jpmschweitzerandClaude Opus 4.6
6dee6b73f0
Round 22 workshop output: character-visuals-spec.md (color mesh regions, LOD tiers, layered composition) and compositor-api-spec.md (Node3D architecture, CharacterColors data structure, set_color API). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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169 lines
8.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Round 22: Sprint 28 Character Visuals Workshop"
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description: "Three-round structured workshop producing character visual architecture specs; D-148–D-157; supersedes D-019"
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type: discussion
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status: complete
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round: 22
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created: 2026-03-17
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---
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# ROUND 22: Sprint 28 Character Visuals Workshop
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**Date:** 2026-03-17
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**Type:** Two active rounds + spec writing
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**Participants:** Araminta (art direction), Gestalt (systems), Tyre (technical), Ozzie (player experience), Qatux (documenter), SI (project manager)
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**Facilitator:** Team Leader (Jeroen)
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**Documenter:** Qatux
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---
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## 1. Workshop Purpose
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Move beyond placeholder art to a final-candidate character visual architecture. Starting point: a live Godot 4 spike prototype with 20 CSG placeholder characters on a 14×14 checkerboard grid in diamond orientation.
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Spike configuration at workshop start:
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- 20 CSG characters (cylinder body/legs, sphere head/hair)
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- 14×14 flat quad grid, rotated 45° (diamond layout)
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- Four wall boxes along north edge
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- Orthographic camera with T-key cycle: top-down → 45° → 30°
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- Characters visible as standing figures at isometric scale
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Workshop deliverables per briefing:
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1. `docs/design/character-visuals-spec.md`
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2. `docs/design/compositor-api-spec.md`
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3. `docs/workshops/character-visuals/workshop-outcomes.md`
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4. D-records to `decisions/` for all architectural decisions
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---
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## 2. Round 1 — Agent Proposals (Inventory and Constraints)
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Round 1 agents assessed their domain areas independently. Full proposals were collected, then reviewed by Jeroen.
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### JEROEN'S ROUND 1 CORRECTIONS
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**Overruled proposals:**
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1. **Relationship-colored outlines.** Uniform dark gray/black for all characters, always. Relationship info → minimap, name bubbles, and insert/perception mode. Outline is not a semantic channel.
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2. **Player character visually distinct from NPCs.** No protagonist glow, no saturation boost, no special outline. Same models, same variety. Distinction comes from gear only.
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3. **Free-spin rotation in character editor.** Cardinal direction buttons only (N/E/S/W). Free-spin exposes angles that don't exist in gameplay.
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4. **Game start as camera pull-back from editor.** Fade from black + alarm clock + waking in bed. Editor is its own separate context.
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5. **Faction colors as visual system.** Faction affiliation is not in the compositor. Clothing color choices emerge from character narrative, not faction assignment.
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**Confirmed from Round 1:**
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- 2–3 body types for Sprint 28 (combination-switching validation as primary QA goal)
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- Mugshot navigator = character editor (no knowledge-tier complexity)
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- Wear level as continuous shader parameter — liked for flavor, not primary Sprint 28 deliverable
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- Art direction: **Invisible Inc** as primary reference — clean, sleek, adult, uniform dark outlines
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- Per-item clothing color variety — not uniform recolor across an item
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**New major decision introduced at end of Round 1:**
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The spike prototype showed camera tilt options. The 45° isometric angle (Diablo-style) was initially discussed, then Jeroen announced the 30° low-angle (Hades-style) may be better. This was locked at start of Round 2.
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---
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## 3. Round 2 — Specification Proposals
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### JEROEN — Round 2 Opening
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Camera decision locked: **30° tilt with 45° map rotation** is the confirmed default gameplay camera. Not 45° isometric. More character front visibility. More wall depth. Closer to Hades than Diablo. This supersedes D-019 ("Top-down confirmed as primary camera") and its 2026-02-12 amendment.
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Two open questions posed to the team:
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**Q1: 4 or 8 directions?**
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With 45° map rotation, characters face along diamond axes. What are the trade-offs?
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**Q2: Large crowd performance.**
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What happens at 400+ characters simultaneously? Current budget assumes 80 NPCs.
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---
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### QATUX (Documenter)
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Flagged pending D-records from Round 1 overrules: 5 confirmed decisions requiring formal D-record IDs before Round 3.
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Flagged inconsistency: the Sprint 28 briefing specified "8-direction rotation" throughout. Q1 was still open. Nothing in the spec structure should be written until Q1 closed.
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Q1 framing: At 30° tilt + 45° map rotation, the four diagonal movements (NE/NW/SE/SW) are the most common player-facing directions. 4-direction mirroring at those angles risks asymmetry in the most common case — this is a significant risk factor for 4-direction-only approaches.
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Q2 framing: 80-NPC budget stated in sprint context; 400+ as named scenario. No existing open question on crowd rendering at scale — flagged for Q-NNN registration if needed.
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---
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### TYRE — Q1 Resolution Proposal
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Hybrid approach: **8 server-side facings + 4 client visual groups**.
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- Server tracks 8 directions — future-proof, no protocol migration needed
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- Client renders 4 visual groups for Sprint 28 — keeps asset authoring cost manageable
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- 3D model rotates to true 8-direction angle (subtle lean within a group)
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- East and West share mirrored meshes — net unique mesh count per clothing item: 2 (N + E)
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### JEROEN — Q2 Resolution
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Performance-driven LOD (not distance threshold, not fixed count):
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- Normal gameplay: full detail, all characters
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- Under GPU pressure: progressive degradation from player outward (Tier 0 → 1 → 2)
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- Tier 2 = billboard impostor with baked-in outline
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- Paused: render budget freed, all characters restore to full detail
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- Chaos effect: peripheral degradation is cognitively appropriate — matches real crowd experience
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Outline method confirmed as part of Q2 resolution: **inverted hull** for normal rendering. LOD handles outline naturally (baked into impostor at Tier 2).
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---
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### JEROEN — Round 2 Final Lock
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**Q1: 8 server / 4 client visual groups (Sprint 28). Tyre's hybrid. Closed.**
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**Q2: Performance-driven LOD. Three tiers. Pause = full detail. Closed.**
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**All open questions closed. Moving to spec writing.**
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---
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## 4. Round 3 — Spec Writing (Qatux)
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D-record IDs claimed before writing:
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- D-148: architecture — 30° camera with 45° map rotation (supersedes D-019)
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- D-149: architecture — 3D characters rendered live
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- D-150: architecture — inverted hull outline
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- D-151: architecture — 8 server / 4 client direction count
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- D-152: architecture — performance-driven LOD
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- D-153: scope — player not visually distinct from NPCs
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- D-154: scope — outline not a relationship indicator
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- D-155: scope — cardinal rotation only in editor
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- D-156: scope — faction colors are narrative
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- D-157: scope — game start = alarm clock fade from black
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Specs written: `character-visuals-spec.md`, `compositor-api-spec.md`, `workshop-outcomes.md`.
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Decisions filed: D-148–D-152 to `decisions/architecture.md`, D-153–D-157 to `decisions/scope.md`.
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D-019 marked `[SUPERSEDED by D-148]`. D-033 amended with insert/perception-mode clarification.
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---
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## 5. Key Decisions Produced
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| D-ID | Domain | Decision |
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|---|---|---|
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| D-148 | architecture | 30° low-angle camera + 45° map rotation (supersedes D-019) |
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| D-149 | architecture | 3D characters rendered live (replaces sprite approach) |
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| D-150 | architecture | Inverted hull outline, uniform dark, baked into billboard LOD |
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| D-151 | architecture | 8 server facings, 4 visual groups client Sprint 28 |
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| D-152 | architecture | Performance-driven LOD (3 tiers, pause = full detail) |
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| D-153 | scope | Player character not visually distinct from NPCs |
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| D-154 | scope | Outline not a relationship indicator (amends D-033) |
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| D-155 | scope | Character editor cardinal rotation only |
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| D-156 | scope | Faction colors = narrative emergence, not visual compositor |
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| D-157 | scope | Game start = alarm clock fade from black, not pull-back |
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---
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## 6. Downstream Impact Summary
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- **D-019 superseded** — all references to "top-down camera" in briefings/specs should be updated
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- **D-033 amended** — entity relationship color is insert/perception-mode only, not on normal outlines
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- **Old placeholder-art-spec** (`docs/design/placeholder-art-spec-v01.md`) is superseded for character rendering
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- **Briefings to update:** `docs/briefings/araminta.md`, `docs/briefings/tyre.md` (camera angle, rendering approach)
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- **Tickets unblocked:** #685 (wireframe), #698 (3D character editor), #699 (body type meshes), #700 (compositor). Tickets #686–#692 (sprite-based) cancelled.
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---
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*Archived by Qatux — 2026-03-17*
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