Add "Strategic-Direction"
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# Strategic Direction
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**Last Updated:** October 2025 (post-profiling system implementation)
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**Source:** FINAL_RECOMMENDATIONS.md (October 2023 strategic analysis)
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**Status:** Active guidance for development priorities
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**Related Pages:**
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- [[Performance-and-Profiling]] - Profiling system (completed ✅)
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- [[Animation-System]] - Current animation architecture
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- [[Proposal-Next-Gen-Grid-Entity-System]] - Major architectural proposal
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---
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## Current State Assessment
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### Achievements (2023-2025)
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- ✅ Comprehensive C++/Python game engine with SFML/libtcod integration
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- ✅ Animation system with 24+ easing functions
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- ✅ Profiling infrastructure (F3 overlay, ScopedTimer, metrics) - **Completed Oct 2025**
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- ✅ 70% complete tutorial series (parts 0-6 implemented)
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- ✅ Three-audience strategy (beginners, game jammers, researchers)
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### Known Problems
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- ⚠️ Animation system has API inconsistencies and bugs
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- ⚠️ Grid rendering lacks dirty flag optimization (re-renders static content every frame)
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- ⚠️ Tutorial continuation blocked by animation issues
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- ⚠️ No public release (features not stable enough)
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### Recent Progress (October 2025)
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- ✅ **Profiling system implemented** - Issue #104 completed
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- ✅ **Benchmarks created** - tests/benchmark_static_grid.py, tests/benchmark_moving_entities.py
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- 🔄 **Next:** Grid dirty flags (#116), SpatialHash (#115), Animation system overhaul (#120)
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---
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## Core Recommendation: Foundation First
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**Principle:** Fix foundation systems before expanding features.
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### Immediate Focus (Next 3-6 Months)
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1. **Grid rendering optimization** - Dirty flags, viewport culling
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2. **Animation system overhaul** - Fix APIs, squash bugs, consistent behavior
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3. **Performance profiling** - ~~Measure~~ ✅, optimize, compete with TCOD
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### Defer Until Foundation Stable
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- ECS architecture rewrite
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- Living world/MMO features
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- Python wheel distribution
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- Tutorials 7-13 (advanced content)
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- Research platform features
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**Why:** Stable, performant engine with consistent APIs is achievable in 3-6 months. Chasing bigger visions before fixing foundation repeats burnout cycle.
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---
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## What to Pursue, Defer, or Abandon
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### ✅ PURSUE (Active Development)
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**Core Features:**
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- Three-audience strategy (beginners, jammers, researchers)
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- Pythonic API with clean abstractions
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- "Batteries included but removable" philosophy
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- Forward-only tutorial progression
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- Performance competitive with libtcod
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**Foundation Systems:**
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- Grid rendering optimization (#116, #115, #113)
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- Animation system fixes (#120, #119, #100)
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- Python binding consistency (#126, #109, #101)
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- Documentation infrastructure (#92, #91, #97)
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### ⏸️ DEFER (Until After v1.0)
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**Good Ideas, Wrong Timing:**
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- Python wheel packaging (`pip install mcrogueface`) - Wait for stable API
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- Advanced tutorials 7-13 - Complete basic tutorials first
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- Research platform features - Build community first
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- Multi-window support (#62) - Limited demand
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- Shader support (#106) - Advanced feature
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- Particle system (#107) - Advanced feature
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**Rationale:** These are valuable but require stable foundation. Attempting them now creates scope creep and burnout risk.
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### ❌ ABANDON (Not Aligned with Project Vision)
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**Out of Scope:**
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- Living world MMO features - Wrong project, years of work, no user demand
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- Full ECS rewrite - Wrong timing, makes tutorials harder for beginners
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- 50,000 tile ecosystem - Wrong scale for target audience
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- Tile state machines - Too complex for beginner-friendly engine
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**Rationale:** McRogueFace is a **beginner-friendly roguelike engine**, not an MMO platform or research simulator. Stay focused on core mission.
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---
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## Critical Path to v1.0
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### Phase 1: Performance Foundation (✅ Partially Complete)
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**Timeline:** October-November 2025
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- [✅] Task #104: Profiling infrastructure (F3 overlay, ScopedTimer)
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- [✅] Benchmarks: static grid, moving entities
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- [🔄] Task #116: Grid dirty flag system
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- [🔄] Task #115: SpatialHash for entity queries
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- [⏳] Task #113: Batch operations API
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**Success Metric:** 60 FPS with 10,000 entities and 100x100 grid
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### Phase 2: Animation System Overhaul
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**Timeline:** December 2025 - January 2026
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- [⏳] Task #120: Property locking system
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- [⏳] Task #100: Rotation support
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- [⏳] API consistency audit
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- [⏳] Comprehensive test suite
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- [⏳] Documentation update
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**Success Metric:** Tutorial-ready animation system with consistent API
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### Phase 3: Tutorial Completion
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**Timeline:** February - March 2026
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- [✅] Parts 0-6: Implemented and working
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- [⏳] Parts 7-10: Complete on stable foundation
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- [⏳] Parts 11-13: Advanced content (optional)
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- [⏳] Tutorial testing framework
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- [⏳] Documentation sprint
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**Success Metric:** Professional tutorial ready for public release
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### Phase 4: Public Release
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**Timeline:** April 2026
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- API freeze (v1.0)
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- Python wheel packaging
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- Documentation finalization
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- Public announcement
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**Success Metric:** First stable public release
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---
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## Key Principles
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### 1. Fix Foundation Before Features
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**Wrong:** "Let's add ECS while animation system has bugs"
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**Right:** "Let's fix animation bugs, THEN evaluate if ECS is needed"
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### 2. Measure Before Optimizing
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**Wrong:** "Grid rendering seems slow, let's rewrite it"
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**Right:** "Let's profile grid rendering (✅), identify bottlenecks, optimize hot paths"
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### 3. Simplicity Over Completeness
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**Wrong:** "Let's support every possible use case"
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**Right:** "Let's nail the beginner experience first"
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### 4. Ship Incrementally
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**Wrong:** "Can't release until everything is perfect"
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**Right:** "Release tutorial parts 0-4 as Early Access while fixing rest"
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### 5. Listen to Burnout Signals
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**Wrong:** "Power through tutorial frustrations"
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**Right:** "Tutorial burnout = foundation problem. Stop and fix foundation."
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---
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## Decision Framework
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When considering new work, ask:
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### 1. Does it fix foundation?
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- ✅ Grid dirty flags - Yes (core performance)
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- ✅ Animation bug fixes - Yes (tutorial blocker)
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- ❌ ECS rewrite - No (architectural experiment)
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### 2. Does it unblock tutorials?
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- ✅ Animation API consistency - Yes (tutorial depends on it)
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- ❌ Living world features - No (tutorials don't need it)
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### 3. Does it align with "beginner-friendly"?
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- ✅ Pythonic API improvements - Yes (easier to learn)
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- ❌ Advanced shader system - No (intimidating for beginners)
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### 4. Can it wait until v1.0?
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- ⏸️ Python wheel packaging - Yes (good feature, not urgent)
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- ❌ Performance fixes - No (embarrassing performance hurts adoption)
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**Rule of Thumb:** If it doesn't fix foundation, unblock tutorials, or improve beginner experience, defer it.
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---
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## Synergies & Dependencies
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### Critical Path Dependencies
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```
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Profiling System (✅ Done)
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↓
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Grid Optimization (#116, #115)
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↓
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Animation System Overhaul (#120)
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↓
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Tutorial Completion (Parts 7-10)
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↓
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Public Release (v1.0)
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```
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**Each phase blocks the next.** Don't skip ahead.
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### Parallel Work (Can Do Anytime)
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Independent improvements that don't block critical path:
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- Documentation updates (#92, #91, #97)
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- Python binding patterns (#101, #109)
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- Test infrastructure improvements
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- Bug fixes not affecting tutorials
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**Rule:** These can fill time while waiting on reviews or builds, but never at expense of critical path.
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---
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## Warnings & Anti-Patterns
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### Warning Signs of Scope Creep
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- "Let's add just one more feature before release"
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- "This ECS idea is so cool, let's explore it"
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- "We should support [edge case] before v1.0"
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- "Let's redesign [working system] to be more elegant"
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**Response:** Stop. Refer to this document. Is it on critical path? No? Defer.
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### Known Burnout Triggers
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Based on September 2025 tutorial burnout:
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1. **Teaching broken features** - Tutorial work on unstable APIs
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2. **Working around bugs** - Complex code to avoid animation issues
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3. **Scope creep during tutorial** - Adding features mid-tutorial
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4. **Perfectionism** - Rewriting working code
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**Response:** Recognize burnout signals early. Stop tutorial work. Fix foundation. Resume tutorials on stable base.
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---
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## Success Metrics
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### v1.0 Release Criteria
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**Performance:**
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- ✅ 60 FPS with 100x100 grid
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- ✅ 60 FPS with 10,000 entities (requires #115)
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- Grid render time <2ms for static content (requires #116)
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**API Stability:**
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- Animation system has consistent APIs (#120)
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- Python bindings follow patterns (#126, #101)
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- No major breaking changes expected
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**Documentation:**
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- Tutorial parts 0-6 polished (✅ code exists)
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- Tutorial parts 7-10 completed
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- API documentation generated (#97)
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- Python type stubs available (#91)
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**User Experience:**
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- Tutorial can be followed start-to-finish
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- Examples run without errors
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- Performance competitive with libtcod
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**Release Readiness:**
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- API frozen
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- Changelog prepared
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- Python wheel available
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- Public announcement ready
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---
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## Monthly Check-In Questions
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At end of each month, evaluate:
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1. **Are we on critical path?**
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- If not, why did we deviate?
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- Was deviation justified?
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2. **Did we ship anything?**
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- Code merged to master
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- Tutorial parts completed
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- Documentation updated
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- Issues closed
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3. **Is burnout risk increasing?**
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- Working on frustrating bugs?
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- Scope creeping?
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- Losing motivation?
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- **Response:** Return to foundation work
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4. **What's blocking next phase?**
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- Dependencies clear?
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- Resources available?
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- Technical unknowns identified?
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5. **Should we adjust timeline?**
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- Faster than expected?
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- Unforeseen blockers?
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- Change priorities?
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---
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## Current Status (October 2025)
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### ✅ Recent Wins
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- Profiling system implemented (Issue #104)
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- Benchmarks created
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- F3 overlay functional
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- ScopedTimer infrastructure in place
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### 🔄 In Progress
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- Grid System wiki documentation (this sprint)
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- Issue organization and labeling
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### ⏳ Next Up (November 2025)
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- Issue #116: Grid dirty flag system
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- Issue #115: SpatialHash implementation
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- Issue #120: Animation property locking
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### 📅 Upcoming Milestones
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- **Q4 2025:** Performance foundation complete
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- **Q1 2026:** Animation system overhaul
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- **Q2 2026:** Tutorial completion
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- **Q2 2026:** v1.0 public release
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---
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## Resources
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**Source Documents:**
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- `FINAL_RECOMMENDATIONS.md` - Full strategic analysis (October 2023)
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- `MASTER_TASK_SCHEDULE.md` - Comprehensive task catalog
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- `ROADMAP.md` - High-level project roadmap
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**Related Issues:**
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- [#104](../../issues/104) - Profiling system (✅ complete)
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- [#115](../../issues/115) - SpatialHash optimization
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- [#116](../../issues/116) - Grid dirty flags
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- [#120](../../issues/120) - Animation property locking
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- [#126](../../issues/126) - Perfect Python interface
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**Related Wiki Pages:**
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- [[Performance-and-Profiling]] - Profiling infrastructure
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- [[Animation-System]] - Current animation implementation
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- [[Proposal-Next-Gen-Grid-Entity-System]] - Future architecture proposal
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---
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**Navigation:**
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- [[Home]] - Documentation hub
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- [[Performance-and-Profiling]] - Current performance work
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- [[Animation-System]] - Animation system details
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