one-day · proposed

Lantern Loop

Find a lantern, choose a route, and bring light home before the fog closes in.

proposed

Player story

Player-facing flow

01Sees: A dim village, three visible paths, a lantern with a fading glow, and a safe house ahead.

02Knows: Light reveals shortcuts. The fog is a recoverable pressure, not an instant fail. Carrying one rare ember makes a longer route worth considering.

03Does: Chooses a route, collects embers, shares light with a teammate, and returns to bank the run.

04Feedback: The lantern brightens, nearby fog recedes, a soft chime confirms an ember, and the safe house gives a warm arrival burst.

Sees

A dim village, three visible paths, a lantern with a fading glow, and a safe house ahead.

Knows

Light reveals shortcuts. The fog is a recoverable pressure, not an instant fail. Carrying one rare ember makes a longer route worth considering.

Does

Chooses a route, collects embers, shares light with a teammate, and returns to bank the run.

Feedback

The lantern brightens, nearby fog recedes, a soft chime confirms an ember, and the safe house gives a warm arrival burst.

First-time flow

Player-facing flow

01Spawn beside one lit sign with a single plain-language objective.

02Pick up the starter lantern and follow the nearest short route.

03Bank one ember at the safe house and see the next route unlock.

Spawn beside one lit sign with a single plain-language objective.
Pick up the starter lantern and follow the nearest short route.
Bank one ember at the safe house and see the next route unlock.

Repeat loop

Player-facing flow

01Choose a route → manage lantern charge → collect or help → bank embers → choose a meaningful next route.

Choose a route → manage lantern charge → collect or help → bank embers → choose a meaningful next route.

Progression

Player-facing flow

01Banked embers unlock route knowledge and optional lantern cosmetics. They do not make the safe route irrelevant.

Banked embers unlock route knowledge and optional lantern cosmetics. They do not make the safe route irrelevant.

Meaningful choices

Choice	Benefit	Cost / information	Why both can win
Short lit path	Fast, low-risk bank	Fewer embers	Good when charge is low or teaching controls
Fog path	More embers and a shortcut	Uses charge, needs navigation	Good when prepared or helping a teammate

Features

ID	Status	Feature	Depends on	Acceptance
F-001	approved	Lantern pickup and charge	player movement	Player picks one up, sees charge change, and can recover from zero charge.
F-002	proposed	Three route choices	F-001	Each route has readable risk, reward, and a reason to return.
F-003	deferred	Co-op light sharing	F-001	Teammates can understand when sharing helps.

Existing systems to preserve

Player-facing flow

01Preserve the current movement, camera, interaction prompt, and accessibility settings unless an approved feature names a change.

02Preserve existing pickup sounds and VFX. Add feedback only where the current stack does not confirm an outcome.

Preserve the current movement, camera, interaction prompt, and accessibility settings unless an approved feature names a change.
Preserve existing pickup sounds and VFX. Add feedback only where the current stack does not confirm an outcome.

Optional UI pack reference

Player-facing flow

01[proposed] Pack: none required. If a pack is available, record its id, authored screen/template,

02target device layout, and the player interaction it preserves. Keep its layout and sizing structure

03when changing graphics; do not treat the pack as a dependency of this GDD.

[proposed] Pack: none required. If a pack is available, record its id, authored screen/template,

target device layout, and the player interaction it preserves. Keep its layout and sizing structure when changing graphics; do not treat the pack as a dependency of this GDD.

Build order

Player-facing flow

01F-001: prove pickup, charge, recovery, and feedback in one playable path.

02F-002: add routes after the core path is readable.

03Test first-time completion, a second run, empty charge recovery, and rejoin state.

F-001: prove pickup, charge, recovery, and feedback in one playable path.
F-002: add routes after the core path is readable.
Test first-time completion, a second run, empty charge recovery, and rejoin state.

Scope boundary

Player-facing flow

01One-day scope: one map chunk, one starter item, two route variants, one bank action, and one repeat decision. Exclude a shop, live events, broad content catalog, paid systems, social rank, and polished art until the loop earns them.

One-day scope: one map chunk, one starter item, two route variants, one bank action, and one repeat decision. Exclude a shop, live events, broad content catalog, paid systems, social rank, and polished art until the loop earns them.

Open decisions

Player-facing flow

01[proposed] Does a lantern recharge at the safe house or only through found light? Ask this before balancing route length.

[proposed] Does a lantern recharge at the safe house or only through found light? Ask this before balancing route length.

Visual direction

Player-facing flow

01Warm cream paper, sage green accents, soft fog shapes, readable silhouettes. If no local image is available, draw the safe house, route fork, and lantern as CSS wireframes and keep this prompt: "cozy low-poly night village game scene, warm lantern light, three clear routes, no text, no UI".

Warm cream paper, sage green accents, soft fog shapes, readable silhouettes. If no local image is available, draw the safe house, route fork, and lantern as CSS wireframes and keep this prompt: "cozy low-poly night village game scene, warm lantern light, three clear routes, no text, no UI".

Visual direction

Player-facing flow

Visual directionno assets

No local image was provided. This text diagram keeps the player path reviewable without claiming art exists.