72 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
72 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
# MVP gameplay balance
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This document locks the gameplay configuration evaluated for Milestone 011.
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It is not a claim that the required human playtests have completed; their
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results belong in `docs/PLAYTEST_REPORT.md`.
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## Locked configuration
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| Parameter | Locked value | Purpose |
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| --- | ---: | --- |
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| Maze dimensions | 128 x 64 cells | MVP map size |
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| Initial vision radius | 3 cells | Current-view-only exploration |
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| Cross-half connection pairs | 3 | Multiple routes between conceptual halves |
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| Extra cycle pairs | 64 | Alternative routes without removing dead ends |
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| Minimum start-to-exit separation | 64 cells | Keeps exits distant from starts |
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| Landmark pairs | 8 | Spatial-memory cues in symmetric positions |
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| Vision-artifact pairs | 4 | Eight one-use artifacts; exceeds the MVP minimum of two |
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| Compass pairs | 1 | One compass for each player's own exit |
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| Movement cooldown | 150 ms | Server-enforced minimum accepted-move interval |
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| Enhanced-vision duration | 10 successful moves | MVP artifact duration |
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| Draw window | 200 ms | Authoritative simultaneous-exit boundary |
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| Match timer | None | Matches end only by defined result conditions |
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The values come from `maze32_maze_default_config()` and
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`maze32_game_default_config()`. They are server-owned defaults; browser
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clients cannot alter them.
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## Deterministic generation evidence
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`test/host/test_maze_generation.c` generates and validates seeds 0 through
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1,023 with this configuration. For every generated map it proves reachability,
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central symmetry, positive cycles and dead ends, at least four cross-half
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connections, paired player-relative route distances, and this balance
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invariant:
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```
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start_to_key_distance >= key_to_exit_distance
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```
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The test measures shortest traversable routes, not straight-line distance. It
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therefore establishes that finding a key is never made easier by a shorter
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required route than the later exit search. It does not substitute for human
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search behaviour in a maze with fog of war, landmarks, compasses, and
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artifacts.
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The most recent recorded sweep (2026-09-08) reported:
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| Metric | Observed range across 1,024 seeds |
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| --- | ---: |
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| Cycles | 133..133 |
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| Dead ends | 704..854 |
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| Start to key | 416..1,442 cells |
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| Key to exit | 346..1,244 cells |
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| Start to exit | 102..992 cells |
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| Generation attempts | 1 |
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At the 150 ms cooldown, an uninterrupted shortest 416-cell key route takes at
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least 62.4 seconds of accepted-move time. Actual match duration also includes
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route discovery, current-view-only navigation, the exit search, detours,
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interactions, and player decisions. The approximately five-minute target must
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be confirmed by the representative human-playtest procedure; no hard timer is
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introduced to force that outcome.
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## Tuning decision
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No parameter change is justified before representative timing evidence exists.
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Changing maze density or cooldown solely from shortest-path metrics would risk
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making the target duration less representative of real fog-of-war play. If the
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playtest median materially misses the five-minute target, change only the
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smallest relevant locked value, rerun the 1,024-seed suite, record the new
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range here, and repeat the affected playtests.
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