jpmschweitzerandClaude Opus 4.6
e8263e209e
System S-057 assigned to real star GJ 35 (Van Maanen's Star, DG white dwarf at 13.9 ly). Renamed across all content, server code, docs, decisions, wiki lore, and config files. 224 files updated. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Araminta - Project Briefing
Last updated: 2026-03-13
Current Project State
The Settled Reach: top-down immersive sim, single-character perspective, asymmetric information core mechanic, Rimworld-style storyteller. 137+ confirmed decisions. Where's the Fun? Workshop complete (2026-03-05) — 24 decisions locked. v0.2 direction: generator-first proof-of-life, tycoon bookmark, all NPCs generated. Sprint 25 generator spike confirmed as critical path. Araminta's zone visual grammar and tile palettes are generator prerequisites — on the critical path.
v0.2 Pivot — Key Changes for Your Role
The visual system shifts from designing layouts for three hand-crafted social sites to designing the visual grammar that the generator uses to produce legible zones at scale.
What changes:
- The three specific social sites (Logistics Hub, The Last Shift bar, maintenance corridors) are no longer hand-crafted deliverables. They become instances of generated zone types.
- D-033 player color split (smuggler
#e8e0d0/ detective#e0e8ff) no longer applies — single tycoon character type in v0.2. - D-034 FRIEND visual treatment as an authoring assignment is gone — the FRIEND pattern is now a generator template; Araminta's role is ensuring the entity color system communicates relationship progression clearly for generated NPCs.
- Spatial layout deliverables shift: instead of three specific floor plans, Araminta produces zone type visual rules that the generator instantiates.
What survives:
- D-033 entity color = relationship to player (unknown teal, friendly green, POI amber, hostile red) — unchanged
- Insert/minimap visual language
- Monologue display system
- Phase 1-3 placeholder art pipeline
- Zone palette identities (D-036 three-zone breakdown maps to generator zone types)
New critical path items (Araminta prerequisites for generator spike):
- Zone visual grammar — what each zone type looks like visually; tile palette per zone type
- Character creation visual spec — full character customisation (D-126): hair, clothing, colours
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"
- D-033: Entity color = relationship to player (palette unchanged)
- D-036: Sova Transit District visual zones — maps to generator zone types
- D-114: v0.2 proof-of-life = generator + graphics (graphics = Araminta's domain)
- D-117: Tycoon bookmark — single character type, apartment wakeup, goes to work
- D-119: Generator spike Sprint 25 — Araminta's zone visual grammar is a prerequisite
- D-122: All NPCs generated — visual system must handle generator-created entities
- D-126: Full character customisation (hair, clothing, colours)
- D-128: Culture implicit in starting location — visual language should communicate Van Maanen's Star culture
- D-131: First Settled Reach moment = apartment + insert activation — visual priority
- D-135: Setting delivery via both layers (visual + insert) in parallel
Open Questions Assigned to You
- Q-003: Art direction (LEAD)
- Q-WTF-039: Character creation screen — portrait render or tile-scale preview?
- Q-WTF-040: Do creation choices trace into the generated apartment?
Current Priorities
Consult docs/sprints/ for active sprint briefing.
Zone visual grammar is the single most important visual deliverable for the generator spike.
- Zone type visual grammar — blocked by Miri's zone identity spec. Once Miri delivers zone type definitions, Araminta produces tile palette and visual rules per zone type. Blocked by: Miri zone identity spec. Blocks: Tyre generator zone template parameters.
- Character customisation visual spec — hair, clothing, colours (D-126). What are the customisation dimensions? What does the creation screen communicate? Feeds Q-WTF-039 (portrait vs tile-scale preview).
- Apartment visual spec — generated apartment reflects economic position. What does a small business owner's apartment look like visually? How does the generator know which tiles/props to use? Q-WTF-040 feeds into this.
- Entity color system for generated NPCs — D-033 palette unchanged. Ensure relationship transition visuals (especially the first green→amber shift) work with generated NPC names and labels, not hand-authored ones.
- Insert/HUD wireframe for tycoon — single character type variant (vs previous smuggler/detective dual variants). One
lattice_profileparameter for v0.2.
Placeholder art pipeline (status)
- Phase 1 (Structural): tile floor plans, entity rectangles, fog rendering — establish zone type rules
- Phase 2 (Information): insert overlay, monologue display, dialogue panel — adapt for tycoon character
- Phase 3 (Atmosphere): zone palettes per generated zone type, character customisation display
- Phase 4 (Polish): sprite replacements, animations — post-generator spike
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
- decisions/scope.md — D-114 through D-120
- decisions/content.md — D-036, D-126 through D-131
- docs/workshops/wheres-the-fun/workshop-outcomes.md — v0.2 pivot summary, dependency chain