Iron Curtain — Design Documentation

In-Game

HUD Layout

The in-game HUD follows the classic Red Alert right-sidebar layout by default (theme-switchable, D032):

┌──────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────┐
│                                  │ ┌────────────────┐ │
│                                  │ │    MINIMAP      │ │
│                                  │ │   (click to     │ │
│                                  │ │    move camera) │ │
│                                  │ └────────────────┘ │
│         GAME VIEWPORT            │ ┌────────────────┐ │
│      (isometric map view)        │ │ $ 5,000   ⚡ 80%│ │
│                                  │ └────────────────┘ │
│                                  │ ┌────────────────┐ │
│                                  │ │  POWER BAR     │ │
│                                  │ │  ████████░░░   │ │
│                                  │ └────────────────┘ │
│                                  │ ┌────────────────┐ │
│                                  │ │  BUILD QUEUE   │ │
│                                  │ │  [Infantry ▾]  │ │
│                                  │ │  🔫 🔫 🔫 🔫    │ │
│                                  │ │  🚗 🚗 🚗 🚗    │ │
│                                  │ │  🏗 🏗 🏗 🏗    │ │
│                                  │ └────────────────┘ │
├──────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────┤
│ STATUS: 5 Rifle Infantry selected  HP: ████████░ 80%  │
│ [chatbox area]                              [clock]   │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

HUD Elements

Asymmetric Co-op HUD Variants (D070 Commander & Field Ops)

D070 scenarios use the same core HUD language but apply role-specific layouts/panels.

Commander HUD (macro + support queue):

• standard economy/production/base control surfaces
• Support Request Queue panel (pending/approved/queued/inbound/cooldown)
• strategic + joint objective tracker
• optional Operational Agenda / War-Effort Board (D070 pacing layer) with a small foreground milestone set and “next payoff” emphasis
• typed support marker tools (LZ, CAS target, recon sector)

Field Ops / SpecOps HUD (squad + requests):

• squad composition/status strip (selected squad, health, key abilities)
• Request Panel / Request Wheel shortcuts (Need CAS, Need Recon, Need Reinforcements, Need Extraction, etc.)
• field + joint objective tracker
• optional Ops Momentum chip/board showing the next relevant field or joint milestone reward (if D070 Operational Momentum is enabled)
• request status feedback chip/timeline (pending/ETA/inbound/failed)
• optional Extract vs Stay prompt card when the scenario presents a risk/reward extraction decision

Shared D070 HUD rules:

• both roles always see teammate state and shared mission status
• request statuses are visible and not color-only
• role-critical actions have both shortcut and visible UI path (D059/D065)
• if Operational Momentum is enabled, only the most relevant next milestones/timers are foregrounded (no timer wall)

Optional D070 Pacing Layer: Operational Momentum / “One More Phase”

Some D070 scenarios can enable an optional pacing layer that creates a Civilization-like “one more turn” pull using RTS-compatible “one more phase” milestones.

Player-facing presentation goals:

• show one near-term actionable milestone and one meaningful next payoff (not a full spreadsheet of timers)
• make war-effort rewards legible (economy, power, intel, command network, superweapon delay, etc.)
• support both roles in co-op (Commander, SpecOps) with role-appropriate visibility
• preserve clear stopping points even while tempting “one more objective” decisions

UX rules (when enabled):

• Operational Agenda / War-Effort Board is optional and scenario-authored (not universal HUD chrome)
• milestone rewards and risks are explicit (especially extraction-vs-stay prompts)
• hidden mandatory chains are not presented as optional opportunities
• milestone/timer foregrounding remains bounded to preserve combat readability
• campaign wrappers (Ops Campaign) summarize progress in spoiler-safe, branching-safe terms

Experimental Survival HUD Variant (D070-adjacent Last Commando Standing / SpecOps Survival) — Proposal-Only

This D070-adjacent survival variant (proposal-only, M10+, P-Optional) keeps the IC HUD language but replaces commander/request emphasis with survival pressure, objective contesting, and elimination-state clarity.

Core HUD additions (survival prototype):

• Hazard phase timer + warning banner (e.g., Chrono Distortion closes Sector C in 00:42)
• Contested Objective feed (cache captured, relay hacked, uplink online, bridge destroyed)
• Field requisition / upgrade points with quick spend panel or hotkeys
• Squad state strip (commando + support team status, downed/revive state if the scenario supports it)
• Threat pressure cues (incoming hazard edge marker, high-danger sector outlines)

Elimination / redeploy / spectate state (scenario-controlled):

• if eliminated, the player sees an explicit state panel (not a silent dead camera):
  • Spectating Teammate
  • Redeploy Available (if token/rule exists)
  • Redeploy Locked with reason (no token, phase lock, team wiped)
  • Return to Post-Game (custom/casual host policy permitting)
• if team-based and one operative survives, the HUD shows the surviving squadmate and redeploy conditions clearly
• if solo FFA, elimination transitions directly to spectator/post-game flow per scenario policy

Survival-specific HUD rule: hazard pressure and contested-objective information must be visible without obscuring squad control and combat readability.

Commander Avatar / Assassination HUD Variant (D070-adjacent, TA-style) — Proposal-Only

Commander-avatar scenarios (proposal-only, M10+, P-Optional) keep the IC HUD language but add commander survival/presence state as a first-class UI concern.

Core HUD additions (Commander Avatar / Presence):

• Commander Avatar status panel (health, protection state, key abilities)
• Defeat policy indicator (Commander Death = Defeat or Downed Rescue Timer) with visible countdown when triggered
• Presence / command influence panel showing active local command bonuses and blocked effects (if command network is disrupted)
• Command Network status strip (relay/uplink control, jammed/offline nodes, support impact)
• Threat alerts for commander-targeted attacks/markers (D059 pings + EVA/notification text)

Design rules (HUD):

• commander survival state must be visible without replacing economy/production readability
• defeat policy messaging must be explicit (no hidden “why did we lose?” edge cases)
• presence effects should be surfaced as bonuses/availability changes, not invisible hidden math
• if a mode uses a downed timer, rescue path markers/objectives should appear immediately

Optional Portal Micro-Op Transition (D070 + D038 Sub-Scenario Portal)

When a D070 mission uses an authored portal micro-op (e.g., infiltration interior):

• the Field Ops player transitions into the authored sub-scenario
• the Commander remains in a support-focused state (support console panel if authored, otherwise spectator + macro queue awareness)
• the transition UI clearly states expected outcomes and timeout/failure consequences

Portal micro-ops in D070 v1 use D038’s existing portal pattern; they do not require true concurrent nested runtime instances.

In-Game Interactions

All gameplay input flows through the InputSource trait → PlayerOrder pipeline. The sim is never aware of UI — it receives orders, produces state.

Mouse:

• Left-click: select unit/building
• Left-drag: box select (isometric diamond or rectangular, per D033 toggle)
• Right-click: context-sensitive command (move/attack/harvest/enter/deploy)
• Ctrl+right-click: force attack (attack ground)
• Alt+right-click: force move (ignore enemies)
• Scroll wheel: zoom in/out (toward cursor)
• Edge scroll: pan camera (10px edge zone)

Keyboard:

• Arrow keys: pan camera
• 0-9: select control group (Ctrl+# to assign, double-# to center)
• Tab: cycle unit types in selection
• H: select all of same type
• S: stop
• G: guard
• D: deploy (if applicable)
• F: force-fire mode
• Enter: open chat input (no prefix = team, /s = all, /w name = whisper)
• Tilde (~): developer console (if enabled)
• Escape: game menu (pause in SP, overlay in MP)
• F1: cycle render mode (Classic/HD/3D)
• F5-F8: jump to camera bookmarks (slots 1-4); Ctrl+F5-F8 saves current camera to those slots

Touch (Phone/Tablet):

• Tap unit/building: select
• Tap ground/enemy/valid target: context command (move/attack/harvest/enter/deploy)
• One-finger drag: pan camera
• Hold + drag: box select
• Pinch: zoom in/out
• Command rail (optional): explicit overrides (attack-move, guard, force-fire, etc.)
• Control groups: bottom-center bar (tap = select, hold = assign, double-tap = center)
• Camera bookmarks: minimap-adjacent quick dock (tap = jump, long-press = save)

In-Game Overlays

These appear as overlays on top of the game viewport, triggered by specific actions:

Chat & Command Input

[Enter] → Chat input bar appears at bottom

• No prefix: team chat
• /s message: all chat
• /w playername message: whisper
• / command: console command (tab-completable)
• Escape or Enter (empty): close input

Ping Wheel

[Hold G] → Radial wheel appears at cursor

8 segments: Attack Here / Defend Here / Danger / Retreat / Help / Rally Here / On My Way / Generic Ping. Release on a segment to place the ping at the cursor’s world position. Rate-limited (3 per 5 seconds).

• Quick pings default to canonical type color + no text label.
• Optional short labels/preset color accents are available via marker/beacon placement UI/commands (D059), but core ping semantics remain icon/shape/audio-driven.

Chat Wheel

[Hold V] → Radial wheel appears

32 pre-defined phrases with auto-translation (Dota 2 pattern). Categories: tactical, social, strategic. Phrases like “Attack now,” “Defend base,” “Good game,” “Need help.” Mod-extensible via YAML.

Tactical Beacons / Markers

[Marker submenu or /marker] → Place labeled tactical marker / beacon

• Persistent (until cleared) markers for waypoints/objectives/hazard zones
• Optional short text label (bounded by display-width, not byte/char count — accounts for CJK double-width and combining marks; see D059 sanitization rules) and optional preset color accent
• Type/icon remains the primary meaning (color is supplemental, not color-only)
• Team/allied/observer visibility scope depends on mode/server policy
• Appears on world view + minimap and is preserved in replay coordination events

Pause Overlay (Single Player / Custom Games)

[Escape] → Pause menu

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│           GAME PAUSED            │
│                                  │
│         ► Resume                 │
│         ► Settings               │
│         ► Save Game              │
│         ► Load Game              │
│         ► Restart Mission        │
│         ► Quit to Menu           │
│         ► Quit to Desktop        │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

In multiplayer, Escape opens a non-pausing overlay with: Settings, Surrender, Leave Game.

Multiplayer Escape Menu

[Escape] → Overlay (game continues)

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│         ► Resume                 │
│         ► Settings               │
│         ► Surrender              │
│         ► Leave Game             │
│                                  │
│  [Request Pause] (limited uses)  │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

• Request Pause — PauseOrder sent to all clients. 2 pauses × 120s max per player in ranked. 30s grace before opponent can unpause. Minimum 30s game time before first pause.
• Surrender — 1v1: immediate and irreversible. Team games: opens a vote popup for teammates (2v2 = unanimous, 3v3 = ⅔, 4v4 = ¾ majority). 30-second vote window.
• Leave Game — Warning: “Leaving a ranked match will count as a loss and apply a cooldown penalty.”

Callvote Overlay

Teammate or opponent initiates a vote → center-screen overlay

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  VOTE: Remake game? (connection issues)       │
│                                              │
│  Called by: PlayerX                           │
│  Time remaining: 24s                         │
│                                              │
│          [Yes (F1)]    [No (F2)]             │
│                                              │
│  Current: 1 Yes / 0 No / 2 Pending          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Vote types: Surrender, Kick, Remake, Draw, Custom (mod-defined). Non-voters default to “No.” 30-second timer. CS2-style presentation.

Observer/Spectator Overlays

When spectating (observer mode), additional toggleable overlays appear:

┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐
│ ARMY         │  │ PRODUCTION   │  │ ECONOMY      │
│              │  │              │  │              │
│ P1: 45 units │  │ P1: Tank 67% │  │ P1: $324/min │
│ P2: 38 units │  │ P2: MCV  23% │  │ P2: $256/min │
└──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘

Toggle keys: Army (A), Production (P), Economy (E), Powers (W), Score (S). Follow player camera: F + player number. Observer chat: separate channel from player chat (anti-coaching in ranked team games).

Developer Console

[Tilde ~] → Half-screen overlay (dev mode only)

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ > /spawn rifleman at 1024,2048 player:2                  │
│ Spawned: Rifleman at (1024, 2048) owned by Player 2     │
│ > /set_cash 50000                                        │
│ Player 1 cash set to 50000                               │
│ > /net_diag 1                                            │
│ Network diagnostics: enabled                             │
│ > _                                                      │
│                                                          │
│ 🔎 Filter: [all ▾]   [cvar browser]   [clear]   [close] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Multi-line Lua syntax highlighting, scrollable filtered output, cvar browser, command history (SQLite-persisted). Brigadier-style tab completion.

Smart Danger Alerts

Client-side auto-generated alerts (D059), toggled via D033:

• Incoming Attack — Hostile units detected near your base
• Ally Under Attack — Teammate’s structures under fire
• Undefended Resource — Ore field with no harvester or guard
• Superweapon Warning — Enemy superweapon nearing completion

These appear as brief pings on the minimap with EVA voice cues. Fog-of-war filtered (no intel the player shouldn’t have).

Network Timing Feedback (Player-Facing)

When an order misses the relay deadline, the UI shows a compact informational toast near the command feedback area:

• Late order (+N ms) for local missed-deadline orders
• Aggregated/rate-limited (max once every ~3 seconds) to avoid spam
• Informational only — no gameplay or fairness-rule changes

This helps players understand outcome timing in contested moments without exposing low-level netcode controls.