# Player experience — information, action and a remembered world

## C08-UX-01 — Interface purpose, source authority and visual language

The interface should help a player understand the place in front of them, make a deliberate choice and return to the world. Its basic hierarchy is current purpose, current condition, next useful action, then the evidence and detail needed to judge that action. A project, machine, expedition or sample should answer the same simple questions in its own vocabulary: what is this for, what is happening, what can I do, what will move or change, and why might it wait?

This is the Edition 08 design programme, based on Edition 07 at f46b08d724def14e3e189915757324acc2c05ce3. The original UX01–UX12 references remain stable subjects. C08-UX sections expand them and add related research, equipment, machine, recipe, logistics and recovery views. These are proposed screens, states and interaction contracts. They do not establish implemented menus, bindings, device support, storage capacities, safety algorithms or accessibility compliance. Exact layouts require editable design work; later runtime acceptance is separate.

The current homepage, Worlds and Systems presentation supplies a useful visual standard: substantial geometry, weathered materials, cinematic framing and a sense of a real working place within Minecraft's coarse forms. A game interface can inherit that restraint without reproducing a website inside a cockpit. Frames may use worn paper, dark enamel, brushed plates or a modest workshop label according to location. The information surface itself needs quiet values, readable type and consistent spacing. Scratches must not cross small text, decorative rivets must not resemble controls, and a distressed texture cannot replace contrast.

An ordinary panel starts with a plain title and object or place identity. Immediately below, one status line states the condition and next action. Primary actions use a verb and object, such as “Reserve this batch,” “Inspect blocked landing” or “Record this observation.” Supporting sections expose requirements, stock, route or permissions. More detailed history, boundaries and contribution records remain available without filling the first view. The same concept should not alternate between “inactive,” “sleeping” and “offline” when the canonical managed state is Paused.

World space remains important. A target highlight, a physical receiver, a marker at the obstructed block or a visible line between landings often explains more than another panel. The interface must also survive a busy background, low light and reduced visual effects. Solid or adjustable backing, labels, shapes and stable outlines carry meaning. Concept lighting can make a reference attractive; it is not a shader product feature and cannot be the mechanism that makes a route or warning readable.

## C08-UX-02 — Field HUD, targeting and interruption

The field HUD prioritizes the active task and immediate exposure. Health and familiar survival information retain the game's established responsibility. SUBSTELLAR additions should show only the relevant equipment or hazard reserve, a concise current route or task cue and a target action when useful. A player approaching a Breadcap should not simultaneously receive a full ecology tree, machine backlog, market invitation and lunar mission checklist.

Targeting has five proposed visible states: No relevant target, Inspectable, Action available, Action unavailable and Action in progress. Inspectable shows identity and a short purpose. Action available names the verb, tool or required context and any real transfer. Action unavailable names the blocker, such as “Living sample container full,” and offers inspection. Action in progress retains the object and result being committed. A failed action returns to the appropriate prior state with a reason; it does not leave a misleading success animation.

Information from a tool is labelled according to what the tool can know. “Observed damp bed” is a supported finding. “Unsurveyed passage” preserves uncertainty. A projected reserve can be described as an estimate under stated route assumptions; the UI must not guarantee a safe return based on unverified technical calculations. When a reserve is directly measured by the equipment, the view can use a simple bar, value or named band, subject to the actual implementation.

Important exposure warnings appear near the active reserve and identify an action: return to the known refuge, replace the filter, leave the hot zone or check the disconnected supply. They use a stable icon, plain text and optional sound or haptic equivalent. The warning ends or changes when the underlying condition changes. A constant danger wash cannot remain after the player reaches a safe room. Less urgent messages queue quietly or remain in the journal.

World interaction and a menu need explicit interruption rules. An incoming relevant danger can present a clear nonmodal warning and a rapid return-to-world action. A long dialogue should not trap the camera or require clicking through every line. Safe settlement services belong in safe areas. A menu does not silently pause a shared world unless the actual game supports and states that behaviour. Cancellation during an item transfer returns a coherent custody result rather than a duplicated or missing item.

The proposed input contract uses semantic actions—Inspect, Use, Confirm, Back, Change tab and Focus next—rather than fixed keys. Binding labels reflect the user's configured input. Essential operations require neither pixel-perfect pointing nor simultaneous holds. Pointer, keyboard and any later supported controller presentation should describe the same outcome, with platform support remaining an implementation question.

## C08-UX-03 — UX06 return-to-play journal and the working notebook

The journal opens to a return-to-play page after a meaningful absence or on request. Its first view states where the player was working, the last meaningful change, what is waiting and the nearest sensible next action. It separates the shared world's progress from the player's own unexperienced discoveries. “The crossing is complete; your group restored it” can sit beside “You have not yet visited the far landing.” Neither claim forces a second bridge or awards an unseen personal discovery.

The main navigation contains Chapter path, Local projects, Discoveries, People and World history, with a compact Recent view. These are editorial responsibilities rather than a demand for five permanent full-screen tabs. A chapter entry states purpose, actual completed change, next substantial action and relevant place links. A local project states the resulting service before the player invests. A discovery preserves observation, method, origin and open question even when it carries no quest reward.

Proposed entry states are Heard of, Located, Observed, Actionable, Waiting, Completed and Archived. A heard-of location is not drawn as a surveyed route. An observed organism does not imply its growing method is known. Waiting names a concrete missing condition or another local action. Completed entries retain their history and useful return links. Archived means the player has quieted an optional item in their view, not deleted a shared project or hidden a required route forever.

Each entry offers Track, Show known location, Review evidence and Add personal note where relevant. Track creates one concise field cue and preserves other selected work in the journal. A map link to an unvisited destination opens its available contextual information rather than fabricating terrain. Personal notes and names are clearly attributed and cannot overwrite the authored identity. A note is optional; the default records must be useful without manual transcription.

The history view records meaningful changes rather than every inventory move. A repaired crossing, first viable culture, restored beacon or returned expedition belongs there. Repeated fibre harvests belong in optional service history. Contributor acknowledgment is factual and calm; it should not turn a shared world into a ranking. Essential dialogue can be reviewed in its entry after the conversation closes.

Search and filters should use familiar terms and tolerate the user's remembered subject: a place, role, family name, material or service. An empty result explains the active filters and offers to clear them. Unread indicators resolve when a player meaningfully opens the content, and optional notices can be dismissed. A journal full of compulsory red dots would work against the promise of a home without debt.

## C08-UX-04 — UX07 and UX11 maps: routes, height and honest uncertainty

The underground map distinguishes known routes, personal markers, surveyed sites, known refuges and unexplored possibilities. Height context is essential because two corridors can overlap in a flat view. The first view should show the current local elevation relationship and the next known transition. A player can switch to a route cross-section or local layer view when it resolves an actual decision; a permanently dense volumetric display is not required.

A selected route shows origin, next landmark, destination, recorded connections and known hazards. Solid and patterned line styles distinguish surveyed passage, an established transport service and a tentative lead. Shape and labels carry the difference without relying on colour. An undiscovered branch is shown as an invitation at its known entrance, not a precisely rendered tunnel. A marker through a wall must not imply a traversable straight line.

Proposed map states are Local known view, Selected route, Transition inspected, Uncharted destination, Service unavailable and Personal annotation. The selected route retains a visible return point. An unavailable freight or transit link names its actual condition—unestablished endpoint, blocked access, permission or known service status—without implying a new transport capability. Personal markers can be renamed or hidden locally; shared authored settlement names remain stable.

Regional activity inspection supplements the map with dimension, horizontal boundary, explicit vertical scope and eligible participants. It explains why a managed project is active or parked. This boundary overlay is an inspectable service tool, not a bright permanent cage over the landscape. A player's personal map can show recorded remote status without presenting it as live telemetry or restarting a remote factory.

Planetary and space-route views add landing sites, outposts, established travel links and the planned return. They distinguish narrative journey families, industry capabilities, rocket design tiers and spacecraft capability classes rather than combining their numbers into one level. A locked or unsuitable route names the supported capability that is missing and preserves the source qualification. Exact travel compatibility and Explorer fit remain unverified until their own engineering evidence exists.

The map should help a player decide between a dry rim, a water branch, a known refuge and a resource detour. It should also allow quiet cartography: naming a favourite outlook, recording a family habitat and recognizing a place after returning. The thirty-five Earth creative experiences retain their atlas identities; the map must not claim thirty-five implemented biome registrations or revive the historical 512-level envelope as current runtime information.

## C08-UX-05 — Research, ecology and the sample bench

The research screen begins with a concrete subject and question. A Breadcap record might ask how a shaded bed supports an ordinary food source; a Tunneltuft record might compare scrape marks with an existing exposure. The first view contains Observation, Evidence, Known method and Useful application. It does not ask the player to purchase an abstract science point before a witnessed fact counts.

Proposed states are Unidentified record, Family identified, Observation incomplete, Method supported, Application available, Sample needed, Receiver blocked and Study recorded. “Observation incomplete” states what comparison remains, such as observing the ordinary and warning posture. It does not reveal every hidden behaviour. A hypothesis is visibly labelled and remains distinct from a supported method. Research cannot claim a biological origin or cosmic explanation that the narrative has left open.

The sample bench displays the actual available specimen and its holder. A study that only records it says “Specimen retained.” An action that allocates a portion to cultivation says what moves and to which bed. The player can inspect compatible containers, known conditions and the return location. Insufficient space or permission leaves the sample at its last valid holder. Observation knowledge may still be recorded even when a physical transfer is blocked.

The primary actions are Record observation, Compare selected records, Allocate sample and Open known method. None requires arbitrary waiting in a menu. A visible instrument process may use active-region time when it has a meaningful supported task, but its duration and pause rule must be displayed as the system defines them. Repeating a first study does not award another copy of the same unlock or item.

The catalogue view shows BIO, FL and relevant material relationships through readable entries and useful filters. It supports an interest in a particular habitat without turning every family into a compulsory completion grid. A player may hide undiscovered silhouettes or keep an exploratory “unknown family” presentation according to spoiler preference. The catalogue can celebrate a retained sample, a release or a habitat restoration equally where the design gives those actions value.

## C08-UX-06 — Equipment, maintenance and saved loadouts

The equipment view follows tasks and capabilities. It shows the selected item or installed module, its current duty, condition, compatible supply and relevant service action. A thermal suit, sample kit and cargo frame are not compared through one universal score. An improvement should state what changes—supported duration, range, carrying comfort, precision or exposure duty—while exact numeric values remain tied to later implementation and balance.

Proposed item states are Available, Equipped, Stored, In use, Supply low, Supply empty, Service needed, Incompatible and Reserved for an order. “Incompatible” names the intended task and the missing capability. A supply bar uses both a value or named band and a clear icon. A service-needed state identifies the replaceable part or supported repair. It does not require the player to discard an entire familiar item whenever a small component wears.

The maintenance view shows current holder, repair materials, accepted alternatives, service location, what identity or configuration is preserved and the resulting condition. If the tool is reserved for another task, the reason is visible. A cancelled uncommitted repair returns the allocated stock according to the custody rule. A completed repair is not also refundable as if it never occurred. The UI never claims a particular item-identity persistence feature until implemented evidence supports it.

Saved loadouts record desired roles, equipment and quantities as proposals the player can review. Replenish compares the plan with carried items and authorized settlement supplies. It previews shortages, protected reserves and substitutions before transferring real stock. A saved plan is not a magic inventory or permission to empty another player's chest. Partial fulfilment is useful: the view shows what was obtained and what remains, with no false “ready” badge.

The first practical loadouts differ by purpose. A safe Deepwilds study uses light, available protection where required, sample containers and a return route. A Mantle-margin study adds appropriate thermal protection and a conservative operating reserve. A first lunar surface trip brings sealed protection, breathing supply, navigation and a dependable cabin or shelter. Local discoveries improve later trips; they do not supply the only means of surviving their own first collection.

## C08-UX-07 — Machines and cultivation services: one visible order

A machine's first screen shows its purpose and the current order. The work view presents real input, the selected process, operating responsibility and real output receiver in the same reading direction as the physical installation where possible. The player should be able to look from the input rack to the work head to the collection shelf and understand the panel. Decorative pipes, gauges and movement do not establish an implemented power network or fluid simulation.

The proposed service states are Idle, Order selected, Awaiting input, Awaiting operating supply, Ready, Running, Output ready, Receiver full, Manually paused, Region paused, Blocked and Service needed. Only the relevant state and next action dominate the ordinary view. More than one condition can exist, but the panel prioritizes the actionable blocker and lets the player inspect the complete list. “Blocked” identifies an actual obstruction or invalid condition; it is not a generic substitute for every missing ingredient.

Order selection shows recipe or supported operation, accepted inputs, output identity, batch and receiver. Reserve previews which authorized inventory will supply it. Start commits according to the process contract. Running names what is occurring and whether leaving will park the managed work. Output ready points to the receiver and collection action. Receiver full stops feed before overflow. Replacing the order cannot reclaim material already transformed into a finished product.

A cultivation service uses the same clarity with its own nouns: family, bed, known conditions, starter allocation, growing state and harvest receiver. A plant can remain mature as decoration while an order is idle. A missing condition says “Waiting for water” or another known responsibility rather than showing a meaningless machine-error code. It does not invent a hidden biological score.

The detail view separates current stock, reserved stock, committed process material and finished goods. Remote inspection labels the time or last known state according to actual available data; it cannot promise live stock while a region is parked. Regional pause and output wait are different conditions with different actions. A player should never be sent to refill a remote machine that is simply paused because no eligible participant is present.

The intended machine screen is a useful companion to a physical workshop. It should allow a modest first operation with ordinary equipment and later remove repeated effort through saved orders. It must not imply that every industrial machine is required before first flight or turn an optional forming press into the initial workshop's compulsory gate. The broader industry catalogue owns exact recipes and machine capability relationships.

## C08-UX-08 — UX01–UX03 project controller, preview and construction custody

The project controller is a real board, marker, workshop control or outpost terminal associated with a specific authored project. Its ordinary screen contains purpose, current stage, next action, essential requirements and current condition. The project can be inspected before ownership is claimed. A public reader can understand what is being made without gaining permission to start, cancel or withdraw its supplies.

The canonical states remain Discovered, Preview, Claimed or assigned, Awaiting requirements, Ready, Building, Paused, Blocked, Complete and Upgrade available. These are product states, not ten independent menus. Preview exposes the supported footprint, access, occupied space, planned terrain changes and known conflicts. Claimed or assigned identifies the owning player or group. Ready means an authorized player may choose to start; it is not an automatic irreversible construction trigger.

The footprint view uses adjustable outlines, a visible legend and world markers. Occupied structure, required access, moving or service space, permitted terrain adaptation and protected conflict each have distinct shape or pattern. A controller can focus the camera or marker on a conflict without forcing disorienting motion; a reduced-motion mode uses a stable view and a direction cue. A chest, player or incompatible block in the next placement volume stops that stage. The project does not overwrite belongings or force its template through an occupant.

The contribution view separates Supplied and uncommitted, Committed to current stage, Built into completed work and Still required. Ordinary delivery transfers real items once and should not require a confirmation for every plank. A preview before a consequential stage states what becomes committed and what can still be recovered. Cancellation or variant replacement describes its actual material result and permission requirement. The interface cannot promise a full refund after material has become part of a completed wall.

Building exposes the current coherent stage and its useful status. Leaving parks managed progress; returning resumes without repeated costs. A new obstruction marks the affected stage while retaining completed work and stored stock. Complete shows the service the player has earned and a practical way to demonstrate it. Upgrade available has its own requirements and leaves the finished service usable while the upgrade waits.

The exact diagram must show a real example of each custody boundary and conflict, using labels consistent with the prose. A beautiful translucent building concept alone cannot prove collision, staged persistence or refund behaviour. The original UX01–UX03 references remain the source identities for these editable design jobs.

## C08-UX-09 — UX08–UX10 expedition preparation, assembly and readiness

Preparation starts with the intended destination and known route. It then shows relevant hazards, equipment, operating supplies, cargo, crew where applicable and the return plan. The first view distinguishes Required for the selected supported route, Recommended margin and Optional improvement. This hierarchy lets a player take informed risk without confusing an optional comfort upgrade with the only means of returning home.

Proposed readiness states are Plan incomplete, Essential capability missing, Supply missing, Cargo conflict, Return plan incomplete, Ready for the supported plan and Changed since review. Unknown conditions remain labelled Uncharted or Unverified. A ready result means the currently supported checks are satisfied under stated assumptions; it cannot guarantee success against every route choice, unsupported configuration or unimplemented calculation.

The equipment comparison shows carried, assigned and still needed stock separately. A protected return reserve remains identified when a production or freight order proposes to use the same supply. A capacity conflict names the actual compartment or supported loading rule once defined. Current Explorer fit, recipes, capacities, Mars transport and rover carriage remain engineering questions, not solved by an attractive readiness mock-up. Example numeric values in a future layout must be labelled fictional proposal data.

Spacecraft assembly UX09 focuses on recognized hull family, modules, build stages, cargo space and missing capabilities. The player can inspect the resulting duty of a module, its physical access and its installation state. It should not merge spacecraft class, rocket tier and industrial band into a single progress number. The screen may show an unavailable option with its reason while keeping a viable earlier mission path visible.

Mission readiness UX10 brings together destination suitability, crew, fuel and breathing reserves, selected cargo and a planned return. The first landing exports its immediate survival capability, safe refuge and return supplies. Lunar or planetary material improves later operations. If a proposed plan depends on collecting an uncertain local item before the crew can breathe or leave, the design should expose that dependency as invalid rather than conceal it behind a ready badge.

Primary actions are Review missing essentials, Inspect itinerary, Adjust loadout, Reserve supplies and Start the supported departure sequence where authorized by the later game. Starting a major shared event requires the appropriate visible group permission and a concise consequence review. Routine replenishment does not. Any material change after review marks the plan Changed since review and identifies what changed. It does not silently preserve a stale approval while a protected tank has been emptied.

## C08-UX-10 — Failure, recovery and resuming an interrupted journey

Recovery begins by naming what happened and what remains. A blocked project, lost sample, depleted reserve, failed encounter and player death are different events. The panel or journal entry should identify the known failure location, persistent knowledge, recoverable goods, available equipment and nearest useful action. It should not reset a whole chapter because one local attempt failed.

The proposed recovery states are Incident recorded, Safe position established, Recovery route known, Replacement capability available, Retrieval in progress, Goods recovered and Journey resumed. These describe useful responsibilities rather than a compulsory linear quest. A player may first secure a refuge, choose a dry route or obtain an ordinary replacement. Essential knowledge stays recorded. A unique progression object has a specific reissue or retrieval policy that prevents duplicate usable copies.

The first recovery must not require the lost equipment to make its only replacement. The view should link to previously available materials, an established service or a supported recovery mode. It can distinguish a known personal item location from an approximate last-known position. It must not invent precise remote telemetry or guarantee preservation rules the actual survival system does not provide.

For a machine or construction interruption, the recovery view shows the last coherent stage and where the material is held. A failed transfer can be retried from its valid holder. A full receiver is solved by collection or another authorized destination. A blocked landing is solved by clearing the actual conflict or choosing a supported variant. The player's belongings are not deleted as a shortcut to “resume.”

The story remains available after recovery. Dialogue can be reviewed, the route can be inspected and completed milestones stay complete. Difficulty options may adjust encounter pressure or recovery generosity within designed bounds, but should not silently remove whole settlement chapters. An assisted recovery can be recorded honestly without shaming language or a permanent mark that devalues the player's world.

## C08-UX-11 — Recipes, stock and logistics across known places

The recipe view begins with an intended result or service. It shows the accepted ingredients, supported alternatives, process, required equipment or known method, output and receiver. A player can switch between “What can I make with available stock?” and “What do I need for this project?” without losing the selected result. Undiscovered methods can remain contextual invitations rather than a wall of unexplained locks.

Proposed recipe states are Known and available, Known with shortage, Method not yet established, Operating capability missing, Output destination missing and Order reserved. A shortage names the missing category and its known source or substitute. It does not claim that a new material is the only source when the wider catalogue permits ordinary alternatives. Recipe numbers and yields remain proposals until their separate balancing and implementation records establish them.

Stock inspection distinguishes Available, Reserved, Committed, In transit, Awaiting receipt and Protected reserve. The owner and authorized scope are visible. A decorative barrel is not counted as stocked storage unless deliberately assigned. An order draws from named sources and moves already-produced goods between established endpoints. It cannot manufacture cargo, ship to an undiscovered destination or reactivate a parked source factory.

The freight screen shows source, destination, goods, quantity proposal, receiving space, supported route, permissions and stop condition. Its proposed states are Draft, Awaiting authorization or stock, Reserved, Dispatched, In transit, Destination waiting, Received, Cancelled before dispatch and Recovery required. Cancellation after dispatch is not described as an instant refund unless a supported return procedure exists. One order has one cargo identity throughout interruption and receiving.

The destination may receive already-authorized cargo while active even if the source remains parked. Both endpoints need not be occupied together. The screen explains that this moves existing stock and does not restart remote production or consume an absent habitat's service reserve. A destination full condition keeps cargo accounted at its supported holder or waiting state; it does not dump goods into the world or silently reroute them to private storage.

The useful end state is visible in the place: a provision order at the guesthouse counter, fibre at the workshop receiver or repair stock at the refuge. Logistics removes repeated carrying after the player has learned a journey. Its interface should keep the route's human meaning present through clear endpoint names and actual service outcomes, while details such as technical throughput remain qualified future work.

## C08-UX-12 — UX04–UX05 cooperative activity, ownership and permission feedback

The group view distinguishes world state, personal discovery, project ownership and item custody. A repaired crossing is a shared fact. A personal visit or observation can remain incomplete. A contributor may deliver materials without permission to replace the project variant. An owner may configure a shared reserve without gaining ownership of every nearby inventory. These distinctions should appear in ordinary language at the point of action.

Proposed permission feedback states are Allowed, Inspect only, Contribution allowed, Start restricted, Withdrawal restricted, Event authority required and Permission changed. A disabled action explains the required role and the owning project or group. It can offer an in-game request mechanism if later implemented, but this document does not assume messaging or notifications exist. A permission change during an open panel revalidates the attempted action and preserves material at its last valid holder.

The regional activity view shows which eligible participants are inside the project's dimension, horizontal boundary and explicit vertical scope. It explains Active, Paused because participants are absent and Manually paused where supported. A private service does not activate for an unrelated passerby. A participating friend may keep an occupied refuge operating while the owner travels. The pause promise covers managed authored services, not every ordinary Minecraft process.

Routine contribution needs a concise transaction result, not unanimous voting. Major events, variant replacement, dismantling and withdrawals use the stronger permission already appropriate to their consequences. The ready screen identifies who may start the event and which participation conditions matter. A friend arriving late can see the shared result and access a supported catch-up; the game should not demand that they repeat a world-changing construction.

Contribution history records real deliveries and agreed project actions. It should be useful for trust and troubleshooting without ranking players by economic worth. A researcher, builder, navigator and supplier can each be acknowledged. Public inspection may show the project's purpose and status while private inventory quantities remain outside that viewer's permission. UI design must not expose detailed stock merely because a player can see a building exterior.

## C08-UX-13 — A complete proposed screen flow for a returned finding

The player returns from a Deepwilds study with one viable Threadmoss sample and an observation record. The field journal says “Method supported: sheltered textile bed” and links to the known cultivation method. At the sample bench, the allocation view shows the actual container and offers to establish the selected prepared bed. Confirm moves the viable portion into that bed once. The journal remains knowledge; it is not another specimen.

The cultivation view then shows Establishing and the known conditions. If water is missing, it shows Waiting for water with a marker on the supported service. Once ready, a later mature state permits a bounded fibre order. The receiver becomes full after its actual supported capacity is reached, and feed stops. Collecting moves MAT11 stock to the chosen authorized holder. A recipe view can use that stock for the established cloth or filter family under its proposed recipe.

At the equipment view, the player reserves the intended filter supply for a saved expedition plan. The readiness screen distinguishes the newly fulfilled requirement from an unchanged return route and other reserves. A companion may see the shared cultivation service but does not automatically receive a personal habitat observation. On leaving the region, the managed bed and any unfinished order park. Returning shows the same accounted stock and a concise next action.

This flow is a design scenario for exact screen sheets and later implementation acceptance. It deliberately exercises observation, finite allocation, a recoverable shortage, receiver capacity, recipe use, saved preparation and cooperative difference. A static mock-up can prove information order; it cannot claim the transaction, growth, permission or persistence logic has passed in-game.

# Narrative — work, discovery and the meaning of a return

## C08-NAR-01 — The central story and its voice

SUBSTELLAR's central story is a capable community growing through exploration. The player observes a place, learns a useful relationship, makes a dependable foothold and brings something home. The remembered milestones are a restored crossing, a workshop that can help, a garden beneath stone, a beacon across water and a warm room under an unfamiliar sky. Industry and equipment are part of that story because they change what people can do.

The narrative voice is practical, curious and modest about what is known. A field record can distinguish a repeated observation from an explanation. A resident can say why a repaired fitting matters without knowing the origin of the Core. A quiet scene can leave a question open. The writing should avoid making every mineral, organism and broken depot a clue to the same vanished civilization. Recent work, interrupted projects and ordinary lives provide history at several scales.

Established character names and histories remain authoritative. NPC01–NPC08 are role references until the cast is reconciled; this edition adds no replacement names, family histories or secret identities. Personality comes through priorities, familiar objects and selective reactions to events. A mason may care about a difficult passage, an innkeeper about new guests and a surveyor about a route that now makes sense. They do not need unlimited generated dialogue or a daily relationship-decay system.

The player's authorship matters. A handmade room, chosen garden, useful freight link or favourite fishing place can become part of a world's history even when it is outside the chapter spine. The narrative can acknowledge a supported choice without inventing an automatic score for arbitrary construction. It should offer worthwhile work and permit quiet life between milestones.

The long journey remains First Descent, Pale Horizon, Red Frontier, Outer Worlds and Beyond Sol. Those journey families are not interchangeable with industrial bands, rocket tiers or spacecraft capability classes. A story invitation must consult actual accessible prerequisites. Early Tier 1 lunar travel can occur before Earth is exhausted; the narrative cannot require Core completion, Heartglass or rare creature kills as a hidden first-flight gate.

## C08-NAR-02 — Old Valley's complete arc and the smaller opening

The full Old Valley arc has five changes in the world. A place to stay establishes the guesthouse's essential entrance, sleeping place, storage relation and common access. The old crossing restores the supported route and transport fittings. The quarry restores access, work bay, baseline cargo handling and a finite ordinary stone service. A working settlement develops grain milling, a fuller workshop and market preparation. The first market turns those practical changes into a shared occasion.

The narrative should make each change visible before explaining its significance. A new guest enters along the route. Stone reaches its receiver. Meal is collected from the grain mill. Familiar residents stand at a market stall containing goods associated with the player's work. A short line or journal entry then connects cause and result. Delivery alone is not the story beat; the changed use of the place is.

First Playable remains the first three essential outcomes, one Copperwash Channels expedition and the returned-find improvement to the existing cargo-only hoist, with only a limited workshop service from the later chapter. The proposed bronze fitting demonstration and ordinary alternative belong to that source plan. This edition does not add cultivation, all eight resident roles, a completed grain mill or the market as opening acceptance requirements. An inviting future scene is not an enlarged implementation milestone.

The quarry-to-workshop return is an early narrative model. A problem has been seen, a material method becomes useful and the familiar route improves. The player then understands why exploration matters without needing a speech about future spaceflight. A later market visitor can recognize a regional specimen and offer the next lead. The clue remains available after the conversation, so an absent companion or a player decorating the square does not miss the only path onward.

The full market has a ready state, a bounded arrival, a stable activity phase and an explicit close. The stable phase gives the occasion time to feel inhabited. Optional conversations, meals and displays enrich it without becoming timed collectibles. After closure, the square, known visitor possibilities and recorded lead remain. A recurring market uses the established framework and finite stock rather than repeating the entire opening arc.

## C08-NAR-03 — Earth chapters through changed relationships

Shallows stories connect familiar surface life to a dependable route below. A Rootlace ledge, Copperwash working face or Glasswell margin is interesting because the player learns its shape and returns with a practical finding. The first descent should retain daylight or another clear return relation. A Tunneltuft observation can enrich the experience without becoming a compulsory animal quest.

Deepwilds stories concern living habitats and careful occupation. The Conservatory's Canopy-to-River Circuit, sheltered water and Canopy Crossing share the same regional anchor. A field specialist's purpose is to study and use a place without replacing the whole cavern with construction. A planted sample, practical water service and herd passing below a restored walk can carry the chapter's emotional result. Peaceful observation is a valid climax to a small expedition.

Underreach stories concern connection and useful work across mineral country. The Three-Landing Supply Route makes its geography meaningful through outward survey, a discovery and return to a functioning Junction. Slateback at the Landing is one local territorial problem with several valid solutions. The story should remember that the route now works, not require every later Slateback to be fought as proof of progress.

Abyss stories concern distance becoming familiar. The Far-Shelf Survey and Far Beacon Recovery let a light become a reachable refuge. The player's preparations, intermediate landing and controlled water work are the plot. The Veilray is a living presence in that water, not a mystical guide. The return image should show the same expanse with a new known place inside it.

Mantle stories test accumulated expedition skills through thermal sources, protected stages and purposeful industry. The Thermal Relay restores a valuable ordinary connection. Completion leads to a quiet outlook and a chance to prepare for the Heart approaches. It does not reveal an ancient superweapon or suddenly demand a local biological ingredient for the equipment already required to arrive.

Core stories allow a deliberate culmination of Earth skills and a sense of uncertainty. Stillwater observation, selected resonance studies and the Heart destination make the depth matter. Glassleaf and Stillhorn remain optional living discoveries, not cosmic authorities. A reliable return is part of the achievement. The player can continue Earth, take an earlier space branch or return to a familiar home without the narrative treating domestic play as a failure to advance.

## C08-NAR-04 — Environmental storytelling as a physical record

Environmental story begins with an object in a credible place. A lunch shelf belongs near a work position. A repaired handle belongs to a tool still used. A survey mark faces the route it describes. A garden has a way to reach its bed and a place for a container. These relationships should remain understandable before the player opens a text panel. Decorative objects cannot contradict the working access or imply unaccounted infinite stock.

Each authored site should have a small set of record types. The immediate practical record explains what someone was doing. A personal trace gives that work human scale. A regional record connects the site to an established route or project. An optional unresolved observation may point toward a larger question where the broader narrative supports it. These responsibilities can be carried by a few well-chosen objects rather than a room full of interchangeable notes.

For example, a disused supply landing might contain a worn cargo tally, a repaired hand tool and a survey mark toward the next known refuge. The tally explains the service, the tool implies continued care and the marker suggests where to investigate. None requires inventing a new historical faction. A Conservatory bed might carry a viable starter label, an older failed placement sketch and a successful growing record, teaching a method through visible work.

Readable environmental states matter after completion. The repaired crossing should retain evidence of repair; the market square can show the player's selected display; the far beacon has a maintained approach and a functioning signal. A site does not need to remain permanently broken to preserve its history. Before-and-after journal imagery or a brief record can retain earlier context without filling the world with duplicate ruins.

Optional text stays optional for immediate action. The controller and geometry state the next practical purpose. A player who reads every note gains personality, context and a richer interpretation; a player who prefers building still understands how to help. No tiny inscription, whispered line or hidden colour code can be the sole required instruction. Exact clue diagrams, glyphs and readable props must be authored as editable assets after their meaning is approved.

## C08-NAR-05 — Journal editorial structure, discovery and spoiler control

The journal separates Observation, Interpretation, Method and Open question. Observation states what happened in the supported scene. Interpretation is attributed to a person or an explicit hypothesis. Method records the reliable action the player can use. Open question preserves uncertainty without demanding immediate completion. This prevents a brief animal sighting from becoming authoritative lore about an entire ecosystem.

Entries have a short working summary and optional deeper reading. The summary answers the current purpose and next action. The longer record can include site history, contributor context, alternate solutions and the player's note. Completed entries stay available as a world's history. Personal discoveries and shared construction are tagged separately so a late participant can understand what exists and what they have yet to experience.

Spoiler handling uses three proposed scopes. Current knowledge covers encountered places and supported methods. Optional ahead-of-play context covers broader planning information the player deliberately chooses to inspect. Late-story reveal covers Afterlight, Cairn, Morrow and their associated revelations in contexts where the existing publication treats them as spoilers. Revealing one scope is an explicit, reversible reading preference; it is not a new gameplay unlock or a claim that those worlds are implemented.

Spoiler protection includes headings, search snippets, map previews, thumbnails, alternative text and notifications. A concealed destination cannot be revealed by the title of a collapsed panel or a search result. A direct link to late material lands on a clear reveal choice. The user can continue spoiler-light without losing ordinary navigation or current chapter instructions. Once revealed, the content should still mark creative proposal and implementation status correctly.

The journal should not pretend to know a universal mystery resolution. Earth records leave origins open where the source does. Planetary discoveries can form later connections under their approved campaign direction, but a routine cultivation record cannot silently rewrite that story. Edition references and stable content IDs support internal editorial traceability; the player's ordinary view uses natural names and readable prose rather than production identifiers.

## C08-NAR-06 — Dialogue, cooperative memory and optional occasions

Dialogue should be short enough to belong to the activity and rich enough to reveal a person. A useful exchange begins with the actual context, offers a choice or observation and closes with the next practical possibility. A workshop specialist can inspect a returned piece and describe one useful change. A field specialist can compare a viable bed with the failed condition the player saw. Generic repeated praise after every small delivery will quickly make residents feel mechanical.

Every essential dialogue beat has a recoverable record. The journal or board preserves requirements, known methods and important leads. A player can leave a conversation, return later or review the text. Automatic advance is optional where supported, and default timing must not rush reading. A voiced line, if later produced, has captions and does not become the only carrier of an instruction.

Cooperative story uses shared milestones and personal participation deliberately. The crossing's completion changes the world for everyone. A contributor can receive acknowledgment for a real action. A late friend receives a concise explanation and an opportunity to inspect or demonstrate the useful result. They should not reconstruct a duplicate project or automatically inherit every personal sighting. An encounter completion can record which solution the group chose while leaving optional personal observations available.

Major occasions have a visible start authority and forgiving participation. The first market's stable phase avoids demanding that all players stand in one spot for every line. A shared departure can show who is expected and what action starts it. Consequential choices follow the existing ownership rule rather than inventing unanimous votes for routine deliveries. The design needs an interruption and late-arrival path before a scene is considered complete.

Routine dialogue states can include greeting, current work, relevant milestone, optional interest and service fallback. A limited authored selection is enough. Characters need not continuously narrate the player's inventory, comment on every death or pressure them to return. Resting is a believable ordinary state, not a service lock. The community should welcome a return without suggesting that it suffered because the player explored another world.

## C08-NAR-07 — Space, homecoming and the limits of revelation

The principal destination route remains Earth, Moon, Mars, Europa, Titan and Pluto, with Ceres and Io as substantial optional branches. Pluto provides a satisfying Solar System conclusion; Afterlight and the proposed Cairn and Morrow continuation retain their separate late-story scope. This is a narrative relationship, not a claim of implemented travel, completed campaigns or verified spacecraft fit.

Each first arrival begins with capability brought from already available sources. A cabin, shelter, protective equipment, instruments and a planned return make the expedition responsible and understandable. The local discovery then improves later work. Moon, Ceres, Io, Pluto and Cairn do not acquire invented indigenous creatures through incidental background art. Europa, Titan and Morrow retain their selected fictional families. The optional Mars brine mat CEC01 remains conditional and unselected.

A homecoming should show a useful change at the place the player values. A material improves a supported service, a sample gains a suitable display, a route record makes preparation clearer or a familiar resident recognizes the trip's practical result. The same ordinary bench or room can frame increasingly distant discoveries. Progress does not have to replace every beloved workshop with a new mandatory factory.

Mystery should widen carefully. A repeated phenomenon can become a stronger question; a supported instrument can establish a new observation. The writing must not confuse evocative visual resemblance with evidence of shared origin. A mineral form that resembles a horn, root or lens is not automatically biological or artificial. Late revelations require their own approved story content and spoiler treatment.

The player can finish a substantial chapter and continue living in the world. The return route, useful services and remembered history remain valuable after a capstone. Story completion should feel like acquired possibility and understanding, with room for personal projects and further exploration, rather than the sudden invalidation of the home that made the journey meaningful.

# Audio — a place to listen, and room for silence

## C08-AUD-01 — Seven Earth sound identities

The Overworld has open air, familiar weather and recognisable daily work. At Bluewater Quarry Coast, water movement belongs to the shore and working sounds to the dry quarry. Rivergate adds the relation between river, delivery and grain milling. Rainwood can carry rain on canopy, near drips and more distant ordinary surface life. The mix should let a sheltered guesthouse sound different from an exposed hill without imposing constant loud weather.

Shallows emphasizes nearby water, stone contact and the gradual loss of surface sound. A stream's direction can support a route while visible water and map information remain sufficient. Rootlace has occasional Wickmoth activity near its roost; Drybell allows discrete taps and roomy decay. Not every large chamber needs a long echo on every sound. Distance and enclosure are artistic responsibilities subject to later engine capability.

Deepwilds adds localized living activity around growth, water and clearings. Mossback movement has weight, Canopy Skimmer has a brief memorable call and Fenpaddle belongs to a particular cove. Cultivation work can include a soft comb, a container set on a bench and a gathered cap. The habitat should not sound like a continuous crowded jungle in every direction. Quietwood has enough space between events to live up to its name.

Underreach separates occupied working hubs from open mineral country. A hoist cycle, cargo placement, a workshop operation and a grain or tool delivery have discrete starts and ends. Dry travel leaves those sounds behind. Slateback warnings stay associated with its territory. Echoquartz response is an instrument or formation event, not an unexplained voice hidden in an ambient loop.

Abyss uses distance, silence and isolated events. Water at a known landing, a remote beacon mechanism and an occasional Veilray movement can define scale. A continuous ominous drone would erase the relief of reaching a refuge. Mantle uses identifiable local vents, guarded machinery and thermal movement with clear phases. A warning must correspond to an actual source and end when that phase ends.

Core allows stillness, clear water and a few carefully placed unfamiliar responses. Stillhorn movement should be calm; a resonance observation can be distinct and brief. Silence is not missing content. The refuge's familiar small sounds can make a deep return powerful without a louder soundtrack. These are compositional directions, not claims that a particular audio engine, reverb model or spatial simulation is implemented.

## C08-AUD-02 — Cue priority, budget and conflict resolution

Audio cues need an explicit priority policy. Immediate actionable danger has the highest responsibility, followed by critical equipment state and a direct interaction result. Navigation or task information follows. Ambient life, machine texture, incidental dialogue and music occupy the remaining space. Priority means intelligibility, not maximum loudness. A warning can be brief and recognizable without startling the player or drowning out another instruction.

As an initial design proposal for review, only one dominant warning phrase should occupy the foreground at a time, with a second urgent condition represented by a distinct concise cue and its persistent visual equivalent. Lower-priority notifications queue, merge or remain in the journal. This is an authoring budget, not a measured engine channel capacity. Exact concurrency, repetition intervals and ducking values require listening tests in actual scenes.

A cue is tied to a state transition. A filter warning begins when the supported reserve reaches its warning condition, changes when critical and resolves when the condition is corrected or left. A Slateback warning belongs to its visible posture and charge lane. A machine completion occurs when output reaches its real receiver. A permission denial occurs when an attempted action is rejected, not continuously while an inspect-only visitor stands nearby.

Repetition should convey a changed urgency or a still-relevant danger. It should not punish the player for reading. A persistent low-priority shortage can be a visual status rather than a repeated alarm. Multiple machines finishing nearby can consolidate a notification while each receiver remains inspectable. Ambient wildlife should have bounded occurrence and quiet intervals; a roost cannot produce an uncontrolled swarm of sounds when many lamps are placed.

Music and ambience make room for essential information through restrained arrangement and, where later supported, limited mixing adjustments. A dialogue line need not mute all environmental orientation. The design should test collisions such as a vent warning during a machine completion, a low breathing reserve while music enters and a Slateback call near water. Every essential cue also has a caption, shape or other accessible equivalent; audio priority cannot become a substitute for redundant information.

## C08-AUD-03 — Music, discovery and the emotional shape of silence

Music should arrive in phrases associated with discoveries, preparations, returns and shared occasions. A recurring expedition idea can change instrumentation or texture as the journey widens while remaining recognizable. A settlement phrase can feel warm without being saccharine. The score should allow ordinary building, water listening and quiet travel to exist without a compulsory continuous emotional instruction.

The first complete practical loop deserves restraint. A short arrival phrase at a usable guesthouse, a warmer variation when the market becomes occupied or a held phrase after the far beacon works can mark consequence. The music should not announce a major victory for every delivered plank. A restored route's everyday sound and visible use may carry more meaning than another fanfare.

Danger music, where used, corresponds to an actual active encounter and has a clear exit. Territorial observation is not automatically combat. A Slateback resting in view can remain an environmental tension; a committed encounter can justify a stronger phrase. The Thermal Relay can use sparse rhythmic emphasis between protected phases, with quiet rest points. The Abyss must retain enough silence for a distant event to matter.

The Core and later worlds can introduce unfamiliar textures without replacing melody and silence with continuous ominous drones. A mystery need not sound evil. The score should leave room for a peaceful Stillhorn encounter and a Glassleaf display at home. Familiar material returning in a new setting can connect the journey more effectively than ever-louder escalation.

Track counts, durations, instrumentation, licensing, stems and dynamic music technology remain later production decisions. This edition defines moments, entry and exit responsibilities and the need to avoid cue competition. A concept music brief is not a delivered recording or an implementation plan for a specific audio engine.

## C08-AUD-04 — Sound objects, weather and useful machinery

Every prominent sound should have an intelligible source or clearly declared non-diegetic role. A vent is seen or locatable. A mill operates at a guarded mechanism. A cargo arrival corresponds to a real order. A UI confirmation is a concise interface event and should not be mistaken for a dangerous physical sound behind the player. Variation can prevent repetition, but randomization must not invent contradictory states.

Machines need separate signatures for idle, starting, working, waiting and stopping when those differences help the player. A stopped machine is quieter, not broken by implication. A full receiver may use a single completion or wait signal while the panel explains the condition. A cultivation bed does not need a mechanical hum merely because it has a process timer. The tool action, water service and ordinary room sounds are enough.

Surface weather remains familiar rain, wind, snow and sunlight-related ambience. Underground atmosphere is local seepage, mist, dust, spores and thermal movement. A storm can remain audible near an entrance where the setting supports that connection, but every deep realm does not inherit a synchronized weather soundtrack. Environmental audio density and masking should be adjustable without removing essential warnings.

Creature audio follows form and behaviour. Pebbleback splashes are small and local; Mossback movement has weight; Canopy Skimmer's warning is brief; Slateback's repeated call marks territory; Shelfstalker announces its visible preparation; Stillhorn retreat can remain mostly quiet. No essential interaction depends on identifying a faint species call among dozens of ambient layers. Sound captions use ordinary family names once known and descriptive unknown-source text before identification where appropriate.

The production brief should name the source object, ordinary loop or one-shot, start condition, end condition, priority, caption equivalent and required quiet interval. Numeric mix targets and asset counts are proposals for later review. The final assessment happens in representative gameplay with the intended baseline presentation, including machines, water, dialogue and a warning competing in the same useful scene.

## C08-AUD-05 — Audio settings and non-audio equivalents

The proposed settings expose master level, music, environment, creatures, machinery, interface, dialogue where present and critical alerts. Grouping can be simplified after usability review, but critical feedback should remain identifiable. Mute and low-volume use must leave the game understandable through text, shape, state and location cues. A setting preview should demonstrate the selected category without triggering a loud surprise.

Captions distinguish speech from sound events. Sound captions can identify source, meaningful action and coarse direction or distance when the game actually knows it. They should describe “Vent preparing to release, ahead” or “Slateback warning at the landing” rather than reproduce meaningless strings of onomatopoeia. A caption filter can reduce incidental ambience while preserving critical event information. Position, size, backing and duration need adjustable proposals and later verification.

Mono output must retain all essential information. Stereo and spatial audio can enrich direction, but cannot be required to locate the only safe exit or determine the side of a charge. A visual event indicator and world marker provide equivalent context. Optional haptic cues, if a supported device is later implemented, add another channel; they never replace captions or visible warnings.

Dynamic-range preferences can offer a calmer mix for quiet listening and a broader range for players who choose it. Exact compression behaviour remains technical work. The setting labels should describe the practical experience rather than expose unexplained audio-engine terms. A preview scene should include ordinary ambience, speech or an interface result and a warning so the player understands the tradeoff.

The review must confirm that muting music or ambience does not remove an essential event, that captions do not reveal concealed spoilers and that critical alerts can be understood without hearing. No specific accessibility certification or hearing test is claimed by the existence of these proposals.

# Accessibility — legible choices and equivalent information

## C08-ACC-01 — Input, focus and action alternatives

The interface uses semantic actions with remappable bindings where the later game supports them. Every proposed screen must be operable through a predictable focus order and visible focus indicator. Essential actions cannot require precise dragging, a narrow hover target, a timed double-click or simultaneous holds. Dragging stock can remain convenient, but selection plus a transfer action provides an equivalent route.

Hold actions need a toggle or single-action alternative where continuous pressure is not itself the meaningful game challenge. Repeated collection, dialogue advance and menu confirmation should avoid unnecessary rapid input. Fishing needs a forgiving prompt or timing-assistance option. A construction preview should support discrete rotation and movement increments as well as any pointer placement. These are proposed controls, not claims that controller, touch or particular devices are already supported.

Confirm and Back remain consistent across panels. Back closes the current detail or cancels an uncommitted selection before closing the whole service. A consequential action states what is committed and has a deliberate review; ordinary harmless inspection and routine contribution avoid repeated prompts. Focus returns to the originating object after a detail view closes, and after a failed action it stays near the reason and corrective control.

Rebinding must handle conflicts visibly. A proposed binding screen shows the action, current input, conflict and reset option. Essential navigation has a recoverable default path so an accidental conflicting bind cannot strand the user. Any device-specific glyph follows the current configured input; fixed keyboard letters in concept art are example labels only.

The future review includes a complete sample-to-bed transfer, a blocked project inspection, a recipe reservation and a recovery action using keyboard navigation alone and each explicitly supported input mode. Static focus diagrams can establish intended order. Runtime operation and device coverage remain unrun until the actual implementation is tested.

## C08-ACC-02 — Sight, text, contrast and scene readability

Readable type is part of the visual identity. Decorative lettering belongs in short titles and physical world labels where it remains clear; body text, quantities, warnings and controls need a simple face with distinguishable characters. Text scaling must reflow panels and preserve the full action label rather than clipping it. Long names, localization expansion and a dense inventory row are design cases for later exact layout work.

Contrast must survive the actual background. The proposed UI offers adjustable backing or an opaque information mode for dark caves, busy foliage and bright surface scenes. Fine borders cannot be the only focus or selection indicator. Important state uses text and shape: Paused has an explicit label, a blocked footprint has a pattern and a reserve has a meaningful value or band. Red versus green is never the sole distinction.

Colour preferences should adjust an understandable semantic palette—hazard, selection, route, shared ownership and optional information—while retaining icons and line styles. A colour-vision preset is useful only if the complete scene remains legible; recolouring one button is insufficient. Known routes, tentative leads and unavailable services need distinct patterns and text so monochrome or reduced-colour reading remains possible.

World cues require physical form. A mature Springfern curl, a Threadmoss loop, a Slateback lowered head, a vent aperture and a Glowcup cup silhouette remain readable without bloom or tiny texture detail. A survey marker has shape and placement as well as light. Concept images can use cinematic atmosphere but must identify the geometry, objects and baseline cues implied by the view. Shader-off policy remains unchanged.

Low-vision support proposals include scalable HUD elements, selectable high-contrast target outlines, larger interaction prompts, adjustable marker prominence and a stable inspection view. Spoken interface navigation or detailed audio description would be valuable additional capabilities if feasible, but this document does not claim screen-reader or narration support exists. Their requirements belong in future platform-specific review rather than a generic “accessible” badge.

## C08-ACC-03 — Hearing, captions and visual warning equivalents

Every essential sound has a meaningful equivalent. A warning posture, persistent equipment state, world marker or caption communicates the event. The equivalent should preserve the useful information, not merely state “sound occurred.” A vent caption names the approaching release and relevant location; a creature warning identifies the territorial source when known; a machine result points to the receiver.

Captions need readable size, adjustable backing, useful placement and sufficient persistence. Multiple events should be prioritized and merged so a busy workshop does not become a wall of text. Critical information remains while incidental wildlife can be reduced. Speech captions include a speaker identity where known and preserve dialogue for later review. Unidentified voices or sources do not reveal concealed lore through their labels.

Visual event indicators use coarse direction and a source relationship rather than precise stereo hearing. Mono, muted audio and reduced dynamic range should retain route and encounter understanding. A Slateback's charge warning still has a visible body pose and lane. Veilray movement supplements terrain clues rather than replacing them. A beacon has map identity and a stable fixture when sound is absent.

Optional haptics can reinforce reserve or event categories if later device support permits. Their patterns must be distinguishable and adjustable, and a disabled haptic setting cannot remove the only warning. Exact haptic design is a production task, not an assumed engine feature. The relevant acceptance is successful action from equivalent information, not simply the presence of a captions checkbox.

## C08-ACC-04 — Motion, effects and sensory intensity

Reduced motion should remove or greatly simplify nonessential camera movement, animated panel transitions, parallax, head-bob additions, screen shake, zoom sweeps and pulsing emphasis introduced by SUBSTELLAR. A map focus action can jump to a stable view with a clear marker instead of flying through space. A construction-stage reveal can use a stable before-and-after relationship rather than forcing a cinematic orbit.

Critical creature and hazard motion cannot simply disappear, because posture changes and vent cycles are useful information. A reduced-effects presentation keeps broad silhouettes, clear state labels and predictable movement while reducing particle density, flashing emphasis and visual noise. A warning should not depend on strobing. Bloom, heat shimmer, fog and spore effects are optional presentation layers where they obscure play or strain performance; the underlying geometry and cue remain sufficient.

The design should avoid rapid full-screen flashes and unnecessary repeated high-contrast flicker. Exact limits and technical conformance need later review against the actual renderer and applicable requirements; no certification is claimed here. An effect-intensity preview should be calm and opt-in. Changing a setting should not surprise the player with a stronger version of the effect they are trying to reduce.

Camera control remains with the player during ordinary dialogue and observation where possible. A short directed view requires a clear exit and a reduced-motion alternative. Screen shake is not a substitute for communicating damage direction or a vent state. A tired player should be able to lower sensory density and still understand why a machine waits, where a route goes and when an animal is warning them.

## C08-ACC-05 — Cognitive load, pace and forgiving participation

The interface should support returning after an absence without a memory test. The journal states what changed, what waits and the next useful action. Known methods remain reviewable. A machine names the actual blocker, and a recipe shows accepted substitutes. The game should not require the player to remember a whispered instruction, a long material chain or an exact appointment to continue a chapter.

Instruction arrives in the context of a useful action. The first bed teaches its one or two conditions. The first freight order teaches source, destination and finite stock. The first route map teaches one height transition. Deeper inspection remains available, but the ordinary screen should not present every future system at once. Repeated tutorials can be reviewed or dismissed without losing access to essential help.

Text should use consistent verbs and nouns. A shared stock reservation is always a reservation, a managed absence is Paused and a completed world change is not reset by a new participant. Short explanations connect cause to action: “Receiver full; collect finished meal to continue” is more useful than “Processing error.” Important distinctions are retained even when the simplified view hides technical detail.

Difficulty and assistance proposals separate combat pressure, environmental pressure, recovery generosity, interaction timing and resource demand within supported bounds. They should explain what changes and whether the setting belongs to the individual or shared world. A personal caption setting cannot change everyone's encounter; a shared resource-demand option cannot silently apply to one contributor only. Exact option ranges and multiplayer authority require later design and implementation review.

Assistance should preserve the chapter's meaningful choices. A longer warning interval can still ask the player to choose cover. A forgiving fishing prompt can still reward reading a bank. A stronger return cue can still leave optional exploration. The player should be able to enjoy the settlement story and a peaceful ecological session without accepting every combat or sensory demand at its highest intensity.

## C08-ACC-06 — UX12 settings, persistence and a concrete review matrix

The settings screen groups Text and interface, Input, Motion and effects, Audio and captions, Assistance and Spoiler preferences. Each setting has a plain label, practical explanation, current value and a safe preview where useful. A reset can apply to the current group rather than erasing every preference. A preview does not commit a shared-world difficulty change or start a game event.

Proposed setting states are Default, Changed, Previewing, Applied, Unavailable in this context and Requires shared authority. Personal preferences persist according to the eventual profile system; their exact storage and cross-device behaviour remain implementation questions. A shared-world setting identifies its owner and effect before application. A temporarily unavailable setting explains why and retains the player's preference where sensible rather than silently resetting it.

The minimum future review scenarios are concrete. Read a blocked construction preview against pale stone and dense foliage at increased text size. Complete a cultivation transfer and recipe reservation without pointer dragging. Understand a vent cycle with sound muted and particles reduced. Read a Slateback warning in mono audio and a colour-independent presentation. Resume a market after all eligible participants leave. Join a completed crossing and distinguish shared progress from personal discovery. Open a direct link to a concealed late-story entry without seeing its title or thumbnail before reveal.

Review records distinguish Documented, Exact layout drafted, Visual reviewed, Implemented, Functionally tested and User evaluated. A readable mock-up can reach visual review while keyboard operation remains unrun. An automated interface check cannot prove creature cues or cognitive clarity in play. A concept board cannot prove any of those runtime outcomes. This edition produces the documented contracts and future jobs; all implementation and gameplay validation remain explicitly pending.

Accessibility belongs in each screen, habitat and encounter brief. It is not a late overlay of extra icons. Clear ordinary form, meaningful alternatives and recoverable state benefit the whole intended audience and support the same creative aim: a world where the player can observe, choose, build and return with confidence in what the game is telling them.