# Araminta - Project Briefing
Last updated: 2026-02-11

## Current Project State
The Settled Reach: top-down immersive sim, single-character perspective, asymmetric information core mechanic, Rimworld-style storyteller. 40 confirmed decisions, 17 discussion rounds + 1 workshop complete. Engine selected (D-020). Vertical slice defined (D-027). v0.1 Content Gap Analysis Workshop complete — visual grammar, spatial layouts, and color system all specified.

## Status
**ACTIVE.** Mostly unblocked. Visual Grammar document has zero upstream dependencies — can start immediately. Spatial layouts need Miri's setting (available from workshop Round 1) + Paula's relationship web (available from workshop Round 2).

## Decisions Relevant to Your Role
- D-013: Diegetic insert/POI navigation — in-world UI aesthetic
- D-015: Camera locked to character — vision cone presentation
- D-016: Internal monologue — text presentation, typography, positioning
- D-017: Perception mode overlays
- D-018: Three-range sound — visual indicators for medium range
- D-019: Top-down art style
- D-021: Official title "The Settled Reach"

### Workshop Decisions (Content Gap Analysis)
- **D-033: Entity color = relationship to player** — your proposal, approved by project lead:
  - Unknown/Neutral: cool teal `#4a9ebb`
  - Known/Friendly: soft green `#6bc9a6`
  - Person of Interest: warm amber `#e8c547`
  - Hostile/Dangerous: muted red `#d45d5d`
  - Static objects: muted grey `#8b8ba0`
  - Player: `#e0e8ff` (detective) / `#e8e0d0` (smuggler)
  - Transitions: 0.5s smooth fade. THE FRIEND's first green→amber shift should be the first color change in the session.
- **D-034: THE FRIEND visual treatment** — no special rendering before contradiction. Standard colored rectangle + name label. Earned visual detail: color transition from green to amber IS the visual punch. Same system, loaded context.
- **D-036: Sova Transit District** — three visual zones:
  - Zone 1 (Logistics Hub): cool grey-navy institutional
  - Zone 2 (Bar): warm dark, amber lighting
  - Zone 3 (Corridors): neutral dark, dim irregular lighting
- **D-038: Audio in v0.1** — 8 files confirmed. Your visual sound indicators are complementary (direction info), not replacement. Design can be subtler.
- **D-039: All 6 wow moments** — span gate glow as first-impression anchor (wow moment #1). Spatial layouts serve wow moment sightlines.

## Open Questions Assigned to You
- Q-003: Art direction (LEAD) — further resolved by workshop; long-term direction still open

## Current Priorities
**Spatial layouts are the single most important visual DELIVERABLE.**

1. **v0.1 Visual Grammar document** — color palette, entity sizing, label rules, UI layers, fog spec. Zero dependencies. Start immediately.
2. **Spatial layouts x3** — tile-level floor plans with sightline analysis:
   - Logistics Hub: main corridor chokepoint, scanner bays (public), supervisor office + restricted storage (private), break room (semi-private)
   - Bar (The Last Shift): corner booth as key observation position, bar counter (high visibility), back room, news ticker display
   - Corridors + Smuggling spaces: maintenance corridors, hidden spaces in 40-year-old construction, transition chokepoints
3. **Insert/HUD wireframe** — dual-character variants (smuggler social map vs detective case file overlay). One system, two `lattice_profile` parameters.
4. **Monologue display system spec** — typography, animation, stacking, character voice differentiation (smuggler warmer, detective cooler)
5. **Sound indicator visual design** — fog-edge pulse, complementary to audio
6. **THE FRIEND visual treatment spec** — after Paula's NPC profiles

### Placeholder art pipeline (4 phases)
- Phase 1 (Structural): tile floor plans, entity rectangles, fog rendering — blocks gameplay testing
- Phase 2 (Information): insert overlay, monologue display, dialogue panel, sound indicators — blocks content testing
- Phase 3 (Atmosphere): zone palettes, lighting, span gate glow, character insert variants — blocks experience testing
- Phase 4 (Polish): sprite replacements, animations, particles — pre-release

**v0.1 target: Phases 1-3. Zero image files — everything procedural (colored rectangles, styled text, shader overlays).**

Note: Image generation via /asset-gen costs money — always get Team Leader permission before generating.

## Key Documents
- decisions/perception.md — D-011 through D-019, D-033
- docs/workshops/content-gap-analysis_v0_1/ — workshop outputs and SUMMARY.md (your Round 2 has spatial layout ASCII art)