a327ex.com

Orblike Tutorial Map and Wall Layers

Summary

Two-track session: cleaned up beach-experiment residue and simplified the hideout, then built a tutorial corridor map, then rebuilt the wall rendering pipeline around hole-aware triangulation and a layer-based z-ordering API. Final touch: tried a door at the corridor pinch, ultimately removed it pending visual revisit.

Beach commit cleanup:

classify_region nil bug:

Hideout simplification:

Tutorial map (maps/tutorial.lua):

Door experiment (rolled back):

Wall pipeline rebuild — triangulation + layers:

Layer-based rendering:

Gradient feel fix:

Door visuals (rolled back at end):

Plan updates:


Let's continue Orblike. Last session we consolidated the design into design.md and plan.md, and now we should keep working. Summarize what the current plan is and what our next steps are. I believe because last session we also failed to do the beach map implementation, there was a bunch of additional code added to generate the beach that we will not necessarily need. So you should look at the state of the code before the last commit and at the last commit, compare both, pull out what features were implemented and summarize them to me. Some of them I'll want to keep, some of them I'll want to remove to not make the code more complicated than it needs to be. If I remember correctly, we spent quite a good deal of time deciding on regions for the map, such that we could use different colors and symbols on different parts of the map. I'll want this, especially the part with the simple classification function. However, there's a lot of additional code that was added that was not this but I don't remember everything.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\ORBS.md)

File does not exist. Note: your current working directory is E:\a327ex.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\design.md)

1    # Orblike — Design
2   
3   Single source of truth for what Orblike is and how it works. Pair with `plan.md` for the implementation roadmap. Modifier/tag/interaction reference tables live in `reference/`.
4   
5   ---
6   
7   ## Concept
8   
9   Roguelike action ARPG with a PoE-style meta-loop. You play a sigil mage running maps from a hub hideout: pick a map, fight through waves on a small (1–2 screen) layout, return with loot, repeat. Die — everything wipes. Defeat the final boss — run win.
10  
11  Build depth comes from **orbs** — items with socketed gem combinations that define active abilities and how they're modified. Other gear adds player-level stats and global modifiers.
12  
13  **Scope reminder.** Orblike is a practice project. Big-project ambition lives in `Psyonia/`. When in doubt, cut rather than expand.
14  
15  ---
16  
17  ## Lore (flavor only)
18  
19  The Psyonian State created **orbs** to clean **null mana** corruption from the world. Null mana is corrupted ambient mana that can't fuel normal life or magic and is dangerous to living beings.
20  
21  Orbs draw null mana from the environment, convert it to the wielder's personal mana, and channel that to the caster — letting mages cast spells they couldn't otherwise sustain.
22  
23  Null abilities are the exception. They use null mana directly without conversion, so they fire from the orb itself (the caster's body can't process null mana).
24  
25  The player is a sigil mage running orb cleansing contracts. None of this directly drives mechanics; it's the why behind orbs, null damage, and the world.
26  
27  ---
28  
29  ## Core Loop
30  
... [214 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\plan.md)

1    # Orblike — Plan
2   
3   Implementation roadmap. Pair with `design.md` for what we're building.
4   
5   **Strategy.** Build the meta-loop shell (hideout, tutorial, UI, inventory, orbs, map system, run lifecycle) first. Port v1 combat last. v1 stays at `v1/` for reference.
6   
7   **Pacing.** Incremental. One phase at a time. User tests between phases. No chaining without check-ins.
8   
9   ---
10  
11  ## Current State
12  
13  **Shipped:**
14  - v2 starter (`main.lua`, `anchor/` framework) on Anchor 2.
15  - Hideout: player movement, jagged polygon room with side rooms, distance-field wall gradient, 32 wall symbols, distribution patterns, F-key live cycling.
16  - Memory tracking overlay (F3/F4/F5).
17  - Region/palette infrastructure in `wall.lua` (multi-region maps, polygon classification, Voronoi classification). Reusable for any future map that wants region-based visuals.
18  
19  **Stuck / abandoned:**
20  - Procgen beach map with rocks/sea coastline. Visually unsatisfying after seven iterations. **Decision:** abandon procgen approach. Tutorial becomes a small hand-laid map. The region/palette infrastructure shipped along the way is preserved for future use.
21  
22  **Not started:**
23  - All UI (HUD, inventory, character/orbs, map UI).
24  - All combat (v1 abilities to port).
25  - NPCs.
26  - Map system + run lifecycle.
27  - Save system.
28  
29  ---
30  
... [153 more lines]

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && git log --oneline -20)

0367c45 Orblike Design Consolidation
c68af68 Orblike Failed Beach Map Generation
b5366b1 Orblike Hideout 3
91c3b50 Orblike Hideout 2
d5d2f71 Orblike Hideout 1
77252f2 Orblike PoE SAP-based Analysis
78f7282 Orblike Design Plan
e35c956 Orblike Pack System
1c5c092 Pack checkpoint
081003f Orblike Damage System
799fb29 Shield checkpoint
40e73e7 Orblike 5 Arrow Abilities
6154f33 Orblike Assorted Improvements
c5748df Orblike More Visuals and Edition System
1705a19 Wall Visuals & Ability Editions
2370608 Orblike Map Gen and Wall Visuals
54e5527 Orblike Visual and Aural Consistency
a3ba1c9 Orblike 6 Abilities
06ad034 Orblike 3 Abilities 15 Mods
dbb9423 Orblike 1 Ability and 4 Modifiers

Let me look at the actual code state and the beach commit.

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && ls *.lua && ls reference/ 2>/dev/null | head -50)

door.lua
main.lua
map.lua
map_generation.lua
player.lua
wall.lua
wall_flow.lua
wall_palettes.lua
wall_patterns.lua
wall_symbols.lua
001-No-title/
004/
008 - Antitower [success]/
0567f50c-db16-406f-8f2a-af58755ba13b.png
1111a417-0189-4565-8b76-6edc7a464ba7.png
112020/
1511855f-2003-4392-bfb4-04c1e301f277.png
22c3ec27-cb02-4db1-876e-5bbff8a967fb (1).png
22c3ec27-cb02-4db1-876e-5bbff8a967fb.png
239A5-P60B91D/
422f57a7-dc79-49a3-9b49-0277f3747a73.png
4b1746c7-ac48-4dfa-b47e-dcd38fc7a728.png
4d926f55-d4ce-4524-97c9-c36dee6bf659 (1).png
4d926f55-d4ce-4524-97c9-c36dee6bf659 (2).png
4d926f55-d4ce-4524-97c9-c36dee6bf659.png
54d154aa-6064-4b20-9858-faf532f702f5.png
6358a60c-212b-43a0-8d74-5d8426d938c3.png
BUILDRX2/
Balatro/
Rekoyam Tsohg/
... [30 more lines]

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && git diff b5366b1 c68af68 -- wall_palettes.lua)

diff --git a/wall_palettes.lua b/wall_palettes.lua
index 5a0fb9e..a801361 100644
--- a/wall_palettes.lua
+++ b/wall_palettes.lua
@@ -97,6 +97,11 @@ end
   apply_wall_palette(m)
   Write the active palette's derived colors onto a map instance.
   Does NOT re-bake the gradient — caller does that if needed.
+

+  Also synthesizes a single 'default' region in m.regions so the
+  region-aware drawing pipeline (wall.lua) can treat all maps uniformly.
+  Maps that author their own multi-region `regions` table replace this
+  default during map:new and are not affected by the palette cycle.
 ]]
 function apply_wall_palette(m)
   local p = wall_palettes[wall_palette_index]
@@ -105,6 +110,44 @@ function apply_wall_palette(m)
   m.floor_color = color_darken(p.wall, p.floor_mult or DEFAULT_FLOOR_MULT)
   m.wall_edge_color = color_darken(p.wall, p.edge_mult or DEFAULT_EDGE_MULT)
   m.wall_symbol_darken = p.sym_darken
+  -- Synthesized 'default' region. Only (re)write if the map is in
+  -- single-region synthesized form so multi-region maps are untouched.
+  if not m.regions or m.regions.default then
+    m.regions = {
+      default = {
+        wall_color = m.wall_color,
+        wall_color_2 = m.wall_color_2,
+        floor_color = m.floor_color,
+        wall_edge_color = m.wall_edge_color,
+        wall_symbol_darken = m.wall_symbol_darken,
... [31 more lines]

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && git diff b5366b1 c68af68 -- wall.lua)

diff --git a/wall.lua b/wall.lua
index d387098..076208d 100644
--- a/wall.lua
+++ b/wall.lua
@@ -250,27 +250,241 @@ function compute_wall_distances(m)
   print('Wall distance field: ' .. tw .. 'x' .. th .. ' = ' .. #distances .. ' texels')
 end
 
+--[[

+  point_to_segment_dist_sq(px, py, x1, y1, x2, y2)
+  Squared shortest distance from (px, py) to the segment (x1,y1)-(x2,y2).
+  Same math as the distance field's inline version, factored out for reuse.
+]]
+local function point_to_segment_dist_sq(px, py, x1, y1, x2, y2)
+  local dx, dy = x2 - x1, y2 - y1
+  local len_sq = dx*dx + dy*dy
+  local t = 0
+  if len_sq > 0 then t = math.clamp(((px - x1)*dx + (py - y1)*dy)/len_sq, 0, 1) end
+  local cx, cy = x1 + t*dx, y1 + t*dy
+  return (px - cx)*(px - cx) + (py - cy)*(py - cy)
+end
+
+--[[
+  compute_region_grid_via_polygons(m, g)
+  Internal helper: per-texel region classification by point-in-polygon
+  test against m.region_polygons. For each texel center, walk all the
+  region polygons; if the point is inside one, that polygon's region tag
+  is assigned. Otherwise, m.default_region (or first key of m.regions).
+
+  Later polygons in the list override earlier ones, so authors can layer
... [362 more lines]

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && git show c68af68:maps/beach.lua | head -100)

--[[
  Beach — opening tutorial map. West→east linear corridor with a slight
  upward tilt. Top edge = "rocks/cliffs" side (player's left): bigger waves,
  more jitter — irregular openings where rocky outcrops will eventually
  poke into the corridor. Bottom edge = "sea" side (player's right):
  smoother, fewer/gentler openings — placeholder for the waterline.

  Wall pipeline (gradient, symbols, palette) is currently the same blue
  hideout treatment on all edges; per-edge visual differentiation
  (rock texture vs water animation) is a later phase. The polygon stays
  one closed chain — openings are concave bulges, not actual gaps in
  collision.

  Length is ~4 screens (1920 units). Spawn near west end; exit position
  recorded for a later step (exit entity not in yet).
]]

maps.beach = {
  bg_color = color(17, 17, 17),
  -- Two-region map. Rocks side (north of the meandering centerline) uses
  -- a warm yellow→orange gradient that reads as sandstone/cliffs; sea
  -- side (south) uses the existing blue palette for an oceanic feel.
  -- Floor color is intentionally unified to the sea (blue) palette's floor
  -- color so the playable corridor looks identical to the pre-region beach.
  -- Per-triangle floor classification would otherwise produce visible wedge-
  -- shaped seams along the ear-clipped triangulation; the rocks/sea
  -- distinction lives on the walls (gradient, edge, symbols), not the floor.
  regions = (function()
    local rocks = wall_palette('yellow')
    local sea = wall_palette('blue')
... [70 more lines]

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && ls maps/)

beach.lua
hideout.lua

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && git log --oneline -- wall_palettes.lua)

c68af68 Orblike Failed Beach Map Generation
b5366b1 Orblike Hideout 3

Plan recap

Where Orblike sits per design.md + plan.md:

Shipped: v2 starter on Anchor 2, hideout (jagged polygon, side rooms, gradient walls, 32 symbols, palette cycling), memory overlay, region/palette infrastructure that's meant to survive the beach being thrown out.

Next concrete step is Phase 1 — Tutorial Map. That phase has 12 sub-phases starting with UI primitives → item/inventory model → inventory UI → character/equipment UI → orb composition UI → permanent HUD → tutorial map gen → seeker port → contact damage + Fireball + Spread → loot drops → tutorial hint system → mini-boss + transition.

Decision point before phase 1 starts: clean up the residue from the beach attempt so we don't drag dead infrastructure into the tutorial work.


What the beach commit (c68af68) added

I diffed b5366b1 → c68af68. Eight files, ~900 net lines added. Breakdown:

1. maps/beach.lua — 400 lines NEW

The whole beach map generator: meandering centerline, octave-sine noise for top "rocks" / bottom "sea" wave amplitudes, west/east bays, sea inset band, wall pipeline calls. All dead. The thing the tutorial map will replace.

2. main.lua — +35 lines

3. wall.lua — +212 lines (the big one)

This is where the region/palette infrastructure lives, and where the keep-vs-cut decision has the most weight. Three layers:

Layer A — small/simple region plumbing (used by every map, including single-region ones):

Layer B — the simple classifier interface (this is what you said you want): A map's generate() can set self.classify_region = function(self, x, y) ... end directly. That's it. wall.lua calls it. Done.

Layer C — auto-derive infrastructure (~180 lines, only useful if a map doesn't provide its own classify_region):

4. wall_palettes.lua — +43 lines

5. map.lua — +18 lines

6. map_generation.lua — +3 lines

One call: compute_region_grid(m) between distance-field compute and gradient bake.

7. assets/wall_symbols.frag — simplified

Removed u_color_near, u_color_far, u_darken, u_dist_field uniforms. Added u_symbol_color. The shader is now just a 2D color lookup — all gradient/region/darken math happens at bake time.

8. plan_beach.md — already archived in the consolidation commit. No action needed.


Recommendation on keep/cut

Cut outright (zero current value):

Cut probably (the auto-derive infrastructure in wall.lua):

This is the complex stuff that tries to derive classify_region from data tables. If maps just write self.classify_region = function(self, x, y) ... end directly in their generate function (your "simple classification function"), we never need polygon-bucket-Voronoi machinery. We can always rebuild it later if a future map actually needs it — it doesn't carry domain knowledge worth preserving in a hot path.

Keep (the simple part that pays for itself):

Toss-up (small, worth your call):

Net cleanup if you take the recommendations: ~580 lines deleted (400 beach + ~180 wall.lua auto-derive). Region infrastructure remains but with one clear way to use it: maps set classify_region directly.

Want me to make those cuts as a series of edits, or stage them so you can review each one?

Your intuition is correct, you may proceed. I think m.edges override path can be removed too, we won't need to draw arbitrary polylines anymore as edges, that was a hack. So the decision is keep Layer A and B, remove C.

Cutting beach.lua + Layer C (auto-derive) + the m.edges override + F2 overlay (its hardcoded rocks/sea colors are beach residue). Reading the current files to target edits cleanly.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

1    require('anchor')({
2     width = 480,
3     height = 270,
4     title = "Orblike",
5     scale = 3,
6     filter = "rough",
7   })
8   
9   -- SNKRX-theme reference palette. Use as building blocks for per-map colors,
10  -- entity colors, UI colors, ability colors, etc.
11  bg_color = color(17, 17, 17)
12  fg_color = color(222, 222, 222)
13  fg_alt = color(176, 168, 159)
14  yellow = color(255, 184, 51)
15  orange = color(244, 144, 62)
16  blue = color(82, 179, 203)
17  green = color(121, 177, 89)
18  red = color(216, 70, 84)
19  purple = color(178, 108, 161)
20  blue2 = color(71, 120, 186)
21  yellow2 = color(245, 159, 16)
22  white = color(255, 255, 255)
23  grey = color(128, 128, 128)
24  
25  require('player')
26  require('door')
27  require('wall')
28  require('wall_symbols')
29  require('wall_patterns')
30  require('wall_palettes')
... [116 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

1    --[[
2     Wall — distance-field computation, gradient texture baking, symbol
3     scattering and drawing, edge line drawing.
4   
5     The distance field is the foundation everything else builds on. For each
6     texel in a grid covering the floor polygon's bounding box (plus margin),
7     we find the minimum distance from that texel center to ANY edge of the
8     polygon. We normalize by `m.wall_gradient_fade_dist` so the value is 0
9     at the edge and 1 at fade_dist or beyond.
10  
11    This distance is symmetric — texels INSIDE the polygon (floor) and texels
12    OUTSIDE (wall area) both get distance-to-nearest-edge values. The floor
13    triangles cover the inside at draw time, hiding the gradient there. Only
14    the wall band reveals the gradient.
15  
16    All functions take a map instance `m` as first arg. State is stored on
17    the map (m.gradient_cache, m.wall_points), no globals.
18  
19    m.gradient_cache layout:
20      distances        -- flat array, normalized 0-1, row-major
21      tw, th           -- texel grid dimensions
22      bx0, by0, bx1, by1, bw, bh  -- world-space bounding box
23      scale            -- world units per texel (one texel = scale x scale px)
24      df_texture       -- grayscale RGBA texture of the distances
25      gradient_texture -- colored RGBA texture (mix of wall_color, wall_color_2 by distance)
26  ]]
27  
28  --[[
29    poisson_disc(x0, y0, x1, y1, r, [k])
30    Bridson's Poisson disc sampling. Returns a flat {x1, y1, x2, y2, ...}
... [642 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

200      - Runs the wall pipeline: compute_wall_distances, bake_wall_gradient,
201       scatter_wall_symbols.
202   The boundary entity is also added to the map's entity manifest so
203   destruction cascades.
204 ]]
205 function map_gen_finalize(m, verts)
206   local n = #verts/2
207   local cx, cy = 0, 0
208   for i = 0, n - 1 do
209     cx = cx + verts[i*2 + 1]
210     cy = cy + verts[i*2 + 2]
211   end
212   cx, cy = cx/n, cy/n
213 
214   -- Reverse CW → CCW so chain normals point inward
215   local local_verts = {}
216   for i = n - 1, 0, -1 do
217     local_verts[#local_verts + 1] = verts[i*2 + 1] - cx
218     local_verts[#local_verts + 1] = verts[i*2 + 2] - cy
219   end
220 
221   m.boundary_obj = map_boundary(local_verts, cx, cy)
222   m:add_entity(m.boundary_obj)
223 
224   m.floor = {
225     vertices = verts,
226     triangles = triangulate(verts),
227   }
228 
229   print('Generated map: ' .. n .. ' boundary points, ' .. #m.floor.triangles .. ' floor triangles')
... [30 more lines]

Bash (rm E:/a327ex/Orblike/maps/beach.lua && ls E:/a327ex/Orblike/maps/)

hideout.lua

Now main.lua — strip the beach require, switch defaults back to hideout, remove F2 overlay.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Now wall.lua — strip Layer C (auto-derive region grid functions) and the m.edges override path in draw_wall_edge. Also touch up the docstring that name-drops beach.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

25   
26  function map:new(def)
27    -- Copy visual params from definition onto self
28    self.bg_color = def.bg_color
29    self.wall_edge_width = def.wall_edge_width
30    self.wall_symbol_size = def.wall_symbol_size
31    self.wall_symbol_width = def.wall_symbol_width
32    self.wall_gradient_fade_dist = def.wall_gradient_fade_dist
33  
34    -- Color fields (wall_color, wall_color_2, floor_color, wall_edge_color,
35    -- wall_symbol_darken) come from the active palette, set by load_map
36    -- from def.palette before this constructor runs.
37    -- apply_wall_palette also synthesizes a single 'default' region so the
38    -- region-aware drawing pipeline can treat all maps uniformly.
39    apply_wall_palette(self)
40  
41    -- Multi-region maps (e.g., beach with 'rocks' + 'sea') override the
42    -- synthesized 'default' region with their own table. The drawing pipeline
43    -- selects which region's colors apply at any (x, y) via self:classify_region.
44    if def.regions then self.regions = def.regions end
45  
46    -- Spawn point
47    self.spawn_x = def.spawn_x
48    self.spawn_y = def.spawn_y
49  
50    -- Generated state (filled by the wall pipeline)
51    self.floor = nil           -- {vertices, triangles}
52    self.boundary_obj = nil    -- map_boundary entity (chain collider)
53    self.gradient_cache = nil  -- {distances, tw, th, bx0/y0/x1/y1, bw, bh, scale, df_texture, gradient_texture}
54    self.wall_points = nil     -- list of scatter points {x, y, rotation}
... [60 more lines]

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Verifying no stale references remain.

Bash (cd E:/a327ex/Orblike && wc -l main.lua wall.lua map.lua map_generation.lua wall_...)

  114 main.lua
  447 wall.lua
  208 map.lua
  319 map_generation.lua
  166 wall_palettes.lua
 1254 total
hideout.lua

All stale references are gone. Final state:

Deleted:

main.lua (145 → 114 lines): removed require('maps.beach'), F2 binding, region_overlay_visible, debug_region_colors, draw_region_overlay, the toggle line in update, the call in draw. Default map and reload key both back to hideout.

wall.lua (671 → 447 lines, -224 lines): removed point_to_segment_dist_sq, compute_region_grid_via_polygons, compute_region_grid_via_edges, compute_region_grid. Simplified draw_wall_edge back to just tracing the floor polygon (still classifies per-segment by midpoint, so multi-region color flips still work). Touched up bake_wall_gradient docstring to drop the beach name-drop.

map_generation.lua (322 → 319 lines): removed the compute_region_grid(m) call and its comment.

map.lua: removed beach-specific phrasing in one comment.

Untouched (Layer A/B kept intact): m.regions table, per-pixel/per-triangle/per-segment region-aware drawing in bake_wall_gradient / draw_wall_floor / draw_wall_edge, two-texture symbol pipeline, simplified shader, wall_palette(name) helper, synthesized default region in apply_wall_palette, def.regions reading + default classify_region fallback in map.lua.

The shape of the simple multi-region API now is: a map's generate(self) writes self.classify_region = function(self, x, y) return 'name' end, sets self.regions = { name = wall_palette('blue'), ... } either at def-time or in generate, and the wall pipeline does the rest. No data-driven derivation infrastructure.

Net cleanup: ~580 lines deleted across the project. Ready for Phase 1 sub-phase 1 (UI primitives) when you are.

Which map is being loaded into the game right now?

The hideout — main.lua:106 calls load_map('hideout'), and F5 (the reload_map binding) reloads the same hideout. The hideout is now the only map in maps/ since beach.lua was deleted.

ERROR: wall.lua:288: attempt to call a nil value (method 'classify_region') stack traceback: wall.lua:288: in function 'bake_wall_gradient' map_generation.lua:232: in function 'map_gen_finalize' maps/hideout.lua:288: in field 'generate' map.lua:75: in field 'new' anchor/class.lua:28: in global 'map' map.lua:196: in function 'load_map' main.lua:80: in main chunk

The fallback classify_region was installed after def.generate(self), but def.generate is what invokes map_gen_finalizebake_wall_gradient. So during the bake, classify_region is still nil.

Fix: install the fallback before generate runs. Maps can still override it inside their generate function before they call map_gen_finalize.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Fixed. The default classify_region is now installed right after the regions table is set up — before def.generate(self) runs the wall pipeline. Multi-region maps still override it inside their generate function before they call map_gen_finalize.

Let's simplify the hideout map to remove the additional rooms, the initial path on the bottom. It's just a simple rounded room. We can also remove the extra drawings, although not the system for drawing extras itself. You can also remove the code made to do all those things, or try to generalize it (if it isn't) for future maps, your choice.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua)

1    --[[
2     Hideout — player's home base. Central circular hub with:
3       - Main south corridor (player entry, still in place but no longer the
4         spawn — see spawn_y below).
5       - 5 side rooms at fixed 45°-offset angles (E, W, NW, N, NE). Each has
6         a corridor of random length. Each picks a random shape from seven
7         (rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, rhombus, circle)
8         and independently a random "flat" flag (walls without edge jitter).
9       - East unlocked; other four blocked by doors.
10  
11    Polygon assembly:
12      Each room's detour is a CW trace from c1 (corridor's near-P far
13      corner) around the room's perimeter — the LONG way, skipping the
14      corridor-facing edge/chord — back to c4 (corridor's far-P far corner).
15      Shape-specific body functions below. For regular polygons (pent/hex/
16      oct), `add_regular_polygon_body` handles the common case given a
17      list of vertex angles.
18  
19    Spawn is at the portal in the central hub (so F5 reloads land you
20    where you're working without a corridor walk).
21  ]]
22  
23  -- Jagged line or exact straight line, depending on flat flag. Flat
24  -- variants skip the per-intermediate jitter — the polygon then has only
25  -- the exact corner vertices for that edge. Used throughout the body
26  -- functions so every shape has a flat variant for free.
27  local function maybe_jagged(verts, flat, x1, y1, x2, y2, step, jitter, jitter_along)
28    if not flat then
29      map_gen_jagged_line(verts, x1, y1, x2, y2, step, jitter, jitter_along)
30    end
... [298 more lines]

Let me check how draw_extras is invoked to ensure removing it from the def is clean.

Grep (draw_extras)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:304:  draw_extras = function(m, layer)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua:69:  self.draw_extras = def.draw_extras
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua:72:  -- radius, etc.) so draw_extras can read them off self. Anything not
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua:121:  if self.draw_extras then self:draw_extras(wall_layer) end

Grep (flow_flip_x|center_x|center_y|.radius)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_flow.lua:68:  -- default choice is (-gy, gx). When m.flow_flip_x is set, symbols on
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_flow.lua:69:  -- the right half (px >= flow_flip_x) use the other perpendicular
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_flow.lua:72:  if m.flow_flip_x and px >= m.flow_flip_x then
E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:190:  center_x = 240,
E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:191:  center_y = 135,
E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:197:  flow_flip_x = 240,
E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:209:    local cx, cy = m.center_x, m.center_y
E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:210:    local R = m.radius
E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:305:    local cx, cy = m.center_x, m.center_y
E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua:308:    local spiral_max_r = m.radius*0.82
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua:71:  -- Copy any extra map-specific fields the map def defines (center_x,
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:5385:  local center_y = map_h/2
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:5402:    local cy = center_y + center_wave(x)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:5408:    local cy = center_y + center_wave(x)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:5426:  local left_center_y = (tl_y + bl_y)/2
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:6804:    r.radius = r.radius + an.dt*r.speed
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:6805:    if r.radius > r.max_range * 1.5 then
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:6921:      ground:shader_set_float(s, 'u_ripple_radii[' .. idx .. ']', r.radius)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:6924:      local strength = math.max(0, 1.0 - r.radius/r.max_range)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:7158:    local r_uv = sw.radius/gh
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8404:  self.radius = args.radius or (def and def.area_radius) or 25
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8405:  if self.mods['area+'] then self.radius = self.radius*1.25 end
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8406:  if self.mods['area++'] then self.radius = self.radius*1.5 end
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8407:  if self.mods['area+++'] then self.radius = self.radius*2.0 end
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8408:  if self.mods['area-'] then self.radius = self.radius*0.85 end
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8409:  if self.mods['area--'] then self.radius = self.radius*0.7 end
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8410:  if self.mods['area---'] then self.radius = self.radius*0.5 end
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8425:      local spacing = self.radius*2*(def and def.cascade_spacing or 0.75)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8426:      local angle_var = math.rad(8)*14/self.radius
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:8464:        wx = self.radius*v.d*math.cos(v.a + poly_r),
... [44 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

258    screen coords (angles increasing with y-down) so map_gen_finalize's CCW
259   reversal leaves chain normals facing inward. `step_angle` controls segment
260   count per revolution; `jitter` is per-vertex radial noise.
261 ]]
262 function generate_circle(m, cx, cy, radius, step_angle, jitter)
263   step_angle = step_angle or math.pi/16  -- 32 segments per revolution
264   jitter = jitter or 4
265 
266   local verts = {}
267   local a = 0
268   -- Stop a half-step short of 2π so we don't duplicate the start point.
269   while a < 2*math.pi - step_angle*0.5 do
270     local r = radius + random_float(-jitter, jitter)
271     verts[#verts + 1] = cx + r*math.cos(a)
272     verts[#verts + 1] = cy + r*math.sin(a)
273     a = a + step_angle
274   end
275 
276   map_gen_finalize(m, verts)
277 end
278 
279 --[[
280   generate_arena_rectangle(m)
281   Build a screen-sized rectangular boundary with jagged edges + rounded
282   corners on map `m`. Direct adaptation of v1's generate_linear_map,
283   scaled down to one screen.
284 ]]
285 function generate_arena_rectangle(m)
286   local map_w = width
287   local map_h = height
... [30 more lines]

Before I write — here's what I'll do. The local helpers in hideout.lua (maybe_jagged, corridor_frame, add_regular_polygon_body, add_rect_body, add_pent_body, add_hex_body, add_oct_body, add_circle_body, add_side_room_detour, random_shape_params) are all tightly coupled to corridor-attached side rooms — they don't generalize to "any future map." Best to delete; git remembers the pattern if we want it back.

For the simple circular room, generate_circle() already exists in map_generation.lua (line 262) — does exactly what we need. The whole hideout file collapses to a def block with a one-line generate.

Proposed new hideout.lua:

--[[
  Hideout — player's home base. Single circular room, walls jagged via
  generate_circle's per-vertex jitter. No corridors, no side rooms, no
  doors. Spawn is at the center.
]]

maps.hideout = {
  bg_color = color(17, 17, 17),
  palette = 'blue',
  wall_edge_width = 2,
  wall_symbol_size = 6,
  wall_symbol_width = 3,
  wall_gradient_fade_dist = 120,

  center_x = 240,
  center_y = 135,
  radius = 120,

  -- In wall_flow's 'flow_along' mode, flip the tangent perpendicular
  -- around this x so both halves of the room read the same "up"
  -- direction rather than mirroring across the central axis.
  flow_flip_x = 240,

  spawn_x = 240,
  spawn_y = 135,

  generate = function(m)
    generate_circle(m, m.center_x, m.center_y, m.radius)
  end,
}

Removed vs current: ~310 lines (all helpers + corridor params + door spawning loop + draw_extras spiral/portal markers). The draw_extras system in map.lua stays untouched — it just gets nil from this def and no-ops via the if self.draw_extras then ... guard.

Does this look right? If yes, I'll overwrite the file.

Sure.

Write (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\hideout.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Bash (wc -l E:/a327ex/Orblike/maps/hideout.lua)

30 E:/a327ex/Orblike/maps/hideout.lua

Hideout collapsed from 327 → 30 lines. F5 reloads should now drop you into a plain circular room at center, no doors, no spiral.

Great, now let's work on the tutorial map. Let's name it tutorial. It's a linear map like the beach or like the v1 map in Orblike, with some variations on the sides, but largely linear and just 2 screens big.

Let me peek at v1's linear map for reference before drafting.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua)

5375 end
5376    
5377    function generate_organic_linear_map(seed)
5378      map_floor = nil
5379    
5380      local rng = an.random
5381      if seed then rng:set_seed(seed) end
5382    
5383      local map_w = gw*3
5384      local map_h = gh
5385      local center_y = map_h/2
5386    
5387      -- Generate smooth undulating waves for center path, top offset, bottom offset
5388      local center_wave = map_gen_wave(rng, 3, 25, 0.004)   -- center path meanders ±25px
5389      local width_wave = map_gen_wave(rng, 2, 20, 0.007)    -- corridor width varies ±20px
5390      local top_detail = map_gen_wave(rng, 2, 8, 0.02)      -- fine detail on top edge
5391      local bot_detail = map_gen_wave(rng, 2, 8, 0.02)      -- fine detail on bottom edge
5392    
5393      local base_half_height = 95  -- base corridor half-height (~190px corridor in a 270px screen)
5394      local side_margin = 32
5395      local cr = 35  -- corner radius
5396      local step = 16
5397      local jitter = 5
5398      local jitter_along = 2
5399    
5400      -- Compute top and bottom y at a given x
5401      local function top_y(x)
5402        local cy = center_y + center_wave(x)
5403        local hw = base_half_height + width_wave(x)
5404        return cy - hw + top_detail(x)
... [60 more lines]

Grep (map_gen_wave|function map_gen_)

104:function map_gen_jagged_h(verts, x1, x2, base_y, dir, step, jitter, jitter_along)
124:function map_gen_jagged_line(verts, x1, y1, x2, y2, step, jitter, jitter_along)
147:function map_gen_jagged_v(verts, y1, y2, base_x, dir, step, jitter, jitter_along)
164:function map_gen_corner(verts, cx, cy, start_angle, end_angle, r, jitter, steps)
205:function map_gen_finalize(m, verts)
243:function map_gen_arc(verts, cx, cy, start_angle, end_angle, r, step_angle, jitter)

Grep (function map_gen_wave)

5356:function map_gen_wave(rng, num_octaves, base_amplitude, base_frequency)
5357-  num_octaves = num_octaves or 3
5358-  base_amplitude = base_amplitude or 30
5359-  base_frequency = base_frequency or 0.005
5360-  local octaves = {}
5361-  for i = 1, num_octaves do
5362-    octaves[i] = {
5363-      amplitude = base_amplitude/(i*0.8),
5364-      frequency = base_frequency*i*1.3,
5365-      phase = rng:float(0, math.pi*2),
5366-    }
5367-  end
5368-  return function(x)
5369-    local y = 0
5370-    for _, o in ipairs(octaves) do
5371-      y = y + o.amplitude*math.sin(x*o.frequency + o.phase)

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua)

1    --[[
2     wall_palettes — palette definitions and palette switching for the
3     hideout (and any other map that opts into the palette system).
4   
5     Each palette entry: {name, wall, wall2, sym_darken, [edition], plus
6     optional bg_mult/bg2_mult/floor_mult/edge_mult overrides for derived
7     colors}. wall + wall2 are the gradient endpoints; sym_darken is the
8     per-pixel symbol darken (passed to wall_symbols.frag).
9   
10    apply_wall_palette(m) writes 5 derived fields onto a map instance:
11      m.wall_color       = wall   * (bg_mult or 0.4)
12      m.wall_color_2     = wall2  * (bg2_mult or 0.3)
13      m.floor_color      = wall   * (floor_mult or 0.18)
14      m.wall_edge_color  = wall   * (edge_mult or 0.6)
15      m.wall_symbol_darken = sym_darken
16    These used to be hardcoded in each map def. Maps now set
17    `palette = 'blue'` (or any name) and the palette system fills them.
18  
19    cycle_wall_palette() advances the active palette and re-bakes the
20    wall gradient. Re-baking is fast because the cached distance field
21    is reused — only the color interpolation is redone. F9 binds to it.
22  
23    Ported from v1/main.lua around line 5546. v1 used hsl_color with
24    hues in [0, 1]; v2's color_from_hsl uses [0, 360], so all hue
25    values were multiplied by 360 during the port. Edition palettes
26    preserve v1's complementary-hue choice for wall2 (wall2 hue =
27    wall hue + 180°).
28  ]]
29  
30  -- Edition hue centers (must match draw_shader.frag's edition table).
... [70 more lines]

Plan: port v1's organic linear approach scaled to 2 screens, single region, blue palette. Need one new helper (map_gen_wave — 15-line octave-noise function from v1) added to map_generation.lua, then a maps/tutorial.lua modeled on generate_organic_linear_map. Decisions baked in:

Code I'd add to map_generation.lua (right after generate_arena_rectangle):

--[[
  map_gen_wave(num_octaves, base_amplitude, base_frequency)
  Returns a deterministic-per-call function f(x) → y that sums sine
  octaves. Each octave halves amplitude and increases frequency, with
  random phase. Use to drive smooth-undulating edges in linear maps.
  Ported from v1's map_gen_wave; uses random_float instead of rng:float.
]]
function map_gen_wave(num_octaves, base_amplitude, base_frequency)
  num_octaves = num_octaves or 3
  base_amplitude = base_amplitude or 30
  base_frequency = base_frequency or 0.005
  local octaves = {}
  for i = 1, num_octaves do
    octaves[i] = {
      amplitude = base_amplitude/(i*0.8),
      frequency = base_frequency*i*1.3,
      phase = random_float(0, math.pi*2),
    }
  end
  return function(x)
    local y = 0
    for _, o in ipairs(octaves) do
      y = y + o.amplitude*math.sin(x*o.frequency + o.phase)
    end
    return y
  end
end

New file maps/tutorial.lua:

--[[
  Tutorial — opening linear corridor. ~2 screens long. Walls have
  organic top/bottom edges driven by stacked sine waves (centerline
  meander + width variation + per-edge detail), rounded corners,
  per-vertex jitter for roughness. Single region; same wall pipeline
  as the hideout.

  Spawn at west end. exit_x/exit_y recorded for the future exit entity.
]]

maps.tutorial = {
  bg_color = color(17, 17, 17),
  palette = 'blue',
  wall_edge_width = 2,
  wall_symbol_size = 6,
  wall_symbol_width = 3,
  wall_gradient_fade_dist = 120,

  map_w = 960,
  map_h = 270,
  side_margin = 32,
  corner_radius = 35,
  base_half_height = 95,

  spawn_x = 80,
  spawn_y = 135,
  exit_x = 880,
  exit_y = 135,

  generate = function(m)
    local center_y = m.map_h*0.5
    local lx = m.side_margin
    local rx = m.map_w - m.side_margin
    local cr = m.corner_radius
    local step = 16
    local jitter = 5
    local jitter_along = 2

    local center_wave = map_gen_wave(3, 25, 0.004)
    local width_wave  = map_gen_wave(2, 20, 0.007)
    local top_detail  = map_gen_wave(2, 8,  0.02)
    local bot_detail  = map_gen_wave(2, 8,  0.02)

    local function top_y(x)
      local cy = center_y + center_wave(x)
      local hh = m.base_half_height + width_wave(x)
      return cy - hh + top_detail(x)
    end
    local function bot_y(x)
      local cy = center_y + center_wave(x)
      local hh = m.base_half_height + width_wave(x)
      return cy + hh + bot_detail(x)
    end

    local tl_y = top_y(lx + cr)
    local tr_y = top_y(rx - cr)
    local bl_y = bot_y(lx + cr)
    local br_y = bot_y(rx - cr)

    local verts = {}

    map_gen_corner(verts, lx + cr, tl_y + cr, math.pi, 3*math.pi/2, cr, jitter*0.5)

    local x = lx + cr + step
    while x < rx - cr - step*0.5 do
      local y = top_y(x) + random_float(-jitter, jitter)
      verts[#verts + 1] = x + random_float(-jitter_along, jitter_along)
      verts[#verts + 1] = y
      x = x + step
    end

    map_gen_corner(verts, rx - cr, tr_y + cr, 3*math.pi/2, 2*math.pi, cr, jitter*0.5)
    map_gen_jagged_v(verts, tr_y + cr, br_y - cr, rx, 1, step, jitter, jitter_along)
    map_gen_corner(verts, rx - cr, br_y - cr, 0, math.pi/2, cr, jitter*0.5)

    x = rx - cr - step
    while x > lx + cr + step*0.5 do
      local y = bot_y(x) + random_float(-jitter, jitter)
      verts[#verts + 1] = x + random_float(-jitter_along, jitter_along)
      verts[#verts + 1] = y
      x = x - step
    end

    map_gen_corner(verts, lx + cr, bl_y - cr, math.pi/2, math.pi, cr, jitter*0.5)
    map_gen_jagged_v(verts, bl_y - cr, tl_y + cr, lx, -1, step, jitter, jitter_along)

    map_gen_finalize(m, verts)
  end,
}

Plus main.lua gets require('maps.tutorial') added, and one open question: switch F5/default to load tutorial for testing now, or leave on hideout and you'll toggle when ready?

Does the structure look right? And which load behavior do you want?

Seems good. Yes, default to tutorial now.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

315    -- Left edge: bottom → top
316   map_gen_jagged_v(verts, by - cr, ty + cr, lx, -1, step, jitter, jitter_along)
317 
318   map_gen_finalize(m, verts)
319 end
320 

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Write (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

File created successfully at: E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

<tool_use_error>Found 2 matches of the string to replace, but replace_all is false. To replace all occurrences, set replace_all to true. To replace only one occurrence, please provide more context to uniquely identify the instance.
String: load_map('hideout')</tool_use_error>

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

The initial load_map line failed because it matched both the initial and reload-key occurrences. The reload-key edit succeeded with its more specific context, so now only the initial load is unfixed. Reading current main.lua to confirm and fix.

Grep (load_map)

70:bind('reload_map', 'key:f5')
81:load_map('hideout')
86:  if is_pressed('reload_map') then load_map('tutorial') end

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Done. Files in place:

Run it and let me know how it feels — amplitude, corridor width, jitter, palette are all knobs to tune once you see it.

The left and right ends of the map could be more rounded instead of kind of flat/square like they are now.

Let me check map_gen_corner to see what helper to use for half-circle bays.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

160  --[[
161   map_gen_corner(verts, cx, cy, start_angle, end_angle, r, jitter, steps)
162   Append a rounded corner arc with radius jitter.
163 ]]
164 function map_gen_corner(verts, cx, cy, start_angle, end_angle, r, jitter, steps)
165   jitter = jitter or 3
166   steps = steps or 6
167   for i = 0, steps do
168     local t = i/steps
169     local a = math.lerp(t, start_angle, end_angle)
170     local pr = r + random_float(-jitter, jitter)
171     verts[#verts + 1] = cx + pr*math.cos(a)
172     verts[#verts + 1] = cy + pr*math.sin(a)
173   end
174 end
175 
176 --[[
177   map_boundary — entity wrapping the static chain collider built from a
178   closed polygon. Stores its world position (centroid) and a chain collider
179   whose vertices are local (offsets from the centroid).
180 ]]
181 map_boundary = class()
182 
183 function map_boundary:new(local_verts, cx, cy)
184   self.x, self.y = cx, cy
185   make_entity(self)
186   self.collider = collider(self, 'wall', 'static', 'chain', local_verts, true)
187   self.collider:set_position(cx, cy)
188 end
189 
... [20 more lines]

For "more rounded ends" I'll replace the quarter-arc + vertical-edge + quarter-arc structure on each end with a single half-circle bay — same approach the abandoned beach used for its west/east ends. The flat vertical segment goes away entirely.

bay_inset replaces side_margin + corner_radius. The bay's center sits bay_inset in from the map edge, and its radius is computed from the actual corridor half-height at that x (so the bay width auto-matches whatever the wave is doing locally).

Write (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

F5 to reload. The ends should be true half-circles now — no flat verticals. Bay size scales with whatever corridor width the waves give you at bay_inset from each end.

If they look too round (overpowering the wavy middle) bump bay_inset smaller; if they still feel boxy, decrease base_half_height so the bays end up smaller and the corridor more elongated.

The jaggedness of the circle is lower than that of the rest of the map, I think it should match it. If you could also make the circle slightly less of a perfect circle it would look more natural.

Two fixes: bump bay jitter from jitter*0.5 to full jitter (matches the corridor edges), and add a low-frequency sine deformation on the bay radius so it's gently asymmetric instead of perfectly round. Easiest path is to inline the bay loop and reuse map_gen_wave for the radial deformation — same wave function the corridor already uses, just evaluated against angle instead of x.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

F5 to reload. Bays now have the same ±5 per-vertex jitter as the corridor and a smooth radial deformation (≈10% of radius, two sine octaves with random phase per bay) so each bay reads slightly off-circle in its own way. Tune west_r*0.10 to taste — 0.05 would barely show, 0.20 would clearly bulge.

Great, now let's make sure the map decreases in width dramatically towards the end of the first screen and then expands again. That decrease is where we'll place a door object (later) so we can make sure the player has equipped both the orb and fireball. Additionally, make the width of the map lower in general, too, it's a bit too wide now.

Two changes: drop overall corridor width (and proportionally trim wave amplitudes so the smaller corridor stays visually stable), and add a single localized pinch near the end of screen 1 (x=480) using a cosine bump on the half-height. The pinch is a parameterized field so you can tune width and depth without diving into generate.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

F5 to reload.

Tuning knobs (all in the def block):

The bays auto-resized — they're computed from the corridor's actual half-height at bay_inset, so smaller base = smaller bays.

Instead of 1 screen away let's make it 0.5 for the pinch. The corridor is a bit too thin now, should be a bit wider. Everything else looks great.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Done. pinch_x = 240 (half-screen), base_half_height = 75 (up from 65), pinch_depth = 60 (scaled up to keep the gap at the pinch around the same ~30-unit width). F5 to reload.

A bit thinner, and the way the rocks go back to normal width should take longer visually on the right side, right now it's a bit too fast.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Done. Pinch is now asymmetric — the recovery on the right side spans 160 units (double the left's 80), so the corridor takes longer to widen back out after the choke. Base half-height down to 70. F5 to reload.

[Pasted image/png]

I'd like more consistency on the size of the opening. Sometimes it's really wide, sometimes you can't pass through it like here.

Right — the issue is the gap at the pinch is 2 * (half_height) + (bot_detail - top_detail), and the detail waves are independent random noise that can subtract several pixels from the gap independently. Plus width_wave adds variance. So the actual opening size is unpredictable: sometimes passable, sometimes choked.

Fix: suppress all three random terms (width_wave, top_detail, bot_detail) at the pinch peak via a k = 1 - pinch/pinch_depth factor. They fade smoothly to zero at x = pinch_x, then back to full magnitude outside the pinch band. The gap at the pinch peak becomes exactly 2 * (base_half_height - pinch_depth) every time.

I'll also drop pinch_depth from 60 to 50 so the consistent gap is 2 * (70 - 50) = 40 — clearly passable for a ~20-wide player.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

F5 to reload. Gap at the pinch is now exactly 40 units wide on every generation — the random width/detail waves smoothly fade out as you approach the choke point and come back as you leave it. The corridor everywhere else still gets the full organic variation.

Perfect. I think that settles the generation portion of it. Let's work on the door object now. Brown, a thin (2px) line that covers the middle of the pinch and physically collides with everything, not allowing anything through.

Let me read the existing door.lua and check the player for collider patterns.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua)

1    --[[
2     door — static blocker placed at the mouth of a side-room corridor to
3     keep the player out of rooms that haven't been unlocked yet. Visually
4     a slightly-darker-than-wall-edge rectangle perpendicular to the
5     corridor axis.
6   
7     Created by the hideout map during generation for every LOCKED side
8     room. Unlocked rooms don't get a door (player walks through freely).
9   
10    Orientation: the `angle` argument is the corridor's RADIAL direction
11    (D = outward from circle center). The door's thickness lies along D;
12    its width spans across the corridor (along the P perpendicular).
13  
14    Usage:
15      d = door(x, y, angle, width, thickness?)
16  
17    Map ownership: spawn via map:add_entity(d) so it gets killed on reload.
18  ]]
19  
20  door = class()
21  
22  function door:new(x, y, angle, width, thickness)
23    self.x, self.y = x, y
24    self.angle = angle
25    self.w = width
26    self.thickness = thickness or 4
27  
28    make_entity(self)
29  
30    -- Static box collider. We want thickness along corridor axis (D) and
... [23 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\player.lua)

1    player = class()
2   
3   function player:new(x, y)
4     self.x, self.y = x, y
5     self.w, self.h = 10, 10
6     self.base_speed = 100
7     self.speed = self.base_speed
8     self.r = 0
9     self.visual_r = 0
10    self.sx, self.sy = 1, 1
11    self.edition = 0
12    self.moving = false
13    self.previous_moving = false
14    self.flashing = false
15    self.hp = 100
16    self.max_hp = 100
17  
18    make_entity(self)
19  
20    self.collider = collider(self, 'player', 'dynamic', 'box', self.w, self.h)
21    self.collider:set_gravity_scale(0)
22    self.collider:set_fixed_rotation(true)
23    self.collider:set_position(x, y)
24  
25    self.timer = timer_new()
26    self.spring = spring_new()
27    spring_add(self.spring, 'hit', 1)
28    spring_add(self.spring, 'shoot', 1)
29    spring_add(self.spring, 'move', 1)
30  end
... [66 more lines]

Plan: extend door.lua with a color param and simplify draw to a single-color filled rect (drop the inner-stroke since at 2px thick it'd consume the whole rect). Spawn the door from tutorial.lua at the pinch midline (center_y + center_wave(pinch_x)), width = exactly the gap (2 * (base_half_height - pinch_depth) = 40), thickness 2, angle 0 (corridor flows along +x). Brown = color(139, 90, 43) (saddle brown, classic wood) — adjustable.

Write (E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

100  function map:update(dt)
101   for _, id in ipairs(self.entity_ids) do
102     local e = entities[id]
103     if e and e.update then e:update(dt) end
104   end
105 end
106 
107 --[[
108   map:draw(wall_layer, symbol_layer)
109   Emit draw commands for the map's visuals into the given layers. Doesn't
110   call layer_render/draw — main.draw orchestrates that. Player draws
111   separately on game_layer (also in main.draw).
112 ]]
113 function map:draw(wall_layer, symbol_layer)
114   -- Background fill (screen-fixed, no camera transform)
115   layer_rectangle(wall_layer, 0, 0, width, height, self.bg_color())
116 
117   -- World-space wall draws
118   camera_attach(main_camera, wall_layer)
119   draw_wall_gradient(self, wall_layer)
120   draw_wall_floor(self, wall_layer)
121   if self.draw_extras then self:draw_extras(wall_layer) end
122   draw_wall_edge(self, wall_layer)
123   -- Map-owned entities with a draw method (doors, decorations, etc.) go
124   -- on top of the wall edge so they remain readable against the boundary.
125   for _, id in ipairs(self.entity_ids) do
126     local e = entities[id]
127     if e and e.draw then e:draw(wall_layer) end
128   end
129   camera_detach(main_camera, wall_layer)
... [45 more lines]

Let me verify the final tutorial.lua state.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

1    --[[
2     Tutorial — opening linear corridor. ~2 screens long. Walls have
3     organic top/bottom edges driven by stacked sine waves (centerline
4     meander + width variation + per-edge detail), with rounded west/east
5     bays (half-circles) on the ends. Single region; same wall pipeline
6     as the hideout.
7   
8     Spawn at west end. exit_x/exit_y recorded for the future exit entity.
9   ]]
10  
11  maps.tutorial = {
12    bg_color = color(17, 17, 17),
13    palette = 'blue',
14    wall_edge_width = 2,
15    wall_symbol_size = 6,
16    wall_symbol_width = 3,
17    wall_gradient_fade_dist = 120,
18  
19    map_w = 960,
20    map_h = 270,
21    -- West/east bay centers sit this far in from each map end. Bay radius
22    -- comes from the corridor's actual half-height at that x (so the bay
23    -- auto-fits whatever the waves are doing locally).
24    bay_inset = 100,
25    base_half_height = 70,
26  
27    -- Door-gate pinch: corridor narrows sharply at pinch_x and re-expands.
28    -- pinch_depth is subtracted from the half-height; falls off via cosine
29    -- bumps with separate left/right widths so the approach and recovery
30    -- can have different visual pacing.
... [105 more lines]

All wired. F5 to reload — you should see a 2px brown bar across the pinch, blocking the player.

A heads-up: the polygon doesn't sample a vertex exactly at pinch_x (samples land at lx + n*step = ..., 228, 244, ...), so the visible rock-edge line interpolates between those two points. There's a small chance the rock dips a couple pixels past the door's edges visually. If you see slivers of corridor showing above/below the door, easiest fix is to pad the door width slightly (gap + 4) — let me know.

I think the door should be thicker, 4px. And it should be drawn below the walls instead of on top of it.

Two changes — thickness 2→4 in the tutorial spawn, and adding a draw_below_edge flag on the door so it's drawn before draw_wall_edge (the wall edge stroke covers the door's tips where they meet the rocks). Other entity types still default to drawing above the edge.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Done. F5 to reload. Door is now 4px thick and rendered between the floor fill and the wall edge stroke — the rock outline draws on top of the door's tips, so they look properly tucked into the rocks. Future NPCs/enemies still default to drawing above the edge so they stay readable.

The wall is now below the edge but not below the wall polygon itself.

The issue is rendering order. Currently the wall gradient texture is drawn bbox-wide first, then the floor color triangulation hides it inside the corridor. The door now draws between floor and edge — so it shows on top of the floor (good, visible in corridor) but also on top of the gradient where it extends past the rock edge (bad — should be hidden).

Fix: reorder so the gradient is drawn after the door, with alpha=0 baked into the texels that fall inside the corridor polygon. The gradient then becomes a transparent-over-corridor / opaque-over-walls overlay that covers the door's tips in the wall area but leaves the corridor (with its floor + door) visible underneath.

Two pieces of work:

  1. compute_wall_distances — also cache an insides mask (one bool per texel via point_in_polygon). Done once per map load, not per palette swap.
  2. bake_wall_gradient — use the cached mask to set alpha=0 for corridor texels.
  3. map:draw — reorder to: bg → floor → extras → below-edge entities → gradient → edge → above-edge entities.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

F5 to reload. The gradient now bakes with alpha=0 for texels inside the corridor and alpha=255 for wall texels, so it acts as a wall-only overlay drawn on top of the door. The door's tips that extend into the rock area get covered by the gradient, while the door's portion inside the corridor stays visible.

Caveats to watch for:

Your solution changed how the wall looks now. This is actually a recurring problem. Change it back, and then let's think (no implementation) about how to solve this generally. We will want more objects drawn in between floor and walls, and so we should try to think of a general solution for it that should be as easy as choosing the correct layer, instead of having to interact with the complexity of the wall system itself.

Reverting the wall pipeline + draw order changes.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Reverted. Now the discussion.


The problem, restated

The wall pipeline currently relies on a "subtractive" composition: the gradient texture covers the entire bbox, then the floor triangulation paints over the corridor portion. That's why the gradient looks correct — but it also means there is no "true" wall-shaped layer. The wall and the floor are entangled in the draw order, and any entity that wants to sit between them has to insert itself into the middle of that sequence.

The user-facing API we want is: "draw on the floor layer" or "draw on the below-wall layer" or "draw on the above-wall layer." The implementation should hide the wall pipeline's internals.

Constraints on a clean solution

Approach options

A. Alpha mask in the gradient texture. What I tried. Conceptually clean, in practice the visual broke — most likely because at the polygon boundary, the floor triangulation and the alpha mask don't perfectly co-align at the texel grid (texel center inside vs. outside doesn't match the floor triangle's exact edge). Result: a 1–2 px sliver of bg_color leaks through at the boundary in places. A smooth alpha falloff using the distance field (alpha ramps 0 → 255 across the boundary instead of binary flipping) would mask the seam, but adds a different visual issue: the wall fill bleeds slightly into the corridor near the edge. Either band-aid is something to verify visually before committing to.

B. Wall-area triangulation (bbox with floor as a hole). Triangulate bbox − floor_polygon and texture-map the gradient onto those triangles. Result: the wall fill is a true polygon. Drawing it second in z-order naturally leaves the corridor untouched. The catch is hole-aware triangulation. Earcut supports holes if the framework's triangulator does — needs a check. If not, it's a manual slab decomposition (cut bbox into vertical strips at polygon-edge x's, build trapezoids per strip), which is a few hundred lines of careful code.

C. Stencil/scissor. When drawing the gradient, mask out the corridor area at the rasterizer level. Engine support required (probably available, but I haven't checked Anchor 2 specifically).

D. Multi-layer FBO composition. Each visual band gets its own layer with its own FBO. Layer order in main.draw() determines z. Each layer's FBO is composited via standard alpha blend on top of the previous. The problem this doesn't solve: the wall layer's FBO still needs to be wall-shaped (transparent over the corridor) to not cover lower layers. So D combines with A or B or C — the layer system gives the API, but one of A/B/C does the wall-shape work.

My recommendation

The right structure is D + B:

This pushes the complexity into one place (the wall-area triangulation, done once at map load) and gives entities a clean per-layer API.

The hole-triangulation requirement is the one open question. If Anchor 2's triangulator doesn't support holes, we'd either pull in a hole-capable library or write a strip decomposition. Worth checking before committing — if it does support holes, this is a small, contained change. If not, it's a meaningful chunk of work and falling back to A with a smooth distance-field-based alpha falloff (option A polished) becomes more attractive: same end result conceptually, more delicate to tune at the boundary.

Either way, the entity-facing API is the same: pick a layer, done. The internals of how the wall manages to be wall-shaped is the wall's problem, not the entity's.

Want me to check whether the triangulator supports holes before we pick a path?

Yes, let's go with the triangulation option. If I understand it correctly you're not actually drawing the wall as its own polygon now? This explains why the beach generation instance had trouble doing it. Before doing anything else, let's test that triangulation works with holes on another, simpler, smaller map that doesn't contain any other complexities. We just test triangulation first, make sure we can draw arbitrary polygons with holes, and then move over to the actual complex wall system.

Yes.

Bash (grep -r "goto|::" E:/a327ex/Orblike/anchor/*.lua | head -5)

(Bash completed with no output)

Let me check how layer_render/layer_draw work and what color_from_hsl is named.

Grep (function layer_render|function layer_draw|function color_from_hsl|color_from_hsl\s*=)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\color.lua:111:function color_from_hsl(h, s, l, a)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua:207:function layer_draw(lyr, x, y)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua:248:function layer_render(lyr)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua:252:function layer_draw_from(lyr, source, shader)

Grep (color_from_hsl|hsl_color)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:23:  Ported from v1/main.lua around line 5546. v1 used hsl_color with
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:24:  hues in [0, 1]; v2's color_from_hsl uses [0, 360], so all hue
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:59:  {name = 'e_ruby',     wall = color_from_hsl(342,   0.6, 0.55), wall2 = color_from_hsl(162,   0.5, 0.45), sym_darken = 0.15,  edition = 2},
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:60:  {name = 'e_rose',     wall = color_from_hsl(324,   0.6, 0.55), wall2 = color_from_hsl(144,   0.5, 0.45), sym_darken = 0.15,  edition = 3},
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:61:  {name = 'e_amber',    wall = color_from_hsl(28.8,  0.6, 0.55), wall2 = color_from_hsl(208.8, 0.5, 0.45), sym_darken = 0.1,   edition = 4},

[Showing results with pagination = limit: 5]

Writing the three pieces. Bridge-based merge + custom ear-clipper with strict-interior test (so duplicate vertices at bridge endpoints don't falsely register as "inside").

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Write (E:\a327ex\Orblike\tritest.lua)

File created successfully at: E:\a327ex\Orblike\tritest.lua (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

All three pieces are in place.

To test:

What to look for:

If A works but B fails (e.g., visible gaps, weird overlapping triangles, or a hole not fully empty), the most likely culprit is the bridge endpoint pick — the simplified "endpoint with greater x" doesn't always produce a visible bridge for concave outers. The fix would be the visibility refinement I deferred. Let me know what you see.

[Pasted image/png]

[Pasted image/png]

This is what I see. Seems to be correct to me?

Both look correct. Quick read:

Scenario A: outer fully covered, circle hole exactly empty, the "fan" of thin triangles emanating from the hole's right side is the bridge anchor — that's expected ear-clipping behavior with bridged polygons (lots of thin "wedge" ears get cut off the bridge vertex first because they're convex). No visible gaps anywhere.

Scenario B: L-shape concavity handled, both holes empty, no gaps. The thin slivers near each hole's right edge are again the bridge fan. The triangle hole is visible exactly as designed.

So the algorithm works. Now for integration with the wall system — there's one open question about rendering that I should investigate before proposing.

Grep (layer_texture|texture_quad|textured|draw_texture|love.graphics.draw)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua:58:  draw_texture = layer_draw_texture,
E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua:166:  eng.draw_texture(lyr_handle(lyr), img.handle, x, y, color or 0xFFFFFFFF, flash or 0)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua:170:function layer_texture(lyr, tex, x, y, color)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua:171:  eng.draw_texture(lyr_handle(lyr), tex, x, y, color or 0xFFFFFFFF, 0)

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\layer.lua)

140  function layer_polygon(lyr, vertices, color)
141   eng.polygon(lyr_handle(lyr), vertices, color)
142 end
143 
144 function layer_polygon_line(lyr, vertices, color, line_width)
145   eng.polygon_line(lyr_handle(lyr), vertices, color, line_width or 1)
146 end
147 
148 function layer_rounded_rectangle(lyr, x, y, w, h, radius, color)
149   eng.rounded_rectangle(lyr_handle(lyr), x, y, w, h, radius, color)
150 end
151 
152 function layer_rounded_rectangle_line(lyr, x, y, w, h, radius, color, line_width)
153   eng.rounded_rectangle_line(lyr_handle(lyr), x, y, w, h, radius, color, line_width or 1)
154 end
155 
156 function layer_rectangle_gradient_h(lyr, x, y, w, h, color1, color2)
157   eng.rectangle_gradient_h(lyr_handle(lyr), x, y, w, h, color1, color2)
158 end
159 
160 function layer_rectangle_gradient_v(lyr, x, y, w, h, color1, color2)
161   eng.rectangle_gradient_v(lyr_handle(lyr), x, y, w, h, color1, color2)
162 end
163 
164 --- Image object (has .handle) or pass-through same as engine.
165 function layer_image(lyr, img, x, y, color, flash)
166   eng.draw_texture(lyr_handle(lyr), img.handle, x, y, color or 0xFFFFFFFF, flash or 0)
167 end
168 
169 --- Raw texture userdata / handle at x, y.
... [60 more lines]

Both scenarios are working as intended. Onto integration — but there's one decision to surface first.

For the wall pipeline integration, we now have wall-area triangles via triangulate_with_holes. The question is how to render them with the existing gradient effect.

Let me check what rendering primitives the engine supports.

Grep (layer_textured|textured_polygon|textured_triangle|polygon_gradient|textured_quad)

No matches found

Grep (^function eng.|local function)

83:local function lyr_handle(lyr)

Glad the test confirms it works. Now the integration plan.

Engine doesn't have textured-triangle support. So we have three real paths:

  1. Centroid-color triangles. Each wall triangle gets one solid color sampled from the gradient at its centroid. Simplest, no shader, no engine changes — but the gradient transitions over ~120 px (fade_dist), and our wall area would have triangles big enough that you'd see visible color bands. Quality regression.

  2. Engine extension for textured triangles. Cleanest result, ~50 lines of C in anchor.c plus a Lua binding. Then draw_wall_gradient renders the wall triangles with the gradient texture mapped via UVs. Per-pixel gradient sampling, looks identical to today.

  3. Shader-based, no engine change. Render the wall triangles in a placeholder color to a dedicated layer, then apply a post-process shader (mirror of wall_symbols.frag) that samples the gradient texture at each fragment's world position — discard for alpha=0 fragments, output gradient for the rest. The triangles act as a mask; the shader handles the smooth gradient. ~10-line GLSL + ~30 lines of Lua restructuring. No engine work.

Recommendation: option 3. Per-pixel quality without touching the engine. The pattern is already established in this codebase (wall_symbols.frag does the same thing for the symbol layer).

Layer restructure that 3 needs:

floor_layer    — bg fill, floor color, draw_extras, below_edge entities
wall_layer     — wall triangles (post-process shader applies gradient) → edge → above_edge entities
symbol_layer   — wall symbols (unchanged)
game_layer     — player, etc. (unchanged)
debug_layer    — HUD (unchanged)

The point of splitting wall_layer into floor_layer + wall_layer: now an entity's draw layer choice ('floor' vs 'wall' etc.) cleanly maps to a Z slot. Doors set draw_layer = 'floor' and they render under the wall. Future NPCs/enemies set 'game' and render above everything.

Concrete code changes:

Sound right? If yes I'll write all of it and you can verify by reloading the tutorial — door should sit under the rocks, no visual change to the wall gradient itself.

Go ahead.

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\color.lua)

1    --[[
2     color — mutable RGBA color with HSL conversion helpers.
3   
4     Simpler than v1's color class. A color is a plain table {r, g, b, a} with
5     a __call metamethod that returns the packed rgba integer used by drawing
6     functions. No auto-sync between RGB and HSL — HSL is a *conversion*, not a
7     storage format. If you want to modify hue, convert to HSL, modify, convert
8     back.
9   
10    Usage:
11      red = color_new(255, 0, 0)
12      red.a = 128              -- set alpha
13      layer_circle(game_layer, x, y, r, red())  -- __call returns packed rgba integer
14  
15      -- HSL manipulation:
16      h, s, l = color_to_hsl(red)
17      h = (h + 120) % 360      -- shift hue
18      shifted = color_from_hsl(h, s, l, red.a)
19  
20      -- Common operations:
21      copy = color_clone(red)
22      mixed = color_mix(red, blue, 0.5)
23      dark = color_darken(red, 0.5)      -- multiply RGB by 0.5
24      light = color_lighten(red, 1.5)    -- multiply RGB by 1.5 (clamped)
25      inverted = color_invert(red)
26  
27    Design notes:
28      - Colors are plain tables. Modify fields directly: c.r = 100.
29      - Procedural functions (color_mix, color_clone, etc.) return NEW colors,
30        not mutating the input. If you want to mutate, do `c.r = ...` directly.
... [100 more lines]

Grep (cycle_wall_palette|bake_wall_gradient|compute_wall_distances)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:19:  cycle_wall_palette() advances the active palette and re-bakes the
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:154:  cycle_wall_palette()
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:159:function cycle_wall_palette()
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall_palettes.lua:163:    bake_wall_gradient(current_map)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua:16:  All wall pipeline functions (compute_wall_distances, scatter_wall_symbols,
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua:49:  -- pipeline (bake_wall_gradient / draw_wall_*) calls classify_region.
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:145:  compute_wall_distances(m)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:152:function compute_wall_distances(m)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:254:  bake_wall_gradient(m)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:274:function bake_wall_gradient(m)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua:364:    - Runs the wall pipeline: compute_wall_distances, bake_wall_gradient,
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua:395:  compute_wall_distances(m)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua:396:  bake_wall_gradient(m)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua:102:  if is_pressed('cycle_palette') then cycle_wall_palette() end

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

1    require('anchor')({
2     width = 480,
3     height = 270,
4     title = "Orblike",
5     scale = 3,
6     filter = "rough",
7   })
8   
9   -- SNKRX-theme reference palette. Use as building blocks for per-map colors,
10  -- entity colors, UI colors, ability colors, etc.
11  bg_color = color(17, 17, 17)
12  fg_color = color(222, 222, 222)
13  fg_alt = color(176, 168, 159)
14  yellow = color(255, 184, 51)
15  orange = color(244, 144, 62)
16  blue = color(82, 179, 203)
17  green = color(121, 177, 89)
18  red = color(216, 70, 84)
19  purple = color(178, 108, 161)
20  blue2 = color(71, 120, 186)
21  yellow2 = color(245, 159, 16)
22  white = color(255, 255, 255)
23  grey = color(128, 128, 128)
24  
25  require('player')
26  require('door')
27  require('wall')
28  require('wall_symbols')
29  require('wall_patterns')
30  require('wall_palettes')
... [102 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

253  --[[
254   bake_wall_gradient(m)
255   Region-aware bake of TWO colored RGBA textures from the cached distance
256   field:
257 
258     c.gradient_texture        — drawn directly on the wall layer; per-pixel
259                                  color = mix(region.wall_color, region.wall_color_2,
260                                               distance) for that pixel's region.
261     c.symbol_gradient_texture — sampled by wall_symbols.frag; same as above
262                                  but pre-multiplied by (1 - region.wall_symbol_darken)
263                                  so symbols come out properly darkened against the
264                                  gradient without per-pixel uniform math.
265 
266   Each texel calls m:classify_region(world_x, world_y) to choose which
267   region's colors and darken to apply. For single-region maps this is
268   effectively a constant; multi-region maps set m.classify_region in
269   their generate function to drive the per-texel split.
270 
271   Re-bakeable instantly on palette swap because the slow distance field
272   is already cached — only color interpolation is redone here.
273 ]]
274 function bake_wall_gradient(m)
275   if not m.gradient_cache then return end
276   local c = m.gradient_cache
277   local pixels_grad = {}
278   local pixels_sym = {}
279   local scale = c.scale
280   local bx0, by0 = c.bx0, c.by0
281   local tw = c.tw
282   for ty = 0, c.th - 1 do
... [166 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

1    --[[
2     Map — instance class that owns everything tied to a place: visual params
3     (palette + symbol settings + edge style + fade dist), the floor polygon
4     + chain collider, the cached distance field + gradient texture, the
5     scattered wall symbols, and any map-owned entities (NPCs, enemies,
6     projectiles, items — added later as the game grows).
7   
8     Usage:
9       require('map')
10      require('maps.hideout')   -- defines maps.hideout
11      load_map('hideout')       -- destroys current, builds new, repositions player
12  
13    Player is NOT map-owned — they persist across map swaps. load_map() moves
14    the existing player to the new map's spawn point.
15  
16    All wall pipeline functions (compute_wall_distances, scatter_wall_symbols,
17    draw_wall_*) take a map instance as their first arg and read/write that
18    instance's fields. No globals.
19  ]]
20  
21  maps = {}
22  current_map = nil
23  
24  map = class()
25  
26  function map:new(def)
27    -- Copy visual params from definition onto self
28    self.bg_color = def.bg_color
29    self.wall_edge_width = def.wall_edge_width
30    self.wall_symbol_size = def.wall_symbol_size
... [183 more lines]

Writing all the pieces now.

Write (E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag)

<tool_use_error>File has not been read yet. Read it first before writing to it.</tool_use_error>

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map_generation.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Bash (rm E:/a327ex/Orblike/tritest.lua)

(Bash completed with no output)

Bash (ls E:/a327ex/Orblike/assets/)

ARROW_Hit_Body_stereo.ogg
ARROW_Hit_Body_stereo.wav
ARROW_Hit_Body_stereo_lightmed.ogg
ARROW_Hit_Wood_Shield_stereo.ogg
ARROW_Hit_Wood_Shield_stereo.wav
ARROW_Hit_Wood_Shield_stereo_lightmed.ogg
Arrow Impact wood 1.ogg
Arrow Impact wood 1.wav
Arrow Impact wood 1_lightmed.ogg
Arrow Impact wood 3.ogg
Arrow Impact wood 3.wav
Arrow Impact wood 3_lightmed.ogg
BOW_Release_Arrow_Large_mono.ogg
BOW_Release_Arrow_Large_mono.wav
BOW_Release_Arrow_Large_mono_lightmed.ogg
BOW_Release_Arrow_mono.ogg
BOW_Release_Arrow_mono.wav
BOW_Release_Arrow_mono_lightmed.ogg
Bloody punches 10.ogg
Bloody punches 10_lightmed.ogg
Bloody punches 3.ogg
Bloody punches 3_lightmed.ogg
Bloody punches 7.ogg
Bloody punches 7_lightmed.ogg
Body Fall 18.wav
Body Fall 2.ogg
Body Fall 2_lightmed.ogg
Body Head (Headshot) 1.ogg
Body Head (Headshot) 1_lightmed.ogg
Buff 12.ogg
... [352 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag)

1    in vec2 TexCoord;
2   out vec4 FragColor;
3   uniform sampler2D u_texture;
4   uniform sampler2D u_dist_field;
5   uniform vec4 u_color_near;
6   uniform vec4 u_color_far;
7   uniform vec4 u_floor_color;
8   uniform float u_symbol_darken;
9   uniform vec2 u_cam;
10  uniform vec2 u_screen;
11  uniform vec2 u_df_origin;
12  uniform vec2 u_df_size;
13  uniform float u_time;
14  uniform float u_symbol_mode;
15  uniform float u_floor_mode;
16  // Multiple ripples (max 8)
17  uniform int u_ripple_count;
18  uniform vec2 u_ripple_origins[8];
19  uniform float u_ripple_radii[8];
20  uniform float u_ripple_strengths[8];
21  uniform float u_ripple_widths[8];
22  uniform vec4 u_ripple_colors[8];
23  
24  vec3 rgb2hsv(vec3 c) {
25      vec4 K = vec4(0.0, -1.0/3.0, 2.0/3.0, -1.0);
26      vec4 p = mix(vec4(c.bg, K.wz), vec4(c.gb, K.xy), step(c.b, c.g));
27      vec4 q = mix(vec4(p.xyw, c.r), vec4(c.r, p.yzx), step(p.x, c.r));
28      float d = q.x - min(q.w, q.y);
29      float e = 1.0e-10;
30      return vec3(abs(q.z + (q.w - q.y) / (6.0*d + e)), d / (q.x + e), q.x);
... [244 more lines]

Grep (wall_gradient.frag|wall_gradient_shader)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:402:  apply_wall_gradient_shader after to convert white pixels to the gradient
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:423:  apply_wall_gradient_shader(m, layer)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:424:  Applies wall_gradient.frag as a post-process to `layer`. The shader
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:429:function apply_wall_gradient_shader(m, layer)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:432:  layer_shader_set_vec2(layer, wall_gradient_shader, 'u_cam', main_camera.x, main_camera.y)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:433:  layer_shader_set_vec2(layer, wall_gradient_shader, 'u_screen', width, height)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:434:  layer_shader_set_vec2(layer, wall_gradient_shader, 'u_grad_origin', g.bx0, g.by0)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:435:  layer_shader_set_vec2(layer, wall_gradient_shader, 'u_grad_size', g.bw, g.bh)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:436:  layer_shader_set_texture(layer, wall_gradient_shader, 'u_gradient', g.gradient_texture, 1)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua:437:  layer_apply_shader(layer, wall_gradient_shader)
E:\a327ex\Orblike\v1\main.lua:6940:an:shader('wall_gradient', 'assets/wall_gradient.frag')
E:\a327ex\Orblike\reference\archive\feature_by_feature_analysis.md:420:After generation, a distance field is computed: quantize the bounding box into 8px texels, for each texel find the distance to the closest edge using edge bucketing (64px buckets) to avoid O(N*M), and cache the distance array. This gets uploaded as a grayscale texture and sampled by the `wall_gradient.frag` shader to render the wall→floor gradient.
E:\a327ex\Orblike\reference\map_visual_system.md:40:  5. Apply wall_gradient.frag shader:
E:\a327ex\Orblike\reference\map_visual_system.md:83:- `Orblike/assets/wall_gradient.frag` — Post-process shader for below_game layer. Current state:

The existing wall_gradient.frag is v1-era code, only referenced in archived docs and v1/main.lua (which isn't loaded). Safe to overwrite.

Write (E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Now main.lua restructure (remove tritest, add layers, load shader, reorder draw):

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Now map.lua — split draw across the three world-space layers, dispatch entities by draw_layer:

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\map.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Grep (draw_wall_gradient|draw_below_edge|tritest)

No matches found

Read (E:\a327ex\Orblike\main.lua)

1    require('anchor')({
2     width = 480,
3     height = 270,
4     title = "Orblike",
5     scale = 3,
6     filter = "rough",
7   })
8   
9   -- SNKRX-theme reference palette. Use as building blocks for per-map colors,
10  -- entity colors, UI colors, ability colors, etc.
11  bg_color = color(17, 17, 17)
12  fg_color = color(222, 222, 222)
13  fg_alt = color(176, 168, 159)
14  yellow = color(255, 184, 51)
15  orange = color(244, 144, 62)
16  blue = color(82, 179, 203)
17  green = color(121, 177, 89)
18  red = color(216, 70, 84)
19  purple = color(178, 108, 161)
20  blue2 = color(71, 120, 186)
21  yellow2 = color(245, 159, 16)
22  white = color(255, 255, 255)
23  grey = color(128, 128, 128)
24  
25  require('player')
26  require('door')
27  require('wall')
28  require('wall_symbols')
29  require('wall_patterns')
30  require('wall_palettes')
... [105 more lines]

All wired up. Summary of changes:

Reload and check: door should sit under the rocks at the pinch, with the rock outline overlapping its tips. The rest of the wall gradient should look identical to before — same texture, just rendered through a triangulation mask + shader instead of a bbox-wide texture + floor cover.

If something's broken visually, the most likely culprits are: (1) the shader signature differs from what the engine expects, (2) the wall triangulation has a winding edge case for the tutorial's specific polygon, or (3) apply_shader interacts with the layer's alpha differently than wall_symbols.frag's pattern would suggest. Let me know what you see.

I think the gradient looks a bit more abrupt now? Is that possible?

Yes, very possible — the texture sampling path is different now. Old: layer_texture likely drew the texture with linear filtering inside the engine's quad pipeline. New: the shader's texture(u_gradient, uv) uses whatever filter mode the texture itself has, which is probably NEAREST (since texture_create likely defaults to nearest, matching the global filter = "rough" setting). At scale=4 (each texel = 4x4 world units), nearest sampling shows visible texel blocks across the gradient.

Let me confirm the texture filter situation.

Grep (texture_create|texture_filter|set_filter|GL_LINEAR|GL_NEAREST)

E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\collider.lua:125:function collider:set_filter_group(group, shape) physics_shape_set_filter_group(shape or self.shape, group) end
E:\a327ex\Orblike\anchor\init.lua:134:  if config.filter then set_filter_mode(config.filter) end

Grep (texture_create|texture_filter|set_filter|GL_LINEAR|GL_NEAREST|gl_filter)

E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:828:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:829:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:840:static Texture* texture_create_from_rgba(int width, int height, const unsigned char* data) {
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:855:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_LINEAR);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:856:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_LINEAR);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:1155:        GLint tex_filter = (filter_mode == FILTER_ROUGH) ? GL_NEAREST : GL_LINEAR;
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:1704:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:1705:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:1751:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:1752:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:4837:static int l_set_filter_mode(lua_State* L) {
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:4893:// texture_create(width, height, pixel_data_string) -> texture userdata
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:4895:static int l_texture_create(lua_State* L) {
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:4905:    Texture* tex = texture_create_from_rgba(width, height, (const unsigned char*)data);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:6466:static int l_physics_shape_set_filter_group(lua_State* L) {
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:8278:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:8279:    glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:8385:        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:8386:        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:8821:    lua_register(L, "texture_create", l_texture_create);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:8860:    lua_register(L, "set_filter_mode", l_set_filter_mode);
E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c:8938:    lua_register(L, "physics_shape_set_filter_group", l_physics_shape_set_filter_group);

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

8270     capture_frame_number = 0;
8271    
8272        // Create capture FBO at native game resolution
8273        glGenFramebuffers(1, &capture_fbo);
8274        glGenTextures(1, &capture_texture);
8275    
8276        glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, capture_texture);
8277        glTexImage2D(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, GL_RGBA, game_width, game_height, 0, GL_RGBA, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, NULL);
8278        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
8279        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
8280    
8281        glBindFramebuffer(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, capture_fbo);
8282        glFramebufferTexture2D(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, GL_COLOR_ATTACHMENT0, GL_TEXTURE_2D, capture_texture, 0);
8283    
8284        GLenum status = glCheckFramebufferStatus(GL_FRAMEBUFFER);
8285        if (status != GL_FRAMEBUFFER_COMPLETE) {
8286            glBindFramebuffer(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, 0);
8287            return luaL_error(L, "Capture FBO incomplete: 0x%x", status);
8288        }
8289        glBindFramebuffer(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, 0);
8290    
8291        // Allocate pixel read buffer
8292        capture_buffer = (unsigned char*)malloc(game_width * game_height * 4);
8293        if (!capture_buffer) {
8294            return luaL_error(L, "Failed to allocate capture buffer");
8295        }
8296    
8297        printf("Render capture setup: %dx%d -> %s\n", game_width, game_height, capture_output_dir);
8298        return 0;
8299    }
... [90 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

1130         g->x0 = (float)slot->bitmap_left;
1131            g->y0 = -(float)slot->bitmap_top;  // FreeType uses upward Y, we use downward
1132            g->x1 = g->x0 + glyph_w;
1133            g->y1 = g->y0 + glyph_h;
1134            g->u0 = (float)pen_x / FONT_ATLAS_SIZE;
1135            g->v0 = (float)pen_y / FONT_ATLAS_SIZE;
1136            g->u1 = (float)(pen_x + glyph_w) / FONT_ATLAS_SIZE;
1137            g->v1 = (float)(pen_y + glyph_h) / FONT_ATLAS_SIZE;
1138            g->advance = slot->advance.x / 64.0f;  // 26.6 to pixels
1139    
1140            // Advance pen
1141            pen_x += glyph_w + 1;
1142            if (glyph_h > row_height) row_height = glyph_h;
1143        }
1144    
1145        FT_Done_Face(face);
1146        free(font_data);  // Font data no longer needed after face processing
1147    
1148        if (headless_mode) {
1149            // Headless: glyph metrics are loaded, skip GL atlas upload
1150            font->atlas_texture = 0;
1151            free(rgba_bitmap);
1152        } else {
1153            // Create OpenGL texture from RGBA atlas
1154            // Use appropriate filtering based on mode
1155            GLint tex_filter = (filter_mode == FILTER_ROUGH) ? GL_NEAREST : GL_LINEAR;
1156            glGenTextures(1, &font->atlas_texture);
1157            glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, font->atlas_texture);
1158            glTexImage2D(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, GL_RGBA, FONT_ATLAS_SIZE, FONT_ATLAS_SIZE, 0,
1159                         GL_RGBA, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, rgba_bitmap);
... [30 more lines]

Grep (l_draw_texture|"draw_texture"|layer_draw_texture)

5235:static int l_layer_draw_texture(lua_State* L) {
8814:    lua_register(L, "layer_draw_texture", l_layer_draw_texture);

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

5235 static int l_layer_draw_texture(lua_State* L) {
5236        Layer* layer = (Layer*)lua_touserdata(L, 1);
5237        Texture* tex = (Texture*)lua_touserdata(L, 2);
5238        float x = (float)luaL_checknumber(L, 3);
5239        float y = (float)luaL_checknumber(L, 4);
5240        uint32_t color = (uint32_t)luaL_optinteger(L, 5, 0xFFFFFFFF);  // Default white (no tint)
5241        uint32_t flash = (uint32_t)luaL_optinteger(L, 6, 0x00000000);  // Default black (no flash)
5242        layer_add_image(layer, tex, x, y, color, flash);
5243        return 0;
5244    }
5245    
5246    static int l_layer_set_blend_mode(lua_State* L) {
5247        Layer* layer = (Layer*)lua_touserdata(L, 1);
5248        const char* mode = luaL_checkstring(L, 2);
5249        if (strcmp(mode, "alpha") == 0) {
5250            layer_set_blend_mode(layer, BLEND_ALPHA);
5251        } else if (strcmp(mode, "additive") == 0) {
5252            layer_set_blend_mode(layer, BLEND_ADDITIVE);
5253        } else {
5254            return luaL_error(L, "Invalid blend mode: %s (use 'alpha' or 'additive')", mode);
5255        }
5256        return 0;
5257    }
5258    
5259    // Stencil Lua bindings
5260    static int l_layer_stencil_mask(lua_State* L) {
5261        Layer* layer = (Layer*)lua_touserdata(L, 1);
5262        layer_stencil_mask(layer);
5263        return 0;
5264    }
... [20 more lines]

Grep (layer_add_image|apply_shader)

425:    // Extra texture bindings for shaders (bound right before apply_shader draws)
1936:static void layer_add_image(Layer* layer, Texture* tex, float x, float y, uint32_t color, uint32_t flash_color) {
3567:static void layer_apply_shader(Layer* layer, GLuint shader) {
3657:static void execute_apply_shader(Layer* layer, GLuint shader) {
4383:                    // Store for binding during execute_apply_shader
4403:            execute_apply_shader(layer, cmd->shader_id);
4406:            // (execute_apply_shader toggled textures_swapped, so current is now the destination)
5242:    layer_add_image(layer, tex, x, y, color, flash);
5435:static int l_layer_apply_shader(lua_State* L) {
5439:    layer_apply_shader(layer, shader);
8878:    lua_register(L, "layer_apply_shader", l_layer_apply_shader);

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

3657 static void execute_apply_shader(Layer* layer, GLuint shader) {
3658        // Ensure effect buffer exists
3659        layer_ensure_effect_buffer(layer);
3660    
3661        // Determine source and destination based on current state
3662        GLuint src_tex, dst_fbo;
3663        if (layer->textures_swapped) {
3664            src_tex = layer->effect_texture;
3665            dst_fbo = layer->fbo;
3666        } else {
3667            src_tex = layer->color_texture;
3668            dst_fbo = layer->effect_fbo;
3669        }
3670    
3671        // Bind destination FBO
3672        glBindFramebuffer(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, dst_fbo);
3673        glViewport(0, 0, layer->width, layer->height);
3674    
3675        // Clear destination
3676        glClearColor(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
3677        glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
3678    
3679        // Disable blending (replace, don't blend)
3680        glDisable(GL_BLEND);
3681    
3682        // Use the effect shader
3683        glUseProgram(shader);
3684    
3685        // Set standard uniforms
3686        GLint tex_loc = glGetUniformLocation(shader, "u_texture");
... [60 more lines]

Grep (color_texture|effect_texture|layer_create)

415:    GLuint color_texture;
422:    GLuint effect_texture;
1663:static Layer* layer_create(int width, int height) {
1701:    glGenTextures(1, &layer->color_texture);
1702:    glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, layer->color_texture);
1710:    glFramebufferTexture2D(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, GL_COLOR_ATTACHMENT0, GL_TEXTURE_2D, layer->color_texture, 0);
1721:        glDeleteTextures(1, &layer->color_texture);
1734:    if (layer->color_texture) glDeleteTextures(1, &layer->color_texture);
1738:    if (layer->effect_texture) glDeleteTextures(1, &layer->effect_texture);
1748:    glGenTextures(1, &layer->effect_texture);
1749:    glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, layer->effect_texture);
1759:    glFramebufferTexture2D(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, GL_COLOR_ATTACHMENT0, GL_TEXTURE_2D, layer->effect_texture, 0);
1772:    return layer->textures_swapped ? layer->effect_texture : layer->color_texture;
3664:        src_tex = layer->effect_texture;
3667:        src_tex = layer->color_texture;
4565:    Layer* layer = layer_create(game_width, game_height);
4594:static int l_layer_create(lua_State* L) {
8796:    lua_register(L, "layer_create", l_layer_create);

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

1700     // Create color texture
1701        glGenTextures(1, &layer->color_texture);
1702        glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, layer->color_texture);
1703        glTexImage2D(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, GL_RGBA, width, height, 0, GL_RGBA, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, NULL);
1704        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
1705        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
1706        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_S, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE);
1707        glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_T, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE);
1708    
1709        // Attach color texture to FBO
1710        glFramebufferTexture2D(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, GL_COLOR_ATTACHMENT0, GL_TEXTURE_2D, layer->color_texture, 0);
1711    
1712        // Create stencil renderbuffer (using depth-stencil for wider compatibility)
1713        glGenRenderbuffers(1, &layer->stencil_rbo);
1714        glBindRenderbuffer(GL_RENDERBUFFER, layer->stencil_rbo);
1715        glRenderbufferStorage(GL_RENDERBUFFER, GL_DEPTH24_STENCIL8, width, height);
1716        glFramebufferRenderbuffer(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, GL_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT, GL_RENDERBUFFER, layer->stencil_rbo);
1717    
1718        if (glCheckFramebufferStatus(GL_FRAMEBUFFER) != GL_FRAMEBUFFER_COMPLETE) {
1719            fprintf(stderr, "Layer FBO not complete\n");
1720            glDeleteRenderbuffers(1, &layer->stencil_rbo);
1721            glDeleteTextures(1, &layer->color_texture);
1722            glDeleteFramebuffers(1, &layer->fbo);
1723            free(layer);
1724            return NULL;
1725        }
1726    
1727        glBindFramebuffer(GL_FRAMEBUFFER, 0);
1728        return layer;
1729    }
... [30 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

820          tex->id = 0;
821         stbi_image_free(data);
822         return tex;
823     }
824 
825     glGenTextures(1, &tex->id);
826     glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, tex->id);
827     glTexImage2D(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, GL_RGBA, width, height, 0, GL_RGBA, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, data);
828     glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
829     glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_NEAREST);
830     glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_S, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE);
831     glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_T, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE);
832     glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0);
833 
834     stbi_image_free(data);
835     printf("Loaded texture: %s (%dx%d)\n", path, width, height);
836     return tex;
837 }
838 
839 // Create a texture from raw RGBA pixel data (4 bytes per pixel)
840 static Texture* texture_create_from_rgba(int width, int height, const unsigned char* data) {
841     Texture* tex = (Texture*)malloc(sizeof(Texture));
842     if (!tex) return NULL;
843 
844     tex->width = width;
845     tex->height = height;
846 
847     if (headless_mode) {
848         tex->id = 0;
849         return tex;
... [20 more lines]

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

1936 static void layer_add_image(Layer* layer, Texture* tex, float x, float y, uint32_t color, uint32_t flash_color) {
1937        DrawCommand* cmd = layer_add_command(layer);
1938        if (!cmd) return;
1939        cmd->type = COMMAND_SPRITE;
1940        cmd->color = color;
1941        cmd->flash_color = flash_color;
1942        cmd->texture_id = tex->id;
1943        cmd->params[0] = x;
1944        cmd->params[1] = y;
1945        cmd->params[2] = (float)tex->width;
1946        cmd->params[3] = (float)tex->height;
1947    }
1948    
1949    // Pack two UV coordinates (0.0-1.0) into a float via bit reinterpretation (16 bits each)
1950    static float pack_uv_pair(float u, float v) {
1951        uint16_t ui = (uint16_t)(u * 65535.0f);
1952        uint16_t vi = (uint16_t)(v * 65535.0f);
1953        uint32_t packed = ((uint32_t)ui) | ((uint32_t)vi << 16);
1954        float result;
1955        memcpy(&result, &packed, sizeof(float));
1956        return result;
1957    }
1958    
1959    // Unpack two UV coordinates from a float
1960    static void unpack_uv_pair(float packed_float, float* u, float* v) {
1961        uint32_t packed;
1962        memcpy(&packed, &packed_float, sizeof(uint32_t));
1963        *u = (packed & 0xFFFF) / 65535.0f;
1964        *v = ((packed >> 16) & 0xFFFF) / 65535.0f;
1965    }
... [50 more lines]

Grep (COMMAND_SPRITE|case COMMAND_SPRITE|process_sprite)

337:    COMMAND_SPRITE,
339:    COMMAND_SPRITESHEET_FRAME,  // Spritesheet frame with custom UVs and flash support
372:    uint8_t type;           // COMMAND_RECTANGLE, COMMAND_CIRCLE, COMMAND_SPRITE, COMMAND_APPLY_SHADER, COMMAND_SET_UNIFORM_*
1939:    cmd->type = COMMAND_SPRITE;
1994:    cmd->type = COMMAND_SPRITESHEET_FRAME;
4188:static void process_sprite(const DrawCommand* cmd) {
4277:static void process_spritesheet_frame(const DrawCommand* cmd) {
4494:            case COMMAND_SPRITE:
4495:                process_sprite(cmd);
4500:            case COMMAND_SPRITESHEET_FRAME:

[Showing results with pagination = limit: 10]

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

4188 static void process_sprite(const DrawCommand* cmd) {
4189        float x = cmd->params[0];
4190        float y = cmd->params[1];
4191        float w = cmd->params[2];
4192        float h = cmd->params[3];
4193    
4194        // Flush batch if texture changes
4195        if (current_batch_texture != cmd->texture_id && batch_vertex_count > 0) {
4196            batch_flush();
4197        }
4198        current_batch_texture = cmd->texture_id;
4199    
4200        // Image is centered at (x, y), so compute corners
4201        float half_w = w * 0.5f;
4202        float half_h = h * 0.5f;
4203    
4204        // Local corners (centered at x, y)
4205        float lx0 = x - half_w, ly0 = y - half_h;
4206        float lx1 = x + half_w, ly1 = y - half_h;
4207        float lx2 = x + half_w, ly2 = y + half_h;
4208        float lx3 = x - half_w, ly3 = y + half_h;
4209    
4210        // Transform to world coordinates
4211        float wx0, wy0, wx1, wy1, wx2, wy2, wx3, wy3;
4212        transform_point(cmd->transform, lx0, ly0, &wx0, &wy0);
4213        transform_point(cmd->transform, lx1, ly1, &wx1, &wy1);
4214        transform_point(cmd->transform, lx2, ly2, &wx2, &wy2);
4215        transform_point(cmd->transform, lx3, ly3, &wx3, &wy3);
4216    
4217        // Unpack color (used for tinting)
... [60 more lines]

Grep (filter_mode|FILTER_ROUGH|FILTER_SMOOTH)

102:// filter_mode is defined later in the font section
918:    FILTER_SMOOTH = 0,
919:    FILTER_ROUGH,
921:static int filter_mode = FILTER_ROUGH;  // Default to pixel-perfect
944:    int filter;             // Filter mode font was loaded with (FILTER_SMOOTH or FILTER_ROUGH)
991:// Uses global filter_mode: FILTER_ROUGH = 1-bit mono, FILTER_SMOOTH = 8-bit grayscale AA
1044:    font->filter = filter_mode;  // Store filter mode font was loaded with
1065:    if (filter_mode == FILTER_ROUGH) {
1068:    // FILTER_SMOOTH uses default grayscale rendering (8-bit)
1106:                if (filter_mode == FILTER_ROUGH) {
1155:        GLint tex_filter = (filter_mode == FILTER_ROUGH) ? GL_NEAREST : GL_LINEAR;
1172:           filter_mode == FILTER_ROUGH ? "rough" : "smooth",
4837:static int l_set_filter_mode(lua_State* L) {
4840:        filter_mode = FILTER_SMOOTH;
4842:        filter_mode = FILTER_ROUGH;
4849:static int l_get_filter_mode(lua_State* L) {
4850:    lua_pushstring(L, filter_mode == FILTER_ROUGH ? "rough" : "smooth");
8860:    lua_register(L, "set_filter_mode", l_set_filter_mode);
8861:    lua_register(L, "get_filter_mode", l_get_filter_mode);
9913:        float aa_width = (filter_mode == FILTER_SMOOTH) ? 1.0f : 0.0f;
10324:            float aa_width = (filter_mode == FILTER_SMOOTH) ? 1.0f : 0.0f;

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

9905         };
9906    
9907            glUseProgram(shader_program);
9908            GLint proj_loc = glGetUniformLocation(shader_program, "projection");
9909            glUniformMatrix4fv(proj_loc, 1, GL_FALSE, projection);
9910    
9911            // Set AA width based on filter mode (0 = rough/hard edges, 1 = smooth)
9912            GLint aa_loc = glGetUniformLocation(shader_program, "u_aa_width");
9913            float aa_width = (filter_mode == FILTER_SMOOTH) ? 1.0f : 0.0f;
9914            glUniform1f(aa_loc, aa_width);
9915    
9916            // === PASS 1: Call Lua draw() function ===
9917            // User's draw() handles: rendering layers, creating derived layers, compositing
9918            glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0);  // Unbind to avoid feedback loop
9919    
9920            if (!error_state) {
9921                lua_getglobal(L, "draw");
9922                if (lua_isfunction(L, -1)) {
9923                    if (lua_pcall(L, 0, 0, 0) != LUA_OK) {
9924                        const char* err = lua_tostring(L, -1);
9925                        fprintf(stderr, "Lua draw() error: %s\n", err);
9926                        lua_pop(L, 1);
9927                        error_state = true;
9928                    }
9929                } else {
9930                    lua_pop(L, 1);
9931                    // No draw() function defined - that's an error now
9932                    fprintf(stderr, "Error: No draw() function defined in Lua\n");
9933                    error_state = true;
9934                }

Grep (screen_vao|screen_shader|screen_vertices)

2337:static GLuint screen_shader = 0;
2338:static GLuint screen_vao = 0;
3702:    glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
5538:        glUseProgram(screen_shader);
5539:        GLint offset_loc = glGetUniformLocation(screen_shader, "u_offset");
5548:    glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
8312:    glUseProgram(screen_shader);
8315:    GLint offset_loc = glGetUniformLocation(screen_shader, "u_offset");
8329:            glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
8340:            glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
8422:    glUseProgram(screen_shader);
8425:    GLint offset_loc = glGetUniformLocation(screen_shader, "u_offset");
8436:            glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
8446:            glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
8598:    screen_shader = create_shader_program(screen_vertex_source, screen_fragment_source);
8599:    if (!screen_shader) {
8605:    float screen_vertices[] = {
8614:    glGenVertexArrays(1, &screen_vao);
8617:    glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
8619:    glBufferData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, sizeof(screen_vertices), screen_vertices, GL_STATIC_DRAW);

[Showing results with pagination = limit: 20]

Read (E:\a327ex\Anchor\engine\src\anchor.c)

8600         return luaL_error(L, "Failed to create screen shader");
8601        }
8602        printf("Screen shader created\n");
8603    
8604        // Set up screen quad VAO/VBO
8605        float screen_vertices[] = {
8606            -1.0f, -1.0f,  0.0f, 0.0f,
8607             1.0f, -1.0f,  1.0f, 0.0f,
8608             1.0f,  1.0f,  1.0f, 1.0f,
8609            -1.0f, -1.0f,  0.0f, 0.0f,
8610             1.0f,  1.0f,  1.0f, 1.0f,
8611            -1.0f,  1.0f,  0.0f, 1.0f,
8612        };
8613    
8614        glGenVertexArrays(1, &screen_vao);
8615        glGenBuffers(1, &screen_vbo);
8616    
8617        glBindVertexArray(screen_vao);
8618        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, screen_vbo);
8619        glBufferData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, sizeof(screen_vertices), screen_vertices, GL_STATIC_DRAW);
8620    
8621        glVertexAttribPointer(0, 2, GL_FLOAT, GL_FALSE, 4 * sizeof(float), (void*)0);
8622        glEnableVertexAttribArray(0);
8623        glVertexAttribPointer(1, 2, GL_FLOAT, GL_FALSE, 4 * sizeof(float), (void*)(2 * sizeof(float)));
8624        glEnableVertexAttribArray(1);
8625    
8626        glBindVertexArray(0);
8627        printf("Screen VAO/VBO created\n");
8628    
8629        engine_initialized = true;
... [10 more lines]

Hmm — theoretically both paths should look identical (gradient texture has GL_LINEAR filter, both sample at world-space UVs). But there's a possibility the shader path is silently falling back to nearest sampling for a reason I can't reproduce from reading the C source alone.

Defensive fix: do bilinear sampling explicitly in the shader. If the texture is already GL_LINEAR-sampled, this is a slight overhead but produces identical output. If the engine is somehow giving nearest, this guarantees smooth.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Right — much simpler. Reverting the shader bilinear stuff and just bumping wall_gradient_fade_dist.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\assets\wall_gradient.frag has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\wall.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Right, much simpler. Reverted the shader changes. Bumped wall_gradient_fade_dist from 120 to 200 in tutorial.lua — gradient now spreads over 200 units instead of 120, so the wall_color → wall_color_2 transition takes longer to complete. F5 to reload. Tune higher if it's still too sharp, lower if it's overshooting.

200 feels about right, is the door color a color used in the SNKRX palette or one you made from scratch?

Made up — color(139, 90, 43) (saddle brown). It's not in the SNKRX palette globals (yellow/orange/blue/green/red/purple/blue2/yellow2/grey/white/fg/fg_alt/bg).

Per your memory note about sticking to SNKRX named colors, a palette-derived alternative would be color_darken(orange, 0.45) ≈ (110, 65, 28) or color_darken(yellow, 0.4) ≈ (102, 74, 20) — both read as brown but stay anchored to the palette. Want me to swap?

Sure, try it.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Swapped to color_darken(orange, 0.45) ≈ (110, 65, 28) — warm wood-toned brown derived from the palette's orange. F5 to compare. If you want it more golden/yellow-toned instead, swap orangeyellow; if more saturated/reddish, lower the multiplier (e.g., 0.5 keeps more of orange's chroma).

I think the door needs an outline itself to read as an interactable object. Let's try a variation with a dark outline first.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Added a 1px dark outline using the global bg_color (17, 17, 17) — essentially black. F5 to reload. With the door at 4 thick × ~40 tall, a 1px outline consumes 1px on each side, leaving 2px of brown fill in the middle. If that swallows too much of the brown and the door reads as just a black bar, swap to a dimmer-but-not-black outline like color_darken(orange, 0.18).

Cannot see the outline, make it 2px. I also think the color is wrong. It should be the door's color but a bit darker.

Grep (function color_darken)

155:function color_darken(c, factor)
156-  local r = c.r*factor
157-  local g = c.g*factor
158-  local b = c.b*factor
159-  if r < 0 then r = 0 elseif r > 255 then r = 255 end
160-  if g < 0 then g = 0 elseif g > 255 then g = 255 end
161-  if b < 0 then b = 0 elseif b > 255 then b = 255 end
162-  return color_new(r, g, b, c.a)
163-end

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\door.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

2px outline now, color is color_darken(self.color, 0.6) — roughly 60% of the door's brown, so about (66, 39, 17). Tunable: lower factor = darker outline (0.4 would be much darker), higher = closer to fill color (0.8 would be subtle). F5 to compare.

Let's make the door itself 8px wide.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Door thickness 4 → 8. F5.

Make the wall taller, going inside the walls on both sides.

[Request interrupted by user]

The door I mean

[Request interrupted by user]

The door I mean

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Door now extends 12px into each wall (embed = 12). Total height = gap + 24 = 64. Wall area triangles drawn on top (via wall_area_layer) hide the embedded tips so the door reads as wedged between the rocks. Tune embed up/down to taste. F5.

I am not feeling this door. Remove it for now.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\maps\tutorial.lua has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Door removed from tutorial spawn. door.lua stays in place for when you want to revisit. F5.

Let's end the session here. Update any todos, plans, etc. What should we call the session? "Orblike [...]"

Updating plan.md to reflect this session's progress.

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\plan.md)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\plan.md has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Edit (E:\a327ex\Orblike\plan.md)

The file E:\a327ex\Orblike\plan.md has been updated successfully. (file state is current in your context — no need to Read it back)

Plan updated. Nothing to add to design.md — the architectural shift (layer system, real wall polygon) is implementation, not design. No new memories warranted: the SNKRX-palette feedback memory already covers the door-color exchange we had, and everything else this session is derivable from the code state.

Session name suggestions:

I'd go with the first; the wall-layers refactor is the bigger of the two structural changes, but the tutorial map is the more visible result, and pairing them reads naturally.

Go ahead.

Skill

Launching skill: end-session

Base directory for this skill: E:\a327ex.claude\skills\end-session

End Session Workflow

This skill is invoked from the same conversation where the work was done. You already have the full session context in memory — you do NOT need to read the transcript.

Step 1: Get Session Info

Ask the user for the session title (max 30 characters). Examples: "Anchor Phase 10 Part 5", "Physics Arena Setup", "Timer System Fix", "Thalien Lune Design".

Determine the project yourself from your session context — you know which repo(s) were worked on, which files were created/modified, and where they live. No need to ask. See Step 6 for the list of known project roots; if the session touched something outside the list, infer the root from the paths you actually edited.

Step 2: Write Summary

Write the summary from your conversation memory. You have the full session context — no need to read any files.

The summary should be thorough and detailed. Each major topic deserves its own section with multiple specific bullet points. Don't compress — expand.

Purpose: These summaries serve as searchable records. Future Claude instances will grep through past logs to find how specific topics were handled. The more detail you include, the more useful the summary becomes for finding relevant context later.

Format (this is just an example structure — adapt sections to match what actually happened):

# [Title]

## Summary

[1-2 sentence overview of the session's main focus]

**[Topic 1 - e.g., "Spring Module Implementation"]:**
- First specific detail about what was done
- Second detail - include file names, function names
- User correction or feedback (quote if notable)
- Technical decisions and why

**[Topic 2 - e.g., "Camera Research"]:**
- What was researched
- Key findings
- How it influenced implementation

**[Topic 3 - e.g., "Errors and Fixes"]:**
- Specific error message encountered
- Root cause identified
- How it was fixed

[Continue for each major topic...]

---

[Rest of transcript follows]

Rules: - Be thorough — If in doubt, include more detail, not less. Each topic should be as detailed as possible while still being a summary. - Think searchability — Future instances will search these logs. Include keywords, function names, error messages that someone might grep for. - One section per major topic — Don't combine unrelated work into one section - Chronological order — Sections should match conversation flow - Specific details — Error messages, file names, function names, parameter values - Include user quotes — When user gave notable feedback, quote it (e.g., "k/d variables are not intuitive at all") - Weight planning equally — Research, proposals, alternatives considered, user feedback on approach are as important as implementation - Weight problems solved — Errors, root causes, fixes, user corrections all matter - Technical specifics — Include formulas, API signatures, parameter changes when relevant

Step 3: Get User Approval

Show the title and summary to the user. Wait for approval before proceeding. If they have corrections, fix them.

Step 4: Convert Transcript and Write Log File

# Find recent sessions (Claude + Cursor; see script). Same script lives in Anchor2:
python E:/a327ex/Anchor2/scripts/find-recent-session.py --limit 5
# or: python E:/a327ex/Anchor/scripts/find-recent-session.py --limit 5

The script shows sessions sorted by when they ended. The first result is the current conversation (since end-session was invoked here). Use it.

Convert the transcript to markdown and write the log file with the approved summary as header:

python E:/a327ex/Anchor2/scripts/jsonl-to-markdown.py [SESSION_PATH] E:/a327ex/anchor.blot.im/logs/[slug].md
# or: python E:/a327ex/Anchor/scripts/jsonl-to-markdown.py ...

The same script auto-detects Claude Code JSONL vs Cursor/Composer agent JSONL (~/.cursor/projects/.../agent-transcripts/...). For Composer sessions, use find-recent-session.py (it merges both sources) and pick the [cursor] line for the current chat.

Use lowercase hyphenated slug derived from the title (e.g., "anchor-primitives-hitstop-animation").

Then replace the default header (# Session YYYY-MM-DD...) with the approved title and summary.

Step 5: Sync Context Files to Blot

cp E:/a327ex/.claude/CLAUDE.md E:/a327ex/anchor.blot.im/context/CLAUDE.md
cp E:/a327ex/Anchor/docs/* E:/a327ex/anchor.blot.im/context/

When the session was Anchor2 (optional):

cp E:/a327ex/Anchor2/.claude/CLAUDE.md E:/a327ex/anchor.blot.im/context/CLAUDE_ANCHOR2.md

Step 6: Commit Project Repo

Identify the project repo(s) worked on this session from your own context — you already know which repos were touched and which files changed. For the common projects, here are the canonical staging commands:

Project Root Stage command
Anchor E:/a327ex/Anchor git add docs/ framework/ engine/ scripts/ reference/
Anchor2 E:/a327ex/Anchor2 git add framework/ engine/ arena/ reference/ scripts/ docs/ .claude/
emoji-ball-battles E:/a327ex/emoji-ball-battles git add -A
orblike E:/a327ex/orblike git add -A
thalien-lune E:/a327ex/thalien-lune git add -A

For a project not listed, infer the root from the files you actually created or modified this session and stage those. If multiple candidate roots look valid, ask the user which files to stage.

cd into the project root, stage, run git status to verify before committing.

IMPORTANT — FULL SUMMARY IN COMMIT: The commit message MUST include the FULL summary from the log file. Read the summary back from the log file to ensure nothing is missing.

IMPORTANT — COMMIT METHOD: The summary contains backticks, special characters, and markdown that WILL break heredocs and git commit -m. ALWAYS use the file-based method below. NEVER try a heredoc first — it will fail and produce a malformed commit that needs amending.

Commit using a temporary file (extracts only the summary text, not the markdown heading or ## Summary line):

# Extract summary: skip line 1 (# Title) and line 3 (## Summary), take lines 4 onward until the --- separator
awk 'NR>=4 && /^---$/{exit} NR>=4{print}' E:/a327ex/anchor.blot.im/logs/[slug].md > /tmp/commit_msg.txt

# Prepend the title (plain text, no #) and append attribution
sed -i "1i [Title]\n" /tmp/commit_msg.txt
printf "\nGenerated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)\n\nCo-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>\n" >> /tmp/commit_msg.txt

git commit -F /tmp/commit_msg.txt

Step 7: Push Both Repos

# Push project repo to GitHub
git push origin main

# Push Blot repo (logs and context are already there)
cd E:/a327ex/anchor.blot.im && git add -A && git commit -m "[Title]" && git push origin master

Step 8: Confirm

Tell the user: - Commit hash - That GitHub push succeeded - That Blot push succeeded

ARGUMENTS: Orblike Tutorial Map and Wall Layers

Drafting the summary for your review before I write any files.

Title: Orblike Tutorial Map and Wall Layers

Summary:

# Orblike Tutorial Map and Wall Layers

## Summary

Two-track session: cleaned up beach-experiment residue and simplified the hideout, then built a tutorial corridor map, then rebuilt the wall rendering pipeline around hole-aware triangulation and a layer-based z-ordering API. Final touch: tried a door at the corridor pinch, ultimately removed it pending visual revisit.

**Beach commit cleanup:**
- Compared `b5366b1 → c68af68` (failed beach commit) and `c68af68 → 0367c45` (doc consolidation) to inventory the residue.
- Categorized the wall.lua additions into Layer A (region plumbing, used by every map), Layer B (simple classifier interface — `m.classify_region`), Layer C (auto-derive infrastructure: `compute_region_grid`, `compute_region_grid_via_polygons`, `compute_region_grid_via_edges`, `point_to_segment_dist_sq`).
- User decision: keep A and B, remove C; also remove the `m.edges` override path in `draw_wall_edge` ("that was a hack").
- Deleted `maps/beach.lua` (400 lines), removed F2 region overlay + `debug_region_colors` from main.lua, removed `compute_region_grid` call from `map_generation.lua`, cleaned beach references in `map.lua` comments. ~580 lines deleted.

**classify_region nil bug:**
- Reload error: `wall.lua:288: attempt to call a nil value (method 'classify_region')`. Stack: `bake_wall_gradient` → `map_gen_finalize` → hideout's generate → `map:new`.
- Root cause: the fallback `classify_region` was installed in `map:new` *after* `def.generate(self)`, but generate is what triggers the wall pipeline that calls classify_region.
- Fix in `map.lua`: install the default `classify_region` immediately after the regions table is set up, before `def.generate(self)` runs. Multi-region maps still override it inside their generate function before `map_gen_finalize`.

**Hideout simplification:**
- Stripped all corridor + side-room helpers from `maps/hideout.lua`: `maybe_jagged`, `corridor_frame`, `add_regular_polygon_body`, `add_rect_body`/`add_pent_body`/`add_hex_body`/`add_oct_body`/`add_circle_body`, `add_side_room_detour`, `random_shape_params`. All tightly coupled to corridor-attached rooms; not generalizable.
- Removed corridor params, draw_extras spiral/portal markers, door spawning. Used existing `generate_circle()` helper for a one-line generate. 327 → 30 lines.

**Tutorial map (`maps/tutorial.lua`):**
- Added `map_gen_wave(num_octaves, base_amplitude, base_frequency)` to `map_generation.lua`, ported from v1 (uses `random_float` instead of `rng:float`). Returns a function f(x) → y summing sine octaves with halving amplitude and increasing frequency.
- Initial shape: 960×270, base_half_height=95, four waves (center meander, width variation, top detail, bot detail), rounded corners (cr=35). Modeled on v1's `generate_organic_linear_map`.
- Iteration 1 — rounded ends: replaced quarter-corner + vertical-edge + quarter-corner with single half-circle bays per end. `bay_inset = 100` controls placement; bay radius computed from the corridor's actual half-height at that x.
- Iteration 2 — bay shape: bumped bay jitter from `jitter*0.5` to full `jitter` to match the corridor edges. Added a low-freq sine deformation on bay radius via `map_gen_wave(2, r*0.10, 1.0)` so each bay reads slightly off-circle with a random phase.
- Iteration 3 — pinch + thinner corridor: added cosine-bump pinch on half_height. `pinch_x = 480` initially (end of first screen), then moved to 240 (half-screen). `pinch_half_width=80`, `pinch_depth=50`. Reduced `base_half_height` 95 → 65 with proportional wave amplitude cuts (center 25→18, width 20→12, detail 8→6).
- Iteration 4 — asymmetric pinch: split into `pinch_half_width_left=80` and `pinch_half_width_right=160` so the recovery on the right (exit) side spans twice as far as the approach. Bumped `base_half_height` 65 → 70.
- Iteration 5 — pinch consistency: screenshot showed worst-case gap nearly closed because `bot_detail - top_detail` (independent random terms) could subtract from the gap unpredictably. Fixed by scaling `width_wave`, `top_detail`, `bot_detail` by `k = 1 - pinch(x)/pinch_depth` so they fade to zero at the pinch peak. Pinch gap is now exactly `2*(base - depth) = 40` every generation. Reduced `pinch_depth` 60 → 50 so the consistent gap is comfortably passable.

**Door experiment (rolled back):**
- Created door at pinch. Updated `door.lua` to take a color parameter, dropped the inner-stroke draw.
- First z-order attempt: `draw_below_edge` flag, dispatched between `draw_wall_edge` and other entities in `map:draw`. User feedback: "the wall is now below the edge but not below the wall polygon itself."
- Second z-order attempt: alpha-masked gradient texture (alpha=0 inside corridor via `point_in_polygon` per texel, cached `insides` array in `gradient_cache`) with reordered draw (floor → entities → gradient → edge). User: "Your solution changed how the wall looks now." Reverted.

**Wall pipeline rebuild — triangulation + layers:**
- User wanted a general fix: "should be as easy as choosing the correct layer."
- Confirmed engine's existing `triangulate(verts)` is simple ear-clipping for a single polygon — no hole support. That's why the wall has always been bbox-fill + floor mask, never a real wall polygon.
- Added `triangulate_with_holes(outer, holes)` to `map_generation.lua` (~100 lines). Bridge-based: for each hole, find its rightmost vertex M, cast a ray rightward to find the closest hit on a merged-polygon edge, pick that edge's endpoint with greater x as bridge anchor P, splice the hole sequence into the merged polygon at P (with M and P duplicated to form the bridge). Inner ear-clipping uses a strict-interior point-in-triangle test so duplicate bridge vertices don't falsely register as "inside" the ear.
- Built a sanity test `tritest.lua` with F12 toggle and 1/2 scenario switch:
  - Scenario A: outer rectangle, single circle hole.
  - Scenario B: L-shape outer, circle hole + triangle hole.
  - Triangles drawn in cycling HSL hues with black wireframe overlay.
- User confirmed both scenarios look correct: full polygon coverage, holes exactly empty, no gaps. Bridge fans visible in wireframe but invisible in fill (zero-area degenerates).

**Layer-based rendering:**
- Engine offers no textured-triangle primitive — only `layer_polygon` (solid color) and `layer_apply_shader` (post-process). Chose option 3: render wall triangles in placeholder white, apply a post-process shader that samples the gradient texture per pixel.
- Created `assets/wall_gradient.frag` (overwriting a stale v1-era shader of the same name, only referenced in v1/main.lua). Mirrors `wall_symbols.frag`: discards alpha=0 fragments, replaces non-transparent fragments with `texture(u_gradient, uv)` sampled at world position derived from camera + screen.
- New layers in `main.lua`: `floor_layer` (bg + floor + below-wall entities) and `wall_area_layer` (wall triangles + post-process shader). `wall_layer` now holds just edge + above-wall entities. Symbol and game layers unchanged.
- `wall.lua` additions: `compute_wall_triangulation(m)` (triangulates `bbox - floor` with auto winding-correction via signed-area sign check), `draw_wall_polygon`, `apply_wall_gradient_shader`. `map_gen_finalize` calls `compute_wall_triangulation` once per map (not on palette swap; only the gradient bake re-runs there).
- `map:draw` signature changed to `(floor_layer, wall_area_layer, wall_layer, symbol_layer)`. Entities dispatched by string field `draw_layer` ('floor' | 'wall' | nil-default-to-'wall'). `door.lua` switched from `draw_below_edge = true` to `draw_layer = 'floor'`.
- Deleted `tritest.lua` and removed all its wiring.

**Gradient feel fix:**
- User reported gradient "a bit more abrupt" after the rebuild. Investigated engine source — `texture_create_from_rgba` sets `GL_LINEAR` filter (anchor.c:855), so theoretically the shader path samples identically to the old `layer_texture` path.
- Drafted a manual-bilinear shader fallback as defensive measure.
- User pushed back: "We can just increase the value for the gradient, I believe that's like a setting we can just change, no need for deep engine changes."
- Reverted shader changes. Bumped `wall_gradient_fade_dist` 120 → 200 in tutorial.lua. User confirmed: "200 feels about right."

**Door visuals (rolled back at end):**
- Saddle brown `color(139, 90, 43)` flagged as off-palette per the SNKRX-palette feedback memory. Swapped to `color_darken(orange, 0.45)` ≈ (110, 65, 28).
- Added a 1px dark outline using `bg_color` — invisible. Bumped to 2px and switched to `color_darken(self.color, 0.6)` for the outline color.
- Door thickness 4 → 8 px. Then taller: width = `gap + embed*2` with `embed = 12`, so the door extends 12 px into each rock side (the wall area drawn on top hides the embedded tips).
- Final user verdict: "I am not feeling this door. Remove it for now." Removed the spawn from tutorial.lua. Kept `door.lua` infrastructure for revisit.

**Plan updates:**
- `plan.md` Current State rewritten: hideout simplified to single circular room, tutorial corridor shipped (organic edges, half-circle bays, pinch), wall pipeline rebuilt around hole-aware triangulation + layer z-ordering, door.lua present but unspawned.
- Phase 1 sub-phase 7 marked partially done: corridor shape + pinch landed, entity placements (crate, seekers, mini-boss, exit) and walk-past spawn triggers still pending. The pinch geometry reserved for the gem/orb-equipped gate.
- Tutorial entity placements added to "Not started" list.

---

Approve and I'll proceed with the file write, commits, and pushes (Steps 4–8).

Yes.

Bash (python E:/a327ex/Anchor2/scripts/find-recent-session.py --limit 5)

2026-04-28T00:19:31.484Z b1236ad2-cb56-4906-a681-46014a7cf427 [claude] <-- MOST RECENT
   C:\Users\adn\.claude\projects\E--a327ex\b1236ad2-cb56-4906-a681-46014a7cf427.jsonl

2026-04-28T00:09:43.619Z 895f4d52-b748-4726-8d6b-678350a50bfe [claude]
   C:\Users\adn\.claude\projects\E--a327ex\895f4d52-b748-4726-8d6b-678350a50bfe.jsonl

2026-04-27T12:53:55.755Z 2630f741-c408-4a78-ac4a-c447ba958dbc [claude]
   C:\Users\adn\.claude\projects\E--a327ex\2630f741-c408-4a78-ac4a-c447ba958dbc.jsonl

2026-04-27T12:16:40.942Z c219fe18-809e-4000-be4a-fa5e224e8bba [claude]
   C:\Users\adn\.claude\projects\E--a327ex\c219fe18-809e-4000-be4a-fa5e224e8bba.jsonl

2026-04-27T03:01:08.340Z 8f867da8-6295-4e85-8aa6-d0f5774e6771 [claude]
   C:\Users\adn\.claude\projects\E--a327ex\8f867da8-6295-4e85-8aa6-d0f5774e6771.jsonl