realms-in-ruin-dev/Documentation/Phase2/04-Phase2A-DecisionRegister.md

Phase 2A — Decision Register

Field	Value
Status	Draft
Date	2026-07-17
Phase	2A2a
Starting Git commit	9919faab
Rule	All entries are Proposed, Alternative, Deferred, or Blocked. None are Approved.

Companion: 03-SharedGameplayContracts.md. Open-decision reconciliation: 02-Phase2A-OpenDecisions.md.

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Summary table

Decision	Recommendation	Confidence	Blocking issue	Approval required
C-001	ASC AttributeSet sole SoT for H/M/S currents and maxes	High	None for proposal; combat cutover needs death PIE later	Yes
C-002	Option A — character-specific default GE after ASC actor info valid	Medium	Orphan GEs lack Max*; must fail visibly if missing	Yes
C-003	Shared server ASC resource interface; atomic costs	High	Cost mutation path not runtime-proven	Yes
C-004	ASC→legacy one-way shadow only; bidirectional rejected	High	Which consumers still need shadow until migrated	Yes
C-005	Server damage boundary writing ASC; ApplyDamage as adapter; ExecCalc deferred	Medium	Damage/death path not exercised (RE-2A1-022)	Yes
C-006	Server restore via same boundary; clamp to Max*; no over-resource by default	Medium	Pickup/heal overlap not observed (RE-2A1-018)	Yes
C-007	Death from ASC Health ≤ 0; idempotent; anim presentation-only	Medium	Death path not observed; legacy health 0 at spawn risk	Yes
C-008	GameMode + PC own respawn; ASC re-init; idempotent HUD	Medium	Respawn not observed (RE-2A1-022)	Yes
C-009	Client intent; server validate; multicast presentation-only	Medium	Ability + 2P paths blocked (RE-2A1-015, 023)	Yes
C-010	Animation cosmetic; server timing correlation; no notify authority	Medium	Notify chain not executed	Yes
C-011	Shared lifecycle; guaranteed cleanup without sole AN_AttackComplete	Medium	Interrupt test blocked (RE-2A1-020)	Yes
C-012	Player ASC on PlayerState; pawn Avatar; enemy self-ASC separate	High	Enemy inspector Tool Limitation (RE-2A1-028)	Yes
C-013	Overlay-only HUD; retire UpdatePlayerHUD; defer stamina UI	High	Respawn Overlay duplication untested	Yes
C-014	Server pickup validate/apply/destroy; replicate existence; ban naked non-rep MP pickups	Medium	Overlap apply + 2P blocked	Yes
C-015	Minimum observability list; no permanent debug UI required yet	Medium	Harness not built; env limits remain	Yes

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C-001 — Canonical player resource source of truth

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-001
Title	Canonical player resource source of truth
State	Proposed
Recommended option	ASC attributes are sole SoT for Health, MaxHealth, Mana, MaxMana, Stamina, MaxStamina; DEPRECATED vars non-authoritative
Alternatives	Keep legacy SoT during reconstruction only (rejected as primary); character-specific transitional dual-SoT (rejected — prolongs P0)
Static evidence	05-LegacyAbilityArchitecture.md resource inventory; 06-PartialGASArchitecture.md §8 legacy/GAS boundary; 01-ExecutiveSummary.md P0 dual resources
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-001, 004, 005, 012, 013; RT-001, RT-002
Benefits	One truth for UI, combat, potions, death; removes spawn divergence class of bugs
Risks	Breaking unconverted legacy readers if shadow/cutover incomplete
Migration impact	Abilities, Amazonian death, Cleric heal, HUD, future stamina
Blocking unknowns	Whether AnyDamage fires with legacy health already 0
Runtime validation	Post-init ASC match; potion vs combat both mutate ASC; death from ASC
Approval question	Do you approve ASC AttributeSet as the sole canonical source of truth for Health, MaxHealth, Mana, MaxMana, Stamina, and MaxStamina, with DEPRECATED Blueprint resource variables treated as non-authoritative?

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C-002 — Character default attribute initialization

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-002
Title	Character default attribute initialization
State	Proposed
Recommended option	A — Character-specific default Gameplay Effect selected by pawn/class; server apply after ASC actor info valid; explicit current+max H/M/S; visible fail on missing assignment
Alternatives	B — Shared init GE + SetByCaller; C — Native initialization service; hybrid Max* fill transitional
Static evidence	06-PartialGASArchitecture.md §§2–4 default GE matrix; native Init*; DefaultAttributesGameplayEffect=None
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-001, 002, 011, 012 — identical ASC; no active GE; CDO legacy defaults
Benefits	Per-class balance; reuses existing GE assets/property; deterministic spawn/respawn
Risks	Existing orphan GEs omit Max*; incomplete GE applied → broken clamps
Migration impact	PlayerState, character GEs, Gunslinger missing GE, spawn/respawn
Blocking unknowns	Final per-class balance numbers (design); Gunslinger defaults
Runtime validation	Per-class ASC after spawn/respawn; missing assignment visible error
Approval question	Do you approve Option A (character-specific default Gameplay Effect applied server-side after ASC actor info is valid), with visible failure on missing assignment and mandatory explicit current+max Health/Mana/Stamina?

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C-003 — Resource-access boundary

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-003
Title	Resource-access boundary
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Shared authoritative ASC interface; atomic server cost check+mutate; no new DEPRECATED direct access
Alternatives	Per-system ad-hoc ASC reads (rejected — recreates dual writers)
Static evidence	05 FCanUseMana / DEPRECATED costs; 07 S9; 06 boundary
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-014, 015 — cost path not proven; Ability004ManaCost CDO=0
Benefits	Incremental migration without two SoTs; consistent affordability
Risks	Bypass of interface during hasty BP edits
Migration impact	All cost/heal/damage resource call sites
Blocking unknowns	Exact FCanUseMana body edge cases; cost timing vs montage
Runtime validation	Cost reduces ASC once; failed affordability no mutation
Approval question	Do you approve a shared server-authoritative ASC resource interface as the only allowed read/write path for new gameplay resource access, with atomic cost validation and mutation?

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C-004 — Legacy compatibility policy

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-004
Title	Legacy compatibility policy
State	Proposed
Recommended option	C — ASC→legacy one-way shadow for temporary read-only consumers; prefer D cutover when possible
Alternatives	D — No sync / migrate first; A bidirectional Rejected by Existing Evidence; B legacy→ASC rejected as primary
Static evidence	06 sync Missing; 01 P0 dual pools
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-004, 005, 013 — divergent spawn; Overlay ASC vs combat legacy
Benefits	Avoids feedback loops; protects ASC from zeroed legacy writers
Risks	Shadow forgotten; legacy writer still active
Migration impact	AnyDamage, FCanUseMana readers, Server_UpdateHUD
Blocking unknowns	Full runtime inventory of legacy readers during death/ability
Runtime validation	Shadow matches after ASC change; legacy cannot overwrite ASC
Approval question	Do you approve ASC→legacy one-way shadow only for temporary read-only consumers, with bidirectional sync prohibited and legacy writers forbidden from silently overwriting ASC?

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C-005 — Damage contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-005
Title	Damage contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Single server damage boundary writing ASC Health; legacy ApplyDamage as transitional adapter; ExecutionCalculation deferred
Alternatives	Pure GE ExecutionCalculation (Deferred/Alternative); keep ApplyDamage+legacy health (Rejected as end state)
Static evidence	05 ApplyDamage paths; 09 enemy reception Missing; 06 no ExecCalc project subclasses
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-022, 027, 030 — damage not observed; enemy components present
Benefits	One entry for players/enemies; dedupe; death hook
Risks	Adapter gap during migration; enemy consumer still Missing
Migration impact	All ApplyDamage sites; Amazonian AnyDamage; Phase 2D enemies
Blocking unknowns	Runtime authority of hit windows; block absorb design
Runtime validation	Single ASC Health reduction; no double hit; death trigger
Approval question	Do you approve a single server-authoritative damage entry that writes ASC Health, with legacy ApplyDamage limited to a transitional adapter, and ExecutionCalculation design deferred?

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C-006 — Healing and resource restoration contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-006
Title	Healing and resource restoration contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Server restore via shared ASC boundary; clamp to Max*; consumables same path; no over-resource by default
Alternatives	Allow overheal via tagged GEs only (future design)
Static evidence	05 Cleric recover; 06/12 potion GEs; no AttributeSet clamp
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-018 — pickup apply not run
Benefits	Overlay and combat agree; potions/abilities consistent
Risks	Cleric transitional dual heal if not adapted
Migration impact	Cleric 002, EffectActors, DEPRECATED recover
Blocking unknowns	Intended overheal design (none evidenced)
Runtime validation	Clamp at max; potion +25 once; Overlay update
Approval question	Do you approve server-authoritative restoration through the shared ASC resource boundary, clamping to Max* by default, with consumables and ability heals using the same path?

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C-007 — Death contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-007
Title	Death contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Authoritative idempotent death from ASC Health ≤ 0; shared replicated dead state; anim presentation-only
Alternatives	Tag-only State.Dead as primary (Deferred until tags wired); legacy≤0 SoT (Rejected as end state)
Static evidence	05 Amazonian death; 09 enemy IsDead forced false; 10 ABP Death
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-006, 004, 013, 022 — IsDead false; legacy health 0; death not observed
Benefits	Idempotent; aligns Overlay and death; fixes enemy ABP ownership of truth
Risks	Instant death if legacy path fires before ASC cutover
Migration impact	PlayerDeath, Amazonian AnyDamage, enemy death ABP, tags
Blocking unknowns	Whether AnyDamage runs at legacy 0; Paladin inbound damage path
Runtime validation	One death transition; no re-entry; ABP follows replicated state
Approval question	Do you approve authoritative, idempotent death evaluated from ASC Health ≤ 0, with animation as presentation-only and player/enemy differing only in post-death lifecycle?

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C-008 — Respawn contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-008
Title	Respawn contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	GameMode + PlayerController own server respawn lifecycle; pawn does not solely replace itself
Alternatives	Pawn-owned Server_RespawnPlayer as sole owner (Rejected as primary)
Static evidence	07 S8; 11 PlayerRespawn / PlayerFirstSpawn
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-010 — spawn warning; RE-2A1-022 — respawn untested
Benefits	Clear ownership; ASC/HUD rebind; duplicate-respawn guard
Risks	Existing pawn respawn graphs need rewiring; PlayerFirstSpawn warning
Migration impact	GM_Dungeoneer, PC_Character, base death/respawn, HUD
Blocking unknowns	Exact timer (~2s) intent; Overlay recreate vs rebind preference in practice
Runtime validation	One respawn; ASC Owner/Avatar correct; defaults reapplied; one Overlay
Approval question	Do you approve GameMode + PlayerController ownership of server respawn lifecycle (pawn must not solely replace itself), including ASC re-init, default reapplication, possession, input restore, and idempotent HUD bind?

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C-009 — Authority contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-009
Title	Authority contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Client intent → server validate/commit → multicast presentation-only; notify not sole authority
Alternatives	Allow Authority-gated notify gameplay indefinitely (Rejected as end state); documented narrow exceptions (Deferred)
Static evidence	05/10 Input→Server→Multicast→AN→UseAbility
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-015, 019, 021, 023–026 — ability/2P not observed
Benefits	Predictable MP; removes interrupt/notify authority risk
Risks	Timing feel change during migration; temporary dual patterns
Migration impact	All ability network paths; Phase 2B
Blocking unknowns	Server vs client notify evaluation roles at runtime
Runtime validation	Listen-server damage once; montage both; no client Health write
Approval question	Do you approve client-intent / server-validation authority, with multicast limited to presentation, and AnimNotify forbidden as sole authority for damage, costs, or state transitions?

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C-010 — Animation responsibility contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-010
Title	Animation responsibility contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Animation owns cosmetics; may correlate timing; must not solely own damage/cost/death/respawn/cleanup
Alternatives	Keep notify-authoritative hit windows (Rejected as end state)
Static evidence	10-AnimationDependencies.md shared architecture and Networking Risk
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-019–021 — notify path not run
Benefits	Clear cosmetic vs authority split; preserves timing via server windows
Risks	VFX desync vs hits; migration cost for montages
Migration impact	AN_Ability_*, AN_AttackComplete, Multicast_PlayMontage
Blocking unknowns	Exact notify trigger times (Manual Editor)
Runtime validation	Interrupt cleanup without AN_AttackComplete; hits still server-valid
Approval question	Do you approve animation as cosmetic-only for authority purposes, with server-owned timing correlation allowed, and notify-driven authoritative gameplay prohibited as the end state?

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C-011 — Ability lifecycle and cleanup contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-011
Title	Ability lifecycle and cleanup contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Shared lifecycle states; guaranteed cleanup on interrupt/death/destroy/timeout; no sole AN_AttackComplete dependence
Alternatives	Montage blend-out notify required (insufficient alone); cancel tags + EndAbility (compatible Alternative)
Static evidence	05 empty Ends; 07 S3/S12; 10 unwired montage pins
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-020 — interrupt blocked
Benefits	No stuck CurrentlyAttacking; safe death mid-ability
Risks	Under-specified per-ability cancel policy
Migration impact	All Begin/End/UseAbility; Phase 2B framework
Blocking unknowns	Which existing actions can interrupt without asset edits
Runtime validation	Complete and interrupted montages both clear locks
Approval question	Do you approve the shared ability lifecycle states and the rule that cleanup must be guaranteed without sole dependence on AN_AttackComplete?

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C-012 — PlayerState and pawn ownership contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-012
Title	PlayerState and pawn ownership contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Keep player ASC/AttributeSet on PlayerState; pawn Avatar; enemy self-ASC separate contract
Alternatives	Move ASC to pawn (Rejected unless redesign approved); dual ownership unclear Avatar rules (Rejected)
Static evidence	06 ownership; 09 enemy GetASC nullptr
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-007, 027, 028
Benefits	Survives respawn; matches existing native design
Risks	Enemy accessor defect continues until 2D/2E fix
Migration impact	InitAbilityActorInfo, EffectActor GetASC, enemies
Blocking unknowns	Whether enemy InitAbilityActorInfo fully exposes ASC to inspector
Runtime validation	Post-respawn Owner/Avatar; enemy ASC via corrected accessor
Approval question	Do you approve keeping player ASC/AttributeSet on PlayerState with pawn as Avatar only, and treating enemy self-ASC as a separate ownership/init contract?

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C-013 — HUD data-flow contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-013
Title	HUD data-flow contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Overlay/widget-controller only; retire UpdatePlayerHUD; idempotent HUD; defer stamina UI
Alternatives	Implement UpdatePlayerHUD as second path (Rejected); recreate Overlay every possess without guard (Rejected)
Static evidence	11 HUD matrix; 07 S10 unimplemented UpdatePlayerHUD
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-008, 009 — Overlay present; no stamina widget
Benefits	Single UI SoT; avoids duplicate overlays
Risks	Respawn rebind bugs if InitOverlay not idempotent
Migration impact	RIRHUD, Overlay, Server_UpdateHUD callers
Blocking unknowns	Exact Overlay instance counts after respawn
Runtime validation	One Overlay spawn+respawn; bars track ASC
Approval question	Do you approve Overlay/widget-controller as the sole gameplay HUD data path, retirement of UpdatePlayerHUD, idempotent HUD creation, and deferred stamina UI until attribute contracts are approved?

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C-014 — Pickup authority and replication contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-014
Title	Pickup authority and replication contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Server validate/apply/destroy; replicated existence; at-most-once; ban non-rep MP pickups without server visibility model
Alternatives	Server RPC from client overlap (Alternative); SP-only non-rep prototypes documented (transitional only)
Static evidence	12-Pickups-And-Effects.md Authority Risk
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-016, 017, 018
Benefits	Consistent MP; prevents double apply
Risks	Requires actor replication enablement; enemy null ASC destroy side effect
Migration impact	Four EffectActors; Phase 2E; GetASC fix interaction
Blocking unknowns	Duplicate apply under 2P; sphere overlap details
Runtime validation	One apply; ASC change; destroyed on all clients
Approval question	Do you approve server-owned pickup validation/apply/destroy with replicated existence, at-most-once collection, and a ban on non-replicated pickups for network gameplay without an explicit server visibility model?

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C-015 — Runtime observability contract

Field	Content
Decision ID	C-015
Title	Runtime observability contract
State	Proposed
Recommended option	Minimum inspectable set via logs/debugger/ASC inspect/future harness; no permanent debug UI required yet
Alternatives	Permanent debug HUD (Deferred); do nothing (Rejected — blocks reconstruction trust)
Static evidence	13-Unknowns-And-RuntimeQuestions.md runtime groups; 15 handoff
Runtime evidence	RE-2A1-015, 023, 028, 031 — tool/environment limits
Benefits	Makes blocked areas closable; prevents false negatives from tools
Risks	Harness scope creep; env still blocks Enhanced Input / 2P
Migration impact	Logging; temporary harness; not gameplay SoT
Blocking unknowns	How to enable 2-client PIE without config save; Enhanced Input injection
Runtime validation	Each listed field obtainable in controlled session
Approval question	Do you approve the minimum observability list as a prerequisite for trusting reconstruction, without requiring permanent debug UI yet?

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Register integrity

• No decision recorded as Approved.
• Recommendations are Proposed only.
• Bidirectional sync recorded as Rejected by Existing Evidence under C-004.
• ExecutionCalculation under C-005 is Deferred / Alternative, not selected.