neon-sprawl/docs/manual-qa/NEO-98.md

NEO-98 — Manual QA checklist

Field	Value
Key	NEO-98
Title	E5M2-12: Playable NPC telegraph combat capstone (Godot)
Linear	https://linear.app/neon-sprawl/issue/NEO-98/e5m2-12-playable-npc-telegraph-combat-capstone-godot
Plan	docs/plans/NEO-98-implementation-plan.md
Branch	NEO-98-e5m2-12-playable-npc-telegraph-combat-capstone

Preconditions

• Fresh dev player: stop any running server, then start a new instance so in-memory dev-local-1 NPC HP, aggro/runtime rows, and player combat HP reset.
• No Bruno/curl seeding for this checklist — hotbar prototype_pulse bind is automatic (NEO-85 dev bootstrap).
• NEO-97 telegraph HUD landed on main (PR #136).

Archetype reference

Archetype	Instance id	Marker	maxHp	Pulses to defeat	NPC damage	Windup	Cooldown
Melee	prototype_npc_melee	orange west (-3, -3)	100	4	15	1.5 s	3.0 s
Ranged	prototype_npc_ranged	purple SE (3, 3)	80	4	12	2.0 s	4.0 s
Elite	prototype_npc_elite	gold origin (0, 0)	200	8	25	2.5 s	5.0 s

Player casts prototype_pulse (25 damage, ~3 s cooldown).

Melee defeat math

Cast #	Expected CastFeedbackLabel	CombatTargetHpLabel
1	Cast: 25 dmg → 75 HP	75/100
2	Cast: 25 dmg → 50 HP	50/100
3	Cast: 25 dmg → 25 HP	25/100
4	Cast: 25 dmg → 0 HP — defeated!	0/100 (defeated)
5	ability_cast_denied: target_defeated	unchanged defeated

Checklist

Boot

1. Start server: cd server/NeonSprawl.Server && dotnet run.
2. Run Godot main scene (F5). Confirm slot 0 auto-binds prototype_pulse after hotbar sync.

Melee — full telegraph + player HP spine

3. Walk to orange Melee marker west of spawn (-3, -3).
4. Press Tab until prototype_npc_melee is locked with Validity: ok — marker brightens; CombatTargetHpLabel shows 100/100.
5. Press 1 (damaging cast): CastFeedbackLabel shows damage; NpcStateLabel eventually shows NPC state: Melee → aggro (~1 Hz poll).
6. PlayerCombatHpLabel shows Player HP: 100/100 once combat poll starts.
7. Wait ≥ 3 s from first cast: NpcStateLabel shows telegraph_windup; TelegraphLabel shows countdown (e.g. Telegraph: Melee … · ~1.x s (melee)) ticking between polls.
8. Wait ≥ 4.5 s total from first cast (windup completes): PlayerCombatHpLabel drops to 85/100 (melee 15 damage).
9. Press 1 three more times (respect ~3 s cooldown) until CombatTargetHpLabel shows 0/100 (defeated) per defeat table above.
10. Press 1 again: ability_cast_denied: target_defeated.

Ranged — defeat + telegraph visible

11. Walk to purple Ranged marker south-east (3, 3); Tab lock prototype_npc_ranged.
12. Press 1 (first damaging cast) → NpcStateLabel shows aggro.
13. Wait ≥ 4 s from first cast: telegraph_windup + readable TelegraphLabel (2.0 s windup after 4.0 s cooldown).
14. Press 1 until defeated (4 pulses total); verify 0/80 (defeated) on CombatTargetHpLabel and deny on re-cast.

Elite — defeat + telegraph visible

15. Walk to gold Elite marker at origin (0, 0); Tab lock prototype_npc_elite.
16. Press 1 (first damaging cast) → NpcStateLabel shows aggro.
17. Wait ≥ 5 s from first cast: telegraph_windup + readable TelegraphLabel (2.5 s windup after 5.0 s cooldown).
18. Press 1 until defeated (8 pulses total); verify 0/200 (defeated) on CombatTargetHpLabel and deny on re-cast.

Regression

19. Cast without lock still shows ability_cast_denied: invalid_target on CastFeedbackLabel (NEO-28).
20. CombatTargetHpLabel + cooldown HUD still refresh after accepted casts (NEO-85 / NEO-32).

Notes

• Capstone baseline prefers server restart over mid-session fixture POST.
• Optional reset (Development host): POST /game/__dev/combat-targets-fixture — see NEO-97 manual QA / server README — dev fixture.
• Component-level telegraph HUD regression (elite incoming-threat row): NEO-97 manual QA.
• Slice 1 combat capstone (gig XP): NEO-86 manual QA.

Acceptance

• Steps 1–20 completable in one session without Bruno/curl.
• Melee telegraph countdown readable before player HP drops to 85/100 (steps 7–8).
• All three archetypes show defeated in CombatTargetHpLabel (steps 9, 14, 18).
• Aggro on first damaging cast feels deterministic (no silent failures).