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G0 Playtest Checklist — action pivot, web build

Fill during/after playing floors 1→3 repeatedly (plus one B2 run for the close-all rules). Verdict per line: KEEP / ADJUST (what knob) / KILL (why). Anything killed here never costs Unity work. Hard-reload (Ctrl+Shift+R) after every code change; Re-roll run after changing re-roll knobs. Every contested rule has a tuning-panel flag for live A/B.

0 · The two gate questions (answer these even if nothing else)

  • [v] Does the shrinking map carry tension? (probe 0.5 — GO/NO-GO). Play a full round on floor 1-2+: do the closure banners + per-pad countdowns hurry you, or just inform you? If flat → the storm replacement thesis reworks at GDD level before any Unity port.
  • [+-] Does loot abundance keep "extract now or push?" sharp? (Badlanders trap, probe 0.9). After a rich raid: did you ever hesitate at a safe exit? If loss never stings → density down or portal risk up.

1 · Input & feel (0.1 / 0.2)

  • [v] Stick: anchor/deadzone feel, wall-slide, no stuck-stick after odd releases
  • [v] Dash: distance/cooldown feel (action.dashCd); i-frames through telegraphs work
  • [v] Action Button wind-up pulse: does the gold pulse read as "dash now"? (too subtle / too naggy?)
  • [v] Keyboard WASD + Space parity
  • [v] Short-tap: minimap opens, no accidental rival declarations from fat-thumbing

2 · Combat core (0.3 / 0.11 / 0.12 + playtest systems)

  • [+-] TTK feel: trash ~2s? mids real fights? heavies dangerous? (floor 3+ especially — the multiplier stack past floor 3 is UNAUDITED, note anything spiky for the 1a table) - first real challenge are biome 1 boss
  • [v] Damage taken: deaths from readable, dodgeable hits — or from chip/unseen sources?
  • [v] Engage ring: does the 200px commitment circle read? Is watching-without-engaging at 250-300px actually useful? (combat.engageRange, ui.engageRing)
  • [v] Crit loop — each source lands?
  • [+-] Opener: approach outside the cone → first hit crits (melee stab AND ranged shot) - melees are nearly impossible because of wide engage ring
  • [+-] Wind-up bait: charging mob plants (chargeLock) → dash behind → punish - it is possible, but hard to execute. maybe that is correct
  • [+-] Dodged lunge → its exposed rear → one crit before it reacquires (melee.recover) - can't really test it because web version have no lunges. we will tune it later on unity
  • [v] Heavies: mid-range flank approach works, point-blank orbit does NOT (turnClose) — do heavies still feel outplayable, or now just walls?
  • [v] Body-block: solid enemies feel fair? Any cornered-with-no-escape moments? (if yes → candidate fix: dash passes through mid-commit attackers only)
  • [v] 0.12 weapon rhythm: is reload a risk-pricing beat or friction? A/B weapons.rtsMode: true. Sniper mag-3 pass: one trash per mag now true?
  • [+-] Boss fight (1-5): survivable? interesting? (boss pass is 1a scope — note, don't tune) - gatekeepers are pretty easy to beat, the biome boss are real challenge

3 · Perception / stealth-lite (0.4)

  • [v] Cone honesty: does "outside the cone = safe" hold everywhere? Any it-saw-me-anyway moments?
  • [v] Acquisition fairness: nothing starts a fight from off-screen (incl. Warden/Rocketeer)?
  • [v] Bushes: concealment approach + break-LOS-then-bush escape both read? Translucent player = clear?
  • [v] Bush ambushes (enemies hidden in foliage): fun danger or cheap shot? (echo blips = the counter)
  • [v] Sound waves: ring reaching an enemy = it reacts, visibly synced? Fire-and-reposition misdirection noticeable? Late arrivals to an already-over fight annoying? (noise.waveSpeed, shrink noise.gunshot if fights leak too far)
  • [v] ❗ / ? / nothing detection read: sufficient? Missing the old fill meter at all?
  • [v] Busy-screen audit (floor 3+ zone): cones + ring + blips + glyphs + arrows + noise rings together — readable or cluttered? List the first element you'd cut.

4 · Raid structure (0.5 / 0.7 / 0.10 + raid length)

  • [+-] 5.5-minute raid: right length? Time for vault + a couple zones + extraction? - it feels okay i guess, we will adjust it later
  • [v] Floor 1: designed win? (no clock/arrows/guard, gentler mobs, gear drop felt) — would a fresh FTUE graduate extract richer and un-scared?
  • [+-] One-new-thing-per-floor ramp reads (1-2 clock · 1-3 hound · 1-4 emberling · 1-5 boss)? - I can still see the clock on 1-1
  • [v] Closing exits: banners noticed? countdown labels on pads used for routing? closed pads clear?
  • [v] Timer-zero sweep (idle it out once): quiet haul-loss end OK without the storm drama?
  • [v] B1F1 descend portal: genuinely unguarded walk-in?
  • [v] Closure funnel (any floor 1-2+): nearest safe exit closes mid-raid; the reserved farthest safe holds while the descend is locked, then arms after the gatekeeper dies — endgame funnels into the descend portal. Trapped-feeling anywhere?

5 · Rivals (0.6 + fair looting)

  • [+-] Neutral pass-by: walk near a rival — nothing happens, and it feels right (not broken)? - nothing happens, but i feel that it lacks some visual confirmations (I think we can recolor raiders in unity, where green tint = neutral, red = hostile)
  • [+-] Glyphs (💰🔑🌀🏃⚠⚔) convert bots into "people doing their own thing"? - it helps to read their intentions, but I don't think that the PvPvE simulation needs it. it actually breaks the perception of the real players playing along
  • [+-] Tap-to-declare: range-armed, loud confirm, no accidental wars; the fight after = fair? - it feels mostly OKAY, but I think we will make it a bit different in unity - it seems that slow-mo for 2 seconds will help to read what's actually happened
  • [x] Contested gate: crowd the vault gate a rival wants → amber warning → hostile. Back off in the warning window → de-escalates? - can't actually check it
  • [v] Boarding-pad contest: step onto a pad a rival is boarding → warning → fight?
  • [+-] Hostile cool-down (6s lost contact) — reads as sensible or gamey? (rival.resetTime, rememberAttacker) - should be set to 30s
  • [v] safeCrossfire: co-fighting mobs next to a neutral rival — no accidental war, shots pass through cleanly (ghost-bullet visual acceptable?)
  • [+-] Fair looting: do you still reach chests first sometimes? Rivals visibly searching (not beelining)? Empty-chest frustration gone? (rival.lootSight/crackMult/lootPause) - the waiting raiders feel like they are taking a walk, wandering, not searching. also they should prioritize non-zone chests first, so the valuable loot should be reachable by the player first
  • [+-] Corner-flee: any rival still hiding in a corner staring at walls? - happens sometimes. its fixed in unity version
  • [x] Verdict needed: are placid rivals enough for G0, or pull the Opportunist trigger forward? - let's try to add opportunist as well, starting from biome 2 maybe?

6 · Extraction (stance force-board)

  • [v] Stand still on pad → fast 3s rooted channel (fire suppressed) — discoverable without a tip?
  • [v] Move/fight on pad → slow 9s passive board while shooting — the downgrade reads?
  • [v] Stall-on-hit: contested extraction requires actually clearing the pad?

7 · Economy & death loop (0.8 / 0.9 / 0.13)

  • [v] Loot feels abundant (spills, magnet, frequent drops) — but banking still portal-gated
  • [v] First-floor gear boost: felt upgrade in the first couple of raids?
  • [v] Instant potion mid-strafe: right? Any potion-chugging trivializing fights? (→ carry cap) - it seems that it should have a really small apply delay that interrupted by hits, not movement
  • [v] No HP regen: attrition = "push or extract?" lever, or doomed-walk frustration? (fix = drops)
  • [+-] Death → Raid Again: same floor, loadout intact, under ~5s? Does dying make you want the next run (the MISFITZ test)?

8 · Record the verdicts

Probe / system Verdict Note / knob
0.1 stick + 0.2 Action Button KEEP dodgeTime 0.35 (G0-tuned)
0.3 fast TTK + flank crit KEEP (adjust @1a) gatekeepers easy / biome boss = first real challenge → 1a TTK table
engageRange + ring (playtest) KEEP + ADJUST melee openers spoiled by own bow → stalkHold added (advance = stab, stand = shoot)
0.4 stealth-lite perception KEEP clean sweep
sound waves (playtest) KEEP clean sweep
0.5 closing exits (GO/NO-GO) GO — KEEP tension confirmed after the exit-density fix
0.6 rivals Tier 0 + fair looting KEEP + ADJUST glyphs → state COLOR (tint/outline; Unity re-tints sprite) · resetTime 30 · looting: gray-first + sweeping search · Opportunist pulled forward (biome 2+) · declare slow-mo = Unity note · contested gate UNVERIFIED
0.7 floor ramp + spike fixes KEEP + FIX F1 clock display hidden (was visible)
0.8 raid again KEEP (watch) MISFITZ appetite test — re-ask at Phase 3
0.9 loot abundance KEEP (watch) greed hesitation only so-so — revisit with 1a economy pass
0.10 guarded extraction KEEP funnel verified after reserve-rule fix
0.11 sight fairness KEEP fog back to 300 — camera (fitMin .75, leads 225/150/.02) does the seeing, senseRadius 420
0.12 mag rhythm (A/B rtsMode) KEEP sniper mag-3 confirmed
0.13 potion / no regen KEEP + ADJUST instant → 0.35s SWIG, hit-interrupted (kept), movement-proof
raid length 330s KEEP (revisit) "feels okay, adjust later"
stance force-board (playtest) KEEP clean sweep
body-block + solid dash (playtest) KEEP no cornering complaints
turn rates + turnClose (playtest) KEEP heavies outplayable; wind-up bait "hard but maybe correct"; lunge punish untestable on web (lungeMinTier keeps lunges out of B1 trash) → tune in Unity

Unity-port notes from G0: rival state = sprite re-tint (green/amber/red), 2s slow-mo beat on war declaration, lunge-punish tuning (web B1 never shows lunges), corner-flee already fixed Unity-side, contested-gate escalation still unverified (verify with 1e telemetry).

Exit criteria: MET (2026-07-24) — loop called fun, every row verdicted, numbers frozen. Next: docs pass (stealth-lite & friends into the GDD pair) + Phase-1a TTK/TTD table → Unity port.