# Player Step 1: Design Page Guide

Use this guide before generating any animation sprites. The purpose of Step 1 is to create an approved player design handoff that humans, AI art tools, and Godot import work can all reference.

Do not produce final sprite strips in this step.

## Goal

Create a single clear player design page for a top-down Godot RPG character.

The character should:

- start plain and classless
- read clearly on phone, tablet, and desktop
- fit a 64 px tile-based world
- support later Power, Agility, and Intelligence upgrades
- support later Fighter, Mage, and Sorcerer class directions without being locked into one class now
- be easy to animate into `idle`, `walk`, `action`, and `hurt_or_death` sprite actions

## Required Files

Deliver these files:

- `player_design_page.png`
- `player_design_spec.json`
- optional `player_design_notes.md`

The design page is the visual contract. The JSON is the technical contract. Later Step 2 sprite prompts must reference this page as `source_design`.

## Visual Requirements

The page must include:

- final player concept in the center
- front/down view
- back/up view
- side view
- gameplay-scale preview next to a 64 px tile
- fixed 128x128 frame canvas around one pose
- feet/base point marker
- approximate collision footprint
- readable silhouette preview on a light background
- readable silhouette preview on a dark background
- color palette swatches
- simple classless starting outfit
- small optional upgrade cues for Power, Agility, and Intelligence
- optional notes for future Fighter, Mage, and Sorcerer variants

## Character Direction

The player should feel like a beginner adventurer: capable, friendly, and readable, but not already fully upgraded.

Prefer:

- simple outfit shapes
- strong head/body/feet silhouette
- readable hair or head shape
- small satchel, belt, scarf, or trim if useful
- animation-friendly clothing
- compact proportions that fit in a 128x128 frame

Avoid:

- huge weapons
- huge capes
- oversized hats
- extreme hair
- tiny jewelry/details that vanish at runtime
- class-specific armor too early
- fake UI labels baked into the sprite art
- any detail that would crop during animation

## Technical Requirements

- Source design page: 2048x2048 px or larger.
- Runtime sprite frame canvas target: `128x128` px per frame.
- Runtime visual player height target: about `56-72` px.
- Recommended base point: `[64, 104]`.
- Recommended collision center: `[64, 108]`.
- Recommended collision size: `[28, 18]`.
- Side view must be usable for left and right via horizontal flip.
- The feet/base point must be easy to preserve in every later frame.
- The collision footprint should cover the feet/body contact area, not the whole visible character.
- The final sprite pack must use real alpha transparency, but this design page can include labeled previews and background panels.

## Design Spec JSON

Create `player_design_spec.json` with this shape:

```json
{
  "asset_type": "player_design_page",
  "game": "TheLordsRequests",
  "view": "top_down_rpg",
  "tile_size_px": 64,
  "sprite_frame_size_px": [128, 128],
  "runtime_visual_height_px": [56, 72],
  "base_point_px": [64, 104],
  "collision_footprint_px": {
    "shape": "capsule_or_rect",
    "center": [64, 108],
    "size": [28, 18]
  },
  "required_views": ["down", "up", "side"],
  "side_view_flips_for_left_right": true,
  "starting_role": "plain_classless_adventurer",
  "future_progression_cues": ["power", "agility", "intelligence"],
  "future_classes": ["fighter", "mage", "sorcerer"],
  "approved_for_step_2": false,
  "notes": "Set approved_for_step_2 to true only after the design page is accepted."
}
```

## Prompt Template

```text
Create a production handoff design page for a top-down Godot RPG player character.

Game context:
- top-down exploration survival RPG
- 64 px tile-based world
- player starts plain and classless
- later progression uses Power, Agility, and Intelligence
- later classes may include Fighter, Mage, and Sorcerer
- art must work on phone, tablet, and desktop

Canvas:
- one clean design page, 2048x2048 px or larger
- no logo, no watermark, no fake UI text
- labels are allowed only as design-page annotations, never as final sprite art

Character:
- beginner adventurer, readable at small size
- friendly but capable
- clear head/body/feet silhouette
- simple outfit that can be animated
- no huge cape, huge weapon, or extreme hair that will crop during animation
- do not make the character look like a finished Fighter, Mage, or Sorcerer yet

Required views:
- front/down view
- back/up view
- side view
- small gameplay-scale preview next to a 64 px tile
- light-background readability preview
- dark-background readability preview

Technical annotations:
- mark the feet/base point
- show approximate collision footprint
- show fixed 128x128 frame canvas around one pose
- include color palette swatches
- show tiny upgrade accents for Power, Agility, and Intelligence without turning the character into a final class

Final feel:
The page should be a clean production design handoff that a second AI can use to create transparent animation sprites action by action.
```

## Approval Checklist

Before moving to Step 2:

- [ ] Down, up, and side views all look like the same character.
- [ ] The side view can flip for left/right.
- [ ] The character remains readable at gameplay scale.
- [ ] The feet/base point is obvious.
- [ ] The collision footprint is plausible.
- [ ] The 128x128 frame canvas has enough padding.
- [ ] The outfit can animate without constant cropping.
- [ ] The character starts plain/classless.
- [ ] Upgrade cues are subtle, not full class transformations.
- [ ] `player_design_spec.json` exists.
- [ ] `approved_for_step_2` has been set only after review.