Auto Warz — Scope & MVP Document¶

Document Type: Scope & MVP Version: 0.10 Status: In Progress Last Updated: 2026-09-05 Vault destination: 01_Design Documents Author: Solo Developer Parent Document: [01_Master GDD](<./01_Master GDD.md>) Phase: This document owns the phase axis. Two phases: Phase 1 is everything except war, Phase 2 is war. Three releases: the Launch release, the Space Update, the War Update (1.0) Related Documents: [ROADMAP](<../04_Project Management/ROADMAP.md>) · [04_Factory & Resource System Design](<Systems/04_Factory & Resource System Design.md>) · [01_Technical Architecture Document](<../02_Technical Documents/01_Technical Architecture Document.md>) · [36_Progression Arc Design](<Content/36_Progression Arc Design.md>)

Purpose of This Document¶

This document exists to protect the project from its greatest enemy: scope creep.

Auto Warz as fully designed in the Master GDD is a 5,000–10,000+ hour development project. At a hobby pace of ~10 hours per week (~500 hours per year), building everything at once before any public release would take 10–20 years. That is not a viable path.

This document defines: - What ships in Early Access (the smallest version of Auto Warz that is genuinely fun) - What ships in each major update after Early Access - What is permanently cut or deferred until funding or team expansion allows

Every design decision from this point forward must be measured against this document first.

The Rule: If a feature is not in Phase 1, it does not get built in Phase 1. No exceptions.

Developer Reality Check¶

Factor	Reality
Team size	1 (solo developer)
Development pace	Hobby (~10 hrs/week, ~500 hrs/year)
Engine	TBD — Godot 4 (likely) or Unreal Engine 5
Programming	Developer-directed, AI-assisted (Claude, Codex)
Art	AI-generated (Meshy for 3D, Midjourney for concepts)
UI design	Developer-designed, AI-coded
Music & sound	AI-generated (Suno/Udio for music, ElevenLabs for SFX)
Writing & narrative	Developer + Claude
Budget	Self-funded (hobby budget)
First public release target	Steam Early Access
Revenue model	One-time purchase + cosmetic DLC

What AI Assistance Changes (And Doesn't)¶

AI tools meaningfully accelerate code generation, art creation, and writing. However, the developer still carries full responsibility for architecture decisions, debugging, game feel, balancing, playtesting, and quality control on all AI outputs.

AI assistance may effectively double productive output but does not change the fundamental constraint of 10 hours per week of focused human decision-making.

Release Philosophy¶

Auto Warz is designed in two phases, each one a complete and satisfying game in its own right.

Phase 1 — Early Access
"Build the machine, and reach further with it."
Factory automation, on a planet and then across several.
The planet layer, the ship and mothership editors,
the gate, space, other planets, inter-planet supply chains.
A complete game. Shippable. Fundable.

Phase 2 — Full Release
"Win with the machine."
War, and only war.
Wars behind the gate, factions, fleet combat,
war multiplayer, the Master Rill, mobile.

⚠️ Changed 2026-09-05, from three phases to two, and the boundary corrected the same day. The original plan had Planet, then Space, then War. The seam is not the planet surface, it is war.

Space belongs with the planet layer, because it is the same activity: you cannot travel between planets without building ships, and you cannot automate a supply chain between them without the editors. A freighter route to a second planet is the factory reaching further, played the same way, judged by the same numbers. War is the only thing that is a different game, with shared instances, opponents, attrition and everything the planet layer never needed.

Full reasoning in [36_Progression Arc Design](<Content/36_Progression Arc Design.md>) §2.

This is a design statement, not a release schedule. It says Phase 1 must be complete with no war existing at all, and that Phase 2 may assume every part of Phase 2 exists. How the work reaches players is the release cadence below, and there are three releases across the two phases.

This approach provides three major advantages: Early Access sales fund the rest of development; players grow with the game and become invested advocates; and real player feedback shapes space and war before they're built.

This is exactly the model that made Factorio, RimWorld, and Dwarf Fortress successful.

The Two-Phase Release Plan¶

Phase	Content	Est. Dev Hours	Est. Timeline (hobby pace)
Phase 1	Everything except war: planet layer, editors, the gate, space, other planets, inter-planet supply chains	~1,500–2,200 hrs	~3.5–4.5 years
Phase 2	War, and only war	~800–1,200 hrs	~2 years post Phase 1
Total	Full Auto Warz vision	~2,300–3,400 hrs	~6–7 years

The total is unchanged. What moved is the boundary: the space layer and the editors are Phase 1 work now, so Phase 1 roughly doubles and Phase 2 shrinks to the war layer plus war multiplayer and mobile.

Phase 1 at ~1,500 to 2,200 hours is not a release. It is three and a half to four and a half years, and nobody funds anything by staying silent that long. The Launch release is what ships first, at roughly 1,050 to 1,450 hours of that, with the Space Update following inside Early Access. See the cadence below: the design phases and the release schedule are different axes and must not be confused ([04_Data Dictionary](<../05_Reference/04_Data Dictionary.md>) §0a).

These estimates assume AI toolchain assistance. Without it, multiply by 1.5–2x.

Release Cadence¶

Decided 2026-09-05, resolving OI-350. Boundary corrected the same day.

Two phases is not two releases. There are three releases across the two phases, because a phase this size shipped as one drop is years of silence, and Early Access is what funds the rest.

Release	Phase	Contains	Ends
The Launch release	Phase 1	The planet layer in full · co-op · Restoration · the Shipyard and one prescribed hull · First Launch as its finale	Early Access begins
The Space Update	Phase 1	Ship and mothership editors · other planets · inter-planet supply chains · asteroid mining · the orbital station (repair, hangar, refuel) · Exploration research branch	Still Early Access
The War Update	Phase 2	The gate · wars behind it · Forward Depot, contribution, the Outpost trickle · combat classes and fleet combat · factions and mercenaries · the Master Rill · war multiplayer and headless servers · Military research branch · mobile	Version 1.0

⚠️ Corrected 2026-09-06. This previously said the gate ships in the Space Update because it is "the channel out of a private world". It is not. [05_World Generation & Planet Types](<Content/05_World Generation & Planet Types.md>) gives every world its own galaxy, so another planet is inside your world and you fly there. [32_The Gate & War Logistics](<Systems/32_The Gate & War Logistics.md>) is explicit that a gate is a war slot, powered down between wars. Its only destination is a war, so the gate ships in the War Update, and the First Gate Powered beat and Path B move with it. A peaceful destination for the gate is a real idea, filed in 00_Ideas as The Trade Hub. See [39_Space Layer Design](<Systems/39_Space Layer Design.md>) §2.

First Launch ends the Launch release, not the phase. The ship goes, and in the Launch release you do not follow it. The Space Update is where you follow it, and it is the same ship editor you will later use for warships.

This is a release boundary, not a design boundary. Everything in Phase 2 may assume everything else in Phase 2 exists. The editor is built once, complete, in the Space Update, including the frames and validation the War Update's combat classes need. That is the whole reason the design phases were collapsed, and shipping in two parts must not undo it.

Phase 1 — Everything Except War¶

The Core Promise to Players¶

"A deep, satisfying factory automation game set in a stylized sci-fi universe — with a universe worth coming back to."

Early Access players know more is coming. The Planet layer must be fun, polished, and replayable on its own. It is not a demo — it is a game.

⚠️ No content quantity targets. This list names systems, and points at the document or data file that owns each one. It does not say how many buildings, nodes, resources, tracks or achievements there are, because a count written here becomes both a floor to pad up to and a ceiling to argue against. Content is counted, never targeted, and it is counted in the owning file. See [00_Canonical Design Facts](<../04_Project Management/00_Canonical Design Facts.md>) §23a.

Constraints the build has to satisfy are a different thing and stay as numbers: frame rate, entity count, player count, and the bars in the Definition of Done.

What Is In the Launch Release¶

Planet & World¶

One procedurally generated planet per session (varied biome, resource distribution)
Top-down 3D perspective with pan, zoom and orbit camera (orbit is yaw-only, at a fixed pitch)
Surface terrain with resource nodes (ore deposits, gas vents, crystal fields)
Day/night cycle (visual only in Phase 1)
Session creation screen with basic host rules (planet size, resource richness, difficulty)
Save and resume session (exact state)

Factory Core Systems¶

Progression & Goals¶

Full detail in: [36_Progression Arc Design](<Content/36_Progression Arc Design.md>)

The old session goals system, where the host set a win condition such as produce X units, is replaced by the beat ladder. It was a leftover from a match-based model the game is not. Sandbox and the time limit survive as options. A host-set production target may return as a challenge preset, which is a nice-to-have, not a progression system.

Platform & Tech¶

Co-op multiplayer — more than one account in the same world, building the same factory
Authoritative host, factory state sync, join and leave
2 to 4 players
Guests build in the owner's world; ownership and saving are unchanged by their presence
Not war multiplayer, which needs gates and shared war instances and ships in the War Update
PC (Windows primary, macOS and Linux if straightforward in engine)
Keyboard + mouse controls, fully remappable
Basic settings: resolution, display mode, audio volumes, keybindings
Performance target: stable 60fps with up to 500 simultaneous factory entities

Art & Audio¶

Cel-shaded stylized art style established (defines the visual language for all future phases)
Full set of Phase 1 building models and animations
Planet surface environment (terrain, resource node visuals)
UI framework designed and implemented (used across all future phases)
Background ambient factory and sci-fi music
Sound effects for all Phase 1 buildings and interactions

Steam Specific¶

Steam page, screenshots, trailer
Steam achievements — the set is owned by [11_Achievements Design Document](<Content/11_Achievements Design Document.md>)
Steam cloud saves
Early Access roadmap clearly communicated on Steam page

What Is Explicitly NOT In the Launch Release¶

Still Phase 1, but held for the Space Update.

Space layer of any kind. The ship launches and, at launch, is not followed
The ship and mothership editors. The Launch release has one prescribed hull, built from a recipe
Ship classes, fleets, motherships, flight
The gate

What Is Explicitly NOT In Phase 1 At All¶

Phase 2, the War Update.

War, combat, factions, mercenaries, territory
War multiplayer — many worlds plugged into one war instance. Co-op is in the Launch release, see Platform & Tech above
The Master Rill
Mobile build

Phase 1, continued — The Space Update¶

Full design in: [34_Ship & Mothership Editor Design](<Systems/34_Ship & Mothership Editor Design.md>) · [33_Mothership & Fleet Design](<Systems/33_Mothership & Fleet Design.md>) · [32_The Gate & War Logistics](<Systems/32_The Gate & War Logistics.md>) · [07_Space Exploration Design](<Unwritten/07_Space Exploration Design.md>) · [30_Ship Construction System](<Systems/30_Ship Construction System.md>)

Still Phase 1, still Early Access. The same activity as the planet layer, reaching further.

What the Space Update Adds¶

Ships and the editors¶

Modular ship editor — the escort layer model, frame Mk tiers, drafts versus buildable designs
Mothership editor — the vertical factory in a box
Ship classes: Freighter, Mining Vessel, Scout. Combat classes wait for the War Update
The editor is built once, complete, including the frames and validation the War Update's combat classes will need. It is good at hauling before it is good at fighting ([34_Ship & Mothership Editor Design](<Systems/34_Ship & Mothership Editor Design.md>))

Space and other planets¶

Full design in: [39_Space Layer Design](<Systems/39_Space Layer Design.md>)

The freighter — the fourth carrier, and the only way between planets
Where the factory goes is the player's decision. Mines, one main factory, several mains, or a factory on every planet. The game prices the patterns and prescribes none
The orbital station — repair, hangar, refuel. A service node, not a factory
Galaxy map with fog of war, revealed by the Scanner
Inter-planet travel and inter-planet supply chains, automated by the mothership
Mining expeditions to asteroid fields and secondary planets
Space station / orbital shipyard building
New resources only found in space, feeding back into planet factories
Research tree — Exploration branch unlocked
The full computed-bill ship construction system ([30_Ship Construction System](<Systems/30_Ship Construction System.md>))

Phase 2 — Full Release: War¶

Full design in: [31_War & Combat System Design](<Systems/31_War & Combat System Design.md>) · [32_The Gate & War Logistics](<Systems/32_The Gate & War Logistics.md>) · [15_Ship & Army Points Design](<Content/15_Ship & Army Points Design.md>) · [02_Server Architecture Document](<../02_Technical Documents/02_Server Architecture Document.md>)

War is the only thing in Phase 2, because it is the only thing that is a different game: shared instances, opponents, attrition, and a supply chain that is being consumed by someone shooting at it.

What Phase 2 Adds¶

War¶

The gate, the physical channel out of a private world, powered to stay open
Wars behind it
Forward Depot, the delivery ladder, contribution and the Outpost trickle
Combat ship classes: Fighter, Frigate, Cruiser, Carrier
Fleet combat, supply-decided attrition, salvage, retreat and stranding
Faction AI with distinct playstyles and aggression
Territory, inside a war instance only. It does not persist into anyone's world
The Master Rill, the apex ship, as the capstone of the war path
War resources: fuel, ammunition, repair kits, all factory-produced
Research tree — Military branch unlocked

Platform and multiplayer¶

War multiplayer: many private worlds into one war instance, faction system, role freedom. Co-op shipped in the Launch release
Headless server support (PvE and PvP)
Mobile build (iOS & Android)
Cosmetic DLC launch (ship skins, factory themes, faction banners)
Version 1.0 designation

Phase 2 Success Criteria¶

The Planet → Space → War supply chain is seamless and satisfying
Players have meaningful reasons to fight and to never fight, since two of the three endgame paths are peaceful
Phase 1 players feel rewarded, not invalidated, by the new content
War multiplayer is stable across worlds, and co-op still is
The game feels complete and worth its full purchase price

Post-Launch Roadmap¶

After v1.0, subject to community feedback and available funding:

Feature	Priority	Notes
Global community server	High	Only if funded — persistent faction territory
Console port	Medium	Accepting certification friction
Modding support	Medium	Steam Workshop integration
Additional planet biomes	High	Expands replayability
Diplomacy system	Low	Complex to balance
Ground combat	Low	Separate from fleet war
PvP tournament tools	Medium	Supports competitive community
Additional cosmetic DLC	Ongoing	Primary post-launch revenue

AI Toolchain Strategy¶

Full detail in: [08_AI Toolchain](<../05_Reference/08_AI Toolchain.md>)

Discipline	Tool(s)
Programming	Claude, GitHub Copilot / Codex
3D Modelling	Meshy, CSM
Concept Art	Midjourney
Music	Suno, Udio
Sound Effects	ElevenLabs, Freesound (licensed)
Writing	Claude
Game Design	Developer (human) — AI assists, human decides

Scope Risk Register¶

Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Mitigation
Scope creep into Phase 2 features during Phase 1	High	High	This document. Refer to it constantly. The ship editor is the line: Phase 1 has one prescribed hull and no editor.
Factory simulation performance issues at scale	Medium	High	Profile early, set entity limits, optimize before adding content
AI art inconsistency breaking visual style	Medium	Medium	Create style guide and master prompt library before generating assets
Burnout from hobby-pace long development	Medium	High	Celebrate milestones, keep Phase 1 small, build in the open
Engine choice causing rework	Low	High	Finalize engine before writing any game code
Steam Early Access underperforming	Low	Medium	Build community before launch (devlog, Reddit, Discord)
Co-op architecture harder than expected	High	High	Co-op is in Phase 1, so this is now a release-blocking risk, not a deferred one. Build every Phase 1 system network-aware from the start; retrofitting is the failure mode. War multiplayer stays in Phase 2

The Cut List¶

The following features were considered and deliberately cut from all phases of Auto Warz v1.0:

Player character / avatar (game is always disembodied commander RTS-style)
Ground combat (war is fleet-only)
Full diplomacy system (beyond basic faction relationships)
Voiced dialogue or cutscenes
Procedurally generated missions / quest system
PvP at Early Access (deferred to Phase 2)
Console at Early Access (deferred to Phase 2)
Official global server (funding dependent, post-launch)
Modding tools (post-launch)

Definition of Done (Early Access)¶

Phase 1 is ready for Steam Early Access when ALL of the following are true:

Revision History¶

Version	Date	Changes
0.1	2026-02-22	Initial draft
0.2	2026-02-22	Fixed TOC to use Obsidian-native anchor link format
0.10	2026-09-06	The gate moves to the War Update, correcting a claim in v0.9. Your world contains its own galaxy, so another planet is reached by flying, not gating; a gate is a war slot and its only destination is a war. First Gate Powered and Path B move with it. Space Update contents rewritten against the new `39_Space Layer Design`: the freighter as fourth carrier, settlement as the player's choice, and the orbital station as repair, hangar and refuel.
0.9	2026-09-05	Phase boundary corrected. The seam is war, not the planet surface. Space belongs with the planet layer because it is the same activity reaching further; war is the only thing that is a different game. Phase 1 is now everything except war (~1,500 to 2,200 hrs) and Phase 2 is war only (~800 to 1,200 hrs); the total is unchanged. Three releases across two phases: the Launch release, the Space Update (both Phase 1, both Early Access), then the War Update (1.0). First Launch ends the Launch release, not the phase — you follow the ship in the update after. Phase 1 split into two in-scope sections so the release boundary is visible without becoming a design boundary.
0.8	2026-09-05	Phase 1 list reconciled with the design documents. It had been written before roughly fifteen of them existed, and was missing ports, pipes, vertical levels, power as a system, modules, waste handling and planet defence — three of which three Phase 1 beats and two of which two Phase 1 economy sinks depend on. Trains, farming and biomass, and metallurgy and alternate recipes assigned to Phase 1. Storage line corrected off the deprecated containers. Every design document now carries its own `Phase:` field, so this list names systems and points at owners rather than duplicating them.
0.7	2026-09-05	Content quantity targets removed, per the new `00_Canonical Design Facts` §23a. Gone: ~20 to 30 buildable structures, ~20 to 30 research nodes, ~3 to 4 raw resource types, 10 to 15 achievements, 2 to 3 music tracks, 3 to 5 reachable systems. Each now names the system and points at the document or data file that owns it. Constraints the build must satisfy (60fps at 500 entities, 2 to 4 co-op players, the Definition of Done bars) are deliberately kept as numbers.
0.6	2026-09-05	Co-op moved into Phase 1, closing OI-355. This document was the outlier: `ROADMAP` has always sequenced development phase 4, Multiplayer, before development phase 5, Early Access Launch, and `02_Risk Register` recorded the same decision in February. Multiplayer split into co-op and war multiplayer per `04_Data Dictionary` §0b; only war multiplayer is deferred. Co-op added to Phase 1 Platform & Tech and to the Definition of Done; the scope risk rerated from Medium to High because it is now release-blocking.
0.5	2026-09-05	Phase 2 release cadence decided (OI-350). Phase 2 ships as two releases, the Space Update and the War Update (1.0), with the gate in the Space Update because it is the channel out of a private world rather than a war door. Stated as a release boundary that must not become a design one.
0.4	2026-09-05	Three phases collapsed to two. Space and War merged into a single Phase 2, because the ship editor serves both layers and inter-planet logistics is war logistics with a different destination. First ship launch moved into Phase 1 as its finale, using one prescribed hull rather than the editor. Restoration added to Phase 1 as its long tail. Progression & Goals rewritten around the five beats from `36_Progression Arc Design`, replacing the host-set session goals system. Dev-hour totals rebased; the total is unchanged.
0.3	2026-08-29	Phase 1 camera line corrected from pan and zoom to pan, zoom and orbit. `CameraRig.gd` has implemented a yaw-only orbit at a fixed pitch since before this was written, so the scope line understated what ships. (OI-007)

This document must be reviewed at the start of every new development phase and any time a new feature is proposed. If a feature isn't on this list, it doesn't get built until it is.