not-tonight/docs/BUILD_PLAN.md

NOT TONIGHT — Build Plan & Technical Architecture

Read GAME_DESIGN.md first. This doc is the engineering plan the lanes execute. Contract details live in CONTRACTS.md.

1. Stack (decided — don't relitigate)

Choice	What	Why
Engine	Phaser 3 (latest 3.x)	Scenes map 1:1 to game phases; tweens, input, Light2D for the flashlight cone; huge ecosystem
Language	TypeScript, strict	Multiple parallel lanes NEED typed contracts; the rules engine is pure typed functions
Build	Vite	Instant dev server, static build output
Tests	Vitest	Rules engine, patron generator, ID validity, clock — all pure logic, all unit-testable
Audio	Raw WebAudio (no Howler)	The low-pass-filter-as-location trick and the beat-clock need direct node graph access
Saves	localStorage	No backend. Ever.
Art (v0.x)	Runtime paper-doll renderer	Patrons are layered data (see design §4.1); placeholder layers are coloured-pixel shapes drawn to a texture. Real pixel-art layers swap in later behind the SAME layer contract
Deploy	Static dist/	Eventually → partly.party games VPS. Not a v0.1 concern

2. Repo layout (ownership boundaries = merge-conflict avoidance)

src/
  core/        # LANE-0 then frozen: EventBus, GameClock, SeededRNG, GameState, save
  data/        # LANE-0 then frozen-ish: types + static config (venues, nights, rules, archetypes)
  patrons/     # LANE-0: generator, paper-doll renderer, memory/regulars
  rules/       # dress-code engine, ID validator, sobriety logic (pure functions ONLY)
  scenes/
    door/      # LANE-DOOR owns
    floor/     # LANE-FLOOR owns
    shared/    # Boot, Menu, NightSummary, HUD — LANE-0 stubs, integration fills
  audio/       # LANE-JUICE owns: techno engine, sfx synth
  ui/          # LANE-JUICE owns: stamp, phone, dialogue box, clicker widgets
tests/         # mirrors src/; every lane adds tests for its pure logic
docs/          # design + this plan + CONTRACTS.md
lanes/         # lane instruction files
LANEHANDOVER.md

Rule: a lane commits only inside its owned directories + its tests + LANEHANDOVER.md. Changes to core/, data/ types, or CONTRACTS.md after Phase 0 require a CONTRACT CHANGE REQUEST in the handover file and reviewer sign-off — never just do it.

3. Phases

Phase 0 — Scaffold & Contracts — ✅ DONE 2026-07-19 (executed by Fable)

lanes/LANE0_SCAFFOLD.md. Delivered: strict-TS Vite+Phaser scaffold, all CONTRACTS.md types in src/data/types.ts, core systems (SeededRNG, EventBus, GameClock+ageOn, Meters, StubBeatClock, save), patron generator + paper-doll renderer (pure dollPlan + Phaser renderDoll), 49 unit tests, and the Patron Parade demo verified in-browser. See the LANE-0 SESSION block in LANEHANDOVER.md for API notes Phase-1 lanes must read.

Phase 1 — Parallel lanes (after Phase 0 review passes)

Three lanes run concurrently on separate branches/worktrees:

• LANE-DOOR (lanes/LANE_DOOR.md) — the Door scene, full v0.1 loop: queue, ID minigame, dress-code stamps, clicker, Dazza texts, verdicts, Vibe/Aggro wiring. This is the v0.1 critical path — the game is shippable with only this lane done.
• LANE-FLOOR (lanes/LANE_FLOOR.md) — top-down Floor scene: patrol movement, flashlight/UV cone, drunk detection, Cut-Off dialogue, pat-down minigame, toilet rhythm game (against a stub beat clock until integration).
• LANE-JUICE (lanes/LANE_JUICE.md) — WebAudio techno engine + low-pass location filter + beat clock; SFX synth (stamp, thud, static, clicker); reusable UI widgets (stamp, phone, dialogue). Develops against its own demo scenes.

Lanes talk ONLY through the event bus + contracts. No lane imports another lane's scene code. Beat sync example: audio engine emits beat:tick on the bus; the toilet rhythm game consumes beat:tick; until integration, LANE-FLOOR uses the StubBeatClock from core (same event, fixed 128 BPM).

Phase 2 — Integration (ONE lane, sequential)

Night flow state machine (Door ⇄ Floor interleave, radio pulls, Last Drinks, Summary), real audio engine replaces stubs, save/progression, Kayden-at-door simulation while player is on Floor. Playtest pass: one full night start→summary.

Phase 3 — Content & polish (parallelizable again)

Archetypes, scripted moral encounters, inspector, incident report memory, regulars, venues 2–4, real pixel art swapped into the paper-doll layer slots, MODELBEAST- assisted art generation if useful.

Phase 4 — The role ladder (design §6; future, do not start)

Glassie, bartender, DJ roles + roster board. Not scoped yet — but it imposes ONE rule on every earlier phase: the simulation is role-agnostic. Crowd sim, patron state, meters, and incidents must never assume the player is security — the player is just an entity with a verb-set reading shared state. If you're about to hard-code "the player" into a sim system (e.g. "patrons only get cut off by the player"), model it as an actor capability instead (NPC staff already need this — Kayden works the door while you're on the floor). The DJ role will drive the TechnoEngine directly, so LANE-JUICE keeps track parameters (BPM, layer intensities) externally settable rather than hard-coded.

4. Coordination protocol (all lanes)

1. Branches: each lane works on lane/<name> (e.g. lane/door), pushed to origin (ssh://git@100.71.119.27:222/monster/not-tonight.git). Never push main. On one machine, use worktrees: git worktree add ../not-tonight-door lane/door.
2. Handover: every work session APPENDS a session block to LANEHANDOVER.md (template inside it) and pushes. This is how the reviewer (Fable) sees state.
3. Review gate: reviewer reads handovers + diffs, replies with a REVIEW block in the same file (or a fresh lane instruction file), merges approved lanes to main.
4. Contract changes: request-only via handover. If blocked >30 min on a contract ambiguity, write the question in the handover, make the smallest local stub that unblocks you, mark it // TODO(contract):, and continue.
5. Definition of done for any session: compiles (npm run build), tests green (npm test), demo scene for your lane runs (npm run dev), handover written.

5. Milestone acceptance

• M0 (Phase 0): npm run dev shows Patron Parade; ≥25 unit tests green covering RNG determinism (same seed → same patrons), ID validity math, layer rendering data.
• M1 (v0.1): One full Door-only night playable start→summary; a stranger can understand it with no explanation; fail states (Vibe 0, Aggro 100) both reachable.
• M2 (v0.2): Full night with ≥2 forced Floor interludes; toilet game verifiably on-beat (log beat timestamps vs hit timestamps in tests).
• M3 (v0.3): 3-night run with persistence; an incident-report lie can bite you a night later.