tweak: decouple GUI window-move animations from the render frame rate

[bobtista]

Addresses #2832, Similar to 2056, which decoupled the GameWindowTransitions.

Problem

Control bar, diplomacy/communicator panels slide animations go too fast when you increase render FPS

Approach

AnimateWindowManager::update() now paces itself by elapsed wall-clock time: it runs the number of base-rate (30 fps) steps matching the real time since the last update, carrying the fractional remainder between updates.

Wall-clock pacing is used here (rather than #2056's getBaseOverUpdateFpsRatio()) on purpose: AnimateWindowManager is pumped on two different clocks. The shell drives it through a fixed ~30 Hz wall-clock gate (Shell::update), while in-game callers drive it once per render frame. A render-frame ratio would double-decouple the already-gated shell path. Wall-clock self-pacing is correct for both with no per-call-site changes. A 6-step catch-up cap keeps a lon snapping an animation straight to its end.

TODO:

[x] Testing
[x] Replicate to Generals

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

Introduces wall-clock-based frame-rate pacing to AnimateWindowManager::update() so GUI slide animations run at a consistent speed regardless of render FPS. The old update() body is promoted to updateStep(), and update() now accumulates elapsed time (via timeGetTime()) to run the correct number of 30 Hz base-rate steps per call, with a 6-step catch-up cap to prevent snapping on load/alt-tab stalls.

• New m_lastUpdateTime / m_updateAccumulator members are initialized in the constructor, init(), and reset(), correctly covering all lifecycle paths.
• The change is replicated identically to both Generals/ and GeneralsMD/ trees.

Confidence Score: 4/5

The change is safe to merge; the accumulator logic and lifecycle resets are all correct, and only cosmetic tab-alignment issues were found in the headers.

The wall-clock accumulator correctly converts elapsed milliseconds to base-rate steps, the 6-step cap prevents snap-to-end on stalls, and the new members are initialized in the constructor, init(), and reset(). The only findings are tab-alignment inconsistencies within the three newly added header declarations.

Both AnimateWindowManager.h headers have minor column-alignment inconsistencies in the new member block; the .cpp files are clean.

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/GUI/AnimateWindowManager.cpp	Core change: new update() shell with wall-clock accumulator and updateStep() extraction; logic is correct and lifecycle resets are complete.
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/GUI/AnimateWindowManager.cpp	Identical replica of the Generals/ change for the Zero Hour expansion; no divergence from the Generals/ version.
Generals/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/AnimateWindowManager.h	Adds updateStep() declaration and two new private members; minor tab-alignment inconsistency within the new member block.
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/AnimateWindowManager.h	Identical header replica for Zero Hour; same minor tab-alignment inconsistency in the new member block.

Sequence Diagram

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
sequenceDiagram
    participant Caller as Shell / RenderFrame Caller
    participant AWM as AnimateWindowManager
    participant TGT as timeGetTime
    participant Step as updateStep

    Caller->>AWM: update()
    AWM->>TGT: timeGetTime() returns now
    AWM->>AWM: "elapsed = now minus m_lastUpdateTime"
    AWM->>AWM: "m_lastUpdateTime = now"
    AWM->>AWM: "accumulator += elapsed x (30 div 1000)"
    AWM->>AWM: "steps = floor(accumulator)"
    AWM->>AWM: "accumulator -= steps"
    AWM->>AWM: "steps = min(steps, 6)"
    loop steps greater than 0
        AWM->>Step: updateStep()
        Step->>Step: advance winMustFinishList and winList one base-rate tick
    end

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%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {"darkMode": true, "background": "#0d1117", "primaryColor": "#21262d", "primaryTextColor": "#e6edf3", "primaryBorderColor": "#8b949e", "lineColor": "#8b949e", "textColor": "#e6edf3", "edgeLabelBackground": "#161b22", "actorBkg": "#21262d", "actorBorder": "#8b949e", "actorTextColor": "#e6edf3", "actorLineColor": "#8b949e", "signalColor": "#8b949e", "signalTextColor": "#e6edf3", "noteBkgColor": "#373320", "noteBorderColor": "#d4a72c", "noteTextColor": "#f0e6c0", "labelBoxBkgColor": "#21262d", "labelBoxBorderColor": "#8b949e", "labelTextColor": "#e6edf3", "loopTextColor": "#e6edf3", "activationBkgColor": "#30363d", "activationBorderColor": "#8b949e"}}}%%
sequenceDiagram
    participant Caller as Shell / RenderFrame Caller
    participant AWM as AnimateWindowManager
    participant TGT as timeGetTime
    participant Step as updateStep

    Caller->>AWM: update()
    AWM->>TGT: timeGetTime() returns now
    AWM->>AWM: "elapsed = now minus m_lastUpdateTime"
    AWM->>AWM: "m_lastUpdateTime = now"
    AWM->>AWM: "accumulator += elapsed x (30 div 1000)"
    AWM->>AWM: "steps = floor(accumulator)"
    AWM->>AWM: "accumulator -= steps"
    AWM->>AWM: "steps = min(steps, 6)"
    loop steps greater than 0
        AWM->>Step: updateStep()
        Step->>Step: advance winMustFinishList and winList one base-rate tick
    end

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Prompt To Fix All With AI

Fix the following 2 code review issues. Work through them one at a time, proposing concise fixes.

---

### Issue 1 of 2
Generals/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/AnimateWindowManager.h:195-197
The `///<` comment anchors within the new three-line block are not aligned to the same column: `updateStep()` reaches the comment with more tabs than the two field declarations below it. Per the project's column-alignment rule, declarations added together in the same block should have their doc-comment columns consistent with each other.

```suggestion
	void updateStep();									///< Runs a single base-rate step of all registered window animations
	UnsignedInt m_lastUpdateTime;								///< Wall-clock time of the previous update, for frame-rate independent pacing
	Real m_updateAccumulator;									///< Carries fractional base-rate steps between updates
```

### Issue 2 of 2
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/AnimateWindowManager.h:195-197
Same column-alignment inconsistency in the Zero Hour replica: `updateStep()` has a different tab count to its `///<` comment than the two field declarations in the same block.

```suggestion
	void updateStep();									///< Runs a single base-rate step of all registered window animations
	UnsignedInt m_lastUpdateTime;								///< Wall-clock time of the previous update, for frame-rate independent pacing
	Real m_updateAccumulator;									///< Carries fractional base-rate steps between updates
```

_{Reviews (1): Last reviewed commit: "tweak: decouple GUI window-move animatio..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

[xezon]

Try to use less AI code generation for better code

[xezon]

blank line after

[xezon]

step() is simpler name.

[xezon]

Why 6 ?

[xezon]

Try to get rid of this condition. Maybe set in init function?

[xezon]

Do not put function below member variables.

[xezon]

Comment is very long. Try simplify.

[xezon]

Avoid timeGetTime where possible. Use TheFramePacer->getUpdateTime()