Round 2 Evaluation Summary — KN-86 Gameplay Specs
Submission Type: Four modules (Null revised, Relay/SynthFence/Drift unchanged)
Round 2 Final Scores
Section titled “Round 2 Final Scores”All Modules Summary Table
Section titled “All Modules Summary Table”| Module | Round 1 | Round 2 | Change | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NULL | 41/50 | 47/50 | ↑ +6 | PASS | Key mapping & PSG audio revised; now exemplary |
| RELAY | 43/50 | 43/50 | — | PASS | No changes; scores re-confirmed |
| SynthFence | 49/50 | 49/50 | — | PASS | No changes; gold standard maintained |
| Drift | 49/50 | 49/50 | — | PASS | No changes; exemplary maintained |
Passing Threshold: 40+ points
All modules: ✓ PASS
Detailed Score Breakdown (NULL: The Revision Winner)
Section titled “Detailed Score Breakdown (NULL: The Revision Winner)”NULL — Round 1 vs Round 2 (41 → 47)
Section titled “NULL — Round 1 vs Round 2 (41 → 47)”| Criterion | R1 | R2 | Change | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. OODA/Core Loop | 4/5 | 4/5 | — | No change; already excellent |
| 2. Cell Architecture | 5/5 | 5/5 | — | No change; already complete |
| 3. Key Mapping | 3/5 | 5/5 | ↑ +2 | § 14: All 30 keys now assigned (CAR/CDR/EVAL/BACK + 14 function keys; numpad aliases documented) |
| 4. PSG Audio | 3/5 | 5/5 | ↑ +2 | § 15: Mechanical state machine (three voices, register assignments, frequency tables, C code examples) |
| 5. Screen Wireframes | 5/5 | 5/5 | — | No change; already pixel-perfect |
| 6. Integration | 4/5 | 4/5 | — | No change; minor ambiguity acceptable for system module |
| 7. Mission Templates | 5/5 | 5/5 | — | No change; already excellent |
| 8. Session Walkthrough | 5/5 | 5/5 | — | No change; already exemplary |
| 9. Platform Adherence | 4/5 | 4/5 | — | No change; minor deployment model ambiguity acceptable |
| 10. Engineering Readiness | 4/5 | 5/5 | ↑ +1 | Register-level audio C code examples eliminate ambiguity |
Net Change: 41 → 47 (+6 points, strong recovery)
RELAY — Re-Confirmed (43/50)
Section titled “RELAY — Re-Confirmed (43/50)”All Round 1 scores stand. No regression, no new issues.
Key Strengths Persisting:
- SCAN → EVALUATE → APPLY → VERIFY loop (5/5)
- Hierarchical cell architecture (4/5)
- Real-time audio feedback (4/5)
- Five content types (4/5)
- Cross-module integration (5/5)
Known Minor Gaps (Acceptable):
- Binary format byte order/alignment not specified
- Variable-length array encoding unspecified
- Peer encryption algorithm deferred to LINK protocol spec
- RELAY signature verification responsibility unclear
- Defer → re-offer workflow timing not detailed
No revisions requested — design review caliber clarifications only.
SynthFence — Re-Confirmed (49/50)
Section titled “SynthFence — Re-Confirmed (49/50)”All Round 1 scores stand. No regression, no new issues.
Key Strengths Persisting:
- Dual-axis sound design (5/5)
- Exhaustive key mapping (5/5)
- Procedural generation serves narrative (5/5)
- Cross-module storytelling (4/5)
- Session walkthrough excellence (5/5)
Known Single Minor Gap (Acceptable):
- Hot swap phase chain byte format not specified (4/5 on Integration)
- Impact: Non-blocking; struct can be inferred from narrative
No revisions requested — design review clarification only.
Drift — Re-Confirmed (49/50)
Section titled “Drift — Re-Confirmed (49/50)”All Round 1 scores stand. No regression, no new issues.
Key Strengths Persisting:
- Geometric rigor + audio as primary sense (5/5)
- Signal strength modulation (5/5)
- Three-bearing triangulation core loop (5/5)
- Threat via awareness escalation (5/5)
- Audio-only mode accessibility (5/5)
Known Single Minor Gap (Acceptable):
- Hot swap phase chain byte format not specified (4/5 on Integration)
- Impact: Non-blocking; identical to SynthFence gap
No revisions requested — design review clarification only.
Round 2 Assessment: What Changed
Section titled “Round 2 Assessment: What Changed”NULL (Revised Submission)
Section titled “NULL (Revised Submission)”Original Problems (Round 1):
- Key mapping only 12/30 keys (Round 1 Score: 3/5)
- PSG audio event-driven, not mechanical (Round 1 Score: 3/5)
Solutions Delivered:
-
§ 14 (Complete Key Mapping): All 30 keys now assigned across five contexts (Dashboard, Drill, Replay, Bounty, Achievement)
- 14 function keys: CAR, CDR, CONS, EVAL, QUOTE, APPLY, LAMBDA, LINK, BACK, INFO, SYS, NIL, ATOM, EQ
- 16 numpad keys: 0–9, ENTER, DOT, +, −, ×, ÷ (all assigned, +/− as scroll aliases)
- Reserved keys explained: CONS, LINK, SYS, NIL, ATOM, EQ marked for future cross-deck features or firmware use
-
§ 15 (Mechanical PSG Audio State Machine): Three voices with register-level detail
- Voice A (SRAM Inspection): 330 → 660 Hz progressive pulse, per-field kinesthetic feedback
- Voice B (Module Activity): Module-specific frequency map (440 Hz ICE, 330 Hz NODESPACE, 550 Hz CIPHER GARDEN, etc.)
- Voice C (Event Confirmation): Discrete sounds (bounty = 440 Hz beep, achievement = major triad, goal complete = arpeggio)
- Audio state machine diagram showing all transitions
- C code examples for register assignments and frequency calculations
Result: Key mapping (3/5 → 5/5), PSG Audio (3/5 → 5/5), Engineering Readiness (4/5 → 5/5). Total: 41 → 47 (+6 points).
RELAY, SynthFence, Drift (Unchanged)
Section titled “RELAY, SynthFence, Drift (Unchanged)”No spec revisions submitted. All Round 1 scores re-confirmed as accurate.
- RELAY: 43/50 (PASS)
- SynthFence: 49/50 (PASS)
- Drift: 49/50 (PASS)
Engineering Readiness: Implementation Timeline
Section titled “Engineering Readiness: Implementation Timeline”NULL (Ready for Prototyping, 6–7 weeks)
Section titled “NULL (Ready for Prototyping, 6–7 weeks)”- Cell handlers + navigation: 2 weeks
- Audio callbacks (Voice A/B/C with register code): 1.5 weeks
- Wireframe rendering: 1 week
- Mission bounty generation: 1 week
- Integration testing: 1 week
- Blockers: None
RELAY (Ready for Sprint, 8 weeks)
Section titled “RELAY (Ready for Sprint, 8 weeks)”- Cell architecture + manifest parsing: 2 weeks
- SCAN/EVALUATE/APPLY/VERIFY phase handlers: 2 weeks
- Audio callback (real-time transfer monitoring): 1.5 weeks
- Wireframe rendering: 1 week
- Mission content instantiation: 1 week
- Peer-to-peer sharing (LINK cable): 0.5 week
- Blockers: Minor clarifications (binary format, encryption) are design review caliber
SynthFence (Ready for Sprint, 9 weeks)
Section titled “SynthFence (Ready for Sprint, 9 weeks)”- Cell handlers + PSG callbacks: 3 weeks
- Screen rendering + navigation: 2 weeks
- Mission template instantiation + LFSR market sim: 2 weeks
- Session testing + audio tuning: 2 weeks
- Blockers: None (hot swap phase chain format is design review item)
Drift (Ready for Sprint, 10 weeks)
Section titled “Drift (Ready for Sprint, 10 weeks)”- Cell handlers + signal geometry: 2 weeks
- YM2149 voice callbacks (bearing-to-frequency): 2 weeks
- Screen rendering + BITMAP mode: 1.5 weeks
- Hunter AI + awareness decay: 1 week
- Mission template instantiation: 1 week
- Audio-only mode + button feedback: 1 week
- Session testing + tuning: 1.5 weeks
- Blockers: None (hot swap phase chain format is design review item)
Known Minor Gaps (All Acceptable, Non-Blocking)
Section titled “Known Minor Gaps (All Acceptable, Non-Blocking)”| Gap | Scope | Severity | Action | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NULL: Link encryption | Link protocol | LOW | Defer to KN-86-LINK-Protocol spec | Design review item |
| NULL: Cipher template struct | Cipher voice | LOW | Defer to Cipher framework spec | Non-critical (supportive feature) |
| RELAY: Binary format spec | Wire format | LOW | Design review clarification | Implementer can infer from cartridge precedent |
| RELAY: Peer encryption algorithm | P2P sharing | LOW | Defer to LINK protocol spec | Non-blocking for initial launch |
| SynthFence: Hot swap serialization | Phase chain | LOW | Design review clarification | Struct can be inferred; finalize in Black Ledger integration |
| Drift: Hot swap serialization | Phase chain | LOW | Design review clarification | Struct can be inferred; finalize in SHELLFIRE integration |
None of these gaps block prototyping or implementation.
Verdict: All Four Modules Ready
Section titled “Verdict: All Four Modules Ready”Immediate Actions
Section titled “Immediate Actions”- NULL: Approve for implementation sprint (Revision Phase Complete)
- RELAY, SynthFence, Drift: Approve for implementation sprint (Round 1 confirmation sufficient)
- Design Review Backlog: Schedule brief review for:
- NULL: Hot swap serialization format (1 design review, applies to all multi-phase modules)
- RELAY: Binary format byte order, peer encryption (1 design review, coordinates with LINK protocol spec)
- SynthFence: Phase chain format (joint review with Black Ledger)
- Drift: Phase chain format (joint review with SHELLFIRE)
Next Gates
Section titled “Next Gates”- Code Review: C engineer implementation of cell handlers, PSG callbacks, navigation FSM
- Audio Tuning: Prototype voice profiles (NULL Voice B frequency map, SynthFence Voice 1/2/3, Drift bearing-to-frequency mapping)
- Session Testing: Playtest 30-minute (NULL), 15-minute (RELAY), 35-minute (SynthFence), 26-minute (Drift) walkthroughs with target audience
Conclusion
Section titled “Conclusion”Round 2 Assessment: All four modules are ready for implementation. NULL’s revision successfully closes its Round 1 gaps with mechanically rigorous audio design and comprehensive key mapping. RELAY, SynthFence, and Drift maintain their Round 1 excellence with re-confirmed scores.
Recommendation: Move all four modules to implementation sprint without delay. The remaining minor gaps are design review caliber and should be addressed in parallel with prototyping, not blocking.
Overall Quality: Exemplary. This set of gameplay specs represents the gold standard for handheld terminal game design.
END OF ROUND 2 SUMMARY
Four evaluation files created:
/sessions/busy-cool-archimedes/mnt/kinoshita/docs/reviews/null-round-2-evaluation.md/sessions/busy-cool-archimedes/mnt/kinoshita/docs/reviews/relay-round-2-evaluation.md/sessions/busy-cool-archimedes/mnt/kinoshita/docs/reviews/synthfence-round-2-evaluation.md/sessions/busy-cool-archimedes/mnt/kinoshita/docs/reviews/drift-round-2-evaluation.md