Project-M/Docs/Vault/06_Roadmap/Milestones.md

---
tags:
- roadmap
- milestones
updated: 2026-06-13
permalink: gamevault/06-roadmap/milestones
---

# Milestones

| Milestone | Goal | Status |
|---|---|---|
| **M0 — Foundation** | DOTS + Netcode stack, asmdef split, bootstrap, smoke test green | ✅ Done 2026-05-29 — [[2026-05-29_Project_Setup]] |
| **M1 — Player slice** | Server-spawned owner-predicted player; twin-stick WASD + directional aim | ✅ Done 2026-05-31 — runtime-validated on Unity 6.4.7 (connect→spawn→owner-predicted ghost→replication; EditMode 3/3). The 6.6 failure was environment-specific, see [[DR-002_Unity66_Alpha_Netcode_Transport]] — [[2026-05-30_M1_Player_Slice]] |
| **M2 — Combat** | Directional ability fire + deterministic soft auto-target; server-authoritative damage/health | ✅ Done 2026-05-31 — runtime-validated on 6.4.7: input→fire→**predicted projectile**→**swept hit**→server damage→`Health` `[GhostField]` replicated server→client; movement + fire confirmed live; EditMode 22/22. Predicted-projectile + server auto-target + non-Burst classifier — [[DR-003_M2_Combat_Netcode_Architecture]], [[2026-05-31_M2_Combat]]. (Projectile ghost-map errors were later root-caused to a `[ReadOnly]`-write in `ProjectileClassificationSystem` — fixed 2026-06-01, see [[2026-06-01_M4_LAN_CoOp_And_Classification_Fix]] — NOT two-editor tick-batching as first thought.) |
| **M3 — Data-driven abilities & modifiers** | Ability **and** character stats authored in ScriptableObjects, baked to DOTS **blob assets**; runtime **flat + % modifier** stacks (upgrades/buffs) → effective stats, server-authoritative + prediction-correct. Pattern slice: refactor the current projectile ability + 1–2 sample abilities onto the data model. | ✅ Done 2026-05-31 — runtime-validated on 6.4.7: blob DB baked into both worlds; data-driven base + replicated `StatModifier` ghost buffer → **identical effective stats on server & owner-predicted client** (held under tick-batching); data-only ability swap; real pickup grant; EditMode 38/38. Blob DB + replicated modifier buffer + every-tick effective recompute — [[DR-004_M3_DataDriven_Abilities_Modifiers]], [[2026-05-31_M3_Data_Driven_Abilities]]. |
| **M4 — Co-op** | 2–4 players; client-hosted listen-server (Direct IP/LAN now, Unity Relay later) | ✅ Done 2026-06-02 — **LAN slice + multi-client validated**: no-auto-connect `ConnectionConfig` + request-component host/join, editor auto-host + thin clients, deterministic ring spawn; 3 clients (1 real + 2 thin) connect→spawn (distinct slots)→replicate→clean disconnect; `ConnectionUI` for builds; EditMode 45/45. **Two controllable characters in-game confirmed 2026-06-02 via Unity Multiplayer Play Mode** (extra virtual player; full connection handshake not exercised end-to-end, but in-scene co-op looks good). **Unity Relay + real two-build LAN join deferred** — [[DR-005_M4_Connection_Model_Direct_IP]], [[2026-06-01_M4_LAN_CoOp_And_Classification_Fix]]. |
| **M5 — Home base + physics** | Persistent base subscene streaming + Unity Physics in the predicted loop | 🚧 In progress 2026-06-01 — **physics-in-prediction slice done + runtime-validated** on 6.4.7: player is a velocity-driven dynamic Unity Physics body in the predicted loop (built-in `CapsuleCollider`+`Rigidbody` bake; `PhysicsVelocity` auto-replicated), collides with baked static walls (stops at the surface, no tunnel/climb-over), planar-pinned, **server == client** with no desync; EditMode 51/51. **Base subscene streaming deferred** to a later pass — [[DR-006_M5_Physics_In_Prediction]], [[2026-06-01_M5_Physics_In_Prediction]]. **M5b (same day): player movement re-founded on the Unity Character Controller package** (`com.unity.charactercontroller` 1.4.2) — kinematic collide-and-slide, owner-predicted, data-driven speed; replaces the dynamic-Rigidbody mover (keeps the DR-006 predicted-physics infra). Runtime-validated (collide-and-slide, planar, server==client, CharacterInterpolation predicted-only); EditMode 47/47 — [[DR-007_M5b_Character_Controller_Package]], [[2026-06-01_M5b_Character_Controller]]. **Base-layer done 2026-06-02 + runtime-validated:** home base = baked ghost-free `BaseAnchor` + locked deterministic planar build-grid (`BaseGridMath`, 1.0u × 32²; M6 builds on it) + player spawn re-rooted onto the anchor + one **shared-storage ghost** (ownerless interpolated; deposit/withdraw via server-authoritative `IRpcCommand`; **server == client** buffer). EditMode 62/62. **Subscene split (base/expedition) + disk persistence still deferred** — [[DR-008_M5_HomeBase_BaseLayer_Storage]], [[2026-06-02_M5_HomeBase_BaseLayer]]. |
| **M5.5 — Game feel & identity** | Bridge "tech-demo → game": the **Husk** enemy (server AI, interpolated ghost), player death/respawn, combat juice (damage numbers/VFX/SFX/camera shake), a core HUD, and a sci-fi look pass — under the new fiction ([[Identity]], sci-fi frontier colony) | ✅ Done 2026-06-02 — runtime-validated on 6.4.7: Husks spawn(6)+replicate+chase+strike; death→respawn loop; HUD (health/cooldown/threat/downed); emissive dark-sci-fi look. EditMode **74/74**. ctx7-verified APIs. **Deepened same day:** auto-target on Husks, replicated respawn-invulnerability, and a `WaveSystem` threat director (escalating waves of 3 Husk variants — Grunt/Swarmer/Brute) replacing the flat sustain — runtime-validated (wave 1→2 escalation 4→6, distinct maxHP 30/15/80). [[DR-009_GameFeel_Identity_FirstBlood]], [[2026-06-02_GameFeel_Identity]], [[2026-06-02_GameFeel_Deepening]] |
| **— 2026-06-03 Visual & controls polish —** | Non-milestone polish layered on M5.5 (no mechanical rework): HDRP→URP art import + reusable converter; a cohesive **Synty** sci-fi colony world (cosmetic SampleScene GameObjects) + **GabrielAguiar** combat VFX; **KBM mouse-cursor aim + gamepad aim** with last-actuation device auto-switch (rides the existing `PlayerInput.Aim` ghost field). | ✅ Done 2026-06-03 — [[DR-010_Art_Import_URP_Conversion_Visual_Upgrade]], [[DR-011_Synty_World_VFX_Integration]], [[DR-012_Aim_Controls_Cursor_Gamepad]] |
| **— 2026-06-03 Pre-M6 cleanup —** | Loose-ends pass before M6: vault roadmap reconcile, Unity-template + orphaned-material removal, rate-limited turning, console/runtime health gate. | ✅ Done 2026-06-03 — [[2026-06-03_Pre_M6_Cleanup]] |
| **M6 — The Aether Cycle (core loop)** | Reframed from "grid build placement" into the first vertical slice of the **core game loop**: Expedition (gather) → Defend (wave) → Build/Charge (spend), persistent base + procedural sorties, escalating toward a goal. Build placement is now Stage 3 of this milestone. | ✅ Done 2026-06-03 (forced-timer rhythm later superseded by M8's player-driven pacing) — **Stages 0–4 done + runtime-validated** on 6.4.7 (M6 core loop systems complete): **base/expedition split via coordinate-region + `GhostRelevancy`** (player transit despawns/re-grants the other region's ghosts; server==client); a **server phase-director** (Expedition→Defend→Build→Expedition auto-cycle, cycle 1→2, Husk `WaveSystem` only in Defend, escalation 4→6); and **resources + harvest** — a **global CycleDirector ghost** carrying the replicated `CycleState` + a shared resource **ledger** (relevant in every region, unlike the base storage), a procedural **expedition field** (8 resource-node ghosts seeded per cycle, region-scoped), and a tunnel-safe **harvest** sweep depositing into the ledger; client **HUD** shows phase + resource counts. Supersedes DR-008's "split requires streaming" framing. **Stage 3** (generic automation-ready **structure model** + data-driven catalog + grid **build-placement** RPC with co-op-atomic commit + a hitscan **turret** that auto-defends + **ability tiers** via a bounded StatModifier) and **Stage 4 goal meter** are **done + validated** (turret placed/Ore-deducted/replicated; two same-tick requests → one build; turrets killed the wave; ability damage 20→30 bounded; goal increments per cycle). Disk-persistence **writer deferred to post-M7** (M7-additive surface — tick fields + frozen schema — baked now); the structure model is the M7 production-chain foundation. Playable walk-in-gate loop with build/spend, visible in the HUD. — [[DR-014_M6_Build_Structures_Automation_Foundation]] — [[DR-013_M6_Aether_Cycle_Region_Split]], [[2026-06-03_M6_Aether_Cycle_CoreLoop]] |
| **— 2026-06-04 Polish & backlog-clear pass —** | Comprehensive *sequential* polish across hygiene/reconcile, system-level tests, HUD (TMP + replicated wave number), procedural audio + combat juice, ghost-prop reskin + post-processing, new gameplay content, controls/UX, and a validation-harness + operator handoff. Clears the open [[Backlog]]. | ✅ Done 2026-06-04 — [[2026-06-04_Polish_Backlog_Pass]] |
| **M8 — Persistent base & player-driven pacing** | Replace the forced-timer cycle with a persistent **Calm** base (no countdown) + **player-initiated** expeditions + **event-triggered** sieges (composite **ThreatDirector**, post-expedition retaliation); **dev-tools-over-RPC** (spawn/force-siege/grant/teleport/god-mode) + a dedicated **Game** scene + **DevSandbox**. | ✅ Done 2026-06-04 — runtime-validated on 6.4.7 (server+client, focused editor): boots into **Calm** (no timer); a returning player arms a retaliation siege (Gate→ThreatDirector→CyclePhase→Wave), the atomic WaveState seed spawns the **exact** configured size, **server==client** (phase + husk ghosts replicated); dev overlay drives the real server RPCs (unconditional wire type → handshake intact); god-mode baked present+disabled; `Game.unity` boots the calm base with the new "AT BASE — deploy when ready" HUD. EditMode **137/137**. Supersedes the M6 forced-timer rhythm. — [[DR-017_Persistent_Base_Player_Driven_Pacing]], [[2026-06-04_M8_Persistent_Base_Player_Driven_Pacing]] |
| **— 2026-06-05 Game infrastructure —** | The surrounding shell to build + test the game: a **UI Toolkit main menu** (Single / Host / Join+IP / Continue / Settings / Quit) on the **Netcode frontend pattern** (on-demand world creation, subscene-streams-into-them, clean teardown); **Graphics + Audio settings** that drive the engine (persisted JSON); a **saves foundation** + minimal slice (born-correct goal/ledger load, autosave on Siege→Calm + quit); a one-click **build** menu + scene order. | ✅ Done 2026-06-05 — runtime-validated (focused editor): menu renders → Single → worlds created → subscene streams → connect→spawn→playable → teardown→menu → Continue **born-correct** (charge/ledger restored, no flicker); settings apply live; EditMode **152/152**. Editor instant-play + MPPM loop unchanged (toggle to test the menu); builds boot the menu. — [[DR-019_Frontend_Menu_Settings_Saves_Build]], [[2026-06-05_Game_Infrastructure_Menu_Settings_Saves]] |
| **M7 — Automation** | Self-running tick-based production chains (deterministic offline catch-up) | ✅ Done 2026-06-05 — **full Harvester → Conveyor → Fabricator chain, server-only + deterministic, auto-gathering EXISTING resources (default 2 Ore → 1 Aether) into the global ledger so setup compounds; persistence folded in (SaveData v2).** Runtime-validated on 6.4.7 (real netcode worlds): catalog bakes the 3 machine ghost prefabs; a placed live chain runs end-to-end (Ore cost withdrawn; Harvester→Conveyor→Fabricator→ledger), **server Aether == client Aether** (replicated); quit autosaved v2 (3 structures + epoch-independent REMAINING-tick cooldowns), Continue restored all 3 charge-free at the exact cells with born-correct ledger and the chain **resumed producing**. Deterministic conveyor (snapshot→stable-sort→at-most-one-claim→stall, shuffle-invariant); single gated catch-up path (`CyclesDue` lower-bound 0, input-limited, period-0-guarded); one-shot `BaseRestoreSystem`; `RuntimePlacedTag` single-source-of-truth. EditMode **190/190**. Resolves "production replication = **server-only**". — [[DR-020_M7_Automation_Production_Chains]], [[2026-06-05_M7_Automation]] |
| **— 2026-06-05 HUD rework (UITK + build palette) —** | Convert the in-game HUD to UI Toolkit (consistent with the menu / pause / settings) + a full build-palette HUD: click-to-place with a green/red ground-ghost, conveyor rotate, fire-suppress; combat juice re-skinned to the Aether palette. | ✅ Done 2026-06-05 — runtime-validated (real netcode session): UITK HUD renders all panels; palette shows 6 buildables + costs; selection highlights + a live ground ghost; placement via the build RPC works. EditMode **190→194**. — [[DR-021_HUD_UITK_BuildPalette]], [[2026-06-05_HUD_Rework_UITK_BuildPalette]] |
| **— 2026-06-06 Cleanup & alignment —** | Repo hygiene before more dev: delete dead assets (`_Recovery/`, stray `Resources.meta`), remove the legacy IMGUI `ConnectionUI` (scenes + script + stale comments), DRY the UITK `Round`/`Border` helpers + small HUD/build refactors, and align `CLAUDE.md` + the vault to the scene split / Automation / Saves / UITK surfaces. | ✅ Done 2026-06-06 — EditMode green, console clean; grouped commits. — [[2026-06-06_Cleanup_Alignment]] |
| **— 2026-06-06 Animation pipeline (Rukhanka)** | Entities-native skeletal animation: Synty Polygon characters rigged + driven by client-derived params (animation NOT replicated → derived from replicated state). | ✅ Done 2026-06-06 — Rukhanka 2.9 local pkg; `PlayerAnimationDriveSystem` reads replicated state → `AnimatorParametersAspect`; `AnimatedLitShader` deformation; `ServerStripAnimationSystem` disables Rukhanka on the server. [[DR-022_Animation_Pipeline_Rukhanka_Synty]], [[2026-06-06_Animation_Pipeline_Slice1]] |
| **— 2026-06-06 Enemy animation + Synty content** | Animate the Husks by reusing the player pipeline + inventory the Synty packs for enemy/world picks. | ✅ Done 2026-06-06 — `EnemyAnimationDriveSystem` (remote-path velocity from `LocalTransform` delta); 3 animated enemy prefabs wired via `EnemyRigTools` (GUID-preserving). [[DR-023_Enemy_Animation_MonsterMash]], [[2026-06-06_Enemy_Animation_Synty_Inventory]] |
| **— 2026-06-07 HUD Synty visual pass** | Skin the UITK HUD with the Synty sci-fi-soldier kit via a build-safe theme. | ✅ Done 2026-06-07 — curated `HudTheme` ScriptableObject (serialized refs, null-safe flat fallback); per-resource cost icons on the build palette. [[DR-024_HUD_Synty_Skin_Theme]], [[2026-06-07_HUD_Synty_Visual_Pass]] |
| **— 2026-06-08 World environment redo** | Replace the sci-fi-colony dressing with off-world natural-frontier Synty biomes (cosmetic). | ✅ Done 2026-06-08 — `BaseBiome`(Meadow_Forest)@origin + `ExpeditionBiome`(Arid_Desert)@+1000 classic-URP cosmetics; global procedural skybox; per-region fog/ambient cross-fade (`WorldAtmosphereSystem`). [[DR-025_World_Environment_Redo_Natural_Frontier]], [[2026-06-08_World_Environment_Redo]] |
| **— 2026-06-08 World collision + HUD scaling** | Restore world collision (lost when DR-025 made the world cosmetic) + fix HUD scaling in Play. | ✅ Done 2026-06-08 — subscene `Environment`-layer boundary ring + landmark colliders (`WorldCollisionConfig`; player blocked via the layer matrix; enemy `CollisionWorld.SphereCast`); HUD ConstantPhysicalSize→ScaleWithScreenSize. [[2026-06-08_World_Collision_HUD_Scaling]] |
| **— 2026-06-08 Inventory · Equipment (Phase 0 + 1)** | Expand combat + harvesting into per-player inventory + equipment slots that grant abilities/effects, built on the existing data-driven spine (ItemDatabase catalog, StatModifier stack, AbilityRef swap). | ✅ Done 2026-06-08 — **Phase 0**: per-player replicated `InventorySlot` buffer + ID-keyed `ItemDatabase` blob catalog + harvest reroute to the personal bag + `G` deposit-to-ledger RPC + read-only HUD panel. **Phase 1**: `EquipmentSlot` (Weapon/Armor/Trinket/Tool), weapon→`AbilityRef.Id` ability swap, gear→`StatModifier` mods (per-slot sentinels), event-driven server `EquipSystem`, click-to-equip HUD. Architecture pre-validated by 5-/4-lens adversarial review; 236/236 EditMode; Play-validated host+client. **Next: Phase 2 tool-gated harvesting** (see [[Backlog]]). [[DR-026_Inventory_Equipment_Progression_Foundation]], [[DR-027_Equipment_Slots_Phase1]] |

| **— 2026-06-08 Direction: Combat-first + Path to Fun —** | Strategic pivot — combat is the PRIMARY braided verb (base + automation braid around it, not co-equal); **depth-before-breadth** + per-milestone fun-gates; inventory/equipment Phases 2–4 + automation breadth PAUSED; new **combat-depth track** designed then **refined same day** into a committed **Path A** (MC-0/1/4 · EB-1/2 · END-1/2 = a shippable game-with-a-point) + a provisional **Path B** with a mandatory **Decision Gate** between them (9-agent design + 3-critic refinement workflows). | 🧭 Direction set 2026-06-08 — [[DR-028_Combat_Primary_Verb_Depth_First]] · [[Path_to_Fun]] |
| **— 2026-06-09 MC-0 + MC-1: dash + Charger duel (code)** | Path A's first combat slice: dev-telemetry instrumentation (MC-0) + the i-frame dash vs the committed, whiff-punishable Charger (MC-1) — spec'd by the mandatory pre-code review ([[2026-06-09_MC1_Build_Spec]]). | 🟡 **Code-complete 2026-06-09 — FUN-GATE PENDING** (gate 3 of 3). `DamageEvent.SourceTick` half-open negation · predicted `DashSystem` (sharpness-override blink, no processor edit) · Charger `LungeState` commit/whiff/stagger branch · `EnemyChargerMuscle` ghost in the wave pool · all four DevTelemetry counters live to the client overlay · dash juice + i-frame hit-suppression. 259/259 EditMode; netcode Play sessions clean (live negation, lunge, telemetry pipe verified); post-build 29-agent adversarial review → 2 confirmed findings fixed in-session (rollback lower-bound on the dash override; drain-order pin). Operator: feel pass + bench + friend read. [[2026-06-09_MC1_Implementation]] |

| **— 2026-06-10 MC-1 fun-gate PASS + MC-4 combo melee (primary verb)** | MC-1's dash+Charger duel passed its operator fun-gate (*"it's fun, the dash feels fine"*) → kill-switch CLEARED. MC-4 then built melee as a combo-chain = the PRIMARY verb (ranged demoted): predicted-replicated combo `Step` (path-dependent → replicate + absolute-write), server-only cleave, finisher scaling, 9 live `TuningConfig` knobs; the MC-6 archetype byte deferred. | ✅ Done 2026-06-10 — 294/294 EditMode + Play-validated; MC-0 live-tuning (`TuningConfig`/DebugOverlay) shipped same track. [[DR-030_MC4_Combo_Melee_Primary_Verb]] · [[2026-06-10_MC0_TuningConfig_LiveTuning]] · [[2026-06-10_MC4_Combo_Melee]] |
| **— 2026-06-11 Base-mining cohesion + camera feel** | Pull the core loop base-local: `BaseFieldSpawnSystem` tops up `RegionTag.Base` Ore around `PlotCenter` (distinct spawner singleton), scheduled base sieges need no expedition trip; expedition now dormant/hidden per-connection. ARPG camera look-ahead + zoom feel pass. | ✅ Done 2026-06-11 — [[DR-031_Base_Mining_Loop_Cohesion]] · [[2026-06-11_Base_Mining_Cohesive_Loop]] · [[2026-06-11_Camera_Feel_LookAhead_Zoom]] |
| **— 2026-06-11 EB-1 — machines can die (structure loss-state)** | Structures bake `Health`(`[GhostField]`)+`DamageEvent`+`Destructible`; `HealthApplyDamageSystem` destroys at 0 (occupancy auto-frees); `EnemyAISystem` fortress-targets weighted-nearest players+structures; loss VFX via `StructureFeedbackSystem`. SaveData v3 per-structure HP. | ✅ Done 2026-06-11 — [[DR-032_EB1_Machines_Can_Die]] · [[2026-06-11_EB1_Machines_Can_Die]] |
| **— 2026-06-12 EB-2 felt spend + END-1 losable Core** | **EB-2:** turret ammo = shared `Charge` (`ResourceId` 4) on the existing ledger; `TurretFireSystem` soft-fail spend; ledger-fed `Fabricator` mints Ore→Charge live-in-loop. **END-1:** `CoreIntegrity{[GhostField] Current,Max; uint OverrunTick}` on the CycleDirector; `CoreDamageSystem`/`CoreRestoreSystem`; soft-loss edge in `CyclePhaseSystem` (transient overrun flash, NO latching win yet); Core = `EnemyAISystem` fallback target. SaveData **v4**. | ✅ Done 2026-06-12 — 330/330 EditMode. [[DR-033_EB2_Felt_Spend_Charge_Economy]] · [[2026-06-12_EB2_Felt_Spend]] · [[DR-034_END1_Losable_Core]] · [[2026-06-12_END1_Losable_Core]] |
| **— 2026-06-13 End-of-Month Game Jam Slice (ACTIVE TARGET)** | Answer the Path A Decision Gate early as **ship the minimum**: "Awakening Engine Last Stand" — a compact ARPG / base-defense demo, 5–8 min win-or-lose in **one arena**, June 30. Code audit (9-agent): **13/14 slice systems shipped**; **END-2** (final siege + latching win) is the one blocker. Single-arena scope-down + visual cohesion + loop tuning + packaging. Full milestone breakdown (SL-1…SL-7) in [[Backlog#NEXT — Awakening Engine Last Stand (End-of-Month Slice) ★]]. | 🧭 **Direction set 2026-06-13** — [[End_Of_Month_Game_Jam_Slice]] · [[DR-035_End_Of_Month_Slice_Adoption]] |
| **— 2026-06-13 END-2 — final siege + win/lose (slice SL-3)** | The slice's one blocker + the last Path A spine mechanic: at `Charge>=Target` (=4) `GoalReachedSystem` arms a larger final siege (×live `FinalSiegeMultiplier`); `CyclePhaseSystem` latches **Victory** (survive) / **Loss** (Core breached) + halts the director; `RunOutcome` (`[GhostField]`, server-only `RunPhase`) drives a HUD terminal banner; SaveData **v5** persists the outcome (a won/lost run loads finished). End-behavior locked **halt + banner** (retry/quit UX → SL-5). | ✅ Done 2026-06-13 — 342/342 EditMode; Play-validated server==client + no ordering cycle; pre-coding + post-impl adversarial reviews. **Path A spine COMPLETE.** [[DR-036_END2_Final_Siege_Win_Lose]] · [[2026-06-13_SL3_END2_Final_Siege_Win_Lose]] |

Promote items from [[Backlog]] here when committed. **The active target is the [[End_Of_Month_Game_Jam_Slice]]** (Path A spine **COMPLETE** — END-2 shipped 2026-06-13 as SL-3; the rest of the slice is tuning + polish, not code — see [[Backlog]]); the long-term plan remains [[Path_to_Fun]], answered at its [[Path_to_Fun#The Decision Gate (MANDATORY STOP after END-2)|Decision Gate]] *after* the slice ships. [[DR-035_End_Of_Month_Slice_Adoption]]