settled-reach/docs/sprints/sprint-5/client.md

title, description, type, status, sprint, team

title	description	type	status	sprint	team
Sprint 5 — Client Briefing	Interaction prompt carry-over, UI microcopy joint work	sprint	archived	5	client

Sprint 5: Live — Client Tasks

Goal: Content at scale — FRIEND packs, PC-as-NPC authoring, NPC style guide

Branch: client Agents: Stig (UI lead), Tyre (integration), Hoshe (testing)

Carry-over from Sprint 4

#	Title	Status	Notes
#405	Interaction prompt — client extensible prompt system	in_progress	Stig actively working, carries into Sprint 5

New Tickets

#	Title	Blocked by
#409	UI microcopy	— (joint with copy team)

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

Key Decisions

• decisions/architecture.md — D-020 (Godot client + Rust server via IPC)
• decisions/scope.md — D-027 (vertical slice), D-039 (wow moments)
• decisions/content.md — D-028 (dialogue architecture), D-035 (tag taxonomy)

Critical Path

#405 (interaction prompt, carry-over) → complete independently
#409 (UI microcopy) → starts when copy delivers strings

Client team has light load this sprint — Sprint 4 delivered most client infrastructure. Sprint 5 focus is content authoring (copy team) with client providing integration points.

Notes

#405: Interaction prompt — client extensible prompt system (CARRY-OVER)

What exists:

• Server-side interaction system with proximity detection (#404, done in Sprint 4)
• Multi-verb InteractionOptions server state
• Client rendering infrastructure at client/scripts/rendering/
• Protocol types in client/scripts/protocol/

What to deliver:

• Client-side interaction prompt UI system
• v0.1: single context-sensitive E prompt
• Architecture must support v0.2 multi-verb menu (design for extensibility now, build minimal version)
• Prompt reads InteractionOptions from server snapshot
• Visual design: minimalist, diegetic feel (neural insert aesthetic)
• Position: near interactable entity or HUD corner (test both, choose best)

File location: New script at client/scripts/ui/interaction_prompt.gd or extend existing HUD system

Integration: Reads from ObserverSnapshot message field interaction_options. When non-empty, show prompt. On player input (E key), send Interact command to server.

Gotcha: This is Sprint 4 in-progress work. Stig should finish architecture in early Sprint 5, then support #409 integration.

---

#409: UI microcopy (JOINT TICKET)

What exists:

• Client UI elements from Sprint 3
• Interaction prompt system (#405, finalizing)
• Constants at client/scripts/constants.gd
• Rendering scripts at client/scripts/rendering/

What to deliver:

• Integration of ~50 UI strings from copy team
• Determine string format (YAML file vs GDScript constants)
• Apply strings to: interaction prompts, knowledge panel labels, relationship state descriptors, HUD labels, tutorial text
• Coordinate with copy team on file format and location

Workflow:

1. Early sprint: coordinate with copy team (Mellanie) on format and location
2. Copy team authors strings
3. Client team integrates into UI systems
4. Test in-game, provide feedback to copy if strings don't fit UI constraints

File location (proposed): client/scripts/constants/ui_strings.gd or load from content/campaigns/main/_meta/ui-strings.yaml via content loader

Integration points:

• Interaction prompt labels (E to interact, E to talk, E to examine, etc.)
• Knowledge panel headers ("Known Contacts", "Persons of Interest", etc.)
• Relationship state text ("Trusted colleague", "Flagged by case file", etc.)
• HUD labels (time display, location name, pause indicator)
• Tutorial/hint text (if any)

Gotcha: UI strings must be brief — HUD space is limited. If copy delivers long strings, client team provides length constraints and copy revises.

---

Sprint Success Criteria

By end of Sprint 5, client team delivers:

1. Interaction prompt system complete (#405) — context-sensitive E prompt working in-game
2. UI microcopy integrated (#409) — all 50 strings applied to UI elements, tested in-game

Light sprint for client team. Primary work is finishing #405 carry-over and coordinating #409 integration with copy.

Testing Notes

Both tickets need in-game validation:

• #405: Test interaction prompts with multiple verb types (talk, examine, interact with object). Verify prompt appears/disappears based on proximity. Test visual clarity in fog/non-fog areas.
• #409: Test all UI strings in context. Check for text overflow, truncation, readability. Verify tone matches Sova setting (quotidian-with-undertow, working-class pragmatic).

Use existing client test infrastructure (gdUnit4 if applicable, or manual playtesting).

PR Workflow

When ready to submit, create a PR with tea CLI:

tea pr create \
  --repo jpmschweitzer/settled-reach \
  --login schweitz \
  --title "feat(ui): interaction prompt + UI microcopy" \
  --description "Sprint 5 client delivery - see docs/sprints/sprint-5/client.md" \
  --base main \
  --head client