fleet-builder-project/planning_docs/GAMEPLAY.md

# Naval Composition Roguelite — Gameplay Specification

**Purpose:** Translate DESIGN.md into concrete gameplay mechanics. Half-filled proposals, half-questionnaire. Fill in the `[DECIDE: ...]` sections.

---

## 1. Run Start: Fleet Selection

### What We Know
- Player starts with ~3 ships
- Meta-progression unlocks options, not power
- Choice should set strategic direction

### Proposed Mechanic

For the initial concept, player starts with a preset, relatively boring 'default deck' with:
- 1 orthodox destroyer
- 1 orthodox cruiser (the "scout cruiser" is just a cruiser for MVP - mechanically identical)
- 1 orthodox battleship

Future extension: more presets; cost-based custom presets, etc.
But for now, the boring solution is the easiest to implement and will become un-boring if the roguelite part does its job.  

### Unlock Progression
Not important in initial version.  
However, I personally hate grindy grinds, so unlocks should be rather easy, ceremonial, like a breeze; players should be able to fiddle with all possibilities as soon as possible.  

---

## 2. Map Structure

### What We Know
- Branching paths (think Slay the Spire)
- ~50-60% combat, ~40-50% logistics/events
- Target runtime: 30 minutes

### Math Check
- 30 min run = ~18-25 nodes total
- If 60% combat = ~12-15 fights
- Non-combat nodes = ~6-10

### Between Nodes
Player can change equipments on a ship (swap, substitute with inventory items, take off, etc) as long as not in battle or stat check events.  
Player can also swap ships in/out of the 'sortie slots' of 3 (can have reserve ships), similarly as long as not in battle or stat check.  
  

### Node Types

#### Starting Node
'Home port'.  
Just a placeholder for picking the starting deck. Does this and only this.  
Might also do the whale stuff (of Slay the Spire) later but not now.  

#### Combat Node Types
**Tributes to KanColle here** (the fancier way of saying 'ripoff')  
Several kinds of battle, not every comes in PoC/MVP/alpha alpha.  
- **Normal** - surface-to-surface fights, enemy might have planes but will never have subs.
- **ASW** - submarine-only enemy fleet. 
- **Aerial** - aviation-focussed fights.

**For MVP, only normal nodes: surface combat nodes.**  
Add more varieties later if ever. 3 is already a lot.  

**Enemy fleet size**: Always 1 to 3 ships.

**Enemy composition reveal**: Enemy composition is NOT fully revealed until you lock in your sortie squad and commence battle. You commit to the fight blind (or partially blind).
- *Future extension*: More Recon power reveals more enemy info before combat. Tradeoff: Recon specialists are generally weaker in combat (could be compensated with synergies/chemistry).
- *For MVP*: Enemy count visible on map node (1/2/3 ships), but not their types or loadouts until battle starts.

**Loot**: Your classic 'choose 1 equipment from 3'. To streamline things, no concept of 'cash' or 'universal resource'.

**Battle termination - Tick System**:
Battles use a **tick-based system** rather than "turns" (which imply guaranteed action per turn). One action takes multiple ticks.
- **Scale reference**: The major battle phase (gunnery) should run ~100 ticks total, supporting ~2 large caliber salvos (~45 ticks per salvo).
- Small guns fire more quickly (fewer ticks per salvo), torpedoes slower, etc.
- Battle ends when: (1) one side is eliminated, OR (2) tick limit reached (exact limit TBD - probably 200-300 ticks total?)

**Battle result grading**: Derived from enemy sunk ratios and damage delivered/received. Better battle result yields better loot quality/choice.
- **[TODO: ELABORATE VICTORY GRADE FUNCTION]** - Current thinking is too KanColle, will work as stub for now. S/A/B/C/D ranks based on performance.
- **Short circuit conditions** ()
  - S: All enemies sunk
  - A: over half enemies sunk (2/3, 1/2) or enemy flagship sunk
  - B: enemy damage percentage (hp_lost / hp_sum_at_battle_start) greater than player damage percentage
  - C: Something else
- **Known vulnerability**: Losing spiral - weak fleet → bad results → bad loot → weaker fleet. May need catch-up mechanics (dockyards buff weak fleets, events offer risky power spikes).

#### Elite Combat Node
'Elite' nodes are just combat nodes with 'better'/'stronger' enemies. (optimised compositions or cheating stats by equipments).  

#### Boss Node
- Fixed endpoint, no branching after
- Two patterns for PoC stage. Like one super battleship (force) and one super carrier (force).  
  With screening ships, but still under the 3-ship threshold.  
- **Boss structure**
  - 1 flagship which has a cheating hull (meaty stats by hull, like abnormally high HP/armour/base firepower, or more eq. slots)
  - Sink flagship to win
  - Other enemy ships are relatively normal

#### Refit / Dockyard Node
Remember that the game has no 'money', so these nodes are:
- free, but some options are conditioned e.g. require specific stats/tags/traits/synergies... or has tradeoff
- mostly upgrading (improvement should always be positive at micro)

**Possible services**, I'm just listing. Not every one should make into the PoC or final game. (if there ever is a final game):  
- Repair hull damage
- Upgrade equipment (a random better one of same type, or stat boost)
- New equipment / hull
- Trade equipment (no type guarantee, but generally better) **[How to determine 'better'?]**
- Apply mod (on the spot, like 'enchant') *this is a strong one, should have some sort of cost*
- Remove any mod (positive or negative)
- Trade mods 
  
***Note***: overall number of visitable nodes are relatively low per map. I would like the player to have more freedom to customise, so each dockyard node might offer multiple (2~4?) charges of service.  
Also that it might be more gameplay if each dockyard node is different and offer a unique set of services. But might as well offer all of them for the first version.  

#### Event Node
- Random event from pool
- Must force tradeoff (no pure upgrades)
- **[DECIDE: Examples?]** (Fill in 3-5 example events with choices and consequences) - Still thinking, might do this later

Example template:
```
EVENT: Salvage Drifting Hulk
Choice A: Strip for parts → Gain random equipment, -0~20% HP on one ship (represents overwork/risk) (but not deadly)
Choice B: Claim as prize → Gain damaged hull
Choice C: Ignore → Gain nothing, but also risk nothing
```

```
EVENT: Storm
Choice A: Take plain damage (all the fleet incl. reserves lose 5% HP)
Choice B: (available if RADAR >= 2) Take less or no damage. # Not sure what RADAR could be, but it requires specific deckbuilding
```

**[DECIDE: Fill in 3-5 event examples like above]** - Still thinking, might do this later

#### Salvage Node
Can already get hulls from the Refit/Dockyard node, so this is part of that


### Map Generation
- **Depth**: Depending on routes, roughly 8~10 nodes from start to boss (could fluctuate slightly). Boss always visible at end.
- **Width per row**: 2~5 paths per row. Includes 'skip' nodes (direct route jumping one row further) and intra-row lateral paths. Generation should guarantee total run length doesn't fluctuate too much (target 8-10 nodes traversed).
- **Path/node visibility**:
  - **For MVP**: Fixed vision of **2 connected nodes** from current position. Boss is always visible (endpoint marker).
  - *Future extension*: Recon stat/equipment/tags increase visibility range. More scouting = see farther ahead, but scout ships are weaker in combat (balanced via synergies).  

### Known Vulnerability
If map is always similar shape (e.g., always 8 rows, always ends at boss), players will plan perfectly. If too random, they'll feel helpless. You probably want consistency in structure, variance in content.

---

## 3. Fleet Persistence & Loss

### The Hard Question
**What happens when a ship is destroyed mid-run?**

- **Ship is lost for the run**
  - Equipments on sinking ships are lost as well 
    - but certain mechanisms can be used to recover equipments (e.g. planes can emergency rebase to another carrier if certain conditions are met)
  - Player might or might not have ships in reserve. It's ok to activate reserve ships after the ship-losing battle.
  - Also, revival mechanisms that can prevent that loss (e.g. emergency repair - just like KanColle)
  - Still ripping off KanColle, ships above a certain health (not 'heavy damage') won't be sunk in battle but could become heavily damaged. This is a very good guardrail by KanColle in my opinion. 

### KanColle style heavy damage protection
Pseudocode here.
```python
#
def getShipDamageLevel(maxShipHp: int, currentShipHp: int):
  if (currentShipHp <= (maxShipHp * 0.25)):
    return HEAVY_DAMAGE
  else:
    return SAFE_DAMAGE 
  # Actual KanColle has medium damage (0.25 * maxShipHp < currentShipHp <= 0.5 * maxShipHp), light damage (0.5 * maxShipHp < currentShipHp <= 0.75 * maxShipHp), and slight damage (0.75 * maxShipHp <currentShipHp) which has more uses. But currently we might only need this simplest form.
```
**Sinking Rules:**
- Ship enters battle at `HEAVY_DAMAGE` (≤25% HP): **Can be sunk** during that battle (if damage exceeds remaining HP)
- Ship enters battle at `SAFE_DAMAGE` (>25% HP): **Cannot be sunk** this battle. Any killing blow is hard capped to leave ship at **1% HP minimum** (non-lethal).
- Protection is determined at **battle start**, not recalculated mid-fight. If you enter SAFE, all hits are capped for the entire battle, even if you drop below 25% mid-fight.

**Implementation note:** "Non-lethal cap" means: if ship is at 30% HP and takes a hit that would deal 29%+ damage, reduce final damage to leave ship at 1% HP. Keeps it simple and dramatic.

### Damage Persistence
**Does hull damage carry between fights?**
- YES: Adds attrition strategy, refit nodes become crucial

**How much can you heal outside refit nodes?**
- Equipment/Tag-based healing (repair cranes, damage control, etc.), these check out at different stages. (e.g. DamCon can activate during or outside battle, but repair cranes can only repair outside battles)
- Dockyard nodes. Now thinking about it, dockyards should heal (repair) ships unconditionally on entrance.
- Event nodes. Requires some good storytelling but as a mechanism this works.

### Reserve Ships System

**Core Rules:**
- **Max fleet size**: 6 ships total (3 active sortie slots + 3 reserve slots)
- **Starting reserves**: 0 - you begin with exactly 3 ships, no reserves
- **Acquiring new hulls**: From dockyard/event nodes only
- **Hull acquisition philosophy**: Scarce and NOT immediately rewarding

**The Balance:**
When you get a new hull (free at dockyards), it's **just a hull** - no equipment, no mods. It does nothing useful immediately.

The strategic choice becomes:
- **Option A**: Invest resources (equipment, mods) into your existing 3 ships → stronger specialized fleet
- **Option B**: Distribute resources across more ships → flexibility, redundancy, but weaker individuals

Getting a new hull is potential, not power. Equipment scarcity makes specialization vs diversification a real tradeoff.

**Between-node management:**
- Can swap ships in/out of active sortie slots anytime between nodes (not during battle/stat-check events)
- Can swap equipment between any ships in fleet (active or reserve)
- Reserves can be used to replace losses or adapt to known enemy types (once you have them)



---

## 4. Combat Resolution - The Actual Rules

### Pre-Combat
**[DECIDE: Formation system]**
- Option A: **Simple stance** (Aggressive/Balanced/Defensive)
  - Aggressive: +damage, -defense
  - Defensive: -damage, +defense
  - Balanced: No modifier

- Option B: **Positioning** (Front/Mid/Back rows)
  - Front ships targeted first
  - Back ships safer but may not reach with short-range weapons
  - Requires UI to show grid

- Option C: **Named formations** (Line Ahead, Line Abreast, Echelon)
  - Each has different rules (range mods, targeting priority, etc.)
  - More flavor, more complexity

**[DECIDE: Which formation system?]**

### Phase-by-Phase Resolution

Each phase needs:
1. **Initiative order** (who acts first)
2. **Targeting logic** (who shoots whom)
3. **Hit resolution** (to-hit calculation)
4. **Damage resolution** (how much damage)

---

#### PHASE 1: Detection / Initiative

**Purpose:** Determine turn order and spotting

**[DECIDE: What happens here?]**
Proposed:
- Each ship rolls initiative = Base Speed + Equipment Modifier + d20
- Order set for this combat
- Ships with SCOUT tag grant +1 initiative to fleet?
- Failed detection = -hit chance for first strike?

**[DECIDE: Accept proposal or define differently?]**

---

#### PHASE 2: Air Operations

**Participants:** Ships with AVIATOR tag

**[DECIDE: How do aircraft work?]**
- Option A: **Abstract strike value**
  - Each AVIATOR ship contributes Air Power
  - Total Air Power vs Enemy Air Power or AA rating
  - Winner deals damage to enemy fleet (distributed how?)

- Option B: **Plane-vs-plane then strike**
  - If both sides have AVIATOR, planes fight planes (attrition?)
  - Winner (or side with more) then strikes surface ships

- Option C: **Direct bombing**
  - Each carrier selects target
  - AA defense reduces damage
  - No air-to-air unless specific equipment

**[DECIDE: Pick air combat model]**

**[DECIDE: Can non-aviator ships defend against air?]**
- Only if they have AA equipment?
- All ships have base AA rating?

---

#### PHASE 3: Surface Gunnery

**Participants:** Ships with gun-type equipment (probably everyone)

**Initiative:** Use order from Detection phase

**Targeting:**
**[DECIDE: Who shoots whom?]**
- Option A: **Automatic priority**
  - Target lowest HP enemy (focus fire)
  - Or: Target enemy with most threat (highest damage?)

- Option B: **Formation-based**
  - Front-line ships forced to shoot at front-line enemies
  - Back-line can only be targeted if front is dead

- Option C: **Random distribution**
  - Each ship picks random valid target
  - SCREEN tag makes them more likely to be targeted?

**[DECIDE: Pick targeting system]**

**Hit Calculation:**
**[DECIDE: To-hit formula?]**

Proposed:
```
Hit Chance = Base Accuracy (from gun) + Attacker Bonuses - Target Evasion - Range Penalty
Roll d100, hit if <= Hit Chance
```

**[DECIDE: What are Attacker Bonuses and Target Evasion?]**
- Fire control equipment gives +accuracy?
- Target speed stat = evasion?
- ARTILLERY tag gives +X% hit?

**Damage Calculation:**
**[DECIDE: Damage formula?]**

Proposed:
```
Damage = Weapon Damage × Penetration vs Armor Factor
Penetration Factor = if Pen >= Armor: 1.0, else: (Pen/Armor) × 0.7
```

**[DECIDE: Accept or define differently?]**

---

#### PHASE 4: Torpedo Attacks

**Participants:** Ships with torpedo equipment or TORPEDO_SPECIALIST tag

**Special Rule (from DESIGN.md):** SCREEN + CAPITAL synergy = screens absorb first torp hit

**[DECIDE: How does this work mechanically?]**
Proposed:
- If player fleet has >=1 SCREEN and >=1 CAPITAL:
  - First torpedo targeting a CAPITAL is redirected to a random SCREEN
  - SCREEN takes damage or is destroyed
- If no SCREEN present:
  - CAPITAL ships are vulnerable

**[DECIDE: Accept or modify?]**

**[DECIDE: Torpedo hit chance - same as gunnery or different?]**
- Torpedoes historically lower accuracy, higher damage
- Should they auto-hit but be counterable (SCREEN absorbs)?
- Or still require hit roll?

---

#### PHASE 5: Damage Control / Morale

**[DECIDE: What actually happens in this phase?]**

Proposed options:
- **Damage Control:** Ships repair X% of damage taken this fight (incentivizes tanky builds?)
- **Morale Check:** If fleet lost >50% HP or >1 ship, roll morale check (pass = fight on, fail = retreat?)
- **Status Effects:** Fires, flooding, crew casualties affect next fight?
- **Nothing:** Phase exists for future expansion, does nothing in MVP

**[DECIDE: Pick one or define new]**

---

### Combat Outcome

**If Player Wins:**
- **[DECIDE: Loot structure?]**
  - Always 1 equipment piece (random from pool?)
  - Choose 1 of 3 equipment options
  - Scrap/currency + shop later?

**If Player Loses:**
- **[DECIDE: Full run loss or ship loss?]** (see section 3)

---

## 5. Ship Stats & Equipment - The Numbers

### Hull Base Stats

**[DECIDE: Exact stats for MVP's 3 hull types]**

Template (fill in numbers):
```
Destroyer:
  HP: [DECIDE]
  Speed: [DECIDE] (affects initiative)
  Armor: [DECIDE] (reduces damage)
  Evasion: [DECIDE] (reduces hit chance)
  Equipment Slots: [DECIDE: 2? 3?]
  Mod Slots: 1 (per design)
  Starting Tags: [DECIDE: SCREEN? Other?]

Cruiser:
  HP: [DECIDE]
  Speed: [DECIDE]
  Armor: [DECIDE]
  Evasion: [DECIDE]
  Equipment Slots: [DECIDE]
  Mod Slots: 1
  Starting Tags: [DECIDE: None? SCREEN? ARTILLERY?]

Battleship:
  HP: [DECIDE]
  Speed: [DECIDE]
  Armor: [DECIDE]
  Evasion: [DECIDE]
  Equipment Slots: [DECIDE]
  Mod Slots: 1
  Starting Tags: [DECIDE: CAPITAL? ARTILLERY?]
```

### Equipment Pieces

**[DECIDE: Define 8-10 equipment items for MVP]**

Template (fill in 8-10 of these):
```
[Equipment Name]:
  Slot Type: [Main Gun / Torpedo / Aircraft / Utility]
  Stats: [e.g., +20 damage, +15 penetration]
  Tags Granted: [e.g., ARTILLERY if gun, AVIATOR if aircraft]
  Special Effect: [e.g., "Fires twice per phase if target HP < 50%"]
```

Example:
```
5-inch Dual Purpose Gun:
  Slot Type: Main Gun
  Damage: 15
  Penetration: 10
  Accuracy: 75
  Tags Granted: None
  Special: Can engage aircraft (contributes +5 AA rating)
```

**[DECIDE: Fill in your 8-10 equipment items]**

### Mods

**[DECIDE: Define 5-6 mods for MVP]**

Template:
```
[Mod Name]:
  Effect: [Mechanical change]
  Tags Granted/Modified: [...]
  Tradeoff: [What's the cost?]
```

Example from DESIGN.md:
```
Flight Deck:
  Effect: +1 Equipment Slot (must be aircraft), +20 HP cost (weight)
  Tags Granted: Enables AVIATOR if aircraft equipped
  Tradeoff: Reduces armor by 5 (structural weakness)
```

**[DECIDE: Fill in 5-6 mods]**

---

## 6. Tag System - Derivation Rules

### What We Know
- Tags are derived from equipment + mods + hull
- Tags must affect >=2 systems
- Tags used by combat phases and events

### Required Tags for MVP (from DESIGN.md)
1. AVIATOR
2. SCREEN
3. CAPITAL
4. SCOUT
5. TORPEDO_SPECIALIST
6. ARTILLERY

**[DECIDE: Define exact derivation rule for each tag]**

Template:
```
Tag: AVIATOR
Derived When: [Ship has aircraft equipment AND hull/mod provides flight capacity]
Affects:
  - System 1: [e.g., Participates in Air Phase]
  - System 2: [e.g., Events may reference "aviator ships"]
```

**[DECIDE: Fill in derivation + effects for all 6 tags]**

Example:
```
Tag: SCREEN
Derived When: Hull is Destroyer OR ship has "Anti-Torpedo Net" equipment
Affects:
  - System 1: Can intercept torpedoes aimed at CAPITAL ships
  - System 2: Events may offer "screen-only" upgrades
  - System 3: Targeted first in gunnery phase (acts as tank)
```

---

## 7. Fleet Chemistry - Specific Synergies

### What We Know (from DESIGN.md)
- SCREEN + CAPITAL = torpedo protection
- No SCREEN = +firepower, +torpedo vulnerability
- Multiple AVIATOR = strong air, weak surface

**[DECIDE: Define exact mechanical effects]**

Template:
```
Synergy: [Tag Combo]
Condition: [e.g., ">=1 SCREEN and >=1 CAPITAL in fleet"]
Effect: [Exact mechanical benefit]
Tradeoff: [Any cost or weakness introduced]
```

**[DECIDE: Fill in 4-6 fleet chemistry effects]**

Example:
```
Synergy: Carrier Battle Group
Condition: >=2 AVIATOR + >=1 SCREEN
Effect:
  - Air Phase attacks deal +25% damage
  - SCREEN ships provide +10 AA to fleet
Tradeoff:
  - If all AVIATOR ships lost, fleet has -30% surface firepower (over-specialized)
```

---

## 8. Event Design - Concrete Examples

### Design Rules (from DESIGN.md)
- Must force commitment or introduce risk
- No pure free upgrades

**[DECIDE: Write 5-8 event cards]**

Template:
```
EVENT: [Name]
Flavor: [1-2 sentences of context]
Choice A: [Option] → [Mechanical effect]
Choice B: [Option] → [Mechanical effect]
Choice C (optional): [Option] → [Mechanical effect]
Tag Requirements: [e.g., "Only appears if you have AVIATOR ship"]
```

**[DECIDE: Fill in 5-8 events]**

Example:
```
EVENT: Experimental Ammunition
Flavor: A supply ship offers prototype shells. Experimental. Unproven. Powerful.
Choice A: Load AP Rounds → All guns +5 penetration, but 10% chance to misfire (miss automatically)
Choice B: Load HE Rounds → All guns +10 damage vs low-armor targets (<10 armor), -5 damage vs high armor
Choice C: Decline → No change
Tag Requirements: None
```

---

## 9. Boss Design

**[DECIDE: Define the MVP boss encounter]**

### Boss Option A: Single Super-Unit
```
Name: [DECIDE]
Hull: [Custom super-hull]
HP: [DECIDE: 3x battleship HP?]
Special Mechanics: [DECIDE: e.g., "Regenerates 5% HP each phase"]
Weakness: [DECIDE: e.g., "Vulnerable to torpedo damage"]
```

### Boss Option B: Elite Fleet
```
Name: [DECIDE]
Composition: [DECIDE: e.g., "2 Cruisers, 2 Destroyers, 1 Battleship"]
Special Mechanic: [DECIDE: e.g., "All ships have +1 mod slot filled"]
Weakness: [DECIDE: e.g., "No air power"]
```

### Boss Option C: Phased Fight
```
Name: [DECIDE]
Phase 1: [DECIDE: e.g., "3 Destroyers with TORPEDO_SPECIALIST"]
Phase 2 (if Phase 1 defeated): [DECIDE: e.g., "1 Battleship + 2 Cruisers"]
Special Mechanic: [DECIDE: e.g., "Phase 2 starts with you at current HP"]
```

**[DECIDE: Pick A, B, or C and fill in details]**

---

## 10. Meta-Progression

### What We Know
- Unlocks options, not power
- No permanent stat buffs

**[DECIDE: What unlocks after each run?]**

Proposed structure:
- Win Run 1 → Unlock [DECIDE: 1 new hull? 1 new starting fleet? 2 equipment items?]
- Win Run 2 → Unlock [DECIDE]
- Win Run 3 → Unlock [DECIDE]
- Lose Run (any) → Unlock [DECIDE: Nothing? Small consolation prize?]

**[DECIDE: Fill in unlock tree for first 5 wins]**

### Unlock Categories
Check which categories you want:
- [ ] New hulls
- [ ] New equipment
- [ ] New mods
- [ ] New starting fleet options
- [ ] New events
- [ ] New bosses (variants)
- [ ] Cosmetics (ship skins, names, etc.)

**[DECIDE: Check boxes above]**

---

## 11. Victory Condition

**[DECIDE: What constitutes winning a run?]**

- Option A: Defeat the boss (regardless of fleet state)
- Option B: Defeat the boss with at least X ships remaining
- Option C: Reach score threshold (score = enemies defeated × fleet HP remaining?)

**[DECIDE: Pick one]**

**[DECIDE: Are there difficulty tiers or modifiers?]** (e.g., Ascension levels like Slay the Spire)
- YES → [DECIDE: What do they change?]
- NO → Just one difficulty for MVP

---

## 12. Known Vulnerabilities Log

Things that will probably bite later but are acceptable for MVP:

1. **Combat pacing:** If fights take >2min to watch, 30min promise breaks. Need fast-forward or instant resolve option.

2. **Balance death spiral:** If one lost ship makes you too weak, runs feel doomed early. Replacement mechanic or careful balance required.

3. **Tag discovery:** Players won't know what tags do without a codex/help. Either add tutorial or accept confusion for first 2-3 runs.

4. **Event repetition:** With only 5-8 events, you'll see repeats in same run. Either need more events or smart draw-without-replacement system.

5. **Solved meta:** With deterministic RNG and small pool, optimal strategies will emerge fast. Plan for balance patches or accept short shelf life.

6. **Equipment bloat:** If loot drops every fight, inventory management becomes tedious. Either cap inventory size or allow scrapping/selling.

---

## 13. Open Questions Not Covered Above

**[DECIDE: Answer these]**

1. **Currency system:** Is there scrap/gold/resources, or purely loot-based?

2. **Ship naming:** Do ships have persistent names/identity, or just "Destroyer #1"?

3. **RNG seed exposure:** Is seed visible to player (for challenge runs/sharing)?

4. **Retreat option:** Can you retreat from combat before it starts (see enemy, back out)?

5. **Save system:** Save between nodes, or full run in one sitting?

6. **Difficulty indicators:** Does UI show "this fight will be hard" before committing?

7. **Fleet size limits:** Always exactly 3 ships, or can you have 2-4?

---

## Fill-In Instructions

1. Search for every `[DECIDE: ...]` tag in this document
2. Replace with your actual design decision
3. Delete options you're NOT using
4. If you add new mechanics, document them in same format
5. When you've filled it all in, this becomes the gameplay spec

Don't overthink it - make a decision, document it, test it. Wrong answers are fine; unknown answers will kill the project.

---

**Status:** INCOMPLETE - requires design decisions before implementation.