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docs(visual): Sprint 12 — spatial layouts for three v0.1 locations (#311, #312, #313)

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Tile-level floor plans with sightline analysis for all three Sova Transit
District locations. Unblocks copy team content packs #190, #191, #192.

- spatial-layout-terminal-v01.md: The Terminal (44×28m), scanner bays,
  main corridor chokepoint, manifest processing, cargo floor, supervisor
  office with window, restricted storage. Sightline table, access tiers,
  NPC traffic density, Triangle 1 + 2 service notes.
- spatial-layout-bar-v01.md: The Last Shift (28×22m + eastern extension).
  Corner booth sightline analysis (sees entrance, bar, card table, back
  room door simultaneously). Bathroom corridor as private exchange zone.
  Triangle 3 + 4 service notes.
- spatial-layout-smuggling-corridors-v01.md: Ring infrastructure overlay
  — restricted storage staging, maintenance corridor network, three
  dead-drop locations with discovery vectors, transition corridor (40m)
  with camera constraint and traffic density. Full operation flow diagram.

Also carries forward minor visual-grammar and placeholder-spec corrections
from earlier in the sprint (wall_top tile spec, cursor D-056 attribution,
transition strip procedural generation clarification).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
jpmschweitzer
2026-02-19 15:07:55 +01:00
co-authored by Claude Sonnet 4.6
parent aa6541c745
commit 3c4bf742ea
5 changed files with 783 additions and 5 deletions
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docs/design/placeholder-art-spec-v01.md
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@@ -46,10 +46,12 @@ All structural tiles are **solid colored rectangles** in v0.1. No texture, no gr
| Floor — Bar | 64×64 px | `#1e1912` | None |
| Floor — Corridor | 64×64 px | `#181818` | None |
| Wall face | 64×64 px | Zone wall face color (see visual grammar §1) | None (outlines added via LightOccluder2D geometry) |
| Wall top | 64×64 px | Zone wall top color (see visual grammar §1) | None. Rendered on z-layer 4 at ~70% opacity (D-049). Creates overhead occlusion. |
| Door (closed) | 64×64 px | Same as wall face, 4px lighter | 1px `#333340` |
| Door (open) | 64×64 px | Same as floor | 1px `#333340` at threshold edge |
| Door (open) | 64×64 px | Same as floor | 1px `#333340` threshold outline baked into the sprite at the doorway edge |
| Transition strip | 64×64 px | 50/50 horizontal split between adjacent zone floor colors | None. Procedurally generated per zone boundary — not a hand-authored asset. |
**Transition strips** (zone boundary tiles): blend between zone floor colors over 1 tile width. Simple 50/50 split or gradient between the two zone floor colors.
**Transition strips** (zone boundary tiles): generated procedurally at runtime as a horizontal 50/50 split between the two adjacent zone floor colors. No hand-authored asset required — the pipeline produces these from zone adjacency data. If a simple split reads poorly, upgrade to a 4-pixel dithered blend.
### 2.2 Object Tiles (Furniture, Equipment)
@@ -176,8 +178,9 @@ client/assets/
floor_bar.png # 64×64px, solid #1e1912
floor_corridor.png # 64×64px, solid #181818
wall_face.png # 64×64px, solid (zone-parameterized at runtime)
wall_top.png # 64×64px, solid (zone wall top color, rendered at ~70% opacity on z-layer 4)
door_closed.png # 64×64px
door_open.png # 64×64px
door_open.png # 64×64px (threshold outline baked in)
objects/
obj_generic.png # 64×64px grey rectangle (color via modulate)
obj_terminal.png # 64×64px tinted, "TERMINAL" label
docs/design/spatial-layout-bar-v01.md
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# Spatial Layout: The Last Shift (Bar)
**Ticket:** #312
**Date:** 2026-02-19
**Author:** Araminta (Visual Designer)
**Status:** v0.1 — wireframe quality, unblocks copy #191
**Grid:** 1 cell = 1m visual tile (visual grammar §2.1). Simulation operates at 0.5m; each visual tile = 2×2 sim tiles.
**Map area:** 28m wide × 22m deep (28×22 visual tiles) + 6m eastern extension (bathroom corridor)
**Zone palette:** Warm dark amber (visual grammar §1.3). Irregular layout is intentional — "functional warmth."
---
## Spatial Character
The Last Shift was converted from a maintenance staging bay roughly 15 years ago by Lera, who bought the decommissioned space and did most of the fit-out herself. The irregular east wall (where the bathroom corridor juts out as a later addition) and the uneven booth placement reflect Lera's accumulated decisions rather than an architect's plan. This is the design principle: **functional warmth** (D-043) means the bar looks settled, not designed.
The space has two distinct social temperature zones:
- **North half** (entry side): Higher visibility, news ticker, casual seating — the public face of the bar
- **South half** (bar counter and beyond): Lower visibility, card table, the back room — where the actual social work happens
---
## Floor Plan
```
N (district — main entrance from transit corridor)
|
1111111111222222222233
1234567890123456789012345678901
####[D]#############[D]###### row 01 <- main entrance (west) + emergency exit (east)
#[BB] . . . . [NT][NT] # row 02 <- NW corner booth + news ticker (NE)
#[BB] . . . . . . . . . . # row 03 ACCESS: PUBLIC
#[BB] . . . . . . . . . . . # row 04 <- corner booth, 3 rows deep, faces SE
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . # row 05
# [T] . . . [T] . . [T] . # row 06 <- scattered tables (T = table/chairs)
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . # row 07
# [T] . . . . . . . . [T] . # row 08
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . # row 09
# . . . . . [CT] . . . . . . # row 10 <- card table (CT) south-center
# . . . . . [CT] . . . . . . # row 11
####[BAR COUNTER]###########[D]#[D]## row 12 <- long bar counter; E door = BC entry; far E = alley
# . . SERVING AREA . . . . . # BC # row 13 <- bathroom corridor (east extension)
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . # [B]# row 14 ACCESS: SEMI-PRIVATE
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . # [B]# row 15 <- 2 bathroom stalls
# . . . . . . . . . . [T][T] # [D]# row 16 <- serving area tables; door to back room
################[D]############[BR]# row 17 <- back room door; back room east side
# BACK ROOM (STAFF ONLY) . # [D]# row 18 <- back room alley exit
# [T][LERA DESK] . . . . . . ###### row 19 ACCESS: PRIVATE
########[D]#################### row 20 <- alley door (south)
(alley = maintenance access, also secondary exit)
|
S (station maintenance alley — secondary exit route)
```
**Legend:**
```
# Wall (solid, blocks LOS and movement)
. Open walkable floor
[D] Doorway (traversable)
[BB] Corner booth seating (fixed furniture)
[T] Table with chairs (movable; typical seating cluster)
[CT] Card table (semi-permanent fixture; Torek's usual spot)
[NT] News ticker display (wall-mounted, east wall north side)
BC Bathroom corridor (narrow, east extension)
[B] Bathroom stall
[BR] Back room
```
---
## Zone Breakdown
### Zone 1 — Entry / North Public Area (rows 01–05)
**Access tier:** Public
**Purpose:** The entry side. First impressions: warm amber light from the sconces Lera installed, the news ticker running at low volume on the east wall, the bar counter visible ahead. Most new arrivals pause here — it's the social reading zone where you assess who's in.
**NPC traffic:** Variable — busy at shift-change peaks, thin midday. Ren works the door informally (they're a regular who's made themselves useful to Lera, not official staff). Near the news ticker (east), a cluster often forms when something is on — planetary news, trade reports, sports events. This cluster is a natural eavesdropping point.
**LOS notes:** Open floor, full east-west LOS across the entry area. From the entrance you can see the corner booth (NW), the news ticker cluster (NE), and most of the scattered tables. You CANNOT see the card table from the entrance — it's south of the bar counter.
### Zone 2 — Corner Booth (NW, rows 02–04)
**Access tier:** Public (any patron can sit here; regulars treat it as first-come territory)
**Purpose:** The key player observation position. Regulars know this booth sees everything — so it's informally "first-come" seating, and arriving early to claim it is a recognizable move. Sitting here signals you want to observe, not be observed.
**NPC traffic:** Occupied most evenings by one regular or another. The slot near the wall ([BB] row 04) is the deepest position — most concealed, best LOS. Torek occasionally sits here when the card table isn't running.
**LOS notes:** From the deepest corner of the booth (row 04, column 01-02):
- **ENTRANCE (row 01, center):** ✓ Direct LOS — you see everyone who walks in
- **News ticker cluster (row 02-03, east):** ✓ Direct LOS — you can read reactions
- **Bar counter (row 12):** ✓ Direct LOS — you see Lera and everyone at the bar
- **Card table (row 10-11, center):** ✓ LOS clears the open floor — you see the game
- **Back room door (row 17):** ✓ Partial LOS — you see movement to/from back room
- **Bathroom corridor entry (row 12, east):** ✓ you see who uses the secondary route
**This position is the investigation hub of The Last Shift.** A player who establishes themselves here has passive observation of all key NPC positions.
### Zone 3 — Scattered Tables (rows 05–11, main floor)
**Access tier:** Public
**Purpose:** The general seating area. Tables are grouped loosely — Lera moved them over the years to accommodate different crowd sizes. There's no strict layout. Adjacency to the bar counter determines social temperature: tables at rows 08–11 are the "settled in" zone; tables at rows 05–07 are more transient (people who came for one drink).
**NPC traffic:** Distributed, varies by time. Kael sits at a table in the central zone when he comes in (not the booth — he doesn't want to be prominent, but can't help being readable to the smuggler PC who knows him).
**LOS notes:** The open floor gives most table positions LOS to the bar counter and to each other. The card table [CT] at rows 10–11 is visible from the north (booth, tables, entry) but not from inside the bathroom corridor or back room.
### Zone 4 — Card Table (rows 10–11, center-south)
**Access tier:** Public (nominally), but functionally semi-private
**Purpose:** The card game that runs most evenings. Torek organizes it. The participants shift but the table is a social fixture — it draws a ring of watchers even when not playing. The game itself is low-stakes (this is a low-income worker district), but the social dynamics are high-stakes: people talk during cards.
**NPC traffic:** Torek (Triangle 3) most evenings. Ren (Triangle 3) plays occasionally. Other regulars rotate in.
**LOS notes:** Visible from corner booth and most of the main floor. NOT visible from the entrance — the bar counter partially occludes it for someone just entering. This spatial ambiguity means a newcomer might not realize there's a card game until they commit to entering further. An NPC watching from the entrance can see the table only by moving to mid-room.
**Narrative note:** The card table is where Triangle 3 (Bar Tensions: Lera – Torek – Ren) runs hot. The physical proximity forces NPC spatial navigation around who's in the game and who's watching.
### Zone 5 — Bar Counter (row 12)
**Access tier:** Public (customer side) / Semi-private (Lera's side — serving area)
**Purpose:** The axis of the space. Lera is here most of the time she's working. The bar counter is the highest-visibility position in The Last Shift — every patron in the north half of the bar can see it, and Lera can see every patron. It's also the social routing point: people come to the bar to order, but stay to talk.
**NPC traffic:** Lera is nearly always here during open hours. The counter is a social magnet — NPCs drift to it when they want to be heard, or when they want to say something to Lera specifically.
**LOS notes:** From behind the bar (Lera's side): full LOS across the main floor, corner booth, card table, and entry area. Also: Lera can see the bathroom corridor door and the back room door from her position. She is the most observant NPC in the building by default.
**Key feature:** Lera's knowledge is encyclopedic within this space. She has seen every Triangle interaction that happened in this bar. Whether she shares that knowledge depends on her relationship to the player character.
### Zone 6 — Serving Area South (rows 13–16)
**Access tier:** Semi-private (staff and card table adjacent)
**Purpose:** The back half of the bar's public area, behind the counter. Lower ambient light (fewer sconces). This is where patrons who want more privacy settle — the [T] tables at rows 15–16 feel secluded even though they're not truly enclosed. Kael's secondary position (when he's not at the central tables and wants to avoid being too visible to Torek).
**NPC traffic:** Sparse to moderate. Lower traffic than the north half.
**LOS notes:** LOS back to bar counter through the serving gap. LOS to the bathroom corridor door. NOT visible from the entrance — someone entering from the north cannot see these tables without advancing to mid-room.
### Zone 7 — Bathroom Corridor (east extension, rows 12–16)
**Access tier:** Semi-private (any patron, but narrow and away from main space)
**Purpose:** Functional corridor to the two bathroom stalls. Also: the secondary exit from the bar, accessible without crossing the main floor. NPCs use this corridor for private exchanges precisely because it's off the main visual axis — the bar counter and the corner booth don't have LOS into the corridor itself (they see the *door* but not the *interior*).
**NPC traffic:** Intermittent — quick in-and-out for bathrooms. Occasional lingering for private conversations.
**LOS notes:** The corridor interior is NOT visible from any position in the main bar. You see the door opening and closing; you see someone entering or exiting. What happens in the corridor is invisible. This is the **primary private conversation space in The Last Shift** — used by the ring for brief exchanges that can't happen at the bar or tables.
**Dead-drop location:** See §313 spatial layout.
### Zone 8 — Back Room (rows 17–19)
**Access tier:** Private (Lera's staff space)
**Purpose:** Lera's personal office-storage hybrid. Her desk, supply storage, the alley door. She takes breaks here. Has the bar's financial records. Torek has been in here — Lera owes him something, or he knows something about her operation, or both (Triangle 3 detail for Paula to develop).
**NPC traffic:** Lera only, mostly. Torek has had access. No other patron should be back here.
**LOS notes:** No windows. The back room is visually isolated from the main bar. You see the door to the back room from the serving area (rows 13–16) and from the corner booth. You see nothing from outside once the door is closed.
**Key feature:** The alley exit (south door, row 20) connects to the maintenance alley running along the south side of the district. This is a secondary exit from the bar that doesn't go through the main entrance — relevant to the smuggling corridor layout (#313).
---
## Key Observation Positions
| Position | Code | LOS coverage | Why it matters |
|----------|------|-------------|----------------|
| Corner booth (NW, deepest) | POS-B1 | Entrance, news ticker, bar, card table, back room door | Primary investigation post. Passive observation of all major social zones. |
| News ticker cluster (NE, row 02-03) | POS-B2 | Entry, corner booth, north tables | Natural social gathering point. Overhear conversations; be overheard. |
| Bar counter (customer side, row 12) | POS-B3 | Entire north floor, card table, back room door | Social hub. Lera is here; conversations happen to you at the bar. |
| Card table (as player/observer) | POS-B4 | Corner booth, bar counter, surrounding tables | Playing cards = legitimate reason to sit and watch for extended time. |
| Bathroom corridor entrance (row 12E) | POS-B5 | Who enters/exits corridor | Monitoring this door reveals if NPCs are meeting in the corridor. |
---
## Sightline Analysis
```
FROM → Booth(NW) Entry Bar Counter Card Tbl Serving S Bthrm Corr Back Rm
TO ↓
Corner booth SELF ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗ door only door
Entry area ✓ SELF ✓ ✗(bar occludes) ✗ door only ✗
Bar counter ✓ ✓ SELF ✓ ✓ door door
Card table ✓ ✗(bar) ✓ SELF ✓ ✗ ✗
Serving south ✗ ✗ ✓ (bar gap) ✓ SELF door door
Bathroom corr. door only door only door ✗ door SELF ✗
Back room door only ✗ door ✗ door ✗ SELF
✓ = direct LOS ✗ = wall blocks door = see the door but not interior
```
**Critical sightline: Corner booth → card table + back room door**
The booth is the only position that observes both the card table (Triangle 3 social space) and movement to/from the back room (private ring-adjacent activity). Establishing in the booth is the highest-leverage opening move in The Last Shift.
**Critical sightline gap: Bathroom corridor interior**
Nothing in the main bar has LOS into the corridor interior. This gap is exploitable — by NPCs for private exchanges, and by the player for unobserved movement if they need to reach the alley exit without crossing the main floor.
---
## Access Tier Map
```
PUBLIC SEMI-PRIVATE PRIVATE
────── ──────────── ───────
Entry area Serving south Back room
Corner booth Bathroom corr. (Lera + ring-adjacent)
Main tables
Card table
Bar counter (customer side)
```
The bathroom corridor is semi-private by convention rather than by lock — any patron can use it. But its ambiguity (near the bar exit, not directly observable) makes it functionally private for brief interactions.
---
## NPC Traffic Density Annotations
| Time | Entry | Main Tables | Corner Booth | Card Table | Bar Counter | Bthrm Corr | Back Room |
|------|-------|-------------|--------------|------------|-------------|------------|-----------|
| Dawn (05-07) | closed | — | — | — | Lera (prep) | — | Lera |
| Morning (07-10) | sparse | sparse | sparse | — | Lera | very sparse | — |
| Midday (10-14) | moderate | moderate | moderate | — | busy | sparse | — |
| Afternoon (14-17) | sparse | sparse | sparse | — | Lera | sparse | — |
| Shift change (17-20) | busy | busy | moderate (claimed) | sparse | busy | moderate | Lera/Torek |
| Evening peak (20-23) | busy | busy | occupied | busy | busy | moderate | varies |
| Late night (23-02) | sparse | sparse | sparse | winding down | Lera + last drinkers | sparse | varies |
| Close (02-05) | closed | — | — | — | Lera (cleanup) | — | Lera |
**Ring window:** Late night (23-01) or very early morning. The bathroom corridor and back room are quieter; fewer eyes on movement between zones. Lera's presence at close is the primary risk.
---
## Irregular Layout Notes (D-043 "Functional Warmth")
The following spatial imperfections are **intentional** and should be preserved in implementation:
1. **The corner booth is oversized relative to the space.** It takes up slightly more NW floor than a "designed" bar would allocate, because Lera built it first and designed around it.
2. **Tables are not in a grid.** They're in clusters that emerged from patron habits. The card table's [CT] position (center-south) was placed there because it was the right distance from the bar and the bathrooms.
3. **The bathroom corridor juts east** beyond the main bar footprint, creating the irregular eastern edge. It was a later addition — Lera broke through the original east wall.
4. **There is no stage or performance area.** The news ticker is the only media element. The bar doesn't put on entertainment; the patrons are the entertainment.
5. **Lighting is pooled, not even** (visual grammar §1.3, fixture radius 5-6 tiles). The card table and bathroom corridor door are in the transition zone between light pools — intentionally lower visibility.
---
## Narrative Triangle Service Notes
### Triangle 3 — Bar Tensions (Lera – Torek – Ren)
- **Spatial expression:** Lera at the bar counter (watching). Torek at the card table (running his social network). Ren between them (the triangle's instability node — closer to Torek emotionally, but Lera knows things about Ren that give her leverage).
- **Key positions:** Bar counter (Lera's domain), card table (Torek's domain), the booth (contested — whoever gets there first has the observation advantage).
- **Tension staging:** Torek going to the back room is the high-stakes move — it means he and Lera are talking privately. Ren watching that door from the main floor is the signal that Triangle 3 is hot.
### Triangle 4 — Worried Partner (Naia – Kael – Sera)
- **Kael in The Last Shift:** He comes in after long shifts, sits at the central tables (not the booth — he doesn't want to be seen watching). He's a quiet drinker when here. His late nights are visible to other regulars.
- **Spatial tension:** Kael sitting at the table while others observe him (Lera noting his pattern, Naia's concern expressed to Sera elsewhere) is a spatial staging problem — how do you show worry through placement? The answer is: Kael always sits in the same spot, at the same time. Pattern = visible.
---
## Notes for Copy Team (#191 — Bar Content Pack)
1. **The corner booth is "the watching spot."** Regulars know it. Anyone sitting there is understood to be observing. NPC reactions to player claiming the booth should reflect this — Lera might comment. Ren might avoid eye contact.
2. **News ticker is a topic generator.** Whatever is running on the ticker is a natural conversation opener. Mellanie should specify what's playing on different days (planetary news, trade prices, sports) — it gives NPCs something to react to that grounds the scene.
3. **The bar counter is Lera's domain.** Dialogue at the counter is different from dialogue at a table — you're in Lera's space. She controls the pace, she can end the conversation by moving away to serve someone else. Write Lera's bar counter lines accordingly.
4. **Bathroom corridor conversations are brief and tense.** No ambient to cover prolonged conversation. The setting is: narrow, low light, the sound of ventilation. Any dialogue here should be 2-3 exchanges maximum.
5. **The card table has its own social grammar.** Asking to watch (spectate) is different from asking to play. Being asked to deal is a trust signal. Mellanie should differentiate these as distinct dialogue situations.
6. **Ambient detail — Lera's accumulated decisions:** Signs she's placed over the years (no tab system, specific house rules, a framed maintenance permit from when the corridor was added). These are environmental text opportunities (visual grammar §5.2, 11px at 70% opacity, z-layer 2-4).
docs/design/spatial-layout-smuggling-corridors-v01.md
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# Spatial Layout: Smuggling Spaces and Transition Corridors
**Ticket:** #313
**Date:** 2026-02-19
**Author:** Araminta (Visual Designer)
**Status:** v0.1 — wireframe quality, unblocks copy #192
**Grid:** 1 cell = 1m visual tile. Transition corridor is shown at reduced scale (1 cell = 2m) due to 40m length.
**Zone palette:** Neutral dark, dim irregular lighting (visual grammar §1.4, Zone 3 — Transition Corridors)
**Cross-reference:** This document overlays on #311 (Terminal layout) and #312 (Bar layout). Read both before this document.
---
## Design Principle: Invisible Infrastructure
The smuggling ring has no dedicated space. This is the core spatial insight: **every ring location serves a mundane purpose, and the criminal function is only apparent if you know what to look for.** The player (smuggler PC) knows. The detective PC can learn. An NPC observing in isolation sees nothing unusual.
This means the spatial layouts here are **interpretive layers on top of existing spaces**, not new spaces. The restricted storage is officially overflow cargo. The maintenance corridors are officially maintenance corridors. The dead-drops are officially: a locker, a junction box, a shelf marker.
**Same physical space. Different player understanding.**
---
## Overview: The Ring's Operational Footprint
The smuggling operation spans four categories of space:
| Category | Location | Function | Discovery vector |
|----------|----------|----------|-----------------|
| **Restricted storage** | Terminal, south zone (S of cargo floor) | Primary staging — contraband lives here | Restricted access; manifest discrepancy; visual observation of access pattern |
| **Maintenance corridors** | Behind both major buildings; east service spine | Transit — ring members move goods and exchange information here without crossing public zones | Physical discovery (hatch access); sound detection (movement behind walls); NPC behavior pattern |
| **Dead-drops** | 3 fixed locations (see §3) | Information and small-item exchange; no person-to-person contact | Insert observation; pattern recognition; monologue flagging |
| **Transition corridor** | ~40m link between Terminal and bar district | Physical transit; unavoidable chokepoint for ring members moving between locations | Observation of NPC pattern; insert tracking; time-of-day analysis |
---
## 1. Restricted Storage (Embedded in Terminal Layout)
**Location:** Terminal, rows 27–30 (south of cargo floor). Access via single coded door from cargo floor.
```
From Terminal layout (#311), zoomed:
[C][C][C][C][C] <- cargo floor (rows 24-26)
|
[D](CODED) <- row 26, center — the access door
|
############################# row 27
# RESTRICTED STORAGE # row 28
# [RS][RS][RS][RS][RS][RS] # row 29 <- Rack A (east side)
# . . . . . . . . . . . . # row 30 <- staging floor (center)
# [RS][RS][RS][RS][RS][RS] # row 31 <- Rack B (west side)
# [DD-1] # row 32 <- DEAD-DROP LOCATION 1 (see §3)
############################# row 33
```
**Official function:** High-value or flagged cargo overflow. Access restricted to authorized hub personnel.
**Ring function:** Primary staging point. Contraband enters as mislabeled standard cargo, moves here under cover of a legitimate manifest entry for the rack slot.
**LOS exposure:** The coded entry door is visible from the cargo floor AND from the supervisor's window (see Terminal sightline analysis). Any approach to the door can be observed by Voss if he's at his desk. The door itself has no window — once inside, you're not visible from outside.
**Operational risk:** The access code is held by Voss and a small list of authorized personnel. A ring member with legitimate access (one of them has a work reason to occasionally enter) must make the access pattern look normal. Frequency, timing, and duration all create anomalies detectable by the detective's analytical lattice.
---
## 2. Maintenance Corridors
The maintenance corridors are the ring's secondary movement network. They are the spatial infrastructure that makes the operation functionally invisible: a ring member moving goods from the Terminal to the bar district via the public transit corridor is observable. Via the maintenance corridor, they're not.
### 2.1 Corridor Network Map (schematic, not to visual-grid scale)
```
[TERMINAL BUILDING]
|
M-HATCH-T (maintenance hatch, east wall of restricted storage)
|
EAST SERVICE SPINE (maintenance corridor)
| <- narrow, 2m wide, dim lighting, Era 1 original construction
|
JUNCTION-1 (4-way junction: terminal, span gate service, district spine, Velen depot access)
|
DISTRICT SPINE (maintenance corridor)
| <- runs parallel to transit corridor, ~40m, grating floor
|
M-HATCH-B (maintenance hatch, north wall of bar's bathroom corridor)
|
[BAR BUILDING]
```
### 2.2 Maintenance Corridor Layout (section view)
```
Scale: 1 cell = 1m visual tile. Corridor width: 2m (2 cells).
N = Terminal side. S = Bar side.
## M-HATCH-T ## <- entry from restricted storage (locked hatch)
## . . . . . . ## row 01 <- 2m wide; grating floor
## . . . . . . ## row 02 ACCESS: PRIVATE
## . . [JB-1]. ## row 03 <- [JB-1] = junction box (DEAD-DROP 2, see §3)
## . . . . . . ## row 04
## [JUNC-1] ## row 05 <- 4-way junction. Branching maintained here.
## . . . . . . ## row 06
## . . . . . . ## row 07
## . . [SH-1]. ## row 08 <- [SH-1] = shelf marker (DEAD-DROP 3, see §3)
## . . . . . . ## row 09
## . . . . . . ## row 10
## . . . . . . ## row 11
## M-HATCH-B ## <- exit into bar's bathroom corridor (locked hatch, key-based)
(Grating underfoot. Dim cold-white maintenance-grade lighting. D-046 reference:
maintenance lighting is sparse, uneven; gaps between light pools are wider.)
```
**Official function:** Station infrastructure maintenance access. Utility routing (power, climate, comms).
**Ring function:** Personnel transit. Small-item movement (packages that fit in a standard duffel). Not large cargo — restricted storage-to-terminal is the cargo staging point; the corridor handles distribution of smaller items for personal delivery.
**LOS exposure:** Zero. No windows. No cameras (era 1 construction, never upgraded). The only way to know someone is in the maintenance corridor is: (a) hear them (footsteps carry differently on grating — detectable as distinct sound signature from outside if you're listening in an adjacent space), or (b) witness them entering or exiting a hatch.
**Hatch visibility:**
- M-HATCH-T opens inside restricted storage. Access visible only to someone in restricted storage.
- M-HATCH-B opens inside the bathroom corridor. Access visible only to someone in the bathroom corridor at that moment.
**Critical insight for investigation:** The detective cannot observe the maintenance corridor interior without entering it. All evidence is inferential: hearing footsteps behind walls, observing the hatch-T entry from restricted storage, or timing Kael's movements to when maintenance corridor transit would explain his presence pattern.
---
## 3. Dead-Drop Locations
Three fixed dead-drops in v0.1. Each serves as an information-only exchange point — no in-person meeting required. Ring members leave items or encoded data; ring members retrieve them. There is no face-to-face contact at a dead-drop by design.
### Dead-Drop 1 — "The Shelf" (Restricted Storage, Terminal)
**Location:** Restricted storage, south wall, specific rack position (row 32, center of south wall as marked in §1 layout).
**Mundane appearance:** A standard cargo rack position. A specific physical marker (a cargo tag with a non-standard orientation) signals to ring members that something is there.
**Ring use:** Small items. Encoded instructions. The only dead-drop that requires access to restricted storage — the highest-security location.
**Discovery vector:** The detective with the analytical lattice can flag an anomalous tag orientation as "pattern mismatch" if they've spent time in the storage area. Monologue: *"That tag's rotated 90 degrees. The others aren't. Could be nothing."* Knowledge graph flag: `Suspects` confidence on "dead-drop usage" topic.
**NPC who uses it:** Kael (delivery side). Voss has visual access to the room but doesn't know what to look for in the rack (he's not ring-aware at this level).
### Dead-Drop 2 — "The Box" (Maintenance Corridor, Junction 1 area)
**Location:** Junction box JB-1 on the corridor east wall, row 03 of the maintenance corridor section (roughly 15m from the Terminal hatch).
**Mundane appearance:** A standard maintenance utility junction. These boxes line every maintenance corridor on Station Sova — this one has a specific compartment that's not documented in the station maintenance schema.
**Ring use:** Information transfer. Small data chips. No physical bulk.
**Discovery vector:** Physical discovery (the detective finds this junction box while traversing the corridor; insert observation flags "this junction is not in the station maintenance schema"). Or: sound model approach — close-range audio places the player near the box when a ring member accesses it.
**NPC who uses it:** Drin (Triangle 2 — the connection between Drin's worried knowledge and the ring's operation runs through what Drin knows about this drop location).
### Dead-Drop 3 — "The Mark" (Maintenance Corridor, District Spine)
**Location:** Shelf marker SH-1, row 08 of the maintenance corridor section (roughly 28m from Terminal hatch, 12m from bar hatch). A small painted mark at eye-height on the west wall, positioned at a shelf bracket that holds nothing.
**Mundane appearance:** A maintenance alignment mark. Dozens exist in maintenance corridors for spatial orientation. This one has a secondary mark (a barely visible secondary line) that ring members read as a go/no-go signal.
**Ring use:** Status signal. "Go" = operation is running tonight. "No-go" = abort, someone is watching. Changed by the ring coordinator. No item exchange.
**Discovery vector:** Monologue (the smuggler PC notices the mark and recognizes its meaning; the detective PC sees it and can't read it — but the insert can flag "mark has been altered in the past N hours" if they have lattice scanning active). This is an information asymmetry showcase: the smuggler reads meaning; the detective reads only an anomaly.
**NPC who uses it:** The ring coordinator (unnamed, off-stage in v0.1). Kael and Drin are users but not setters of this signal.
---
## 4. Transition Corridor
The ~40m corridor connecting the Terminal district to the bar district is the ring's unavoidable exposure zone. There is no maintenance corridor equivalent for this stretch — the public transit corridor is the only route between the two buildings.
### 4.1 Corridor Layout
```
Scale: 1 cell = 2m (corridor is ~40m; shown at half scale = 20 cells long).
Width: 6m wide (3 cells at this scale).
[TERMINAL DISTRICT]
|
↓ south
############# T = 0m
# . . . . . #
# . . . . . # <- Zone A: Terminal-side (near scanner bay exit)
# . . . . . #
# . . . . . #
#####[D]##### T = 10m <- Service alcove (maintenance access door, one side)
# . . . . . #
# [BENCH] # <- seating alcove (mid-corridor), Zone B: mid-corridor
# . . . . . #
# . . . . . #
# . . . . . # T = 20m
# . . . . . #
#####[SV]#### T = 24m <- Surveillance camera (station security, visible)
# . . . . . #
# . . . . . # <- Zone C: bar-side
# . . . . . #
# . . . [NT]# T = 32m <- News ticker relay (same feed as bar's ticker)
# . . . . . #
# . . . . . #
# . . . . . # T = 40m
|
↓ south
[BAR DISTRICT]
```
### 4.2 Zone Breakdown
| Zone | Distance | Character | Notes |
|------|----------|-----------|-------|
| Zone A (Terminal side) | 0–12m | Industrial. Well-lit functional lighting. Near scanner bay traffic. | NPCs emerging from Terminal work zone pass through here. |
| Mid-corridor | 12–28m | Transitional. Seating alcove used by workers waiting for shift transport. | The camera at T=24m covers this stretch. |
| Zone C (Bar side) | 28–40m | Warmer ambient at far end as bar lighting bleeds around the corner. | Most relaxed zone — "off shift" feeling begins here. |
### 4.3 The Surveillance Camera
The station security camera at T=24m is a **key plot element**. It is:
- **Visible to the player** (rendered as a mounted fixture, z-layer 4)
- **Known to the ring** — ring members do not exchange goods or signals in this corridor
- **Accessible to the detective** — with the right lattice query, the detective can pull the camera feed (perception mode: camera feeds, D-017)
- **Gameable** — camera feeds can be looped or spoofed. The ring doesn't currently loop this camera (that would itself be an anomaly), but the possibility exists.
**Investigation note:** The camera's timestamp data can establish when ring members used this corridor. Pattern analysis across days reveals the ring's operational schedule. This is the detective's primary hard evidence vector for the transition corridor.
### 4.4 Traffic Density
```
TERMINAL → BAR direction (south) BAR → TERMINAL direction (north)
Dawn (05-07) very sparse very sparse
Morning shift (07-09) busy (workers leaving Terminal) sparse
Mid-morning (09-12) moderate moderate
Lunch (12-13) moderate (bar-going) moderate
Afternoon (13-17) sparse sparse
Evening shift (17-19) busy (shift end) busy (new arrivals)
Evening social (19-23) moderate (bar-goers) moderate (early leavers)
Late night (23-02) sparse sparse
Deep night (02-05) VERY SPARSE VERY SPARSE
```
**Ring window:** Deep night (23-02) southbound, for ring members heading to bar-side handoffs. Very sparse traffic means a ring member in the corridor is conspicuous if observed by anyone else. The camera cannot be avoided.
**Investigative implication:** At night, the corridor is so sparse that any NPC on camera is worth noting. The detective PC who reviews camera logs from deep night windows has a short list of suspects.
---
## 5. Spatial Overlay: Ring Operation Flow
How a standard shipment moves through the spatial system:
```
Inbound cargo (arrives via span gate)
↓
[Scanner Bay B — Kael scans and clears (SB-B, Terminal)]
↓ manifest entry routes contraband to restricted storage slot
[Restricted Storage — cargo staged (Terminal, rows 27-30)]
↓ when clear of Voss + ring-safe timing
[Dead-Drop 1 confirms go-signal (restricted storage, south wall)]
↓ maintenance hatch access
[Maintenance Corridor — ring carrier moves item (M-HATCH-T exit)]
↓ checks go/no-go signal
[Dead-Drop 3 — "The Mark" read mid-corridor]
↓ if GO:
[Maintenance Corridor continues to bar side (M-HATCH-B entry)]
↓ enters bathroom corridor
[Bathroom Corridor — brief transit through bar (Last Shift east zone)]
↓
[Back Room (Lera's space) — item transfer or staging for buyer pickup]
```
**What makes this invisible:** Each step has a mundane explanation:
- Kael scanning cargo = job
- Restricted storage access = authorized worker entering authorized space
- Someone in the maintenance corridor = maintenance worker
- Someone in the bathroom corridor = using the bathroom
- Someone in the back room = talking to Lera
Only the full pattern, observed across multiple instances, reveals the operation. No single observation is suspicious. This is asymmetric information as a spatial design.
---
## 6. Discovery Path Design
For investigation design purposes, the spatial layout supports two discovery approaches for the detective PC:
### Path A — Pattern Recognition (insert-heavy)
1. Corridor camera logs → Kael's deep-night transit pattern established
2. Manifest database access (Terminal, manifest processing) → anomalous cargo entries flagged
3. Restricted storage access pattern (timing) → anomalous frequency established
4. Full picture: regular person, regular location, abnormal schedule = ring member
### Path B — Physical Traversal (exploration-heavy)
1. Break room conversation → floor worker mentions Kael's odd hours
2. Physical discovery of maintenance hatch (via break room adjacent) → access discovered
3. Maintenance corridor traversal → Dead-Drop 2 or 3 discovered
4. Dead-Drop 3 mark analysis → insert flags "recently altered"
5. Full picture: someone is using these corridors with intent
**Both paths are equally valid.** The detective PC's analytical lattice makes Path A faster; a detective playing with insert-off or minimal lattice activation discovers Path B organically. Neither path requires confrontation before late investigation stages.
---
## Dead-Drop Summary Table
| Drop | Location | Container type | Ring function | Discovery route |
|------|----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
| DD-1 — "The Shelf" | Restricted storage, south rack | Cargo tag (physical marker) | Small item / instruction transfer | Restricted storage access + insert pattern flag |
| DD-2 — "The Box" | Maintenance corridor, near Terminal hatch | Junction box compartment | Data chip / information transfer | Physical discovery in corridor; or sound proximity |
| DD-3 — "The Mark" | Maintenance corridor, mid-run (28m) | Wall mark (go/no-go signal) | Status signal — operation go/no-go | Smuggler: reads meaning. Detective: insert flags alteration timestamp. |
---
## Notes for Copy Team (#192 — Smuggling Ring Content Pack)
1. **Ring communications are never explicit.** NPCs don't say "this is a dead-drop" or "the operation moves tonight." The ring's operational knowledge is encoded spatially (the mark) and physically (the drop). Dialogue about ring operations is oblique — NPC lines should use the same mundane vocabulary: "the cargo," "the back section," "the late run."
2. **The maintenance corridor has sensory character.** Era 1 construction: grating underfoot (distinct resonant sound per D-074), cold maintenance-grade lighting with longer gaps between pools, the hum of station infrastructure (power conduits, climate ducting). Monologue lines set in the corridor should use sensory grounding — this is physically different from the Terminal or bar.
3. **Dead-Drop 3 is the most narratively rich.** It's the one where the two player characters have asymmetric understanding. The smuggler PC reads the mark and gets information; the detective PC sees an anomaly and must reason. Mellanie's lines for this location should fork hard on player character: smuggler lines are direct ("Go. Tonight."), detective lines are interpretive ("That secondary mark. Something changed it recently.").
4. **The transition corridor is a tonal between-space.** Moving through it is moving between two social temperatures — the Terminal's institutional cool to the bar's warm amber. Mellanie's monologue lines for corridor transit should reflect this transition: leaving one context, entering another, the 40m walk as a beat of reflection.
5. **Voss's blind spot is spatial.** His window looks south into the cargo floor. He cannot see the main corridor or the maintenance hatch. This spatial fact — not a character flaw, not a relationship — is what makes the ring's operation feasible. The player who understands the building layout understands why Kael chose this job.
6. **The camera in the transition corridor is the ring's known constraint.** Ring members know it's there and operate around it. Any NPC dialogue about moving goods or meeting times will contain an implicit reference to timing around the camera window — again, oblique. "We're better early" = "before the camera maintenance window." Mellanie should build this into Kael's dialogue without making it explicit.
docs/design/spatial-layout-terminal-v01.md
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# Spatial Layout: The Terminal (Sova Logistics Hub)
**Ticket:** #311
**Date:** 2026-02-19
**Author:** Araminta (Visual Designer)
**Status:** v0.1 — wireframe quality, unblocks copy #190
**Grid:** 1 cell = 1m visual tile (visual grammar §2.1). Simulation operates at 0.5m; each visual tile = 2×2 sim tiles.
**Map area:** 44m wide × 28m deep (44×28 visual tiles)
**Zone palette:** Cool grey-navy institutional (visual grammar §1.2)
---
## Floor Plan
```
N (district entry — public side)
|
1111111111222222222233333333334444444
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456
#############[D]##########[D]############# row 01 <- entry facade
# # row 02
# ENTRY LOBBY # row 03 ACCESS: PUBLIC
# . . . . . . . . . . . # row 04
####[D]########[D]########[D]############# row 05 <- scanner bay entry doors
# SB-A # SB-B # SB-C # row 06
# [T] . # [T] . # [T] . . . . # row 07 ACCESS: PUBLIC (monitored)
# . . . . # . . . . # . . . . . . . # row 08
####[D]####[D]########[D]####[D]########### row 09 <- into main corridor
# . . . . . . . . MAIN CORRIDOR . . . .# row 10 CHOKEPOINT (see §5)
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .# row 11
####[D]############[D]#########[D]######### row 12 <- into work zones
# MANIFEST # CARGO FLOOR # SUPVR # row 13
# PROC. # # OFFICE # row 14 ACCESS: SEMI-PRIVATE / PRIVATE
# [T][T][T] # [C][C] [C][C] # [=][=]=# row 15 <- SO window onto cargo floor
# [T][T][T] # # [=][=]=# row 16
# [T] # [C][C] [C][C] # [T] # row 17
# # # [DESK] # row 18
# [T] # [C][C] [C][C] # . [D] # row 19 <- SO door to cargo floor
# . . . . . # ######## # row 20
########[D]## . . . . . . . . # row 21 <- break room door
# BREAK RM # [C][C] [C][C] # row 22 ACCESS: SEMI-PRIVATE
# [T][ ] # # row 23
# [ ][ ] # [C][C] [C][C] # row 24
# [ ] # ^ # row 25 <- ^ = restricted storage door (locked)
# . . . . # #########[D]########### # row 26
########### # # RESTRICTED STORAGE # # row 27 ACCESS: PRIVATE
# # [RS][RS][RS][RS] # # row 28
# # [RS][RS][RS][RS] # # row 29
# ###################### # row 30
############################## row 31
|
S (maintenance access, back-of-station)
```
**Legend:**
```
# Wall (solid, blocks LOS and movement)
. Open walkable floor
[D] Doorway (traversable, no door sprite in v0.1)
[=]= Window (transparent wall — LOS passes through, movement blocked)
[T] Terminal / workstation
[C] Cargo container (furniture-scale object, blocks LOS at z-layer 2)
[ ] Table / chair / seating
SB-x Scanner bay x (inbound/outbound cargo scanning station)
SUPVR Supervisor office
MFST Manifest processing
RS Restricted storage rack
```
---
## Zone Breakdown
### Zone 1 — Entry Lobby (rows 01–05)
**Access tier:** Public
**Purpose:** The public-facing entry into the logistics hub. Anyone with business on Sova Transit can enter here. Cargo and workers flow through the scanner bays; visitors wait or pass through.
**NPC traffic:** Busy on shift change (morning, evening), moderate midday, sparse nights.
**LOS notes:** Open area. Full LOS across lobby. No cover.
**Key feature:** From the entry lobby you can observe which scanner bay is active and who is being scanned. But you can't see the main corridor from here — the scanner bays break sightlines.
### Zone 2 — Scanner Bays (SB-A, SB-B, SB-C) (rows 06–09)
**Access tier:** Public (monitored)
**Purpose:** All cargo entering or leaving the hub passes through a scanner bay. Kael is stationed at SB-B (primary inbound cargo, the busiest channel). SB-A and SB-C handle outbound and overflow.
**NPC traffic:** Continuous flow during work hours; Kael has no reason to leave the bay unless break or errand.
**LOS notes:** Each bay is separated by wall partitions. From SB-B you can see into SB-A and SB-C only through the shared doorway at row 09 into the main corridor. Workers in scanner bays have NO LOS to the cargo floor or supervisor office.
**Key feature:** The scan terminals have records of all cargo passing through (manifest discrepancies are visible here). Investigation entry point.
### Zone 3 — Main Corridor (rows 10–12) — THE CHOKEPOINT
**Access tier:** Semi-public (worker access expected, visitors uncommon)
**Purpose:** The east-west throughway connecting scanner bays (north) to all back-of-house zones (south). Every worker moving between entry and the work area passes through this corridor. Every NPC going to the break room, manifest processing, cargo floor, or supervisor office crosses here.
**NPC traffic:** Moderate-busy during work hours; near-zero during nights or off-shift periods.
**LOS notes:** FULL EAST-WEST LOS. From any position in the corridor you can observe all four south-facing doorways (manifest processing, cargo floor west, cargo floor east, supervisor's corridor). You can ALSO see through the supervisor's windows [=] into the office if positioned in the east section of the corridor. This is the single highest-information position in The Terminal.
**Investigation note:** Standing in the main corridor and doing nothing is suspicious. The player needs a cover reason (idle near a crate, appear to be consulting an insert map, Sneak stance). Voss's office window faces south into the cargo floor, not north — he cannot see the main corridor. This gives the corridor a surveillance gap relative to authority.
### Zone 4 — Manifest Processing (rows 13–26, west side)
**Access tier:** Semi-private (workers only, no public reason to enter)
**Purpose:** Where manifests are processed, discrepancies flagged, and cargo logs maintained. Maret works here. Drin passes through occasionally (their role puts them in contact with Maret — Triangle 2 tension originates in their shared knowledge of a manifest irregularity).
**NPC traffic:** Low foot traffic. Maret is usually here during work hours. Drin visits intermittently. Rare for floor workers to enter.
**LOS notes:** Door at row 12 opens onto the main corridor. From the manifest processing area, you can see into the main corridor when the door is open, but NOT into the cargo floor (solid wall partition). The [T] terminals along the east wall face the partition — Maret works with her back to the corridor, visible from the door, unaware of who's watching from the corridor.
**Key feature:** Manifest processing has access to the full cargo database. A player who reaches a terminal here can surface manifest discrepancies that are invisible from the scanner bays.
### Zone 5 — Cargo Floor (rows 13–30, center)
**Access tier:** Semi-private (workers only)
**Purpose:** Where freight is staged, sorted, and held before redistribution. Kael, Nils, and other floor workers spend most of their shift here. [C] blocks represent standard cargo container staging racks.
**NPC traffic:** Busy during work hours. Workers move between container rows. Moderate on breaks. Supervisor spot-checks from the door or window (rows 19 and 15-16).
**LOS notes:** The cargo containers [C] create partial cover. A player or NPC crouching behind a container stack has concealment from the supervisor's window. However, the container layout leaves clear aisles — movement through the floor is visible if Voss is watching. The restricted storage door (row 26, center) is visible from the cargo floor and from the supervisor's window.
**Key feature:** The restricted storage entrance is at the back of the cargo floor. Reaching it from the cargo floor is observable from the supervisor's window. Any unauthorized access attempt is visible to Voss unless the player ensures Voss is away from his desk (or the player uses the break room timing window, during which floor traffic decreases).
### Zone 6 — Supervisor's Office (rows 13–20, east side)
**Access tier:** Private (Voss only, or by invitation/authority)
**Purpose:** Voss manages the hub from here. The [=] windows (rows 15-16) give him a direct visual line across the cargo floor. His desk faces the window — he works while watching.
**NPC traffic:** Voss is here most of the shift. He exits occasionally to walk the floor (social/authority move) or to attend to something in manifest processing. The door at row 19 opens directly to the cargo floor.
**LOS notes:** From the supervisor's window, Voss has LOS across the entire cargo floor including the restricted storage door. He CANNOT see: the main corridor (windows face south/west into cargo floor only), the break room, or the manifest processing interior. His blind spots are deliberate — the floor is his domain, administration is not.
**Key feature:** The supervisor's window is two-way. Voss can see the cargo floor; cargo floor workers can see whether Voss is at his desk. This creates behavioral signals: workers (including Kael) act differently when the office light is on. Insert observation from the main corridor can detect whether Voss is watching.
### Zone 7 — Break Room (rows 22–26, west side)
**Access tier:** Semi-private (workers only; informal, unwatched)
**Purpose:** The off-shift space. Workers eat here, complain here, and sometimes say things they wouldn't say on the floor. Informal social hub. No surveillance. Voss never enters (it would kill the informal atmosphere he relies on — floor workers stop talking candidly when management appears).
**NPC traffic:** High during break periods, near-zero during work hours. Key NPC conversations happen here.
**LOS notes:** No windows. Solid walls on all sides. Completely visually isolated from cargo floor and corridor. A player inside the break room knows nothing about what's happening on the floor. **This is the only space in The Terminal where NPCs will say things they wouldn't say anywhere else.**
**Dead-drop location:** See §313 spatial layout.
### Zone 8 — Restricted Storage (rows 27–30, center-south)
**Access tier:** Private (access-coded, ring members only)
**Purpose:** Officially: overflow storage for high-value or flagged cargo. In practice: the staging point for contraband (unlicensed lattice components, D-037). Access requires a code that only certain personnel have.
**NPC traffic:** Very sparse. A legitimate visit from Voss is possible but rare. Ring members visit in small windows of low supervisor attention.
**LOS notes:** The single access door is visible from the cargo floor and from the supervisor's window. There is no back exit. Anyone entering restricted storage can be observed doing so.
**Key feature:** The chokepoint for the smuggling arc. The ring has to move cargo through this room at some point. The detect/observe/intervene loop for the detective character runs through this door.
---
## Key Observation Positions
| Position | Code | LOS coverage | Why it matters |
|----------|------|-------------|----------------|
| Main corridor (center) | POS-1 | All four south-facing doors; SO windows [=] | Highest-information position. Every NPC in the Terminal passes here. |
| Scanner bay B door (row 09, center) | POS-2 | Main corridor + partial SB-A and SB-C | Kael's natural position. He can observe corridor traffic while appearing to work. |
| Behind cargo containers (row 20-21, center) | POS-3 | Restricted storage door; SO window side | Concealed position. Can observe restricted storage access without being in open floor. |
| Break room door (row 21, west) | POS-4 | Main corridor through door; break room interior | Transitional. Can eavesdrop without fully entering. |
| Manifest processing door (row 12, west) | POS-5 | Main corridor; manifest processing interior | Observe Maret's terminal activity from corridor without entering. |
---
## Sightline Analysis
```
FROM → Corridor Cargo Fl. Supvr Off. Manifest Break Rm Restr.Stor.
TO ↓
Main corridor SELF via door NO (SO→S) via door via door NO
Cargo floor via door SELF [=] window NO wall NO wall via door
Supervisor off. NO (faces S) [=] SELF NO NO [=] partial
Manifest proc. via door NO wall NO SELF NO NO
Break room via door NO wall NO NO SELF NO
Restr. storage NO via door [=] partial NO NO SELF
[=] = line of sight through window (one-way for gameplay unless player enters SO)
"NO wall" = wall blocks LOS
"via door" = LOS exists when door is open (all doors open in v0.1)
```
**Critical sightline: Supervisor window → restricted storage door**
Voss can see every approach to restricted storage from his desk. This is the core spatial tension of the smuggling arc. The ring must work around this observation.
---
## Access Tier Map
```
PUBLIC SEMI-PUBLIC SEMI-PRIVATE PRIVATE
────── ─────────── ──────────── ───────
Entry lobby Main corridor Cargo floor Supervisor office
Scanner bays (anyone with Manifest proc. Restricted storage
(monitored) worker reason Break room
to be there)
```
Movement between tiers is possible but increasingly flagged:
- Public → semi-public: unremarkable
- Semi-public → semi-private: player needs walk reason (worker NPC → trivial, detective with badge → possible, smuggler → requires familiarity with someone inside)
- Semi-private → private: requires access code or authority (Voss's invitation)
---
## NPC Traffic Density Annotations
| Time | Entry Lobby | Scanner Bays | Main Corridor | Cargo Floor | Break Room | Restricted |
|------|------------|-------------|---------------|-------------|------------|------------|
| Dawn (05-07) | sparse | sparse | sparse | sparse | sparse | very sparse |
| Morning shift change (07-09) | busy | busy | busy | busy | sparse | very sparse |
| Mid-morning (09-12) | moderate | moderate | moderate | busy | sparse | very sparse |
| Lunch break (12-13) | sparse | sparse | sparse | sparse | busy | very sparse |
| Afternoon (13-17) | moderate | moderate | moderate | busy | sparse | very sparse |
| Evening shift change (17-19) | busy | moderate | busy | moderate | moderate | sparse |
| Night (19-23) | sparse | sparse | sparse | sparse | sparse | sparse |
| Deep night (23-05) | very sparse | very sparse | very sparse | very sparse | very sparse | rare |
**Ring window:** Deep night (23-02). Traffic on the cargo floor is very sparse. Restricted storage access is least likely to be observed by non-ring personnel. Voss is off-shift (office dark). The main corridor is nearly empty.
---
## Narrative Triangle Service Notes
### Triangle 1 — Hub Power (Voss – Kael – Nils)
- **Spatial expression:** Voss watches from his window; Kael and Nils work the cargo floor below. The observation geometry makes the power relationship spatial: Voss is elevated and apart, workers are on the floor in his line of sight.
- **Tension locations:** Main corridor (where Voss gives directives), cargo floor (where Kael works under observation), supervisor's office door (the private conversation space for Triangle 1 escalation).
- **Sightline implications:** Nils can see Kael talking to Voss at the SO door. Kael can see Nils noticing. Everything on the cargo floor is visible to multiple parties.
### Triangle 2 — Worried Knowledge (Maret – Drin – Voss)
- **Spatial expression:** Maret in manifest processing sees the discrepancies. Drin has access to Maret's area (reason to visit). Voss's office is a floor away — Maret can't easily speak to him without being observed crossing the main corridor.
- **Tension locations:** Manifest processing (where Maret's knowledge lives), main corridor (the watched crossing between Maret and Voss), supervisor's office (the destination Maret fears and needs).
- **Sightline implications:** Maret going to the SO door is visible from the corridor and from the cargo floor. It's a public act. This is the spatial cost of Maret choosing to act.
---
## Notes for Copy Team (#190 — Workplace Content Pack)
1. **Scanner bay is Kael's home base.** Dialogue lines set "at the scanner" should describe the ambient of machinery hum, cargo transport belts, distant supervisor's window (is the light on?).
2. **Main corridor is the natural meeting-in-passing location.** NPCs cross here with purpose; lingering draws attention. Lines set "in the corridor" are brief, can-be-overheard exchanges.
3. **Break room is the candid space.** This is where workers say things they'd never say on the floor. Lena's worry about Kael can be voiced here (but Lena isn't a Terminal character — this is for floor workers, Nils especially).
4. **Supervisor's office conversations are formal and asymmetric.** Voss speaks from the window-side, which puts him with light behind him. Workers face into the light. Staging for any SO dialogue should use this power geometry.
5. **Restricted storage is never described directly in overheard NPC dialogue.** NPCs refer to it obliquely: "the back," "the overflow section," "the access." The player learns the word "restricted storage" from signs and the insert, not from NPC speech.
6. **Time of day matters.** Cargo floor is empty enough at deep night that footsteps echo. This is qualitatively different from midday. Mellanie's monologue lines for Terminal exploration should have time-tagged variants.
docs/design/visual-grammar-v01.md
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@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ Per D-049. Layers are Godot CanvasLayer z-indices. Higher index = renders on top
| **4** | Overhead / wall tops | Pipes, ducts, signage, lighting fixtures, wall tops | Semi-transparent partial occlusion (~70% opacity). Creates information gaps within known spaces. |
| **5** | Fog of perception | Vision cone mask + fog shader + sound ping sprites | Affects layers 0–4. Does NOT affect layers 6–7. |
| **6** | Insert overlay | Lattice HUD elements, relationship markers, cursor, interaction labels | Bloom-rendered. NOT masked by fog — computational, not perceptual. |
| **7** | Monologue / UI | Internal monologue text, dialogue box, world menu, HUD chrome | Always visible. Top of stack. |
| **7** | Monologue / UI | Internal monologue text, dialogue box, world menu, HUD chrome, cursor (D-056) | Always visible. Top of stack. |
### 4.2 Y-Sorting Rule
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ Publicly motivated behavior. Instantly readable from a glance. Player can determ
| Animation | Frames | Notes |
|-----------|--------|-------|
| Idle | 2–3 frames | Subtle breathing cycle. Not distracting. |
| Walk | 8 frames (2 directions × 4 frames, mirrored for L/R) | 4-directional coverage. North/south are distinct draws; east/west are mirrors. |
| Walk | 8 frames (2 directions × 4 frames, mirrored for L/R) | Interpretation of D-047's "4–6 directional frames" range: 4 frames per drawn direction (N/S), mirrored for E/W = 8 total frames in the animation strip. |
| Working at terminal | 2–3 states | Key-tap, pause, review. Readable as "doing their job." |
| Handling cargo | 2–3 states | Lift, carry, set down. |
| Eating / drinking | 2–3 states | Raise, consume, lower. Readable as "on break." |