settled-reach/docs/sprints/sprint-7/audio.md

title, description, type, status, sprint, team

title	description	type	status	sprint	team
Sprint 7 — Audio Briefing	6 interaction audio assets — cursor hover, weapon mode, fog recognition, dialogue	sprint	archived	7	audio

Sprint 7: Talk — Audio Tasks

Goal: Complete interaction UI layer and activate basic dialogue system with NPC conversations.

Branch: audio Agents: Inigo (sound design)

Carry-over from Sprint 6

None — no Sprint 6 audio tickets.

New Tickets

#	Title	Blocked by
#440	6 interaction audio assets — cursor hover, weapon mode, fog recognition, implant, dialogue, confrontation dip	—

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

Key Decisions

• decisions/perception.md — D-056 (cursor states), D-059 (fog entity visualization), D-060 (cognitive delay), D-061 (dialogue box), D-063 (confrontation styling)
• decisions/content.md — D-048 (neural insert overlay)

Notes

#440: 6 interaction audio assets

What exists:

• Audio manager foundation (client, Sprint 3-4)
• D-018 three-range sound model
• Insert-styled UI aesthetic (D-048, D-056)

What the ticket needs:

• 6 audio assets for new interaction states introduced in Sprint 6-7:
  1. Cursor hover (entity): Subtle tick/ping when cursor transitions to entity hover state (D-056). Insert-tech sound — clean, precise, synthetic. ~50-100ms, quiet (background confirmation).
  2. Weapon mode (future): Harder click/lock sound when cursor enters weapon aim state. Mechanical, deliberate. ~100-150ms. Deferred to future sprint (no weapon selection in Sprint 7), but design now for consistency.
  3. Fog recognition: Soft chime when cognitive delay completes and entity transitions from grey blob → recognized (D-060). Organic resolve feeling — "ah, that's Kael". ~200-300ms, warm tone.
  4. Implant/Insert open: Smooth hum/activation when insert UI opens (radial menu, inventory, stance toggle). Neural lattice powering up. ~150-250ms, rising tone.
  5. Dialogue start: Quiet ambient dip when dialogue box appears (D-061). NOT a sound effect — an audio mix shift. Background audio reduces -6dB to -8dB, dialogue takes focus. Reverses when dialogue ends.
  6. Confrontation dip: Deeper ambient dip when confrontation dialogue begins (D-063). Background audio reduces -10dB to -12dB, slight muffling (low-pass filter). Character's focus narrows — world recedes.

Audio aesthetic:

• Insert-related sounds (cursor, implant): synthetic, precise, clinical. Neural tech interface.
• Recognition sound: organic, warm. Human cognition, not machine beep.
• Ambient dips: subtle mix changes, not hard cuts. World doesn't disappear, just recedes.

Integration points:

• Client #429 (cursor states) triggers hover sound
• Client #431 (fog recognition) triggers recognition chime
• Client #433 (radial menu), #438 (inventory), #439 (stance toggle) trigger implant open sound
• Client #434 (dialogue box) triggers dialogue dip and confrontation dip
• Audio manager plays sounds via autoload (AudioManager singleton, if exists, or direct AudioStreamPlayer nodes)

Gotchas:

• Ambient dip is NOT a sound file — it's a mix parameter change (AudioBus volume adjustment in Godot)
• Confrontation dip uses low-pass filter (AudioEffectLowPassFilter on ambient bus) for muffling
• Recognition chime timing: fires DURING cognitive delay (monologue IS the recognition per D-060), not after
• All sounds should be non-intrusive — UI feedback, not foreground events
• Insert sounds reinforce diegetic nature of UI (cursor, radial menu, inventory are all insert-rendered)

File format:

• .ogg or .wav (Godot-compatible)
• Sample rate: 44.1kHz or 48kHz
• Mono for point-source sounds (cursor, recognition), stereo for ambient shifts (dialogue dip)

Deliverables:

• 5 audio files: cursor_hover.ogg, weapon_aim.ogg, fog_recognition.ogg, implant_open.ogg
• 1 implementation spec: audio/docs/dialogue-ambient-dip.md (how to configure AudioBus for dialogue and confrontation dips)

Dependency Chain

#440 (6 audio assets) → standalone

Sprint 7 Audio Load

Sprint 7 has 1 audio ticket — 6 sound assets + 1 implementation spec. Estimated 8-12 hours (2-3 hours per asset design + iteration).

Asset priority order:

1. Cursor hover (most frequent, Sprint 7 critical)
2. Fog recognition (Sprint 7 critical, new mechanic)
3. Implant open (Sprint 7 critical, radial menu/inventory)
4. Dialogue dip (Sprint 7, dialogue box foundation)
5. Confrontation dip (Sprint 7, but low-frequency event)
6. Weapon aim (future sprint, design now for consistency)

If time is constrained, defer weapon aim sound to Sprint 8 or later.

PR Workflow

When ready to submit, create a PR with tea CLI. All flags are required to avoid TTY prompts:

tea pr create --repo jpmschweitzer/settled-reach --login schweitz --title "feat(audio): 6 interaction audio assets" --description "See docs/sprints/sprint-7/audio.md" --base main --head audio