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Schedule

Mirror of the TDD's Schedule section. Updated in place between gates.

Pre-production for Rephrased. AGP cycle starts Fall 2026, Expo May 2027. Specific dates TBD pending the course calendar — milestone ordering and the work allocated to each milestone are firm.

The rune-system architecture from Gate 2 (validator, executor, priority manager, redefinition runtime, registry, ring actor, calculators, camera subsystem) carries forward as foundation. Content authored on top, plus the missing glue systems (click mode, save/load, menus, FMOD), are tracked as fresh work.

Engineering allocation

Role Responsibility
Engineering Producer schedule, integration, milestone gates, FMOD bank build pipeline
Blueprint Engineer / Tech Designer C++ to Blueprint translation of the rune effect system. Owns URuneEffectComponent_BP and the BP authoring workflow.
Systems Engineer rune core hardening, VERB + NOUN grammar, redefinition designer surface, save/load
Puzzle Engineer clock and observatory pattern; ~6 follow-on narrative-bearing runeables for Acts 2 and 3; memory palace pacing
Generalist Engineer character, click-mode pivot, camera polish, UI/menus, glue and integration
Audio Engineer FMOD integration, SFX authoring
Tech Art VFX (Niagara), per-noun visual variation

Key milestones

Milestone Date
First Playable TBD
Fall Midterm TBD
State of the Game TBD
Alpha TBD
Beta TBD
Expo TBD

By milestone

First Playable (TBD)

  • Rune System: stabilization pass on existing core. VERB + NOUN grammar in validator + executor.
  • Blueprint Authoring Layer: base template URuneEffectComponent_BP shipped, one fully BP-authored example verb working end-to-end, walkthrough doc for designers.
  • Player: click-based Interact Mode prototype playable on a test level.
  • Camera: debug visualizer for the zone priority stack.
  • Audio: FMOD plugin installed, Studio project bootstrapped, one event playing in PIE through AAudioManager.
  • UI/UX: better controls overlay, in-world definition widget polish.
  • Tools: rune authoring quick-start doc.
  • Level: greybox of one vertical-slice puzzle integrating click mode.

Fall Midterm (TBD)

  • Rune System: redefinition designer surface (a meta-rune or dedicated calculator type that authors redefinitions without code).
  • Blueprint Authoring Layer: all C++ verb base classes expose BP-friendly virtuals. First batch of BP-authored verbs ships in content.
  • Player: click mode shipped (not prototype). URuneCarryComponent retained as an authoring/debug path. Gamepad-for-UI hardening starts.
  • Audio: FMOD integration complete. AAudioManager rewritten against the FMOD Blueprint API, all current SFX migrated to Studio events, native USoundBase fields removed from data assets.
  • Puzzle Devices: 2 new authored devices for Act 2.
  • VFX: per-verb Niagara templates documented for content team.
  • UI/UX: temp main menu, basic in-game UI.
  • Level: first full greybox level integrating click mode and migrated audio.

State of the Game (TBD)

  • Rune System: ~70% rune content authored (target ~20 of 30–40). Mix of C++ verbs (perf-critical) and BP-authored verbs.
  • Save/Load: shipped with versioned JSON. Integrates UPlayerRuneKnowledge, last orb used, current level flag, player transform.
  • Puzzle Devices: 4 total devices shipped (clock + observatory + 2 from Midterm).
  • Camera: showcase camera LeadingSphere framing polish; custom-camera authoring helpers for designers.
  • UI/UX: temp pause menu, level-completed screen.
  • Memory Palace: re-entry pacing and animation polish.

Alpha (TBD)

  • Rune System: feature-complete on the engineering side. 100% of planned rune content authored.
  • Blueprint Authoring Layer: tooling polish + validation tool catches missing fields, broken meshes, unbound references on BP-authored runes.
  • Puzzle Devices: all ~6+ devices shipped across Acts 2 and 3.
  • UI/UX: full menu set (main / pause / settings / credits), settings, accessibility (rebind + subtitle size).
  • Audio: adaptive music pass authored in FMOD.
  • Player: gamepad-for-UI complete.

Beta (TBD)

  • Content lock.
  • Audio: final tuning pass on all events, mix pass.
  • Controller: full hardening pass including menu navigation.
  • Performance: dense-runeable stress test; broadphase added if registry distance checks regress.

Expo (TBD)

  • Bug fix only.

By feature

Rune system core

  • Done: validator (NOUN+VERB, NOUN+VERB+NOUN), priority manager, executor, event bus, redefinition manager runtime, runeable registry, calculators (linear + grid), ring actor.
  • By First Playable: stabilization pass, VERB + NOUN grammar.
  • By Fall Midterm: redefinition designer surface.
  • By Alpha: feature-complete. No further engineering changes.

Blueprint authoring layer

Owned by Blueprint Engineer / Tech Designer.

  • By First Playable: URuneEffectComponent_BP base template, one BP-authored example verb, walkthrough doc.
  • By Fall Midterm: BP-friendly virtuals on all existing C++ effect components. Designer-authored BP verbs shipping in content.
  • By State of the Game: BP authoring extended to ARuneableObject and puzzle-device base classes so designers can compose narrative-bearing runeables in BP.
  • By Alpha: validation tool, full polish, locked authoring API.

Effect components

  • Done: Float, Rotate, MoveToward, Slow, Accelerate, Reverse, Stop, Penetration, Hidden, Passing, Enlarge, Shrink, Mature, Regress, Fire (multi-point), Dangerous, NounListener.
  • By First Playable: C++ verb roster locked. New verbs from this point forward are BP-first unless they need per-tick C++.
  • By Fall Midterm: first batch of designer-authored BP verbs.
  • By State of the Game: ~10 additional content-driven verbs (BP majority, C++ where performance demands).
  • By Alpha: all shipped verbs polished and final.

Camera system

  • Done: zone actor, rune camera subsystem (interp + priority stack), showcase camera (PauseAtTarget and LeadingSphere).
  • By First Playable: debug visualizer for the zone priority stack.
  • By Fall Midterm: zone designer iteration tools.
  • By Alpha: LeadingSphere framing polish, custom-camera authoring helpers.

Memory palace

  • Done: hub auto-ring slot generation, MemoryOrb teleport + fade, UPlayerRuneKnowledge discovery tracking.
  • By First Playable: REWORKED layout/topology.

Player character and interaction

  • Done: third-person locomotion, URuneCarryComponent physical carry, interaction trigger detection and highlight.
  • By First Playable: click-based Interact Mode prototype.
  • By Fall Midterm: click mode shipped, gamepad-for-UI hardening starts.
  • By Alpha: gamepad-for-UI complete, accessibility (rebind, subtitle size).

Puzzle narrative devices

  • Done: AClockDevice (Dormant → SecondHandActive → FullyRunning), AStarObservatory vortex.
  • By Fall Midterm: 2 additional authored devices for Act 2.
  • By State of the Game: 4 total devices shipped.
  • By Alpha: all ~6+ devices across Acts 2 and 3.

Content pipeline / tools

  • Done: URuneDataAsset, UMergeRecipeDataAsset, debug overlay (G key) showing rune words on slots.
  • By First Playable: Blueprint authoring template + quick-start doc (cross-listed under Blueprint Authoring Layer).
  • By Fall Midterm: rune validator tool (catches missing fields, broken meshes, unbound references).
  • By Alpha: full content authoring pipeline locked.

Audio

  • Done: native AAudioManager, per-rune USoundBase fields on data assets.
  • By First Playable: FMOD plugin installed, Studio project bootstrapped, first event in PIE.
  • By Fall Midterm: FMOD integration complete. AAudioManager rewritten against FMOD API. All current SFX migrated to Studio events. Native path retired.
  • By Alpha: adaptive music pass authored in FMOD.
  • By Beta: final mix.

VFX

  • Done: multi-point VFX authoring (UFireSpawnPointComponent), ring expansion VFX.
  • By Fall Midterm: per-verb Niagara templates documented for the content team.
  • By Alpha: full VFX pass per shipped verb.

UI / Menus

  • Done: in-world rune definition widget, HUD placeholder hook.
  • By First Playable: better controls overlay.
  • By Fall Midterm: temp main menu, basic in-game UI.
  • By State of the Game: pause menu, level-completed screen.
  • By Alpha: settings menu, full focus support, accessibility (rebind + subtitle size).

Save / Load

  • By Fall Midterm: spec finalized, slot writer prototype.
  • By State of the Game: versioned JSON shipped via UGameplayStatics::SaveGameToSlot. Integrated with UPlayerRuneKnowledge and per-level checkpoint flags.
  • By Alpha: migration path validated for added fields.

Change history

  • 2026-05-08 — Gabriel Li — Added baseline change history section for weekly wiki maintenance.