Introduction: The Need for Speed
Simulating a city in real-time is great for playing, but terrible for balancing. If we tweak the tax rate, we can't wait 10 hours to see if the economy collapses. This week, we built the solution: Scenario Lab.
The Scenario Lab (Epic J)
Scenario Lab is a headless simulation runner that can execute thousands of game ticks in milliseconds. It allows us to:
- Define Scenarios: Create JSON files specifying initial conditions (e.g., "High Unemployment Start," "Inflationary Spiral").
- Assert Outcomes: Automatically verify that the economy behaves as expected (e.g., "Unemployment must drop below 5% after 30 days").
- Regression Testing: Ensure new features don't break existing economic stability.
Designing Ownership (Epic M)
We also began deep planning for Epic M: Equity & Ownership. In a capitalist simulation, ownership is everything. We designed a system where:
- Companies emit shares.
- Entities (Players, NPCs, Government) can buy shares.
- Control is derived from equity. Owning >50% gives you control over the company's decisions.
This laid the groundwork for the complex corporate raiding mechanics we implemented later (in Week 7!).
Visualizing the Isometric City
While the simulation team focused on data, the design team finalized the Isometric Visual Spec. We decided on a strict 2:1 isometric projection to ensure clean pixel art and easy layering of buildings, roads, and vehicles.
What's Next?
With the simulation tools in place, it was time to build the real game client. Next week, we make a major technology pivot: Flutter.