Tactical Vertical-Slice Spec - Omega War
Confirmed research/design artifact · staged cycle: tactical-vertical-slice-spec · canonical write 2026-06-15
The canonical artifact is
research/unthinkable/tactical-vertical-slice-spec.md.Approval source: clean Stage-2 compiled YAML (all ten gates approved, no missing required answers, no section feedback).
The confirmed post-approval route is
prototype-test-plan. This page is finished but amendable by archive-first revision.
Confirmed Approval Record
Stage 2 approval received 2026-06-15. The working packet was promoted to canonical, the pre-confirmation page and working packet were archived under docs/history/archive/2026-06-15/231819/, and the active working packet was removed.
| Gate | Answer | Status |
|---|---|---|
| TVS2Q1 spec shape | approve-spec | approved |
| TVS2Q2 battle contract | approve-battle-contract | approved |
| TVS2Q3 combat model | approve-combat-model | approved |
| TVS2Q4 command-post model | approve-command-post-model | approved |
| TVS2Q5 wonder model | approve-wonder-model | approved |
| TVS2Q6 prototype gates | approve-prototype-gates | approved |
| TVS2Q7 fixture contract | approve-fixture-contract | approved |
| TVS2Q8 deferrals | approve-deferrals | approved |
| TVS2Q9 canonical write | write-now | executed |
| TVS2Q10 route after approval | prototype-test-plan | recorded |
artifact: alignment/tactical-vertical-slice-spec-omega-war.html
cycle: tactical-vertical-slice-spec
stage: stage-2-artifact-review
compiled_at: 2026-06-15T23:18:19.233Z
missing_required: []
gates:
- qid: spec-shape
section: "Artifact Summary"
gate: "TVS2Q1 spec shape"
answer: "approve-spec"
notes: ""
- qid: battle-contract
section: "Battle Contract"
gate: "TVS2Q2 battle contract"
answer: "approve-battle-contract"
notes: ""
- qid: combat-model
section: "Combat, Base, and Wonder Systems"
gate: "TVS2Q3 combat model"
answer: "approve-combat-model"
notes: ""
- qid: command-post-model
section: "Combat, Base, and Wonder Systems"
gate: "TVS2Q4 command-post model"
answer: "approve-command-post-model"
notes: ""
- qid: wonder-model
section: "Combat, Base, and Wonder Systems"
gate: "TVS2Q5 wonder model"
answer: "approve-wonder-model"
notes: ""
- qid: prototype-gates
section: "AI, Save, Performance, and Fixtures"
gate: "TVS2Q6 prototype gates"
answer: "approve-prototype-gates"
notes: ""
- qid: fixture-contract
section: "AI, Save, Performance, and Fixtures"
gate: "TVS2Q7 fixture contract"
answer: "approve-fixture-contract"
notes: ""
- qid: deferrals
section: "Deferrals and Route"
gate: "TVS2Q8 deferrals"
answer: "approve-deferrals"
notes: ""
- qid: canonical-write
section: "Deferrals and Route"
gate: "TVS2Q9 canonical write"
answer: "write-now"
notes: ""
- qid: route
section: "Deferrals and Route"
gate: "TVS2Q10 route after approval"
answer: "prototype-test-plan"
notes: ""
section_feedback:
[]
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 | Conquest of 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; Rifle Section; Sappers; Cromwell Recon; 6-pdr AT Team | Comet Troop; Sherman Firefly; 17-pdr; 25-pdr; Bedford QL Munitions Truck; Bedford QLC Petrol Tanker; Universal Carrier (Munitions); CMP Munitions Truck; Auster AOP Mk V with FOO trait | Hawker Typhoon Mk IB; Hawker Tempest Mk V; Supermarine Spitfire XIV; AVRE/Crocodile Attachment; preferred wonder: Centurion Trial Troop |
| 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 US6 Munitions Truck; Studebaker US6 Fuel Truck; 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.
- Tactical charges are split: firing spends 1 munitions charge from the acting armed unit; moving or relocating a vehicle, tank, or aircraft spends 1 fuel charge.
- Logistics cards have one resource kind plus cargo charges. Resupply Munitions restores up to 2 munitions charges and spends 1 cargo charge; Refuel restores up to 2 fuel charges and spends 1 cargo charge. Wrong-resource restoration is disallowed.
- Non-combat abilities cost 0 unless an authored ability explicitly declares a resource kind and cost.
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 | Controllable aircraft cards | Visible investment for air power; selected aircraft use command-panel abilities and Q/W/E hotkeys rather than universal off-map buttons |
| 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.