170 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
170 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
# Vertical Slice Report: [Concept Name]
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> **Date**: [YYYY-MM-DD]
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> **Slice Duration**: [N days]
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> **Target Scope**: 3–5 minutes of polished, continuous gameplay
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> **Source GDD**: design/gdd/game-concept.md
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---
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## Validation Question
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[The full game loop question this build was proving — both experience AND feasibility:
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"Does a player, starting from nothing, experience [core fantasy] within [N] minutes,
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without developer guidance — and can we build one such loop in [X] days at
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representative quality?"]
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---
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## Scope Built
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[Systems implemented, art quality level, what was intentionally omitted.]
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**Systems included:**
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- [System 1]
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- [System 2]
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- [...]
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**Art/audio quality level:** [Placeholder / Representative / Near-shipping]
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**Shortcuts taken deliberately:** [List]
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**What was cut from original scope:** [List]
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---
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## Build Velocity Log
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[Day-by-day record of what was completed. This is your real production rate data —
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use it in sprint planning.]
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| Day | Completed |
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|-----|-----------|
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| Day 1 | [What was built] |
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| Day 2 | [What was built] |
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| Day 3 | [What was built] |
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| ... | ... |
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**Total elapsed:** [N days] for [scope summary]
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**Velocity estimate:** [N hours per equivalent scope unit — e.g., "1 day per combat
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encounter, 0.5 days per UI screen"]
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---
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## Playtest Results
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| Attribute | Value |
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|-----------|-------|
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| Total sessions | [N] |
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| Internal testers | [N] |
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| External testers | [N — people who had not seen the game, if available] |
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| Avg session length | [N minutes (target: [N] minutes)] |
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| Time to first meaningful action | [N seconds (target: [N] seconds)] |
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---
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## Observations
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[Specific, non-opinion observations from playtest sessions. Quote testers where useful.]
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**Where testers succeeded without guidance:**
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- [...]
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**Where testers were confused or stuck:**
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- [...]
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**Emotional reactions observed:**
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- [...]
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---
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## Metrics
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| Metric | Target | Actual |
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|--------|--------|--------|
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| Time to first meaningful action | [N sec] | [N sec] |
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| Session length | [N min] | [N min] |
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| Critical fun blockers found | 0 | [N] |
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| Pipeline blockers found | 0 | [N] |
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| Architecture surprises | 0 | [N] |
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**Feel assessment:** [Specific — "combat feedback weak; no impact sound on hit" not "felt rough"]
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---
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## Recommendation: [PROCEED / PIVOT / KILL]
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[One paragraph with evidence — reference the validation question directly. Did a
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player experience the core fantasy within the target time, without developer guidance?
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Can the team build at this quality on the projected schedule?]
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---
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## If Proceeding
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**Production requirements** (what must change from slice to production):
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- [e.g., "Replace placeholder art with shipped assets"]
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- [e.g., "Combat system needs 2 more weapon types"]
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**Architecture adjustments needed:**
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- [ADR to update or create]
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**Sprint velocity estimate based on slice data:**
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- [e.g., "1 day per enemy type, 2 days per level section, 0.5 days per UI screen"]
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**Scope adjustments from original design:**
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- [What the slice revealed about the true production scope]
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**Performance targets:** [Confirmed / Revised — list changes if revised]
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**Playtest note:** Run `/playtest-report` to structure additional session data
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before running `/gate-check pre-production`.
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**Next steps:**
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1. `/gate-check pre-production` — formally advance to Production
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2. `/create-epics layer:foundation` — plan Foundation layer epics
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3. `/create-epics layer:core` — plan Core layer epics
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4. `/sprint-plan` — use velocity data from this report in the estimate
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---
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## If Pivoting
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[Which GDDs need revision and why — be specific about the failure mode observed.]
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**Systems requiring GDD revision:** [List]
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**Architecture decisions to revisit:** [List — use `/architecture-decision` to update]
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**Core loop change needed:** [What specifically to change]
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**Next steps:**
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1. `/design-system [mechanic]` — revise affected GDDs
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2. `/architecture-decision [decision]` — address architecture issues
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3. `/vertical-slice` — re-validate after revisions
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---
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## If Killing
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[Why the full game loop does not work at this quality level. What specifically
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prevented the player from experiencing the core fantasy. What to do instead.]
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**Next step:** `/brainstorm` to explore a new direction, or `/prototype [new-concept]`
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to test a different concept cheaply before investing in another vertical slice.
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---
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## Lessons Learned
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- **What assumptions were broken by building to near-production quality?**
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[...]
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- **What surprised us about the pipeline or architecture?**
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[...]
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- **What would we change about the slice scope if we ran this again?**
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[...]
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---
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> *Vertical slice code location: `prototypes/[concept-name]-vertical-slice/`*
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> *This code is reference material only. Production implementation is written from scratch.*
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> *Never import or refactor this code into production.*
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