splatter-tennis/HANDOFF.md

# HANDOFF — Splatter Tennis (for the next Claude session)

Read this first, then `~/.claude/projects/.../memory/splatter-tennis-history.md` (auto-loaded)
for the long history. This file is the precise mid-task state as of 2026-07-11.

## What this is
SNES-style pseudo-3D tennis (Super Tennis reference) that transitions into a zombie splatter
game while keeping all tennis aesthetics (umpire voice, 15/30/40 scoring, ball boys, applause).
Zero-dependency vanilla JS, native ES modules, no build step. Mobile portrait one-handed play
is the primary target (tap = swing/serve, flick = aimed shot, auto-run assist does positioning).

- **Run locally**: `preview_start` name `splatter-tennis` (python http.server :8641, .claude/launch.json)
- **Deploy**: push to `git@gitea.wuwi.one:wuwi/splatter-tennis.git` (main) → Coolify webhook
  auto-builds the Dockerfile (nginx, everything served no-cache). Oliver tests on his phone at
  splatter-tennis.wuwi.one within ~30s of a push.
- **Oliver edits files himself** (tuning values, sometimes sprites/sheets). ALWAYS Read current
  file state before editing; never assume your last version is what's on disk.

## Module map (all in repo root)
`config.js` TUNE (live panel, T key) + constants · `state.js` G object + P/O/ball/score + setupPoint
· `gameplay.js` ballistics/swings/serve/rules/AI/update + transition + splatPoint · `zombies.js`
zombie/gore/particle state + updateZombies · `render.js` camera/palette-lerp/sprites/drawing
· `input.js` keys/touch/flick · `audio.js` sfx synth + recorded umpire (assets/audio/*.m4a,
made with macOS `say -v Daniel`) · `panel.js` · `main.js` boot, loop, umpire-tap cheat, window.T.
Two runtime-only import cycles (documented in headers): input↔gameplay, zombies↔gameplay.

## Zombie mode — how it works today
- Trigger: win your first game in tennis mode, OR **triple-tap the umpire** (x=7.1, netZ) within
  1.6s (cheat; listener in main.js → `forceZombies()` in gameplay.js).
- Transition (`G.mode='transition'`, timeline in gameplay.update via `G.transT`): applause cut,
  palette lerp (PAL in render.js), umpire "Quiet… please" at low playbackRate (voice() has a
  `rate` param), CPU opponent swapped for zombie-CPU (variant 'c'), scripted first spawns,
  then `G.mode='splatter'`.
- Splatter: you serve at zombies; every ball carries `ball.pow` (= shot quality); hit with
  pow >= TUNE.zSplatQ → splatter (gore decal + particles + splat() sound + splatPoint('P')),
  else stagger/pushback and the ball is spent (`lastHit='X'`). Zombie crossing your baseline →
  splatPoint('O'). Tennis scoring machinery keeps running (deuce, advantage, "Game, player").
  Ball boys mop gore they pass. HUD shows THEM instead of CPU.
- Balance knobs in TUNE (T panel): zSpeed, zSpawnEvery, zMax, zSplatQ, zPushback.

## ACTIVE TASK — Oliver's last message (his exact words):
> much better!!!
> the time between each serve is too long in zombie mode.
> right now it auto aims to the closest. i should also be able to aim anywhere includibg over the net.
> the speed of zombies should increase over time
> when they reach me i should be eaten

Status per item (working tree runs clean, no console errors, but items 1–2 are UNVERIFIED):

1. **Serve cadence — code DONE, not verified.**
   - gameplay.js dead-ball branch: splatter overT 0.7 → 0.25, new_balls voice freq 0.2 → 0.12.
   - state.js setupPoint splatter branch no longer repositions P (serve from where you stand).
   - keyPressed pretoss+splatter: a FLICK now fires an instant quick serve (no toss, quality
     0.62, aimed by the flick via hitServe(P, 0.62, flick)); a plain TAP still does the toss
     ritual (perfect serves remain possible). hitServe gained an `aim` param.

2. **Aim anywhere incl. over the net — code DONE, not verified.**
   - `zombieTarget(aim)` in gameplay.js rewritten: no aim → most advanced zombie (max z);
     with aim → lane relative to the PLAYER (`P.x + ax*4`), az<0 prefers far zombies,
     az>0 prefers close ones on your own side. All z candidates included.
   - NOTE Oliver's complaint was that it "auto aims to the closest" — if the rewrite still
     feels wrong, the next step is true free-aim: flick direction → landing point directly
     (no zombie snap), with a generous splash/hit radius. Ask him which feel he wants if
     the lane system still fights him.

3. **Zombie speed ramps over time — NOT DONE.**
   - `G.splatT` field was added to state.js but is NEVER incremented — wire it up in
     updateZombies (only while `G.mode==='splatter'`).
   - Planned approach (my edit failed on a stale string, zombies.js current content is in
     this repo, read it): in `spawnZombie`, multiply speed by
     `1 + Math.min(1.5, G.splatT / 70)` (ramp at spawn time keeps the shot-lead math exact),
     and optionally shrink the spawn interval / grow zMax with splatT.

4. **Eaten when they reach you — NOT DONE.** Plan agreed with Oliver:
   - In updateZombies: `G.mode==='splatter' && Math.hypot(zb.x-P.x, zb.z-P.z) < 0.7` →
     eat: gore decal + big particle burst at P, splat(1), voice('game_set_massacre', 0.8),
     `G.mode='eaten'`, ball.active=false. Zombies keep shambling for ambience (guard the
     eat check to mode==='splatter' so it fires once).
   - gameplay.update: early-exit branch for mode 'eaten' (still tick idleT + updateZombies).
   - render.js: skip drawChar(P) when eaten; dark overlay with 'EATEN.', final games score,
     'TAP TO PLAY AGAIN'. Also gate the serve prompt on mode!=='eaten'.
   - main.js: in the cv pointerdown listener (and a keydown), if mode==='eaten' →
     location.reload() (laziest honest restart; fine for now).
   - Existing baseline-cross rule (splatPoint('O') at z >= L+0.7) stays: crossing without
     touching you is a point for THEM, touching you is death.

## Verification recipe (the regression net — use it after the above)
Drive the game deterministically via `window.T` with javascript_tool: the Browser-pane eval
context reports `document.visibilityState==='hidden'`, so RAF is paused and `T.step(1/60)`
gives clean manual stepping. `T.press('Space')` = tap. Dismiss the intro overlay first:
`document.getElementById('intro')?.dispatchEvent(new PointerEvent('pointerdown',{bubbles:true}))`.
- Tennis regression: serve → CPU returns most balls → points/games advance.
- Splatter: `T.G.mode` / force via 3 synthetic pointerdown on the umpire's projected position
  (see main.js listener; coords = proj(7.1,0,11.885), remember logical = cv.width/2 because RES=2).
  `T.zombies`, `T.spawnZombie(x, z, 'a')`, TUNE.zMax=0 to stop spawns during tests.
- Prior benchmarks that must keep holding: CPU returns ~11/12 serves; assist gets the idle
  player in reach 8/8; constructed perfect corner (s=28, g×1.9) is a WINNER, medium center
  ball is returned (run scenarios ~12x — single runs are flaky due to 9% aiFlub).

## Gotchas learned the hard way
- Sprite pipeline: generate via generate-image skill (needs OPENROUTER_API_KEY in repo .env,
  gitignored) → magenta background → scratchpad slice.py (chroma-key, segment, strip ground
  lines/dividers, common-scale per sheet, IDLE_TARGET_H=112). Generator sometimes ignores
  magenta (then: edit-mode the image back to magenta) or draws near-identical animation
  frames (then: re-prompt with strongly contrasted pose descriptions).
- drawChar mirrors sprites by ch.facing — any stance that must not mirror needs facing reset
  (setupPoint pins facing=1).
- The scratchpad venv/scripts get wiped between sessions — recreate venv (requests+pillow)
  and slice.py lives only in scratchpad; its logic is described above if gone.
- Don't trust single-sample gameplay sims; randomness (aiFlub 9%, aim error) needs ~12 runs.
- Commit style: imperative summary + Co-Authored-By Claude line; push = deploy.