Question #
When should the run objective first become visible during the silent opening?
- After the first earned sense. Keep the pre-signal frame exactly WORK / THINK (then LIE); reveal the objective with the ordinary world when Ears lands.
- Before the first sense. Put the objective name/progress on the black opening frame from the first tick, alongside the mode choices.
- After choosing THINK. Keep the first frame to WORK / THINK, then reveal the objective while the frame is still black and waiting for Ears.
- Something else (say what).
Why this is open #
wiki/gameplay/run-shape.md and wiki/mechanics/objective.md explicitly require the objective name/progress from tick one; the objective spec records a 2026-07-10 decision that this visibility was unchanged. The later wiki/world/story/opening.md contract explicitly requires absolute black with exactly WORK and THINK and says no objective may appear until the first earned sense reveals the ordinary world. Current Bevy, terminal, and agent mode implement the later silent boundary, so the two binding contracts and the objective status claim now disagree.
The objective's full predicate can still remain progressively taught. This question is only about the first few pre-signal ticks.
Options #
| Option | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| 1. Reveal with the first sense | Preserves choice-before-picture and the exact shared opening while delaying the goal by only the short, player-authored THINK-to-Ears interval. |
| 2. Show from the first tick | Preserves the original objective law literally, but breaks the opening's exact two-word frame and gives the player non-mode information before any perception. |
| 3. Reveal after THINK | Makes the objective an immediate consequence of agency, but adds a third reveal stage while the world is still explicitly black. |
Recommendation #
Choose 1: reveal the objective with the first earned sense. The objective remains continuously legible for the playable world, while the short pre-signal boundary keeps its later-adopted purpose: choice before picture, with no leaked rail or metadata.
What your answer unlocks #
The next harvest will reconcile run-shape.md, objective.md, and opening.md; update objective criterion 2 and its status claim; and pin the chosen visibility boundary across Bevy, terminal, and agent mode. Then this issue can close.
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