**Paused for owner feedback. Updated 9 September 2026.** All three workers and automatic PM checks remain stopped. Design readiness has been reopened following the owner's review.

The owner identified three blocking problems:

1. **Genre and scale:** the described encounters, builds and pacing do not deliver a survivorslike with hordes, spectacle and urgency.

The PM accepts these as failures of the current design and its review standard. Consistency and coverage checks were insufficient grounds for declaring readiness. The earlier closure is a historical preparation milestone; the game direction and wiki now require correction.

**40 tracked outcomes: 37 preparation-closed, 1 reopened, 2 paused drafts, 0 active.** Earlier completed work remains available for reuse; this count measures documents and reviews, not game quality or percentage complete.

| Outcome | Current state | Next step |

| 38 — [Design readiness](/Hold%20The%20Flood/V1%20Readiness) | Reopened; M2 core and M3 first-pass wiki acceptance withdrawn | Resolve the three owner blockers before declaring readiness again |

**Proposed next delivery after explicit resumption:** a short revised pitch, one expedition showing pressure and release, three spectacular build examples, and a clear reading structure for the wiki. These are proposals for owner reaction before further detailed specification. No new assignment has been dispatched.

**Rough forecast:** one active working day for that correction proposal, then an estimated 2–4 additional working days for a readable first-pass revision after the owner selects the direction. Confidence is low; this estimates a coherent first pass, not exhaustive campaign detail. The team is paused, so no calendar deadline is running. Re-estimate after the proposal establishes how much mechanics/content must change. The previous detailed-campaign target of 10 November (20 October–1 December) is suspended and no longer a reliable baseline following this feedback.

The owner-confirmed brief remains authoritative. The five earlier unanswered choices remain open. No implementation or playtest is authorized. PM feedback recording does not resume the team.