Tactical Vertical-Slice Spec - Omega War
Stage 2 artifact review · staged cycle: tactical-vertical-slice-spec · page advanced 2026-06-15
Working packet:
research/unthinkable/_working/tactical-vertical-slice-spec.md. Clean approval should write the canonical artifact to
research/unthinkable/tactical-vertical-slice-spec.md and route to prototype-build.
1. Stage 1 Approval Record
Compiled approval received 2026-06-15. No required gates were missing and no section feedback was supplied.
artifact: alignment/tactical-vertical-slice-spec-omega-war.html
cycle: tactical-vertical-slice-spec
stage: stage-1-research-scope
compiled_at: 2026-06-15T18:23:54.150Z
missing_required: []
gates:
- qid: scope
section: "Proposed Cycle Summary"
gate: "TVSQ1 scope"
answer: "approve-as-proposed"
notes: ""
- qid: deliverable
section: "Spec Questions"
gate: "TVSQ2 deliverable shape"
answer: "implementation-ready-spec"
notes: ""
- qid: coverage
section: "Approved Inputs"
gate: "TVSQ3 input coverage"
answer: "approve-all-sources"
notes: ""
- qid: boundaries
section: "Slice Boundary and Deferrals"
gate: "TVSQ4 boundaries"
answer: "accept-boundaries"
notes: ""
- qid: working-path
section: "Outputs, Paths, and Route"
gate: "TVSQ5 working path"
answer: "approve-working-path"
notes: ""
- qid: canonical-path
section: "Outputs, Paths, and Route"
gate: "TVSQ6 canonical path"
answer: "approve-canonical-path"
notes: ""
- qid: route
section: "Outputs, Paths, and Route"
gate: "TVSQ7 route after approval"
answer: "prototype-build"
notes: ""
section_feedback:
[]
2. Artifact Summary
Slice thesis: one browser-first tactical battle proving the fused deck-as-roster plus command-post base-building loop. The deck defines identity; the in-battle build order decides when that identity arrives.
What the packet decides: fixed battle contract, UK 11th Armoured vs Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Army, tactical loop, cover/suppression/capture model, command-post band unlocks, one wonder slot per side, baseline AI, save/pause, browser-performance gates, fixture contract, and explicit deferrals.
What it does not decide: final combat balance, production storage, campaign map, netcode, durable infrastructure, final art/audio, or the full deck builder.
Gate - TVS2Q1 Spec Shape required
Approve the Stage-2 packet as an implementation-ready tactical vertical-slice spec?
3. Battle Contract
| Field | Decision |
|---|---|
| Scenario | Breakthrough at Helmstedt (working title), Central Germany |
| Mode | Single-player skirmish against AI |
| Player / AI | UK/Commonwealth 11th Armoured Division vs Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Army |
| Map | One fixed tactical map: village edge, road junction, tree lines, low ridges, five capture points |
| Target length | 15-25 minutes |
| Win/loss | Command-score pressure through capture ownership, or decisive command-post destruction after Band C opens |
3.1 Provisional deck fixtures
| Side | Band A | Band B | Band C / wonder |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK 11th Armoured | Recce Troop; Motor Rifle Section; Sappers; Cromwell Recon Support; 6-pdr AT Team | Comet Troop; Sherman Firefly Support; 17-pdr; 25-pdr; Supply Truck; FOO/Auster | Tempest/Typhoon Strike; AVRE/Crocodile Attachment; preferred wonder: RAF Cab-Rank Breakthrough Strike |
| Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Army | Razvedchiki; Tank Riders; T-34-85 Desant Config; SU-76; Sappers; 57 mm AT | T-34-85 Company; SU-100; ISU-122/152; Katyusha; Studebaker Supply; 37 mm AA | IS-2; Il-10 Strike; Heavy Artillery; preferred wonder: IS-3 Guards Shock Group |
Gate - TVS2Q2 Battle Contract required
Approve the fixed battle contract and faction/deck pair?
4. Combat, Base, and Wonder Systems
4.1 Combat model
- Cover states: open, light cover, heavy cover.
- Suppression states: normal, pressured, suppressed, pinned.
- Vehicles may receive a lighter shaken state but do not use infantry pinning in the first slice.
- Five capture points drive resource rate and command-score pressure.
Gate - TVS2Q3 Combat Model required
Approve the cover, suppression, capture, and tactical-loop model?
4.2 Command-post model
| Surface | Opens | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Command Post | Band A baseline | Starting base, damageable, recoverable unless the player is otherwise defeated |
| Assembly Area | Infantry depth | First build choice, replacements and infantry support |
| Motor Pool / Tank Park | Band B armor | Main-body armor, repair, recovery |
| Artillery Battery / Fire Direction Center | Artillery and smoke | Visible investment for indirect fire |
| Air Liaison | Air cards | Visible investment for air power |
| Advance Command Post | Band C and wonder slot | Late, expensive, interruptible commitment |
Gate - TVS2Q4 Command-Post Model required
Approve the command-post, resource, and Band A/B/C unlock contract?
4.3 Wonder-slot model
Each side has exactly one active wonder slot. The wonder requires Phase C, Deployment Band C, Advance Command Post completion, battlefield-control prerequisite, visible telegraph, one-use or long-cooldown behavior, and source caveat display where applicable.
Gate - TVS2Q5 Wonder Model required
Approve the one-wonder-slot late commitment model?
5. AI, Save, Performance, and Fixtures
| Area | Acceptance target |
|---|---|
| AI | Captures, escalates, attacks, defends, retreats/repositions, uses late powers only after prerequisites, and does not require cheat visibility for baseline decisions |
| Save/pause | Pause, manual save, autosave on visibility loss, reload, restart, and preserved unit/build/capture/AI state |
| Performance | 60 fps target, provisional under-100 draw-call budget, measured unit ceiling, no pathfinding hitches at target scale |
| Fixtures | Small schema-shaped JSON fixtures for factions, divisions, decks, cards, roster entries, command posts, wonder rules, and trait tags |
Gate - TVS2Q6 Prototype Gates required
Approve the AI, save/pause, browser-performance, and acceptance gates?
Gate - TVS2Q7 Fixture Contract required
Approve the fixture/data contract and schema fit?
6. Deferrals and Route
Out of scope remains: campaign map, formation-token movement, auto-resolve, strategic AI, refit economy, multiplayer, accounts, analytics, deployment, production observability, final balance values, full deck builder, all Central Germany decks, final art/audio, and production content tooling.
Gate - TVS2Q8 Deferrals required
Approve the explicit deferrals and non-goals?
Gate - TVS2Q9 Canonical Write required
Should clean approval write the canonical artifact?
Gate - TVS2Q10 Route After Approval required
After this spec is confirmed, what should the next route be?
7. Compile Approval YAML
Answer all required gates above, add optional section feedback, then compile and copy the YAML into the next execution message.