diff --git a/docs/briefings/mellanie.md b/docs/briefings/mellanie.md index 022a3b705..34bb2a723 100644 --- a/docs/briefings/mellanie.md +++ b/docs/briefings/mellanie.md @@ -1,48 +1,67 @@ # Mellanie - Project Briefing -Last updated: 2026-02-10 +Last updated: 2026-02-11 ## Current Project State -The Settled Reach: top-down immersive sim, single-character perspective, asymmetric information core mechanic, Rimworld-style storyteller. 29 confirmed decisions, 17 discussion rounds complete. Engine selected (D-020). Vertical slice defined (D-027). +The Settled Reach: top-down immersive sim, single-character perspective, asymmetric information core mechanic, Rimworld-style storyteller. 40 confirmed decisions, 17 discussion rounds + 1 workshop complete. Engine selected (D-020). Vertical slice defined (D-027). v0.1 Content Gap Analysis Workshop complete — setting, tag taxonomy, NPC web, and dependency chain all established. ## Status -**ACTIVATED FROM STANDBY.** Ready for content authoring. Waiting on Miri's cultural generation guide before beginning first template pack. +**ACTIVE.** Partially unblocked by workshop outputs. Can begin immediate work on tag taxonomy smoke test, environmental text templates, and news ticker draft. Voice kits and THE FRIEND content packs blocked on Paula's Dual Lens Guide. ## Key Decisions for Your Domain -- D-005: Single-character perspective - all narrative filtered through one viewpoint -- D-013: Diegetic UI text - in-world written content and documents -- D-016: Internal monologue system - primary narrative content delivery mechanism +- D-005: Single-character perspective — all narrative filtered through one viewpoint +- D-013: Diegetic UI text — in-world written content and documents +- D-016: Internal monologue system — primary narrative content delivery mechanism - D-021: Official title "The Settled Reach" +- D-028: Dialogue architecture — tagged line pools with four relational layers +- D-027: Vertical slice — smuggler + detective, station district -### Round 17 Decisions (Dialogue Architecture) -- **D-028: Dialogue architecture** - Your authoring model: - - **Four relational layers (all planned from day one, built in sequence):** - 1. Access tiers (insider/outsider/authority/peer filter on every line) - 2. Relationship history (interaction log modifying greeting and topic selection) - 3. Trust-gated gossip (three disclosure tiers: surface/real/secret) - 4. Unprompted disclosure (NPCs volunteer information weighted by trust and mood) - - **Tagged line pools with systemic selection** (not branching trees) - - **Trait modifiers, not per-trait scripts** - base lines + trait transformation guide per template - - **Line counts:** ~165-210 authored lines per Tier 2 template, generation-expanded 4x (write 10, generate 40) - - **Social dialogue budgeted 40% more than investigation dialogue** - - **Template content packs as deliverable:** role voice kits, situation scripts, monologue hooks, environmental text, trait transformation guide -- **D-027: Vertical slice voice kits** - Smuggler + detective character voice. Station district contexts (workplace, bar, smuggling ring). +### Workshop Decisions (Content Gap Analysis) +- **D-032: Separate monologue pools per character** — non-negotiable. Smuggler and detective have completely separate monologue pools. Use separate files per character per location (`monologue-smuggler.yaml`, `monologue-detective.yaml`). +- **D-034: THE FRIEND NPC pattern** — one production-level NPC per character, full pipeline depth test: + - **Smuggler's FRIEND: Kael Davan** — dock worker, ring member, closest colleague. Contradiction: meeting unknown contact to exit the ring (protecting partner Hael). + - **Detective's FRIEND: Sera Venn** — Commission field tech, bar regular, social anchor. Contradiction: concealing evidence about Kael's manifest discrepancies (protecting friend Hael). + - ~70-100 authored lines per FRIEND. No generation expansion — all hand-authored. +- **D-035: Converged tag taxonomy (6+3)** — your authoring format: + - 6 structural tags per dialogue line: `id`, `text`, `role`, `access` (list), `trust`, `situation` (list) + - 3 selection tags: `topic` (list), `mood` (list), `tags` (freeform) + - Monologue adds: `character`, `trigger`, `prerequisite` + - Location and type dropped from per-line (implicit from directory/file) +- **D-036: Sova Transit District / Krenn System** — first concrete setting. Bar = "The Last Shift" (official) / "Lera's" (informal). NPC names follow Krenn conventions. +- **D-037: Contraband = unlicensed lattice components** + medical-grade neural replacements. You're smuggling access, not weapons. +- **D-038: Audio in v0.1** — 8 files including monologue chime. Audio carries atmosphere; your monologue carries character. +- **D-039: All 6 wow moments in scope** — opening hook, character's eye, FRIEND contradiction, divergence reveal, ticker gut-punch, quiet moment. ## Current Priorities -**BLOCKED:** Waiting on Miri's cultural generation guide before starting first template pack. Guide needed for: -- Station district ordinary life (what does daily routine look like?) -- Smuggler vs detective cultural voice differentiation -- Social norms, rhythms, touchstones in the Settled Reach -**When unblocked:** Author first template content pack (workplace social site). Includes: -- Role voice kits (4-8 roles per template) -- Situation scripts (tagged line pools for common interactions) -- Monologue hooks (internal voice triggers) -- Environmental text (diegetic documents, signs, unisphere entries) -- Trait transformation guide (how personality traits reshape base lines) +**Write THE FRIEND first. Scale from there.** (Scaffold → Validate → Scale) -**Critical tool:** Tyre's line previewer CLI (weekend build) — authoring tool and regression test harness. +### Can start immediately (no dependencies): +1. **Tag taxonomy smoke test** — write 20 lines in converged YAML format covering logistics hub, both monologue pools, dialogue across access tiers. Ship to Gestalt for validation. +2. **Environmental text templates** — safety notices, terminal screens, door labels, shift schedules. Use Miri's Sova details. +3. **News ticker draft** — 15-20 Meridian feed headlines using Miri's Krenn System setting. + +### Blocked on Paula's Dual Lens Guide (#261): +4. Voice kits (3 options per character — sardonic/anxious/casual for smuggler, clinical/weary/sharp for detective) +5. Opening hooks (10-15 lines per character, diegetic tutorial) + +### Blocked on THE FRIEND profiles (Paula): +6. THE FRIEND: Kael Davan full content pack (~75-100 lines) +7. THE FRIEND: Sera Venn full content pack (~75-100 lines) + +### Blocked on remaining NPC profiles: +8. Content packs x3 (#190-192) +9. Tell lines, mirror moments, UI copy + +## Content Volume Estimate +~1,030-1,380 authored lines total. ~3,200-4,200 after generation expansion (4x dialogue, 2x monologue). + +## Asks from Others +- **From Miri:** Sova slang/idiom guide (15-20 terms), bar/hub naming confirmation +- **From Paula:** Dual Lens Guide (critical path), character voice speech patterns, THE FRIEND profiles +- **From Gestalt:** Knowledge state vocabulary for monologue prerequisites, YAML format validation +- **From Araminta:** Display constraints (character limits per text type, monologue stacking rules) ## Key Documents -- decisions/ - domain-split decision files (see decisions/README.md for index) -- docs/discussions/ - archived design rounds -- docs/briefings/miri.md - cultural generation guide (forthcoming) +- decisions/content.md — D-023, D-024, D-025, D-028, D-029, D-032, D-034, D-035, D-036, D-037 +- docs/workshops/content-gap-analysis_v0_1/ — workshop outputs and SUMMARY.md +- docs/briefings/paula.md — Dual Lens Guide status