Prototype Review - Tactical Battle
Alignment date: 2026-06-16 · Product path: unthinkable · Topic: tactical-battle
This page reviews the durable prototype output produced by $prototype tactical-battle --variant 1. The approved Deployment Plan First branch is now split into a pre-battle artifact plus separate in-battle and after-action demos.
Prototype Artifact
Deployment Plan First
Prototype path: prototypes/unthinkable/tactical-battle/deployment-plan-first/index.html
Hub path: prototypes/unthinkable/tactical-battle/index.html
Open prototype hub · Open Deployment Plan · Open in-battle demo · Open After Action
Split Artifact Preview
This inline preview mirrors the three artifact boundaries. It does not replace hands-on review of the prototype files.
Deployment Plan: fixed deck identity and player-authored deployment queue are foregrounded before combat.
Research Integration
Deck Identity Signal
The prototype starts on a Deployment Plan, identifies the fixed 11th Armoured deck, and keeps card editing out of the surface. This tests whether players understand the fixed deck before first contact.
Command-Post Unlock Signal
The Motor Pool is the first unlock event in the separate in-battle demo. Its completion names the newly available Band B cards and advances the plan from Vanguard to Main Body.
Tactical Pressure Signal
The map appears in the separate in-battle demo. Recovery appears only after center pressure and damaged command-post state, preserving the sibling boundary from recovery-first framing.
Replay Signal
The After Action state compares planned and actual deployment order, build timing, recovery deviation, Band C status, and verdict.
Coverage Checkpoint
| Requirement | Status | Where It Appears |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Plan from fixed deck | Covered | deployment-plan-first/; queue controls; fixed scenario deck badges. |
| Category tabs with Band A/B/C sections | Covered | deployment-plan-first/; roster tabs INF, REC, VEH, ARMOR, AT, ARTY, AIR, SUPPORT, WON. |
| Tactical entry with map pressure | Covered in separate demo | tactical-entry-demo/; five capture points, starting units, planned deployment panel, command-post marker. |
| First command-post unlock | Covered in separate demo | tactical-entry-demo/; Motor Pool complete state unlocks Comet Troop, Firefly, and 25-pdr, while Air Liaison separately unlocks Auster AOP Mk V with the reusable FOO trait. |
| Recovery adaptation paths | Covered in separate demo | tactical-entry-demo/; Assembly Area, artillery contest, and command-chain rebuild cards. |
| After-action plan comparison | Covered in separate demo | after-action-demo/; planned vs actual timeline and adapted verdict. |
| Sibling UX branches | Deferred | Hub lists retained sibling branches as deferred pending approved UI packets. |
Evidence Matrix
| Claim | Source Evidence | Inference | Confidence | Decision Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment Plan First should be the variant 1 pre-battle artifact. | design/unthinkable/prototype-build-plan-tactical-battle.md maps proto-deployment-plan-first-01 to deployment-plan-first/. | The in-battle and after-action examples belong in separate demo directories. | High | Keep deployment-plan-first/, tactical-entry-demo/, and after-action-demo/ distinct. |
| The prototype should begin with a Deployment Plan, not a deck builder. | design/unthinkable/ui-deployment-plan-first.md states the deck is fixed and the player arranges a planned deployment queue. | Controls should reorder or inspect planned entries without implying card edits or quantities. | High | Use queue reorder controls and explicit fixed-deck copy. |
| Motor Pool completion should read as Band B availability unlocking under pressure. | The UI packet's First Unlock behavior requires command-post success treatment and newly available Band B card names. | The in-battle demo needs a visible unlock banner, completed marker, and named Band B cards. | High | Place First Unlock in tactical-entry-demo/. |
| Recovery must preserve the fixed deck rather than become the opening promise. | The UI packet and UX variation notes mark recovery as a later pressure state. | Recovery should be reachable after tactical pressure, not the initial frame. | High | Place recovery in tactical-entry-demo/. |
| After-action comparison should create replay intent. | UX variation and UI packet require planned vs actual deployment comparison. | The demo should make deviations explicit instead of only ending the battle. | High | Place planned and actual timeline comparison in after-action-demo/. |
Assumptions And Residual Risks
| ID | Assumption / Risk | Status | What Would Change It |
|---|---|---|---|
| P-A1 | A static-plus-clickable HTML prototype is enough for first UX review of branch legibility. | Accepted for prototype phase | UAT requires actual combat simulation before users can judge the flow. |
| P-A2 | Local placeholder assets from alignment/assets/deployment-plan-first/ are acceptable prototype art. | Accepted with caveat | Reviewers confuse placeholder art with final WW2 art direction. |
| P-A3 | Queue wording is clear enough to avoid deck-builder confusion. | Needs UAT evidence | Players try to add/remove cards or ask where deck quantities are edited. |
| P-A4 | Prototype does not validate AI, save/reload, performance, or combat readability yet. | Explicit residual risk | A later playable slice implements and measures those systems. |
Proposed File Changes
- Create
prototypes/unthinkable/tactical-battle/deployment-plan-first/index.html. - Create
prototypes/unthinkable/tactical-battle/tactical-entry-demo/index.html. - Create
prototypes/unthinkable/tactical-battle/after-action-demo/index.html. - Create
prototypes/unthinkable/tactical-battle/index.html. - Update
design/unthinkable/prototype-build-plan-tactical-battle.mditemproto-deployment-plan-first-01frompendingtobuilt. - Update
design/unthinkable/flow-tree-tactical-battle.yamlwith built status, prototype path, and build date forproto-deployment-plan-first-01. - Create this alignment page at
alignment/prototype-tactical-battle.htmland updatealignment/index.html.
Approval Gates
Artifact Destination
Review whether the prototype and hub paths are correct for the tactical-battle prototype.
Coverage Checkpoint
Review whether the split artifacts cover the approved Deployment Plan First branch enough for hands-on evaluation.
Proposed File Changes
Review whether the updated file set is limited to prototype output, prototype ledgers, and alignment index/page updates.
Compile Responses
Answer any gate questions or select section feedback, then compile YAML to send back to the agent. Complete approval requires every gate answered with no unresolved negative feedback.