docs(decisions): record 24 workshop decisions and updated questions
D-records from Where's the Fun workshop across architecture, content, and scope domains. Updated open questions for v0.2 pivot. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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| File | Domain | Decisions |
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|------|--------|-----------|
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| [architecture.md](architecture.md) | Technical foundation | D-008, D-009, D-010, D-012, D-020, D-026, D-030, D-031, D-041, D-042, D-054, D-055, D-066, D-068, D-073, D-085, D-088, D-094, D-096, D-097, D-099, D-100, D-101, D-102, D-103, D-106, D-108, D-109, D-113 |
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| [architecture.md](architecture.md) | Technical foundation | D-008, D-009, D-010, D-012, D-020, D-026, D-030, D-031, D-041, D-042, D-054, D-055, D-066, D-068, D-073, D-085, D-088, D-094, D-096, D-097, D-099, D-100, D-101, D-102, D-103, D-106, D-108, D-109, D-113, D-133, D-134, D-135, D-136, D-137 |
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| [perception.md](perception.md) | Player observation | D-011, D-015, D-016, D-017, D-018, D-019, D-033, D-035, D-043, D-044, D-045, D-046, D-047, D-048, D-049, D-052, D-056, D-057, D-058, D-059, D-060, D-061, D-067, D-069, D-070, D-071, D-072, D-076, D-077, D-078, D-086 |
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| [content.md](content.md) | NPC, dialogue, templates | D-023, D-024, D-025, D-028, D-029, D-032, D-034, D-035, D-036, D-037, D-050, D-062, D-063, D-064, D-074, D-075, D-084, D-090, D-092, D-093, D-095, D-098, D-104, D-105, D-107 |
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| [scope.md](scope.md) | Game concept, prototype | D-001, D-003, D-005, D-006, D-007, D-013, D-014, D-027, D-038, D-039, D-051, D-053, D-065, D-087, D-089, D-091 |
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| [content.md](content.md) | NPC, dialogue, templates | D-023, D-024, D-025, D-028, D-029, D-032, D-034, D-035, D-036, D-037, D-050, D-062, D-063, D-064, D-074, D-075, D-084, D-090, D-092, D-093, D-095, D-098, D-104, D-105, D-107, D-121, D-122, D-123, D-124, D-125, D-126, D-127, D-128, D-129, D-130, D-131, D-132 |
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| [scope.md](scope.md) | Game concept, prototype | D-001, D-003, D-005, D-006, D-007, D-013, D-014, D-027, D-038, D-039, D-051, D-053, D-065, D-087, D-089, D-091, D-114, D-115, D-116, D-117, D-118, D-119, D-120 |
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| [process.md](process.md) | Team, workflow | D-004, D-021, D-022, D-040 |
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| [questions.md](questions.md) | Open questions (index) | Q-001 through Q-054 |
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| [questions-architecture.md](questions-architecture.md) | Technical questions | Q-001, Q-006, Q-009, Q-018–Q-023, Q-029, Q-030, Q-046 |
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@@ -438,4 +438,50 @@ Technical foundation decisions that constrain implementation: engine, client-ser
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---
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*33 decisions. Last updated: 2026-03-05 (D-113 added — tile data model design, Sprint 24)*
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### D-133: Skills affect outcome — same verbs available, skill determines quality
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** The skills-to-verb coupling model is: everyone sees the same verbs (mostly). Skills determine how well you execute — bad at social means you can still talk, just badly. Some advanced verbs may still be gated by skill level, but the default is outcome-based, not access-based. This is the simplest learnable model: try anything, skill determines result.
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- **Rationale:** Verb access gating (skill gates whether you can even attempt an action) creates invisible walls and punishes players for trying. Outcome-based (skill determines quality of result) lets players learn by doing and creates organic differentiation. A tycoon with low social can still negotiate — they just negotiate poorly, which produces interesting consequences.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 5
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen) — outcome model (option C)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Cross-reference:** [D-120](scope.md#d-120-no-skill-ceiling-in-v02--transhumanist-ladder-deferred) (no skill ceiling in v0.2)
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### D-134: Full character customization — hair, clothing, colors at tile scale
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** Full character appearance customization is in scope: hair, clothing, colors. Readability at top-down tile scale is solved through outline and highlight mechanics, not by limiting customization options. The character creation screen is an emotional investment moment — the player should feel this is their character.
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- **Rationale:** Customization at this scale was assumed to be a readability risk. The workshop decision: solve the readability problem rather than limit the player. Readability via outline/highlight is a solved problem in the tile rendering pipeline. Limiting customization would undermine the identity investment that makes life-sim attachment possible.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 11
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
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- **Dissent:** None
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### D-135: Setting delivery via both layers — visual world + insert in parallel
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** Setting is delivered through two parallel layers: (1) the physical world — visuals and NPC behavior show context, atmosphere, place; (2) the neural insert — names, contextualizes, provides information the character would know from their background. Araminta (visual layer) and Mellanie (insert copy layer) work in parallel. Both layers are required from day one of the tycoon bookmark experience.
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- **Rationale:** Either layer alone is insufficient. Visuals without naming leave the player in a beautiful void with no cultural foothold. Naming without visuals produces an exposition dump. Both together produce the "this is a place" sensation the workshop identified as the missing ingredient of v0.1.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 12
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen) — both layered (option C)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Cross-reference:** [D-128](content.md#d-128-culture-implicit-in-starting-location--krenn-system-equals-krenn-culture) (culture as context for insert copy)
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### D-136: First Settled Reach moment — auto-generated apartment + insert activation
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** The first moment of The Settled Reach is two layered beats: (1) Waking up in YOUR auto-generated apartment (reflects your economic position from the tycoon bookmark; wealthy, modest, or constrained start matters). (2) Insert activation — the neural implant powering on is intimate, personal, tech-specific. The alarm clock is the Groundhog Day homage ([D-126](content.md#d-126-groundhog-day-alarm-clock-homage--first-game-day-only)). The apartment reflects the character's economic position — auto-generated, not hand-built.
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- **Rationale:** The apartment establishes place, economic status, and self without exposition. Insert activation establishes the neural lattice as intimate and personal — this is your character's relationship with their technology. Both beats together create the "this is MY character in MY world" moment that v0.1 lacked.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 13
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Cross-reference:** [D-126](content.md#d-126-groundhog-day-alarm-clock-homage--first-game-day-only) (alarm clock tone), [D-135](#d-135-setting-delivery-via-both-layers--visual-world--insert-in-parallel) (both layers active from first moment)
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### D-137: Generator produces both structural and cosmetic variety at different scales
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** The generator must produce two types of variety simultaneously at different scales: (1) Structural variety — operates at seed level: different playthroughs have genuinely different world structures (economic landscape, faction power balance, crisis composition, NPC role distribution). (2) Cosmetic variety — operates within a structure: NPC names, faces, apartment layouts vary per instance. Structural variety is the higher-priority proof for the Sprint 25 spike ([D-119](scope.md#d-119-generator-spike-confirmed-for-sprint-25--critical-path)).
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- **Rationale:** Cosmetic variety without structural variety produces "same game with different wallpaper." Structural variety without cosmetic variety produces identical-looking characters with different internal states. Both are load-bearing for the life-sim experience — structural variety drives replay value, cosmetic variety drives in-session believability.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 23
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Cross-reference:** [D-114](scope.md#d-114-v02-proof-of-life--generator--graphics-not-hand-built-slice) (generator proof-of-life), [D-119](scope.md#d-119-generator-spike-confirmed-for-sprint-25--critical-path) (Sprint 25 generator spike)
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---
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*38 decisions. Last updated: 2026-03-05 (D-133–D-137 added — Where's the Fun? Workshop)*
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- **Rationale:** A galaxy-spanning game needs content architecture that scales without hand-crafting everything. The life-sim substrate creates attachment that gives conspiracies emotional weight. Pool-based Tier 1 modules enable replayability and DLC expansion.
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen), with full team endorsement across 3 rounds
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Amendment (2026-03-05, Where's the Fun? Workshop):** Tier 1 "authored drama modules" concept is deferred for v0.2. [D-114](scope.md#d-114-v02-proof-of-life--generator--graphics-not-hand-built-slice) (generator-first proof-of-life) and [D-127](#d-127-player-choices-are-the-content--rimworld-model-job-as-rails) (player choices are the content) establish that v0.2 ships zero authored drama modules. The three-tier architecture remains valid for the full game, but the Tier 1 pool is empty by design in v0.2 — generator-first validates Tier 2 and Tier 3 before Tier 1 modules are authored. Tier 1 will be authored after the generator spike (D-119) proves legible characters and readable relationships.
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### D-024: NPC generation model — 10 axes + combat component
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- **Date:** 2026-02-10
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- **Rationale:** Axes that create contradictions within NPCs produce player decisions. The 5 key interactions (Want×Secret, Routine×Secret, Tolerance×Relationships, Want×Relationships, Personality×Tolerance) drive the full investigation-and-social gameplay loop. Contentment axis (proposed by Gore) connects generated NPCs to the thematic spine. Combat as component follows the same pattern as perception modes ([D-017](perception.md#d-017-perception-modes-as-character-build-system)).
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- **Raised by:** Gestalt (consolidation), Gore (contentment axis), Paula (triangle model), Tyre (combat component). Full team endorsed.
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Amendment (2026-03-05, Where's the Fun? Workshop):** The 10-axis model and core generation logic survive. However, [D-122](#d-122-all-npcs-generated--no-named-hand-authored-characters) (all NPCs generated) removes all named hand-authored NPCs from v0.2. Named NPCs and hand-authored triangles are now generator outputs, not authored content. The 10 axes apply to all generated NPCs. The `NpcBlueprint` struct (Tyre prerequisite for D-119 generator spike) must encode these axes as generator output format. Cultural/origin template (previously called "generation-time flavor") is now the primary driver per [D-128](#d-128-culture-implicit-in-starting-location--krenn-system-equals-krenn-culture) and [D-121](#d-121-voice-is-culture-driven--job-as-modifier).
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### D-025: Social site / functional cluster as atomic template unit
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- **Date:** 2026-02-10
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- **Rationale:** All four layers are load-bearing — each enriches the previous ones. Tagged pools avoid combinatorial explosion while trait modifiers produce character variety. The generation pass (write 10, generate 40) scales authored content. Every memorable line needs a human hand; the generation pass fills the background.
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- **Raised by:** Mellanie (authoring model), Paula (relational layers), Gestalt (axis-to-pipeline mapping), Tyre (previewer feasibility)
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- **Dissent:** None on model. Minor ordering difference: Mellanie front-loads access tiers (structural), Paula front-loads relationship history (narrative). Both sequences work.
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- **Amendment (2026-03-05, Where's the Fun? Workshop):** The tagged line pool architecture survives for authored content, but the v0.2 NPC content pipeline pivots to AI-assisted templating. [D-123](#d-123-generative-ai-for-npc-content-templating-via-culture-vectors) (generative AI for NPC content) replaces the hand-authoring model for NPC dialogue pools. The four relational layers remain valid as a selection architecture, but pools will be populated by template assembly (culture vectors + job modifiers + AI generation) rather than hand-authoring. Hand-authored content (anchor lines per D-092, player monologue) remains hand-authored.
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### D-029: Population entanglement ratio — 30/50/20
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- **Date:** 2026-02-10
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- **Rationale:** If every NPC is suspicious, investigation collapses. The mundane triangles ARE the life-sim game — hours of play that never touch conspiracy. Variable entanglement rate defeats metagaming across playthroughs. Quiet life must feel genuinely good, not empty.
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- **Raised by:** Gore (thematic), Paula (30/50/20 split), Nigel (anti-metagaming), Team Leader (majority unentangled)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Amendment (2026-03-05, Where's the Fun? Workshop):** The 30/50/20 population split rationale survives but implementation context changes. [D-122](#d-122-all-npcs-generated--no-named-hand-authored-characters) (all NPCs generated) means no NPC is hand-authored. The "entangled 20%" are generated NPCs whose triangles happen to be flagged for intrigue content. For the tycoon v0.2 bookmark ([D-117](scope.md#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content)), the split applies to economic, social, and mundane triangles rather than investigation-intrigue triangles. The specific ratios will be revisited after the generator spike ([D-119](scope.md#d-119-generator-spike-confirmed-for-sprint-25--critical-path)) proves what population density the generator can sustain.
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### D-032: Separate monologue pools per character
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### D-032: Separate monologue pools per character [SUPERSEDED]
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- **Date:** 2026-02-11
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- **Superseded by:** [D-117](scope.md#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content) (single tycoon character in v0.2 eliminates the smuggler/detective hard partition). The principle of character-specific monologue pools survives — the tycoon has their own monologue pool. The hard partition between smuggler and detective does not apply when there is only one playable character. Per [D-127](#d-127-player-choices-are-the-content--rimworld-model-job-as-rails), the player's monologue reflects their character background. The partition design is preserved as a pattern for when multiple playable characters are reintroduced.
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- **Decision:** Internal monologue content is hard-partitioned by playable character. The smuggler and detective have completely separate monologue pools — no shared lines. The `character` tag on monologue lines is a hard partition, not a filter. File structure uses separate files per character per location (e.g., `monologue-smuggler.yaml`, `monologue-detective.yaml`).
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- **Rationale:** Shared monologue would dilute character voice and undermine the dual-lens experience. Each character's internal voice must be independently coherent. Same trigger, different pool — this is how mirror moments work without either pool knowing about the other.
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- **Cross-reference:** Dialogue lines remain character-agnostic — the access tier system (D-028 Layer 1) handles per-character filtering without separate pools.
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- **Cross-reference:** NPC triangle model ([D-024](#d-024-npc-generation-model--10-axes--combat-component)), relationship web ([D-029](#d-029-population-entanglement-ratio--305020)), vertical slice criteria ([D-027](scope.md#d-027-vertical-slice--smuggler--detective-two-character-proof))
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- **Raised by:** Ozzie (emotional concept, Round 1), Paula (structural design and both FRIEND profiles, Round 2), project lead (confirmed, directive #4). Sera Venn confirmed by project lead over Mellanie's alternative proposal (Lera Sessik).
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- **Dissent:** Mellanie proposed Lera Sessik (bar owner) as detective's FRIEND. Project lead selected Paula's Sera Venn design. Lera remains bar owner / mundane triangle member.
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- **Amendment (2026-03-05, Where's the Fun? Workshop):** The FRIEND pattern (3+ relationship phases, observable contradiction, sympathetic motivation, no clean resolution, tell progression, dual-lens resonance) survives as a generator template for v0.2. Kael Davan and Sera Venn do not exist — [D-122](#d-122-all-npcs-generated--no-named-hand-authored-characters) eliminates all named hand-authored NPCs. In v0.2, the FRIEND role is filled by a generated NPC whose generator profile matches the FRIEND pattern template. The FRIEND pattern is now a generator instruction set, not an authoring assignment. Workshop convergence note: warmth with generated NPCs is earned through observed relationship progression, not authored backstory — this may produce stronger emotional investment than the hand-authored approach (Paula, Mellanie in Where's the Fun? Workshop §Phase Zero).
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### D-035: Converged tag taxonomy for dialogue and monologue line pools
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- **Date:** 2026-02-11
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- **Cross-reference:** Vertical slice ([D-027](scope.md#d-027-vertical-slice--smuggler--detective-two-character-proof)), contraband ([D-037](#d-037-contraband-specification))
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- **Raised by:** Miri (Sova setting brief, Round 1; Krenn System profile, Round 2), project lead (confirmed as worldbuilding milestone, directive #6)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Amendment (2026-03-05, Where's the Fun? Workshop):** Station Sova / Krenn System confirmed as the v0.2 setting. [D-128](#d-128-culture-implicit-in-starting-location--krenn-system-equals-krenn-culture) makes Krenn culture the cultural context for the tycoon bookmark — Krenn System IS Krenn culture by default. The setting details (naming conventions, atmosphere, sensory palette) survive as generator inputs and culture profile content. However, the Sova Transit District spatial layout (D-093) was designed for the v0.1 hand-built slice. v0.2 generates the location via the generator ([D-114](scope.md#d-114-v02-proof-of-life--generator--graphics-not-hand-built-slice)); the Krenn culture profile (Miri prerequisite for [D-119](scope.md#d-119-generator-spike-confirmed-for-sprint-25--critical-path)) captures the setting identity as generator inputs. Sova remains the canonical example system and the first culture profile to author.
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### D-037: Contraband specification — unlicensed lattice components
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- **Date:** 2026-02-11
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---
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*25 decisions. Last updated: 2026-02-27 (D-098, D-104, D-105, D-107 added — Generator Architecture Workshop #562)*
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### D-121: Voice is culture-driven — job as modifier
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** NPC voice is authored at the culture level with job-specific modifiers layered on top. Culture is primary — a character IS their background. Job adds a layer. A Krenn tycoon sounds like a Krenn person who runs businesses, not a generic tycoon. This is an inversion of the prior assumption that job drove voice with culture as modifier.
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- **Rationale:** Culture-primary voice produces characters that feel like they belong to a place. Job-primary voice produces archetypes. The life-sim vision requires characters legible as inhabitants of the Krenn System, not as representatives of occupational categories.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 6
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen) — inversion of Mellanie's prior option C
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Cross-reference:** [D-128](#d-128-culture-implicit-in-starting-location--krenn-system-equals-krenn-culture) (Krenn culture as starting context)
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### D-122: All NPCs generated — no named hand-authored characters
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** All NPCs in v0.2 are generated. There are no named, hand-authored characters. Kael Davan, Naia, Maret, and Sera Venn do not exist in v0.2. The generator produces NPCs that fit positions based on location characteristics. Limited vocabulary is acceptable at first. The FRIEND pattern (D-034) survives as a generator template, not an authoring assignment.
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- **Rationale:** Rimworld and The Sims are capable of generating characters that players form attachments to, even without dialogue or backstory. The generator-first approach (D-114) requires proving this foundation before hand-authored characters are layered on. Named NPCs and fixed triangles were a source of the rigidity that made v0.1 feel like a game level, not a place.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 7
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Supersedes:** Named NPC assignments in [D-034](#d-034-the-friend--production-level-npc-pattern) (Kael/Sera as hand-authored characters — see amendment on D-034)
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- **Cross-reference:** [D-123](#d-123-generative-ai-for-npc-content-templating-via-culture-vectors) (AI templating), [D-129](#d-129-npc-personality-traits--behavior-first-relationships-codified-for-systems) (NPC personality model)
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### D-123: Generative AI for NPC content templating via culture vectors
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** NPC content (dialogue pools, voice, vocabulary) is generated using generative AI with culture vectors, tone, and accent prompts as constraints. Culture vectors are the primary prompt constraint — they prevent the AI pipeline from defaulting to genre conventions. The AI pipeline is an authoring tool for content assembly, not a runtime system. Limited vocabulary acceptable at first; AI templating scales content as the generator matures.
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- **Rationale:** The copy pool for all-generated NPCs at scale is enormous. Generative AI with culture-vector constraints is the only viable path to populating it without hand-authoring every line. Culture profiles (Miri prerequisite) become the primary authoring deliverable feeding the pipeline.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 8
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
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- **Dissent:** None
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- **Cross-reference:** [D-121](#d-121-voice-is-culture-driven--job-as-modifier) (culture-primary voice), [D-128](#d-128-culture-implicit-in-starting-location--krenn-system-equals-krenn-culture) (culture profile as generator input)
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### D-124: In-game ollama for live NPC dialogue — deferred, door open
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** Running a dressed-down version of ollama in-game for live NPC dialogue is possible and interesting, but deferred. The door is explicitly left open — this is not a rejected alternative, it is a future investigation item. For v0.2, NPC dialogue uses template-assembled content (D-123). Live in-game AI dialogue is post-proof-of-life.
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- **Rationale:** Live AI dialogue requires solving NPC quality floor, performance, and determinism questions that are out of scope for the generator proof-of-life. Deferred until the base generator is proven solid.
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- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 9
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- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
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- **Dissent:** None
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### D-125: World is quietly responsive — gradient of caring by social proximity
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- **Date:** 2026-03-05
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- **Decision:** The world does not care globally but notices locally. Primary social contacts (colleagues, neighbors) develop responsiveness over time. The gradient of caring is based on social proximity — the world is neither Kenshi-indifferent nor uniformly caring. The player should never encounter a truly indifferent world; even early builds will have localized responsiveness around primary contacts. Gore's concern about indifference is addressed by design — authored content will layer in before v1.0.
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- **Rationale:** True indifference breaks the life-sim emotional loop. Characters can't form attachments to a world that doesn't register their existence. The gradient model (socially close = responsive, globally = neutral) reflects realistic social structure and produces the "quietly alive" feel the workshop converged on.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 10
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
|
||||
### D-126: Groundhog Day alarm clock homage — first game day only
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** The first game day begins with an alarm clock that opens with the *click* pa-pa pa-pa opening from Groundhog Day, cut short. This happens on the first day of a new game only. The tone is a wink: "new day, new start, new chances." It sets the life-sim framing without exposition.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** A single tonal signal at game start establishes the day-cycle framing and communicates the game's tone — forward-moving, possibility-oriented, gently aware of its own conceits — without explicit explanation. First day only; repeating it would undermine the freshness.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 14
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None (legality of the reference to be verified)
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** [D-136](architecture.md#d-136-first-settled-reach-moment-auto-generated-apartment--insert-activation) (first game moment design)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-127: Player choices are the content — Rimworld model, job as rails
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** Phase 1 of the game experience is not "an empty world before content arrives." It is "a world full of opportunity where the player's choices ARE the content." Rimworld model: one authored starting beat (the crash / the alarm clock + apartment wakeup), then agency and options. A job is rails to take off from, not a script to follow. The world provides opportunity and consequence; the player provides the story.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** The prior "no objectives" stance was a design stance, not a design solution. The Rimworld model is a design solution: curated starting beat, then genuine agency. Phase 1 is not empty — it is a full world of potential actions, economic choices, social encounters, and consequences. The player's story is the content.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 15
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
|
||||
### D-128: Culture implicit in starting location — Krenn System equals Krenn culture
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** Culture is implicit in the starting bookmark location. The tycoon bookmark in the Krenn System means Krenn culture. The player does not select culture at character creation; it derives from where the bookmark places them. This resolves the culture-everywhere-but-nowhere tension: culture IS in the game from day one, it's just not a character creation slider. The Krenn System provides the cultural context; NPC generation uses regional culture as the primary vector.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Seven of nine workshop agents independently flagged the tension between D-115 (culture deferred from creation) and D-121 (culture primary for voice). Implicit culture unblocks five downstream pipelines simultaneously: voice cards (Mellanie), culture profiles (Miri), NpcBlueprint culture field (Tyre), cultural visual grammar (Araminta), systems integration (Gestalt).
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 16
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** [D-121](#d-121-voice-is-culture-driven--job-as-modifier) (culture-primary voice), [D-036](#d-036-sova-transit-district--krenn-system-as-v01-setting) (Krenn System canonical details)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-129: NPC personality — traits + behavior first, relationships codified for systems
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** NPC personality starts with traits and observable behavior. Relationships form through two channels: Sims-style accumulation through repeated interaction, and Rimworld-style bonding through shared adversity (surviving a crisis together, helping each other). The player's subjective feeling is the real metric, but relationships must be codified in the system so that game systems (storyteller, consequences, NPC behavior changes) can reference relationship state.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** All nine workshop agents identified NPC legibility as the universal gate. Generated NPCs must have sufficient personality surface area for emotional attachment. Without legible NPCs, the life-sim loop cannot fire. Codifying relationships for systems enables the storyteller to use them as triggers and the consequence model (D-132) to escalate through them.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 17 (resolves Q-WTF-034/035)
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** [D-024](#d-024-npc-generation-model--10-axes--combat-component) (NPC axes — see amendment), [D-132](#d-132-dual-scale-consequence-model--rimworld-sharp-events-and-df-slow-accumulation) (consequence model)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-130: Fully emergent moral arc for v0.2 — generator proves relationships readable first
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** v0.2 ships a fully emergent moral arc — no authored arc structure. The tycoon bookmark has no pre-designed story arc. The explicit test before layering narrative depth: can the player tell "this is a relationship my character has" from generator output alone? Full flavor and generated content will be layered in later, but only after the relationship foundation is proven solid. This is a deliberate proof-of-concept sequence: generator proves relationships are readable → then add narrative depth.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** The full flavor and generated narrative content would get in the way of properly evaluating the generator's strength. The generator must be rock solid and usable before truly interesting threads are pulled. Fully emergent may feel artificial, but it is the right v0.2 test.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 18 (resolves Q-WTF-043)
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** [D-129](#d-129-npc-personality--traits--behavior-first-relationships-codified-for-systems) (relationship legibility as test), [D-119](scope.md#d-119-generator-spike-confirmed-for-sprint-25--critical-path) (generator spike as prerequisite)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-131: Broad economic verb vocabulary — life verbs, not tycoon-specific
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** The verb vocabulary is broad and economic, serving all careers, not tycoon-specific. Life verbs: buy, sell, hire, rent, contract, inspect, negotiate, invest. A detective also uses contracts (hiring informants, renting surveillance equipment). Implementation follows the speed of the interpreting systems — each verb requires its backing system (ownership registration for buy/sell, contract tracking for hire/rent). This is a life-sim verb set, not a job-specific verb set.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Tycoon-specific verbs would lock the gameplay loop to one archetype. Broad economic verbs serve the life-sim vision where "detective, smuggler, tycoon are jobs you can have, not the game's identity" (workshop executive summary). The verb map is the mechanical expression of that philosophy.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 19 (resolves Q-WTF-027)
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
|
||||
### D-132: Dual-scale consequence model — Rimworld sharp events and DF slow accumulation
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** The consequence model operates at two scales simultaneously. Rimworld-style sharp events (raids, crises, dramatic reversals) AND Dwarf Fortress-style slow accumulation (gradual relationship erosion, creeping debt, reputation shifts). Sharp events create drama; slow accumulation creates texture. Rimworld already manages both — sharp storyteller events on top of slow colony degradation. The Settled Reach follows the same dual-scale model.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** The dual-scale model produces both moment-to-moment drama and long-term narrative texture. A single-scale model either feels like it has no consequences (all slow) or like consequence happens arbitrarily (all sharp). Both are load-bearing.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 21 (resolves Q-WTF-037)
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** [D-129](#d-129-npc-personality--traits--behavior-first-relationships-codified-for-systems) (relationships as consequence substrate)
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
*37 decisions. Last updated: 2026-03-05 (D-121–D-132 added; D-023, D-024, D-028, D-029, D-032, D-034, D-036 amended; D-032 superseded — Where's the Fun? Workshop)*
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ Narrative, NPCs, dialogue, templates, setting, worldbuilding, and storyteller me
|
||||
- **Source:** Wiki Review Workshop R2
|
||||
|
||||
### Q-033: Three-system NPC architecture
|
||||
- **Status:** Open
|
||||
- **Status:** Partially resolved — reframed by [D-122](content.md#d-122-all-npcs-generated--no-named-hand-authored-characters) (all NPCs generated)
|
||||
- **Reframe:** The 9-pattern x 6-motivation composition matrix may survive as a generator template taxonomy (the FRIEND pattern explicitly survives as a generator template per D-034 amendment). However, the question of whether it supersedes or extends D-024 is now secondary — both describe generator output format, not hand-authoring assignments. The NpcBlueprint struct (Tyre, Sprint 25 prerequisite) will determine how patterns and motivations are encoded. Full formal adoption of the 9x6 matrix remains open.
|
||||
- **Question:** Should NPCs be formally composed from 9 thematic patterns (FRIEND, MIRROR, ANCHOR, GHOST, CATALYST, THRESHOLD, REMNANT, SYSTEM, NOBODY) x 6 functional motivations (HANDLER, WITNESS, TURNCOAT, CIVILIAN, OPERATOR, SKEPTIC)? D-024 defines 10 axes + combat but predates this refined system. The wiki-review workshop produced a full composition matrix with drama ratings and forbidden combinations. Does this supersede D-024 or extend it?
|
||||
- **Assigned to:** Gestalt, Paula
|
||||
- **Source:** Wiki Review Workshop R4
|
||||
@@ -175,4 +176,4 @@ Narrative, NPCs, dialogue, templates, setting, worldbuilding, and storyteller me
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
*19 questions (5 resolved, 1 partially resolved, 13 open). Last updated: 2026-02-28.*
|
||||
*19 questions (5 resolved, 2 partially resolved, 12 open). Last updated: 2026-03-05 (Q-033 partially resolved/reframed — Where's the Fun? Workshop)*
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@ Game concept, prototype boundaries, production pipeline, and feature decisions.
|
||||
- **Assigned to:** Team Leader
|
||||
|
||||
### Q-011: Character selection and playable characters
|
||||
- **Status:** Not yet discussed
|
||||
- **Status:** Resolved → [D-117](scope.md#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content), [D-115](scope.md#d-115-character-creation-scoped-to-skills--bookmark-for-v02), [D-122](content.md#d-122-all-npcs-generated--no-named-hand-authored-characters)
|
||||
- **Resolution:** v0.2 has one playable character type: the tycoon (small business owner starting state, D-118). One bookmark. All NPCs are generated — no canon named characters. Character creation is skills + bookmark only. The "how different are their starting positions?" question is answered by the small business owner economic variation (D-118: bar, logistics contract, storage franchise as starting configurations). The "canon characters vs original" question is answered by D-122: all NPCs generated, no canon characters exist in v0.2.
|
||||
- **Date resolved:** 2026-03-05 (Where's the Fun? Workshop)
|
||||
- **Question:** Which characters are playable in the prototype? How different are their starting positions? Can you play canon characters or only original ones?
|
||||
- **Assigned to:** Miri, Paula
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -51,7 +53,8 @@ Game concept, prototype boundaries, production pipeline, and feature decisions.
|
||||
- **Source:** Wiki Review Workshop R4, lead interview
|
||||
|
||||
### Q-034: PC archetypes
|
||||
- **Status:** Open
|
||||
- **Status:** Partially resolved → [D-117](scope.md#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content) (v0.2 scope only: tycoon bookmark, zero investigation)
|
||||
- **Partial resolution:** v0.2 scope is settled — one bookmark (tycoon, small business owner start per D-118). Smuggler and detective are abandoned for v0.2. The full 8-archetype model, fluid archetype transitions, and "vulnerable window" mechanics remain undesigned for the full game. The "detective, smuggler, tycoon are jobs you can have, not the game's identity" framing (Where's the Fun? Workshop) is the guiding principle for future archetype design.
|
||||
- **Question:** Should the full game support 8 fluid PC archetypes (Smuggler, Detective, Engineer, Diplomat, Medic, Scholar, Soldier, Merchant) with transition mechanics where archetype shifts during play based on player behavior? The lead approved 8 archetypes with fluid transitions as a game mechanic. v0.1 ships smuggler + detective only (D-027). Full archetype spec, transition triggers, and "vulnerable window" mechanics are undesigned. NOTE: The character-creation-game-setup workshop (Q-011) will address this — coordinate.
|
||||
- **Assigned to:** Nigel, Gestalt
|
||||
- **Source:** Wiki Review Workshop R4, lead interview
|
||||
@@ -69,7 +72,8 @@ Game concept, prototype boundaries, production pipeline, and feature decisions.
|
||||
- **Source:** Wiki Review Workshop R4
|
||||
|
||||
### Q-037: Generator development pipeline
|
||||
- **Status:** Open
|
||||
- **Status:** Partially resolved → [D-119](scope.md#d-119-generator-spike-confirmed-for-sprint-25--critical-path) (Sprint 25 generator spike confirmed as first step)
|
||||
- **Partial resolution:** The first phase is confirmed — Sprint 25 generator spike. The 6-phase pipeline spec (Ingredient Authoring, Template Authoring, Generator Development, Validation Development, Generation + Review, Hand-Elevation) remains unformally adopted. Generator-first approach (D-114) and the confirmed Sprint 25 spike (D-119) define the immediate critical path. Full pipeline spec remains open pending post-spike assessment.
|
||||
- **Question:** Should content production follow a 6-phase generator pipeline (Ingredient Authoring, Template Authoring, Generator Development, Validation Development, Generation + Review, Hand-Elevation)? The wiki-review workshop proposed this as the production model for 300 worlds. SI mapped a release path (v0.1 hand-authored, v0.2-0.5 template expansion, v0.6-0.10 generator development, pre-v1.0 validation). Needs scope assessment and sprint planning integration.
|
||||
- **Assigned to:** SI, Tyre
|
||||
- **Source:** Wiki Review Workshop R4
|
||||
@@ -88,4 +92,4 @@ Game concept, prototype boundaries, production pipeline, and feature decisions.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
*14 questions (0 resolved, 1 partially resolved, 13 open). Last updated: 2026-02-28.*
|
||||
*14 questions (1 resolved, 3 partially resolved, 10 open). Last updated: 2026-03-05 (Q-011 resolved, Q-034 and Q-037 partially resolved — Where's the Fun? Workshop)*
|
||||
|
||||
@@ -17,9 +17,11 @@ Tracked questions awaiting discussion or resolution. Split by domain, mirroring
|
||||
|--------|-------|----------|---------|------|
|
||||
| Architecture | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
|
||||
| Perception | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
|
||||
| Content | 19 | 5 | 1 | 13 |
|
||||
| Scope | 14 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
|
||||
| **Total** | **54** | **16** | **4** | **34** |
|
||||
| Content | 19 | 5 | 2 | 12 |
|
||||
| Scope | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
|
||||
| **Total** | **54** | **17** | **7** | **30** |
|
||||
|
||||
*Updated 2026-03-05: Q-011 resolved (D-117/D-115/D-122), Q-034 partially resolved (D-117), Q-037 partially resolved (D-119), Q-033 partially resolved/reframed (D-122) — Where's the Fun? Workshop*
|
||||
|
||||
## Adding a Question
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
+77
-8
@@ -71,8 +71,9 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** Perception mode overlay in [D-017](perception.md#d-017-perception-modes-as-character-build-system). Time display on insert in [D-031](architecture.md#d-031-time-system--game-clock-and-day-phases).
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen) proposed borderless + anchoring concept. Miri confirmed canon basis. Full team contributed mechanics.
|
||||
|
||||
### D-014: v0.1 map specification
|
||||
### D-014: v0.1 map specification [SUPERSEDED]
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-02-09
|
||||
- **Superseded by:** [D-114](#d-114-v02-proof-of-life--generator--graphics-not-hand-built-slice) (generator-first proof-of-life replaces hand-built map spec; auto-generated locations at scale replace the hand-crafted tile map approach)
|
||||
- **Decision:** First playable tech demo map spec:
|
||||
|
||||
| Layer | Spec |
|
||||
@@ -93,8 +94,9 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Full team across Rounds 8-10.
|
||||
|
||||
### D-027: Vertical slice — smuggler + detective, two-character proof
|
||||
### D-027: Vertical slice — smuggler + detective, two-character proof [SUPERSEDED]
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-02-10
|
||||
- **Superseded by:** [D-114](#d-114-v02-proof-of-life--generator--graphics-not-hand-built-slice) (generator-first proof-of-life) and [D-117](#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content) (tycoon bookmark replaces smuggler + detective; zero investigation content for v0.2)
|
||||
- **Decision:** The proof-of-concept vertical slice is one station district containing: 1 workplace social site, 1 social venue (bar), 1 smuggling ring template, shared NPCs. Two playable characters: smuggler (logistics worker, insider access to criminal templates, social camouflage) and detective (institutional investigator, authority access, analytical). Success criteria: (1) 30 minutes of daily-life breathing room before contamination activates, (2) both playthroughs feel like fundamentally different games, (3) after each playthrough player names an NPC they felt conflicted about, (4) the observe→notice→follow→discover sequence emerges from systems not scripts.
|
||||
- **Supersedes:** [D-006](#d-006-prototype-scenario--institutearmstrongguardians-superseded)
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Smuggler + detective creates adversarial divergence — the detective's target IS the smuggler's daily life. Same templates, same NPCs, inverted relationships. Proves character-as-lens, contamination, life-sim attachment, and replayability simultaneously. Tyre confirms: ~20% more effort than single-character, no new architecture.
|
||||
@@ -121,8 +123,9 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Ozzie (Round 1 minimum viable proposal, Round 2 full spec), project lead (confirmed, directives #3 and #9). Amendment raised by Inigo (hybrid approach), endorsed by Tyre.
|
||||
- **Dissent:** Mellanie and Araminta both proposed deferring audio; project lead overruled. Visual sound indicators remain complementary to audio (not replacement).
|
||||
|
||||
### D-039: v0.1 wow moment scope — all 6 moments
|
||||
### D-039: v0.1 wow moment scope — all 6 moments [SUPERSEDED]
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-02-11
|
||||
- **Superseded by:** [D-127](content.md#d-127-player-choices-are-the-content--rimworld-model-job-as-rails) (emergent life-sim replaces detective-specific authored wow moments) and [D-136](architecture.md#d-136-first-settled-reach-moment-auto-generated-apartment--insert-activation) (new first moment: apartment + insert activation). The 6 wow moments were designed for the detective/smuggler frame. No detective-specific wow moments in v0.2.
|
||||
- **Decision:** All 6 wow moments identified by Ozzie are in v0.1 scope. The original 4 "essential" moments are promoted to must-have. The 2 "nice-to-have" moments are also promoted to must-have (project lead directive).
|
||||
- **The 6 wow moments (chronological in a 30-minute session):**
|
||||
1. **Arrival** (minute 0-1): Station hum playing, NPCs already moving, first monologue chime. "Where am I? This feels real." Content: opening monologue, station ambient, pre-populated routines.
|
||||
@@ -163,8 +166,9 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Lead (stance toggle, final call), Gestalt (Walk/Sprint/Careful triad + perception coupling), Dudley (MovementProfile + tick values), Ozzie (perception gradient), Nigel (character-defining speed)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None after lead call.
|
||||
|
||||
### D-065: Smuggler inventory — knowledge-primary with physical evidence
|
||||
### D-065: Smuggler inventory — knowledge-primary with physical evidence [SUPERSEDED]
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-02-13
|
||||
- **Superseded by:** [D-117](#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content) (no smuggler character in v0.2). The knowledge-primary inventory concept and physical evidence design survive as patterns for future character implementation.
|
||||
- **Decision:** Knowledge is the primary "inventory" for all characters (you SAW the manifest, not you HAVE it). The smuggler additionally gets a minimal physical inventory for v0.1: 3 specific items (manifest copy, corridor access token, personal comm log). Capacity per archetype: smuggler 3-4 slots, detective 2 slots. Carried items are PRIVATE — they exist behind the information boundary ([D-010](architecture.md#d-010-multiplayer-ready-architectural-baseline) principle 2) and are not visible to other entities unless revealed via search, scan, or confrontation. Server implementation: world entities with CarriedBy component. Verbs: Take, Place.
|
||||
- **Evidence presentation differs by archetype:** Detective sees case-file-style entries (structured: what/where/when/source/confidence, insert suggests links). Smuggler sees personal notebook (organized by person, informal voice, no contradiction flags). Same underlying knowledge graph, different presentation layer.
|
||||
- **v0.1 items (Paula):**
|
||||
@@ -178,8 +182,9 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Lead (smuggler needs inventory), Paula (three items + presentation split), Gestalt (knowledge-primary framework), Tyre (minimal implementation: SmallVec<3>), Dudley (server model: BTreeMap + info boundary)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** Tyre initially argued zero physical items in v0.1 (saves 3-4 sprints). Adapted with minimal implementation after lead directive.
|
||||
|
||||
### D-087: v0.1 triangle configuration — 3 active forks, 2 passive tensions
|
||||
### D-087: v0.1 triangle configuration — 3 active forks, 2 passive tensions [SUPERSEDED]
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-02-12
|
||||
- **Superseded by:** [D-122](content.md#d-122-all-npcs-generated--no-named-hand-authored-characters) (all NPCs generated; no named triangles with hand-authored characters) and [D-117](#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content) (no investigation-specific triangle configuration for v0.2). Triangle generation follows the generator-first model (D-114).
|
||||
- **Decision:** v0.1 vertical slice uses 5 relationship triangles. Three are active forks (T1: Kael-Smuggler-Ring, T2: Sera-Detective-Commission, T4: Drin-System-Ring) with branching outcomes driven by player observation. Two are passive tensions (T3: Naia-Kael-Hael, T5: Worried Partner background) that provide atmosphere and secondary discovery paths. Active forks require authored content per branch. Passive tensions are system-driven.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Three active forks are within v0.1 content authoring capacity. Passive tensions require no branching content — they enrich discovery space without multiplying authored lines.
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Gestalt, Paula
|
||||
@@ -187,8 +192,9 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
- **Source:** v0.1 Content Scoping Workshop, Round 2 synthesis
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** D-027 (vertical slice), D-034 (THE FRIEND pattern)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-089: Self-contained triangle forks for v0.1, no cross-triangle cascade
|
||||
### D-089: Self-contained triangle forks for v0.1, no cross-triangle cascade [SUPERSEDED]
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-02-12
|
||||
- **Superseded by:** [D-117](#d-117-tycoon-is-the-v02-bookmark--zero-investigation-content) and [D-122](content.md#d-122-all-npcs-generated--no-named-hand-authored-characters). No hand-authored triangle forks in v0.2; triangle generation follows the generator-first model. Cross-triangle cascade design is preserved as a future consideration once the generator proves relationships are readable.
|
||||
- **Decision:** In v0.1, each triangle fork resolves independently. No triangle outcome triggers escalation in another triangle. Cross-triangle cascade (storyteller-managed, where resolving T1 affects T2 pressure) is deferred to v0.2+. This keeps v0.1 content authoring manageable — each triangle is a self-contained narrative unit.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Cross-triangle cascade requires the storyteller to track inter-triangle state and authors to write contingent branches. Both are out of scope for v0.1. Self-contained triangles can be authored, tested, and validated independently.
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Paula, Gestalt
|
||||
@@ -196,8 +202,9 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
- **Source:** v0.1 Content Scoping Workshop, Round 2 synthesis
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** D-087 (triangle configuration), D-027 (vertical slice)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-091: Complicity as named thematic core
|
||||
### D-091: Complicity as named thematic core [SUPERSEDED]
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-02-12
|
||||
- **Superseded by:** [D-132](content.md#d-132-dual-scale-consequence-model--rimworld-sharp-events-and-df-slow-accumulation) (consequence replaces complicity as the primary experiential frame — Gore's reframe, Where's the Fun? Workshop convergence). The detective/smuggler frame that gave "complicity" its specific meaning has been replaced by the life-sim frame (D-117). All careers produce consequence at dual scales; complicity was archetype-specific to the detective/smuggler lens.
|
||||
- **Decision:** The game's thematic identity is complicity — not conspiracy, not detection, not information asymmetry (which is the mechanical core per D-007). The player becomes complicit through observation: seeing something means choosing whether to act on it. The smuggler is complicit in the ring's operations. The detective is complicit in the institution's blindness. Both discover they are already entangled before they choose to be. This framing governs narrative design, wow moment emotional targets (D-039), and the Divergence Reveal (D-027 criterion 4).
|
||||
- **Rationale:** "Complicity" names the emotional experience that information asymmetry produces. It distinguishes this game from pure detective games (you uncover truth) and pure action games (you do things). Here: you watch, and the watching implicates you.
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Gore
|
||||
@@ -207,4 +214,66 @@ What we're building: game concept, design pillars, prototype definition, map spe
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
*17 decisions (15 active, 2 superseded). Last updated: 2026-02-12 (D-087, D-089, D-091 added — retroactive filings from v0.1 Content Scoping Workshop and Wiki Review Workshop)*
|
||||
### D-114: v0.2 proof-of-life — generator + graphics, not hand-built slice
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** The v0.2 proof-of-life milestone is defined as: the generator producing usable output (auto-generated locations at scale with legible characters) plus better graphics. A hand-built vertical slice is explicitly NOT the proof-of-life. The v0.1 lesson: descoping toward a hand-built approach produced the wrong game. v0.2 must first prove the foundational generator can produce usable output, then build the game on top of that foundation.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** v0.1 was built as a detective puzzle game with hand-placed NPCs and dots for characters. The designer's vision is a single-character life sim. The generator-first approach prevents the same mistake — we prove the generative foundation works before committing to content on top of it.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 1
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Supersedes:** [D-027](#d-027-vertical-slice--smuggler--detective-two-character-proof-superseded) (hand-built vertical slice), [D-014](#d-014-v01-map-specification-superseded) (hand-built map spec)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-115: Character creation scoped to skills + bookmark for v0.2
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** v0.2 character creation is limited to two elements: skills (what the character is good at) and bookmark (which starting scenario/location the character inhabits). Family, culture, and religion are deferred from character creation. Culture is available in the game through the starting location (see [D-128](content.md#d-128-culture-implicit-in-starting-location--krenn-system-equals-krenn-culture)), not as a creation slider.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Skills and bookmark are the minimum needed to differentiate playthroughs. Adding family/culture/religion at creation gates content that is better delivered through gameplay. Religion in particular is NOT a game system (D-116).
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 2
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** [D-128](content.md#d-128-culture-implicit-in-starting-location--krenn-system-equals-krenn-culture) (culture implicit in location)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-116: Religion is not a game system
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** Religion is not a game system in The Settled Reach. It was mentioned as a reference point for the cultural richness of CK3, not as a design requirement. Religion is not a character creation axis, not a faction mechanic, not a dialogue filter, and not a storyline driver.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** The reference to religion in workshop discussions came from CK3 influence. The Settled Reach's mechanical identity is economic + social + information asymmetry, not religious politics. Excluding religion from game systems focuses design on the core mechanics.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 3
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
|
||||
### D-117: Tycoon is the v0.2 bookmark — zero investigation content
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** The v0.2 bookmark is the tycoon — a small business owner in the Krenn System. v0.2 ships zero investigation content. The detective and smuggler framing from v0.1 is explicitly abandoned for v0.2. The tycoon naturally blends career models: active management, remote investment via insert (WFH model), and one-off deals (gig model). Investigation content will be revisited when the life-sim foundation is proven stable.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** v0.1's detective/smuggler frame produced the wrong game. The tycoon bookmark is thematically and mechanically richer: economic complicity, life-sim attachment loops, and narrative emergence from everyday decisions. Clean break from investigation content removes the frame that distorted v0.1.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 4 Interview, Decision 4
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Supersedes:** [D-027](#d-027-vertical-slice--smuggler--detective-two-character-proof-superseded)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-118: Small business owner starting state — tycoon is aspiration, not starting position
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** The tycoon bookmark begins as an existing small business owner, not a mogul. The player starts with a small operation (bar, logistics contract, storage franchise) and grows into a tycoon over time — or sells out and pivots to exploration. The bookmark name "tycoon" describes the aspiration and growth trajectory, not the starting state. A true tycoon starting position would be overpowered and would skip the interesting growth phase.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Economic complicity and life-sim attachment require a character with something to lose and room to grow. Starting as a mogul eliminates the growth arc and removes economic stakes. The small business owner start grounds the player in a human-scale economic reality before scaling up.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 20
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
|
||||
### D-119: Generator spike confirmed for Sprint 25 — critical path
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** The Sprint 25 generator spike is the confirmed first deliverable. If the generator cannot produce usable output, nothing else matters. If it can, everything else has a foundation. The generator proof-of-life gates all subsequent v0.2 development. Sprint 25 prerequisites that must exist before or during the spike: zone identity spec (Miri), one culture profile for Krenn System / Station Sova (Miri), and NpcBlueprint struct design (Tyre). Estimated timeline (Tyre): 7 sprints to proof-of-life playtest (generated location + legible characters + tycoon bookmark from creation to Day 3).
|
||||
- **Rationale:** The v0.1 lesson established that building without a proven generator produces the wrong game. The sprint 25 spike tests whether the generator can produce auto-generated locations at scale with legible characters — the translation risk mitigation before anything else.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 22
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Tyre (proposal), Team Leader (confirmed)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
- **Cross-reference:** [D-114](#d-114-v02-proof-of-life--generator--graphics-not-hand-built-slice) (generator-first proof-of-life)
|
||||
|
||||
### D-120: No skill ceiling in v0.2 — transhumanist ladder deferred
|
||||
- **Date:** 2026-03-05
|
||||
- **Decision:** Skills have no hard cap in v0.2. The transhumanist ladder (baseline human → Higher → ANA-connected) is a later design layer. v0.2 proves the life-sim loop without skill constraints. The `skill_ceiling` architectural field is preserved in the implementation but not enforced in gameplay until the base game loop is proven.
|
||||
- **Rationale:** Skill ceilings add complexity that is not load-bearing for the v0.2 proof-of-life. The life-sim loop must prove itself first. The transhumanist ladder is a rich design space but belongs in a later iteration when the foundational systems are stable.
|
||||
- **Source:** Where's the Fun? Workshop, Round 5 Interview, Decision 24
|
||||
- **Raised by:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
|
||||
- **Dissent:** None
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
*24 decisions (15 active, 9 superseded). Last updated: 2026-03-05 (D-114–D-120 added; D-014, D-027, D-039, D-065, D-087, D-089, D-091 superseded — Where's the Fun? Workshop)*
|
||||
|
||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user