Docs: adopt End-of-Month slice as Decision-Gate answer + SL-1..7 plan (DR-035)

Reconcile the roadmap to the just-committed End_Of_Month_Game_Jam_Slice
("Awakening Engine Last Stand"). 9-agent grounded code audit: 13/14 slice
systems already shipped; END-2 (final siege + latching win) is the one
blocker. Decision Gate answered early as ship-the-minimum.

- DR-035 (new): adopt the slice; END-2 charge cadence LOCKED siege-survived-only
- Backlog: NEXT reframed to the slice + SL-1..SL-7 milestones (END-2 = SL-3, critical path)
- Milestones: close ledger gap (MC-1 PASS / MC-4 / base-mining / EB-1 / EB-2 / END-1) + slice row
- Path_to_Fun: top pointer (stays long-term north-star; Path B untouched)
- Slice doc: Status & Navigation cross-links

CLAUDE.md intentionally unchanged (no budget headroom; conventions doc, uncontradicted).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Docs/Vault/06_Roadmap/Backlog.md

@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 tags:
 - roadmap
 - backlog
-updated: 2026-06-08
+- slice
+updated: 2026-06-13
 permalink: gamevault/06-roadmap/backlog
 ---
 
@@ -12,15 +13,60 @@ Open / candidate work only. **Done items live in [[Milestones]] + their DR / ses
 kept to the forward-looking pool — promote an item to [[Milestones|a milestone]] when committed, then drop it here).
 Last decluttered 2026-06-08 (removed all shipped `[x]` items; their context is preserved in the linked records).
 
-## NEXT — Combat-depth track (the fight, made fun)
+## NEXT — Awakening Engine Last Stand (End-of-Month Slice) ★
 
-**The forward plan is [[Path_to_Fun]]** (direction [[DR-028_Combat_Primary_Verb_Depth_First]], refined 2026-06-08): combat is the primary braided verb; **depth-before-breadth**, with a **falsifiable fun-gate per milestone**. The roadmap is split into a **committed Path A** and a **provisional, NOT-scheduled Path B**, with a **mandatory logged Decision Gate** between them.
+**The active operational target for June 13–30 is the [[End_Of_Month_Game_Jam_Slice]]** — a compact top-down ARPG / survival base-defense demo (mine Ore → build Turret/Wall/Fabricator → Ore→Charge→turret-shots → survive escalating Husk waves → hold the losable Engine Core through a **final siege** → **win or lose in a 5–8 min run**, in **one compact arena**). This **answers the Path A Decision Gate early as *ship the minimum*** ([[DR-035_End_Of_Month_Slice_Adoption]]); [[Path_to_Fun]] stays the long-term north-star and **Path B stays provisional** until a ship-vs-continue note is logged *after* June 30.
 
-- **Path A — the committed scope (a shippable game-with-a-point):** MC-0 instrument the box → MC-1 dash + committed-punishable Charger → MC-4 melee cone → *[Demo A: the Duel]* → EB-1 machines can die (structure loss-state) → EB-2 the felt spend (turret ammo from the factory) → *[Demo B: the Loop]* → END-1 a losable Core → END-2 final siege / win-lose → **[Decision Gate — log ship-vs-continue]**.
-  - **Status 2026-06-09: MC-0 + MC-1 CODE-COMPLETE, fun-gate pending** ([[2026-06-09_MC1_Implementation]]) — 259/259 EditMode + clean netcode Play sessions + post-build adversarial review (2 confirmed findings fixed); the operator feel pass (dash snap test, telegraph read, Charger feet) + the bench (timed vs spam) + friend read are the open gate. MC-4 starts only after the MC-1 gate passes.
-- **Path B — provisional (pick ONE after the gate, re-estimate first):** MC-2 ranged + swarm + mix-director · MC-3 pure juice · MC-5 downed/revive · MC-6 multi-slot kit · EB-3 base repair · EB-4 tool-gated harvest (braided) · EB-5 craft combat power · END-5 1–4p scaling + NG+. *(END-3 Echo narrative + END-4 content-treadmill are CUT until Path A is fun and the operator wants to author.)*
+**Already shipped & code-verified (do NOT rebuild — 13/14 slice systems):** movement, dash (MC-1, fun-gate PASSED 2026-06-10), melee combo (MC-4), ranged poke; base-local Ore mining (DR-031); Turret/Wall/Fabricator palette + UITK build HUD (DR-021); Ore→Fabricator→Charge→turret economy (EB-2 / DR-033); destructible structures (EB-1 / DR-032); soft-loss Engine Core integrity + overrun flash (END-1 / DR-034); SaveData v4 + frontend menu / Continue / build menu (DR-019). The audit: 9-agent grounded gap-analysis, 2026-06-13.
 
-Every milestone ends with a **play/fun-gate**, not a test count. **Path A forks are LOCKED** (2026-06-09 — [[DR-029_Path_A_Fork_Locks]] · [[Path_to_Fun#Locked decisions (Path A)]]); Path B forks stay open, locked via the same present-the-forks ritual at the Decision Gate.
+**The ONE blocker is END-2 (final siege + terminal win) — SL-3 below.** Today `GoalProgress.Charge` increments past `Target` forever with no clamp/consequence; there is a clear *loss* (Core overrun) but **no terminal *win***. END-2 must land by **June 26**. **Charge cadence LOCKED 2026-06-13: siege-survived-only** (goal +1 per survived siege; Path_to_Fun's "Both"/Aether-deposit cadence deferred post-slice). See [[DR-035_End_Of_Month_Slice_Adoption#Locked fork — END-2 charge cadence (2026-06-13)]].
+
+**Critical path:** SL-1 → SL-2 → **SL-3 (END-2)** → SL-5 → SL-6 → SL-7; SL-4 (visual) runs parallel, done by Jun 23. Every milestone ends with a **falsifiable play/fun-gate**, not a test count. Full vision + visual direction + cohesion checklist + Done Definition: [[End_Of_Month_Game_Jam_Slice]].
+
+### SL-1 — Scope Lock & Arena Cleanup `Jun 13-15` · risk LOW
+- **Goal:** one compact (<~20 m radius, single-camera) base-defense arena with the Core as the hero object; lock the slice doc as the frozen target; set ARPG camera framing.
+- **Tasks:** confirm compact footprint + Core centered/dominant · hide/remove non-slice noise (expedition rift/warpgate/distracting props; keep perimeter dark & quiet) · tune `PrototypeCameraRig` (today Pitch 45° / Dist 13 / FOV 55 — verify player+enemies+2 structures+Core read in one view, dash trajectory visible) · verify Ore annulus (~10–12 nodes) spacing reads · **decide Pylon** (give the 4th palette entry a job + cyan accent, or cut it — slice names only Turret/Wall/Fabricator) · confirm Save/Continue (SaveData v4) is ready, no extra polish.
+- **Fun-gate:** a new viewer IDs player/Ore/Turret/Husk/Core/ground in <1 s; arena reads as a "small industrial clearing," not a meadow; camera neither too close nor too wide.
+- **Deps:** none.
+
+### SL-2 — Loop Tuning `Jun 16-19` · risk MED (live knobs)
+- **Goal:** dial the 5–8 min run — mine → build → fight → defend with readable pacing, no dead time, no constant pressure.
+- **Tasks:** baseline a full run (mine ~2 min, build 2 Turret + 1 Wall + 1 Fabricator, survive 3 sieges) · tune Ore spawn rate + build costs (Turret 10 / Wall 4 / Fabricator 30 / Pylon 2 Ore) vs the 45 s (`ScheduleIntervalTicks=2700`) siege cadence · tune Fabricator recipe (1 Ore→3 Charge/30 t) + `TurretChargeCostPerShot` so the **felt spend** bites (turrets dry out without upkeep) · tune turret damage (Husk dies in ~8–12 shots) + wave growth (`SizeBase` + `ScheduleSizePerWave`) · validate Grunt/Charger mix (Chargers occasional, lunge telegraph readable) · kill Calm "AFK >90 s" dead-time · all via the live `TuningConfig` overlay (MC-0).
+- **Fun-gate:** a fresh non-designer plays 5 min uncoached and reads mining as purposeful, building as a "prep" beat, waves as recognizable pressure, a siege death as "try again"; competent player finishes a run in 5–8 min.
+- **Deps:** SL-1.
+
+### SL-3 — END-2: Final Siege & Win/Lose (PATH-A BLOCKER) `Jun 16-23 build, Jun 24 validate` · risk MED · **review-gated** ★
+- **Goal:** the goal meter means something — at `GoalProgress.Charge >= Target` arm a visibly-larger **final siege**; surviving it latches a **Victory**, breaching the Core during it latches a **Loss**; both fire a clear HUD banner. Spec: [[Path_to_Fun#END-2 — The charge means something: the cap arms a final siege, win or lose]].
+- **Charge cadence — LOCKED 2026-06-13: siege-survived-only** (goal +1 per survived siege, the existing single-writer; no Aether-deposit writer — "Both" deferred post-slice). [[DR-035_End_Of_Month_Slice_Adoption#Locked fork — END-2 charge cadence (2026-06-13)]].
+- **Tasks:** add `RunPhase{byte Normal|FinalDefense}` + `RunOutcome{byte InProgress|Victory|Loss}` on the CycleDirector (server-only single-writer, **NOT `[GhostField]`** — avoid the ghost re-hash; derive client-side) · new server-only `GoalReachedSystem` `[UpdateAfter(CyclePhaseSystem)]`: on the `Charge>=Target` edge (guarded `RunPhase==Normal` → exactly-once) **clamp `Charge`**, arm the final siege via the existing `ThreatState.PendingSiegeSize` (×`FinalSiegeMultiplier`), set `FinalDefense` · in `CyclePhaseSystem` (keep it the **sole** `WaveState`/`Phase` writer — no second writer, DR-017 cycle hazard): final-`DefendCleared`→`Victory`, final-overrun→`Loss` · add live `FinalSiegeMultiplier` (~2–3×) to `TuningConfig` · client-only HUD victory/loss banner reusing END-1's `OverrunTick` edge-detect pattern · **run the adversarial design review BEFORE coding** (netcode/determinism/single-writer) per [[validate-netcode-design-before-coding]] · 4 EditMode tests (arms once, Victory edge, Loss edge, Charge clamp).
+- **Fun-gate** (Path_to_Fun END-2): team sees the meter approach full + an Engine telegraph and **deliberately preps** (≥1 countable action); final siege `liveEnemyCount` peak ≥30 % over a normal siege; surviving fires a "we did it" banner read as game-end; final-overrun reads as "lost the final stand," distinct from a mid-run overrun.
+- **Deps:** SL-1 (arena), SL-2 (tuned baseline). **No save-schema bump** (bytes derivable on load → SaveData stays v4).
+
+### SL-4 — Visual Cohesion Pass `Jun 20-23` (parallel) · risk MED
+- **Goal:** "Aether Siege Outpost" read — dark/quiet ground, cyan owned vs orange-red hostile, Core as hero; pass the slice's Visual Cohesion Checklist (slice §203–216).
+- **Tasks:** darken ground + neutral props (~40–50 %, recede them) · cyan emissive accents on player + all owned structures + Core (read at 13 m in motion) · orange-red on Husks + telegraphs · amber Ore legibility · 5–10 **dark** perimeter framing props (no sightline blockers, none brighter than Core) · post-FX: bloom only on Aether/Ore/attacks, reduce fog that washes silhouettes, subtle vignette, cool-shadow/warm-glow grade · re-test every asset import in Play (material-regression guard).
+- **Fun-gate:** a blind watcher of a 5 s clip IDs Core="base defended", cyan="owned", orange="enemy", ground="background", arena="engineered space not meadow"; cyan/orange ≥2× brighter than ground.
+- **Deps:** SL-1 (locked arena). Cut perimeter props first if it slips; keep darkening + emissive.
+
+### SL-5 — Final Siege & Ending tuning `Jun 24-26` · risk MED
+- **Goal:** make the final siege feel climactic and the run a clear three-act (prep → conflict → climax/resolution); lock end-game messaging.
+- **Tasks:** tune `FinalSiegeMultiplier` (test 2.0/2.5/3.0; final peak ≥30 % over normal) · add a final-siege **telegraph** (Engine hum/sky shift/HUD "FINAL SIEGE INCOMING", ≥3–5 s warning) · validate Victory banner only on final-`DefendCleared`, Loss banner distinct from mid-run overrun · autosave the victory/loss checkpoint + clean continue/retry/quit flow (no soft-lock) · clock 3+ runs at 5–8 min · co-op: both clients see the same outcome, no desync.
+- **Fun-gate:** a new team unanimously reads the final siege as *different*, preps for it, and reads winning as winning (not "another siege cleared"); run duration 5–8 min ±1 across 3+ playthroughs.
+- **Deps:** SL-3 (END-2), SL-4 (visual reads).
+
+### SL-6 — Polish & Cut `Jun 27-29` · risk MED (scope-creep)
+- **Goal:** play the whole run 5+× (solo + co-op), fix readability, cut confusing mechanics, tune feedback; screenshot-validate against the checklist.
+- **Tasks:** 5+ full cycles, log confusing/dead/balance/clutter moments · HUD legibility at 1920×1080 (known vitals↔palette overlap — fix or accept) · combat feedback weight (hit freeze-frame/flash, turret-fire + Husk-death distinct, dash i-frame read) · structure-break + Core-breach feedback unmistakable · win/loss banner unmissable (play each 3×) · **enforce a code-freeze Jun 29 noon** (blockers + readability only after) · cut/defer anything unfinished (missing anims → placeholder vanish; responsive HUD → post-jam) · take 5–8 checklist screenshots · tag a stable backup.
+- **Gate:** N/A (validation phase) — success = 5 clean playthroughs (no soft-lock/desync/progression-block), readable HUD, weighty feedback, unambiguous win/loss, screenshots match the checklist.
+- **Deps:** SL-5.
+
+### SL-7 — Package `Jun 30` · risk LOW–MED (build regressions)
+- **Goal:** a reliable playable build (or reliable play path) for external viewing; no new systems, blockers-only fixes.
+- **Tasks:** build the Windows player (`ProjectM/Build`), launch → menu → Single/Host/Join → full loop → quit → Continue · verify no magenta materials / missing sprites / missing audio at 1920×1080 (watch the URP global-settings `m_AssetVersion` build blocker — reset the stamp, don't regenerate) · optional LAN Host↔Join smoke · **content + code freeze Jun 29 noon / Jun 30 8 am** · capture 2–3 hero screenshots · write a hand-off note (what shipped / known-good / deferred / next steps) + **log the formal Decision Gate** (ship-and-stop vs. one Path B milestone) per [[Path_to_Fun#The Decision Gate (MANDATORY STOP after END-2)]].
+- **Gate:** end-to-end playable, no crashes/soft-locks; a new player gets a clear win or loss in one 5–8 min run; shippable for a friend / itch demo.
+- **Deps:** SL-6. Fallback: keep the editor-Play path as the demo if the standalone build regresses.
+
+> **Path B stays provisional & unscheduled** (pick ONE after the post-slice Decision-Gate note — re-estimate first): MC-2 ranged+swarm+mix-director · MC-3 pure juice · MC-5 downed/revive · MC-6 multi-slot kit · EB-3 base repair · EB-4 tool-gated harvest · EB-5 craft combat power · END-5 1–4p scaling + NG+. *(END-3 Echo narrative + END-4 content-treadmill remain CUT.)* Path B forks stay open, locked via the present-the-forks ritual ([[DR-029_Path_A_Fork_Locks]] · [[present-forks-dont-auto-decide]]). The deferred backlog below is the post-slice menu, NOT slice work.
 
 ## PAUSED — Inventory · Equipment · Progression (roadmap [[DR-026_Inventory_Equipment_Progression_Foundation]] / [[DR-027_Equipment_Slots_Phase1]])