◀ 12.1c12.1d12.1e ▶

12.1d — Grid/Symmetry Jam: Playtest

The 10.1d ritual, one last time — with grid-specific tells to watch. Symmetry games are the most data-friendly jam of the year: every move is an index, every death has a cell address, every hesitation happens AT a coordinate.

Playtest ~45 min

Three rounds, same contracts: watch silently (2.4), record on a beat table, ONE fix, verify, revert on failure. The grid-specific tells:

The orientation stall: tester presses up and the cursor moves a direction they did not expect. Your y-flip (12.1c sign) or their mental model? (If two testers stall the same way, it is YOUR sign.)
The symmetry question: "wait, are we playing the same game?" — asked with delight means your fairness reads; asked with confusion means the mirror is invisible (RENDER it)
The cell ambiguity: the tester miscounts a gap or misreads adjacency. Grids promise precision — visual gaps or soft colors break the promise
Tie-break feels: the deadlock you defined — did the tester experience it as fair? If they protest the SAME tie twice, the rule loses (change it or make it visible)

Data, grid edition: log the CELL of every death and every hesitation (column,row). Your playtest.csv gains coordinates — and a heatmap of the board falls out for free: which cells kill, which cells teach?

Socratic: Every Death Has an Address

Every move in a grid game is an index and every death has a cell address. Which cell produced the most deaths, and does that tell you about the level or about the rule?Your answer
You watched for hesitation at coordinates. Where did testers stop moving, and what were they actually deciding?Your answer
Symmetry games are the most data-friendly jam of the year. What would you record next time that you did not record today?Your answer

Checkpoint — before moving on, you must be able to:

Watch for the four grid tells and diagnose each
Log deaths/hesitations with cell coordinates
Apply one fix, verify, revert on failure
Leave with a tested build for showcase day

Reference Docs

Need a deeper explanation? These pages cover the same concepts:

Playtest dataset (CSV) — the format, again
Unit 12: Season 2 — the ritual, grid edition

Next: 12.1e — Grid/Symmetry Jam: Showcase

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