Diablo pre-release demo (August 1996)

lib/apps.js id diablo_demo: DIABDEMO.EXE with its own STORM.DLL, the diablo.exe archive mounted at c:\ and z:\, and asyncMultimediaTimer: true. On the CLI, pass --async-mm-timer to match the page: the loading loop waits on timeSetEvent without pumping the window queue. Saves go to C:\Save\Game00.sav plus Level*.sav. This is a different binary from diablo_shareware (diablo-shareware.md).

Route to Tristram (CLI, 2026-10-10)

--batch-size=200000 --tick-ms-per-batch=50 --repaint-every=20:

batch	input	screen
1500	move/down/up on 320,265	NEW GAME -> Choose Class
1730	move/down/up on 320,310	WARRIOR -> Enter Name
1960-2005	G, A, L: each `keydown`+`keypress`+`keyup`, 20 batches apart	name typed
2030	`keypress:13` (WM_CHAR 0x0D)	Tristram by ~3100

Clicks are mousemove, mousedown, a 20-batch gap, then mouseup.

The name field reads WM_CHAR, not WM_KEYDOWN.

Enter is accepted only as WM_CHAR 0x0D. Backspace deletes only as WM_CHAR 0x08.
A keydown:13 / ctl.js key VK_RETURN is delivered, but the game ignores it and stays on Enter Name forever. That is the "dark transition after name entry" reported on 2026-10-03.
ctl.js type sends a whole word inside one batch; the field keeps only the last letter.
The page posts WM_CHAR 13 for Enter (charCodeFromKeyEvent in lib/browser-input.js), so Enter works there. It deliberately sends no WM_CHAR 8 for Backspace (the WAT edit deletes on WM_KEYDOWN), so on the page Backspace cannot edit this name.

Control and frame counter

Two runs of one command differ only in two clicks. Run A clicks the ground at (450,230) and the bottom-left INV button at (40,378).

All captures through the town (b3100) match byte for byte.
Run A: the warrior walks off and the Inventory panel opens.
Run B: he stays by the cottage door.

Frame counter. The game never Flips or Blts. Each frame is one Lock (returns to 0x40cd84) / Unlock (returns to 0x40d18f) of the primary 0x08011008, which is present-distinct slot 1. It is the same 20 Hz loop as the shareware build. At a 25 ms tick every frame is exactly 2 batches (50 ms) apart: 400 over 19.95 guest-s. At a 50 ms tick the timer and the batch edges drift and 45 frames in 400 batches drop (17.8 per guest-s), so measure at 25 ms. Evidence: scratch/runs/20261010T0625Z-diablo_demo-control-frames.