Grab buffer (squeeze early, catch on contact), elbow can't fold inward when the controller turns out

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

scripts/PropGrabber.cs

@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ public partial class PropGrabber : Node
     private const float BreakTime = 0.25f;
     private const float BreakDistanceBoth = 0.4f;
     private const float GripRipDistance = 0.8f;
+    // Grab buffer (owner: launching up a ladder leaves a short window to catch the next rung): a
+    // squeeze that finds nothing keeps trying while held, so you can squeeze early and catch the
+    // hold the moment the palm reaches it.
+    private const float GrabBuffer = 0.4f;          // s
     private const float WorldGrabRadius = 0.07f;   // palm sphere for grabbing static world (ledges, bars, holds)
     public const string NoGrabGroup = "no_grab";   // static bodies that can't be grabbed (the floor)
 
@@ -26,7 +30,8 @@ public partial class PropGrabber : Node
     private readonly uint[] _grabSeq = new uint[2];
     private readonly float[] _breakTimer = new float[2];
     private readonly bool[] _gripPrev = new bool[2];
-    private readonly SoftGrab[] _easing = new SoftGrab[2];   // grabbed, being eased into the hand (no weld yet)
+    private readonly SoftGrab[] _easing = new SoftGrab[2];
+    private readonly double[] _bufferUntil = new double[2];   // grabbed, being eased into the hand (no weld yet)
     private uint _grabCount;
 
     public override void _Ready()
@@ -86,12 +91,18 @@ public partial class PropGrabber : Node
         bool grip = controller.GetFloat("grip") > GripThreshold;
         int other = 1 - hand;
 
-        if (grip && !_gripPrev[hand] && _held[hand] == null && _easing[hand] == null)
+        double now = Time.GetTicksMsec() / 1000.0;
+        if (grip && !_gripPrev[hand])
+            _bufferUntil[hand] = now + GrabBuffer;
+        if (grip && now <= _bufferUntil[hand] && _held[hand] == null && _easing[hand] == null)
         {
             PhysicsBody3D prop = FindProp(controller, hand);
             RigidBody3D handBody = PhysicsHands.GetBody(controller);
             if (prop != null && handBody != null)
+            {
                 _easing[hand] = SoftGrab.Begin(handBody, hand, prop);   // welded once it's in the hand (_PhysicsProcess)
+                _bufferUntil[hand] = 0.0;
+            }
         }
         if (!grip)
             _easing[hand] = null;