- data/tether.json: new edgeMargin (512 px) — a no-man's-land band around
every tether rim where NO object sits: discoverable objects are clearly
inside a tether region (d ≤ radius − edgeMargin) or clearly outside
(d ≥ radius + edgeMargin), never at the edge (the 'scan doesn't find it
at the boundary' case)
- SystemGenerator.layoutSystem: the regular N-gon ring (chords put 2- and
3-object systems past level 2, spread 4-/5-object systems too thin) is
replaced by a compact ARC at one orbital radius — consecutive objects a
level-1 tether apart (≤ L1 − edgeMargin — a level-1 chain walks the
whole system), every other pair off both tether rims (the level-2
graph is connected — level 2 DEFINITELY discovers; level 3 never
required); minSpacing now bounds star/home-world→object only,
neighborMin (2048) is the planet↔planet floor; the step angle is a
deterministic scan (safe-α) landing the gap near a seeded target
- home world IS a tether anchor: its orbital radius caps at
L2 − edgeMargin (9728 px); its objects sit 6400–9728 (level-2 zone by
design — the bootstrap tether), chained to each other at level 1
- gates: anchorMaxDistance 4990 → 4608 (= L1 − edgeMargin) so no gate
sits at the level-1 rim either (still < 5000, Rule 1); candidate
ordering is now side > rim-bands > facing tier > order
- Tether.contains: 1 px rim tolerance (a center exactly on the boundary
counts as inside — float safety on top of the layout margin)
- asteroid placement tetherMargin 96 → 512 (aligned with edgeMargin)
- dev/system-layout.test.mjs (new): level-1 chain, level-2 connectivity,
edge margin, orbital band, same-seed determinism — 90-system galaxies,
all green; discovery/jumps/audit tests + PROJECT_NOTES follow the rules
- Replace the fixed level-1 tether radius (5120 px) with a configurable
`anchorMinDistance`/`anchorMaxDistance` band (default 3500–4990), capped by
the tether range, so gate distance from its planet varies per gate while
staying strictly < 5000 px.
- Generate candidate positions on 8 discrete radius steps spanning the band;
a seeded preferred step orders them and clearance/gap pressure only pushes
the gate outward from its preference.
- Update the tether check in `dev/jumps.test.mjs` to assert the gate sits
within the anchor band rather than merely under the tether radius, and use
the band max for facing-side calculations.
- Update `dev/tether-rules.audit.mjs` Rule 1 to verify < 5000 px and report
the distribution of gate→anchor distances across the band.
- Refresh comments in `data/gates.json`, `docs/PROJECT_NOTES.md`, and
`SystemGenerator.js` to describe the new band-based placement.
- Use fixed short button copy for the gates tech ("Unlock Jumpgates") and mining nodes (drop "Mining" prefix) since the tree node has no room for system names or category words
- Raise detail panel height and widen node/button plates so long descriptions and status labels stop bleeding past plate edges
- Add word-wrap to the unlocks line and trim redundant status prefixes ("RESEARCH CONSOLE STANDBY", "PROJECT COMPLETE")
- Fix ice-surface-01 video reference in landing.json (was pointing at rocky-surface)
- Add OAC speech clips and ice surface video asset; update planets.psd
- Tighten tether research descriptions to match the new short-copy style
- In the destination system, the orange compass arrow now points at the
destination OBJECT (not just the next gate), so the "where to fly next"
marker persists across the last hop into the system.
- Add `_checkDestinationReached` per-frame check: clears the destination and
fires REACHED only when the ship is within the object's keep-out rim,
replacing the old jump-time clear for destinations with a specific object.
- Route compass entries (`route:`/`dest:` ids) are now resolvable by
`autopilotTo`, fixing the ship aiming at the star instead of the gate.
- New `alwaysFull` flag on compass targets keeps route waypoints at full
readout (arrow + type + name) regardless of distance; add tests.
- Add `route.destTypeLabel` config key and update docs/PROJECT_NOTES.md.
- New `js/galaxy/Route.js` derives the unique path between systems over the spanning-tree jump network (Dijkstra), exposing `planRoute` / `nextSystem`; pure and Node-tested in `dev/route.test.mjs`.
- Persist only the destination (`systemId`, `objectId`) in save data; the route itself is recomputed from the current system, so following it shortens automatically and a detour re-plots.
- Compass marks the route's next gate in orange (shown even while undiscovered) and suppresses that gate's ordinary cyan entry.
- On jump, resolve arrival / on-course / detour before `captureState` and queue REACHED / RE-PLOTTED notices to surface after the destination scene spawns.
- Map console SYSTEM tab now charts a charted star's system; confirming an object sets the destination and closes the map.
- Fix galaxy stars bleeding through the system chart: plate culling respects overall visibility, fog skips when no tethers anchor it, and the boot reveal finalizes to full alpha on tab switch.
- Add `assets/videos/ss-land-03.mp4` and document the route feature in PROJECT_NOTES.
- Shrink the roster from 200 to 60 systems and drop spiral arms / core bulge for a uniform-in-area sparse disk (data/galaxy.json)
- Turn the jump network into a pure spanning tree (shortcuts off): exactly one route between any two systems, barren systems become single-gate dead-end leaves
- Remove the rendered Star entity; non-home system centers are now empty space with the star kept only as invisible dossier flavor
- Gate anchors restricted to planets (stations no longer anchor) and every non-barren system guaranteed ≥1 planet so a buildable world always exists
- Give barren dead ends 1–2 asteroid clusters drifting inside their gate's level-1 tether as the stop's only payload
- Bump save format to 2 and reject legacy format-1 saves with a clear toast message
- Update tests, docs, and README to reflect the maze layout, leaf dead ends, empty centers, and new barren cluster rules
- Replace direct-click-to-jump with a shared comms panel variant that shows LINK ACTIVE/DORMANT status, REQUEST JUMP (disabled while dormant), and CANCEL
- Render gates from the new 256x256 spritesheet (frame 0 body, frame 1 active swirl) with procedural fallback when the texture is missing
- Active gate swirl spins clockwise and breathes alpha between configurable bounds; dormant gates keep the body at full alpha with the swirl hidden
- Wire CommsPanel to a dynamic primary-button action id so the same panel serves world and gate variants
- Add dev probe page (dev/gate-comms.html/.mjs) and update jumpgate/jump-travel tests for the new sprite path, fallback renderer, and comm-window flow
- Play a cover-scaled video between systems on jump, with an opaque backdrop so the source doesn't show through
- Double-click skips the remaining clip; single press is swallowed while it plays
- Fall back to the short jumpDelayMs cut when no video is configured or missing
- Guard against stalled/overlong playback with a grace and duration cap before restarting
- Add assets/videos/jump.mp4 and document the new behavior in gates.json and PROJECT_NOTES.md
- Add JumpTravel.js with pure arrival geometry (return-gate lookup, spawn point past keepout) and wire it into GameScene.jumpThroughGate to re-stage the run via the save pipeline and scene restart
- Add gate hit-test (gateAt) so active gates trigger the jump on click while dormant ones show a console nudge and fall through to fly-here
- Add jump config block to gates.json (feature switch, arrival gap, delay, toast templates) and update landing.json gasgiant shop clips
- Add dev/jump-travel.test.mjs covering config, geometry, real-galaxy coverage, and determinism; refresh PROJECT_NOTES for the new mechanic
- Introduce a dynamic "system" research category built at runtime with two techs: `{System} Map` (granted on entry) and `Unlock {System} Jumpgates` (researchable once every NAV point is discovered).
- Wire gate activation through the research effects seam so completing the jumpgate tech activates the system's gates plus linked return gates, anchors level-1 tethers at each activated gate, and saves/restores via a new `activatedGates` set.
- Extend ResearchModel with optional tree hooks (`available`, `lockNote`) so dynamic categories can gate research on live world state without adding static requires.
- Add map and gate procedural icons, update tests for the new category contract and icon roster, and document the system category in project notes.
- Galaxy shrunk to 200 systems (data/galaxy.json) — always fully known,
generation ~15 ms; roster/content two-level design unchanged.
- Object composition replaces planetCount (data/systems.json → objectCount):
10% barren (jump-gate-only), else 2/3/4/5 objects (planets + free-space
stations) at 15/30/30/15. One unified roll (rollSystemComposition) shared
by the content generator and the frame pass.
- Barren systems: no planets, no stations, no asteroid clusters; their
single gate sits on the star→destination ray at barrenDistance (8192 px).
Strong connectivity keeps them reachable.
- Jump gates are DORMANT by default: every gate record carries
active:false, the entity renders dim with a still field. Activation is
the seam for the tether mechanic (an activated gate anchors a level-1
tether). data/gates.json gains barrenDistance.
- Frame diversity (js/galaxy/PlanetFrames.js): one galaxy-wide pass spreads
(class, frame) across the galaxy — fixed spatial order, least-used face
among already-assigned nearest stars, seeded tie-breaks. Stamps
planet.frame + content.homeFrame, read by GameScene.
- Tests: dev/frames.test.mjs added; jumps/galaxy/discovery/jumpgate/asteroids
suites updated to the new rules (composition buckets, barren gates,
active flags, frame determinism/spread, 5-object max, index clamps).
- Docs (README, PROJECT_NOTES) and stale 40k references updated.
- Introduce data/gates.json + js/galaxy/JumpNetwork.js: a strongly-connected, degree-limited spanning tree over the nearest-star graph (plus local shortcuts) so every system holds 1–3 gates, all jumps are local, and no system is closed or trapped
- Place each gate on the tether circle of an anchor (planet / space station / home world), facing its destination star; enforce radius band, clearance from anchors, and gap between gates in SystemGenerator.layoutGates
- Add the JumpGate entity (procedural twin-pylon portal) with the same solid contract as Planet/Station, discoverable in cyan, listed in the HUD dossier; wire into GameScene solids + discovery
- Guarantee every system holds at least one gate anchor (barren systems get a deep-space station); cap the home system at 3 objects so it fits the tighter band
- Rework solar-system layout to a full pairwise band [minSpacing, maxSpacing] with rotation tuned toward gate bearings; update tests and docs accordingly
Brian Fertig