fix: empty-path re-entrancy, retry_count reset, := to = for Variant

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# The Steward — Build-in-Public Visual Slice Plan
## Purpose
This plan adapts the proposed “Jajce simulation garden” to the repository as it
exists now. It does not assume a blank project.
The immediate visual goal is to replace the flat prototype presentation with a
small, attractive, watchable environment while preserving the working NPC
simulation, player controls, UI, task lifecycle, and navigation behavior.
Before runtime terrain integration, food and wood should migrate from abstract
zones to actual finite world objects according to
[the ResourceNode migration plan](RESOURCE_NODE_MIGRATION.md). This prevents the
new environment from being authored around a zone model already marked for
removal.
The slice should make a viewer understand this promise quickly:
> A cozy Bosnian-inspired world where autonomous people visibly make decisions,
> work, struggle, and create stories.
This is not a plan to build the full city of Jajce. It is a plan to create one
strong visual composition that can host the current simulation and grow with
future systems.
## What already exists
Do not redo these tasks:
- Godot 4.7 project configuration;
- Terrain3D 1.0.2 installed and enabled;
- cross-platform Git configuration;
- working `main.tscn`;
- camera-relative player movement and elevated follow camera;
- three autonomous simulated NPCs;
- hunger, energy, starvation, death, task scoring, and task duration;
- task-change and village-change signals;
- visual NPC navigation and arrival reporting;
- farm, forest, food, guard, study, and rest markers;
- aggregate village UI;
- initial tree assets;
- a baked navigation region for the current flat test area.
Terrain3D's bundled `demo/` directory and most of `addons/terrain_3d/` are
plugin content. They are references, not the game.
## Current architectural constraint
`main.tscn` currently owns several different concerns:
```text
Main
├── current flat World and NavigationRegion3D
├── Player
├── CameraRig
├── SimulationManager
├── WorldViewManager
├── ActiveNPCs
├── TaskZone markers
├── WorldEnvironment
└── UI
```
The player and `WorldViewManager` reference the task markers through exported
`NodePath` values. `NpcVisual` relies on the navigation map to reach those
markers.
Replacing the ground without respecting those references would break behavior
that already works.
## Adjusted scene strategy
Create a reusable environment scene and instance it into the existing runtime.
Keep game orchestration in `main.tscn`.
Target structure:
```text
Main
├── JajceWorld instanced environment
│ ├── TerrainRoot
│ │ └── Terrain3D
│ ├── WaterRoot
│ ├── VillageRoot
│ ├── FoliageRoot
│ ├── NavigationRegion3D
│ ├── WorldObjects
│ │ └── ResourceNodes
│ │ ├── BerryBush instances
│ │ └── Tree instances
│ ├── LegacyTaskMarkers temporary migration fallback
│ │ ├── FarmZone fallback only
│ │ ├── ForestZone fallback only
│ │ ├── FoodZone
│ │ ├── GuardZone
│ │ ├── StudyZone
│ │ └── RestZone
│ ├── DirectionalLight3D
│ └── WorldEnvironment
├── Player
├── CameraRig
├── SimulationManager
├── WorldViewManager
├── ActiveNPCs
└── UI
```
`JajceWorld` should contain geography, world-object presentations, and temporary
legacy interaction locations. It should not own `SimulationManager`, simulated
NPC data, player state, or UI.
Create a small look-development wrapper that instances the same world:
```text
JajceLookdev
├── JajceWorld
└── BeautyCameraRig
```
This provides a cinematic workbench without creating a second environment that
later has to be rebuilt for gameplay.
## Adjusted file structure
Follow the repository's existing feature-oriented layout. Do not create six
empty sub-scenes merely to match a theoretical architecture.
Start with:
```text
world/
└── jajce/
├── JajceWorld.tscn
├── JajceLookdev.tscn
└── beauty_camera.gd
terrain/
└── jajce/
├── data/
├── materials/
├── textures/
└── source/
assets/
└── jajce/
├── buildings/
├── foliage/
├── rocks/
├── props/
├── water/
└── vfx/
```
Extract `JajceWater`, `JajceVillageBlockout`, or other components into their own
scenes only when they have meaningful internal behavior or are reused. Avoid
scaffolding an elaborate directory tree before assets exist.
## Visual target
Build a compressed, game-readable Jajce-inspired valley:
| Inspiration | First-slice interpretation |
| --- | --- |
| Hilltop fortress | One strong blockout silhouette on the ridge |
| Old town slope | Four to six house blocks following two terraces |
| Pliva/Vrbas water | One main river and a suggested secondary channel |
| Waterfall | Hero mesh/VFX feature visible from the main camera |
| Watermills | One working mill silhouette, with room for later expansion |
| Forested hills | Terrain3D foliage clusters and background tree masses |
| Agricultural outskirts | Existing farm and forest jobs integrated into terrain |
| Regional roads | One readable loop connecting world objects and legacy targets |
The fortress, waterfall, roofs, player, and at least two working NPCs should be
readable in one strong composition.
## Scope
### First terrain size
Start around **512 m × 512 m**. The playable and polished area can be smaller
inside it.
Do not begin at 1024 m simply because Terrain3D supports it. Expand only when
the current camera, navigation routes, and composition need more space.
### First material set
Use at most six terrain surfaces:
1. soft grass;
2. dirt path;
3. warm cliff stone;
4. wet riverbank stone;
5. forest floor;
6. compacted village ground.
The material set should establish large readable areas. Avoid high-frequency
photorealistic noise.
### First architecture set
Use:
- one fortress silhouette;
- four to six house blockouts;
- one mill;
- one bridge;
- a few fences, carts, sacks, logs, and work props.
Do not begin with 1220 finished houses. The first shot needs composition, not
an asset catalog.
## Art direction rules
Translate the desired animated-film warmth into an original style:
| Element | Direction |
| --- | --- |
| Terrain | Broad painterly color regions and exaggerated silhouettes |
| Grass | Soft masses and restrained sway, not dense visual noise |
| Trees | Rounded canopies, varied scale, simple readable trunks |
| Rocks | Chunky warm-gray forms with low-frequency detail |
| Buildings | Light plaster/stone, warm roofs, dark timber accents |
| Water | Turquoise/emerald body, strong foam shapes, soft reflection |
| Lighting | Warm sun, cool shadows, mild atmospheric haze |
| Characters | Simple proportions, clear profession colors and props |
| Motion | Wind, water, smoke, leaves, cloth, birds, and purposeful NPC travel |
Cozy presentation does not remove scarcity, death, conflict, or ambition. It
makes the world pleasant to inhabit and the people pleasant to watch.
## Implementation phases
### Phase 0 — Preserve and capture the baseline
Before replacing anything:
- run the current prototype;
- record a short baseline clip or screenshots;
- record the development machine's frame time and obvious scene statistics;
- verify all six task locations can be reached;
- verify starvation, work completion, and death still function;
- note current camera framing and movement feel.
This becomes both a regression reference and excellent before/after material.
### Exit condition
There is a reproducible baseline showing the existing flat prototype and its
working behaviors.
### Systems prerequisite — Migrate food and wood targets
Implement and validate the first ResourceNodes on the current flat map before
moving the playable runtime onto Terrain3D:
- berry bushes for `gather_food`;
- trees for `gather_wood`;
- stable target IDs;
- nearest-available selection;
- single-user reservation;
- extraction after work completion;
- depletion and replanning;
- actual extracted amount applied to the village;
- zone fallback with visible warnings.
Keep the other task zones temporarily. Rest, eating, study, and patrol will
eventually use activity, storage, or workstation targets rather than pretending
to be resource sources.
### Exit condition
Food and wood work without their zones during normal play, resource conservation
holds, and target failure does not leave a permanent reservation.
### Phase 1 — Create the reusable world scaffold
Create `world/jajce/JajceWorld.tscn` with:
- Terrain3D and dedicated terrain data;
- placeholder `WaterRoot`;
- placeholder `VillageRoot`;
- placeholder `FoliageRoot`;
- a navigation region;
- resource-node containers plus temporary fallback markers;
- lighting and environment.
Create `JajceLookdev.tscn` that instances `JajceWorld` and adds a temporary
beauty camera.
Do not migrate `main.tscn` yet. Do not duplicate simulation scripts inside the
look-development scene.
### Exit condition
The same `JajceWorld` instance can open in the lookdev scene and can be instanced
under a temporary runtime test without errors.
### Phase 2 — Greybox the hero composition
Sculpt by hand before attempting GIS/DEM import:
- one dominant ridge;
- descending town terraces;
- main river valley;
- waterfall drop;
- lower pool;
- farm shelf;
- forest work area;
- a walkable road loop connecting world objects and remaining legacy locations.
Block out the fortress, houses, mill, bridge, and waterfall with primitives or
simple meshes.
Place the beauty camera early. Terrain should be judged through the intended
game and video cameras, not only from the editor's free camera.
### Navigation spike
Do an early rough navigation bake now. Do not wait until final art.
The purpose is to detect:
- slopes that are too steep;
- terraces that cannot connect;
- paths too narrow for agents;
- waterfall or river barriers that split required routes;
- terrain collision or navigation incompatibilities.
The final navigation bake still happens after terrain and props stabilize.
### Exit condition
One static frame contains the ridge landmark, roofs, river/waterfall, and
village work area. A test agent can traverse the intended task loop.
### Phase 3 — Establish the beauty baseline
Add only the highest-value presentation:
- six terrain materials;
- warm `WorldEnvironment`;
- directional light and atmospheric haze;
- simple river surface;
- waterfall body, foam, and mist;
- first foliage clusters using Terrain3D instancing where appropriate;
- restrained grass/tree motion;
- chimney smoke;
- slow beauty-camera drift.
Avoid expensive water, dense individual grass nodes, and elaborate weather at
this stage.
### Exit condition
The lookdev scene can produce a compelling 1020 second clip with no gameplay.
The environment remains within the recorded prototype's agreed performance
budget.
### Phase 4 — Integrate the existing game
Once the world composition is stable:
1. Instance `JajceWorld` into `main.tscn`.
2. Disable or remove the old flat world only after the new instance is present.
3. Place or move bushes and trees under
`JajceWorld/WorldObjects/ResourceNodes` while preserving stable IDs.
4. Reconnect remaining player and `WorldViewManager` fallbacks to markers under
`JajceWorld/LegacyTaskMarkers`.
5. Bake navigation for the new walkable area.
6. Test each existing task from multiple spawn positions.
7. Verify task arrival still transitions from traveling to working.
8. Verify task completion still changes village state.
9. Verify depletion and reservations survive the scene migration.
10. Verify player interaction ranges still make sense at the new scale.
11. Verify dead NPC visuals do not block routes or retain reservations.
12. Compare performance and behavior against the Phase 0 baseline.
Do not move simulation ownership into `JajceWorld` to make wiring convenient.
### Exit condition
The current three NPCs and player can perform all existing prototype behaviors
inside the new terrain without regression.
### Phase 5 — Make the simulation readable on video
Add presentation for systems that already exist:
- simple stylized NPC placeholder instead of capsules;
- profession color/prop distinctions;
- compact task/need icon above selected or relevant NPCs;
- name labels when useful;
- an NPC reason inspector for development footage;
- visible food, logs, guard, study, rest, and eating props;
- cinematic/debug UI toggle;
- a scenario reset and fixed seed for repeatable clips.
Do not fake activity that contradicts simulation state. A farmer icon should
represent a real chosen task.
### Exit condition
A viewer can distinguish at least three professions and understand one NPC's
need, destination, and consequence without reading console output.
### Phase 6 — Produce the first public demo sequence
Capture a short sequence with a clear story:
1. establish the valley and waterfall;
2. introduce one named NPC;
3. show the NPC choosing and traveling to work;
4. reveal the reason through a concise overlay;
5. show the work changing a real village resource;
6. end on either recovery or a visible shortage consequence.
The best first character is one of the existing named NPCs—Amina, Tarik, or
Jasmin—rather than an unnamed cinematic extra.
### Exit condition
The clip has an understandable beginning, decision, and consequence. It does not
depend on a voiceover to prove that the simulation is real.
## Build-in-public content pillars
Rotate between four types of updates.
### 1. Transformation
Show visible before/after progress:
- flat test ground to Jajce-inspired valley;
- blockout waterfall to mist and foam;
- capsules to readable professions;
- empty paths to visible work traffic.
### 2. Tiny autonomous stories
Use one named NPC and one question:
- Why did Amina stop guarding?
- Can Tarik gather food before starvation?
- Why is Jasmin resting while the village is short on wood?
- What happens when the food route is blocked?
### 3. System under the beauty
Show a beautiful shot, then reveal the debug reason trace, event, or resource
flow that drives it.
### 4. Learning Godot publicly
Frame honest engineering lessons:
- Terrain3D sculpting and material mistakes;
- navigation problems caused by terrain;
- making NPC simulation deterministic;
- profiling foliage versus agent cost;
- separating simulation data from visual scenes.
## Short-form video template
For TikTok, Shorts, or brief social posts:
```text
02 s Show the outcome or surprising NPC behavior
25 s State one question
515 s Show the cause unfolding
1525 s Reveal the systemic consequence
End Show the next unresolved problem
```
Use captions and strong visual causality. Avoid opening with a long editor tour.
## Initial video backlog
1. **“I replaced my programmer map with a Bosnian-inspired valley.”**
2. **“This villager chose food over their profession—and here is why.”**
3. **“The village can starve without a scripted quest.”**
4. **“Every NPC physically walks to the work they selected.”**
5. **“One blocked path broke the village economy.”**
6. **“Making a Jajce-inspired waterfall in Godot Terrain3D.”**
7. **“The same scene in cinematic mode and simulation-debug mode.”**
8. **“Can three autonomous villagers survive this shortage?”**
Each video should correspond to real repository progress. Do not build isolated
visual tricks solely for a post unless they also support the intended game.
## Performance guardrails
- Record frame time before adding terrain.
- Treat Terrain3D instancing as the default for broad foliage where suitable.
- Avoid physics and navigation obstacles on distant decorative vegetation.
- Keep waterfall mist and smoke particle counts bounded.
- Use simple water before adding screen-space reflection or refraction.
- Test the gameplay camera, not only the beauty camera.
- Profile editor and exported builds separately when export work begins.
- Recheck navigation cost after every meaningful terrain expansion.
- Do not increase NPC population while diagnosing environment cost.
## Source-control guardrails
- Commit Terrain3D data and game-authored terrain assets.
- Continue ignoring `.godot/` and other imported caches.
- Keep Godot `.import` and `.uid` sidecars tracked.
- Do not modify or reformat the third-party Terrain3D addon incidentally.
- Keep lookdev assets under game-owned paths, not inside the addon.
- Make environment, integration, and simulation changes separate commits where
practical.
## Definition of “Jajce Lookdev 01”
The adjusted first milestone is complete when:
- Terrain3D is used by `JajceWorld`; installation itself is already complete.
- One approximately 512 m terrain exists.
- Fortress ridge, town terraces, river valley, and waterfall drop are readable.
- Six or fewer terrain materials establish the major surfaces.
- One fortress, four to six houses, one mill, and one bridge are blocked out.
- River, waterfall foam, mist, warm lighting, and first foliage are present.
- A beauty camera produces a strong 1020 second shot.
- A rough navigation test proves the main route is viable.
- The existing simulation has not yet been duplicated or moved.
## Definition of “Simulation Garden 01”
The follow-up milestone is complete when:
- `JajceWorld` is instanced in `main.tscn`;
- food and wood ResourceNodes work in the terrain;
- remaining legacy task markers are reconnected;
- player movement and all existing interactions work;
- all three current NPCs navigate, work, eat, rest, starve, and die correctly;
- one NPC's decision is readable through in-game presentation;
- cinematic and debug views can show the same real scenario;
- a repeatable public-demo clip shows an autonomous cause and consequence;
- performance and navigation regressions are measured and documented.
## Immediate implementation order
1. Capture the current flat-map baseline.
2. Implement and validate ResourceNodes on the flat map.
3. Migrate food and wood; keep remaining zones as logged fallbacks.
4. Create `JajceWorld.tscn`.
5. Create dedicated Terrain3D data under `terrain/jajce/`.
6. Create `JajceLookdev.tscn` and its beauty camera.
7. Sculpt the ridge, river valley, terraces, and waterfall drop.
8. Place ResourceNodes and only the still-required legacy markers.
9. Block out the fortress, houses, mill, and bridge.
10. Run the early navigation spike.
11. Establish terrain materials, lighting, water, mist, and foliage.
12. Capture “Jajce Lookdev 01.”
13. Instance `JajceWorld` into `main.tscn`.
14. Reconnect fallbacks, rebake navigation, and regression-test the simulation.
15. Add profession/readability presentation.
16. Capture “Simulation Garden 01.”
Do not start with GIS data, a full city, a large asset pack, or more NPC
mechanics. The next proof is a beautiful stage for the systems that already
exist.