render: skater-family character fade from the entity opacity field

src/native/skate3_native_entity.cpp

@@ -39,6 +39,15 @@ REXCVAR_DEFINE_BOOL(
     "unchanged. Off = refused captures stay pending (rescue/fixup paths).")
     .lifecycle(rex::cvar::Lifecycle::kHotReload);
 
+REXCVAR_DEFINE_BOOL(
+    skate3_native_render_scene_entity_fade_serve, true, "Skate 3",
+    "Serve skater-family character fade from the entity's own opacity "
+    "field (+496, the exact value the game binds as the shader's alpha "
+    "parameter) instead of the captured alpha row. Fixes spawn fade-ins "
+    "rendered opaque when the row capture lags or fails. LivingWorld "
+    "entities keep the LW store's fade. Off = captured-row fade.")
+    .lifecycle(rex::cvar::Lifecycle::kHotReload);
+
 REXCVAR_DEFINE_BOOL(
     skate3_native_render_scene_entity_ropa_world_primary, true, "Skate 3",
     "Serve the ROPA garment world from the owner entity's m_MatLtoWTrans "
@@ -481,6 +490,29 @@ bool ReadEntityWorldRows(uint8_t* base, uint32_t ctx, float out_rows[12]) {
          ReadWorldRowsChecked(base, info.entity, out_rows);
 }
 
+bool ReadSkaterFade(uint8_t* base, uint32_t ctx, float* out_alpha) {
+  if (!REXCVAR_GET(skate3_native_render_scene_entity_fade_serve)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  CtxInfo info;
+  if (!LookupCtx(ctx, &info)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const bool skater_family =
+      info.cls == EntClass::kSkater || info.cls == EntClass::kColorized ||
+      info.cls == EntClass::kCac || info.cls == EntClass::kSkaterAux;
+  if (!skater_family) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  float alpha = 0.0f;
+  if (!LoadF32Block(base, info.entity + kEntOpacitySkater, &alpha, 1) ||
+      !(alpha >= -0.01f && alpha <= 1.01f)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  *out_alpha = alpha;
+  return true;
+}
+
 uint32_t ServeInstancePalette(uint8_t* base, uint32_t ctx, float* out,
                               uint32_t max_rows) {
   CtxInfo info;

src/native/skate3_native_entity.h

@@ -113,6 +113,13 @@ void ObserveCharItem(uint8_t* base, uint32_t ctx, uint32_t family,
 bool ServeRopaWorld(uint8_t* base, uint32_t ctx, uint32_t vb_obj,
                     float out_rows[12]);
 
+// Fade serve (skater-family classes only; LivingWorld entities are
+// served by the LW store): the entity's live opacity at +496, the exact
+// value BindConstants points the shader's alpha parameter at. Returns
+// false for unmapped ctxs, non-skater classes, or an out-of-range read
+// (teardown), leaving the caller's captured-row fade untouched.
+bool ReadSkaterFade(uint8_t* base, uint32_t ctx, float* out_alpha);
+
 // True when the ctx maps to an entity whose garment table no longer
 // claims vb_obj as a live cloth target; the game DROPPED the garment
 // (m_numClothModels back to 0, VB objects freed, memory recycled). The

src/skate3_native_scene.cpp

@@ -9272,10 +9272,27 @@ void BuildFrameScene(uint8_t* base, const SubmitRecord* records, size_t count) {
   // Read-only: the ident[] stats line is the evidence for flipping any
   // serve over to the direct fields.
   {
+    const bool serve_ent_fade =
+        REXCVAR_GET(skate3_native_render_scene_entity_fade);
     for (DrawItem& item : scene.items) {
       if (item.char_family == 0 || item.ctx == 0) {
         continue;
       }
+      // Skater-family fade from the entity's own opacity (+496): the
+      // value the game binds as the shader's alpha parameter. Same serving
+      // contract as the LW store (lw_alpha preferred by CharFadeAlpha;
+      // families whose shader composes the fade keep their captured rows
+      // bounded by it). LW-mapped items were already stamped above.
+      float ent_alpha = 1.0f;
+      if (serve_ent_fade && item.lw_alpha < 0.0f &&
+          skate3::native_entity::ReadSkaterFade(base, item.ctx, &ent_alpha)) {
+        item.lw_alpha = std::clamp(ent_alpha, 0.0f, 1.0f);
+        if (item.char_rows[14 * 4 + 1] > 0.0f &&
+            (item.char_family == 1 || item.char_family == 2 ||
+             item.char_family == 3 || item.char_family == 6)) {
+          item.char_rows[14 * 4 + 0] = item.lw_alpha;
+        }
+      }
       skate3::native_entity::ObserveCharItem(base, item.ctx,
                                              item.char_family,
                                              item.lw_entity != 0,