# Sprite & Tileset Creation Brief

For briefing other AI tools/artists on ship and tileset art needs. Not a design doc of record — see `racesclasses.md` for the authoritative faction/ship spec this is derived from.

## Project Summary

Fast-paced top-down arena shooter inspired by *Subspace Continuum*, built in Godot 4.7, targeting Steam Deck + PC. Set inside the tight corridors of factories, refineries, mining stations, and shipyards — not open void. Tone: grounded blue-collar sci-fi (think *The Expanse*), arcade-fast rather than hard-sci-fi sim.

## Factions (2 total)

A third faction, "Apex Dynamics," was cut to simplify the art pipeline — don't reference it.

- **Inner Sphere Navy (ISN)** — disciplined military. Gunmetal-gray, wedge-shaped hulls, hard militaristic angles, dense armor plating, prominent forward-facing gun turrets. Wins fights by tanking a choke point.
- **Outer Rim Collective (ORC)** — scrappy belters/miners. Blocky patchwork of mismatched metal plating, exposed hydraulic wiring, external fuel tanks, bolted-on industrial hardware. Wins by controlling terrain and denying space.

## Ships

Top-down; each faction fields the same 3-role structure, re-skinned to its own theme.

| Class | Role | On-screen height target |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter | single, high-precision/high-damage shot | ~52px |
| Gunner | rapid-fire spray/burst, low damage per shot | ~58px |
| Tank | bigger, slower, fires bullets + missiles | ~82px |

- **ISN roster:** Patriot (Fighter), Barrage (Gunner), Behemoth (Tank)
- **ORC roster:** Rail-Jack (Fighter), Scrap-Spitter (Gunner), Iron-Clad (Tank)

## What already exists

An idle sprite + a thrust/flame-sprite swap for all 6 ships. Scrap-Spitter and Iron-Clad's flame art is currently just a placeholder copy of their idle sprite — real thrust poses for those two are an open gap. Ships rotate freely at runtime from one nose-up sprite (no per-frame rotation animation used), so multi-angle rotation frames aren't required, just nice-to-have.

## New / open needs

- Real flame/thrust frames for Scrap-Spitter and Iron-Clad
- Asteroid / environmental hazard sprites (next on the roadmap, currently unbuilt)
- Factory/shipyard arena tilesets — pipes, turbines, catwalks, industrial hazards, tight choke-point corridors (CSGO-tight map philosophy, not sprawling)
- Faction docking/hub tilesets (ISN naval station vs. ORC scrap/asteroid base) — speculative, not yet greenlit
- Top-down 4-direction walking character sprites for hub areas — only needed if hubs get built

Keep pixel art style consistent across everything; ships need to read as instantly distinct by faction even mid-fight in tight corridors.