gamedev-the-steward/docs

Documentation map

Start with DEVELOPER_INDEX.md. It is the developer onboarding index: a current feature matrix, repository map, extension workflow, verification commands, and links into the detailed contracts below.

The project uses a small hierarchy so overlapping plans do not become competing sources of truth.

This directory is intentionally covered by .gdignore: plans and baseline captures are review artifacts, not runtime Godot resources.

1. DEVELOPER_INDEX.md is the current implementation index and the fastest route to a feature slice.
2. PROJECT_CONTEXT.md is the canonical description of the vision, current implementation, target architecture, and active constraints.
3. ARCHITECTURE_OVERVIEW.md is the concise map of runtime ownership, folder responsibilities, and dependency rules.
4. LEARNING_ROADMAP.md owns milestone order, architecture gates, reusable-system exit tests, and intentionally deferred work.
5. BUILD_IN_PUBLIC_PLAN.md owns the scoped Jajce visual slice. It must respect the architecture gates in the learning roadmap.
6. RESOURCE_NODE_MIGRATION.md is a focused migration plan. Phases 1–6 are complete; follow-up work should expand resource discovery without reintroducing abstract resource zones.
7. ACTION_SYSTEM_ARCHITECTURE.md, ECONOMIC_EVENTS.md, FOOD_STORAGE_ARCHITECTURE.md, REGIONAL_SIMULATION.md, SIMULATION_DEFINITIONS.md, and SIMULATION_STATE_SCHEMA.md document the current data contracts.
8. The implementation guides explain the larger slices without replacing the narrow contracts: authored content, commands and economy, events through dialogue, regional simulation, entity families, presentation/performance, saves/migrations, and testing/benchmarks.
9. decisions/ contains durable architectural decisions, including consequences and revisit conditions.
10. benchmarks/ contains reviewed, workload-specific performance ledgers and their machine-readable samples. Measurements are local evidence, not portable CI limits.

When documents disagree:

• code and tests describe current behavior;
• the newest accepted decision record governs architecture;
• PROJECT_CONTEXT.md governs product intent;
• LEARNING_ROADMAP.md governs what should be built next;
• focused plans govern only their stated scope.

Update the smallest relevant set of documents after a decision or milestone. Do not copy full status tables into every plan.