Hold The Horde — Progress
Work resumed on 15 September. The immediate goal is a game proposal that delivers fresh horde combat, an exciting rise in power, surprising discoveries and builds that play differently on successive expeditions.
The owner has now chosen fresh hordes each expedition and regular growth through fighting, with larger transformations. Permanent changes and carried property remain; temporary combat power resets whenever you return home. The answers are recorded in the Owner Brief.
Latest result
The first correction packet is complete: 3 of 3 outcomes closed at 12:08 on 15 September. It contains two proposals, one independent critique and one response from each author. These are proposals ready for your reaction, with detailed mechanics and practical validation still ahead.
| Completed outcome | Result |
|---|---|
| 59 — Three different build experiences | Three ways to break a horde: stored electrical chains, timed ricochet fragments and movement-driven heat |
| 60 — Three worthwhile expeditions | The observation ward: repair, test an apparent window as an alien instrument, then reach a hidden refuge |
| 61 — Independent review and response | Corrected unearned puzzle inference, mismatched rig abilities, growth order and unexplained cost notation |
The chosen expedition and growth rules are aligned in Combat Rules and nine supporting articles. The new Ricochet and Gravity mechanisms are still proposed replacements for parts of the old detailed build rules; numerical reconciliation has not been declared complete.
Current work
Next batch: 0 of 2 outcomes complete.
| Outcome | Who | State | Next delivery, Jerusalem time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 — Growth rhythm and a renewed route | Systems Designer | Working; new receiving turn verified | Draft today 13:00; range 12:40–13:30 |
| 63 — Independent cadence/route review | Temporary GPT reviewer | Criteria saved; waiting for the stopped draft | Critique today 13:30; range 13:00–14:00 |
This batch can continue while the owner reacts to the three build directions. It will show how regular growth feels during fighting, when a transformation lands, where fresh enemies fit around permanent closures, and how oxygen and quiet leave room for discovery.
The original Claude Design Lead and Reviewer are absent from the current native session directory. No assignment has been sent to another Claude session. PM, Systems and temporary GPT review support can complete this batch; no additional permanent agent is needed today.
The outside Open Decisions review has been read and its fourteen groups triaged. Most room, character, language, interface and consistency work belongs to the team. The reported 49-page cleanup has not yet been independently verified by PM; current pages are checked as their topics are revised.
Delivery forecast
Updated 15 September, forecast F2.2. Estimates assume work continues today and about five further active working days for the first full pass. The dates will change when actual delivery or remaining decisions change the work.
| Milestone | Target | Plausible range | What will be ready |
|---|---|---|---|
| First reviewed build/expedition packet | Completed today 12:08 | Earlier than revised 13:00 target | Both proposals, critique, responses and PM checks |
| Growth and renewed-route draft | Today 13:00 | Today 12:40–13:30 | A concrete rhythm and an example using the actual station plan |
| Reviewed growth/route packet | Today 14:30 | Today 13:30–15:30 | Proposal, one critique, one response and PM disposition |
| Coherent revised design wiki | 23 September | 21–28 September | Readable core articles and supporting rules aligned with selected directions; consequential open choices explicit |
| Full detailed campaign design | 24 November | 3 November–22 December | Proposed progression, content, mysteries, ending paths and production scope developed across the campaign |
The near-term forecast has moderate confidence. The full-wiki estimate has low confidence; the detailed-campaign date has very low confidence and is a planning allowance pending a fresh content estimate. Neither means the game is built, tested, balanced or proven to last the desired number of hours. Development and playtests await separate authorization.
The first packet was initially forecast for 14:15 today, advanced to 13:00 as drafts arrived, and completed at 12:08. The pre-pause estimates were 15 September for the readable wiki and 17 November for detailed campaign design. Five paused calendar days and the outside review's unresolved core-loop findings require new dates. Earlier estimates and actual deliveries remain in this page's revision history.
What must improve
- Each expedition provides fresh combat and a rise in power before its major challenge, while permanent discoveries and changes keep their value.
- Builds differ in movement, attention, cost and payoff, and permit useful combinations the player can discover.
- Hordes create urgency and spectacular releases; earned quiet gives discoveries room to land.
- Articles explain what the player wants, notices and does, and why the experience could be exciting. Consistent numbers and completed documents alone do not satisfy this standard.
Held work and earlier outcomes
The full tracker contains 63 outcomes: 55 preparation outcomes closed, 2 current, 3 held, 1 readiness assessment reopened and 2 parked. Earlier closure records document preparation and integration, not proof the game meets the brief.
| Outcome | State | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 56 — Hospital story article | Held; previous draft submitted | Reconcile the current outside edits before review or acceptance |
| 57 — Survival and loadout article | Held; previous draft submitted | Reconcile current text and new expedition rules |
| 58 — Earlier story/survival review | Incomplete and held | Prior source revisions are now stale |
| 38 — Full design readiness | Reopened | The player's experience and cross-page consistency still need work |
| 39–40 — Earlier detailed samples | Parked, unaccepted | Reassess after core corrections |
Previous completed work includes the discovery/home, combat, room/information, and build/expedition drafting batches. The latest owner answers supersede their permanent encounter-clearing and stage-only growth assumptions. Their useful content remains input to the correction.
Next owner decisions
The two immediate combat choices are answered. The owner is now being asked which of the three build directions to deepen first; this sets a priority without discarding the others. Next, PM will bring concrete story and rescue alternatives, then the effect of completing the station connection and a costed scope proposal. The fourteen review categories are not fourteen questions the owner must answer before work continues.