# Orbit — Project Notes Working agreements and conventions for building this game. Read this before adding new systems — these are the rules that keep the project scalable. ## Commits (important) - **Brian makes the commits, manually.** After finishing a change, leave the work staged/unstaged in the working tree with a suggested commit message (in the chat reply, or a note here), and do NOT run `git commit` yourself. This gives Brian the chance to review the code before it enters history. - Amends/reverts are fine if asked explicitly. ## What we're building A procedurally generated space RPG in the spirit of **Privateer**, but in **top-down 2D**: stars/sectors you can jump between, ships to fly, crew, trading/economy, stations, quests — to be scoped as we go. **Hard technical constraints:** - Plain **ES6 modules**, no transpilation, no build step. - **No package managers required to run** — the game must work from any static HTTP server (the browser fetches everything). - Third-party libraries are **vendored** into `lib/` (right now: `lib/phaser.min.js`, Phaser 4.2.1 UMD build, see `lib/PHASER_LICENSE.md`). - Must be served over http(s), not `file://` (ES modules + `fetch` of JSON). ## Config lives in JSON (important) - Tunable data lives in `data/*.json`: dimensions, colors, text, physics, balance, spawn tables, and anything a non-programmer might want to tweak. - `data/manifest.json` lists which files to load. **Add a config file = drop it in `data/` + one line in the manifest.** It is then available as a section named after the file (`ship.json` → `config.get('ship.thrust')`). - Code reads config through the `config` singleton (`js/config/Config.js`): ```js import { config } from '../config/Config.js'; const thrust = config.get('ship.thrust', 900); const menu = config.section('menu', {}); ``` Always supply a sensible fallback so code never depends on a missing key. - **Rule of thumb:** if a value might ever change (balance, layout, copy, colors), it belongs in JSON, not code. Code owns *behavior*, JSON owns *parameters*. - Split config by concern as the game grows: world generation already has `data/galaxy.json` (shape/scale), `data/systems.json` (archetypes), and `data/naming.json` (syllable pools + name banks); next up might be `data/economy.json`, `data/ships.json`, `data/crew.json`, etc. One file per system beats one giant file. ## Code is modular & class-based (important) - One class per file, ES module exports, no globals (except the deliberate singletons: `config`). - Layering: - `js/scenes/` — Phaser scenes: state + orchestration only (thin classes) - `js/entities/` — in-world objects that own their behavior (Ship, NPC, …) - `js/ui/` — reusable UI components (MenuButton, panels, HUD) - `js/visuals/` — decorative, non-interactive visuals (Starfield, …) - `js/galaxy/` — the world model: seeded Galaxy, system archetypes, lazy content generation (Galaxy, SystemGenerator) - `js/utils/` — small pure helpers (Color, Rng, NameGenerator) - `js/config/` — config loading + Phaser game config - `js/vendor/` — shims to pinned third-party libraries - Scenes stay thin: they compose entities/UI and wire input. They don't hold balance numbers or game rules. - Every class should be standalone-constructible: it takes what it needs (`scene`, config values) in its constructor rather than reaching for globals — that keeps things testable and reusable. - Entities drive themselves from their own `update(time, delta)` method, called by the owning scene (e.g. `GameScene.update`). If an entity ever needs the engine's auto-update instead, define `preUpdate` (the Phaser v4 hook — v4 does not auto-call `update`). - Import Phaser only through `js/vendor/phaser.js` — the single place that changes if we swap framework versions. ## World model — the galaxy (important) The galaxy is **seeded and two-level**. The seed is chosen on the main menu (displayed, editable, rerollable; same seed ⇒ same galaxy). 1. **Roster** — `Galaxy.create(seed)` builds every system's *identity* (id, name, type, x, y, d, zone) up front. 90 systems is ~10 ms, so the whole galaxy is always known: the player can never "discover" a layout that wasn't already implied by the seed. 2. **Contents** — planets/moons/belts/**settlements**/hazards are generated **lazily** on first arrival (`galaxy.ensureContent(id)`), then cached. Each system's draw stream is `Rng.derive(seed, 'system', id)` — independent of generation order — so lazy and eager (`galaxy.generateAll()`) results are identical. Pick whichever is cheaper at runtime; correctness never depends on it. **Determinism rules (keep them!):** - All generation draws go through `Rng` (`js/utils/Rng.js`). Never `Math.random()` in a generation path. - Anything that must be order-independent (names, contents) draws from a `Rng.derive(seed, , id)` stream — never from the galaxy-level sequence. The roster loop is allowed to use its own sequence because the loop order itself is part of the seed contract. - Seeds are trimmed; seed → hash → stream is one-way. - Dev tools that assert determinism: `dev/galaxy.test.mjs`. **System archetypes** live in `data/systems.json`. Each type is: - **themable** — `theme.color` etc. for UI; - **attribute-driven** — `attributes` steer the SystemGenerator (star classes, binary chance, planet class weights, moon/belt chances, habitability, hazard, free-space settlement odds). New attribute key = JSON + a few lines in `SystemGenerator.js`; - **object count is global, not per-type** — `data/systems.json → objectCount`: `barren` (10%) of all systems are gate-only DEAD-END LEAVES of the jump network (no planets, no stations — `barren` ⇒ `0`; exactly one gate — JumpNetwork keeps them at the tree's leaves), the rest hold a weighted whole number of OBJECTS (planets + free-space stations) from the `objects` table (2/3/4/5). Stations roll first (0–2, per-type odds × the core→rim density), then planets fill the remaining budget (N − stations); if the station roll would consume the whole budget it is demoted to a planet, so every non-barren system holds ≥ 1 planet — the gate's tether anchor and the place the player can build out from. The **starting system** is the exception: it always holds exactly two generated planets — a gas giant and a rocky world — which with the home world (the origin, the player's homestead, not a generated planet) makes its three planets, always. - **planet frames are spread galaxy-wide** — `data/planets.json → frames` maps each class to its spritesheet face pool. A random per-system pick would let neighboring stars wear the same face, so `Galaxy._generate()` runs one galaxy-wide pass (`js/galaxy/PlanetFrames.js → assignPlanetFrames`): systems in a FIXED spatial order (x, y — a pure function of the seeded roster, so it never depends on visit order) each pick the least-used (class, frame) among their already-assigned nearest stars, tie-broken by a derived seeded Rng. The stamps land on each planet record (`planet.frame`) and the home world's face on `content.homeFrame`, read by `GameScene`. Verified: `dev/frames.test.mjs`. - **distributed** — a seeded WIDE (2:1) field of stars (`galaxy.layout.field`: `width`, `height`, `minSpacing`) placed by Bridson Poisson-disk sampling — even, organic spacing (no clumps, no voids, not a grid). The 2:1 shape matches the map plate (830×414 at the 1280×720 design size), and the plate fit is a true rectangle fit with a plate-px margin on all sides (`map.galaxy.platePadding`) — the fully-zoomed-out galaxy fills the plate and no star sits on its edge. The player's home sits in the star NEAREST the configured corner (`startingSystem: policy "corner"`, `corner: SE` = lower right; `center`/`random` still work), and the HOME→FAR diagonal is the progression axis: every record carries `d` (0 = home corner, 1 = far corner) and its `zone` (`galaxy.distribution.zones`, equal-area thirds: near/middle/far). Types mix PER ZONE — `galaxy.distribution.zoneMix` multiplies each type's global `distribution.weight` per zone (the old per-type `radiusBand` is gone: `void`/`nebula` favor the deep corner, `habitable` the home corner). Richer galaxy-level rules (faction territories, trade hubs, combat difficulty by zone) will read `record.zone` / `record.d` — the seams are in place now. The player's **current system** starts at `galaxy.currentSystem()` (`startingSystem.policy`: `corner` (default — the home corner, SE), `center`, or `random`). Jumping between systems now has its NETWORK (see "Jump gates" below — `data/gates.json` + `js/galaxy/JumpNetwork.js`, built on `galaxy.neighborsOf(id)` and the spatial hash); the in-flight jump drive is the next mechanic on top. **The galaxy is already lived in.** It was settled long before the player arrives. **Every planet is settled (for now)**: each world hosts the one settlement kind that fits its class (`data/settlements.json → allPlanetsSettled` + `settledKindByClass`) — `colony` on a habitable rocky world, `miningStation` over every other rocky/ice/lava world, `cloudBase` riding every gas giant. Plus the free-space kinds: `deepSpaceStation` (adrift in open space) and `waypoint` (a small beacon — the faint trace of a crossed galaxy), still rolled per archetype and thinned core→rim. **Barren systems** (the `objectCount` → 0 stops) are the one exception to "lived in": they hold no planets and no stations — just the jump gate — and are reachable only by jumping in (strong connectivity keeps them on the network). Their "charted · unclaimed" report branch is now the normal case, not a defensive fallback. Model & seams: - **Kinds vocabulary** — `data/settlements.json` (label, description, theme color, population range, anchor type). Add a kind = JSON + naming pool; the generator picks it up by name. - **The settled rule** — `data/settlements.json → allPlanetsSettled` + `settledKindByClass` (class → kind, with a `habitable` override for rocky worlds). Flip `allPlanetsSettled` off to return to the old probabilistic layer (per-type `chance` + `needs` — the code path is kept behind the flag). - **Per-type free-space rates** — `types..attributes.settlements` in `data/systems.json`: `chance` per free-space kind (deep-space station, waypoint). Same attribute-driven pattern as everything else. - **Home→far gradient** — `galaxy.settlements.gradient` in `data/galaxy.json`: the settled heart (the home corner, `d = 0`) is denser (factor 1.0), the deep corner (`d = 1`) is thinner (clamped to `floor`). Each record carries `d` (0 = home corner, 1 = far corner) and its `zone` so density — and later faction strength, hazard, and trade value — is per-system, not global. - **Reserved seam: `owner`** — every settlement has `owner: null`. That's where **factions and pirates** will plug in later (claim, flag, relations). Deliberately absent for now — no factions yet. - **Pure report formatter** — `js/galaxy/SystemReport.js` (`formatSystemReport(content)` → title/subtitle/faction/population/ status). Compact by design: the HUD shows the system name, identity ("Main Sequence system · star G"), and standing ("Faction: Neutral · Pop ~1.2M" — faction is Neutral for now; unclaimed systems read "Unclaimed"). Per-settlement / gate detail stays in the content + star chart. The GameScene HUD renders it; a future star map / terminal UI reuses it. - Landing/exploration (a future feature) will treat settlements as points of interest: the data already says what's there and where (anchor = planet ordinal or open space). **Naming** — planets and stations get their names from **curated banks** in `data/naming.json → banks` (distinct from the star/galaxy *syllable pools*): - **`banks.planet`** — a deep list mixing **colonial** names ("New Denver", "Port Tucson") and **alien** names ("Klaxoria", "Vexithunhal"). - **`banks.station`** — a deep list mixing **official/procedural** designations ("Deep Space SC-145", "Nav Relay V-77") and **smuggler** / outlaw hangouts ("Hell's Hideout", "The Rusty Anchor"). - **Assignment** — `NameGenerator.planetDeck(rng)` / `stationDeck(rng)` build one seeded shuffle of the whole bank; `SystemGenerator` deals names out of it in order. So **within a system there are no repeats** (the first N draws are N distinct names), and a system only reuses a name if it has more bodies than the bank holds (impossible at these sizes). The decks are dealt from dedicated derived streams (`Rng.derive(seed,'system',id,'names', 'planets'|'stations')`) so they stay order-independent (lazy === eager). The **home world** (the player's planet, in the starting system only) takes the first name off that system's planet deck — so it gets a real bank name too, never clashing with one of the planets (`content.homeName`; the old `planets.homeName` is now just a fallback). Stars and the galaxy are still synthesised from syllable pools (unbounded). ## The current system is a place, not just a dossier (discovery + compass) The player starts in a solar system, and the other worlds **exist in the world** — solid, rendered, flyable-to. Rules and seams: - **World layout** — `SystemGenerator.layoutSystem(seed, systemId, planets, freeSpace, isHome, targetAngles)` (pure, `js/galaxy/SystemGenerator.js`) places each system's planets and free-space stations on a ring (a regular polygon) around the system center (the home world at the origin in the starting system; every other system's center is EMPTY — its star is invisible flavor, never rendered), enforcing the SOLAR SYSTEM BAND in `data/planets.json → solarSystem`: EVERY pair of layout objects — planets, stations (and the home world, starting system only) — sits center-to-center in `[minSpacing, maxSpacing]` (6400–15360 px; the starting system's band tightens to `[minSpacing, homeMaxSpacing]` = 6400–10240 px). The ring radius is chosen inside the band (non-home: `maxSpacing` over the chord of the N-gon; home: the (N+1)-gon side over the band's tight ratio), and the rotation (ring phase) is a deterministic scan that serves the system's gate target bearings. The starting system is capped at 3 objects (2 planets + ≤ 1 station) — five points cannot sit 6400–10240 px apart (the tightest 5-point spacing needs ratio ≥ φ > 1.6). Planet-bound settlements (colonies, mining stations, cloud bases) are features of their planet, not layout objects. Draws come from the dedicated fork `Rng.derive(seed, 'system', id, 'layout')` — layout results are seed-deterministic *and* don't perturb the content stream (lazy === eager is preserved). Class sizes/tints in `classScale`/`classTint`. - **Discovery** — `js/galaxy/Discovery.js` (pure, no Phaser — Node- testable, save-ready: `toJSON()`/`fromJSON()`). Rule: the ship within `game.discovery.distance` (data/game.json, default 540 px) of an object's *edge* (center distance ≤ radius + distance) discovers it, once, per system. The home world is discovered at spawn in the starting system (the ship starts beside it) — "Home World" exists in exactly one system and is that system's central NAV point (id 'home'); every other system's center is EMPTY (the star is invisible dossier flavor — name/class, never rendered) and carries no central NAV point. Feedback: rim ping + "DISCOVERED — NAME · TYPE" toast (GameScene.celebrateDiscovery). - **Compass** — `js/ui/DiscoveryCompass.js` (screen-space Container, scrollFactor 0). Every frame it refreshes the set of **discovered** objects that are **off-screen**, drawing a themed chevron arrow on the screen edge with a type/name chip, separated by angle when rays crowd. Edge-anchor geometry (`edgeAnchor`, `circleInView`, `lerpAngle`) is exported pure for tests. Arrow texture is generated procedurally on first use (`__compass_arrow`). - **World solids** — the ship collides with *every* solid in the system (`GameScene.solids`): the home world (starting system only — it is the only central body in the galaxy, and its 'home' NAV point), all system planets, asteroid clusters, stations and jump gates: you can approach a rim, never pass through. - Verified: `dev/discovery.test.mjs` (rule, boundaries, per-system state, JSON round-trip, layout band + determinism, compass geometry). ## Jump gates — the galaxy's highway layer Every system has **1–3 jump gates** (`data/gates.json`), each one the exit toward a NEARBY star on the 2-D map. Two layers: - **The network** — `js/galaxy/JumpNetwork.js` (pure, Node-tested; built once per galaxy in `Galaxy._generate()`, exposed as `galaxy.jumpNetwork` / `galaxy.jumpGatesFor(id)`). It is a degree-limited spanning tree of the nearest-star graph (each system's `neighborPool` = 8 closest stars, `galaxy.neighborsOf`), with tree edges run BOTH ways; `shortcuts` (one-way extra edges bought with the spare gate budget) is a dormant code path, OFF in the current config (`data/gates.json → shortcuts: false`) — so the network is a PURE SPANNING TREE: exactly one route between any two systems, no closed loops. The galaxy reads as a **MAZE** of dead ends and long hauls; strong connectivity still holds by construction (a bidirected tree — from any system you can reach any other — no closed systems, no trapped sets), every jump is local, no system holds more than `maxGates` gates, and EVERY jump has a return gate (the destination's gate pointing back). A BARREN system is a dead-end LEAF of the tree — exactly one gate, in and out the same way (the function takes the barren set and never lets a barren node adopt children; the repair pass prefers non-barren attach targets). A 3-tier repair (local attach → swap → last-resort attach, logged) covers pathological pools, preferring a working network over the cap. - **The in-system placement** — `SystemGenerator.layoutGates(...)` (pure) places each gate on the tether circle of one of the system's ANCHORS (a PLANET — free-space stations are deliberately not anchors, since the build console lives on a world — or the home world in the starting system), exactly `anchorTetherLevel` (level 1 = 5120 px, from `data/tether.json`) from it — so the tether rule is hard by construction. Candidates are tried in facing quality: the ray-circle intersection (gate exactly on the system→star ray), the circle point aimed at the star, then a ±75° scan — so the direction rule is soft (same side of the anchor as the target, deviation < 90°; in practice ~98% are within 75°). Gates stay `minRadius..maxRadius` (2048–20480 px) from the system center, keep `size` + `clearance` from solid discs (planets, free-space stations, the home world) and 2·`size` + `gateGap` from each other, and get unique names ("Avidy Gate", "Avidy Gate II" — star names are syllable-generated and collide). **Barren systems** (no anchors — the `objectCount` → 0 stops) get their single gate on the center→destination ray at `barrenDistance` (8192 px) instead; their payload is 1–2 asteroid clusters drifting inside that gate's level-1 tether (`data/asteroids.json → barren` — the dead end's only thing to mine). Every gate record carries `active: false` — gates are DORMANT until activated (the entity renders dim, field still); activation is the SYSTEM research category's jumpgate tech completing (the Research section below): the system's gates go live plus the return gates in the systems they connect to, and each activated gate anchors a level-1 tether so the player can leave. A gate's `rotation` is the bearing from the gate to its destination star — the art (twin-pylon portal, `js/entities/JumpGate.js` — procedural, Station.js-style) faces where it jumps; the entity's `activate()` lifts the dormant dimming (the anchor tether comes from the scene). - **In the scene** — GameScene builds the gates as solid world objects (the ship keeps `gates.shipClearance` from them, autopilot flies to their rim), discoverable (compass arrows + toast, in the gate cyan `#5fd4ff`), and the HUD dossier lists them ("… Gate · jump to "). They are NOT comms targets (`worldObjectAt` excludes them; `gateAt()` is their own hit test) — a click on ANY gate opens the GATE COMM WINDOW (the shared comms panel, js/ui/CommsPanel.js, in its gate variant — the LINK line reads ACTIVE / DORMANT, REQUEST JUMP initiates the jump and is a grayed ghost while dormant, CANCEL closes it) — never the ordinary fly-here. - **The JUMP** (`data/gates.json` → `jump`; the pure geometry is `js/galaxy/JumpTravel.js`, Node-tested by `dev/jump-travel.test.mjs`): `GameScene.jumpThroughGate` re-stages the run for the connected system through the save pipeline in miniature — `captureState()` snapshots the whole run (discovery, reputation, research, builds, minerals, playtime, `activatedGates`), the destination system + arrival position are swapped in, `prepareLoad()` rebuilds the galaxy from the seed (deterministic — same names/placements) with the new current system, and `scene.restart()` rebuilds this scene onto it: the destination's native tethers re-form in `create()`, and `_onEnterSystem()` grants its map tech. ARRIVAL: the ship materialises just past the destination's RETURN gate's keepout (the gate pointing back — activated with its twin per ACTIVITY, its tether anchoring the landing), offset back along its facing with nose along the travel direction; with shortcuts OFF (the current config) the network is a pure spanning tree, so every jump has a return gate — JumpTravel's null path (land on the destination's origin, inside its home-tether zone) is defensive only. THE CLIP: the jump plays a full-screen one-shot between the two systems (`jump.video`, cover-scaled over an opaque theme backdrop — the source system must not show through; `jump.videoVolume` 0..1, 0 = silent). The clip + backdrop are SCREEN-pinned (`scrollFactor(0)`) — this scene's camera follows the ship and scrolls, so a world-space clip (the default `scrollFactor 1`) renders off-screen and you'd hear it without seeing it (the same reason every screen UI here pins itself). The destination is ALREADY staged behind it (`prepareLoad` ran first), so the scene restarts the moment the clip ends — or errors, or stalls (a STALL guard advances after a grace period with no playback progress; a CAP does so at duration + margin), whichever fires first (`_playJumpClip`/`_finishJump`, both idempotent). A DOUBLE-CLICK (two quick presses, the 350 ms window shared with the landing/takeoff skip) skips the rest of the clip; a single press is swallowed. If `video` is empty/missing the jump falls back to the short `jumpDelayMs` cut. A mid-jump guard (`_jumping`) swallows input for the whole clip; mining blocks the jump (console nudge). - **Determinism** — same seed ⇒ same network, same gates, same placements, same `active` flags, same jump arrivals. Verified: `dev/jumps.test.mjs` (network invariants, placement invariants, barren gates on-ray, `active: false` everywhere, composition buckets, determinism), `dev/jumpgate.test.mjs` (the entity's solid contract + dormant/active rendering), `dev/jump-travel.test.mjs` (the jump's config + pure arrival geometry + a real galaxy's return-gate coverage + determinism), and the layout band in `dev/discovery.test.mjs`. ## Galaxy map — the MAP console's GALAXY tab The deck's MAP button opens the cartography console (`js/ui/MapWindow.js`, `data/map.json`, depth 80). It has three tabs on the plate: - **CURRENT SYSTEM** — the system chart (canvas-painted: discovered objects, the tether union, the fog of war), hover + ENGAGE AUTOPILOT, wheel zoom / drag pan. Unchanged by the galaxy work. - **SYSTEM** — the same painter applied to a CHARTED star's system (no ship/tether): pick a charted star on the GALAXY tab to arm it, then click an object on its chart to **SET DESTINATION** (see the Route section below). Locked ("NO SYSTEM TARGET") until a charted star is picked. The shared `ConfirmOverlay` is label-sized to fit the dialog (`baseWidth` + measured width, per-show `width`/`height` overrides). - **GALAXY** (live — `tabs.galaxy.standby` is the killswitch; `true` returns it to the old "OFFLINE" toast) — the whole-galaxy chart, `js/ui/GalaxyView.js`, fed by `GameScene.galaxySnapshot()` (`js/galaxy/GalaxyChart.js`, pure + Node-tested): - **A glowing star per system**, colored by its archetype (`data/systems.json → types`, 6 kinds) and **pulsing on that archetype's heartbeat** — `galaxy.pulse.` in `data/map.json` (`speed` Hz + `amp`, the per-star-type animation; binary beats fast with a seeded twin core, nebulae shimmer, voids breathe slow). - **The jump-lane web** — the JumpNetwork's spanning tree as thin lanes, three reads: TRAVELED (the run jumped it — bright glow pass + a flow packet drifting the route), FRONTIER (exactly one end charted — the "next step"), unexplored (faint threads). Lane state comes from the run's footprint (below) + the SYSTEM category's activated gates (`activatedGates`, the LIVE lanes a jump can be confirmed on). - **The charted region** — the convex hull of the visited systems, inflated (`galaxy.hull`): a soft fill + subtle double outline (the discovered-area shading). - **HOME + SHIP markers**, ambient dust blobs + the core glow, and a reveal ripple OUT OF HOME on tab switch / window open (stars bloom by distance — `galaxy.reveal`). - **Interaction** (the plate idiom): wheel zoom about the cursor, drag pan, double-tap 1×; hover = ring + tooltip (name, type, gate count, charted state, link state to the current system); click a star: current → "YOU ARE HERE"; LIVE lane → **CONFIRM JUMP** (the same transport as the world's gate click — `GameScene.jumpFromMap` → `jumpThroughGate`); dormant lane / no lane → the readouts. The window is a pure view: the galaxy tab polls `getGalaxy()` on the same 500 ms cycle the system chart is. **The run's footprint (save-ready):** `GameScene` keeps two registry-backed sets (the `activatedGates` pattern) — `visitedSystems` (the systems the run has ENTERED; the current one is marked at `create()`) and `usedGates` (the undirected lanes the run has TRAVELED — `GalaxyChart.edgeKey(a,b)` = `min` compass entry (`#ff8c1a`); arrive → route clears + REACHED notice queued; detour → destination kept + RE-PLOTTED notice; clear → the orange entry drops on the next compass reconcile. ## The tether — the player's range (important) The ship starts with **one level-1 tether** anchored on the home world (system origin): a circular zone, **5120 px from the anchor's center** (`data/tether.json → level1Radius`). That rim is the player's boundary: - **The union is the space.** The ship may be anywhere inside ANY of its tethers' zones. Where two zones overlap there is **no wall and no line** — the boundary of the union is where the barrier lives, and the line is drawn only on each tether's *visible* arcs (`Tether.visibleArcs` — the rim arcs not covered by another zone). - **Outside the union is a hard barrier.** The ship is clamped to the closest boundary point with the outward normal; outward velocity AND acceleration are stripped (same static-resolve pattern as `Planet.constrainShip`, run after the planets in `GameScene.update`). Click-to-fly and autopilot targets are clamped too, so an out-of-range destination becomes "fly to the rim and rest on the line". - **Feedback on contact:** the line shudders locally at the hit point (TetherField pulse + radial zap), a small camera kick, and a throttled magenta console toast (`tether.contact` in the config). **Layering (same rules as everything else):** - `js/tether/Tether.js` — PURE (no Phaser): the record (id/anchor/level/ radius), `radiusForLevel`, union membership, `clampPoint` (nearest union boundary point + normal), and `visibleArcs` (circle-arc interval math on the unit circle). Node-tested by `dev/tether.test.mjs` — including the two-direction boundary property (nothing visible is inside another zone; nothing exposed is missing from the visible arcs). - `js/tether/TetherField.js` — the scene-facing field: owns the tether list, exposes the seam the build system will use (`add(id, x, y, level)`, `remove(id)`, `setLevel(id, level)`, `onChange` → HUD refresh), applies the constraint (`constrainShip`), and renders the barrier: dash dots of constant world size along the visible arcs, on-screen culling only, marching offset, additive glow + RGB ghost fringe under the main pass, ambient glitch bursts (dash flicker, radial displacement, data drops, sparks), contact pulses. All tuning in `data/tether.json → line/contact`. - `data/tether.json` — level radii (`level1Radius`, `radiusGrowth`, `maxLevel`), the starting tether (`homeId`/`homeLevel`), and every visual/feel parameter. **Upgrade economics (planned):** radius(level) = 5120 × 2^(level−1) — level 2 = 10240 px, which reaches every object of the current 6-object maximum (all within 10240 px of the home world); the defensive two-orbit fallback (11 objects, up to ~13380 px out) would fit inside level 3 (20480 px). Extra tethers anchored on planets/stations will be the "expand your reach" verb; the seams are in place. **Phaser v4 note:** the barrier is two `Graphics` layers redrawn per frame (`clear()` → one `strokePath` per pass) — no textures, no physics bodies, no camera math beyond culling. The scene drives `tick()`/`draw()` from `update()` alongside the TimeClock/tween stepping. ## Research — the progression gate (time-based, one at a time) The RESEARCH deck slot opens the **Research console** (`js/ui/ResearchWindow.js`): left pane loops the muted `assets/videos/research-computer.mp4` archive feed (scanlines, sweep band, REC pulse, ambient glitch bursts, decode-in reveals), right pane holds the category tabs + the **branching tech tree** for the selected category (starts at the top, unlocks downward), and the selected tech's dossier (icon, description, duration) with a RESEARCH button that is only present when the tech is researchable and nothing is in progress. **Data (one file per category):** - `data/research.json` — global rules: `enabled`, `timeUnit: "seconds"`, `maxConcurrent: 1`, `defaultCategory`, the `categories` registry (id, label, icon, accent), the `video` (file + aspect), and `fx` timing. - `data/research/.json` — the tree: a flat `nodes` map where each node has `label`, `description`, `duration` (in `timeUnit`), `requires` (parent ids — a DAG), `unlocks` (what the tech OPENS, below), and optional `effects`. `starting` lists the pre-unlocked roots. Section name = file basename (`research/exploration.json` → `config.section('exploration')`). **Add a category = one file + one line in `research.json → categories` + one line in `data/manifest.json`.** **The SYSTEM category (dynamic — per solar system):** one category is flagged `dynamic: true` in `research.json → categories` — it has **no** data file; its tree is built at runtime for the system the player is in (`js/research/SystemCategory.js` → `buildSystemTree`), so its two techs are NAMED after that system. Node ids embed the system id (`S000012_map`, `S000012_gates`) so a run can chart many systems in the one shared category without collisions: - **`{System} Map`** — `duration: 0`, in `starting`: granted the moment the player is in the system (`GameScene._onEnterSystem()` unlocks it — create() runs it on every entry, which a jump is: the jump restarts the scene onto the destination, see the Jump gates section). Copy: *Added the Solar System of {system} to the onboard NAV System. Discover all NAV points to unlock the system Jumpgates.* - **`Unlock {System} Jumpgates`** — requires the map; researchable once **every NAV point of the system is discovered** (the home world in the starting system, and otherwise all planets, all space stations, all jump gates — the scene's discoverable set minus the asteroid clusters; the center of a non-home system is empty, so it carries no central NAV point); 45 s (`data/gates.json → activation.researchDuration`). Completing it activates the system's gates **and the return gates in the systems they connect to** (pure, from the jump network alone — `activationKeys`), and per the gate ACTIVITY rule each activated gate anchors a level-1 tether at its own position. **Diagnosing "I charted everything but it stays locked":** the console command `orbitNav()` (DevTools → Console, space view — `js/dev/NavDiag.js`, installed by `main.js`) prints this system's live NAV chart: every NAV point with a ✓/✗, the discovered/total count, and exactly which objects are still undiscovered. `orbitNavBrief()` gives the one-line summary. It builds on the pure `navChart()` core above. **Activation wiring (a real bug lived here):** completing the tech runs `GameScene._applyResearchEffects`, whose `activateGates` branch recovers the system id from the **node id** it's passed — via the pure `systemIdOfGatesNode(nodeId)` (`S000137_gates` → `S000137`). A node **object** carries no `id` field (its id is the key in the tree's `nodes` map), so reading `node.id` yields `undefined` and the activation silently never ran ("researched the jumpgates but they stay dark" — it was *not* a name/case mismatch; the id lookup is by system id, never by name). `GameScene._onEnterSystem()` now **reconciles** on every entry: if the system's gates tech is unlocked it re-runs `_activateSystemJumpgates` (idempotent + silent when already online), so a missed activation self-heals on the next entry/jump/reload without a re-research. The gates node's chart gate is an **availability HOOK**, not a `requires` edge (its requires are all met at grant — the gate is live-world state): the tree object carries optional `available(state, id)` / `lockNote(state, id)` functions, consulted by `ResearchModel.isAvailable` and the console's LOCKED readout. Static trees have no hooks. The label/description copy and the duration live in `data/gates.json → activation` (templated — `{system}` is replaced with the system name); the tests exempt `dynamic: true` categories from the one-file-per-category rule. **The UNLOCKS space (research → everything else):** a tech unlocks more than follow-on tech. Each node's `unlocks` is the declaration side: - `unlocks.research` — the readable mirror of the children's `requires` edges (the DAG itself stays authoritative — `requires` only). - `unlocks.builds` — ids in `data/builds.json` the tech makes available. The **authoritative gate is the build's own `requires`** (a list of `"/"` research ids — e.g. `tether-l2.requires: ["exploration/tether_l2"]`): a build is available once every id it names is researched. `dev/research-builds.test.mjs` keeps both sides in lock-step (the test fails if one names the other and the other doesn't name back, or an id dangles). - Builds also carry `category` (planet / cargo — the console's tabs), optional `targets` (the surfaces it can be placed on — defaults to `[category]`), `cost` (minerals today; credits when they land), `repeatable`, `starting` (pre-installed on fresh runs — e.g. the home world's level-1 tether), optional `planetRequires` (world-state gates, e.g. `tetherLevel`), `effects`, `theme`. - `tether-l2` (the level-2 tether ring, anchored on a world that holds a level-1 tether) is the first build — 200 minerals, 20 s, effect `tether: {level: 2}` on the target world. The build console is live (the deck's BUILD slot, `js/ui/BuildWindow.js` — see the section below); tune cost/duration freely in `data/builds.json`. - The console's dossier shows the line (`UNLOCKS: TETHER LEVEL 3 · TETHER ANCHORING · BUILD · TETHER - LEVEL 2`), read through `ResearchModel.unlocksOf(tree, id)` + `buildDefs()` — the one read point the build UI uses too. - The second static category is **Mining** (`data/research/mining.json`): `improved_arm` (Tier 1, root) → `advanced_arm` + `improved_storage` (Tier 2, both require the Tier-1). All three are BLUEPRINTS — 60 s each, `effects: {}` — and each declares its matching SHIP-UPGRADE build in `data/builds.json` (`mining-arm-improved` / `mining-arm-advanced` / `mining-storage-improved`, the console's Mining tab) — the build's `requires: ["mining/"]` is the authoritative gate, the node's `unlocks.builds` the declaration (the test keeps both in lock-step). New glyph set for the tab: `mining`, `mining2`, `storage` (js/research/ResearchIcons.js) — the build rows reuse the same glyphs. **Code layering (same rules as the tether):** - `js/research/ResearchModel.js` — PURE (no Phaser): `roots`, `issues` (DAG validation), `levels` (longest-path level), `layoutTree` (deterministic column/row layout: DFS leaf-slot assignment, parent = mean of children), `isAvailable`, `missingRequires`, and the unlocks contract: `unlocksOf` (normalize `{builds, research}`), `buildDefs` (builds.json → map, `_`-keys excluded), `unlockIssues(tree)` (mirror + build wiring), `buildIssues()` (every build `requires` id resolves). `isAvailable` also consults a tree's optional `available(state, id)` hook (the dynamic SYSTEM category's chart gate). Node-tested. - `js/research/SystemCategory.js` — PURE (no Phaser): the dynamic SYSTEM category. `buildSystemTree({systemId, systemName, accent, isComplete})` (the per-system tree + the `available`/`lockNote` hooks), `systemIdOfGatesNode(nodeId)` (recover the system id a gates node id encodes — the node object has no `id` field, so the scene passes the id in; the pure core of the activation wiring), `navPoints(content)` (the chart's NAV points + their kind), `navPointIds(content)` (the chart's NAV points, ids only), `navChart(discovery, systemId, content)` (the live discovered/missing split that gates the jumpgate tech — the pure core of the `orbitNav()` console diagnostic in `js/dev/NavDiag.js`), `isNavComplete(discovery, systemId, content)` (every NAV point discovered), `activationKeys(galaxy, systemId)` (the system's gates + the linked systems' return gates, from the jump network alone), `applyActivation(content, systemId, keys)` (flip the records idempotently). Node-tested by `dev/system-category.test.mjs`. - `js/galaxy/JumpTravel.js` — PURE (no Phaser): the jump's arrival geometry. `returnGateFor(content, fromId)` (the destination's gate pointing back at the system left — with shortcuts OFF it always exists; the null path is defensive), `arrivalPoint(gate, cfg)` (spawn just past the keepout, on the far side of the gate's facing, nose along the travel direction), `jumpArrival(content, fromId, cfg)` (both; null ⇒ the scene lands on the destination's origin — defensive only). Driven by `GameScene.jumpThroughGate` (the transport — save pipeline + scene restart); Node-tested by `dev/jump-travel.test.mjs` (contract, geometry, a real galaxy, determinism). - `js/research/ResearchState.js` — PURE: `unlock`, `isUnlocked`, `getActive`, `start`, `progress(time)`, `tick(time)` (→ array of completions), `restoreActive`, `toJSON(now)`/`fromJSON`. Node-tested. - `js/research/ResearchIcons.js` — procedural 128 px icon textures (tether rings / anchor / signal waves / diamond fallback), tinted. - `js/ui/ResearchWindow.js` — the scene-facing window (depth 80, above the save panel). A **passive view**: it asks `GameScene` to start a run via `onResearch(catId, id)`; the scene owns the rules, the effects, the toasts, and the save data. The window re-renders from `ResearchState` + `ResearchModel` only. - `GameScene` — `beginResearch`, `_completeResearch`, `_applyResearchEffects`, `_deckResearchBar`. The **effects seam** reads `node.effects`: `{ tether: { level: N } }` → `TetherField.setLevel(homeId, N)` + toast; `{ capability: "flag" }` → `scene.researchCapabilities.add(flag)`; `{ activateGates: true }` (SYSTEM category) → the system's gates + the linked systems' return gates go ACTIVE (`_activateSystemJumpgates` — the activation keys join the run's `activatedGates` set, the current system's gate entities wake, and each activated gate anchors its level-1 tether); unknown shapes log and no-op. New effect kinds plug in there without touching tree data. - The SYSTEM category's world state is the run's **`activatedGates`** set (activation keys `">"`) — registry-backed like discovery (`GameScene.create` reads it; `resetRunState` clears it on New Game, `prepareLoad` restores it), and the anchored gate tethers save with the run's tether list. On entry the scene flips the current system's gate records BEFORE the gate entities build (the dormant look is baked at construction), and anchors each activated gate's tether after the field exists. `GameScene._onEnterSystem()` grants the map tech on arrival (new run, load, and — when it lands — every jump landing). The ResearchWindow takes the live tree via `systemTree` and re-paints nodes live when a state flips under the open console (the chart completes, a run starts). **Save:** `record.research = { unlocked: ["cat::id", …], active: {category, id, durationMs, remainingMs} | null }`. `remainingMs` is captured at save time; `restoreActive(spec, now)` rebuilds `startedAt` from the fresh `now`. A save from before research exists loads as fresh (no unlocks, no active run) — old saves keep working. The SYSTEM category's activation keys ride `record.activatedGates` (an array of `">"`; saves from before the category load as an empty set — gates stay dormant). No auto-save: research state persists on the next explicit player save (SavePanel), consistent with the rest of the game. **SFX:** begin → `construct`, complete → `discovery` (both existing `data/sfx.json` keys — there are no `research_begin`/`research_complete` keys). Open/close → `ui_window`/`ui_close`. **Verified:** `dev/research-builds.test.mjs` (manifest registration, research.json globals — incl. the dynamic SYSTEM category's registration, the exploration tree's raw-JSON contract — DAG, node fields, effects — the real code path: ResearchModel layout/levels/determinism + the unlocks contract (unlocksOf/unlockIssues/buildIssues) + ResearchState start/tick/complete/restore round-trip, builds.json (the tether-l2 build, both sides of the gate, the template), actionbar.json). `dev/system-category.test.mjs` (the gates.json activation contract, the per-system tree through the real code path — hooks, one-at-a-time, save/restore round-trip — the NAV-point rule, the activation keys + record flips). `dev/research-shot.html` + `dev/cdp-shot.mjs` open the window and start a run through CDP for a screenshot. ## Builds — the surface install (cost-based, one at a time) The BUILD deck slot (on a planet surface — the deck re-deals itself there: Shop, Build, Ship, ·, Take Off, Menu) opens the **Build console** (`js/ui/BuildWindow.js`, same visual language as the Research console — left pane loops the muted 2:3 `assets/videos/build.mp4` feed, right pane holds the category tabs + a **list** of the category's buildable items — not a tree: builds are one-off installs on the planet — + the selected build's dossier). Locked items are grayed with their missing gates (research / tether level); installed items read **BUILT ✓**; the BUILD button appears only when the build is available AND affordable. **Division of labor (the Research split, exactly):** - `js/build/BuildModel.js` — PURE (no Phaser): `categories`, `loadBuilds` (category → its builds), `defById`, `startingPairs` (pre-installed on fresh runs — `tether-l1.starting: ["home"]`), `missingRequirements` (research + `planetRequires.tetherLevel`), `isAvailable`, `rowState` (built / active / available / locked), `costLines`, `canAfford`, `isShipScoped` (`targets: ["ship"]` — the ship upgrades). Node-tested by `dev/builds.test.mjs`. - `js/build/BuildState.js` — PURE: the run's build records (`built`: planet → set of buildIds) + the single in-progress build (`active`, `maxConcurrent: 1`); `start/progress/tick/restoreActive`, `toJSON(now)/fromJSON`, and `isBuiltAnywhere(build)` (ship-scoped builds count as built if installed on ANY planet). Node-tested. - `js/ui/BuildWindow.js` — the scene-facing window (depth 80, above the save panel). A **passive view**: it asks via `onBuild(buildId)`; `SurfaceScene.beginSurfaceBuild` → `GameScene.beginBuild` enforces the rules (one at a time, not installed, research gate, planet gate, mineral cost — the full amount paid up front), then `BuildState.start` runs the clock. The window re-renders from `BuildState` + `BuildModel` only. - `GameScene` — `beginBuild` (the ship-scoped gate: `isBuiltAnywhere` for `targets: ["ship"]` builds), `completeBuild`, `_applyBuildEffects` (the **effects seam**: `tether {level: N}` → the world's tether strengthens to at least N via `TetherField.setLevel` — never a downgrade — + toast; `capability "flag"` → `scene.researchCapabilities`; `mining {rate, capacity}` → `_applyMiningUpgrade` — the ship's stats, MAX wins; unknown shapes log and no-op). `_restoreMiningUpgrades()` re-derives the ship's mining stats from the build records in `create()` (the save carries the records, not the stats — same seam as `_rematerializeBuiltTethers`; idempotent, a fresh run has none). The state lives on the GameScene (`buildState`), so the records + the in-progress build outlive the surface stay AND save with the run (`record.builds`). **The clock (important — different from research):** the build's time base is the **game-loop clock** (`game.loop.now` — the engine's global monotonic ms), NOT a scene's `time.now`. A scene's clock freezes while the scene sleeps, and the GameScene SLEEPS while the surface is active — so the SurfaceScene ticks `buildState.tick(game.loop.now)` in `update()` while on the surface, and the GameScene ticks it in space (a build started on the surface keeps running if the player takes off mid-build — then completes in space, effect and all). Research keeps its scene-clock base (`GameScene.time.now` — the scene is awake while it runs). Saves capture the build's `remainingMs` on the loop clock; `restoreActive` rebuilds `startedAt` so the build finishes at the same wall time after load. (Note: for an AWAKE scene, `scene.time.now` IS the loop timestamp in this build — TimePlugin.update sets `now = t` — the two only diverge while a scene sleeps.) **Deck lock:** while a build runs, every deck action except BUILD is refused (`SurfaceScene.deckAction`) — one build at a time. The BUILD slot stays open: the window shows the in-progress build + its progress. **Save:** `record.builds = { built: { planet: [buildId, …] }, active: { planet, build, durationMs, remainingMs } | null }`. A save from before builds exist loads as fresh — old saves keep working (`dev/saves.test.mjs` covers the staging). **The starting installs are a rule, not save data:** a fresh run is seeded with `tether-l1` installed on the home world (the player starts with their home tether — "every world starts with its tether already in place"), and `GameScene.applyRestore` RE-ASSERTS the `starting` pairs AFTER a load (`_seedStartingBuilds`, idempotent) — a save captured before the seed existed (or by an older iteration) replaces the seeded state and must not un-install the home world's level-1 tether. A player resuming a run always has Tether - Level 1 built on home (pinned in `dev/builds.test.mjs`). **Ship-scoped builds (the Mining tab) — one-off installs, ship-wide effect:** `targets: ["ship"]` (the mining arms + storage, data/builds.json → the Mining category) are installed from any planet's console but the effect is the SHIP's: `effects.mining.rate` → `ship.stats.miningSpeed` (minerals/s — `Mining._extract` multiplies the base economy rate by it, read live per tick) and `effects.mining.capacity` → `ship.stats.mineralStorage` (the hold cap — `Ship.storageRoom` / `addMinerals` read it live, so the corner HUD's `n / CAP` follows). Both are MAX-guarded (the faster arm / bigger hold always wins — building the advanced arm then the improved keeps 2.0/s). "Built" is SHIP-SCOPED: `BuildState.isBuiltAnywhere` (installed on any planet ⇒ built wherever the ship lands — `BuildWindow.ctxFor` + `_detailStatus` + the `GameScene.beginBuild` gate all read it for these builds, so no re-buy on the next world). The records still key the planet they were built from (the save format is unchanged). **Name casing (a real bug this caught):** world state is keyed by the world's CANONICAL name (its discovery name — build records, tether labels). The comms panel DISPLAYS names uppercased — and used to carry that display casing back into the landing handoff (`lastTarget.name`), so a surface reached through the panel read its own home world as "nothing installed, no tether" (L1 available, L2's tether gate failing). Fixed at the source: `CommsPanel` keeps the canonical spelling in the data payload (uppercase is display-only), and `GameScene.startLanding` normalizes the name against the known worlds before launch (`js/utils/WorldNames.js` → `canonicalPlanetName`, Node-tested in `dev/world-names.test.mjs`) — so `tetherLevelFor` and the surface's `planetName` always match the world-state keys. **SFX:** begin → `construct`, complete → `discovery`, refused action → `ui_close`, window open/close → `ui_window`/`ui_close` (all existing `data/sfx.json` keys). **Diagnostics (in the real game):** `js/dev/BuildDiag.js` (installed by `js/main.js`) is a read-only observer — it never mutates state. - Opening the Build console logs a one-line `[orbit-diag v…]` summary: planet, home, `isHome`, the `built` map, the planet's tether level, the L1/L2/L3 row states (with missing gates), the ship's mining stats (`mining={rate, hold, cap}`), a stale-JS probe (`jsSeed=true|false`), and the loaded `tether-l1.starting` field. - `orbitDiag()` in DevTools → Console prints the full report: env, JS probes, the `data/builds.json` contract as loaded, home/current planet, built records, tether objects, research state, the save bank's `builds` per slot, pending restore, scene wiring, errors since boot. - If `orbitDiag` is **undefined**, the browser served a cached older `js/main.js` → serve with `node dev/server.mjs` (sends `Cache-Control: no-store` on every response) or hard-reload with the cache disabled. (A plain `python3 -m http.server` lets browsers heuristically cache the ES modules — the classic "new data + old JS" trap that makes an old `GameScene.js` keep running after edits.) - `dev/build-check.html` plays the real Build flow (menu → New Game → home world → build console) and prints the L1/L2 row states before and after the `tether_l2` research; its failure path also reports the stale-JS probe, so even a failed run is diagnostic. **Verified:** `dev/builds.test.mjs` (data contract from builds.json — categories/resources/builds entries — the pure model: requirements, availability, row states, cost/afford, starting pairs — the state machine: start/guards/progress/tick/completion — save/restore round-trip incl. remaining-time preservation), `dev/research-builds.test.mjs` (research↔build unlock lock-step, incl. `tether_l2` carrying NO effect — the build carries it), `dev/saves.test.mjs` (the builds field rides the pending restore; legacy records load clean). ## Reputation — standing on planets & space stations (data layer; factions later) The player holds a REPUTATION (standing) on each planet and space station: - **Scale** — `data/reputation.json`: `min…max` (−20…+20, max = best), integer steps, `neutral` = the standing with a place the player has no standing with (0), `home` = the home world's standing (+20). - **The home-world exception** — the player's home world is ALWAYS +20: pinned. Nothing sets, changes, or clears it (it's not even storable — the key is derived from the scale itself). - **The faction check (placeholder)** — `Reputation.standingFor(place)` resolves: **home → stored standing → the place's `owner` → faction standing → neutral**. `owner` is the settlements' reserved seam (always `null` until factions exist) and `Reputation.factionStanding(id)` is a marked `TODO(factions)` stub returning null — so today the whole galaxy reads neutral (home: +20). When factions land: populate `owner` in generation + fill `factionStanding()`; the resolution order is final. - **The mutation seams** — `set(key, value)` / `change(key, delta)`, both clamped to the scale; "ways to influence reputation" land on these. - **Place identity** — every planet and settlement now carries a stable `id` from the generator (seed-deterministic: planets `-p`, settlements `-s`, n = draw order); the home world is the fixed key `'home'` (`Reputation.HOME_KEY`, same id discovery uses). Same seed ⇒ same ids ⇒ saved standing lines up with the regenerated galaxy. Lazy === eager holds (id is content, from the per-system stream's own record/ordinal). - **Module & save** — `js/reputation/Reputation.js` (pure, no Phaser — the Discovery pattern): `toJSON()`/`fromJSON()`; the save record carries `reputation` (scale snapshot + stored standings); the scene keeps one instance in the shared registry (New Game resets it via `resetRunState`). A save from before reputation exists loads as fresh all-neutral — old saves keep working. **The comms panel shows it** (a 41-mark bar, −20 → +20, red→green, lit up to the standing — `Reputation.marksFor()`) and gates REQUEST LANDING at standing ≤ −4; nothing CHANGES standing yet — the influence mechanics land on the mutation seams above. - **Tests** — `dev/reputation.test.mjs` (scale, home pinning, clamping, faction-check order incl. a monkey-patched "factions exist" pass, save round-trips + legacy/corrupt records, capture/prepare/reset integration, generator place-id shape/uniqueness/stability). ## Phaser version - Pinned: **Phaser 4.2.1** ("Giedi"), vendored in `lib/phaser.min.js`. - App code is v4-specific where v4 changed things (e.g. `Phaser.Math.Angle.RotateTo`, `banner: false`, `Clamp(value, min, max)`). - **v4 quirks that bite (verified against this build, Sept 2026):** - The engine calls a scene's `update(time, delta)` directly but does **not** step the scene's `TimeClock` or `TweenManager` (the v3 scene-events PRE_UPDATE/UPDATE plumbing is not fired in the v4 loop). Each scene must call `this.time.update(time, delta)` and `this.tweens.update()` at the top of `update()`, or `delayedCall`/`addEvent`/tweens silently never run. (Done in `MenuScene.update` / `GameScene.update`.) - A GameObject constructed with `new` (e.g. our `Container` subclasses in `js/ui/`) is **not** added to the scene display list — the `scene.add.*` factories do that. Call `scene.add.existing(this)` in the constructor (Ship/Planet already do; GlitchText/MenuButton now do too). - **`Container.add(child, index)` — the v3 varargs form is gone.** `cont.add(a, b, c)` adds ONLY `a` (the second arg is an insert index, the rest are silently dropped); the dropped children stay at scene level and paint *under* the window's opaque backplate, so they simply vanish. Multi-add is the ARRAY form: `cont.add([a, b, c])` (ActionBar/CommsPanel use it; BuildWindow rows/button and ResearchWindow's action button regressed on the varargs form until fixed, Sept 2026). - Text colors go straight to the canvas: v4 writes `fillStyle = style.color`, so a **numeric** color is an invalid fillStyle and the text silently renders **black**. Text styles and `setColor()` must get CSS strings — use `toCss()` from `js/utils/Color.js` (keep `toColor()` for Graphics/shape APIs). - An `Image` created **before** its texture key exists can stay bound to the `__MISSING` texture forever — even after the key is generated later in the same session. Generate the texture **first** (see `DiscoveryCompass.ensureArrowTexture`: texture, then `scene.add.image`). - **Input on screen-fixed containers is per-child.** Hit-testing uses each object's *own* scrollFactor (`InputManager`: `g = worldX + scrollX*sf - scrollX`), while a child of a `scrollFactor(0)` container renders screen-fixed. So a child whose scrollFactor is left at the default (1) is drawn pinned but hit-tested in world space — clicks miss it whenever the camera has scrolled. (MenuButton never bit by this: the menu camera doesn't move.) Set `scrollFactor(0)` on **every** child of a screen-fixed UI container — done in `ActionBar.buildSlots`. - **`sound.play()` throws on a missing key — and `cache.hasAudio()` doesn't exist in this build.** Playing a key that never loaded is a hard `Error: Audio key "…" not found in cache`, not a no-op, and the `cache.hasAudio()` guard the old playSfx relied on is absent here. The shared voice (`js/utils/Sfx.js → playSfxOn`) therefore checks `scene.cache.audio.has(key)` directly (the real v4 API) before playing, so a not-yet-loaded asset is a silent no-op — verified in the browser (a `playSfx('ui_hover')` against an unloaded key threw through the click handler until the guard was fixed). - **The sound manager stops BY KEY — there is no `sound.stop()`.** In this build the manager exposes `stopByKey(key)` / `stopAll()` (and `isPlaying(key)` / `getAll(key)` / `getAllPlaying()`), but NOT a keyless `stop()`. So stopping a looping SFX is `scene.sound.stopByKey('sfx_')` — the shared voice wraps it as `js/utils/Sfx.js → stopSfxOn`. (`sound.play(key, { loop: true })` DOES loop — verified: a 20 s clip kept playing past its natural end, and stopped cleanly on `stopByKey`.) - **A scene transition does NOT call `scene.shutdown()`.** The manager stops a scene via `sys.shutdown()`, which flips the status and emits the `shutdown` EVENT on the scene's emitter — the scene's own `shutdown()` method is never invoked (verified: a wrapped `MenuScene.shutdown` did not run on menu → game, while the `'shutdown'` event fired). Scene-level cleanup that must run on transition (stopping a music loop, …) therefore hooks the event: `this.events.once('shutdown', …)` from `create()` (done for the menu hum and the surface hum); the `shutdown()` methods stay as the game-destroy path. - **The surface is a LAUNCH + SLEEP, not a transition.** Landing does `scene.launch('SurfaceScene')` and then `scene.sleep()` — a sleeping scene never emits `shutdown` (verified: the game soundtrack and the sound manager kept running through the surface until the scene's `'sleep'` event was hooked). Take Off wakes the scene (`scene.wake`), which emits `'wake'`. So GameScene's music + mining hum stop on `'sleep'` and resume on `'wake'` (repeatable — `events.on`, not `once`), while `'shutdown'` covers return-to-menu and destroy (js/scenes/GameScene.js → create). - **Ship art** — the starter ship is now a spritesheet frame: `data/ship.json → texture` (assets/images/ships-player.png, 256×256 frames, `frame` 0), mirroring the planets pattern. The frame art faces `artFacing` ("north" — the nose is the frame's top edge; the glass cockpit section is aft, per the art's author); `Ship` applies a constant render offset (`artOffset`) so heading math is identical and the ship rotates about the frame center. Sprite scale = (size×scale)/frameWidth keeps the 46 px world size (and 23 px collision radius) regardless of frame size. Missing/failed sheet → built-in procedural dart (facing east), with a console note. - **Jump gate art** — the gate is now a spritesheet frame pair: `data/gates.json → texture` (assets/images/jumpgate.png, 256×256 frames). Frame 0 = the gate body (ring + pylons), drawn static at full alpha in every state (the swirl's absence — not a dim — is the dormant tell); frame 1 = the ACTIVE swirl — a swirling energy disc that fills the mouth, shown only when the gate is active (activation per `data/gates.json → activation`), spinning slowly clockwise and breathing its alpha between 0.6 and 0.9 (tunables in `gates.swirl`: spinSpeed rad/s, alphaMin/Max, breathRate). Sprite scale = (size×2)/frameWidth keeps the ring's outer edge on the 96 px keepout disc (the ship hovers `shipClearance` px outside it) regardless of frame size. Missing/failed sheet → built-in procedural gate, with a console note. - To upgrade: replace the vendored file + note the version here (and re-check the quirks above — they may go away). ## System effects — the star's character (data-driven, WebGL) - A system's visual character is a full-screen composite effect on the WORLD camera, configured per archetype in `data/systems.json → types..effect` (`kind: none | ripple`). Nebula systems wear the RIPPLE — concentric rings radiating from the middle of the view (`center: "screen"`; `"star"` tracks world 0,0 instead) — young, bright, still messy: the light itself is unsettled. The star itself is invisible flavor; the shimmer is its character. - Files: `js/visuals/SystemEffects.js` (filter + facade), `js/visuals/SystemEffectsMath.js` (pure UV math), `js/visuals/UiCameras.js` (the UI camera split), `js/galaxy/FxSystems.js` (demo system picker), `dev/system-effects.test.mjs` (35 checks, bare Node). - **How it draws (Phaser 4.2.1):** the ripple is a `Phaser.Filters.Controller` on `cameras.main`'s `filters.internal` list — when any internal filter is active the camera pass auto-composites (FBO + blit), so the WORLD (starfield included) is displaced and the HUD is not. The UI pass is a second camera (`fx-ui`, `forceComposite`) that draws the screen-pinned objects on top WITHOUT clearing the world (a second direct pass would `clear()` the canvas). Both directions are partitioned with `camera.ignore()` (set-only — there is no un-ignore): screen-pinned roots are ignored by MAIN, world roots (220+) by the UI pass, so nothing draws twice and input still hits the UI first (hit-test walks cameras in reverse array order). Verified in the browser: a scrollFactor-0 test ruler on the UI pass is pixel-stable across frames while the world behind it shimmers. - **WebGL-only, Canvas-safe:** `apply()` requires `renderer.gl`; on the Canvas fallback the system renders untouched (no crash, no effect). The node constructor is registered once per renderer (`ensureRippleNode`, `hasNode`-guarded — the registry is global and throws on duplicates). - **Tuning is a JSON edit:** `strength` (wave cycles across the screen), `amplitude` (displacement, fraction of screen width), `speed` (phase rad/s), `padding` (framebuffer slack — keep ≥ amplitude×width). The displacement is `dir * sin(dist*strength − phase) * amplitude * fade`, sampled through the injected `boundedSampler` (out-of-bounds reads return transparent — a too-big amplitude punches holes; the padding is the guard). - **Demo:** `?fx=` (e.g. `dev/test-game.html?fx=nebula`) retargets the run to the richest system of that archetype (`pickFxSystem`), force-discovers everything (`Discovery.markAllDiscovered`) and activates the gates — a clean minute of flying to judge the star. No param → ordinary play, and `kind: none` systems never split the cameras (the single-camera pipeline renders exactly as before). ## Nebula atmosphere — the gas behind the art - A nebula is not only the ripple: it fills with soft coloured GAS. A handful of large, low-alpha cloud sprites sit at **depth 3** — above the starfield (depths 0–2) and below the planets (5) and the ship (10) — so the gas reads as distant atmosphere and your art floats in FRONT of it, never tinted by it. It is content (world-space sprites), not a filter: it parallax-scrolls with the camera, wraps like the starfield, and works in the Canvas fallback too (no WebGL pass). Only NEBULA-type systems wear it. - **Per-system colour:** every system gets a stable atmosphere color — one of the 8-shade palette, picked at random at galaxy generation (SystemGenerator, dedicated fork `(seed,'system',id,'atmosphere')`, so lazy === eager). Stored as `content.atmosphere.color`; the layer tints to it. The 8 shades are well-spread around the hue wheel (orange, gold, green, cyan, blue, violet, magenta, crimson) — each nebula is a different-feeling place. - **The cloud:** a small set of distinct procedural puffs (value-noise fbm for the internal structure, multiplied by a WIDE RADIAL falloff so each has no perceptible silhouette — fully transparent by the inscribed circle, no hard border or corner). Generated once via the shared `canvasTexture` helper; every nebula reuses the set and differs only in tint. NORMAL blending (the default) so overlaps layer softly instead of ADD-ing into bright seams, and each puff swirls slowly on the scene clock. - **Files:** `js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js` (layer + `drawCloud`), `data/game.json → nebula` (palette + `count/alpha/size/parallax/drift/ texture` tunables), `js/galaxy/SystemGenerator.js` (per-system color), `js/scenes/GameScene.js` (create/update/destroy wiring), `dev/nebula.test.mjs` (15 checks, bare Node: palette contract, per-system color determinism, cloud texture). - **Tuning is a JSON edit** (`data/game.json → nebula`): `alpha` (opacity — keep it a wash, not a wall), `count` (cloud sprites), `size` (cloud px), `parallax` (keep it slower than the starfield's 0.15–0.85 so it sits far behind), `drift`, `shapes` (distinct puff varieties — more = less repetition), and `texture` (noise `octaves/persistence`). - **See it:** `dev/test-game.html?fx=nebula&seed=` drops you in a nebula (a different seed → a different gas color) — fly around and judge the look. ## Roadmap (working list, intentionally rough) - [x] v0.1 foundation — menu → New Game → click-to-fly ship - [x] Galaxy seed on the main menu (displayed, editable, rerollable; same seed → same galaxy, shown before you commit) - [x] Two-level worldgen: seeded galaxy roster (60 systems) + lazy, order-independent system contents; system archetypes in JSON (theme + attributes + distribution weight/radius band) - [x] The lived-in layer: settlements (colonies, mining stations, cloud bases, deep-space stations, beacons) with per-type rates, a core→rim density gradient, populations, and a `owner` seam reserved for the factions/pirates to come; readable as a HUD dossier (`SystemReport`) - [x] The system as a place: generated worlds laid out in the world (deterministic band), solid to the ship; discovery (within 540 px of an edge, once, per system) with rim ping + toast; off-screen compass — themed screen-edge arrows with type/name chips pointing at discovered worlds; pure, save-ready discovery state - [x] Compass autopilot: clicking a name tag sends the ship to that world — it targets the keep-out rim on the side the ship is approaching from (arrival facing the world; docking seam next). The scene's click-to-fly guards against deck AND chip clicks (`ActionBar.contains` / `DiscoveryCompass.contains`) (`js/galaxy/Discovery.js`) - [x] The tether — the player's range: a level-1 tether (5120 px) anchored on the home world; the ship lives in the UNION of its tethers' zones (overlap = no line, no wall), the rim is a hard barrier rendered as a thick glitchy dotted line; click/autopilot targets clamp to the boundary; contact feedback (line shudder, camera kick, toast). Pure range math in `js/tether/Tether.js` (Node-tested), visuals + constraint seam in `js/tether/TetherField.js`, tuning in `data/tether.json` - [x] UI hover/click ticks: `ui_hover` + `ui_click` in `data/sfx.json` play on every clickable item (menu/deck buttons, compass name tags, panel buttons, save slots) — hover on pointerover, click on press; the SCAN slot skips `ui_click` (it plays its own sonar ping — `scan` in `data/sfx.json`, now assets/fx/scan-01.mp3). Shared voice in `js/utils/Sfx.js → playSfxOn` (both scenes expose `playSfx(name)`; components call the `this.scene.playSfx?.(…)` seam), with a v4 cache guard so a missing asset never throws (js/utils/Sfx.js, dev/sfx.test.mjs) - [x] Window whoosh: `ui_window` (assets/fx/ui-window.mp3) plays when a window OPENS — the mining pop-up (`MiningPopup.open`) and the comms / request-landing panel (`CommsPanel.open`) play it from their own open seam (the `this.scene.playSfx?.(…)` convention); the old `construct` plays at those two open sites were dropped so the whoosh stands on its own - [x] Close tick: `ui_close` (assets/fx/ui-close.mp3) plays when a UI element is CANCELLED/CLOSED — the menu sub-bar (`MenuSubBar.close`), the save vault (`SavePanel.close`) and the confirm dialog (`ConfirmOverlay.startClose`); `type-deconstruct.mp3` is reserved for text UNDECODING now (the dossier collapsing — the only remaining `deconstruct` play), and stopping mining is silent (the hum just ends — the old deconstruct blip on 'stopped' is gone) - [x] Mining hum: `mining_loop` (assets/fx/mining-01.mp3) LOOPS while the mining beam is live — starts when the arm finishes extending (phase 'mining'), stops when the sequence ends (phase 'stopped'), one hum across retargets (isPlaying guard). v4 quirk: the manager stops by key — `sound.stopByKey()` (no `sound.stop()` in this build) - [x] Music: `data/music.json` — the menu loops mainmenu.mp3 while the main menu is up; in the game scene the DEEP-SPACE soundtrack (music.game — a plain file list: deepspace-01/02 for now, adding a track = adding a line) SHUFFLES: one track at its natural length (loop OFF), the next picked at random when one ends (never the same twice in a row) — the v4 build has no sound 'complete' event, so a 1 s scene-clock tick advances it (js/utils/Music.js → startMusicShuffleOn/stopMusicShuffleOn, files queue under their filename-derived key: deepspace-01.mp3 → music_deepspace_01); on a world's surface the track for that world's planets.png frame (terran / gas-giant families — the SAME key as the landing videos) runs from the start of the landing clip to the end of the takeoff clip. Shared voice in `js/utils/Music.js` (looped play + `stopByKey` + one-loop-per-track guard; `music.enabled` / `music.volume`), stops hooked on the scene's `shutdown` EVENT (v4 quirk — see the list above), so the hum dies on Take Off AND on Return to Main Menu, and the game soundtrack dies on landing AND on returning to the menu (js/utils/Music.js, dev/music.test.mjs). The soundtrack plays ONLY in space: landing is a launch+sleep (not a shutdown — v4 quirk), so it dies on the scene's `'sleep'` event and the shuffle restarts on `'wake'` (Take Off) — the mining hum rides the same seam, so neither leaks onto a world's surface. Also fixed the landing frame hand-off — `startLanding` passed the texture `frame` OBJECT (→ NaN); it now passes `sheetFrame`, so the land/surface/takeoff clips are actually selected per world. intro-01.mp3 is parked for the intro sequence that hasn't been built yet (js/scenes/GameScene.js → setMiningLoop, data/sfx.json) - [x] Research rules + panel: start a project (one at a time), tick its duration, award `unlocks`; the Research slot on the deck opens the console window — looping archive feed, category tabs, the branching tech tree, per-tech dossier + RESEARCH button, deck progress bar. Pure rules/state in `js/research/` (Node-tested), the window is a passive view, `effects` carry the payload (e.g. `tether.level` grows the home tether). First category **Exploration** is live (Tether Level 1–3); second category **Mining** is live (Improved Mining Arm → Advanced Mining Arm + Improved Mining Storage — all 60 s blueprints, each unlocking its ship-upgrade build in the console's Mining tab); add a category = one JSON file + one line in the registry + one line in the manifest (`js/ui/ResearchWindow.js`, `js/research/*`, `data/research.json`, `data/research/exploration.json`, dev/research-builds.test.mjs) - [x] Tether progression: levels 2 and 3 are **builds** — research `tether_l2` / `tether_l3` (blueprint, no effect) → BUILD slot on a world holding a level-1 / level-2 tether → 200 minerals / 20 s (L2) or 300 minerals / 30 s (L3) → the world's tether strengthens to level 2 (10240 px) or level 3 (20480 px), effect and all, outliving the stay. Anchoring extra rings on planets/stations remains (the `add`/`setLevel`/`onChange` seams are in place) (`data/builds.json → tether-l2 / tether-l3`, `js/build/*`, `js/ui/BuildWindow.js`, `dev/builds.test.mjs`) - [x] Galaxy map (the MAP console's GALAXY tab): the whole galaxy on the chart plate — glowing stars pulsing per archetype, the jump-lane web (traveled lanes bright + flow packets, frontier lanes, the charted region's outline), HOME/SHIP markers, hover readouts, and CONFIRM JUMP on a live lane (the gate transport, unchanged). The run's footprint (visited systems + traveled lanes) is save-ready; the FACTIONS seam is reserved (per-system `faction: null` + the documented color-layer / territory-region passes) (`js/ui/GalaxyView.js`, `js/galaxy/GalaxyChart.js`, `data/map.json → galaxy`, dev/galaxy-map.test.mjs) - [ ] Factions & pirates: claim settlements (`owner`), flags, borders, and the player's place in a populated galaxy (the reputation layer already resolves standing through `owner` — `Reputation. factionStanding()` is the stub to fill; the galaxy tab's reserved seams are the star color layer + the territory region — see the Galaxy map section above) - [x] Reputation (data layer): standing on each planet & space station, −20…+20 (best = +20), neutral 0 default, home world pinned at +20, faction check as a placeholder on the `owner` seam; stable place ids from the generator; save-ready + Node-tested (js/reputation/Reputation.js, data/reputation.json) - [ ] Landing & exploration: settlements become points of interest you can approach (the data — kind, anchor, population — is already there). The comms panel is the door: clicking a planet or space station opens a comms panel at the click (NOT a fly-here — the ship stays put; a world click is the landing request, the compass autopilot is how the ship flies to a world) — the name decodes in, the standing bar draws (settled), REQUEST LANDING (gated at standing ≤ −4) or LAND on an unsettled world + CANCEL (`js/ui/CommsPanel.js`, a rusty-metal frame around a scanlined green CRT). Free-space stations are solid objects now (`js/entities/Station.js`, `data/stations.json`). Button actions are seams (`GameScene.commsAction`) — the landing sequence lands there - [x] The player's loop, laid down as data + seams: research (time-based, one at a time, gates builds/research) and building (credits + minerals, ship/planet/station) data layers (`data/research.json`, `data/builds.json`) with templates, and the command deck (`js/ui/ActionBar.js` + `data/actionbar.json`) — Research, Scan, Ship, ·, ·, Menu. The deck reuses the menu's CRT language: the same scanline tile recipe as `CyberOverlay` (clipped to the bar) and the `GlitchText` RGB pull-apart (icons + labels at all times, panel outline during bursts) — see `actionbar.animation.rgb` / `actionbar.scanline` - [x] Build panel: the BUILD slot (on a planet surface) opens the console — looping build feed, category tabs (Planet / Cargo), the build LIST (locked items grayed with their missing gates), per-build dossier + highlighted cost + BUILD button (available + affordable only). Pay minerals up front, run the clock (game-loop clock — survives takeoff mid-build), apply `effects` on completion, respect `requires` + `planetRequires`, one at a time, deck locked while it runs, records + in-progress build save with the run and resume with their remaining time (`js/ui/BuildWindow.js`, `js/build/BuildModel.js`, `js/build/BuildState.js`, `data/builds.json`, dev/builds.test.mjs) — incl. the Mining tab: three ship-scoped upgrades (the improved / advanced mining arm → 1.5 / 2.0 minerals per second, the improved storage → 350 hold), 200 / 300 / 200 minerals, 20 s each - [x] Ship base stats: `data/ship.json → stats` (hullIntegrity 100, shields 0, cargoHold 100, mineralStorage 250), exposed as `ship.stats` — combat/trading/mining systems will read them as capacities; upgrades (ship-category builds) will layer deltas on top - [ ] Ship screen (the Ship slot) — inspect & upgrade the ship (ship-category builds) from one place - [x] Galaxy regions: wide 2:1 field (plate-shaped) + home→far `d` coordinate + near/middle/far zones + per-zone type mix (data/galaxy.json → distribution.zones/zoneMix) — the region layer is live - [ ] Factions: Voronoi territories around seeded capitals → each system's `owner` (the reserved seam in reputation + the galaxy plate), faction strength and hazard keyed off `zone`/`d`; the middle zone (where the faction borders cross) = the contested space - [ ] Trade: trade hubs on every planet/station, goods priced by zone + jump distance (hops already ≈ map distance) - [ ] World model in play: the ship still flies unbounded open space; wire in current-system boundaries, jumps between systems (use `galaxy.neighborsOf`), and a star map scene - [ ] Ship input beyond click-to-fly (throttle/brake keys, manual rotation) - [ ] HUD (speed, fuel/crew) — the current system's dossier (name, identity, settlements) is already shown top-left - [x] Save/load (the `config` + entity split should make this tractable; a save = seed + player state, since the galaxy regenerates) — 10-slot bank in localStorage, in-game SAVE/LOAD vault, and the menu **Continue** button (newest save) - [ ] Economy/trading loop (the Privateer heart)