kronic
5292940f9d
Playtest of the single-arena slice (Scratch Notes 6152026) found it stale fast. Answer the post-END-2 Decision Gate as continue/expand: re-scope off the fixed June-30 demo to a co-op roguelite-ARPG — base = persistent buildable hub (never resets), the procedural Expedition region = the required combat spine, two classes (Warrior/Ranger), persistent meta (SaveData v6 later). Mission-as-Sortie model: fulfils locked pillar #4, preserves the never-a-run-reset pillar; reverses DR-031's expedition pause. Backed by an 8-agent design+feasibility pass (feasibility GREEN: server-spawns-ghosts removes seed replication). Slice doc archived/superseded. See DR-037. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
36 lines
4.0 KiB
Markdown
36 lines
4.0 KiB
Markdown
---
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tags:
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- vision
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- pillars
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status: draft
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updated: 2026-05-29
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permalink: gamevault/01-vision/pillars
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---
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# Design Pillars & Locked Decisions
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> The few non-negotiables every system must serve. Keep this short; promote only decisions that are truly locked.
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## Pillars
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> **Combat is the primary verb; base + automation braid around it** (locked 2026-06-08, [[DR-028_Combat_Primary_Verb_Depth_First]]). The fusion of all three is the identity — but as ONE braided loop with a single primary verb, never three co-equal, independently-deep modes. Roadmap: [[Path_to_Fun]].
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1. **Action-ARPG combat — the primary verb** — twin-stick, controller-first (Hades / Risk of Rain 2 / Deep Rock Galactic feel); **skill expression over stat-checks** (dodge, read-and-react, a real ability kit). The moment-to-moment the other pillars serve.
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2. **Co-op base power fantasy — braids in** — 2–4 friends defend and grow a shared home base (V Rising / The Riftbreaker feel); the base is what you fight *for* and the siege's stakes.
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3. **Automation as progression — braids in** — self-running production that makes what you fight *with* (charges / munitions / turrets / upgrades) and that sieges threaten; rewards setup, not grind (The Riftbreaker / Core Keeper).
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4. **Server-authoritative & deterministic** — input-only clients, client prediction; the simulation is the source of truth. Co-op is non-negotiable, so every mechanic stays server-authoritative.
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## Locked decisions
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- **Tech stack:** Unity DOTS (Entities) + Netcode for Entities — server-authoritative, input-only clients, client prediction. Established [[2026-05-29_Project_Setup]].
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- **Control (locked 2026-05-30):** WASD movement, controller-first, **directional / twin-stick aim** with soft auto-target in-arc. [[2026-05-30_M1_Player_Slice]]
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- **Multiplayer (locked):** small co-op **2–4, client-hosted listen-server** (BinaryWorlds + in-proc IPC; not the experimental SingleWorld host mode), PvE.
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- **World (locked):** persistent buildable **home base + instanced/procedural expeditions**. **Sharpened 2026-06-17 ([[DR-037_Procedural_Expedition_Spine_Two_Classes_Persistent_Meta]]):** the procedural **Expedition region is the required combat SPINE** (where the bulk of the fight happens); the **base is the persistent HUB that never resets** ("Mission-as-Sortie": Deep Rock Galactic / Cult of the Lamb). A "run" is a **re-seeded Expedition region in the SAME world**, not a new world or a base reset.
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- **Automation (locked):** **progression accelerator** — self-running production chains; data model designed to grow toward full logistics.
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- **Combat-primary + depth-before-breadth (locked 2026-06-08):** combat is the primary braided verb; **no new system until one braided loop is genuinely fun**, and every milestone ends with a play/fun-gate (not just green tests). [[DR-028_Combat_Primary_Verb_Depth_First]] · roadmap [[Path_to_Fun]].
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- **Classes + persistent meta (locked 2026-06-17, [[DR-037_Procedural_Expedition_Spine_Two_Classes_Persistent_Meta]]):** **two classes** — **Warrior** (melee anchor) + **Ranger** (ranged, manually aimed — *not* auto-fire, which would break skill-expression). Class identity = the **primary-attack archetype**; run-acquired **meta-buffs ride the existing `StatModifier`/`TimedModifier` pipeline**. A **persistent meta-progression layer** (SaveData v6) funds permanent growth at the hub; run combat-buffs are run-scoped. **Reverses [[DR-031_Base_Mining_Loop_Cohesion]]'s expedition pause** (a real playtest — [[Scratch Notes 6152026]] — showed the single arena goes stale).
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## Related
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- [[Identity]] — the **fiction** that skins these pillars: **The Awakening Engine** (Aether-colony sci-fi), evolved 2026-06-03 ([[DR-015_The_Awakening_Engine_Fiction_Adoption]]) from the original frontier-colony skin ([[DR-009_GameFeel_Identity_FirstBlood]], 2026-06-02). Skin-only — no mechanical rework; **Aether** is the one substance unifying magic + tech (cyan = ordered / orange = wild Blight), with an amnesiac-**Sleeper** / **Echo** (the guiding voice) / **THEM** spine.
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- Decision records: `07_Sessions/_Decisions/` |