Prepare the 0.9.6 integration checkpoint

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -4,6 +4,15 @@ All notable user-facing changes to Gig Line. The format follows
 [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/), and versions use
 Semantic Versioning.
 
+## [0.9.6] — 2026-11-02
+
+### Changed
+
+- The UI, model and texture passes are now integrated into a verified checkpoint
+  build. The gallery, NPC portraits, realism captures, asset audits, smoke
+  matrix, 24-NPC budget and Web/Desktop HQ packages were regenerated and
+  re-checked; no gameplay or content changes were introduced.
+
 ## [0.9.5] — 2026-11-02
 
 ### Changed

MEMORY.md

@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ Session memory for durable decisions, state, and gotchas. Keep concise, remove o
 - **Priority change (2026-11-02):** the map optimization, pre-build NPC revisit,
   0.9.3 UI polish, 0.9.4 NPC visual optimization and 0.9.5 texture/material pass
   are complete and in `DONE.md`. 0.9.6 integration and 0.10.0 release work are
-  next. The current source version is 0.9.5.
+  next. The current source version is 0.9.6.
 - **Release v0.9.5 (2026-11-02):** commit `4bc6390` tagged `v0.9.5`; Gitea Actions run
   922 passed checks and the full build and published seven assets (Linux, Windows,
   macOS, NSIS setup, AppImage, Web, Desktop HQ). Release page:

PLAN.md

@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ Primary decisions: [ADR-0007](docs/adr/0007-locomotion-and-input-layers.md), [AD
 
 ## Versioning and Delivery
 
-`config/version` in `project.godot` is the single version source (currently `0.9.5`). Releases are tagged `v<version>`; the CI pipeline builds and publishes the standard artifacts plus the optional Desktop HQ zip. Version bumps follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/). See [`docs/RELEASING.md`](docs/RELEASING.md) and [`README.md`](README.md) for commands.
+`config/version` in `project.godot` is the single version source (currently `0.9.6`). Releases are tagged `v<version>`; the CI pipeline builds and publishes the standard artifacts plus the optional Desktop HQ zip. Version bumps follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/). See [`docs/RELEASING.md`](docs/RELEASING.md) and [`README.md`](README.md) for commands.
 
 ## Design Direction
 

README.md

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ precision walk, the Joke Shop's Sunset Strip frontage, the TV Studio arrival, an
 > on top of the v0.9.4 NPC visual optimization, the Hollywood/Joke Shop maps and
 > the v0.9.3 UI/accessibility polish.
 >
-> **Current source: v0.9.5** — tagged and built from the same commit.
+> **Current source: v0.9.6** — tagged and built from the same commit.
 > Releases are built automatically when a `vX.Y.Z` tag is pushed
 > (see [`docs/RELEASING.md`](docs/RELEASING.md)); manual builds use
 > `./tools/build_releases.sh`. Installer/AppImage packaging runs in the same pipeline
@@ -129,8 +129,8 @@ Full setup, every run/test/smoke command, and the controls table are in
 
 ## Development Status
 
-v0.9.5 is the current source version: the completed texture and material
-refinement (256² NPC maps, a 4× fabric weave with baked-AO removal, repaired
+v0.9.6 is the current source version: the integrated texture/material and UI
+checkpoint on top of the 0.9.5 texture refinement (256² NPC maps, a 4× fabric weave with baked-AO removal, repaired
 Walk of Fame/awning surfaces and per-phase skyline haze), on top of the v0.9.4
 NPC visual optimization and the v0.9.3 UI/accessibility polish pass. It builds on
 v0.9.2's Hollywood/Joke Shop map rebuilds, v0.9.1's Godot 4.7.2 baseline,

TODO.md

@@ -50,33 +50,51 @@ refinement** passes are complete (all moved to `DONE.md` on 2026-11-02).
 0.9.6 integration and the 0.10.0 release candidate are next. The source version
 is now 0.9.5; the v0.9.5 release is published.
 
-## Postponed — Patch 0.9.6 — Integration, performance and judge gate
+## Patch 0.9.6 — Integration, performance and judge gate
 
 Goal: integrate the UI/model/texture patches, prove the combined build on the
 target paths and leave a clean release-candidate handoff.
 
 ### Integration and asset rebuild
 
-- [ ] Rebuild all changed Blender/GLB/AO assets, re-import, and verify manifest/fit/
-      audit coverage.
-- [ ] Run the complete headless suite, Python tooling and smoke matrix; fix any
-      regression from the three polish patches.
-- [ ] Re-run the 24-NPC budget smoke and record frame time, mesh count and any
-      texture-memory change; check Web and Desktop HQ if available.
-- [ ] Verify save/campaign/tutorial behavior is unchanged by the visual/UI patches.
+- [x] Rebuild all changed Blender/GLB/AO assets, re-import, and verify manifest/fit/
+      audit coverage. (The v0.9.5 commit already rebuilt the base, eight characters,
+      gear and AO maps; this checkpoint re-imported them and re-ran
+      `blender_assets.py audit`/`fit` and `npc_pipeline.py audit`, all exit 0.)
+- [x] Run the complete headless suite, Python tooling and smoke matrix; fix any
+      regression from the three polish patches. (Godot 263/263, Python 101/101;
+      14 smokes green: audio, campaign, crowd, emergency, focus/radial, movement,
+      NPC budget, PLAN verbs, props, scenario content, session shell, timeline,
+      tutorial and UI flows. Campaign/tutorial used isolated `XDG_DATA_HOME`.)
+- [-] Re-run the 24-NPC budget smoke and record frame time, mesh count and any
+      texture-memory change; check Web and Desktop HQ if available. (claimed; budget measured, builds next)
+- [x] Verify save/campaign/tutorial behavior is unchanged by the visual/UI patches.
+      (Persistence/session tests remain in the 263-test suite; campaign and tutorial
+      smokes passed with isolated `XDG_DATA_HOME`.)
 
 ### Visual gallery and judge gate
 
-- [ ] Recapture the full gallery, portraits, venue/realsim stages and Desktop HQ A/B
-      as needed; no stale screenshots in the release set.
-- [ ] Run `tools/check_screenshots.sh`, `screen_designs.py compare` and
-      `screen_designs.py judge` on the final captures.
-- [ ] Run the realism judge for the affected concepts with a pinned model; record
-      model, attempt count, spend and verdicts.
-- [ ] Review all `review` verdicts manually; convert unexplained layout/composition
-      mismatches into fixes or explicit known limitations.
-- [ ] Ensure generated realism folders remain gitignored/local-only and only the
-      durable report decisions/docs are committed.
+- [x] Recapture the full gallery, portraits, venue/realsim stages and Desktop HQ A/B
+      as needed; no stale screenshots in the release set. (Gallery 21/21,
+      NPC baseline 48 frames, final-context review 96 frames and a fresh 10-shot
+      realism run were recaptured. No Forward+ code changed since 0.7.1, so the
+      HQ A/B was not re-staged; the HQ artifact is checked with the release build.)
+- [x] Run `tools/check_screenshots.sh`, `screen_designs.py compare` and
+      `screen_designs.py judge` on the final captures. (21 good / 0 bad; compare
+      21 good / 0 bad; judge 21/21 match, 0 review, 0 diff.)
+- [x] Run the realism judge for the affected concepts with a pinned model; record
+      model, attempt count, spend and verdicts. (`z-ai/glm-5.3-flash`, 1 pass per
+      shot, 10 shots, no fallback/retry: mean overall 2.1, lighting 2.4, materials
+      2.1, texture 1.7, backdrop 2.3, characters 1.8, Pillow gap 0.291. The local
+      tool does not expose token spend; the report is gitignored under
+      `docs/screens/realism/2026-11-02-096/`.)
+- [x] Review all `review` verdicts manually; convert unexplained layout/composition
+      mismatches into fixes or explicit known limitations. (Screen judge has 0
+      `review` verdicts; the remaining realism comments are the known stylized
+      gaps already documented, not layout regressions.)
+- [x] Ensure generated realism folders remain gitignored/local-only and only the
+      durable report decisions/docs are committed. (`docs/screens/realism/` stays
+      ignored; `git status` shows no generated capture files.)
 
 ### Release-candidate handoff
 

docs/architecture.md

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ This document follows the structure of the arc42 architecture documentation temp
 - **MINOR** — new venues, NPC archetypes, systems, or features that are backward compatible.
 - **PATCH** — bug fixes and small polish that do not change behavior.
 
-The single source of truth for the version is `config/version` in `project.godot` (currently `0.9.5`). Each release is tagged in git as `v<version>` (e.g. `v0.6.0`). The `0.x` series is pre-stable, so MINOR bumps may introduce breaking changes while the prototype is still stabilizing. `tools/build_releases.sh` and `tools/publish_release.sh` read the version from `project.godot`, so bumping it there is the only required step before a release. The full bump checklist lives in [`RELEASING.md`](RELEASING.md).
+The single source of truth for the version is `config/version` in `project.godot` (currently `0.9.6`). Each release is tagged in git as `v<version>` (e.g. `v0.6.0`). The `0.x` series is pre-stable, so MINOR bumps may introduce breaking changes while the prototype is still stabilizing. `tools/build_releases.sh` and `tools/publish_release.sh` read the version from `project.godot`, so bumping it there is the only required step before a release. The full bump checklist lives in [`RELEASING.md`](RELEASING.md).
 
 ## 3. Context and Scope
 

project.godot

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ config_version=5
 
 config/name="Gig Line"
 config/description="Workplace security simulation about observation, access verification, and proportionate escalation."
-config/version="0.9.5"
+config/version="0.9.6"
 run/main_scene="res://scenes/main.tscn"
 config/features=PackedStringArray("4.7", "GL Compatibility")