aetherbound-guild/docs/reviews/PHASE5_REFERENCE_FIDELITY_REVIEW.md

Phase 5 Reference Fidelity Review

Date: 2026-08-11 Status: MACHINE_VERIFIED_OWNER_REVIEW_OPEN

Decision

Use the reference game's proven functional layout, option grouping, information density, and state sequence more directly while preserving Aetherbound's original content, visual identity, finite-run structure, and transaction rules. This phase remains an HTML/product-design task and does not authorize engine development.

Current Diagnosis

The existing design already translates the core loop, but several prototype screens over-separated information that the observed game keeps together. The largest gap is SHP-001: Company, offers, inventory and shop modes should be visible in one composition. A secondary gap is reviewability: the Owner cannot currently compare observed reference structure against the chosen adaptation without reading research documents.

Five-Lens Review

Product

Adopt structures that shorten the path from seeing a need to changing a build. Do not add Forge, Tavern or another currency only because the reference has one.

Player Experience

Keep Company, inventory, resource and offer context visible during repeated Market decisions. Preserve one clear primary commitment per state and use inspection for detail, not basic orientation.

Visual Design

Use an original Japanese hand-drawn guild-workshop presentation. Learn the reference's functional bands and persistent edges, but replace its ornament, geometry, iconography, color treatment and card expression.

Architecture

Every visible option must map to the existing product, economy and save authorities. Reference-only UI with no Aetherbound transaction remains a research note rather than a prototype button.

Simulated Target Players

• A first-time player benefits from stable Company and inventory context.
• A build optimizer benefits from three options and consequences visible at once.
• A mastery player benefits from a clear persistent-spending surface and a final choice that distinguishes completion from continuation.

These are hypotheses, not human evidence.

Approved Changes

1. Add a sixth Gallery view containing 15 reference-to-product mappings.
2. Render neutral structural wireframes only; never embed commercial media.
3. Recompose SHP-001 so Company, three offers, inventory and shop actions are simultaneously visible.
4. Keep the existing original battle, Charter and final-choice expressions, but expose their reference rationale in the comparison view.
5. Add deterministic browser assertions for all mappings, key compositions, Chinese copy and phone responsiveness.

Frozen

• Fixed content counts and game rules.
• Runtime/engine development.
• Final art, sprite, animation, audio and provider work.
• Commercial screenshots, images, music, SFX, code, names and prose.
• Packaging, device, store and release work.

Machine Verification

The integrated Phase 5 candidate passed:

• ABG_PREDEVELOPMENT_DESIGN_SELF_TEST_OK cases=28;
• ABG_PREDEVELOPMENT_DESIGN_OK errors=0 with all fixed counts unchanged;
• ABG_ANTI_DOMINANCE_OK no_weak_dominance=1 with five fixed seeds and policy wins 1/2/1/1;
• ABG_R6_BROWSER_OK screens=50 flow_states=23 reference_maps=15 review_groups=7, including desktop, tablet, phone portrait, phone landscape and offline bundle checks.

The self-contained HTML SHA-256 is bb7516100abb337a989a9653f3ab91d2c45ab3d16d40c22395a04a1ecabf7476. The browser evidence root is prototype/gallery/evidence/r8-phase5-attempt05/ and is intentionally ignored from Git. Machine verification does not grant Owner comprehension, visual, choice-quality, fun, listening, device or development approval.