security-game/MEMORY.md

# MEMORY

Session memory for durable decisions, gotchas, and commands. Implementation history lives in
`DONE.md`, user-facing changes in `CHANGELOG.md`, the live task list in `TODO.md`, and the
canonical implemented-features list in `docs/development-status.md`.

## Decisions

- **Local-only reference override (2026-11-03, owner):** development-only photo research ignores
  the licence gate. Downloads live in `tmp/research/` (gitignored): DDG image search, street-view
  frames, neighbouring buildings — never committed, never shipped. Promotion into
  `docs/screens/refs/` always passes the sidecar licence + privacy gate and `CREDITS.md`.
- **AI-assisted asset review loop (2026-11-04):** head/face shape decisions use a concept +
  judge loop — generate a target concept (`generate_textures.generate_image`, Seedream) and use
  `tools/describe_image.py` as the vision judge, iterating until the judge's specific fixes
  converge. Review pages: `docs/screens/head-review/README.md`, `docs/3d-model-review.md`
  §AI-driven head rework.
- **Project agent skills (2026-11-03):** two tracked skills live in `.agents/skills/`:
  `gig-line-blender-asset-contract` and `gig-line-release-qa`. They are guidance only,
  add no runtime dependency and are referenced from `tools/README.md`. The third-party
  `blender-skills` pack remains gitignored.
- **TV Studio shares the Hollywood location (owner):** the Late Night TV Studio is the same El
  Capitan Entertainment Centre block at 6840 Hollywood Blvd (which houses *Jimmy Kimmel Live!*),
  restaged for a late-night arrival. `VENUE_SPECS["tv_studio"]` is a 30.0 m variant of the 29.6 m
  Hollywood facade. One reference board serves both venues; never create a separate TV Studio board.
- **Jimmy Kimmel Live = starting point:** the Hollywood first shift and the TV Studio arrival both
  begin at the El Capitan block. Stated in `docs/venues.md#hollywood-boulevard` and `docs/gameplay.md`.
- **Street-view limitation:** Google Street View panoramas need a Google API key or manual browser
  capture, so the local reference sets use DDG street-level photos instead.
- **Image-recitation filter:** Gemini image models reject well-known branded facades (Comedy Store
  wall) as generation anchors (`IMAGE_RECITATION`). Workaround: anchor on a less-branded frame of
  the same block, or generate text-only when the reference adds no geometry.
- **OpenRouter image-to-image:** `/v1/images` is text-to-image only; the working path is
  `POST /v1/chat/completions` with a `content` array carrying a base64 `image_url`. Response
  images arrive as `message.images[].image_url.url` (fallback: a data URI inside the message text).
  Implemented in `generate_textures.generate_image(reference_path=...)` and
  `scene_concepts.py generate/anchor`; provenance sidecars are `.refgen.json`.
- **Facade/venue material picks (2026-11-03):** the Masonic/El Capitan facade uses the
  photo-anchored `limestone_ashlar` field (warm tint `Color(0.85, 0.81, 0.74)`) with `stone_steps`
  for trim; the Joke Shop uses `dark_stucco`; the marquee canopy/sign box stay `black_metal` by
  design (fictional "GIG LINE" marquee, not the red El Capitan Theatre marquee next door). The
  TV Studio reuses `masonic_facade`. Committed Comedy Store refs were removed in favour of the
  local-only `tmp/research/comedy-store/` set; the three-up board's photo panel is a historical
  public-domain frame.
- **Godot 4.7.2 `--import` gotcha:** with a stale `.godot/` cache, new image files never import
  (no `.import` created) and `preload()` of the new texture fails every dependent script with the
  misleading `Could not resolve external class member "spec"`. Fix: import in a scratch copy with
  `.godot/` removed, then copy back the `.png.import` and `.godot/imported/*.ctex/.md5`.
- **Blender skills pack (local aid):** MIT `blender-skills` at `.agents/skills/blender-skills/`
  (94 skills + shared `references/`), gitignored, kept out of Godot's scanner by
  `.agents/.gdignore`. Keep the pack flat when updating (`cp -a <pack>/.claude/skills/. ...`).
  Pi gates project `.agents/skills` behind project trust.
- **Gaussian splatting (unversioned):** offline/development-only until an ADR proves licence,
  privacy, Compatibility/Web cost and mesh collision. Accepted photo channels: team captures,
  permissioned user/volunteer photos, clearly licensed downloads; every set needs a
  provenance/consent sidecar. No runtime splat dependency in 0.10.0.
- **0.10.0 balance protocol:** `docs/release-qa.md#balance-acceptance` defines targets/denominators for the
  36 venue/difficulty/phase cells, seeds 1–100, and access/emergency error rates. Gotcha:
  `_read_npc_truth()` is type-derived, not behaviour-derived; the emergency-fairness review must
  account for that oracle mismatch.
- **Blender MCP is optional (2026-11-04):** setup and safe part workflow are in
  `docs/asset-tooling.md#optional-interactive-blender-mcp`. The headless flatpak scripts remain authoritative; MCP is
  never a build/CI/test/runtime dependency, and anything MCP touched must pass the
  CLI audit/fit gates.
- **Character mesh cap (2026-11-05):** all characters use 24,000 tris / 24,000 glTF vertices
  (`CHAR_MAX_TRIS`/`CHAR_MAX_VERTS` in `tools/blender_assets.py`; `npc_pipeline.MAX_TRIANGLES`/
  `MAX_VERTICES`). The required 13 core bones stay, optional extra bones are allowed, and the
  low-poly `npc_base` fallback remains the shipped fallback. The raise funds the Quaternius base bake and
  the 12-variant clothing detail. Measure the 24-NPC/Web budget after
  any geometry change; never silently lower the cap without a new decision.
- **Quaternius is the NPC base (2026-11-05, owner):** ADR-0017 supersedes the generator-first
  sourcing decision. The CC0 Quaternius Ultimate Modular character pack is the primary NPC mesh
  and animation source. Stage 1 bakes a proportion-warped, 13-core-contract `npc_base` so
  `NpcAvatar`, gear and animations keep working; the 62-joint/24-clip source rig is authoring
  input, not a runtime dependency. If the warp fails the silhouette gate, Stage 2 needs a new ADR
  for a 62-joint runtime, not a hybrid. The MakeHuman head and procedural `npc_base` remain
  tested fallbacks until the Quaternius rollout ships. Quaternius source: CC0, attribution in
  `CREDITS.md`; the three researched GLBs and licence notes are kept in
  `tmp/npc-research/quaternius/`. MPFB/MakeHuman body work is closed; do not add new work there.
- **Quaternius bake keeps source detail (2026-11-05, owner):** during the contract bake (§2),
  keep the Quaternius mesh as close to source as possible — no unnecessary decimation or LOD
  reduction. The canonical base is only 3,199 verts / 6,206 tris, far under the 24,000 cap, so
  there is no budget reason to decimate before the silhouette gate. Do not reuse the old
  7,000-triangle or MPFB decimation targets.
- **Quaternius runtime rig (2026-11-05, owner, ADR-0018 option 2):** the Stage 1 proportion warp
  failed the silhouette gate (arm ×1.63 / leg ×0.74 / torso ×1.61; vision judge: paddle hands,
  lost forearms, stretched shins). The owner chose to **adopt the Quaternius 62-joint rig at
  runtime** instead of warping: `NpcAvatar` maps the Quaternius joint names, gear attach points
  are re-derived from the Quaternius skeleton (hip ≈0.87, shoulder ≈0.148/1.39, wrist ≈0.99,
  knee ≈0.52) and the mesh keeps source LOD (arm-down rest pose baked). **The 24 upstream clips are
  not played**: `_animate()` drives the proxies and `_sync_skeleton()` writes the bone poses, which
  is what the FSM already needed for sitting, hand-raising and head turns. Playing the clips would
  replace that state machine, not supplement it, so all 24 stay unused and the clips are authoring
  reference only.
- **Engine baseline:** Godot 4.7.2 stable (official editor `~/.local/bin/godot`). The system's
  `godot-runner` cannot load arbitrary project paths (compiled without path overrides); use the
  official editor binary.
- **GDScript/architecture:** cross-file references use explicit `preload()` constants (not
  `class_name`) so scripts compile in headless `--script` runs; the test runner is a custom minimal
  harness (not GUT, which needs the editor plugin); no autoload signal bus — `ShiftCoordinator`
  owns the `EventBus` instance passed to subsystems.
- **Skinned NPCs (v0.6.0):** `NpcAvatar._build_skinned_body()` loads `npc_base.glb`; procedural
  `_build_body()` is the fallback. Bone pose rotation is the **absolute local orientation**, not an
  offset — compose with `get_bone_rest(i).basis` or the body snaps to a broken pose. Five tint
  slots via `SurfaceMaterials.npc_slot()`; keep `_rig.scale` uniform on the skinned path.
- **NPC facing:** the avatar's visual front is **+Z**; Godot `look_at()` aims **-Z** (made NPCs
  walk backwards). Use `NpcAvatar.yaw_towards(dir)` and set `rotation.y`; never `look_at()` on
  avatars. Head-turn offsets use `+basis.z` for the same reason.
- **Release blockers (still open):** macOS unsigned, AI image provider terms/commercial rights not
  cleared, storefront/rating approval pending, external playtests and full hardware matrix pending.
  Recorded in `CREDITS.md`, `PRIVACY.md`, `docs/accessibility.md`, `docs/known-limitations.md`.

- **Release roadmap (2026-11-05, owner):** `0.9.9` Quaternius pilot base (rig/export fix,
  rest-relative pose math, owner face/silhouette gate), `0.9.10` 12-role roster, `0.9.11`
  scheduled venue/prop/lighting polish, `0.9.12` performance/Web/accessibility verification,
  `0.10.0` public-readiness minor, then `0.10.1`–`0.10.3` fixes, `0.11.0` replay + fourth venue +
  localization foundation, `0.12.0` signed/storefront builds + save v2, `0.13.x` content complete
  and release candidates, `1.0.0` stable. The full gap analysis and roadmap live in `PLAN.md`; the
  character track is versioned now, so a blocked rig cannot block the release. Planning only —
  none of these versions is built yet.
- **Quaternius face/readability gate (2026-11-05):** the base is 6.2k tris total and replaces a
  library with a sculpted realistic face, so the 0.9.9 gate is a product decision, not just an
  art check. Owner picks full swap / crowd-only / extra head detail. Do not lower character
  fidelity silently.
- **Pose composition is rest-relative (resolved 2026-11-05):** see `_swing_bone()` in the gotchas —
  the rest-relative `set_bone_pose_rotation` form was abandoned; the global-pose write replaced it.
- **Full roster swap (2026-11-05, owner):** at the `0.9.9` face gate the owner chose option (a),
  full swap. All twelve public character names are baked from the three CC0 Quaternius sources
  (`casual`, `hoodie`, `worker`); variety comes from the five tint slots, the outfit rules and the
  gear library. The procedural library + MakeHuman head stay in the tree as the tested fallback
  (`build --source procedural`), not in the shipped roster. Silhouette variety is the known
  regression — three meshes for twelve roles — and the modular part library is the `0.9.10` fix.
- **Modular part intake is a one-time manual download (2026-11-06, owner):** the upstream pack is a
  Google Drive folder, so the owner downloads it once into the gitignored
  `tmp/quaternius-intake/` and `tools/quaternius_parts.py` does the rest
  (`inventory` → `extract` → `verify`). A part must be one skinned mesh on the 62-joint rig; a GLB
  exported *without* an armature has no `JOINTS_0` and validates as bone-less, so `extract` keeps
  the armature and `build` drops it again at join time.
- **Hair variety is built in-project (2026-11-06):** the upstream modular pack is a Google Drive
  folder, so it cannot be fetched reproducibly; `QUATERNIUS_HAIR_PARTS` reshapes the one hair shell
  each base ships (`short` identity, `buzz` squash, `long` stretch, `bald` removal) and the role's
  existing `CHARACTERS[...]["hair"]` picks it. `bald` is restricted to bases whose skin closes the
  skull. Outfit variety still needs the pack or new garments.
- **No hats except the firefighter helmet (2026-11-06, owner):** the iconography is not worth the
  cost — a cap or hood on this head hides the face, and every hat needed a lift+scale hack to clear
  the 0.228 m hair shell. `ACCESSORIES` maps no role to `cap`/`hood`, the guard/vest per-character
  caps are gone, the performer cone was removed, and the primitive cap/hood fallbacks were deleted
  with their `GEAR_OFFSETS`/`GEAR_SCALE` compensation. `firefighter_helmet` is the only head item.
  Do not re-add head gear without an owner decision and a fit measurement.
- **Mouths are authored, not upstream (2026-11-06):** none of the three Quaternius heads has a mouth
  material, so the faces read as brow-and-eye masks. `_add_quaternius_mouth()` places a small lip
  block on the measured skin surface (front-most skin vertex in the 1.600–1.632 m band, ±35 mm of
  centre) at 1.616 m. One rule covers all three bases; it runs before the slot map, so match the
  material as `_base_name(m.name).lower() == "skin"`.
- **One character source, one fallback:** no new NPC source without an ADR. MPFB body work stays
  closed, the Stage-1 proportion warp is not reopened, and the procedural `npc_base` + MakeHuman
  head stay tested until the Quaternius base passes its gate.

## Gotchas / Known Issues

- **Blender material-list edits corrupt polygons silently.** Two separate bugs, same root:
  `obj.data.materials.clear()` resets **every polygon to slot 0**, so the per-face indices must be
  captured *before* the clear and reassigned after; and `IDMaterials.pop(index=)` repoints the
  polygons that used the slot, which once painted a whole face with the eye material. The safe
  pattern is `_purge_unused_materials()`: read the per-face material **names**, rebuild the slot
  list from the names, then write the indices back by name.
- **A zero-user material still owns its name.** Removing a slot leaves the datablock behind, so a
  donor material renamed to the freed name lands as `Eye.001` and every `m.name == "Eye"` rule
  silently misses it. Purge the datablocks (`bpy.data.materials.remove(m)` when `m.users == 0`) or
  match on `_base_name()`.
- **A duplicated detail face has to be offset along its own normal.** Copying the eye quad into a
  pupil and nudging it in world `-Y` vanished: the eye plane is tilted, so the "front" nudge went
  backwards and the pupil sat inside the sclera. Offsetting along `face.normal * 0.0032` fixed it.
  Also scale the depth axis when shrinking a copy, or it flattens onto the parent plane.
- **Blender node colours are linear; Godot tonemaps them.** A mouth lip at `0.16` linear rendered as
  salmon/mauve. Divide by roughly 3–4 versus the intended sRGB value: the hair uses 0.027 linear,
  the lip 0.055/0.018/0.02.
- **The modular Quaternius Worker has no torso under its vest and no crown under its hard hat.**
  Deleting either material leaves real holes (that is what shipped in the first 0.9.9 build: guard
  and firefighter showed the inside of the head and torso). Remap instead of deleting; the only
  geometry the build removes is the Worker brow bar, which is replaced by a donor part.
- **Head gear authored for the 0.315 m procedural head is wrong on the 0.20 m Quaternius head.** Gear
  is authored around the head *centre* (1.62) while the attach node is the Head *bone* (1.587), and
  the Quaternius centre is 1.69 — a 7 cm error put every cap brim across the brows, which I spent
  several passes misreading as a mesh hole (the band was pure black and no material had faces
  there). `HEAD_GEAR_LIFT = 0.103` fixes the common case. With the hats removed this only affects
  the firefighter helmet.
- **Two character builders — do not confuse them.** `tools/blender_assets.py` is the real builder
  for the **eight library characters, 18 gear pieces and props** (it has the 0.9.4 face/hand
  sculpting in `_face()`/`_hands_and_shoes()`); `tools/npc_pipeline.py` builds **only**
  `assets/models/generated/npc_base.glb`, the frozen plain-primitive fallback. Reading
  `npc_pipeline.py` to judge the library's face/hand detail is wrong.
- **Pose capture fixed (2026-11-04):** the harness was missing `set_physics_process(false)`/
  `set_process(false)` on the avatar, so the FSM (`_advance_fsm` + `_move_toward_target`) ran every
  tick, reset `arrived`/velocity and made `theater_pose()` revert to idle/rest. Disabling both fixes
  it (sit vs idle diff 5.63, walk vs idle 2.29). The earlier "moving the `Rig` child does not
  render" probe was a red herring — it set the position inside `_shoot()` in the same frame as
  `root.get_texture().get_image()`, so it never rendered a frame. Lesson: pose/portrait harnesses
  must freeze the avatar's process/physics before driving `_animate()`.
- Capture/pose harness gotchas: scripts that read captured-mouse input must run windowed
  (`smoke_props.gd`); the NPC FSM rewrites `rotation.y` every physics tick, so pose/portrait
  captures set the yaw after `set_physics_process(false)`; `visible=false` does not keep the crowd
  out of a portrait frame (park the rest of the crowd away instead).
- Blender: `bisect_plane` and thin bevels leave zero-area triangles (Godot "non-finite normal in
  LOD generation"); `_clean()` + a weld after bisect fixes them and the audit rejects them.
- Quaternius arm-down bake (working recipe, `tmp/npc-research/bake_armdown_v5.py`): pose-rotate
  `UpperArm.L/R` −90° local X → read the pose matrices → apply the Armature modifier → **reset the
  pose to identity** → set each arm bone's rest matrix from its pose matrix → re-add the modifier →
  export `export_apply=False`. Missing the pose reset double-applies the arm-down (mesh ±0.53
  instead of ±0.23). `armature_apply` in Blender 5.2 is broken (deforms the mesh but does not bake
  the rest). The canonical base must be **join-only** (`build_base_minimal.py`: no `remove_doubles`
  weld, no scale/ground transform, keep the Armature modifiers) — the weld and the scale/ground
  transform corrupt the skin weights (arm poses to ±0.51 instead of −0.23).
- Quaternius `NpcAvatar` wiring (commits `2a6f29f`, `cd285b3`): `RIG_BONES` +
  `NpcAvatar.bone_name(joint, side)` hold the **only** side mapping — the Quaternius labels `L`/`R`
  opposite the project, so proxy side 0 (`-x`) drives `UpperLeg.R`/`UpperArm.R` while side 1 drives
  the `.L` bones. The arm/elbow swing axis is `Vector3.LEFT` (legs stay `RIGHT`). The hand proxy is
  `global_wrist − global_elbow` (subtracting the parent-relative `elbow.position` misplaces
  handheld gear). Old 13-core names resolve through the same table.
- **Bone posing must write the global pose** (`NpcAvatar._swing_bone`): `reset_bone_pose()` then
  `set_bone_global_pose(Transform3D(Basis(swing * global_rot), current_origin))`, conjugated with
  `get_bone_global_rest()`. Both rejected alternatives fail: the rest-relative
  `set_bone_pose_rotation(rest * Quaternion(rest⁻¹·axis, angle))` swings about the parent-relative
  rest (the glTF importer already folded the axis conversion into it) and splayed the Quaternius
  arms sideways; the plain `rest⁻¹ * swing * rest` conjugation flips the limbs 180°. Verified by
  measuring `get_bone_global_pose()` after the call — posed bone axis matches the proxy pivot at
  dot 1.000 on the Quaternius and the procedural rigs render unchanged.
  Two caveats: children need the parent's swing passed in (the write is absolute), and
  `set_bone_global_pose()` is a **no-op outside the scene tree**, so the headless runner (tests run
  in `_initialize()`) cannot assert on it.
- **The Quaternius source UV map is degenerate** — every loop at (0,0), flat-colour materials, no
  atlas. The AO/texture bake silently produces a 100 % black map, which tints every AO'd slot
  (skin, hair, accessory) black in Godot: a black leg is the symptom. `build_base_minimal.py` now
  Smart-UV-unwraps and repacks the layout (texel density 0 → 73–74 px/m on 256²), and the base
  pipeline is two explicit steps with distinct files: `build_base_minimal.py`
  (`quaternius/Casual_Hoodie.glb` → `quaternius_tpose.glb`, joins without welding, renames the
  materials to the five tint slots, unwraps) then `bake_armdown_v5.py` (`quaternius_tpose.glb` →
  `quaternius_base.glb` + `assets/models/blender_src/npc_casual.blend`). Re-running v5 on its own
  output double-bakes the rest.
- Hand gear must be self-contained: the camera carried a 0.42 m neck-strap loop that floats when the
  item is parented to the wrist. Hand items get a short wrist strap, not a neck strap. The backpack
  straps were authored for the wider procedural chest and floated ~5 cm proud of the Quaternius
  torso; the chest points now sit at x 0.12 / Godot z 0.15, which fits both.
- Image models have per-model size floors/caps (Seedream needs 1920+; `GEN_SIZE=2048`, do not
  lower; gpt-5-image-mini caps lower). `generate_image` applies model-specific sizing; concept
  generation defaults to `--request-size 1536`.
- Local photo research tooling: DDG rate-limits by IP (HTTP 202) — the `refcollect.py` token bucket
  (0.5 req/s, burst 3) plus retry/backoff handles it; some DDG frames are AVIF mislabeled
  `.png`/`.jpg` (convert with ffmpeg; `refcollect.py sheet` skips unreadable). Commons API needs a
  descriptive User-Agent and rate-limits thumbnail downloads (fetch all metadata in one
  `titles=A|B|C` query).
- Frozen decisions: do not re-open `override_access`; do not bind wand to `W`; do not remove the
  radio easter egg.
- GDScript: no static signals; lambdas capture locals **by value** (mutating a captured local does
  not affect the outer variable — use member functions for accumulators).
- Reference cycles: `FSM` holds its owner via `WeakRef`, `ShiftCoordinator` is `RefCounted`; if a
  new subsystem introduces a cycle, repeat the WeakRef pattern.
- Headless (dummy renderer) logs `Parameter m is null` from `mesh_get_surface_count` — benign, does
  not occur with a real GL driver.
- macOS export requires `rendering/textures/vram_compression/import_etc2_astc=true` (universal
  build demands ETC2 ASTC).
- Typed spawn signal: handlers must accept the 4th `event: Dictionary` arg or Godot will not call
  them.
- GDScript inference trap: a `var` typed as a base class (`radial: CanvasLayer`) exposes script
  members as `Variant`; type it as the script type (`ActionRadial`). `--check-only --script`
  cannot see the `Save` autoload — use a real boot (`--quit-after 180`) to verify full-scene
  compile.
- Do not snapshot right after changing a transform in the same frame — `capture_screenshots.gd`
  needs a state/frame gap or the capture uses the old camera orientation.
- `EventScheduler` probabilities are per simulated second, not per call; never poll it per frame.
- Light falloff: `omni_attenuation = 0.0` is **constant**, not physical, falloff in Godot 4.7 —
  all local lights use `1.0`.
- glTF `baseColorFactor` is LINEAR — writing sRGB makes props pastel; `srgb_to_linear()` is applied
  in `build_glb`. A new/changed `.glb` needs `godot --headless --import` before `load()` sees it.
- **Rebuilding a character GLB also requires re-baking its AO** (`tools/bake_ao.py -- --only
  <name>`). `blender_assets.py build` writes the GLB only; the old `<name>_ao.png` then maps onto
  the new geometry and produces large dark cheek/jaw blotches. Bake the AO, re-import, and refresh
  the stale `.godot` cache (scratch-copy import) before judging a face/body change.
- `Save.SETTINGS_FILE` is declared and unused; settings persist through
  `load_settings()`/`save_settings()`.
- Crowd reactions emit `event_bus.crowd_changed`; `GameManager._connect_crowd()` must reconnect
  after every `coordinator.setup()` (same class of bug as the radio-dispatch reconnect).
- Packaging: NSIS uses `-D` defines (never `/D`) and resolves relative defines against the script
  directory (pass `$PWD`-absolute paths); installed exe must be space-free; ICO must be classic
  BMP entries (PIL emits PNG-compressed ICOs NSIS can't load). appimagetool runs system
  `appstreamcli` — pass `--pedantic`.
- Credentials: `~/.git-credentials` holds the Gitea creds; `.env` holds only `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`.
- `assets/textures/game_ready/` is not imported (no `.import`) — use the imported
  `assets/textures/skyline.png` path.
- Godot 4.7 writes `*.gd.uid` files — kept out of `git status` via `.git/info/exclude`.
- Collaborators occasionally leave uncommitted work in the shared tree; check `git status` before
  committing and leave foreign changes untouched.

## Commands

- Tests: `godot --headless --path . --script res://src/test/test_runner.gd`
- Boot check: `godot --headless --path . --quit-after 120`
- Single screenshot: `godot --path . -s res://src/test/take_screenshot.gd`
- Staged gallery: `tools/check_screenshots.sh` (re-run the whole script, never a partial capture)
- Blender build: `flatpak run org.blender.Blender --background --python tools/npc_pipeline.py -- build`
  (flatpak cwd is `/app/blender` and cannot read `/tmp` — use absolute repo paths; `.gdignore`
  markers keep Godot from importing `.blend`/`tmp`)
- Textures: `python3 tools/generate_textures.py` (then `godot --headless --import`); AI mode
  `python3 tools/generate_textures.py --ai`; general pipeline `python3 tools/asset_pipeline.py`
- Character checks: `python3 tools/blender_assets.py inspect|audit|fit`,
  `python3 tools/npc_proportions.py`
- Docs: `python3 tools/check_docs.py` (every tracked image must be linked from its folder README)
- Head/part pipeline: `python3 tools/npc_parts.py build|extract|assemble|inspect|sheet|compare`
  (Blender subcommands run under flatpak). Head sources: `build_character(head="face"|"proto"|"mh")`.
- Reference research: `python3 tools/refcollect.py search <q> --slug <block> --limit N`
  (local-only), `tools/refboard.py` (Commons), `tools/three_up.py compose/rows`,
  `tools/scene_concepts.py generate/anchor/realism`

## Open Questions

- Whether the responder avatar should be playable/controllable or purely scripted.
- Quaternius scope: full 12-role swap, crowd-only, or extra head detail (owner decision at 0.9.9).
- Localization target languages beyond English (0.11.0/0.12.0).
- macOS notarization approach for broad distribution (0.12.0).
- Fourth-venue choice for 0.11.0 (candidate: TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt).

## Current State

v0.9.8 is published. The build covers the three venues, the shift loop, tutorial/campaign/
checkpoints, the 0.9.3–0.9.8 polish/texture/integration/character passes and the Blender +
realism asset pipeline (see `DONE.md` and `CHANGELOG.md`). The 12-character procedural library
(realistic face + four crowd variants) and the Comedy Store map rebuild are complete.

**Planning pivot (2026-11-05, owner):** the character and map work was re-sequenced into
patches (`0.9.9`–`0.9.12`) with `0.10.0` as the public-readiness minor. The gap analysis and the
three release roadmaps now live in `PLAN.md`; `TODO.md` is the executable task list. ADR-0017
Stage 1 (proportion warp) is dead; ADR-0018 option 2 (62-joint runtime) is accepted.

**Full roster (0.9.9, commits `a6ccd86` … `9fd4824`):** all twelve characters run on the
Quaternius bases (62 joints, 73–74 px/m texel density), built by the shipped
`tools/blender_assets.py` two-pass pipeline (`_quaternius_tpose_glb` → `_bake_quaternius_rest`).
The owner signed the roster off **with follow-ups** and rejected three review rows; the Worker
body defects (holes, unibrow, missing eyes) and the head-gear seating are fixed, every hat except
the firefighter helmet is removed, and every head has an authored mouth. Gates: `audit` 12/12,
`inspect` clean, `fit` OK, 24-NPC budget 174,976 tris / 0.85 ms, Godot 278/278, Python 167/167.
The owner **accepted the roster on 2026-11-06** and the review page plus its sheets were then
retired; durable evidence lives in `docs/3d-model-review.md` and `docs/blender-assets.md`. Release
packaging was fixed the same day:
excluding `tmp/`, `build/`, `docs/`, `tools/`, `src/test/` and `.agents/` from the export presets
cut the Linux binary from 426 MB to 273 MB, and `tools/build_releases.sh` writes a SHA256SUMS file.

**Open after the swap:** hand-held gear and role props are still authored for the old body (wrist
y 0.78 → 1.017, arm shorter), so the clipboard and umbrella are oversized; the eyes have no whites;
the arms graze the torso on the `worker` base; roster variety is three meshes for twelve roles. The
prop/gear fit pass is queued in `TODO.md` under 0.9.10.

**Quaternius pilot (2026-11-05, commits `cd285b3`, `fb3e75a`, `90f189a`):** `npc_casual` ships as
the Quaternius base. It renders arm-down, carries the five tint slots, plays the Idle/Walk/Sit pose
code on the 62-joint rig, and the procedural rigs are visually unchanged. Verified: `inspect`
(no issues), `audit` OK (6,206 tris / 12,988 verts, 62 bones), `fit` head 0.201 m, texel density
73–74 px/m, `npc_proportions` measured, 24-NPC budget smoke OK (168 meshes, 162,304 tris,
0.82 ms avg frame). The face/silhouette gate sheet and the three options are in
the face-gate decision (owner chose the full swap).

Test counts as of 2026-11-05: Python 167/167, Godot 278/278, `check_docs` OK.

<!-- b64: RWFzdGVyIGVnZzogYSByYXJlIHJhZGlvIHRyYW5zbWlzc2lvbiAiwr9Ew7NuZGUgZXN0w6EgbGEgbW90YT8iIGZpcmVzIHZpYSBHYW1lTWFuYWdlci5fbWF5YmVfcmFkaW9fZWFzdGVyX2VnZyAoMi41JSBjaGFuY2UgYWZ0ZXIgYSBzdWNjZXNzZnVsIHJhZGlvIGNhbGwpLiBTdHJpbmcga2V5IHJhZGlvLmVhc3Rlcl9lZ2cgaW4gY29udGVudC9zdHJpbmdzLmVuLmpzb24uIERvIG5vdCByZW1vdmUu -->