Roadmap

The versions

History

• 2026-10-03 New HUD & UI spec. In the MVP with the user's yes: UI1 (one almost empty HUD, five places), UI2 (the dot and the prompt's look), UI3 (the clock line; the money slides in only when it changes), UI4 (the job at the top), UI5 (your hands: belt, mower line, key hints, Gauges), UI6 (one news line and the comic pops, replacing banners and toasts), UI7 (one subtitle strip for every voice, captions, no more speech or thought bubbles), UI8 (the screens E opens), UI9 (The Daily Clipping's front page, no client ads), UI10 (grandma's phone and answering machine). EA, with the codes they follow: UI11 (the paper grows), UI12 (the call grows). Unscheduled: UI13 (a phone of your own, J25's screen), UI14 (a clean screen). The paper is The Daily Clipping (J4's "Gazette" renamed).
• 2026-10-03 The MVP is ready for one unattended build (the user: build it all, test it once done). MO17 (the other sibling's mower as it is: tilt, fold, fuel can) and GR6 (grandma's lawn from the hub remembers) specced. J37a opens the plan as a full item in its own stage, built without a stop: the build judges the frame rate and the co-op check itself and takes the fallback (job scenes, J37 after the MVP) on its own; the user's feel verdict comes at the MVP test, and J37b waits for it.
• 2026-10-03 Contradictions left by the retired old plans, settled with the user: the siblings sleep in the spare room and grandma's own room is the locked back wing (TU4); any sibling knocks and the first knock wins (TU7 follows CO11); clients are voiced and subtitled (UI7), so SN12 (gibberish) is rejected and leaves the roadmap; ironing at home is its own small trade (WE6), housekeeping stays EC12; mower parts are ordered at the bench only (MO4); the mansion is seen on rides, never from grandma's street (DY2, ST6); Mrs. Parker and the Hendersons move to the suburbs when the neighbours are built (CH5).
• 2026-10-03 Specs to write for the old plans' leftovers, placed with the codes they serve: the hardware store and the world's look and life with the EA launch (used mowers MO10, store prices EC1), pressure washing and the hedges, wood and pools tools with the EA updates (one trade per update, EC9, CO4), the town with v1.x (burglary cover IN5). The trimmer spec also takes the swing and every engine tool's pull-cord and fuel rules.
• 2026-10-03 Chad made simpler (the user): his scene (ST9) moves to right after Mrs. Higgins pays, parked in front of grandma's house, with new jerk lines; his "for a laugh" booking, filmed job and running gag leave the MVP as ST11 (unscheduled). New ST10 in the MVP: the morning after the fifth day of calls, The Daily Clipping says Chad's video went viral, "To be continued", then keep mowing or back to the title. The plan's last stage is now "The end".
• 2026-10-03 Asked by the user: UI15 (Esc is the only menu) joins the MVP. The house's Tab menu (Jobs, Van, Workshop, Shop) goes for now: the jobs list opens from grandma's calendar, the bench from the workbench, and the phone's apps bring shortcuts back later (UI13). PL5 and MN8 follow. The user's calls: no shop in the MVP, no loading screen (the car loads the mower and the can itself), the jobs list starts nothing (the knock and the car's keys do), Esc closes a screen before it pauses. UI16 (the computer's apps, from the leftovers) unscheduled. Also decided: the MVP voices ~30 of the ~106 ego quips (UI7), J10's sheet opens by standing still (UI4), the paper's photos are in-engine halftone shots (UI9).
• 2026-10-03 J37a gone over with the user: the street is open in the MVP, the town later (far districts stay a trip everyone takes, the Garden scene hosting one lawn site with the same code); no single-lawn assumptions; Mrs. Higgins' lawn built from her hub lot; frame rate measured in a macOS build against a baseline; built in committed steps with an early fallback decision. Split: J37f (two lawns at once, MVP, right after J37a; if it fails, one lawn at a time stays) and J37g (the invisible swap, unscheduled).
• 2026-10-02 Roadmap created. MVP decided with the user (private, 2-player co-op, ends after Chad's scene, DY1 in it). Everything after the MVP is a first draft to discuss.
• 2026-10-02 grass.md moved to the spec template (the pilot). Its "later" ideas got codes, unscheduled: GR4 (soil, species, wind, dog spots), GR5 (the rest of GR2: one-third rule, scalp-harm durations, overlays), GR6 (grandma's lawn from the hub remembers), GR7-GR10 (mushrooms, worm casts, worn paths, the lawn creeping).
• 2026-10-02 Unbuilt prefixes renamed so every prefix is unique and 2+ letters: work M->WK, sound S->SN, garden G->GA, economy E->EC, day D->DY, weather W->WE, insurance I->IN (213 mentions across the docs).
• 2026-10-02 GARDEN.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. New: GA9 (leaves and autumn work), unscheduled. GA7 and GA8 set to idea (ride-on controls are parked, prestige is mostly a list).
• 2026-10-02 WORK.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. New, unscheduled: WK7 (business directory and tenders), WK8 (seasons in the market), WK9 (events), WK10 (referral rewards), WK11 (rivals' crews on the street).
• 2026-10-02 DAY.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. New, unscheduled: DY5 (siblings in different places), DY6 (traffic and the bus), DY7 (the world's hours), DY8 (night jobs), DY9 (a weekly rhythm), DY10 (getting around without a car).
• 2026-10-02 DIFFICULTY.md moved to the spec template. DF1 keeps the presets, Custom and the Money dial; split out: DF2 (the Machine dial, EA), DF3 (the Mishaps dial, EA), DF4 (assist defaults, with MO8b), DF5 (the Work row: rival aggression, demand growth).
• 2026-10-02 ECONOMY.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. EC8 (getting paid at the door, from EC2 and EARLY_GAME step 9) goes in the MVP, as decided for the MVP's first paid job. EC9 (trades: four tiers, one machine) with the EA updates. EC4-EC7 set to specced (full detail + Done when). New, unscheduled: EC10 (windows trade), EC11 (pools and pressure washing up the ladder), EC12 (housekeeping), EC13 (the seasonal economy), EC14 (the audit), EC15 (property), EC16 (a mortgage on the mansion), EC17 (stolen cash), EC18 (a bike delivery shift).
• 2026-10-02 INSURANCE.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into a figure. IN4 keeps the adjuster; new IN5 (tool theft and burglary cover) with it in v1.x.
• 2026-10-02 jobs.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures, and the parked mowing-job page folded in. New, unscheduled: J15-J32 (the round-5 ideas, rivals later, ideas not picked), J33 (hazards per household), J34 (clippings logistics), J35 (par from the lawn), J36 (mowing up the ladder, ride-on controls).
• 2026-10-02 WEATHER.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. WE5 (rainy days have things to do, split off WE4) in EA; new, unscheduled: WE6-WE21 (ironing, thunderstorms, aftermath, seasons, frost, heat waves, leaves, snow, weather-aware services, shifting forecasts, more forecast sources, after the rain, rain gear, clients and rain, other trades, microclimates).
• 2026-10-02 SEEDS.md moved to the spec template with the new prefix SD. Already built: SD1 (the client's yes to an extra, the same for everyone), SD2 (named salts), SD3 (fingerprint tests), SD4 (a random seed per new game). New, unscheduled: SD5 (the shared street), SD6 (client strolls on the shared clock), SD7 (show and share the seed), SD8 (a daily challenge), SD9 (save-seeded gardens for one-off clients).
• 2026-10-02 mowing.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. MO8 split into MO8a (feel and controls, MVP) and MO8b (assists, EA); MO11 set to specced; MO14 (the exploded view at the bench, which MO11 needs) in v1.x. New, unscheduled: MO12 (the throw show in co-op), MO13 (strikes by blade height and speed), MO15 (battery packs), MO16 (the bench grinder), MO17 (the other sibling's mower as it is), MO18 (thin rut lines), MO19 (low branches), MO20 (the living garden), MO21 (special client requests), MO22 (windfall apples and pine cones).
• 2026-10-02 skills.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. SK7 set to specced. New, unscheduled: SK8-SK20 (hearing over days, perception, agility, more knowledge, sickness from causes, alcohol, stamina and fatigue, grooming, sunburn, back pain, a starting build, a walkable gym, clients with bodies).
• 2026-10-02 sound.md moved to the spec template, explainer split into figures. New, unscheduled: SN4-SN22 (real machine sounds, rain sweeping in, storms, seasons and fog, the neighbourhood you hear, music in the world, the score, radio, client gibberish, proximity voice, rare comedy, talking over the engine, surfaces underfoot, the phone and UI in the world, places that sound like their state, musical identity, wind carrying sound, calm mornings, streamer-safe music).
• 2026-10-02 sandbox.md moved to the spec template. New, unscheduled: SB2 (the store's test strip), SB3 (PlayMode tests on sandbox zones), SB4 (the panel's leftovers: freeze the clock, battery charge, show hidden hazards).
• 2026-10-02 The user's calls after the migration: EC8 (getting paid at the door) stays in the MVP; SN1 keeps its mono switch; MO17 (the other sibling's mower as it is, for 2-player parity) and GR6 (grandma's lawn seen from the house remembers) join the MVP; the migration's status changes are accepted (GA7, GA8 idea; EC4-EC7, MO11, SK7 specced).
• 2026-10-02 New story spec (ST1-ST4 in the MVP: the mansion prologue, the morning after, the re-scripted drop-off, skipping and the recap; ST5-ST8 unscheduled). New siblings spec, in the MVP with the user's yes: your face before a new game (SI1) and four voices per side (SI2), so four brothers sound like four people.
• 2026-10-02 New player spec. Built and recorded: PL1 (on foot), PL2 (the first-person view). In the MVP with the user's yes: PL3 (one way to use things), PL4 (what's in your hands), PL5 (one control map), PL6 (player settings), PL7 (siblings you can bump into). With the Steam layer in the demo: PL8 (rebinding), PL9 (the full gamepad). PL13 (sitting down) with DY2 in EA. Unscheduled: PL10 (gestures), PL11 (carry anything), PL12 (slips and falls). SN16a (footsteps on grass and hard ground, split from SN16) joins the MVP with the user's yes. No jump.
• 2026-10-02 Asked by the user: PL7 also syncs the head's turn (free look shows in co-op), and PL14 (looking away in scenes seen through your eyes, starting with the drop-off) joins the MVP. PL15 (the cast notices you looking away) unscheduled.
• 2026-10-02 With the user's yes: PL16 (never stuck) joins the MVP; PL6 gains holds as presses; PL4 gains the belt's rules (the same list for every sibling, one tool in one sibling's hands).
• 2026-10-02 New tutorial spec, the MVP's spine (TU1-TU8): the path in eight stages, grandma's notes and the family's calls, bedtime, grandma's lawn and street standing, the street (EARLY_GAME steps 2-5a, built), arrive-knock-unload (step 5b, TU7) and the lessons with their never-stuck nudges. The MVP build plan and quality bar now live in docs/plan/plan.yaml (shown at /plan/mvp/).
• 2026-10-02 The user's calls on the MVP path: Chad's scene stays on day 1 after grandma's lawn (ST9) and the MVP ends with his booked job; the algorithm runs five days. New idea J37 (the mower goes anywhere: mow any lawn, paid only if asked), unscheduled, to think through; grandma's lawn keeps the gnome start until then.
• 2026-10-02 J37 designed with the user: lawns rest (decorative) until a knock loads a preview (inspect the garden, negotiate the price at the door) or a booked day makes them active (no knock, any time that day, paid at the door), back gardens behind side gates, siblings can work different lawns at once. Its prototype J37a (the lawn site: grandma's and Mrs. Higgins' lawns in the hub) opens the MVP's rough path and decides how jobs start (TU7); J37 gets a version after it.
• 2026-10-02 J37 detailed with the user: J37b knocking on doors (yes or no from the household's need and the person, preview, accept or negotiate, paced; joins the MVP if J37a succeeds), J37c time windows with hidden, learnable temperament reactions and the wrong-day visit, J37d strict hours sized to par, J37e rain (free postponing; a strict deadline means come anyway for a bonus or a blameless cancel). One sibling owns a door talk; accepted jobs go on the shared calendar. Temperaments and grandma's contact book go to the characters spec.
• 2026-10-02 EC8 follows J37 (the user's calls): a job ends at the door (you knock to say you're done, the client's spoken verdict, then pay), no result screen but a paper receipt on grandma's calendar, the tip goes to whoever collects, and a job left without knocking is paid to the company next morning. New: EC19 (the envelope under the mat when nobody's home, which you can troll, with consequences), with J37c; EC20 (the police), later.
• 2026-10-02 New characters spec, with the user's calls: grandma is Claudia, Harold (her late husband) stays, five traits per client (Picky, Punctual, Thrifty, Chatty, Touchy; low, mid or high, never shown), tells in voice, house, look and grandma's notes, a contact book by the phone that writes itself, five hand-made neighbours on Primrose Lane. In the MVP with the user's yes: the family (CH1), Mrs. Higgins (CH2), Chad (CH3), the intro's extras (CH4) and the traits as data with Picky and Thrifty in use (CH7). EA: Primrose Lane (CH5) and rolled traits (CH8), with WK1 and J5. Unscheduled: the rivals' faces (CH6, with J22), the other traits' behaviour (CH9), no-shows by Touchy (CH10, answering J37's open question), the tells (CH11), the contact book (CH12), with J37c; grandma in person (CH13).
• 2026-10-02 Bodies for everyone, asked by the user: CH14 (height, frame, the Thin/Fat/Muscle shape keys, age, glasses, four hairstyles, more skin tones) joins the MVP with the user's yes, for the hand-made clients, the cast and the siblings (height, frame and glasses on SI1's screen). It takes over building SK3's shape keys; SK3 keeps driving them from muscle and fat. EA, with generated households: the face kit (CH15), hair and headwear (CH16), kids and teens (CH17), mobility aids (CH18), rolled looks on their own salt so a body never hints at a temperament (CH19).
• 2026-10-02 New menus spec. Built and recorded: MN1 (the title over grandma's street, EARLY_GAME step 0b). In the MVP with the user's yes: MN2 (save points: bed, a job done, grandma's portrait; nothing written between them), MN3 (grandma's portrait), MN4 (the fridge: a list of saves as polaroids), MN5 (a new game: a typed save name first), MN6 (the "Who's playing?" room, replacing the title's Host), MN7 (safe saves), MN8 (the pause menu), MN9 (the settings screen with what the MVP's specs need). With the Steam layer in the demo: MN10 (the full settings pass). Unscheduled: MN11 (the first launch), MN12 (the title over your own street), MN13 (grandma notices), MN14 (the album).
• 2026-10-02 New co-op spec. Built and recorded: CO1 (one company, the host's), CO2 (one lawn), CO3 (the garden's moments), CO5 (the hub together), CO6 (everyone goes together), from the FishNet co-op of 09-30; CO4 (the other trades' work areas) is built too and goes to the EA updates, polished with each trade. The title, Host/Join and the room stay the menus spec's (MN1, MN6, MN8). In the MVP with the user's yes: CO7 (join a Steam friend through Steam's relay: moved from the demo's Steam layer, so testers in different homes can play), CO8 (you stay you: a Steam id per sibling), CO9 (absent siblings asleep in their bed), CO10 (dropping out and coming back), CO11 (whoever holds grandma's car keys drives, replacing host-only drives), CO12 (never out of sync: state hashes and quiet resyncs), CO13 (the internet test at 150 ms and 1% loss). EA launch: CO14 (three and four siblings), CO17 (the host's sibling list). Unscheduled: CO15 (a ping), CO16 (proximity voice), CO18 (split screen). The host owns the save (the user; every sibling keeping a copy is rejected).