Signal Forge - Production Spec¶

0. Change Log¶

v1.0 initial production spec

1. Vision¶

Signal Forge is a fast, skill-based roguelike deckbuilder where the core mastery is building waveform sequences to trigger powerful forge effects. Runs are short, readable, and highly replayable.

2. Target Platform¶

Web (desktop + mobile)
Input: mouse, keyboard, touch
Performance target: 60 FPS on mid-range laptops and modern phones

3. Game Pillars¶

Sequence mastery: order matters; perfect chains are the best power source.
Deck tension: repetition creates static and Glitch risks.
Short, punchy runs: 10 to 15 minutes end-to-end.

4. Player Experience Goals¶

Quick onboarding in under 2 minutes.
First win in 3 to 5 runs for average players.
Continuous sense of momentum through tempo meter.

5. Systems Overview¶

Combat system: turn-based deckbuilder with sequence targets.
Map system: branching node map with encounter types.
Progression: in-run rewards + meta unlocks.
Economy: run currency, shop prices, and unlock currency.

6. Core Data Model¶

6.1 Entities¶

Card: id, name, cost, type, rarity, tags, effect, sequenceValue
Relic: id, name, rarity, effect, trigger
Enemy: id, archetype, intent patterns, hp, damage scaling
Encounter: id, enemy set, sequence pattern, reward table
Run: seed, floor, node index, deck, relics, currency, stats

6.2 Determinism¶

Seeded RNG for map, rewards, and enemy intents
Combat outcomes are deterministic with identical inputs

7. Combat System¶

7.1 Turn Flow¶

Start turn: draw up to hand size, apply start-of-turn effects.
Player plays cards until energy or actions end.
End turn: apply end-of-turn effects.
Enemies execute intents.

7.2 Hand and Draw¶

Base hand size: 5
Base draw per turn: 5
Max hand size: 10 (discard excess)

7.3 Energy¶

Base energy: 3
Energy can be increased by relics or cards

7.4 Sequence System¶

Each encounter has a visible target sequence, length 2 to 5.
Sequence types: Pulse, Sine, Saw, Noise.
Each card contributes one waveform to the sequence chain.
Completing a sequence triggers Forge Burst.
Partial chain gives minor bonus (configurable).

7.5 Forge Burst¶

Triggered on full sequence match within a single turn.
Default Burst: deal 8 damage to all enemies.
Variants from relics and upgrades.

7.6 Tempo Meter¶

Gain 1 tempo per correct sequence step.
Lose 1 tempo on mismatch or end turn.
At 6 tempo, unlock Finisher card for one turn.

7.7 Static and Glitch¶

Each repeated waveform in a turn increases Static by 1.
Static threshold at 4 inserts 1 Glitch card into discard.
Glitch cards are dead draws unless converted by Stabilize.

7.8 Shield¶

Shield absorbs damage before HP.
Shield decays by 1 at end of turn.

8. Economy¶

8.1 Run Currency¶

Earned from combat and elites.
Used in shops for cards, relics, and removal.

8.2 Shop Prices (Base)¶

Common card: 40
Uncommon card: 70
Rare card: 110
Relic: 120
Card removal: 60

8.3 Meta Currency¶

Earned per run based on floor and boss clear.
Unlocks new starter decks, card families, cosmetics.

9. Map and Encounters¶

9.1 Map Structure¶

3 floors
Each floor: 6 to 8 nodes
At least 2 branches per floor

9.2 Node Types¶

Combat: standard enemies
Elite: higher reward, higher risk
Shop: spend currency
Mod Station: apply card mods
Rest: heal or remove card
Event: random choice outcomes
Boss: end of floor

9.3 Encounter Tables¶

Floor 1: 70% basic, 20% mixed, 10% elite
Floor 2: 50% mixed, 30% advanced, 20% elite
Floor 3: 40% advanced, 40% elite, 20% boss

10. Card List (MVP)¶

10.1 Common Cards¶

Pulse Strike: cost 1, Pulse, deal 6
Pulse Tap: cost 0, Pulse, deal 3
Sine Guard: cost 1, Sine, gain 7 shield
Sine Bridge: cost 1, Sine, gain 4 shield, draw 1
Saw Rush: cost 1, Saw, deal 5, draw 1
Saw Latch: cost 1, Saw, deal 4, gain 2 tempo
Noise Spike: cost 2, Noise, deal 9, gain 1 Static
Noise Shard: cost 1, Noise, deal 5, add 1 Glitch to discard

10.2 Uncommon Cards¶

Overdrive Coil: cost 0, Pulse, next card triggers twice
Pulse Repeater: cost 1, Pulse, add Pulse to sequence chain twice
Sine Barrier: cost 2, Sine, gain 14 shield
Sine Reset: cost 1, Sine, remove 1 Glitch, draw 1
Saw Flurry: cost 2, Saw, deal 5 to all enemies
Saw Anchor: cost 2, Saw, deal 8, gain 4 shield
Noise Bloom: cost 2, Noise, deal 7, add 1 Glitch to hand, gain 2 tempo
Noise Cancel: cost 1, Noise, remove 2 Static

10.3 Rare Cards¶

Forge Nova: cost 3, Pulse, deal 18 to all enemies
Phase Cascade: cost 2, Sine, gain 10 shield, draw 2
Razor Choir: cost 2, Saw, deal 14, gain 3 tempo
Blackout: cost 1, Noise, purge all Glitch in discard, draw 2
Wildcard: cost 1, Any, counts as any waveform

10.4 Glitch Cards¶

Static: unplayable, exhaust on draw
Feedback: cost 1, deal 2 to self, draw 1

11. Card Mods¶

Echo: repeat effect at 50% strength
Sustain: keep card in hand next turn
Overdrive: reduce cost by 1, add 1 Static
Clean: remove Static gain from a card

12. Relic List (MVP)¶

Oscillator Core: first Pulse each turn is free
Phase Shifter: one sequence step can be any waveform
Static Sink: remove 1 Static at end of turn
Tempo Gear: gain +1 tempo on first match each turn
Coil Capacitor: start combat with +1 energy on floor 2+
Glass Dial: sequences are 1 shorter on floor 1 only
Signal Mirror: first Saw each turn gains +3 damage
Echo Node: after Forge Burst, draw 1
Clean Room: Glitch cards exhaust on draw
Fault Lens: gain +10 currency when taking a Glitch
Pulse Compass: see next node reward type
Sine Loom: shield decay reduced to 0 on your first turn

13. Enemies¶

13.1 Archetypes¶

Disruptors: add Glitch cards
Brutes: big hits, low defense
Swarmers: multiple small hits
Shielders: gain shield and punish long turns

13.2 Enemy List¶

Disruptor Drone: adds 1 Glitch every 2 turns
Iron Brute: heavy single hit every 2 turns
Swarm Node: 3 small units, weak to AOE
Shield Relay: shields allies each turn

13.3 Bosses¶

The Modulator: changes sequence every 2 turns
The Fault: applies Static each turn unless sequence is perfect

14. Events (Examples)¶

Lost Oscillator: remove a card or gain a relic with 1 Glitch
Static Shrine: purge all Glitch, lose 10 HP
Broken Studio: duplicate a card, add Feedback

15. Difficulty Curve¶

Floor 1 sequences length 2 to 3
Floor 2 sequences length 3 to 4
Floor 3 sequences length 4 to 5

16. UI/UX¶

16.1 Layout¶

Enemy top center
Player HUD bottom center
Hand at bottom
Draw pile left, discard right
Sequence tracker above hand

16.2 Readability¶

Large waveform icons, color-coded
Clear intent icons for enemies
Sequence glow when matched

17. Art Direction¶

Industrial synth, oscilloscope motifs
High-contrast card frames
Dark grid backgrounds with scanlines
Glow effects for sequences and bursts

18. Audio Direction¶

Adaptive synth score per floor
Card play waveform clicks
Burst adds harmonic swell
Glitch adds static hiss

19. Controls¶

Desktop: click/drag cards, hotkeys 1-5
Mobile: tap to select, tap to play

20. Telemetry¶

Run start/finish
Floor reached
Sequence accuracy rate
Glitch insertion count
Average run time

21. Accessibility¶

Color-blind safe waveform icons
Large tap targets on mobile
Optional reduced motion

22. Production Plan¶

22.1 MVP Milestones¶

Week 1: core combat, deck, and sequence system
Week 2: map, nodes, enemy intents
Week 3: cards, relics, balance pass
Week 4: UI polish, audio, leaderboard

22.2 Risk List¶

Sequence system complexity
Mobile input friction
Balance of Static vs power

23. Systems Diagrams¶

23.1 Combat Loop¶

flowchart TD
    A[Start Turn] --> B[Draw Hand]
    B --> C[Play Cards]
    C --> D{Sequence Match?}
    D -- Yes --> E[Forge Burst]
    D -- No --> F[Apply Static]
    E --> G[End Turn]
    F --> G[End Turn]
    G --> H[Enemy Intent]
    H --> A

23.2 Run Flow¶

flowchart TD
    A[Start Run] --> B[Map Node]
    B --> C{Node Type}
    C -- Combat --> D[Combat]
    C -- Shop --> E[Shop]
    C -- Event --> F[Event]
    C -- Rest --> G[Rest]
    D --> H[Reward]
    E --> B
    F --> B
    G --> B
    H --> B

24. Balance Math¶

24.1 Damage Scaling¶

Base enemy HP: 25 + (5 * floor)
Base player damage per card: 5 to 9
Sequence bonus per match: 8 damage to all enemies
Scaling factor: 1.1x per floor for enemy health

24.2 Shield Math¶

Base shield per card: 4 to 7
Shield decay per turn: 1 (unless relic modifies)
Player base HP: 50 + (10 * floor)

24.3 Tempo Economy¶

Tempo gain per sequence step: 1
Finisher cost: 6 tempo
Finisher effect: next card costs 0 and triggers twice
Finisher value: approximately 15 to 20 extra damage

24.4 Cost Calculations¶

Free cards (cost 0): limit 1 per turn
Cost 1 cards: 3 to 5 energy value
Cost 2 cards: 6 to 8 energy value
Premium rarity scaling: +20% effect for same cost

24.5 Static Pressure¶

Threshold for Glitch: 4 Static
Glitch card penalty: dead draw or -2 damage on play
Stabilize value: 2 Static removal per card

25. Card Synergy Archetypes¶

25.1 Pulse Burn (Tempo Focus)¶

Core cards: Pulse Strike, Overdrive Coil, Pulse Repeater
Synergy: spam Pulse to build tempo rapidly
Relic pairs: Oscillator Core, Tempo Gear

25.2 Sine Shield (Durability Focus)¶

Core cards: Sine Guard, Sine Barrier, Sine Reset
Synergy: consistent shield generation with utility
Relic pairs: Static Sink, Clean Room

25.3 Saw All-In (Burst Focus)¶

Core cards: Saw Flurry, Saw Rush, Razor Choir
Synergy: high upfront damage with card draw
Relic pairs: Echo Node, Pulse Compass

25.4 Noise Chaos (Glitch Conversion)¶

Core cards: Noise Spike, Blackout, Noise Cancel
Synergy: generate Glitch then convert to advantage
Relic pairs: Fault Lens, Signal Mirror

26. Win Condition Design¶

26.1 Win Paths¶

Path A: Tempo spam (build Finisher repeatedly)
Path B: Shield wall (block damage, outlast)
Path C: Burst chain (match sequences every turn)
Path D: Glitch abuse (convert Static to currency/draw)

26.2 Rough Viability¶

All 4 paths should be viable to floor 3 boss
No single dominant strategy in ideal balance
Deck dilution is penalty at random card picks

27. Difficulty Tuning Parameters¶

Sequence length by floor
Enemy damage scaling
Static pressure per encounter
Shop pricing

27.1 Difficulty Targets¶

Floor 1: 60% win rate for average player
Floor 2: 35% win rate for average player
Floor 3: 15% win rate for average player

28. Metrics and Tuning¶

28.1 Combat Metrics¶

Average combat duration: 4 to 7 turns
Average damage dealt per turn: 12 to 18
Average shield absorbed: 20 to 40 per run

28.2 Deck Metrics¶

Average cards added per run: 8 to 12
Average cards removed per run: 2 to 4
Average Glitch cards per run: 3 to 6

28.3 Economy Metrics¶

Average currency earned per run: 200 to 400
Shop visits per run: 2 to 4
Average cards purchased per shop: 1 to 2

29. Leaderboard Metrics¶

Primary: fastest boss clear time
Secondary: highest tempo chain
Tertiary: most currency earned in single run
Seasonal resets: monthly

30. Mobile-Specific Tuning¶

Enlarged card hitboxes: 64x96px minimum
Drag threshold: 20px before committing to play
Tap hold for card preview: 500ms
Auto-sort hand: by waveform type

31. Summary of Card Pools by Rarity¶

Common (40% pick weight): efficient basic cards
Uncommon (40% pick weight): synergy enablers
Rare (20% pick weight): game-changing effects
Avg picks per run: 10 cards

32. Notable Card Interactions¶

Overdrive + Forge Nova: 36 damage for 3 energy
Sine Barrier + Shield Relay: scales shield generation
Noise Bloom + Fault Lens: Glitch becomes income
Wildcard + Pulse Repeater: guaranteed sequence match

33. Future Expansion Ideas¶

Additional waveform types (Harmonic, Sub)
Ancient relics with downside effects
Boss tokens that modify dungeon
Daily challenge runs with fixed seed