---
title: "Sprint 13 — Visual Briefing"
description: "Monologue display system visual spec"
type: sprint
status: archived
sprint: 13
team: "visual"
---

# Sprint 13: Sound — Visual Tasks

**Goal:** Wire the full audio architecture end-to-end — AudioManager, zone crossfades, dip profiles, recognition chime, and conversation murmur — and complete v0.1 content authoring so opening hooks, tutorial monologue, and all content packs are done.

**Branch:** `visual`
**Agents:** Araminta (art direction)

## Carry-over from Sprint 12

None. Sprint 12 visual tickets done (#252 placeholder art spec, #303 visual grammar document, #311/#312/#313 spatial layouts).

## New Tickets

| # | Title | Blocked by |
|---|-------|------------|
| #315 | Monologue display system visual spec | #303 (done) |

Use `db/connectors/ticket show <id>` for full details.

## Key Decisions

- `decisions/perception.md` — D-016 (internal monologue as core perception/atmosphere system), D-033 (entity color = relationship to player), D-043 (visual style — functional warmth), D-044 (visual hierarchy — entity > object > structure)
- `decisions/architecture.md` — D-049 (Z-level rendering stack — 8 layers), D-066 (dual-scale grid — 0.5m simulation, 1m visual)

## Notes

- **#315 — Monologue display system visual spec:** Araminta owns this spec. It feeds the client implementation of the monologue display UI and constrains copy authoring (line lengths, number of visible lines). The visual grammar document (#303, done) is the foundation — this spec is the applied chapter for monologue specifically. Deliver as `docs/design/monologue-display-spec.md`. Required content:
  - **Typography:** Font (Michroma, already in client per #517), size, weight. Monologue text is diegetic — the character's interior voice — so it should feel personal and slightly different from environmental UI text.
  - **Positioning:** Where monologue lines appear on screen. Z-layer (per D-049 8-layer stack — monologue likely Layer 6 or 7, above fog and entities, below UI chrome). Anchoring rule: fixed screen position or entity-relative?
  - **Stacking rules:** Max 3 lines visible simultaneously. How do they stack — bottom-up, top-down? Do older lines fade while new ones appear?
  - **Priority system:** Observation monologue > atmosphere monologue > tutorial monologue. When the queue exceeds 3, which lines get dropped or deferred?
  - **Fade animation:** Fade-in duration, hold duration, fade-out duration. Should lines fade independently or in sync?
  - **Character differentiation:** Smuggler vs detective. Per D-043 functional warmth — smuggler warmer tones, detective cooler tones. Specify hex color values for each character's monologue text.
  - **Line length constraint:** Max ~80 characters per line (hard limit for display). This constraint must be published clearly so copy team can author to it.
  - **Cross-reference:** D-033 color system (entity relationship colors) must not clash with monologue text colors.

## Dependency Chain

```
#315 (monologue display spec) — standalone, unblocked
  → referenced by client team for monologue UI implementation (future sprint)
```

## PR Workflow

When ready to submit, create a PR with `tea` CLI. All flags are required to avoid TTY prompts (see CLAUDE.md "Gitea access" section):

```bash
tea pr create --repo jpmschweitzer/settled-reach --login schweitz --title "feat(visual): monologue display system spec" --description "body" --base main --head visual
```