# Motion and dialogue revision — 17 October 2026

## Fiddler anatomy correction, v7

The v6 walk combined the newer moving body with an older full-width head/back patch. The north-facing idle also inherited an equipment-side repair from the old sheet. Those patches could displace the head relative to the newer neck and shoulders.

Fiddler now preserves each complete head/neck/torso from ImageGen master `walk_fiddler_v4.png`, with uniform scaling and the existing lower-leg phase correction. His idle comes from that same coherent figure. No replacement head or fiddle-stabilising back rectangle is applied. The eight-phase weight movement remains. The run and leaning pose already preserve complete anatomy and are shown unchanged in the focused comparison for continuity.

Selected files: `fiddler_walk_keys_v7.png`, `fiddler_walk_v7.png`, `fiddler_idle_v7.png`. Reproduce with `python3 tools/prepare_motion.py --characters fiddler --gaits-only`. Watch `art/previews/fiddler_anatomy_v7.mp4` or the review board’s Fiddler anatomy section.

The fiddle remains painted into this candidate; a removable equipment layer has not been produced yet. For future equipment variants, preserve the approved body/head proportions, neck attachment and body root. Create the unencumbered body first, then add the fiddle as an optional layer. Never move or shrink a head to accommodate an instrument, and never derive anatomy from an accessory’s outline. This export correction reuses existing art; no new generation or prompt was needed.

[Watch the revised 1080p/60fps film](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/art/previews/prologue_preview_v5.mp4) · [Visual review board](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/review.html)

## Earlier export corrections

The first motion export had two mistakes: idle-reference rectangles erased the leaning arms and mixed an upright head with the running neck. The current exports preserve the complete leaning/run anatomy. The latest tiptoe correction removes shin stretching and the source’s longer-trouser variant; neutral leg pixels are preserved throughout a smaller 0/1/2-pixel heel rise. No new artwork generation was needed; the existing ImageGen masters were re-exported in Aseprite. Wall stops now face the gaps between raised stones.

![Wall detail at exact 3× scale](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/art/previews/prologue/wall_pose_detail_v4.png)

## Surly proportion candidate

Surly’s walk key art and idle_v5 use a new ImageGen revision (the selected walk_v6 adds the weight pass): a narrower head/jaw and less spherical hair, particularly in profile and from the back. Its own complete head/neck is held steady within each direction. The earlier oversized idle head is no longer overlaid onto her gait. Aseprite handles slicing, uniform scaling and per-view stabilisation; the prompt and source are saved as art/source/walk_surly_v5.*.

[Compare commander / previous Surly / revised Surly / Fiddler at 3×](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/art/previews/surly_proportion_comparison_v5.png).

## What changed

- **Closer to the wall:** Ganoes and the soldiers stand at foot y=164, previously 184. Each now faces a gap between merlons: Ganoes x=304 (column 9), commander x=368 (column 11), fiddle soldier x=432 (column 13). The floor begins at y=160.
- **Visible tiptoe:** Ganoes rises 2 logical pixels (6 pixels at 1080p) onto his toes. His head, torso, thighs and shins keep their neutral pixel proportions; only the bent forearms and short boot/toe contacts change. The three frames settle into a held pose, then lower before he turns away. It no longer loops between unstable leaning frames.
- **Resting soldiers:** new held forearm/lean candidates replace the looping poses. The v3 exports preserve the full generated pose, including both arms. The old idle overlay erased the arm pixels and has been removed from the held-pose export pipeline.
- **New walks:** four speakers now use walk_v6: eight timed weight phases from four limb drawings, in 384×256 sheets of 48×64 cells. Small head/body offsets and planted sole handling are described in WALK_STUDY.md. The source key art remains 192×256. Heads/eyes use fixed pixel patches; head-based alignment avoids shifts caused by a moving arm widening the figure. Tiny chest-core patches keep details stable while arms and legs move. Central leg phases are corrected where a generated pose repeated the same leading leg; asymmetric equipment is preserved. The acolyte’s original gait remains unchanged.
- **Real running for the fiddle soldier:** a distinct four-direction run atlas, forward lean, larger limb poses and two airborne phases. The v2 export preserves each complete generated head and neck instead of overlaying an upright idle head; that overlay caused the duplicate-chin artifact. Its back attachment stays on the same side; it is not the walking atlas played faster. The separate walk set is still available.
- **Short arrivals:** the soldiers use a nearby stair at tile (15, 6). Commander walks in about 2.24 seconds at 84 px/s. Fiddle soldier jogs in about 1.00 seconds at 124 px/s and runs out after the order in about 0.86 seconds at 144 px/s. Foot-cycle cadence follows travel speed. Surly/guards use 76 px/s.
- **Typewriter:** about 70 characters/second, 35 ms comma/semicolon pauses and 90 ms sentence pauses. Space/Enter/click reveals the rest immediately; another press advances. The review film now shows this reveal rather than popping full pages into view.
- **Presentation:** the opening hold/fade is shorter. Pixel snapping is enabled. Camera framing stays fixed while the closer entry and blocking improve pace.

## Camera choice

Godot supports camera pans and zooms. This scene benefits first from tighter staging and shorter routes. A fixed camera keeps the pixel grid steady and the cast visible together. We can add deliberate pans or integer zoom cuts later if a specific story beat needs them; smooth fractional zoom would make pixel widths vary.

## Inspect motion

[Commander west walk](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/art/previews/commander_walk_v6_west.gif) · [Fiddle soldier walking](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/art/previews/fiddler_walk_v6_west.gif) · [Fiddle soldier running](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/art/previews/fiddler_run_v2_west.gif) · [Ganoes tiptoe](/home/vladc/Documents/Codex/2026-10-16/i-w/outputs/story-tactics-prototype/art/previews/ganoes_tiptoe_v3.gif)

In-game: **F2** opens the gallery; arrows change direction; **V** switches the fiddle soldier between walk and run. **A** changes autoplay. **G** shows map coordinates.

## Sources and review status

New artwork came from built-in ImageGen. Aseprite performed slicing, alignment, walk-only fixed pixel patches and the anchored tiptoe lift. The arm/chin/tiptoe export corrections reused existing ImageGen masters. Surly v5 adds a new generated proportion revision with its exact prompt beside the master. New exact prompts are in art/source and indexed by art/CANDIDATE_MANIFEST.json. Sources are preserved separately from runtime files.

An initial six-column commander attempt repeated too many poses and was not selected. Four distinct key phases are used instead. None of the new candidates are automatically approved. Natural weight, foot contact and remaining equipment/texture changes still deserve your review.

The revision-2 film completed 48 speaking paragraphs and 7652 frames at 60 fps (2:07.53); revisions 3 and 4 completed all 48 speaking paragraphs in 7600 frames at 60 fps (2:06.67). Revision 4 includes the corrected tiptoe proportions. Revision 5 also completes 7600 frames and includes the new Surly proportion candidate and refreshed cast gallery. The coordinate/pose view was rendered separately. These are visual renders, not new automated tests.

The old film remains available as prologue_preview_v1.mp4 for comparison. This revision does not change the book dialogue or source order. No new automated tests were added or run; Godot was used to render the scene and map for visual review.