Period: November 19, 2025 Total Commits: 4

Daily Dev Update: Reproducible Builds, Cleaner Docs - November 19, 2025

Hey, here’s what we worked on today. It’s mostly infrastructure and documentation. No gameplay or balance changes. The goal was to make setup consistent across machines and make it clearer how the project is organized.

What’s New

• Reproducible dev environment
  We moved the project to a containerized workflow so everyone runs the same versions of tools and services. This cuts down on “works on my machine” issues and gives us a stable baseline for PvP testing and UI work. For you, this translates to fewer surprising differences between builds and more predictable updates.

• Clearer project structure overview
  The README now includes a concise map of what each folder does. It’s easier to find where towers, UI, matchmaking, and simulation bits live. This helps contributors make targeted changes (like tower logic vs. HUD polish) without hunting around.

For reference, here’s what the current game looks like (no visual changes today):

• [screenshot: multiplayer battle with current UI at 4e327f7]
• [screenshot: tower placement grid at fe047df]

What Got Fixed

• Documentation clarity
  We trimmed vague setup steps and aligned instructions with the new environment workflow. Fewer steps, fewer mismatches. If you’ve been setting things up recently and hit snags, this should smooth most of that out.

• Onboarding friction
  Reduced the number of local setup decisions (version choices, service order, etc.). Less room for accidental misconfigurations that can cause desyncs in local PvP tests.

Under the Hood

• Why containerize?
  PvP tower defense is sensitive to tiny timing differences. When two machines run slightly different stacks, you get flaky behavior and hard-to-reproduce bugs. Standardizing the environment keeps simulation timing consistent and makes performance comparisons more honest.

• What changed technically

  • One command to bring up the full stack (game server, ancillary services, and tools)
  • Consistent versions across everyone working on the project
  • Isolated dependencies so we can tweak services without polluting local machines

• Practical impact on play

  • More reliable internal test matches with fewer environment-caused desyncs
  • Faster iteration on PvP balance experiments because the baseline is stable
  • Cleaner logs and easier repros when you report issues, which speeds up fixes

Notes

• No gameplay balance, tower synergy, or matchmaking tuning landed today. This was setup and docs only.

That’s it for today. Steady groundwork, fewer surprises, and a clearer path for the next round of changes.