gig-line/TODO.md

# TODO.md

Actionable task list for this project. This file is the single, central place for planned work, claims, and progress marks. Milestone goals, scope, and release gates are in [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md).

## Conventions

- Mark items **open** (`- [ ]`), **active/in progress** (`- [A]`, **deferred** `- [D]`), or **done** (`- [x]`). Keep the marks accurate.
- A level-three (`###`) section being worked on carries `- active - <sessionId>` (and optionally the branch name) in its heading. Remove the suffix when you stop.
- When all steps in a version section are done: write a `CHANGELOG.md` entry, then remove the version section from this file.
- Release gate: a version is tagged only on the owner's explicit go-ahead once its release checks pass, not automatically when the checkboxes close.

## 0.2.2 — Skin and hair tuning (patch)

### Patch tasks - active - session-5598ce7e-27e3-4c64-bb49-c04a4a31ee58 (branch `anim-body-0.2.0`)

- [x] Restore the stride capture after the pose rewrite. The walk cycle started on a **sine**, zero at both the start and the middle of the cycle, so the deterministic capture kept landing on the two passing frames where the legs are together. Starting the cycle at maximum stride (cosine) fixed it with no other change; `demo-third-person-walk` is back as shot 8 and shows a genuine stride.

- [A] Tune skin shading and hair materials on the player character. **Tooling in place 2026-11-09, hair blocked on an engine-side limit:**
  - `Tools/comfyui_generate.py` drives the local ComfyUI instance (`127.0.0.1:8188`) for textures, writing a JSON sidecar with the model, prompt, seed and full workflow so anything generated can be regenerated or rejected. Installed models include `juggernautXL_ragnarok.safetensors` and `sd-v1-5-inpainting.ckpt`.
  - **Stable Diffusion is not usable for flat skin swatches.** Three attempts on two models produced an anatomical close-up twice and a leather-scale surface once; SDXL has no reliable notion of "texture without anatomy". Skin detail is therefore generated procedurally instead (`Tools/generate_character_textures.py`: tileable octave noise for pores plus a strand-sheet texture for hair).
  - **Hair geometry is built but not shipped.** `add_hair_cap()` creates a cap conforming to the head and weights it to the `head` bone (Blender shows two material slots, hair faces on index 1), but Unreal's import **collapses the second material slot**, so the cap renders with the skin material and reads as a bald skull. It is behind `--hair`, off. Next step: export the hair as its own skeletal mesh and attach it as a second component, or bake the hair colour into vertex colours.

- [ ] Tag `v0.2.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.2.3 — Camera clipping fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix remaining camera clipping cases in `0.2.x`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.2.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.3.0 — Chaos vehicle, enter/exit, closed driving route (weeks 10–13)

### Vehicle production

- [ ] Model one vehicle in Blender with collision meshes; export to Unreal.
- [ ] Set up Chaos Vehicle with wheel and physics configuration.
- [ ] Implement enter/exit interaction.
- [ ] Build a closed driving route with boundaries.
- [ ] Tune basic handling to a drivable state.

### Release checks

- [ ] Player can enter, drive the closed route, and exit without defects.
- [ ] No blocking vehicle collision or packaging defects.
- [ ] Performance target still met at 1440p.
- [ ] Tag `v0.3.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.3.1 — Handling tuning (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Refine vehicle handling feel based on `0.3.0` feedback.
- [ ] Tag `v0.3.1` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.3.2 — Vehicle collision fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix vehicle collision defects (mesh/physics mismatches).
- [ ] Tag `v0.3.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.3.3 — Input fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix vehicle/character input issues in `0.3.x`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.3.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.4.0 — Small connected neighborhood and map streaming (weeks 14–17)

### World expansion

- [ ] Extend geo pipeline to a small connected neighborhood beyond the demo block.
- [ ] Produce modular buildings, sidewalks, and roads for the expanded area.
- [ ] Set up World Partition with streaming cells.
- [ ] Configure HLOD for distant buildings.
- [ ] Verify no seams or popping between streamed cells during traversal.

### Release checks

- [ ] Continuous walking (and driving) across the expanded area works.
- [ ] Streaming does not introduce blocking defects.
- [ ] Performance target re-validated at 1440p with streaming active.
- [ ] Tag `v0.4.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.4.1 — Seam fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix visible seams between streamed cells.
- [ ] Tag `v0.4.1` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.4.2 — Streaming corrections (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Correct streaming/loading issues found in `0.4.x`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.4.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.4.3 — HLOD tuning (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Tune HLOD quality and distance settings.
- [ ] Tag `v0.4.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.5.0 — Pedestrians, crosswalk behavior, ambient traffic (weeks 18–21)

### Simulation

- [ ] Add pedestrian characters with navigation, using `AGigLineNPCPerson` (the reusable NPC prefab) as the base, driving it via AI/`AutoPossessAI`.
- [ ] Implement crosswalk behavior (pedestrians use the designated crossing).
- [ ] Add limited ambient traffic on the street network.
- [ ] Optimize simulation cost to stay within frame budget.

### Release checks

- [ ] Pedestrians and traffic behave without blocking defects.
- [ ] Performance target re-validated at 1440p.
- [ ] Tag `v0.5.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.5.1 — Navigation fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix pedestrian navigation issues.
- [ ] Tag `v0.5.1` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.5.2 — Crossing fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix crosswalk behavior defects.
- [ ] Tag `v0.5.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.5.3 — Simulation optimization (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Optimize pedestrian/traffic simulation cost.
- [ ] Tag `v0.5.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.6.0 — Visual/audio pass and evening lighting preset (weeks 22–24)

### Look and sound

- [ ] Create an evening lighting preset.
- [ ] Complete a visual polish pass across the neighborhood.
- [ ] Model the pavement between kerb and building line; today that strip is the terrain mesh, which reads as bare ground under the shopfronts (`Screenshots/README.md`). Carried over 2026-11-09.
- [ ] Add ambient audio (city ambience, traffic, basic SFX).
- [ ] Verify licenses for all added audio files.

### Release checks

- [ ] Both day and evening presets render without defects.
- [ ] Audio plays without gaps or licensing issues.
- [ ] Performance target re-validated at 1440p.
- [ ] Tag `v0.6.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.6.1 — Lighting fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix lighting defects in day/evening presets.
- [ ] Tag `v0.6.1` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.6.2 — Material corrections (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix material errors found in `0.6.x`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.6.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.6.3 — Audio balancing (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Balance audio levels across the scene.
- [ ] Tag `v0.6.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.7.0 — Settings, control rebinding, save/load, accessibility (weeks 25–27)

### Systems

- [ ] Build settings menu (graphics and audio options).
- [ ] Implement control rebinding with persistence.
- [ ] Implement save/load for player state.
- [ ] Add accessibility basics (e.g. FOV, subtitle, colorblind options as applicable).

### Release checks

- [ ] Settings, rebinding, and save/load all persist across restarts.
- [ ] No blocking UI defects.
- [ ] Tag `v0.7.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.7.1 — Save fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix save/load defects.
- [ ] Tag `v0.7.1` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.7.2 — UI fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix UI issues in `0.7.x`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.7.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.7.3 — Input persistence fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix rebinding persistence issues.
- [ ] Tag `v0.7.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.8.0 — Performance budgets and broader Linux hardware testing (weeks 28–30)

### Performance

- [ ] Define performance budgets (frame time, VRAM) and document them.
- [ ] Profile the full neighborhood; fix budget violations.
- [ ] Test on broader Linux hardware and VRAM configurations; document results.
- [ ] Re-validate the 1440p quality preset with upscaling state recorded.

### Release checks

- [ ] Performance budgets met on documented hardware matrix.
- [ ] No blocking compatibility defects.
- [ ] Tag `v0.8.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.8.1 — VRAM reductions (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Reduce VRAM usage where profiling shows excess.
- [ ] Tag `v0.8.1` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.8.2 — Frame-time fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix frame-time spikes found in `0.8.x`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.8.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.8.3 — Compatibility fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix compatibility issues from the hardware testing matrix.
- [ ] Tag `v0.8.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.9.0 — Realistic buildings (weeks 31–34)

Suggested blender skills: **archviz** (real-world scale, façade composition, elevation read), **references** (reference-image-match and visual-match checklists — every building is judged against its own photograph), **procedural-modeling** + **geometry-nodes** (the façades system: bay module, cornice and coping profiles, storefront types as reusable node groups), **materials** (measured albedo and roughness per surface type), **texture-workflow** (baked AO/curvature/normal, decals for painted lettering and signs), **uv-workflow** (texel density and modular UVs), **lod-pipeline** (LOD chain per building), **collision-proxy** (UCX proxies so detail geometry is not the collider), **lookdev** (screenshot comparison loop), **camera-cinematography** (reproducing each building's reference angle), **asset-optimization** + **unreal-export** (pre-export validation, `ue_metric_v1`), **qa-review** (the gate before every review shot).

### Façade system

- [ ] **Extend the module kit beyond one order.** Art Deco, neoclassical and streamline-moderne variants on the shared 4.96 m bay: alternate window proportions, spandrel and transom bands, and the way each order terminates at the roof.
- [ ] **Build a profile library** for cornices, copings, string courses, sills and storefront surrounds, so a building is assembled from named profiles rather than ad-hoc boxes.
- [ ] **Storefront types**: recessed entry, bulkhead and kickplate, mullion spacing, transom, awning/canopy brackets, and grille/shutter variants.
- [ ] **Signage and lettering as decals.** Painted wall lettering, blade signs and fascia panels become texture and decal work with a documented projection; `0.1.6` proved that lettering built as geometry plates cannot resolve at review distance.
- [ ] Document the system in `Art/blender/README.md` and the arc42 building block view.

### Per-building models

Each building needs its own reference set; where none exists the blockout stays and the item says so.

- [ ] Hero façade (6840): raise to this pass's detail level — capitals and fluting, window rhythm behind the colonnade, parapet motto band and medallions.
- [ ] Hero façade (6840), entrance: **doors at street level left and right of the central bay**, as the photographs show, and correct positioning of the central-bay elements (column bases, entrance stairs, set-back entrance, door frames, banners and signage). Nothing may stand in front of the façade that blocks it — no awning, no temporary structure. Carried over from `Screenshots/README.md`, 2026-11-09.
- [ ] El Capitan Theatre (6838): marquee, blade sign, entrance and the theatre's own elevation from its 18-frame set.
- [ ] 6800 Lee Drug and 6806–6820: second pass on the `0.1.6` trim. Moved here from that patch because geometry cannot close them: **wall lettering as a decal** (a plate at 0.10 m still vanishes at 40 m), a **moulded parapet profile** instead of a two-tier box, richer **corner-tower stepping**, and the portrait panels reworked as textures rather than framed plates.
- [ ] **Photography gap — 6822 Budget** (deferred out of `0.1.6`, blocked): no photograph exists; the single-storey 6.0 × 5.5 m volume cannot be read from the neighbour shot, so it stays a bare blockout until references are acquired. Record the sources checked in `Geo/`. Also re-shoot 6806–6820 and 6800 from the south sidewalk: the only reference is one oblique with a bus across Lee Drug's shopfront and a car across 6806's.
- [ ] 6902, 6922 and the remaining south frontage.
- [ ] North side: TCL Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussaud's façades from their reference sets.
- [ ] Reconcile every modelled height against `Geo/tools/block_height_report.py` and record the source per building.

### Materials, UVs and performance

- [ ] **Measured material library**, including the hero's stone, which currently renders pale because it is a procedural graph and a generated texture set rather than a measured surface: stucco, painted render, ashlar, brick, terrazzo, glazing, bronze and steel trim, with albedo and roughness taken from the photographs rather than guessed; one Unreal material instance per surface type.
- [ ] **Texel-density rule** per building class, applied through modular UVs; lightmap UVs where required.
- [ ] **LOD chain and collision proxies** per building: UCX proxies for blocking volume, detail geometry non-colliding.
- [ ] Re-validate the 60 FPS floor at 1440p once the detail lands, and record the cost of the pass.

### Release checks

- [ ] Every building with a photograph has a review shot measured against it, with silhouette and proportion deltas recorded in `Screenshots/README.md`.
- [ ] No building carries an unverified façade; blockouts without references are listed as such in `TODO.md`.
- [ ] Every building has a collision proxy and at least one LOD.
- [ ] No surface left on a placeholder material.
- [ ] `THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md` covers every photographic reference used in this pass.
- [ ] Performance target still met at 1440p.
- [ ] Tag `v0.9.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.10.0 — Feature freeze, public beta, license and build audit (weeks 35–38)

### Freeze and audit

- [ ] Freeze features; document the freeze in `CHANGELOG.md`.
- [ ] Produce a public beta build for testers.
- [ ] Complete license audit: `THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md`, all MPFB assets, textures, animations, vehicles, audio.
- [ ] Review Epic distribution requirements before publishing.
- [ ] Verify a fresh checkout builds and packages reproducibly.

### Release checks

- [ ] Beta feedback triaged; blockers logged for `0.10.x`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.10.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.10.1 — Blocker fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix blockers reported during the public beta.
- [ ] Tag `v0.10.1` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.10.2 — Regression fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Fix regressions introduced by `0.9.x` fixes.
- [ ] Tag `v0.10.2` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 0.10.3 — Documentation fixes (patch)

### Patch tasks

- [ ] Update all `Docs/` for accuracy before `1.0.0`.
- [ ] Tag `v0.10.3` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.

## 1.0.0 — Stable neighborhood-scale walking/driving release (weeks 35–40)

### Final release

- [ ] Complete final acceptance sweep across all `0.x` features.
- [ ] Confirm the stable, agreed game scope is met (neighborhood-scale walking and driving).
- [ ] Final build, documentation, and licensing verification.
- [ ] Tag `v1.0.0` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.