40 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
40 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
# memory — JANKENSTEIN
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Durable memory for this project. Read at session start, update before session end. Date format: `YYYY-MM-DD`. Deep design detail lives in `DESIGN.md` (the full record carried over from the idea's `plan.md`); this file is the distilled decisions + live work.
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> **Location:** this project lives at **`/mnt/f/jankenstein`** (Windows `F:\jankenstein`) so the Unity Editor (Windows-only) and the git repo/docs share one folder. `~/claude/projects/jankenstein` is a **symlink** to it. Work from either path.
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## Decisions & rationale
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- **Concept (locked).** ~25-player friendslop build-brawl: teams build a janky physics robot from themed scrap; **each teammate pilots one functional part** (pillar #6 — "you build your control scheme, not a robot"); death → free-roaming ragdoll **gremlin**. 8 design pillars in `DESIGN.md`.
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- **Engine: Unity** (2026-07-10). Decided after a 3-angle netcode/prior-art study. The physics-party genre is overwhelmingly Unity (Fall Guys, Gang Beasts, Human Fall Flat, PEAK, Lethal Company, Party Animals, Stumble Guys, Trailmakers, Besiege, Robocraft); the two UE physics-heavy titles both swapped UE physics for Bullet. An earlier Unreal-MCP-tooling edge was correctly overridden. **The defining risk is networked physics at ~25-player scale — no shipped game occupies that quadrant.**
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- **Control feel v0.1 — driving = symmetric** (2026-07-10). Each locomotion part = one pilot applying *literal force* ("you are the left tread") — the only model that generalises to arbitrary scrap contraptions and the one that keeps pillar #6. Tread pilot verbs: **snap-to-cruise throttle** (both slam forward = easy straight; coordination lives in the in-between), **lock-pivot** (called-play turns), **passive lean** (nobody idle). Asymmetric (throttle/steer split) held as the fallback if the prototype groans.
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- **Weapons = three-body call-and-response** (2026-07-10). A weapon pilot perturbs the drivers' world → turn simultaneous chaos into rhythm: wind-up **telegraphs a brace**, a **braced bonus** makes drive+strike a combo, weapon doubles as engine/counterweight. Generalises to **5 archetypes** — Punch / Grinder / Grip (later tier) / Guard / Passive. The **weapon mix is a build-time chaos dial** (over-building self-punishes = pillar #6 made mechanical).
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- **Team size & lobby math** (2026-07-10). Team **3–5** (3 = smallest full driver+driver+weapon triangle; 5 = coordination/budget ceiling); lobby **≥2 teams**; sweet spot 5 teams of 5. Unequal sizes balanced by a **flat build budget** (small team = concentrated & nimble; big team = distributed & tippy → equal power, different character), reinforced by physics (bigness = top-heavy, self-limiting) + coordination tax; matchmaking buckets pre-made friend groups & prefers equal sizes, NPC-fills the rest. **No living "roamer" — everyone is in the bot; off-bot = gremlins (dead) only.** Style vote needs ≥3 teams (2-team lobbies use fight-result + spectator vote).
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- **Prototype netcode = Unity NGO + Relay, host-authoritative** (2026-07-10). Chosen for the *throwaway* first prototype (free, first-party, friends join by code, no port-forwarding). **This does NOT commit the final architecture** — server-authoritative state sync vs Photon Quantum deterministic lockstep is still deferred until the game is proven fun.
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## Open questions / TODOs
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- [ ] **Build Milestone 1** — networked shared bot, each player one tread (see `docs/prototype-plan.md`). The immediate work.
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- [x] **Project location decided** — unified on `F:\jankenstein` (git + Unity + docs together), symlinked from `~/claude/projects/jankenstein`. Unity `.gitignore`/`.gitattributes` in place.
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- [ ] **Create the Unity project** in `F:\jankenstein` (Unity LTS) and add the **NGO + Relay + Lobby** packages.
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- [ ] **Stand up the Unity MCP** — config is seeded (`.mcp.json`, `docs/mcp-setup.md`); remaining host-side steps: install the CoplayDev package, Start it in HTTP mode, open the WSL bridge (0.0.0.0 bind or portproxy on :8080), then verify `mcp__unity__*` tools connect from WSL.
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- [ ] **Netcode architecture (deferred, the real risk)** — dedicated server-authoritative state sync (Robocraft 2 blueprint) vs Photon Quantum lockstep (Stumble Guys precedent). Decide *after* the fun is proven + the 25-player physics spike. Netcode target ≈ 25–30 primary rigid bodies + gremlins/debris.
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- [ ] **The 25-player physics/netcode spike** — two ~30-joint bots colliding at arena scale, ≥100 ms latency, min-spec. The make-or-break gate before scaling up.
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- [ ] Remaining **design** questions (detail in `DESIGN.md`): build-coupling tightness, hidden per-player agenda, at-scale voting, part taxonomy, scavenge-contest rules, art style, progression (cosmetic-only), final name (working title JANKENSTEIN; alts BODGEBOTS / SCRAPYARD SCRUM / CLANKERS / RUSTBUCKETS / JALOPY WARS).
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## Session log
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### 2026-07-10
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- **Promoted from `ideas/jankenstein` to a real project.** Scaffolded the WSL-side project home (this repo): filled `CLAUDE.md`, seeded this `memory.md` from the idea's `plan.md`, carried the full design record over as `DESIGN.md`, added `docs/prototype-plan.md`. Idea folder archived to `archive/ideas/jankenstein`.
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- Decided to build a **basic networked prototype first** (user wants to test the coordination feel with real friends — local split-screen won't capture the social/voice-chat core). Stack: **Unity NGO + Relay**, host-authoritative, throwaway netcode. Milestone 1 = one shared bot, each player one tread.
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- **Consolidated the project onto `F:\jankenstein`** (Unity Editor must run on Windows; user wants one unified folder). Moved the git repo there (remote intact), symlinked `~/claude/projects/jankenstein` → `/mnt/f/jankenstein`, added a Unity-aware `.gitignore` + `.gitattributes` (no LFS yet). Seeded the **Unity MCP** config: `.mcp.json` (`unity` HTTP server → `172.27.208.1:8080/mcp`), `.claude/settings.local.json` (enables it), and `docs/mcp-setup.md` (full host-side + WSL-bridge runbook). **Next:** create the Unity project in `F:\jankenstein`, install the MCP package, start it in HTTP mode + open the WSL bridge, then verify the `unity` tools connect.
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## External references
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- Full design record: `DESIGN.md` (this repo) — control feel v0.1, weapon archetypes, lobby math, tech direction, netcode prior art.
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- Prototype build-plan: `docs/prototype-plan.md`.
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- Wiki (orientation): http://192.168.1.249:6876/projects/jankenstein
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- Idea-phase history: `~/claude/archive/ideas/jankenstein/` (original brainstorm `plan.md` + session logs).
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- Netcode prior art (Rocket League GDC talk, Fall Guys/Robocraft/Stumble Guys case studies, Gaffer On Games) — cited in `DESIGN.md` → References.
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- **Unity MCP setup runbook:** `docs/mcp-setup.md`. Server = CoplayDev/unity-mcp in **HTTP mode host-side**; Claude (WSL) connects at `http://172.27.208.1:8080/mcp` (`.mcp.json` committed). Bridge pattern mirrors the UE servers (host-side HTTP + host-IP). Not yet stood up — needs the editor + package installed.
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