Spec 01 four distinct ghosts #1
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# spec workflow configuration
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#
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# AutoCreateBranch — controls whether /spec-impl creates the git branch automatically.
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# true (default) → /spec-impl creates and switches to spec-NN-slug without asking
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# false → /spec-impl asks for [y/N] confirmation before creating the branch
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AutoCreateBranch: true
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# SPEC 01 — Four distinct ghosts in the pen
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> **Status:** Approved
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> **Depends on:** —
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> **Date:** 2026-10-15
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> **Objective:** Replace the current two ghosts with four ghosts that each follow a distinct behaviour, with Blinky chasing Pac-Man aggressively.
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## Why this spec exists
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The current MVP ships only two ghosts in `GHOST_STARTS` (`'hunter'` and `'random'`) and a single branch in `decideGhost` that swaps between a Manhattan-distance chase and a uniform random walk. The user wants four ghosts with visibly different behaviours, anchored on the classic Pac-Man archetypes, while keeping the rest of the game (movement, collisions, render, overlay) untouched.
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The render layer is already prepared for four ghosts — `render.js` declares exactly four colours in `GHOST_COLORS`. This spec leverages that and changes only the data and the decision function.
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## Scope
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**In:**
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- Four entries in `GHOST_STARTS` (`src/js/maze.js`), placed inside the pen, symmetric with respect to the maze's vertical axis.
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- Four `kind` values: `'blinky'`, `'pinky'`, `'inky'`, `'clyde'`.
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- Four behaviour branches in `decideGhost` (`src/js/game.js`), one per `kind`.
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- Same speed for all four ghosts (the existing `GHOST_SPEED`).
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- Colour per archetype (the existing `GHOST_COLORS` order already maps 1:1 to the four kinds in the order Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde).
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**Out of scope (for future specs):**
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- Power-pellets, frightened mode, blue ghosts.
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- Pathfinding beyond the next intersection (no A*, no BFS).
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- Ghost house release animation or staged exits (all four spawn inside the pen and walk out through the door like today).
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- Per-ghost speed, per-ghost scatter tiles, per-ghost animation state.
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- Sounds, levels beyond the first, high-scores, settings.
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## Data model
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```js
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// src/js/maze.js
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const GHOST_STARTS = [
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{ x: 11, y: 14, kind: 'blinky' },
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{ x: 13, y: 14, kind: 'pinky' },
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{ x: 14, y: 14, kind: 'inky' },
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{ x: 16, y: 14, kind: 'clyde' },
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];
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```
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Conventions:
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- Coordinates: cell `(x, y)`, origin top-left, `x ∈ [0, 27]`, `y ∈ [0, 30]`.
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- The four start cells are symmetric: columns 11↔16 and 13↔14 mirror across the maze's vertical centre line.
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- The pen door at columns 13–14, row 12 stays clear (no ghost spawns on `(13,12)` or `(14,12)`).
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`game.ghosts[]` keeps the existing shape `{ x, y, dir, speed, kind }`. `resetPositions` already iterates by index, so it scales to four entries with no change.
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```js
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// src/js/game.js — relevant globals stay the same
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const GHOST_SPEED = 0.1;
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const DIRS = { left: { x: -1, y: 0 }, right: { x: 1, y: 0 }, up: { x: 0, y: -1 }, down: { x: 0, y: 1 } };
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const OPPOSITE = { left: 'right', right: 'left', up: 'down', down: 'up' };
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```
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No new structures are introduced. Render colours are reused:
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```js
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// src/js/render.js — already declares 4 colours, no change
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const GHOST_COLORS = [ '#ff0000', '#00ffff', '#ffb8ff', '#ffb852' ];
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```
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## Implementation plan
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1. **Edit `src/js/maze.js`** — replace the current two-entry `GHOST_STARTS` with the four-entry array shown in the data model. No other change in this file.
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2. **Edit `src/js/game.js` `decideGhost`** — replace the existing two-branch `if (g.kind === 'hunter') … else …` with the four behaviours described below. Keep the `options`/`choices` filtering against the opposite direction intact, so every ghost still avoids 180° reversals at intersections.
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3. **Verify `resetPositions`** — read the file and confirm the `forEach( ( g, i ) => GHOST_STARTS[ i ] )` loop still works with four entries. No code change expected; document the confirmation.
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4. **Verify `isWall` and `wrapTunnel`** — read the file and confirm the pen door is still passable for `actor === 'ghost'` and that the tunnel wrap still triggers on row 14. No code change expected.
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5. **Verify `render.js`** — read the file and confirm `GHOST_COLORS` already has four entries and `forEach( ( g, i ) => GHOST_COLORS[ i ] || '#ff0000' )` paints all four. No code change expected.
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6. **Manual playtest** — open `src/index.html` in a browser, click Start, and observe the four ghosts. The pen must not trap any ghost permanently (all four walk out through the door on their own).
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### Behaviour definitions for `decideGhost`
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For each ghost, the candidates are `choices` (the existing filter that excludes the opposite of `g.dir` and any wall; if empty, the opposite is allowed as a fallback). The branch picks one:
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- **Blinky** (`'blinky'`) — pursue. For each candidate, compute `|nx − round(pacman.x)| + |ny − round(pacman.y)|` and pick the minimum. This is the current `'hunter'` branch, renamed.
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- **Pinky** (`'pinky'`) — ambush. Target cell is four tiles ahead of Pac-Man in `pacman.dir` (wrapping to `(0,14)` or `(27,14)` when the offset leaves the maze horizontally — i.e. when the target is past the tunnel, anchor it to Pac-Man's actual column). Pick the candidate that minimises Manhattan distance to that target.
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- **Inky** (`'inky'`) — flank. Compute the cell two tiles ahead of Pac-Man in `pacman.dir` (same wrap rule as Pinky), then the Inky target is the reflection of Blinky's cell through that pivot: `target = 2 * pivot − blinkyCell`. Pick the candidate that minimises Manhattan distance to that target. If Blinky is missing (it never is in this spec, but defensively), fall back to Pinky's target.
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- **Clyde** (`'clyde'`) — shy. If `|gx − round(pacman.x)| + |gy − round(pacman.y)| > 8`, behave like Blinky (pursue). Otherwise, target Clyde's home corner `(0, 30)` and pick the candidate that minimises Manhattan distance to that corner.
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All four branches use the same `choices` filter and the same tie-break order (first best in the iteration order). They differ only in **which target cell** they compare against.
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## Acceptance criteria
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- [ ] `GHOST_STARTS` in `src/js/maze.js` has exactly four entries, all with `y === 14` and `kind` in `{ 'blinky', 'pinky', 'inky', 'clyde' }`.
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- [ ] `decideGhost` in `src/js/game.js` has exactly four `kind` branches and no reference to `'hunter'` or `'random'`.
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- [ ] On starting the game, four ghosts are visible inside the pen with colours red, cyan, pink, and orange (in that order in `GHOST_COLORS`).
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- [ ] Within a few seconds of starting, all four ghosts have left the pen and are roaming the maze.
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- [ ] Túnel lateral in row 14 still wraps all four ghosts from one side to the other without getting stuck on the border.
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- [ ] Pressing Start after `lost` or `won` resets the game to a fresh state with the four ghosts back at their start cells.
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- [ ] No new files, no new dependencies, no ES module conversion, no build artefacts. Only `src/js/maze.js` and `src/js/game.js` change.
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- [ ] The browser console shows no errors or warnings during a full play (start, eat some dots, die, restart).
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## Decisions
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- **Yes:** four ghosts inside the pen, symmetric. Keeps the existing maze untouched, respects the vertical symmetry already enforced in `MAZE_STR`, and leaves the pen door clear.
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- **No:** two inside and two outside. Would require either a second spawn mechanism or a maze edit, both outside the scope of this spec.
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- **Yes:** rename `'hunter'` → `'blinky'` and drop `'random'`. The four classic archetypes subsume the old `'random'` behaviour (Clyde's "shy" mode and Pinky's ambush produce enough variety without a pure-random ghost).
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- **No:** keep names descriptive (`'ambush'`, `'flank'`, `'shy'`, `'aggressive'`). The classic names are short, recognisable, and match what the player will read online.
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- **Yes:** same `GHOST_SPEED = 0.1` for all four. Simplifies balance and keeps the existing speed constant untouched.
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- **No:** per-ghost speed. Belongs to a future balancing spec.
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- **Yes:** Pinky and Inky clamp their target to within maze bounds when the four-tile offset would overshoot horizontally (anchor to Pac-Man's column when the target row is the tunnel row). Prevents targeting a non-existent cell.
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- **No:** A* or BFS pathfinding. The intersection-decision model is enough for four distinct behaviours and matches the existing code style.
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- **Yes:** Inky's fallback when Blinky is missing is Pinky's target. Defensive — never triggers today, costs three lines.
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- **No:** power-pellets, frightened mode, blue ghosts, ghost house release animation. All deferred to later specs.
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## Risks
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| Risk | Mitigation |
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| ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| A ghost gets trapped inside the pen because its target is also inside. | `isWall( actor = 'ghost' )` already ignores the pen door, so every ghost can leave through the door at any intersection. The `choices` filter never includes walls, so a stuck ghost still picks a valid exit. |
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| Asymmetric spawn cells look off. | The four cells `(11,14)`, `(13,14)`, `(14,14)`, `(16,14)` are symmetric across the maze's vertical axis (cols 11↔16, 13↔14), matching the symmetry already present in `MAZE_STR`. |
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| Renaming `'hunter'` breaks any external consumer. | `kind` is only read inside `decideGhost`; `ghosts` is created from `GHOST_STARTS` and never serialized. No consumer exists outside this repo. |
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| Inky or Pinky target a cell outside the maze on wrap. | The implementation plan explicitly bounds the target to maze columns using `Math.max(0, Math.min(W − 1, …))`, and the tunnel-row special case anchors to Pac-Man's column. |
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## What is **not** in this spec
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- Power-pellets and frightened mode.
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- Pathfinding beyond the next intersection.
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- Ghost house release animation or staged exits.
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- Per-ghost speed, per-ghost scatter tiles, per-ghost animation state.
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- Sounds, multiple levels, high-scores, settings.
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- Any new file, dependency, bundler, or build step.
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Each one of those, if it lands, goes in its own spec.
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