gameplay-validation git:20260912.b630c49A

Immutable. This exact content never changes and is served at /api/v1/blob/696ca9090c507791.

---
name: gameplay-validation
description: >
  From feature tests to real playability. Use when systems work in isolation
  but nobody has proven a new player can start, fight, reward, retry, and
  finish. Layered tests do not replace a full playthrough. Ask the mode first.
---

# Gameplay validation

## Trigger

The build has verbs, enemies, menus. Someone says it "works". You must say what that word proved.

## Mode (ask one)

| Column | What it may prove | What it may not prove |
|---|---|---|
| logic-regression | formulas, flags, save schema | a human can finish |
| scripted-scene | one arena / one boss phase with cheats | a natural unlock path |
| real-input | pad/kb/touch/mouse on a real device | tomorrow's hardware |
| new-player-watch | first-hour confusion | endgame balance |

Teleport, wipe enemies, force boss phase, or unlock flags = scripted-scene.
Call it that in the log. Never file it as new-player-watch.

## Required inputs

Before a session starts, write:

```
build / commit
difficulty column
starting gear / recipes
device + input (kb-mouse / pad / touch)
cheats on? (teleport, god, unlock, skip)
browser / app session notes
```

Missing a line makes the session a demo, not evidence.

## Procedure

Walk the chain. Skip a box only if you mark it untested.

```
boot → teach first verb → first fight → reward → next goal
     → fail and retry → (optional) ending
```

Each box records: pass / fail / blocked / not-run, plus who was driving (human / auto).

## Attribute separately

Do not fold these into "the game is too hard":

| Bucket | Examples |
|---|---|
| game defect | wrong hitbox, lock-on flips target, music stacks |
| player strategy | they never blocked |
| setup failure | stale save, wrong language, low spec |
| harness failure | auto-pilot stuck, path blocked by a test wall, browser tab died |

Auto-play that loses lock-on, pathfinds into geometry, or drops the session is harness failure until reproduced with real input.

## Capture vs evidence

A recording that used unlock flags or difficulty overrides is a **challenge clip with adjusted unlocks**. It is not proof of a natural clear.
See gameplay-capture.

## Outputs

- Coverage matrix: chain boxes × modes
- Repro: steps, seed/save, input device
- Evidence pointer: clip / log / screenshot
- Untested range: named, not implied

## Accept

You can answer in one sentence: what was validated, by which mode, with which cheats off.
A green scripted-scene does not get written as "the game is completable".

## Cases

Optional project notes live in `docs/cases/`. Names, coords, and one-scene CPU numbers stay there. They do not become iron laws.