settled-reach/docs/design/spatial-layout-bar-v01.md

title, description, type, status, ticket, decision_refs, author, created, updated

title	description	type	status	ticket	decision_refs	author	created	updated
Spatial Layout: The Last Shift (Bar)	Tile-level floor plan, sightline analysis, and zone breakdown for the bar with NPC traffic annotations	design	active	#312	D-043	Araminta	2026-02-19	2026-02-19

Spatial Layout: The Last Shift (Bar)

Ticket: #312 Date: 2026-02-19 Author: Araminta (Visual Designer) Status: v0.1 — wireframe quality, unblocks copy #191

Grid: 1 cell = 1m visual tile (visual grammar §2.1). Simulation operates at 0.5m; each visual tile = 2×2 sim tiles. Map area: 28m wide × 22m deep (28×22 visual tiles) + 6m eastern extension (bathroom corridor) Zone palette: Warm dark amber (visual grammar §1.3). Irregular layout is intentional — "functional warmth."

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Spatial Character

The Last Shift was converted from a maintenance staging bay roughly 15 years ago by Lera, who bought the decommissioned space and did most of the fit-out herself. The irregular east wall (where the bathroom corridor juts out as a later addition) and the uneven booth placement reflect Lera's accumulated decisions rather than an architect's plan. This is the design principle: functional warmth (D-043) means the bar looks settled, not designed.

The space has two distinct social temperature zones:

• North half (entry side): Higher visibility, news ticker, casual seating — the public face of the bar
• South half (bar counter and beyond): Lower visibility, card table, the back room — where the actual social work happens

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Floor Plan

         N (district — main entrance from transit corridor)
         |
         1111111111222222222233
1234567890123456789012345678901

####[D]#############[D]######   row 01  <- main entrance (west) + emergency exit (east)
#[BB] . . . .  [NT][NT]     #   row 02  <- NW corner booth + news ticker (NE)
#[BB] . . . .   . . . . . . #   row 03  ACCESS: PUBLIC
#[BB] . . . . . . . . . . . #   row 04  <- corner booth, 3 rows deep, faces SE
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . #   row 05
# [T] . . . [T] . . [T]  .  #   row 06  <- scattered tables (T = table/chairs)
# . . . . . . . . . . . . .  #   row 07
# [T] . . . . . . . . [T] .  #   row 08
# . . . . . . . . . . . . .  #   row 09
# . . . . . [CT] . . . . . . #   row 10  <- card table (CT) south-center
# . . . . . [CT] . . . . . . #   row 11
####[BAR COUNTER]###########[D]#[D]##   row 12  <- long bar counter; E door = BC entry; far E = alley
# . . SERVING AREA . . . . .  # BC #   row 13  <- bathroom corridor (east extension)
# . . . . . . . . . . . .  .  # [B]#   row 14  ACCESS: SEMI-PRIVATE
# . . . . . . . . . . . . .   # [B]#   row 15  <- 2 bathroom stalls
# . . . . . . . . . . [T][T]  # [D]#   row 16  <- serving area tables; door to back room
################[D]############[BR]#   row 17  <- back room door; back room east side
# BACK ROOM (STAFF ONLY)    .  # [D]#   row 18  <- back room alley exit
# [T][LERA DESK] . . . . . .  ######   row 19  ACCESS: PRIVATE
########[D]####################   row 20  <- alley door (south)
                                  (alley = maintenance access, also secondary exit)
         |
         S (station maintenance alley — secondary exit route)

Legend:

#       Wall (solid, blocks LOS and movement)
.       Open walkable floor
[D]     Doorway (traversable)
[BB]    Corner booth seating (fixed furniture)
[T]     Table with chairs (movable; typical seating cluster)
[CT]    Card table (semi-permanent fixture; Torek's usual spot)
[NT]    News ticker display (wall-mounted, east wall north side)
BC      Bathroom corridor (narrow, east extension)
[B]     Bathroom stall
[BR]    Back room

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Zone Breakdown

Zone 1 — Entry / North Public Area (rows 01–05)

Access tier: Public Purpose: The entry side. First impressions: warm amber light from the sconces Lera installed, the news ticker running at low volume on the east wall, the bar counter visible ahead. Most new arrivals pause here — it's the social reading zone where you assess who's in. NPC traffic: Variable — busy at shift-change peaks, thin midday. Ren works the door informally (they're a regular who's made themselves useful to Lera, not official staff). Near the news ticker (east), a cluster often forms when something is on — planetary news, trade reports, sports events. This cluster is a natural eavesdropping point. LOS notes: Open floor, full east-west LOS across the entry area. From the entrance you can see the corner booth (NW), the news ticker cluster (NE), and most of the scattered tables. You CANNOT see the card table from the entrance — it's south of the bar counter.

Zone 2 — Corner Booth (NW, rows 02–04)

Access tier: Public (any patron can sit here; regulars treat it as first-come territory) Purpose: The key player observation position. Regulars know this booth sees everything — so it's informally "first-come" seating, and arriving early to claim it is a recognizable move. Sitting here signals you want to observe, not be observed. NPC traffic: Occupied most evenings by one regular or another. The slot near the wall ([BB] row 04) is the deepest position — most concealed, best LOS. Torek occasionally sits here when the card table isn't running. LOS notes: From the deepest corner of the booth (row 04, column 01-02):

• ENTRANCE (row 01, center): ✓ Direct LOS — you see everyone who walks in
• News ticker cluster (row 02-03, east): ✓ Direct LOS — you can read reactions
• Bar counter (row 12): ✓ Direct LOS — you see Lera and everyone at the bar
• Card table (row 10-11, center): ✓ LOS clears the open floor — you see the game
• Back room door (row 17): ✓ Partial LOS — you see movement to/from back room
• Bathroom corridor entry (row 12, east): ✓ you see who uses the secondary route

This position is the investigation hub of The Last Shift. A player who establishes themselves here has passive observation of all key NPC positions.

Zone 3 — Scattered Tables (rows 05–11, main floor)

Access tier: Public Purpose: The general seating area. Tables are grouped loosely — Lera moved them over the years to accommodate different crowd sizes. There's no strict layout. Adjacency to the bar counter determines social temperature: tables at rows 08–11 are the "settled in" zone; tables at rows 05–07 are more transient (people who came for one drink). NPC traffic: Distributed, varies by time. Kael sits at a table in the central zone when he comes in (not the booth — he doesn't want to be prominent, but can't help being readable to the smuggler PC who knows him). LOS notes: The open floor gives most table positions LOS to the bar counter and to each other. The card table [CT] at rows 10–11 is visible from the north (booth, tables, entry) but not from inside the bathroom corridor or back room.

Zone 4 — Card Table (rows 10–11, center-south)

Access tier: Public (nominally), but functionally semi-private Purpose: The card game that runs most evenings. Torek organizes it. The participants shift but the table is a social fixture — it draws a ring of watchers even when not playing. The game itself is low-stakes (this is a low-income worker district), but the social dynamics are high-stakes: people talk during cards. NPC traffic: Torek (Triangle 3) most evenings. Ren (Triangle 3) plays occasionally. Other regulars rotate in. LOS notes: Visible from corner booth and most of the main floor. NOT visible from the entrance — the bar counter partially occludes it for someone just entering. This spatial ambiguity means a newcomer might not realize there's a card game until they commit to entering further. An NPC watching from the entrance can see the table only by moving to mid-room. Narrative note: The card table is where Triangle 3 (Bar Tensions: Lera – Torek – Ren) runs hot. The physical proximity forces NPC spatial navigation around who's in the game and who's watching.

Zone 5 — Bar Counter (row 12)

Access tier: Public (customer side) / Semi-private (Lera's side — serving area) Purpose: The axis of the space. Lera is here most of the time she's working. The bar counter is the highest-visibility position in The Last Shift — every patron in the north half of the bar can see it, and Lera can see every patron. It's also the social routing point: people come to the bar to order, but stay to talk. NPC traffic: Lera is nearly always here during open hours. The counter is a social magnet — NPCs drift to it when they want to be heard, or when they want to say something to Lera specifically. LOS notes: From behind the bar (Lera's side): full LOS across the main floor, corner booth, card table, and entry area. Also: Lera can see the bathroom corridor door and the back room door from her position. She is the most observant NPC in the building by default. Key feature: Lera's knowledge is encyclopedic within this space. She has seen every Triangle interaction that happened in this bar. Whether she shares that knowledge depends on her relationship to the player character.

Zone 6 — Serving Area South (rows 13–16)

Access tier: Semi-private (staff and card table adjacent) Purpose: The back half of the bar's public area, behind the counter. Lower ambient light (fewer sconces). This is where patrons who want more privacy settle — the [T] tables at rows 15–16 feel secluded even though they're not truly enclosed. Kael's secondary position (when he's not at the central tables and wants to avoid being too visible to Torek). NPC traffic: Sparse to moderate. Lower traffic than the north half. LOS notes: LOS back to bar counter through the serving gap. LOS to the bathroom corridor door. NOT visible from the entrance — someone entering from the north cannot see these tables without advancing to mid-room.

Zone 7 — Bathroom Corridor (east extension, rows 12–16)

Access tier: Semi-private (any patron, but narrow and away from main space) Purpose: Functional corridor to the two bathroom stalls. Also: the secondary exit from the bar, accessible without crossing the main floor. NPCs use this corridor for private exchanges precisely because it's off the main visual axis — the bar counter and the corner booth don't have LOS into the corridor itself (they see the door but not the interior). NPC traffic: Intermittent — quick in-and-out for bathrooms. Occasional lingering for private conversations. LOS notes: The corridor interior is NOT visible from any position in the main bar. You see the door opening and closing; you see someone entering or exiting. What happens in the corridor is invisible. This is the primary private conversation space in The Last Shift — used by the ring for brief exchanges that can't happen at the bar or tables. Dead-drop location: See §313 spatial layout.

Zone 8 — Back Room (rows 17–19)

Access tier: Private (Lera's staff space) Purpose: Lera's personal office-storage hybrid. Her desk, supply storage, the alley door. She takes breaks here. Has the bar's financial records. Torek has been in here — Lera owes him something, or he knows something about her operation, or both (Triangle 3 detail for Paula to develop). NPC traffic: Lera only, mostly. Torek has had access. No other patron should be back here. LOS notes: No windows. The back room is visually isolated from the main bar. You see the door to the back room from the serving area (rows 13–16) and from the corner booth. You see nothing from outside once the door is closed. Key feature: The alley exit (south door, row 20) connects to the maintenance alley running along the south side of the district. This is a secondary exit from the bar that doesn't go through the main entrance — relevant to the smuggling corridor layout (#313).

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Key Observation Positions

Position	Code	LOS coverage	Why it matters
Corner booth (NW, deepest)	POS-B1	Entrance, news ticker, bar, card table, back room door	Primary investigation post. Passive observation of all major social zones.
News ticker cluster (NE, row 02-03)	POS-B2	Entry, corner booth, north tables	Natural social gathering point. Overhear conversations; be overheard.
Bar counter (customer side, row 12)	POS-B3	Entire north floor, card table, back room door	Social hub. Lera is here; conversations happen to you at the bar.
Card table (as player/observer)	POS-B4	Corner booth, bar counter, surrounding tables	Playing cards = legitimate reason to sit and watch for extended time.
Bathroom corridor entrance (row 12E)	POS-B5	Who enters/exits corridor	Monitoring this door reveals if NPCs are meeting in the corridor.

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Sightline Analysis

FROM →        Booth(NW)  Entry  Bar Counter  Card Tbl  Serving S  Bthrm Corr  Back Rm
TO ↓
Corner booth    SELF       ✓         ✓           ✓          ✗          door only    door
Entry area       ✓        SELF       ✓           ✗(bar occludes) ✗      door only    ✗
Bar counter      ✓         ✓        SELF          ✓          ✓          door         door
Card table       ✓         ✗(bar)    ✓           SELF        ✓          ✗            ✗
Serving south    ✗         ✗         ✓ (bar gap)  ✓          SELF       door         door
Bathroom corr.  door only door only  door         ✗          door       SELF         ✗
Back room       door only  ✗         door         ✗          door       ✗            SELF

✓ = direct LOS   ✗ = wall blocks   door = see the door but not interior

Critical sightline: Corner booth → card table + back room door The booth is the only position that observes both the card table (Triangle 3 social space) and movement to/from the back room (private ring-adjacent activity). Establishing in the booth is the highest-leverage opening move in The Last Shift.

Critical sightline gap: Bathroom corridor interior Nothing in the main bar has LOS into the corridor interior. This gap is exploitable — by NPCs for private exchanges, and by the player for unobserved movement if they need to reach the alley exit without crossing the main floor.

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Access Tier Map

    PUBLIC            SEMI-PRIVATE      PRIVATE
    ──────            ────────────      ───────
    Entry area        Serving south     Back room
    Corner booth      Bathroom corr.    (Lera + ring-adjacent)
    Main tables
    Card table
    Bar counter (customer side)

The bathroom corridor is semi-private by convention rather than by lock — any patron can use it. But its ambiguity (near the bar exit, not directly observable) makes it functionally private for brief interactions.

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NPC Traffic Density Annotations

Time	Entry	Main Tables	Corner Booth	Card Table	Bar Counter	Bthrm Corr	Back Room
Dawn (05-07)	closed	—	—	—	Lera (prep)	—	Lera
Morning (07-10)	sparse	sparse	sparse	—	Lera	very sparse	—
Midday (10-14)	moderate	moderate	moderate	—	busy	sparse	—
Afternoon (14-17)	sparse	sparse	sparse	—	Lera	sparse	—
Shift change (17-20)	busy	busy	moderate (claimed)	sparse	busy	moderate	Lera/Torek
Evening peak (20-23)	busy	busy	occupied	busy	busy	moderate	varies
Late night (23-02)	sparse	sparse	sparse	winding down	Lera + last drinkers	sparse	varies
Close (02-05)	closed	—	—	—	Lera (cleanup)	—	Lera

Ring window: Late night (23-01) or very early morning. The bathroom corridor and back room are quieter; fewer eyes on movement between zones. Lera's presence at close is the primary risk.

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Irregular Layout Notes (D-043 "Functional Warmth")

The following spatial imperfections are intentional and should be preserved in implementation:

1. The corner booth is oversized relative to the space. It takes up slightly more NW floor than a "designed" bar would allocate, because Lera built it first and designed around it.
2. Tables are not in a grid. They're in clusters that emerged from patron habits. The card table's [CT] position (center-south) was placed there because it was the right distance from the bar and the bathrooms.
3. The bathroom corridor juts east beyond the main bar footprint, creating the irregular eastern edge. It was a later addition — Lera broke through the original east wall.
4. There is no stage or performance area. The news ticker is the only media element. The bar doesn't put on entertainment; the patrons are the entertainment.
5. Lighting is pooled, not even (visual grammar §1.3, fixture radius 5-6 tiles). The card table and bathroom corridor door are in the transition zone between light pools — intentionally lower visibility.

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Narrative Triangle Service Notes

Triangle 3 — Bar Tensions (Lera – Torek – Ren)

• Spatial expression: Lera at the bar counter (watching). Torek at the card table (running his social network). Ren between them (the triangle's instability node — closer to Torek emotionally, but Lera knows things about Ren that give her leverage).
• Key positions: Bar counter (Lera's domain), card table (Torek's domain), the booth (contested — whoever gets there first has the observation advantage).
• Tension staging: Torek going to the back room is the high-stakes move — it means he and Lera are talking privately. Ren watching that door from the main floor is the signal that Triangle 3 is hot.

Triangle 4 — Worried Partner (Naia – Kael – Sera)

• Kael in The Last Shift: He comes in after long shifts, sits at the central tables (not the booth — he doesn't want to be seen watching). He's a quiet drinker when here. His late nights are visible to other regulars.
• Spatial tension: Kael sitting at the table while others observe him (Lera noting his pattern, Naia's concern expressed to Sera elsewhere) is a spatial staging problem — how do you show worry through placement? The answer is: Kael always sits in the same spot, at the same time. Pattern = visible.

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Notes for Copy Team (#191 — Bar Content Pack)

1. The corner booth is "the watching spot." Regulars know it. Anyone sitting there is understood to be observing. NPC reactions to player claiming the booth should reflect this — Lera might comment. Ren might avoid eye contact.
2. News ticker is a topic generator. Whatever is running on the ticker is a natural conversation opener. Mellanie should specify what's playing on different days (planetary news, trade prices, sports) — it gives NPCs something to react to that grounds the scene.
3. The bar counter is Lera's domain. Dialogue at the counter is different from dialogue at a table — you're in Lera's space. She controls the pace, she can end the conversation by moving away to serve someone else. Write Lera's bar counter lines accordingly.
4. Bathroom corridor conversations are brief and tense. No ambient to cover prolonged conversation. The setting is: narrow, low light, the sound of ventilation. Any dialogue here should be 2-3 exchanges maximum.
5. The card table has its own social grammar. Asking to watch (spectate) is different from asking to play. Being asked to deal is a trust signal. Mellanie should differentiate these as distinct dialogue situations.
6. Ambient detail — Lera's accumulated decisions: Signs she's placed over the years (no tab system, specific house rules, a framed maintenance permit from when the corridor was added). These are environmental text opportunities (visual grammar §5.2, 11px at 70% opacity, z-layer 2-4).