docs: add FLE bridge direction pivot and squad-injection test tooling
Adds the app-centric FLE bridge direction (direction.md) replacing the Blaze-backend route as primary plan, plus a corrected foundational test procedure and snapshot/diff/apply tooling for reverse-engineering FLE's Freeze Lineup write mechanism. Also picks up prior untracked research docs (status-review, fut-integration-options, fifa23-startup-flow, track-c) and existing capture/export tooling that hadn't been committed yet.
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# FUT Integration Options
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How to connect FIFA 23 to the OpenFUT local simulator, ranked by safety and feasibility.
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## Option A — FLE Lua scripting (RECOMMENDED)
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**What it does:** Use FIFA Live Editor's in-memory Lua API to read and write the game's
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database tables at runtime. FLE is already injected; no additional hooking needed.
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**Why it's the right path:**
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- Fully offline, no EA servers touched
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- FLE is already trusted by the user (it's the launch mechanism)
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- `GetDBTableRows` / `EditDBTableField` expose the full Frostbite DB in memory
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- Scripts run inside the game process; no IPC complexity
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- Same mechanism used by modders for career mode edits today
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**Integration design:**
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```
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openfut-core (SQLite)
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│
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│ HTTP REST (localhost)
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▼
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openfut-bridge (port 8080, plain HTTP, no TLS)
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│ pulls club/squad/player data as JSON
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▼
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FLE Lua bridge script
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│ calls GetDBTableRows, EditDBTableField
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▼
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FIFA 23 in-memory DB (Frostbite)
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```
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The Lua script polls openfut-core's REST API at intervals (or on FUT menu entry)
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and writes simulator data (coins, items, squad) into the appropriate DB tables.
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**Tables likely involved (to verify with export_squad.lua):**
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| Table | Expected FUT content |
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|-------|---------------------|
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| `players` | Player attributes (OVR, potential, stats) |
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| `teams` | Club identity, stadium, colors |
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| `fut_clubs` | FUT club record (if in memory when FUT loads) |
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| `fut_items` | Card inventory (if in memory) |
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| `fut_squads` | Active squad (if in memory) |
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**Steps to implement:**
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1. Run `tools/squad-exporter/export_squad.lua` from FLE Lua Engine while in FUT to discover which tables are live
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2. Map openfut-core's data model to the discovered table fields
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3. Write a Lua polling script that fetches `/api/v1/club`, `/api/v1/squad`, etc. from openfut-core and calls `EditDBTableField` to populate them
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4. Optionally add a small HTTP client to the Lua script using LuaSocket (FLE ships with Lua 5.4)
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**Limitations:**
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- Changes are in-memory only; they reset on game restart (acceptable for a simulator)
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- Only works while FLE is running (always true in our setup)
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- FUT tables may only be populated when the FUT hub is loaded; test with the exporter
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---
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## Option B — Local save file injection (career mode proxy)
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**What it does:** Generate or modify offline career mode save files that contain FUT-like
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squad/player data, using Frostbite's FBCHUNKS format.
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**Feasibility:** Medium
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- FBCHUNKS format is not publicly documented but has been partially reverse-engineered by the Frosty Tool Suite project
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- Career saves are 16 MB — large and complex
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- Changes take effect only after a game restart
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**Best use:** Pre-populating a career club with the same players as the FUT simulator squad, so offline Squad Battles use "your" players.
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**Steps:**
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1. Use Frosty Tool Suite to open a career save and map the schema
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2. Build a Python exporter that writes a valid FBCHUNKS save with simulator squad data
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3. Test: replace the career save, launch FIFA, verify squad is correct
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---
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## Option C — Local companion web UI
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**What it does:** The user manages their FUT simulator entirely in a web browser (openfut-core already has this). A button exports the current squad/club state to a format that a Lua script or file injector can consume.
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**This is already implemented** — openfut-core serves the FUT simulator REST API. The missing piece is the Lua bridge script (Option A) that reads from it.
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---
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## Option D — Local proxy for non-secured local calls only
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**What it does:** Intercept FIFA 23's calls to `localhost:*` or a known local endpoint (not EA servers) and respond with simulator data.
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**Feasibility:** Low value in isolation
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- FIFA 23 does not make calls to localhost in normal operation (except EA App on port 10853)
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- All FUT API calls go to EA's servers over TLS
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- Intercepting those would require the approach we explicitly ruled out
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**Not recommended as a primary path.** Could be combined with Option A if the Lua script exposes a local socket that a coordinator process writes to.
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---
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## Option E — Memory bridge (Cheat Engine / FLE offsets)
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**What it does:** Use known memory offsets (FLE's `offset_cache.json`) to read/write FUT state directly in FIFA23.exe's heap.
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**Feasibility:** Medium — FLE already does this for career mode
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- FLE's `offset_cache.json` contains addresses for many game structures
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- FUT in-memory structs are separate from career structs and may not be mapped yet
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- This is fragile (offsets change with game updates)
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**Not recommended** unless Options A and B both fail — too brittle.
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---
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## Recommendation
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**Start with Option A (FLE Lua scripting).**
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1. Run `tools/squad-exporter/export_squad.lua` in-game to discover which DB tables exist in FUT mode
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2. Use `tools/file-watch-diff/watch.sh` to snapshot file state entering FUT and identify any new local files
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3. Use `tools/network-metadata-logger/netlog.sh` to log which EA hosts FIFA contacts at FUT entry (metadata only, no decryption)
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4. Map findings back to openfut-core's data model
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5. Implement the Lua bridge script that calls openfut-core's REST API and writes to discovered tables
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If FUT tables are not exposed by FLE's DB API (they may not be — FUT data lives server-side in online mode), fall back to **Option B** (career save injection) to provide a squad that mirrors the simulator's club.
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---
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## Safety boundary
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The following are out of scope and must not be implemented:
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- Decrypting or inspecting EA's TLS traffic
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- Spoofing EA domain names or impersonating EA servers
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- Sending modified clients to EA's production services
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- Bypassing EA App login or account verification
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- Anything that could constitute online cheating or violate EA's ToS for online play
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All integration must remain local/offline/single-player.
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