kronic/Project-M
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity

Docs: LANTERN roadmap index + Phase 4/5 design passes + session log B

Browse Source 
- Roadmap_Lantern_Slice: Phase-0 status callout + doc index (all Phase-0 artifacts linked).
- Phase 4 (mutations): mostly a re-theme of the shipped boon overhaul (DR-047) + Gloam gating
  + Tallow fixing (persistence) + raw-socketing + culture library; salvage map + gate.
- Phase 5 (death/recovery): the split, stranded suits (deterministic relocation), body-carry,
  flame-share revive, the Tender solo valve, Selkie tariff; builds on the world-model
  in-pocket-death decision (C4); the slice's 2nd falsifiable-test half.
- Session log Part B: the autonomous design pass + the world-model review record.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Luis Gonzalez
2026-07-13 23:58:47 -07:00
parent fc31d066d0
commit d005f140db
5 changed files with 281 additions and 1 deletions
Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files
Docs/Vault/06_Roadmap/Lantern_Phase4_Mutations_Design.md
+95
View File
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
---
title: LANTERN — Phase 4 Mutations & Homecoming Economy (design pass, pre-review)
date: 2026-07-13
tags: [roadmap, lantern, mutations, sparks, phase-4, design]
status: design-pre-review
permalink: gamevault/06-roadmap/lantern-phase4-mutations-design
---
# LANTERN — Phase 4: Sparks, Mutations & the Homecoming Economy
> Phase 4 of [[Roadmap_Lantern_Slice]] — a **design pass** (not a code contract; it deepens + gets its ★review
> when the phase is reached). The happy discovery from the combat/boon salvage: **the just-shipped boon
> overhaul ([[DR-047_Phase17_Boon_Overhaul_Mechanic_Changers]]) already IS ~70% of the mutation layer.** The
> `BoonEffects` substrate, pocket-clear offers, and the strip-on-return are the mutation loop; LANTERN adds
> **Gloam gating, Tallow fixing (persistence), raw-socketing, and the culture library.**
## The mapping: boons → wild mutations (mostly a re-theme)
| LANTERN design ([[Identity_Lantern]]) | Current system (salvage) | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Sparks **drink Gloam** — kills/vents/blooms feed the mutation offer | `KillRewardSystem` already fires on-kill; offers already generate | Gate the offer on a **Gloam threshold** (a per-descent counter), not on room-clear alone |
| **2 paced thresholds per descent, at pocket-clear beats** (never mid-combat) | `BoonOfferSystem` offers once per `RoomEpoch` on `RoomReward` entry | Re-cadence to **2 Gloam-thresholds/descent** at PocketClear; keep the "never mid-combat" rule (it's already there) |
| **2–3 warps offered** (your decoy bursts / taunts / splits) | `BoonMath.PickBoons` draws 3, dedup + dominated-protection + family-bias | Re-theme the catalog entries as Spark-warps; keep the picker verbatim |
| Mutations are gloam-things: **evaporate at homecoming** | `RunDirectorSystem` **already strips the boon band + resets `BoonEffects`** on `Returning` | ✅ *already exactly this* — homecoming = the existing return-strip |
| **Tallow fixing: 1 fix slot per Spark** (a mutation survives homecoming) | (new) | NEW: a per-Spark fix slot that exempts one mutation from the return-strip + persists it |
| **Raw-socketing** a fresh organ wild (over-tuned, gone at homecoming) | (new; the socket kit is Phase 1) | NEW: socket a Spark mid-descent in an over-tuned wild state; strips on return unless cultured |
| **Culture library** — first organ home = permanently cultured; grafts regrow cheaply | (new; the ability catalog + `EquipmentSlot`-swap pattern is the seed) | NEW: a persistent per-station unlocked-Spark set; death-proof knowledge floor |
| **Scripted first-evaporation** (Keeper gifts one Tallow) | (new; onboarding pattern exists) | NEW: a one-shot scripted beat on the first homecoming-with-a-mutation |
## The four genuinely-new pieces
### 1. Gloam gating (the mutation feed)
A **per-descent server counter** `Gloam` (see [[Lantern_Currency_ReMean]] — a counter, not a ledger row) fills
from kills/vents/blooms (hook the existing `KillRewardSystem` + hazard events). At **2 paced thresholds** per
descent, at a **PocketClear** beat, the offer fires. This replaces "offer every room-clear" with "offer when
the descent has drunk enough Gloam" — a paced, earned cadence. The thresholds are live-tunable knobs.
### 2. Tallow fixing (the persistence + the scarcity gate)
- **1 fix slot per Spark** (a possible 2nd very late) — **slots, not materials, are the scarcity** (so the meta
can't ossify; in-run variety survives the best players — the review-hardened identity decision).
- Fixing = render a wild mutation in **Tallow** → that mutation is **exempted from the return-strip** and
persisted (a new additive save field: per-Spark fixed-mutation id). Mechanically: the fixed mutation's
`BoonEffects` contribution / `StatModifier` band is re-applied born-correct at the next descent's launch
(reuse the `ClassSwapUtil`/prep-band replay pattern — a proven "re-apply a modifier band" idiom).
- **The return-strip stays the default** (`RunDirectorSystem` Returning strip); fixing is the *exception list*.
### 3. Raw-socketing (the recurring temptation)
Socket a **fresh organ wild** mid-descent (Phase-1 socket kit): over-tuned stats, temporary, **gone at
homecoming unless cultured**. Mechanically = a socket write + a wild `StatModifier` band in a distinct source-id
range that the return-strip clears (unless the Spark was cultured — then the base graft persists, the wild
over-tune doesn't). The tension: wield it wild now vs. bag it to culture.
### 4. The culture library (the death-proof knowledge floor)
- First time an organ (Spark) comes home = **permanently cultured** (a persistent per-station unlocked-Spark
set; a new additive save array). Grafts **regrow cheaply from culture** → your kit is functional within
minutes of dying (non-negotiable in a skillshot game — the death-split's whole premise).
- Mechanically = the ability catalog (`AbilityDatabase`) + a persisted "cultured" bitset; socketing a cultured
Spark is free/cheap; the death-split (Phase 5) strands *cargo + raw organs*, never the cultured base.
## Catalog: fill the Spark set to 8–10
The current default catalog is 12 boon entries (8 mechanic-changers + 4 stat). Re-theme + extend into 8–10
**Sparks** (abilities-as-organs from named myths) with their warp-mutations. Each Spark = an `AbilityDefBlob`
row (Phase 1) + its mutation warps as `BoonCatalog` entries tagged to that Spark's `Family`. Reuse the
`Family` tag system for build-bias + dominated-protection verbatim.
## Salvage map
| Piece | Verdict |
|---|---|
| `BoonEffects` (Pierce/Fork/Chain/Flags, `SendToOwner`, `ProjectileEffectState`/`KillRewardSystem` hooks) | **KEEP** — the mutation substrate; add flag bits / count bytes for new warps (each new `[GhostField]` re-bakes the player ghost — batch them) |
| `BoonMath.PickBoons` (dedup / dominated / family-bias, pure integer-hash) | **KEEP verbatim** — the offer picker |
| `BoonOfferSystem` (once-per-RoomEpoch offer) | **REWORK** — re-cadence to 2 Gloam-thresholds/descent at PocketClear |
| `BoonApplySystem` (Kind==1 mutates `BoonEffects`; Kind==0 appends `StatModifier`) | **KEEP** — the apply substrate |
| `RunDirectorSystem` Returning strip | **KEEP + extend** — the homecoming evaporation; add the Tallow-fix exception list |
| `ClassSwapUtil` / prep-band replay | **KEEP as pattern** — the born-correct "re-apply a modifier band" idiom for fixed mutations |
| Culture bitset + fixed-mutation save fields | **NEW** — additive save schema (with the Phase-2/3 v7 bump) |
## The gate ([[Roadmap_Lantern_Slice]])
Two consecutive descents produce **visibly different builds from the same kit**; the **evaporation beat reads
as a gift, not a theft** (the scripted first-evaporation + the Tallow gift). Feel/balance knobs: Gloam
thresholds, warps-per-offer, Tallow slot count, raw-socket over-tune magnitude.
## Open forks (parked in [[Lantern_Operator_Questions]])
- Gloam as a stored ledger byte vs a per-descent counter (recommend: counter).
- The exact Spark set (8–10) + each Spark's 2–3 warps — a content-design pass with the operator.
- Whether raw-socketing shares the Phase-1 socket slots or a separate "wild slot."
## Related
- [[DR-047_Phase17_Boon_Overhaul_Mechanic_Changers]] — the substrate this evolves · [[Lantern_Phase1_Combat_Gym_Build_Spec]] — the socket kit + Sparks
- [[Identity_Lantern]] — the mutation economy (fix slots, culture, raw-socketing, the scripted gift)
- [[Lantern_Currency_ReMean]] — Gloam + Tallow · [[Roadmap_Lantern_Slice]] Phase 4