# Super Kart — spritesheets needed

Everything below renders procedurally (tinted silhouettes, painted horizons)
until real art is dropped in, so none of this blocks the game working — but
here's the full list of what to paint, sized and ordered exactly as the code
expects. Drop-in paths are wired through `data/superkart-artwork.json` (set
`path` there once a PNG exists — no code changes needed) except for the menu
background, which is a single fixed file.

All racer/theme/item art needs a **transparent background**.

## 1. Racer karts — one sheet per racer

9 sheets, one per entry in `data/superkart-racers.json`:

| id | display name |
|---|---|
| `mario` | Mario |
| `kona` | Kona |
| `fireball` | Fireball |
| `smasher` | The Smasher |
| `croc` | Croc |
| `gerome` | Gerome |
| `blackwind` | Blackwind |
| `dv-8-2303` | DV-8-2303 |
| `zanthor` | Zanthor |

- **Frame size:** 64×64
- **Layout:** 18 frames in a single row → **1152×64 px**
- **File:** set `racerSheets.<id>.path` in `data/superkart-artwork.json`
- **Frames 0–15** — the kart viewed from 16 angles, rotating **clockwise as
  seen from above**, in 22.5° steps:
  - frame 0 = dead-on from **behind**
  - frame 4 = kart's left side
  - frame 8 = head-on (facing the viewer)
  - frame 12 = kart's right side
- **Frames 16–17** — optional player-view lean frames (16 = leaning left,
  17 = leaning right), used only for the player's fixed on-screen kart while
  steering. If the sheet is only 16 frames wide, the game reuses frame 0 with
  a programmatic tilt instead — fine to skip.
- Kart centered horizontally in each frame, wheels touching the bottom edge
  (world sprites are anchored a bit above the frame's bottom, not dead
  center, so keep the kart's visual weight low in the frame).

## 2. Theme decor — one sheet per track theme

6 sheets, one per theme in `data/superkart-rules.json`:

| theme id | decor order (frame 0, 1, 2 — frames 3–7 spare) |
|---|---|
| `beach` | palm, umbrella, rock |
| `volcano` | boulder, vent, spire |
| `scrapyard` | tirepile, crane, wreck |
| `swamp` | cypress, reeds, log |
| `speedway` | grandstand, billboard, flagpole |
| `nightcity` | tower, neon, lamppost |

- **Frame size:** 64×64
- **Layout:** 8 frames in a single row → **512×64 px** (only the first 3 are
  currently used per theme; the rest are free for future decor)
- **File:** set `themeSheets.<theme>.path` in `data/superkart-artwork.json`
- Drawn perspective-scaled beside the track, anchored near the bottom of the
  frame like the karts above.

## 3. Backdrops — one horizon strip per theme

6 images, same theme ids as above.

- **Size:** 1024×300 px
- **File:** set `backdrops.<theme>.path` in `data/superkart-artwork.json`
- Must **tile horizontally** — left and right edges need to match, since it's
  scrolled as the camera rotates through a full 360°.
- Drawn above the horizon line; the bottom edge's color should blend toward
  that theme's `fog` color in `data/superkart-rules.json` so the seam into
  the 3D ground plane is invisible.

## 4. Item icons — one shared sheet

- **Frame size:** 48×48
- **Layout:** 9 frames in a single row → **432×48 px**
- **File:** set `itemSheet.path` in `data/superkart-artwork.json`
- **Frame order** (matches `items` in `data/superkart-rules.json`, plus two
  extras):
  0. bolt
  1. seeker
  2. oil
  3. turbo
  4. overdrive
  5. emp
  6. coins
  7. item box (the question-mark-style box karts drive through)
  8. single coin (the pickup, distinct from the "coins" item icon in frame 6)

## 5. Main menu background — single image

- **File:** `assets/images/superkart-background.png` (already exists —
  registered directly in `src/data/assetManifest.js`, not through the
  drop-in artwork JSON)
- **Size:** ~1920×1080 (16:9); current art is 1928×1088 and gets stretched
  to fill the canvas, so keep close to that aspect ratio for future updates
  or revisions
- Shown behind the menu, class/racer select, cup/track select, results, and
  podium screens (anywhere that isn't an active race — the Mode 7 ground
  fully covers it during racing). The game draws a ~45%-alpha dark scrim
  over it for text contrast, so avoid relying on fine detail or very light
  colors in areas where UI text sits (title/top band, center column).