Conquest / Assault / Raid Pressure Adapters & Indirect Map-Objective Victory Pressure
A revised design synthesis that separates the drain-down command pool mechanic from the contested word score. Current sources call the pool command score, but this review now treats the name as a required decision: keep that term with an explicit depletion definition, or rename it to a health-like command pool such as Command Authority before canonizing the adapter model.
status: review tier: visual category: product-design stage: 1 (scope + proposed synthesis)
Alignment date: 2026-07-08 Product path:
unthinkable Producing skill: create-alignment-pagePage:
alignment/create-alignment-page-score-pressure-adapters.htmlPrimary sources:
research/unthinkable/helmstedt-objective-brainstorm.md, research/unthinkable/conquest-gamemode-rules-inventory.md, research/unthinkable/conquest-of-helmstedt-level-design.md, research/unthinkable/game-rules-inventory.mdNature: Conquest half is grounded in approved rules; the Assault/Raid adapters and the formal "adapter" abstraction are design-forward inference requiring review before any canonical write.
Revision: 2026-07-08 scope feedback resolved by adding a required naming decision for the drainable command pool and marking "command score" as current-source terminology, not an assumed final player-facing term.
Table of Contents
- 1. Scope, Framing & Terminology
- 2. The Pressure Adapter Model
- 3. Indirect Map-Objective Victory Pressure
- 4. Helmstedt Objectives → Indirect Pressure Channels
- 5. Evidence Matrix
- 6. Assumptions / Confidence Register
- 7. Alternatives & Rejected / Lower-Confidence
- 8. Source Coverage & Gaps
- 9. Proposed Artifact & File Changes
- 10. Compile Responses
1. Scope, Framing & Terminology
UpdatedFeedback response: the source evidence supports a drain-down mechanic, not an earned-points score. The unresolved design question is terminology. If "score" should mean something earned, the drainable pool should be renamed before the cross-mode artifact is approved; Command Authority is the clearest candidate because it reads like a resource that can be depleted under battlefield pressure.
This page proposes a vocabulary and design contract for how the three planned game modes convert battlefield state into one drainable victory-resolution pool, and how map-specific objectives influence that pool indirectly. It does not change any implemented behavior. Conquest is the only mode in the first playable slice; Assault and Raid are named future patterns only (CNQ-001 implementation note).
| Term | Meaning in this proposal |
|---|---|
| Command score (current source term) | Current approved rules use this as a drainable victory-resolution pool: win by reducing the enemy's pool to zero (or the Phase-C Advance Command Post fallback); lose if yours reaches zero. Mechanically, this behaves like command health, morale, or authority, not like earned points. Source: CNQ-007 / BTL-002 / CSC-001–003. |
| Command Authority / Command Integrity (candidate rename) | Candidate final name for the same drainable pool if "score" should be reserved for something earned. Command Authority is the recommended rename for review because "authority being drained" reads more naturally than "score being drained." |
| Pressure adapter (working concept) | A per-mode conversion layer that decides which battlefield states apply pressure to the drainable command pool. If the pool is renamed to Command Authority, the artifact should likely use command-pressure adapter or victory-pressure adapter instead of "score-pressure adapter." |
| Earned score | Not part of the current Conquest victory loop. If the project wants earned score, reserve it for post-battle rating, performance summary, or campaign/meta scoring, not this zero-out battle-resolution pool. |
| Game-mode objective | The rule that decides how you win — the adapter made concrete. Conquest = five capture points + drain. Source: brainstorm "Terminology". |
| Map objective | A thematic battlefield event layered on a specific map (Helmstedt = Checkpoint Alpha Transit Events). Grants a temporary tactical advantage. Not a second victory track. Source: brainstorm "Terminology" + "Core Model". |
| Indirect scoring / indirect victory pressure | Map objectives never touch the drainable command pool directly. They alter the battlefield state that the adapter reads, so their effect on battle resolution is mediated (doubly, per §3). |
In scope: the drainable-pool terminology decision, the adapter abstraction, the indirect-pressure pipeline, and the Conquest→Assault→Raid reward/conversion mapping. Out of scope: final numeric tuning (deferred by
CNQ-022), new experiments (brainstorm "Experiment Mapping" says none needed), runtime promotion, and broad runtime/canonical renames before this review is approved.Gate · Scope & Non-Goals
What should the drainable zero-out command pool be called before this model is canonized?required
Is the pressure-adapter framing (one shared drainable command pool + a per-mode conversion layer) the right abstraction to document now?required
How much Assault/Raid detail should this proposal carry?required
2. The Pressure Adapter Model
UpdatedEvery mode shares one drainable command pool and differs by one conversion function. Existing sources call that pool command score, but this revision does not assume that name is final. The substrate is the pool, its drain relationship, the ownership/progress state it reads, and the Phase-progression comeback relief that snapshots pressure at transitions (CNQ-012). The adapter is the mode-specific rule mapping battlefield state → pressure on that pool.
2.1 Shared substrate (constant across modes)
- Drainable command pool: current source name is command score; mechanically drained by the winning side's held value. approved mechanic
CNQ-007 / BTL-002 / CSC-001–003; final term pending gate §1. - Resolution: reach zero enemy command pool, or destroy the enemy Advance Command Post after Phase C opens. approved
CNQ-007 - Comeback relief: at A→B and B→C, snapshot score pressure; a meaningfully-behind side gets one free command-structure upgrade — never score, units, income, or combat effect. approved
CNQ-012 - Gates: command-post prerequisites and phase timers gate availability regardless of mode. approved
CNQ-010 / CNQ-011
2.2 The three adapters
| Mode | Adapter — how battlefield state becomes pressure on the command pool | Primary tracked state | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conquest playable now |
Ownership of five capture points sets resource rate and drain on the enemy command pool; the central command point (CP-C) exerts the strongest drain while side points feed income, flanking, raids, and comeback pressure. | Persistent point ownership over time | approvedCNQ-003/004/006 |
| Assault future |
Territorial progress: an attacker breaching and holding a staged objective line drains the defender's command pool; the defender preserves that pool by denying the line. Pressure tracks position, not persistent multi-point hold. | Objective-line / breach position | future patternCNQ-001 (inferred) |
| Raid future |
Completion timing: reaching, extracting, or exposing a raid target applies a pressure pulse; the contest is the reach/extract window and its denial, not holding ground. | Raid-target reach / extract state + timers | future patternCNQ-001 (inferred) |
2.3 The invariant
UpdatedThe drainable command pool is the only battle-resolution pool in every mode. Adapters change the conversion function (which states apply pressure and how fast), never the pool, the comeback-relief rule, or the command-post/phase gates. If gate §1 approves a rename, read this invariant as Command Authority is the only battle-resolution pool. A mode is defined by its adapter plus its map objectives, not by a second win track bolted beside the pool.
Gate · Design Decision — Adapter Invariant
Should "the drainable command pool is the only battle-resolution pool; modes differ only by conversion" be recorded as a hard invariant?required
3. Indirect Map-Objective Victory Pressure
Map objectives (Helmstedt: Checkpoint Alpha Transit Events) never modify the drainable command pool directly. They inject a temporary tactical advantage into the battlefield-state layer; that advantage improves the mode's scoring actions; the adapter then converts the improved state into pool drain. Impact on battle resolution is therefore doubly indirect, and always ignorable.
3.1 The indirect-pressure pipeline
| Stage | What happens | Touches command pool? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Map objective won | A side wins the Checkpoint Alpha event for the current phase. | No |
| 2 · Temporary tactical reward | Reward granted (capture speed, contest strength, logistics, etc.); reward type adapts per mode. | No |
| 3 · Better scoring action | The reward makes a capture / contest / defend / attack more effective. | No |
| 4 · Ownership / progress shift | The improved action changes the state the adapter reads (point ownership, breach line, raid window). | No (state only) |
| 5 · Adapter → drain | The per-mode adapter converts the shifted state into drain on the command pool. | Yes — via the adapter, never the objective |
| 6 · Victory pressure | Accumulated drain builds toward the win condition. | Yes |
Design property: because the objective only ever multiplies effectiveness at stage 3, a player who ignores it is under tactical pressure but never instantly invalidated, and the objective is never a mandatory victory gate (brainstorm "Conquest Integration Notes").
3.2 Reward policy (what "indirect" is allowed to mean)
Verbatim from the brainstorm's Reward Policy — the guardrails that keep map objectives indirect:
Allowed (indirect) rewards
- Capture-speed bonus near a specified lane / point
- Contest-strength bonus for eligible units in a marked radius
- Temporary defensive works near an owned point
- Smoke or artillery preparation on a visible point
- Faster road deployment along a marked corridor
- Temporary command aura near contested points
- Emergency logistics near owned points
- Short repair / resupply pulse tied to a visible destination
Disallowed (would make it direct)
- Immediate point capture
- Direct command-pool damage
- Permanent income multiplier
- Free Phase B/C command-post unlock
- Hidden or untelegraphed unit spawn
- Wonder activation without Advance CP + declaration
- Global buff without map-local explanation
- Reward that forces abandoning the core capture game
3.3 The reward step adapts per mode
The same event family changes its reward logic by mode (brainstorm "Future-Mode Note") — this is the mode-adaptation at stage 2, distinct from the adapter's conversion at stage 5:
| Mode | Reward adapts to help you… | Feeds which adapter input |
|---|---|---|
| Conquest | capture, defend, contest, or attack control points | point ownership (§2.2 row 1) |
| Assault | breach, hold staging ground, or reinforce an attack lane | breach-line position (§2.2 row 2) |
| Raid | reach, extract, obscure, or temporarily expose a raid target | reach/extract window (§2.2 row 3) |
Gate · Design Decision — Indirect-Only Rule
Should "map objectives never touch the drainable command pool directly" be an absolute rule, or allow sanctioned exceptions?required
Does the six-stage pressure pipeline (§3.1) correctly capture the intended indirection? (optional)
4. Helmstedt Objectives → Indirect Pressure Channels
Concrete instantiation for the first playable Conquest map. The five capture points are the Conquest adapter's inputs; the phase-flavored Checkpoint Alpha events feed them indirectly.
4.1 Capture points = adapter inputs
| Point | Role | Adapter contribution |
|---|---|---|
| CP-NW / CP-SW | Player-near resource points | Income + comeback pressure; light drain contribution when held. |
| CP-C | Central command point | Strongest command-pool drain (current source term: command-score drain); contestable from multiple lanes. |
| CP-NE / CP-SE | AI-near resource points | Raid/flank targets; splitting AI attention and testing comeback. |
Ownership controls resource rate and drain on the command pool; exact contest radius / capture time / income / drain values are deferred to EXP-04 tuning (LDD "Capture Points"; CNQ-022).
4.2 Checkpoint Alpha events → indirect channels
| Phase event | Reward (indirect) | Which point it pressures | Safety ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Gatehouse Seizure | Faster capture / stronger infantry contest near one lane; one-time smoke on an approach; Phase-A road-entry speed. | Flip / hold CP-NW or CP-SW | Helps take/hold; does not own the point or touch the command pool. |
| B · Checkpoint Alpha Convoy | Emergency logistics; faster reinforcement on the transit road; short defensive works; artillery/smoke prep; limited repair pulse. | Sustain hold of CP-C or a side point | Creates a push window; no capture, command-pool damage, free CP, or permanent income. |
| C · Corridor Breakthrough | Faster corridor reinforcement; temporary command aura; brief contest strength; artillery/smoke on the next attack point. | Decisive drain push around CP-C | Accelerates a conventional push; cannot replace Advance CP / wonder prerequisites, declarations, or telegraphs. |
AI honesty: the AI must be able to choose to contest, escort, interdict, or ignore the event honestly (brainstorm Experiment Mapping → EXP-08). Indirect victory pressure only works if both sides treat the objective as optional leverage, not a forced lane.
5. Evidence Matrix
Each major claim mapped to repo evidence, inference, confidence, assumption status, and decision impact. Observed rule = present in an approved/working register; inferred = this proposal's synthesis. UpdatedThe drain mechanic is evidence-backed; the final name of the drained pool is not.
| Claim | Evidence (source · path) | Inference | Conf. | Assumption | Decision impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The battle has a single drainable command pool that resolves victory. | Observed — CNQ-007, BTL-002, CSC-001–003 |
Existing rules say capture-point value drains the enemy's pool to zero; that is a depletion mechanic regardless of final name. | high | Future modes keep this one battle-resolution pool. | Grounds the invariant (§2.3). Approve to make it a rule. |
| The label command score may be misleading. | Observed wording — current rules use "command score"; reviewer feedback notes "score" sounds earned, while drain sounds like authority/hit points. | The mechanic should either be renamed to a health-like pool (Command Authority recommended) or the artifact must explicitly define "score" as depletion-only. | medium | Player-facing terminology should match mechanic semantics. | New primary approval item (gate §1). |
| Conquest converts capture-point ownership into drain; CP-C strongest. | Observed — CNQ-003/004/006, CSC-003, LDD "Capture Points" |
Conquest = the ownership-over-time adapter. | high | None material. | Conquest adapter row is safe to document as-is. |
| Map objectives must not touch the command pool directly. | Observed — brainstorm "Core Model" + "Reward Policy" (disallowed list) | Objectives influence battle resolution only via battlefield state → adapter. | high | Holds for all future modes unless a sanctioned exception is approved. | Grounds the indirect-only gate (§3). |
| The reward step adapts per mode (Conquest/Assault/Raid). | Observed — brainstorm "Future-Mode Note" | Stage-2 reward is mode-specific even when the theme is constant. | high | Assault/Raid reward verbs stay as listed. | Supports §3.3 table verbatim. |
| Helmstedt events map to indirect per-phase channels. | Observed — brainstorm "Checkpoint Alpha Transit Events" + "Conquest Integration Notes" | Each phase event pressures specific points without owning them. | high | Event family survives review (see helmstedt-real-world-objective-review). | Supports §4 mapping. |
| A formal pressure-adapter abstraction is worth naming. | Inferred — synthesis of the above; no source uses the term. | Naming the conversion layer clarifies mode design and keeps the drainable pool stable. | medium | The team wants a named abstraction vs informal notes. | Primary approval item (gate §1 / §2). |
| Assault adapter = territorial breach-line progress → drain. | Inferred — CNQ-001 names Assault as future; brainstorm gives Assault reward verbs only. |
A breach/hold-line conversion fits "breach, hold staging, reinforce". | low | No approved Assault spec exists. | Label design-forward; do not canonize numbers. |
| Raid adapter = reach/extract timing → pressure pulse. | Inferred — CNQ-001 + brainstorm Raid reward verbs (reach/extract/obscure/expose). |
A completion-timing conversion fits raid verbs better than territory hold. | low | No approved Raid spec; may need its own win-pulse rules. | Label design-forward; ties to indirect-exception gate (§3). |
Gate · Evidence & Design Completeness
Is the evidence sufficient to record the Conquest half and the indirect-pressure rule as canonical, with the command-pool naming decision and Assault/Raid clearly flagged as review decisions?required
Could any missing context change the recommendation? (optional)
6. Assumptions / Confidence Register
| Conclusion | Status | What would change it |
|---|---|---|
| One drainable command pool resolves battle victory; modes differ by conversion. | evidence-backed mechanic | A future mode spec that introduces a second win pool or currency. |
| The final name should remain command score. | contested terminology | Gate §1 approval to keep it, or approval to rename it to Command Authority / Command Integrity. |
| Conquest = capture-ownership adapter (CP-C strongest). | evidence-backed | A rules change to how ownership drives drain. |
| Map objectives influence the command pool only indirectly. | evidence-backed | An approved exception (e.g. Raid expose pulse). |
| Formal "adapter" naming is the right abstraction. | provisional | Team decision to adopt / rename / keep informal (gate §1). |
| Assault = breach-line progress adapter. | provisional inference | An approved Assault mode spec. |
| Raid = reach/extract timing adapter. | provisional inference | An approved Raid mode spec + win-pulse rules. |
| All concrete magnitudes (drain, capture time, bonus sizes). | deferred | EXP-04 / EXP-06 tuning evidence (CNQ-022). |
Gate · Assumptions / Confidence
Are the confidence labels correct — drain mechanic + Conquest + indirect rule as evidence-backed, command-pool naming and adapter naming provisional, Assault/Raid low-confidence?required
7. Alternatives & Rejected / Lower-Confidence
7.1 Rejected design directions
| Rejected approach | Why rejected |
|---|---|
| Map objectives that damage the command pool directly. | Creates a parallel victory track; violates the brainstorm Reward Policy disallowed list; removes the "ignorable" safety property. |
| Silently canonizing command score as a drainable pool without resolving terminology. | Current feedback identifies a semantic mismatch: "score" reads like earned points, while the mechanic behaves like authority, morale, integrity, or hit points. Keeping the term remains possible only if explicitly approved and defined. |
| A separate score currency per mode. | Breaks the shared substrate, duplicates comeback-relief logic (CNQ-012), and makes cross-mode balance opaque. |
| Objective as a mandatory scoring lane. | A player who ignores it would be instantly invalidated — explicitly disallowed (brainstorm "Conquest Integration Notes"). |
| Reward that permanently multiplies income/economy. | Disallowed reward; converts a temporary event into permanent dominance. |
7.2 Event-family alternatives (from brainstorm, secondary)
| Alternative | Why secondary (brainstorm) |
|---|---|
| Rail Corridor Surge | Strong visual identity but narrower; may overemphasize one lane. |
| Lappwald Relay Net | Good for recon, less central to Helmstedt's transit identity. |
| Border Gate Control | Useful Phase-A variant, too small to carry all three phases. |
| Marienborn Signal Intercept | Good intel hook, risks an info-system feature before core systems are proven. |
| Autobahn Breakthrough | Strong Phase-C fantasy, too late-game-specific to be the only family. |
8. Source Coverage & Gaps
- Covered (repo rules): drainable command-pool mechanic under the current source term "command score", five-point Conquest conversion, comeback relief, command-post/phase gates, indirect reward policy, Helmstedt event family, per-mode reward adaptation.
- Gap — terminology semantics: the sources use command score but do not evaluate whether "score" should be earned rather than depleted. This revision makes that a required review decision before canonicalizing the cross-mode artifact.
- Gap — Assault/Raid specs: no approved mode spec exists; only
CNQ-001naming + brainstorm reward verbs. Their adapter rows are inference. - Gap — numeric tuning: all magnitudes deferred to EXP-04 / EXP-06 (
CNQ-022); this page records structure, not balance. - Gap — objective-review status: the Checkpoint Alpha family is itself under review in
alignment/helmstedt-real-world-objective-review.html; this proposal assumes that family survives review. - Not consulted: live prototype runtime (
prototypes/…/playable-battle/js/) — the modes/objectives are design-stage, not yet implemented, so runtime was not treated as authority.
Gate · Coverage Checkpoint
Is this coverage boundary acceptable (design-stage sources only; runtime and numeric tuning excluded)?required
9. Proposed Artifact & File Changes
UpdatedNothing is written until approval. The brainstorm already anticipated this as "a later rules pass" for full Conquest/Assault/Raid game-mode objective rules. The destination now depends on the terminology gate: if the pool is renamed, the dedicated artifact should avoid the old score-pressure title.
| Option | Destination | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| A (recommended) | New research/unthinkable/command-pressure-adapters.md if the pool is renamed to Command Authority / Command Integrity; fallback research/unthinkable/score-pressure-adapters.md only if "command score" is explicitly kept. Cross-link from the Conquest inventory. | Keeps the cross-mode abstraction in one place; inventory stays Conquest-focused; avoids locking the old score term if the rename is approved. |
| B | Append a "Pressure Adapters" section to research/unthinkable/conquest-gamemode-rules-inventory.md. | Co-locates with Conquest rules but mixes cross-mode content into a mode-specific register. |
| C | Add adapter rules (e.g. CSC-005+) to research/unthinkable/game-rules-inventory.md. | Canonical register, but buries the model among all rules. |
Proposed mutation scope after approval (Option A): create the new doc at the terminology-approved path; add a one-line pointer + "Related" cross-link in conquest-gamemode-rules-inventory.md; update alignment/index.html; convert this page to confirmed. No changes to prototypes/… runtime, no numeric balance, no experiment changes, and no broad source-term rename beyond the approved artifact unless a later task explicitly authorizes it.
Gate · Artifact Destination & Proposed File Changes
Where should the approved model be canonized?required
Is the proposed mutation scope (new/append doc + cross-link + index; no runtime, no numbers) approved?required
Gate · Post-Approval Route
After approval and the canonical write, what is the next step?required
10. Compile Responses
Answer the gate questions above (and/or select section feedback), then compile a single response payload. Enabled as soon as one gate is answered or one section-feedback control is selected. Partial responses are fine — you do not need to answer every gate to send emphasis or concerns.
Review path: read this page, then compile either local section-feedback YAML (from any section's emphasize / thumbs-down / clarify control) or the bottom Compile Responses YAML, and paste it back into a /create-alignment-page session to continue. The YAML carries its own command: route.