops into a
+ * well; LEFT/RIGHT move it, A/B cycle its three colours, DOWN soft-drops,
+ * C hard-drops. When it lands, any straight run of 3+ same-coloured gems
+ * (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) clears; survivors fall and cascades
+ * chain for multiplied score. First stack to reach the rim loses.
  *
- * Cells:
- *   0 = empty       1 = red       2 = green       3 = blue
+ * THIS FILE IS MEANT TO BE FORKED AND MODIFIED into your own game — even a
+ * very different one. The markers tell you what's what:
+ *   HARDWARE IDIOM (load-bearing) — dodges a documented Genesis footgun;
+ *     reshape your gameplay around it (see TROUBLESHOOTING before changing).
+ *   GAME LOGIC (clay) — match rules, garbage, tuning, art: reshape freely.
  *
- * Yours to extend: vertical-triple clear, T/L shape pieces, gravity
- * after clears (current code just deletes; no settle), a score
- * display + game-over screen, music via XGM2.
+ * What depends on what:
+ *   genesis_sfx.{h,c} — PSG sound wrapper (tones + noise + a background
+ *     melody loop). For full FM music see the xgm2_demo template — PSG keeps
+ *     this a single-file game.
+ *   rom_header.c (SGDK) — the Sega header at $100. Its 'RA' block at $1B0
+ *     DECLARES the cartridge SRAM that hiscore_load/save below depend on
+ *     (see the SRAM idiom). The build assembles it automatically.
+ *
+ * Frame budget (NTSC, 60 fps) — and a TEACHING POINT vs the NES version of
+ * this game (examples/nes/templates/puzzle.c): on the NES, board repaints
+ * squeeze through a ~16-entry vblank queue, so a full-board repaint is
+ * BUDGETED across 12 frames of dirty-row bitmask tricks. The Genesis has
+ * no such famine: each dirty well is mirrored in a RAM buffer and queued
+ * as ONE DMA rect (576 bytes); the H40 vblank DMA window moves ~7 KB, so
+ * BOTH wells + 6 SAT entries + HUD land in a single vblank with most of
+ * the budget unspent. Same genre, two bandwidth worlds — fork accordingly.
  */
 
 #include <genesis.h>
 #include "genesis_sfx.h"
 
-#define COLS    6
-#define ROWS    12
-#define CELL_PX 16   /* draw cells at 2×2 tiles for visibility */
-
-#define T_BLANK (TILE_USER_INDEX + 0)
-#define T_RED   (TILE_USER_INDEX + 1)
-#define T_GREEN (TILE_USER_INDEX + 2)
-#define T_BLUE  (TILE_USER_INDEX + 3)
-#define T_BG    (TILE_USER_INDEX + 4)   /* full-screen backdrop (BG_A) */
-#define T_WELL  (TILE_USER_INDEX + 5)   /* play-well backdrop (BG_A)   */
-
-static const u32 tile_blank[8] = { 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 };
-/* Backdrop block for the far plane: a framed cell (colour 4 border /
- * colour 5 fill) tiled across the whole screen so the playfield no
- * longer floats on a flat black backdrop. */
-static const u32 tile_bg[8] = {
-    0x44444444, 0x45555554, 0x45555554, 0x45555554,
-    0x45555554, 0x45555554, 0x45555554, 0x44444444,
-};
-/* A darker, recessed cell drawn behind the play column so the well reads
- * as an inset board rather than part of the surrounding wall. */
-static const u32 tile_well[8] = {
-    0x44444444, 0x40000004, 0x40000004, 0x40000004,
-    0x40000004, 0x40000004, 0x40000004, 0x44444444,
+/* The title screen renders this — examples({op:'fork'}) stamps your game's
+ * name here automatically. Keep it ≤16 chars of A-Z 0-9 space dash. */
+#define GAME_TITLE "SHARD SIEGE"
+
+/* ── HARDWARE IDIOM (load-bearing — reshape gameplay around this; see TROUBLESHOOTING) ──
+ * CONTROLLER MAPPING — two layers, both bite:
+ *
+ *   On the pad: SGDK's JOY_readJoypad(JOY_1/JOY_2) returns BUTTON_A/B/C/
+ *   START/UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT as a bitmask. Here A/B cycle the trio's
+ *   colours, C hard-drops (thumbs rest on C — give it the decisive action).
+ *
+ *   Driving this game HEADLESSLY through an emulator (libretro/gpgx): the
+ *   core maps Genesis A/B/C onto libretro Y/B/A. So setInput({y:true})
+ *   presses GENESIS A (rotate/1P-start here), setInput({b:true}) presses
+ *   GENESIS B (rotate/2P-select), and setInput({a:true}) presses GENESIS C
+ *   (hard drop) — NOT Genesis A. Getting this wrong looks like "the game
+ *   ignores input". START is start.
+ */
+
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay — reshape freely) ──────────────────────────────────────
+ * Board geometry. Cells are 16x16 px (2x2 tiles) — the Genesis 320x224
+ * screen has room to spare; chunky gems read better than 8-px ones.
+ * Tile rows 0-1 sit under the WINDOW HUD; well frames at row 2 and 27. */
+#define GRID_W   6
+#define GRID_H   12
+#define WELL_TY  3            /* top TILE row of the well interior        */
+#define WELL_1P_TX 14         /* 1P: single centered well (tiles 14-25)   */
+#define WELL_VS_P1  3         /* 2P: P1 interior tiles 3-14 ...           */
+#define WELL_VS_P2 25         /*     P2 interior tiles 25-36 (split board)*/
+#define HUD_ROWS    2         /* window rows reserved for the HUD         */
+
+#define EMPTY 0               /* cell colours 1..3 = ruby/emerald/sapphire */
+
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay — reshape freely) ──────────────────────────────────────
+ * Tile art. Genesis tiles are 4bpp: each u32 row = 8 pixels, one hex
+ * nibble per pixel = a colour index into the tile's palette line (0 =
+ * transparent). Everything game-side (board, frames, gems, trio sprites)
+ * lives on PAL1; the backdrop plane uses PAL2; PAL0 keeps the SGDK font.
+ *
+ * KEY TRICK: the three gem colours are the SAME 16x16 shape. The four
+ * quarter tiles are drawn ONCE with fill nibble 1 (rim 5 / glint 4 shared),
+ * and the other two colours are GENERATED at boot by remapping nibble 1 ->
+ * 2 / 3 into a RAM buffer before upload — one piece of art, three tiles. */
+#define T_FRAME (TILE_USER_INDEX + 0)   /* well border                   */
+#define T_CELL  (TILE_USER_INDEX + 1)   /* empty (recessed) cell quarter */
+#define T_BACK  (TILE_USER_INDEX + 2)   /* plane B cabinet backdrop      */
+#define T_BAND  (TILE_USER_INDEX + 3)   /* plane B flat band behind HUD  */
+#define T_GEM   (TILE_USER_INDEX + 4)   /* 12 tiles: 3 colours x 4 quarters */
+
+static const u32 tile_frame[8] = {
+    0x77777777, 0x76666667, 0x76666667, 0x76666667,
+    0x76666667, 0x76666667, 0x76666667, 0x77777777,
 };
-static const u32 tile_red[8]   = {
-    0x11111111, 0x11111111, 0x11111111, 0x11111111,
-    0x11111111, 0x11111111, 0x11111111, 0x11111111,
+static const u32 tile_cell[8] = {       /* near-black well + faint speck */
+    0x99999999, 0x99999999, 0x99999999, 0x99989999,
+    0x99999999, 0x99999999, 0x99999999, 0x99999999,
 };
-static const u32 tile_green[8] = {
-    0x22222222, 0x22222222, 0x22222222, 0x22222222,
-    0x22222222, 0x22222222, 0x22222222, 0x22222222,
+static const u32 tile_back[8] = {       /* framed cabinet block          */
+    0x11111111, 0x12222221, 0x12222221, 0x12222221,
+    0x12222221, 0x12222221, 0x12222221, 0x11111111,
 };
-static const u32 tile_blue[8]  = {
+static const u32 tile_band[8] = {
     0x33333333, 0x33333333, 0x33333333, 0x33333333,
     0x33333333, 0x33333333, 0x33333333, 0x33333333,
 };
+/* Gem quarters in SPRITE TILE ORDER — Genesis 2x2 sprites take their four
+ * tiles COLUMN-MAJOR: base+0 top-left, +1 bottom-left, +2 top-right,
+ * +3 bottom-right. The tilemap placement below indexes the same way. */
+static const u32 gem_quarter[4][8] = {
+    { 0x00005555, 0x00551111, 0x05114411, 0x05144111,   /* top-left      */
+      0x51141111, 0x51111111, 0x51111111, 0x51111111 },
+    { 0x51111111, 0x51111111, 0x51111111, 0x51111111,   /* bottom-left   */
+      0x05111111, 0x05111111, 0x00551111, 0x00005555 },
+    { 0x55550000, 0x11115500, 0x11111150, 0x11111150,   /* top-right     */
+      0x11111115, 0x11111115, 0x11111115, 0x11111115 },
+    { 0x11111115, 0x11111115, 0x11111115, 0x11111115,   /* bottom-right  */
+      0x11111150, 0x11111150, 0x11115500, 0x55550000 },
+};
+static u32 gem_ram[3][4][8];            /* colours 1..3, built at boot   */
+
+static void build_gem_tiles(void) {
+    u16 k, t, r, i;
+    for (k = 0; k < 3; k++)
+        for (t = 0; t < 4; t++)
+            for (r = 0; r < 8; r++) {
+                u32 v = gem_quarter[t][r], out = 0;
+                for (i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
+                    u32 nib = (v >> (i * 4)) & 0xF;
+                    if (nib == 1) nib = 1 + k;     /* fill -> this colour */
+                    out |= nib << (i * 4);
+                }
+                gem_ram[k][t][r] = out;
+            }
+}
+
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay — reshape freely) ── game state.
+ * Boards are PLAIN STATIC ARRAYS — the Genesis has 64 KB of work RAM, so
+ * none of the NES version's absolute-address scratch-page gymnastics.
+ * The hot ones are deliberately NON-static: they then appear in the GNU-ld
+ * map (build symbols), so a headless agent can resolve them by name and
+ * read/poke live state (symbols -> memory) — same trick as the
+ * two_plane_parallax template's g_player_x. */
+u8  grid[2][GRID_H][GRID_W];       /* the two wells (P2's unused in 1P)  */
+s16 piece_x[2];                    /* falling trio: column 0..5          */
+s16 piece_y[2];                    /* row of its TOP cell (<0 above rim) */
+u8  piece_col[2][3];               /* trio colours, top to bottom        */
+u16 score[2];
+u16 hiscore;
+u8  level;                         /* 1P: 1..9, speeds up the fall       */
+u8  state;                         /* ST_TITLE / ST_PLAY / ST_OVER       */
+u8  two_player;
+
+static u8  matched[GRID_H][GRID_W];
+static u8  well_tx[2];             /* left interior TILE column per well */
+static u8  fall_t[2];              /* frames until next gravity step     */
+static u16 prev_pad[2];            /* for edge-triggered input           */
+static u16 cleared_total;          /* 1P: gems cleared, drives the level */
+static u8  board_dirty[2];         /* well needs a repaint this frame    */
+static u16 rng = 0xACE1;
+
+#define ST_TITLE 0
+#define ST_PLAY  1
+#define ST_OVER  2
+
+#define VS_FALL_DELAY 24           /* 2P: fixed gravity (frames per row) */
+#define GARBAGE_CAP   4            /* max garbage rows per attack        */
+
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — xorshift16 PRNG (a few 68k instructions) ── */
+static u8 random8(void) {
+    u16 r = rng;
+    r ^= r << 7;
+    r ^= r >> 9;
+    r ^= r << 8;
+    rng = r;
+    return (u8)r;
+}
+
+/* ── HARDWARE IDIOM (load-bearing — reshape gameplay around this; see TROUBLESHOOTING) ──
+ * CARTRIDGE SRAM — the Genesis battery-save mechanism, three parts:
+ *
+ *   1. The ROM HEADER declares it: bytes $1B0.. hold 'R','A', a type word
+ *      ($F820 = battery-backed, byte-wide on ODD addresses — the classic
+ *      cart wiring), then start/end addresses $200000/$20FFFF. SGDK's
+ *      rom_header.c (assembled into every build) already declares exactly
+ *      this — no linker work needed. Emulators allocate the save RAM by
+ *      READING THIS HEADER; no 'RA' block = writes to $200000+ go nowhere.
+ *   2. The MAPPER GATE: writing 1 to $A130F1 banks SRAM into $200000+,
+ *      0 banks the ROM back in. SGDK's SRAM_enable()/SRAM_disable() do
+ *      this. ALWAYS disable after access — on carts >2 MB the SRAM window
+ *      shadows ROM, and leaving it enabled corrupts later ROM fetches.
+ *   3. ODD-BYTE ADDRESSING: SRAM_readByte/writeByte(offset) access 68k
+ *      address $200001 + offset*2. Headlessly, the emulator's save_ram
+ *      region interleaves with dead even bytes: SGDK offset k lives at
+ *      save_ram[k*2 + 1] (the even bytes read back $FF).
+ *
+ * Hi-score record layout (SGDK offsets): 0='H' 1='S' 2=lo 3=hi
+ * 4=checksum(lo^hi^$A5). Fresh SRAM is all $FF — the magic+checksum
+ * rejects it (and any corruption) so first boot shows 0, not 65535.
+ *
+ * Emulator note (verified against gpgx): the core sizes its save_ram
+ * region by scanning for the last non-$FF byte, so the region reads as
+ * EMPTY until the first write below lands — that's why hiscore_init runs
+ * at the very top of main(). Real hardware and .srm-restoring frontends
+ * have no such wrinkle. */
+static u16 hiscore_load(void) {
+    u8 m0, m1, lo, hi, ck;
+    SRAM_enableRO();
+    m0 = SRAM_readByte(0);
+    m1 = SRAM_readByte(1);
+    lo = SRAM_readByte(2);
+    hi = SRAM_readByte(3);
+    ck = SRAM_readByte(4);
+    SRAM_disable();
+    if (m0 == 'H' && m1 == 'S' && ck == (u8)(lo ^ hi ^ 0xA5))
+        return ((u16)hi << 8) | lo;
+    return 0;
+}
 
-static u8 grid[ROWS][COLS];
+static void hiscore_save(u16 sc) {
+    u8 lo = (u8)sc, hi = (u8)(sc >> 8);
+    SRAM_enable();
+    SRAM_writeByte(0, 'H');
+    SRAM_writeByte(1, 'S');
+    SRAM_writeByte(2, lo);
+    SRAM_writeByte(3, hi);
+    SRAM_writeByte(4, (u8)(lo ^ hi ^ 0xA5));
+    SRAM_disable();
+}
 
-static u8 piece[3];       /* the 3 colours in the active piece */
-static s16 piece_x;       /* column 0..COLS-1 */
-static s16 piece_y;       /* row, can be negative while above the grid */
-static u16 fall_timer;
-static u16 score;
-static u32 rng_state = 1;
+/* Format-on-first-boot: if the magic is absent (fresh battery), write a
+ * valid zero record immediately so the save file exists from frame one. */
+static void hiscore_init(void) {
+    hiscore = hiscore_load();
+    if (hiscore == 0) hiscore_save(0);
+}
 
-static u32 xorshift(void) {
-    rng_state ^= rng_state << 13;
-    rng_state ^= rng_state >> 17;
-    rng_state ^= rng_state << 5;
-    return rng_state;
+/* ── HARDWARE IDIOM (load-bearing — reshape gameplay around this; see TROUBLESHOOTING) ──
+ * DMA-QUEUED TILEMAP WRITES — the board repaint path, and where the
+ * Genesis earns its keep for puzzle games. Each well keeps a full tilemap
+ * MIRROR in work RAM (24 tile rows x 12 tile cols = 576 bytes of attrs);
+ * when game logic dirties a board we rebuild the mirror and queue it with
+ * ONE VDP_setTileMapDataRect(..., DMA_QUEUE) call. SYS_doVBlankProcess
+ * flushes the queue during vblank, where VRAM bandwidth lives (~7 KB per
+ * H40 vblank — both wells together use 1.2 KB, so a worst-case double
+ * cascade repaints in ONE frame; the NES version budgets the same repaint
+ * across 12). Three rules make it safe:
+ *   - the mirror buffers are STATIC: the queue reads them AT FLUSH TIME,
+ *     so stack buffers are gone by then, shipping garbage to VRAM;
+ *   - everything VRAM-bound in the loop goes through DMA_QUEUE (sprites
+ *     too) so writes land in vblank, never mid-scanline;
+ *   - the queue holds 80 entries (a rect = one entry per row, so a well
+ *     is 24) — flush every frame and you'll never overflow it.
+ * Mid-frame VDP_drawTextBG / VDP_fillTileMapRect port writes (HUD numbers,
+ * state-change repaints) are FINE on Genesis — the VDP FIFO absorbs them.
+ * That freedom is exactly what the NES does not give you. */
+static u16 wellmap[2][GRID_H * 2 * GRID_W * 2];   /* 576 bytes per well */
+
+static void queue_board(u8 p) {
+    u16 r, c, q, base;
+    u16 *m = wellmap[p];
+    for (r = 0; r < GRID_H; r++) {
+        for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++) {
+            u8 v = grid[p][r][c];
+            base = v ? (u16)(T_GEM + (v - 1) * 4) : T_CELL;
+            for (q = 0; q < 4; q++) {            /* column-major quarters */
+                u16 tile = v ? (u16)(base + q) : T_CELL;
+                m[(r * 2 + (q & 1)) * (GRID_W * 2) + c * 2 + (q >> 1)] =
+                    TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL1, 0, 0, 0, tile);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    VDP_setTileMapDataRect(BG_A, m, well_tx[p], WELL_TY,
+                           GRID_W * 2, GRID_H * 2, GRID_W * 2, DMA_QUEUE);
 }
 
-static u8 random_colour(void) { return 1 + (xorshift() % 3); }
+/* ── HARDWARE IDIOM (load-bearing — reshape gameplay around this; see TROUBLESHOOTING) ──
+ * WINDOW-PLANE HUD — the fixed status bar. The window is a third tilemap
+ * that REPLACES plane A wherever it's shown and IGNORES ALL SCROLLING —
+ * a hardware-fixed HUD with zero per-frame cost. (The NES needs a sprite-0
+ * raster trick for this; on Genesis it's one register.)
+ * VDP_setWindowOnTop(2) shows it on the top 2 cell rows; text goes in with
+ * VDP_drawTextBG(WINDOW, ...). Two footguns:
+ *   - The window only lives at screen edges (top/bottom N rows or left/
+ *     right N columns) — it cannot float mid-screen.
+ *   - It replaces plane A ONLY: plane B and sprites still render behind/
+ *     over it. We paint plane B's top rows with a flat dark band so HUD
+ *     text always reads, and the trio sprites never rise above y=24
+ *     (rows above the rim are simply not drawn). */
+static void hud_init(void) {
+    VDP_setWindowOnTop(HUD_ROWS);
+}
 
-static void new_piece(void) {
-    piece[0] = random_colour();
-    piece[1] = random_colour();
-    piece[2] = random_colour();
-    piece_x = COLS / 2 - 1;
-    piece_y = -3;
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — HUD text (window plane, redrawn only on change) ── */
+static void draw_u16(VDPPlane plane, u16 v, u16 x, u16 y) {
+    char buf[8];
+    uintToStr(v, buf, 5);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(plane, buf, x, y);
 }
 
-static u8 tile_for(u8 cell) {
-    switch (cell) {
-        case 1: return T_RED;
-        case 2: return T_GREEN;
-        case 3: return T_BLUE;
-        default: return T_BLANK;
+static u8 hud_dirty_layout = 1;   /* set when the HUD layout changes (title<->play) */
+
+static void draw_hud(void) {
+    char b[2];
+    if (state == ST_TITLE) {
+        hud_dirty_layout = 1;            /* next play entry repaints its layout */
+        VDP_clearTextAreaBG(WINDOW, 0, 0, 40, HUD_ROWS);
+        VDP_drawTextBG(WINDOW, "HI", 18, 0);
+        draw_u16(WINDOW, hiscore, 21, 0);
+        return;
+    }
+    /* Entering play from the title leaves the title HUD's glyphs behind
+     * (different column layout) — clear the row before the play layout, or
+     * the leftovers merge into garbage like "HIH0000000". */
+    if (hud_dirty_layout) { VDP_clearTextAreaBG(WINDOW, 0, 0, 40, HUD_ROWS); hud_dirty_layout = 0; }
+    VDP_drawTextBG(WINDOW, two_player ? "P1" : "SC", 1, 0);
+    draw_u16(WINDOW, score[0], 4, 0);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(WINDOW, "HI", 16, 0);
+    draw_u16(WINDOW, hiscore, 19, 0);
+    if (two_player) {
+        VDP_drawTextBG(WINDOW, "P2", 30, 0);
+        draw_u16(WINDOW, score[1], 33, 0);
+    } else {
+        VDP_drawTextBG(WINDOW, "LV", 30, 0);
+        b[0] = '0' + level; b[1] = 0;
+        VDP_drawTextBG(WINDOW, b, 33, 0);
     }
 }
 
-static u16 pal_for(u8 cell) {
-    /* All three colours share palette 1; we colour them via tile
-     * index (each tile uses its own colour index). */
-    return PAL1;
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — paint the planes ───────────────────────────────────
+ * Plane B (backdrop) is painted ONCE at boot and never touched again.
+ * Plane A is repainted on state changes (title text ↔ wells ↔ results);
+ * inside the loop only the queued board rects and HUD numbers change. */
+static void paint_backdrop(void) {
+    VDP_fillTileMapRect(BG_B, TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL2, 0, 0, 0, T_BAND),
+                        0, 0, 64, HUD_ROWS);
+    VDP_fillTileMapRect(BG_B, TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL2, 0, 0, 0, T_BACK),
+                        0, HUD_ROWS, 64, 32 - HUD_ROWS);
 }
 
-static void draw_cell(s16 col, s16 row) {
-    if (row < 0 || row >= ROWS) return;
-    u8 v = grid[row][col];
-    /* Each grid cell is CELL_PX/8 = 2 tiles square. */
-    for (u16 dy = 0; dy < 2; dy++) {
-        for (u16 dx = 0; dx < 2; dx++) {
-            /* Cells use the EMPTY-or-coloured tile. Empty cells stay
-             * transparent so the BG_A well backdrop shows through; filled
-             * cells are HIGH priority so they sit above that backdrop. */
-            VDP_setTileMapXY(BG_B,
-                TILE_ATTR_FULL(pal_for(v), v ? 1 : 0, 0, 0, tile_for(v)),
-                col * 2 + dx + 6,
-                row * 2 + dy + 1);
-        }
+static void paint_frame(u8 p) {
+    u16 attr = TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL1, 0, 0, 0, T_FRAME);
+    u16 x0 = well_tx[p] - 1;
+    VDP_fillTileMapRect(BG_A, attr, x0, WELL_TY - 1, GRID_W * 2 + 2, 1);
+    VDP_fillTileMapRect(BG_A, attr, x0, WELL_TY + GRID_H * 2, GRID_W * 2 + 2, 1);
+    VDP_fillTileMapRect(BG_A, attr, x0, WELL_TY, 1, GRID_H * 2);
+    VDP_fillTileMapRect(BG_A, attr, x0 + GRID_W * 2 + 1, WELL_TY, 1, GRID_H * 2);
+}
+
+static void paint_play(void) {
+    VDP_clearPlane(BG_A, TRUE);
+    paint_frame(0);
+    if (two_player) {
+        paint_frame(1);
+        VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "VS", 19, 14);
     }
+    draw_hud();
 }
 
-static void draw_grid(void) {
-    for (s16 r = 0; r < ROWS; r++)
-        for (s16 c = 0; c < COLS; c++)
-            draw_cell(c, r);
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — the title screen (text on plane A) ── */
+static void paint_title(void) {
+    VDP_clearPlane(BG_A, TRUE);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, GAME_TITLE, (40 - (sizeof(GAME_TITLE) - 1)) / 2, 8);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "1P START - A", 14, 14);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "2P VERSUS - B", 13, 16);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "A B ROTATE - C DROP", 10, 20);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "CHAINS BESIEGE YOUR RIVAL", 7, 22);
+    draw_hud();
 }
 
-static void draw_piece(s16 col, s16 row, bool clear) {
-    /* Draw / un-draw the 1×3 vertical piece by writing as if the grid
-     * had it. This is a *transient* overlay, so we restore from grid
-     * when clearing. */
-    for (u16 i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-        s16 r = row + i;
-        if (r < 0 || r >= ROWS) continue;
-        u8 v = clear ? grid[r][col] : piece[i];
-        for (u16 dy = 0; dy < 2; dy++)
-            for (u16 dx = 0; dx < 2; dx++)
-                VDP_setTileMapXY(BG_B,
-                    TILE_ATTR_FULL(pal_for(v), v ? 1 : 0, 0, 0, tile_for(v)),
-                    col * 2 + dx + 6,
-                    r   * 2 + dy + 1);
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — the game-over / results screen ── */
+static void paint_over(u8 loser) {
+    VDP_clearPlane(BG_A, TRUE);
+    if (two_player)
+        VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, loser ? "P1 WINS" : "P2 WINS", 16, 8);
+    else
+        VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "GAME OVER", 15, 8);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "P1", 13, 12);
+    draw_u16(BG_A, score[0], 17, 12);
+    if (two_player) {
+        VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "P2", 13, 14);
+        draw_u16(BG_A, score[1], 17, 14);
     }
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "HI", 13, 17);
+    draw_u16(BG_A, hiscore, 17, 17);
+    VDP_drawTextBG(BG_A, "START - TITLE", 13, 21);
 }
 
-/* ── match / clear / gravity core (ported from the GBC reference puzzle).
- * The old scan was horizontal-only AND cleared cells mid-scan, so vertical
- * and diagonal runs never cleared, 4+ runs half-cleared, and nothing ever
- * fell afterwards ("rows don't shift down"). This marks every 3+ run in all
- * 4 directions, clears them, applies per-column gravity, and loops so
- * cascades chain (score scales with chain depth). */
-static u8 matched[ROWS][COLS];
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — end of game (top-out). `loser` topped out. ── */
+static void game_end(u8 loser) {
+    u16 best = score[0];
+    if (two_player && score[1] > best) best = score[1];
+    if (best > hiscore) {
+        hiscore = best;
+        hiscore_save(hiscore);   /* battery SRAM — see the SRAM idiom    */
+    }
+    sfx_noise(20);                                /* game-over rumble    */
+    state = ST_OVER;
+    board_dirty[0] = board_dirty[1] = 0;   /* plane A is the results
+                                            * screen now — a stale queued
+                                            * board rect would stamp gems
+                                            * over it */
+    prev_pad[0] = 0xFFFF;                  /* require a fresh press      */
+    paint_over(loser);
+}
+
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay — reshape freely) ──────────────────────────────────────
+ * Match scan: mark every straight run of 3+ same-coloured gems in all 4
+ * directions (a cell can belong to several runs — the mask de-dupes), and
+ * return how many cells matched. Runs flat-out on the 68000 — no need to
+ * smear it across frames like the cc65 version. */
 static const s8 DIRS4[4][2] = { {0,1}, {1,0}, {1,1}, {1,-1} };
 
-static u8 mark_and_count(void) {
-  u8 r, c, d, len, k, cnt;
-  u8 col;
-  s8 dr, dc;
-  int sr, sc;
-  cnt = 0;
-  for (r = 0; r < ROWS; r++) for (c = 0; c < COLS; c++) matched[r][c] = 0;
-  for (r = 0; r < ROWS; r++) {
-    for (c = 0; c < COLS; c++) {
-      col = grid[r][c];
-      if (col == 0) continue;
-      for (d = 0; d < 4; d++) {
-        dr = DIRS4[d][0]; dc = DIRS4[d][1];
-        sr = (int)r - dr; sc = (int)c - dc;
-        if (sr >= 0 && sr < ROWS && sc >= 0 && sc < COLS
-            && grid[sr][sc] == col) continue;  /* not the run's start */
-        len = 1;
-        sr = (int)r + dr; sc = (int)c + dc;
-        while (sr >= 0 && sr < ROWS && sc >= 0 && sc < COLS
-               && grid[sr][sc] == col) { len++; sr += dr; sc += dc; }
-        if (len >= 3) {
-          sr = r; sc = c;
-          for (k = 0; k < len; k++) {
-            if (!matched[sr][sc]) { matched[sr][sc] = 1; cnt++; }
-            sr += dr; sc += dc;
-          }
+static u8 mark_and_count(u8 p) {
+    u8 r, c, d, len, k, cnt, col;
+    s8 dr, dc;
+    s16 sr, sc;
+    cnt = 0;
+    for (r = 0; r < GRID_H; r++)
+        for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++) matched[r][c] = 0;
+    for (r = 0; r < GRID_H; r++) {
+        for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++) {
+            col = grid[p][r][c];
+            if (col == EMPTY) continue;
+            for (d = 0; d < 4; d++) {
+                dr = DIRS4[d][0]; dc = DIRS4[d][1];
+                sr = (s16)r - dr; sc = (s16)c - dc;
+                if (sr >= 0 && sr < GRID_H && sc >= 0 && sc < GRID_W
+                    && grid[p][sr][sc] == col) continue;   /* not the run's start */
+                len = 1;
+                sr = (s16)r + dr; sc = (s16)c + dc;
+                while (sr >= 0 && sr < GRID_H && sc >= 0 && sc < GRID_W
+                       && grid[p][sr][sc] == col) { len++; sr += dr; sc += dc; }
+                if (len >= 3) {
+                    sr = r; sc = c;
+                    for (k = 0; k < len; k++) {
+                        if (!matched[sr][sc]) { matched[sr][sc] = 1; cnt++; }
+                        sr += dr; sc += dc;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return cnt;
+}
+
+/* Collapse each column so survivors rest on the floor (walk from the bottom,
+ * copying gems down to a write cursor, then zero everything above it). */
+static void apply_gravity(u8 p) {
+    u8 c;
+    s16 r, w;
+    for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++) {
+        w = GRID_H - 1;
+        for (r = GRID_H - 1; r >= 0; r--) {
+            if (grid[p][r][c] != EMPTY) { grid[p][w][c] = grid[p][r][c]; w--; }
         }
-      }
+        for (; w >= 0; w--) grid[p][w][c] = EMPTY;
     }
-  }
-  return cnt;
 }
 
-/* collapse each column so survivors rest on the floor (in place: walk
- * from the bottom, copying gems down to a write cursor, then zero above) */
-static void apply_gravity(void) {
-  u8 c;
-  int r, w;
-  for (c = 0; c < COLS; c++) {
-    w = ROWS - 1;
-    for (r = ROWS - 1; r >= 0; r--) {
-      if (grid[r][c] != 0) { grid[w][c] = grid[r][c]; w--; }
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — clear matches, drop survivors, chain cascades.
+ * Returns the chain depth (0 = the lock matched nothing). */
+static u8 resolve_board(u8 p) {
+    u8 n, r, c, chain;
+    u16 amt;
+    chain = 0;
+    for (;;) {
+        n = mark_and_count(p);
+        if (n == 0) break;
+        ++chain;
+        for (r = 0; r < GRID_H; r++)
+            for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++)
+                if (matched[r][c]) grid[p][r][c] = EMPTY;
+        amt = (u16)n * 10;
+        if (chain > 1) amt *= chain;             /* cascades pay multiplied */
+        if (score[p] < 65000) score[p] += amt;
+        /* clear chime — pitch rises with chain depth (smaller divider =
+         * higher note on the PSG) */
+        sfx_tone(0, (u16)(360 - ((u16)chain << 5)), 10);
+        apply_gravity(p);
+        board_dirty[p] = 1;
+        if (!two_player) {
+            cleared_total += n;
+            while (level < 9 && cleared_total >= (u16)level * 10) ++level;
+        }
+        draw_hud();
     }
-    for (; w >= 0; w--) grid[w][c] = 0;
-  }
+    return chain;
 }
 
-static void resolve_board(void) {
-  u8 n, r, c, chain;
-  unsigned int amt;
-  chain = 0;
-  while (1) {
-    n = mark_and_count();
-    if (n == 0) break;
-    chain++;
-    for (r = 0; r < ROWS; r++)
-      for (c = 0; c < COLS; c++)
-        if (matched[r][c]) grid[r][c] = 0;
-    amt = (unsigned int)n * 10u;
-    if (chain > 1) amt = amt * chain;
-    if (score < 65500u) score += amt;
-    sfx_tone(0, 250, 12);  /* clear chime */
-    apply_gravity();
-  }
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — VERSUS attack: garbage rows rise from the bottom of
+ * the victim's well (random gems with one gap — matchable, so a skilled
+ * victim digs out). The victim's stack rising means the falling trio shifts
+ * up one to stay board-aligned; if the top row is already occupied, the
+ * victim tops out and loses. ── */
+static void garbage_insert(u8 v, u8 nrows) {
+    u8 k, c, gap;
+    s16 r;
+    sfx_noise(8);                                /* incoming-garbage thud */
+    for (k = 0; k < nrows; k++) {
+        for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++) {
+            if (grid[v][0][c] != EMPTY) { game_end(v); return; }
+        }
+        for (r = 0; r < GRID_H - 1; r++)
+            for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++)
+                grid[v][r][c] = grid[v][r + 1][c];
+        gap = random8() % GRID_W;
+        for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++)
+            grid[v][GRID_H - 1][c] = (c == gap) ? EMPTY : (u8)(1 + random8() % 3);
+        if (piece_y[v] > -3) --piece_y[v];       /* keep the trio aligned */
+    }
+    board_dirty[v] = 1;
 }
 
-static void lock_piece(void) {
-    for (u16 i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-        s16 r = piece_y + i;
-        if (r >= 0 && r < ROWS) grid[r][piece_x] = piece[i];
+/* Can the trio occupy column x, rows y..y+2? Cells above the rim are fine
+ * (pieces enter from above); below the floor or on a gem is not. */
+static u8 can_place(u8 p, s16 x, s16 y) {
+    s16 i, cy;
+    if (x < 0 || x >= GRID_W) return 0;
+    for (i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+        cy = y + i;
+        if (cy < 0) continue;
+        if (cy >= GRID_H) return 0;
+        if (grid[p][cy][x] != EMPTY) return 0;
     }
-    resolve_board();
-    draw_grid();
+    return 1;
+}
+
+static void spawn_piece(u8 p) {
+    piece_x[p] = GRID_W / 2;
+    piece_y[p] = -2;
+    piece_col[p][0] = (u8)(1 + random8() % 3);
+    piece_col[p][1] = (u8)(1 + random8() % 3);
+    piece_col[p][2] = (u8)(1 + random8() % 3);
+    if (!can_place(p, piece_x[p], piece_y[p])) game_end(p);
 }
 
-static bool collides(s16 col, s16 row) {
-    if (col < 0 || col >= COLS) return TRUE;
-    for (u16 i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-        s16 r = row + i;
-        if (r >= ROWS) return TRUE;
-        if (r >= 0 && grid[r][col] != 0) return TRUE;
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — land the trio, resolve, attack, respawn. ── */
+static void lock_piece(u8 p) {
+    s16 i, y;
+    u8 chain;
+    for (i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+        y = piece_y[p] + i;
+        if (y >= 0) grid[p][y][piece_x[p]] = piece_col[p][i];
+    }
+    board_dirty[p] = 1;
+    sfx_tone(1, 700, 4);                         /* lock thunk            */
+    if (piece_y[p] < 0) { game_end(p); return; } /* locked above the rim  */
+    chain = resolve_board(p);
+    if (state != ST_PLAY) return;
+    if (chain && two_player) {
+        garbage_insert(p ^ 1, chain > GARBAGE_CAP ? GARBAGE_CAP : chain);
+        if (state != ST_PLAY) return;            /* garbage topped them out */
     }
-    return FALSE;
+    spawn_piece(p);
 }
 
-static void render_score(void) {
-    char buf[6];
-    u16 v = score;
-    for (s16 i = 4; i >= 0; i--) { buf[i] = '0' + (v % 10); v /= 10; }
-    buf[5] = 0;
-    VDP_drawText(buf, 24, 1);
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — per-player input + gravity. Edge-triggered moves
+ * (one cell per press), held DOWN soft-drops, A/B cycle the trio's colours
+ * (the classic trio "rotate"), C hard-drops. P2 reads CONTROLLER 2. ── */
+static void update_player(u8 p) {
+    u16 pad, fresh;
+    u8 t, fd;
+    pad = JOY_readJoypad(p ? JOY_2 : JOY_1);
+    fresh = pad & ~prev_pad[p];
+    prev_pad[p] = pad;
+    if ((fresh & BUTTON_LEFT) && can_place(p, piece_x[p] - 1, piece_y[p]))
+        --piece_x[p];
+    if ((fresh & BUTTON_RIGHT) && can_place(p, piece_x[p] + 1, piece_y[p]))
+        ++piece_x[p];
+    if (fresh & BUTTON_A) {                      /* cycle colours downward */
+        t = piece_col[p][2];
+        piece_col[p][2] = piece_col[p][1];
+        piece_col[p][1] = piece_col[p][0];
+        piece_col[p][0] = t;
+        sfx_tone(1, 320, 3);
+    }
+    if (fresh & BUTTON_B) {                      /* cycle colours upward   */
+        t = piece_col[p][0];
+        piece_col[p][0] = piece_col[p][1];
+        piece_col[p][1] = piece_col[p][2];
+        piece_col[p][2] = t;
+        sfx_tone(1, 280, 3);
+    }
+    if (fresh & BUTTON_C) {                      /* hard drop              */
+        while (can_place(p, piece_x[p], piece_y[p] + 1)) ++piece_y[p];
+        lock_piece(p);                           /* may end the game       */
+        return;
+    }
+    if (pad & BUTTON_DOWN) fall_t[p] += 4;       /* soft drop              */
+    ++fall_t[p];
+    fd = two_player ? VS_FALL_DELAY
+                    : (u8)(32 - ((level << 1) + level));      /* 29..5    */
+    if (fall_t[p] >= fd) {
+        fall_t[p] = 0;
+        if (can_place(p, piece_x[p], piece_y[p] + 1))
+            ++piece_y[p];
+        else
+            lock_piece(p);                       /* may end the game       */
+    }
+}
+
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — stage this frame's sprites ─────────────────────────
+ * Only the falling trios are sprites (locked gems are plane-A tiles): 3
+ * SAT slots per player, 16x16 each. Cells above the rim aren't drawn —
+ * they'd poke out from under the HUD band. */
+#define HIDE_Y (-32)
+static void stage_sprites(void) {
+    u16 p, i, slot;
+    for (p = 0; p < 2; p++) {
+        u8 active = (state == ST_PLAY) && (p == 0 || two_player);
+        for (i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+            s16 r = piece_y[p] + (s16)i;
+            u8 col = piece_col[p][i] ? piece_col[p][i] : 1;
+            slot = p * 3 + i;
+            if (active && r >= 0)
+                VDP_setSprite(slot,
+                              (s16)((well_tx[p] + piece_x[p] * 2) << 3),
+                              (s16)((WELL_TY + r * 2) << 3),
+                              SPRITE_SIZE(2, 2),
+                              TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL1, 1, 0, 0, T_GEM + (col - 1) * 4));
+            else
+                /* Hidden sprites park at y = -32 (above the screen).
+                 * NEVER hide with x = -128..0 — a SAT x of 0 is the VDP's
+                 * sprite-masking trigger and silently blanks every lower-
+                 * priority sprite on those scanlines. */
+                VDP_setSprite(slot, 8, HIDE_Y, SPRITE_SIZE(2, 2),
+                              TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL1, 1, 0, 0, T_GEM));
+        }
+    }
+    /* ── HARDWARE IDIOM (load-bearing) — CHAIN the sprite list before
+     * uploading. VDP_setSprite does NOT set the SAT link byte, and link 0
+     * means "end of list": skip this and the VDP draws sprite 0 only.
+     * VDP_linkSprites(0, 6) links slots 0..5; the queued DMA flushes the
+     * 6 SAT entries during vblank. ── */
+    VDP_linkSprites(0, 6);
+    VDP_updateSprites(6, DMA_QUEUE);
+}
+
+/* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — start a run ── */
+static void start_game(u8 versus) {
+    u8 p, r, c;
+    two_player = versus;
+    well_tx[0] = versus ? WELL_VS_P1 : WELL_1P_TX;
+    well_tx[1] = WELL_VS_P2;
+    /* Stir the PRNG with time-spent-on-title so runs differ. */
+    rng ^= (u16)vtimer ^ ((u16)vtimer << 7);
+    if (rng == 0) rng = 0xACE1;
+    for (p = 0; p < 2; p++) {
+        for (r = 0; r < GRID_H; r++)
+            for (c = 0; c < GRID_W; c++) grid[p][r][c] = EMPTY;
+        fall_t[p] = 0;
+        score[p] = 0;
+        prev_pad[p] = 0xFFFF;          /* the button that started the game
+                                        * shouldn't also rotate the first trio */
+    }
+    cleared_total = 0;
+    level = 1;
+    state = ST_PLAY;
+    paint_play();
+    board_dirty[0] = 1;
+    board_dirty[1] = versus;
+    spawn_piece(0);
+    if (versus) spawn_piece(1);
+    sfx_tone(0, 200, 10);                        /* start jingle          */
 }
 
 int main(bool hard) {
+    u16 pad, fresh;
     (void)hard;
 
-    /* Palette 1: tile colours for red/green/blue cells + the backdrop. */
-    PAL_setColor(16 + 1, 0x000E); /* red */
-    PAL_setColor(16 + 2, 0x00E0); /* green */
-    PAL_setColor(16 + 3, 0x0E00); /* blue */
-    PAL_setColor(16 + 4, 0x0420); /* backdrop wall border */
-    PAL_setColor(16 + 5, 0x0610); /* backdrop wall fill   */
-
-    VDP_loadTileData(tile_blank, T_BLANK, 1, DMA);
-    VDP_loadTileData(tile_red,   T_RED,   1, DMA);
-    VDP_loadTileData(tile_green, T_GREEN, 1, DMA);
-    VDP_loadTileData(tile_blue,  T_BLUE,  1, DMA);
-    VDP_loadTileData(tile_bg,    T_BG,    1, DMA);
-    VDP_loadTileData(tile_well,  T_WELL,  1, DMA);
-
-    /* Far plane (BG_A): tile the whole 40x28 screen with the wall block,
-     * then recess the 12x24-cell play column so the grid sits in an inset
-     * well. The grid (BG_B) draws over this with HIGH priority. */
-    for (u16 cy = 0; cy < 28; cy++)
-        for (u16 cx = 0; cx < 40; cx++)
-            VDP_setTileMapXY(BG_A,
-                TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL1, 0, 0, 0, T_BG), cx, cy);
-    for (u16 cy = 1; cy <= 24; cy++)
-        for (u16 cx = 6; cx <= 17; cx++)
-            VDP_setTileMapXY(BG_A,
-                TILE_ATTR_FULL(PAL1, 0, 0, 0, T_WELL), cx, cy);
-
-    for (s16 r = 0; r < ROWS; r++)
-        for (s16 c = 0; c < COLS; c++)
-            grid[r][c] = 0;
-
-    score = 0;
-    fall_timer = 0;
-    sfx_init();
-    new_piece();
-    draw_grid();
-
-    VDP_drawText("SCORE", 18, 1);
-    VDP_drawText("LR MOVE A ROT START DROP", 7, 26);
-
-    u16 prev = 0;
+    /* SRAM first — before any VDP work. The save file then exists within
+     * the game's first frames of life, which is what lets a frontend (or
+     * a headless host) see a non-empty save_ram region as early as
+     * possible (see the SRAM idiom note on gpgx's size scan). */
+    hiscore_init();
+
+    /* ── HARDWARE IDIOM (load-bearing — see TROUBLESHOOTING) ──
+     * Init order: window size before window text, tiles + palettes before
+     * tilemaps that reference them. SGDK's boot already did the dangerous
+     * part (VDP regs, Z80, vblank int). No scrolling here, so the scroll
+     * mode stays at its boot default — if you add scrolling, set
+     * VDP_setScrollingMode FIRST (see the platformer template). */
+    hud_init();
+
+    /* Palettes: PAL1 = board + gems + trio sprites, PAL2 = plane B
+     * backdrop, PAL0 index 15 = the SGDK font. Colours are BGR, 3 bits
+     * per channel: 0x0BGR with E = full. */
+    PAL_setColor(15,     0x0EEE);  /* font white                         */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 1, 0x022E);  /* gem 1 ruby                         */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 2, 0x02C2);  /* gem 2 emerald                      */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 3, 0x0E62);  /* gem 3 sapphire                     */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 4, 0x0EEE);  /* gem glint                          */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 5, 0x0222);  /* gem rim                            */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 6, 0x0666);  /* frame steel                        */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 7, 0x0AAA);  /* frame lip                          */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 8, 0x0421);  /* empty-cell speck                   */
+    PAL_setColor(16 + 9, 0x0200);  /* well interior near-black           */
+    PAL_setColor(32 + 1, 0x0202);  /* backdrop block border              */
+    PAL_setColor(32 + 2, 0x0413);  /* backdrop block fill                */
+    PAL_setColor(32 + 3, 0x0101);  /* HUD band near-black                */
+
+    VDP_loadTileData(tile_frame, T_FRAME, 1, DMA);
+    VDP_loadTileData(tile_cell,  T_CELL,  1, DMA);
+    VDP_loadTileData(tile_back,  T_BACK,  1, DMA);
+    VDP_loadTileData(tile_band,  T_BAND,  1, DMA);
+    build_gem_tiles();
+    VDP_loadTileData((u32 *)gem_ram, T_GEM, 12, DMA);   /* 3 colours x 4 */
+
+    paint_backdrop();          /* plane B: painted once                  */
+    sfx_init();                /* PSG: sfx channels + background melody  */
+
+    state = ST_TITLE;
+    prev_pad[0] = 0xFFFF;
+    paint_title();
 
     while (TRUE) {
-        u16 pad = JOY_readJoypad(JOY_1);
-
-        /* Erase current piece visual. */
-        draw_piece(piece_x, piece_y, TRUE);
-
-        if ((pad & BUTTON_LEFT)  && !(prev & BUTTON_LEFT)
-            && !collides(piece_x - 1, piece_y)) piece_x--;
-        if ((pad & BUTTON_RIGHT) && !(prev & BUTTON_RIGHT)
-            && !collides(piece_x + 1, piece_y)) piece_x++;
-        if ((pad & BUTTON_A) && !(prev & BUTTON_A)) {
-            u8 t = piece[0]; piece[0] = piece[1]; piece[1] = piece[2]; piece[2] = t;
-            sfx_tone(2, 450, 2);   /* rotate click */
-        }
-        if ((pad & BUTTON_START) && !(prev & BUTTON_START)) {
-            /* Hard-drop. */
-            while (!collides(piece_x, piece_y + 1)) piece_y++;
-            lock_piece();
-            new_piece();
-            prev = pad;
-            render_score();
+        if (state == ST_TITLE) {
+            /* ── GAME LOGIC (clay) — title: A/C/START = 1P, B = 2P versus ── */
+            stage_sprites();
+            pad = JOY_readJoypad(JOY_1);
+            fresh = pad & ~prev_pad[0];
+            if (fresh & (BUTTON_A | BUTTON_C | BUTTON_START)) start_game(0);
+            else if (fresh & BUTTON_B) start_game(1);
+            else prev_pad[0] = pad;
             sfx_update();
             SYS_doVBlankProcess();
             continue;
         }
-        prev = pad;
-
-        u16 fall_rate = (pad & BUTTON_DOWN) ? 4 : 30;
-        if (++fall_timer >= fall_rate) {
-            fall_timer = 0;
-            if (collides(piece_x, piece_y + 1)) {
-                lock_piece();
-                new_piece();
+
+        if (state == ST_OVER) {
+            /* Results screen; START or A/C returns to the title. */
+            stage_sprites();
+            pad = JOY_readJoypad(JOY_1);
+            fresh = pad & ~prev_pad[0];
+            if (fresh & (BUTTON_START | BUTTON_A | BUTTON_C)) {
+                state = ST_TITLE;
+                prev_pad[0] = 0xFFFF;  /* swallow the held START          */
+                paint_title();
             } else {
-                piece_y++;
+                prev_pad[0] = pad;
             }
+            sfx_update();
+            SYS_doVBlankProcess();
+            continue;
         }
 
-        /* Re-draw piece in its new position. */
-        draw_piece(piece_x, piece_y, FALSE);
+        /* ── ST_PLAY ──────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+        /* ── GAME LOGIC (clay — reshape freely) — both players update
+         * EVERY frame (simultaneous versus, not alternating turns). Any
+         * update can end the game, so re-check state between them. */
+        update_player(0);
+        if (two_player && state == ST_PLAY) update_player(1);
+
+        if (state == ST_PLAY) {
+            /* Queue dirty board repaints — see the DMA-queue idiom. */
+            if (board_dirty[0]) { queue_board(0); board_dirty[0] = 0; }
+            if (two_player && board_dirty[1]) { queue_board(1); board_dirty[1] = 0; }
+        }
 
-        render_score();
+        stage_sprites();
         sfx_update();
         SYS_doVBlankProcess();
     }