Establish Vision Command

Guide the user through establishing creative direction for their project. Create structured direction files in .studio/ for persistent guidance across sessions.

Process

1. Check Existing Direction

First, check if direction already exists:

• Look for .studio/creative-direction.md
• If exists, ask if user wants to update or start fresh

2. Determine Scope

Based on arguments or ask user:

• --full: Complete direction (all four domains)
• --art-only: Just visual direction
• --sound-only: Just audio direction
• --tech-only: Just technical direction
• No argument: Ask user what to establish

3. Creative Vision (if --full or no scope)

Ask user about:

• Experience Promise: "In one paragraph, what experience should players have?"
• Creative Pillars: "What 3-5 principles are non-negotiable?"
• Target Audience: "Who is this game for? Who is it NOT for?"
• Reference Works: "What games/films/art inspire this project?"
• Anti-Patterns: "What should this game explicitly avoid?"

4. Art Direction (if --full or --art-only)

Ask user about:

• Art Style: "Describe the visual style (e.g., dark fantasy painterly)"
• Style Spectrums: For each spectrum, ask position 1-9:
  • Fidelity: 1=highly stylized → 9=photorealistic
  • Detail: 1=minimal/simple → 9=intricate/complex
  • Saturation: 1=muted/desaturated → 9=vibrant/saturated
  • Contrast: 1=low-key/flat → 9=high-key/dramatic
  • Form: 1=geometric/angular → 9=organic/flowing
  • Line: 1=hard-edge/crisp → 9=soft/blended
• Color Palette: "What's the dominant color mood?"
• Visual Pillars: "What 3 visual principles must be followed?"

5. Sound Direction (if --full or --sound-only)

Ask user about:

• Sonic Identity: "Describe the overall sound (e.g., organic ambient)"
• Music Style: "What genre/instrumentation for music?"
• SFX Character: "How should sound effects feel?"
• Mix Priority: "What's most important: gameplay clarity or atmosphere?"
• Audio Pillars: "What 3 audio principles must be followed?"

6. Tech Direction (if --full or --tech-only)

Ask user about:

• Architecture Pattern: "What architecture? (e.g., ECS, component-based)"
• Determinism: "Is deterministic execution required? (for rollback netcode)"
• File Size Limits: "Max lines per file? (default: 300 soft, 500 hard)"
• Tech Pillars: "What 3 technical principles must be followed?"

7. Create Direction Files

Based on responses, create separate direction files for each domain:

.studio/creative-direction.md (always created):

---
experience_promise: [user input]
creative_pillars:
  - [pillar 1]
  - [pillar 2]
  - [pillar 3]
target_audience: [user input]
avoid_patterns:
  - [anti-pattern 1]
references:
  - [reference work 1]
---

# Creative Vision

[Experience promise paragraph]

## Creative Pillars

1. **[Pillar 1]:** [Description of how it manifests]
2. **[Pillar 2]:** [Description]
3. **[Pillar 3]:** [Description]

## Target Audience

- **Primary:** [Who this is for]
- **Secondary:** [Who else might enjoy]
- **Not For:** [Who should avoid]

## Anti-Patterns

- [What to explicitly avoid]

## Reference Works

- [Game/Film/Art]: [What to draw from it]

.studio/art-direction.md (if --full or --art-only):

---
art_style: [user input]
color_palette: [user input]
style_spectrums:
  fidelity: [1-9]
  detail: [1-9]
  saturation: [1-9]
  contrast: [1-9]
  form: [1-9]
  line: [1-9]
visual_pillars:
  - [pillar 1]
  - [pillar 2]
  - [pillar 3]
---

# Art Direction

## Style Description

[Art style description paragraph]

## Style Spectrums

| Spectrum | Value | Description |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| Fidelity | [1-9] | [Stylized ← → Realistic] |
| Detail | [1-9] | [Simple ← → Complex] |
| Saturation | [1-9] | [Muted ← → Vibrant] |
| Contrast | [1-9] | [Low-key ← → High-key] |
| Form | [1-9] | [Geometric ← → Organic] |
| Line | [1-9] | [Hard-edge ← → Soft] |

## Color Palette

- **Dominant:** [Color/mood]
- **Secondary:** [Color/mood]
- **Accent:** [Color/mood]

## Visual Pillars

1. **[Pillar 1]:** [How it manifests visually]
2. **[Pillar 2]:** [How it manifests visually]
3. **[Pillar 3]:** [How it manifests visually]

.studio/sound-direction.md (if --full or --sound-only):

---
sonic_identity: [user input]
music_style: [user input]
sfx_character: [user input]
mix_priority: [gameplay-clarity|atmosphere|balanced]
audio_pillars:
  - [pillar 1]
  - [pillar 2]
  - [pillar 3]
---

# Sound Direction

## Sonic Identity

[Overall sound description paragraph]

## Music Style

- **Genre:** [Genre]
- **Instrumentation:** [Key instruments]
- **Mood:** [Emotional character]

## SFX Character

[How effects should feel - punchy, subtle, organic, etc.]

## Mix Priority

1. [Highest priority - e.g., player feedback]
2. [Second priority]
3. [Third priority]

## Audio Pillars

1. **[Pillar 1]:** [How it manifests in audio]
2. **[Pillar 2]:** [How it manifests in audio]
3. **[Pillar 3]:** [How it manifests in audio]

.studio/tech-direction.md (if --full or --tech-only):

---
architecture: [user input]
determinism: [required|optional]
file_size_limit: [number]
tech_pillars:
  - [pillar 1]
  - [pillar 2]
  - [pillar 3]
---

# Technical Direction

## Architecture Pattern

[Architecture description - ECS, component-based, etc.]

## Determinism

[Required for rollback netcode / Optional]

## File Size Limits

- **Soft limit:** [X] lines (warning)
- **Hard limit:** [Y] lines (must split)

## Tech Pillars

1. **[Pillar 1]:** [How it manifests in code]
2. **[Pillar 2]:** [How it manifests in code]
3. **[Pillar 3]:** [How it manifests in code]

.studio/project-status.md (always created):

# Project Status

Last updated: [date]

## Phase
Current: Setup / Direction Established

## Current Focus
- [ ] Begin implementing core systems

## Notes
Vision established via /establish-vision command.

.studio/architecture/decisions.md (if tech direction):

# Architecture Decision Records

| # | Title | Status | Date |
|---|-------|--------|------|
| 1 | Initial Architecture | Accepted | [date] |

8. Summarize

Display summary of established direction:

• Creative pillars
• Key style choices
• Technical constraints
• Files created

Remind user that directors will now use this direction for coherence checks.

Tips

• If user is unsure about a question, provide examples
• For style spectrums, explain what each end means
• Reference visual style tokens for ZX projects
• Keep questions conversational, not overwhelming
• Allow "skip" for optional sections