# Game design overview

This folder holds **vision-level** design: what we want players to feel, do, and discover before we lock schemas, APIs, or content pipelines. Use it for brainstorming and alignment; when something is ready to drive implementation, it should gain a path in [`docs/decomposition/`](../decomposition/README.md) or [`docs/plans/`](../plans/).

## Summary

Neon Sprawl’s design work here starts from **concrete visions** of progression, places, risk, economy, social play, combat, and the items/abilities that express them. Documents below are added as we write them; each should stay opinionated and specific enough to argue with, without pretending to be a full GDD.

**Vocabulary ([skills.md](skills.md)):** **gig** = combat role; **skill** = non-combat trained capability only.

## Artifact index

| Document | Focus | Notes |
|----------|--------|--------|
| [skills.md](skills.md) | Gigs (combat) + skills (non-combat); hybrid progression | First vision artifact |
| *(add rows as files land)* | | |

### Planned topics (stubs)

Link new files here when they exist; remove or rewrite this subsection once the table is populated.

- **Gigs & skills** — [skills.md](skills.md): **gigs** for combat; **skills** (classless) for gather/craft/etc. *Professions* stay folded into **skills** + rep unless a future doc defines something separate.
- **Zones** — tone, danger, faction or economic role of a place.
- **Travel & connections** — how places link (gates, costs, downtime, danger en route); complements zone identity.
- **Mechanics** — loops, constraints, what the server vs. client must honor.
- **Items** — categories, rarity philosophy, crafting vs. drops.
- **Abilities** — inputs, timing; combo with items; **gig** vs **skill** gates (see [skills.md](skills.md) vocabulary).
- **Gathering & resources** — nodes, competition, exhaustion, what “open world” contesting feels like.
- **Crafting & recipes** — depth vs. breadth, failure, specialization; pairs with items but is its own loop.
- **Economy** — currency velocity, sinks, trade vs. self-sufficiency, how wealth shows up in play.
- **Factions & reputation** — who remembers you, grudges, access gates; **gig** story arcs are scoped in [skills.md](skills.md) seams.
- **Combat pillars** — PvE vs. PvP stance, readability, time-to-kill, what “fair” means here.
- **Death, loss & recovery** — stakes on failure, recovery paths, anti-grief boundaries.
- **Risk & security bands** — safe pockets vs. wild space; where optional PvP and theft sit (aligns with security-tier thinking).
- **Social play** — squad scale, corps, trust, betrayal affordances, async cooperation.
- **Encounters & enemy roles** — archetypes, what a fight teaches, variety without noise.
- **Onboarding** — first session hook, clarity vs. mystery, how much systems the new player sees.
- **Tone & narrative** — how lore shows up (quests, environment, UI), voice of the world.

## Related repo docs

| Area | Location |
|------|----------|
| Module / epic breakdown | [`docs/decomposition/`](../decomposition/README.md) |
| Implementation plans | [`docs/plans/`](../plans/) |
| Architecture | [`docs/architecture/`](../architecture/tech_stack.md) |