⚜️ ICU:CyberSwamp

16 & 17 — MVP Build Plan & Stack

From Smallest Possible Release to Full Universe

Every phase below is scoped to ship, not to impress. The MVP proves the emotional loop with the least amount of infrastructure possible.

Phased Plan

Build Phases

MVP — Season 1, Prologue Only

Prove the loop: FuX conversation → Awakening quiz → one real-world AR mission → one shard → dossier growth.

Scope

  • Web app (this app) as the ICU shell: onboarding, FuX awakening quiz, dossier, one live mission (Jackson Square) on a real map.
  • Illust.space WebAR embed for exactly one location-based AR scene (no native app store install).
  • Local FuX intelligence via a small self-hosted Ollama model for FuX's in-character chat, with a scripted fallback if the model is unavailable.
  • One physical Jay-N-da-BoX booth appearance at a single partner event for press + community validation.
  • Manual, human-run 'ICU moderation' instead of automated anti-cheat — a person reviews flagged extreme behavior.

Stack

  • Next.js (App Router) + PostgreSQL/Drizzle for hunter profiles, missions, collectibles
  • Illust.space SDK/embed for the AR layer
  • Local Ollama (e.g. llama3.1:8b) for FuX dialogue generation, prompt-locked to FuX's voice and lore
  • Leaflet/OpenStreetMap for the real-world mission map (no API key required)

V1 — Full Season 1

All seven Sin chapters live, the Kern Studios finale, and a public Hunter roster/leaderboard.

Scope

  • All seven Illust AR missions across real New Orleans locations.
  • Kern Studios signature finale mission with physical props (float heads) and a costumed or animatronic 'Miss Mardi Gras Jester' encounter.
  • Virtual CyberSwamp mode (2D/2.5D web scene) for remote players who can't visit New Orleans.
  • Push notifications / SMS for mission drops tied to real Mardi Gras season events.
  • Basic automated anomaly flags feeding the human ICU moderation team.

Stack

  • React/Vite micro-app for the Virtual CyberSwamp scene (lightweight, embeddable, works on low-end phones)
  • Illust.space full mission suite + analytics
  • Cloud-hosted FuX intelligence tier (fallback/scale layer) behind the same local-Ollama-first architecture
  • Cron-based event scheduler for real-world Mardi Gras date triggers

V2 — The Full Universe

Multi-season narrative, premium Unreal Engine cinematics, franchise-scale community systems.

Scope

  • Unreal Engine cinematic 'FuX Memory' sequences unlocked at major story beats (rendered video, not real-time AR, to keep AR lightweight).
  • Multiple permanent Jay-N-da-BoX booths at partner venues across New Orleans (French Quarter, Mid-City, Bywater).
  • Season 2: the ICU vs. FuX conflict, introducing Mardi Grim and Zeus as active antagonists.
  • Guild/Krewe system — Hunters can form real-world 'Krewes' with shared dossiers and co-op missions.
  • Licensed collaborations with real New Orleans krewes, artists, and musicians for in-fiction content.

Stack

  • Unreal Engine 5 (Movie Render Queue) for premium cinematic content, exported to video for broad device compatibility
  • Dedicated mobile app (React Native or Unreal-based) once AR feature depth outgrows WebAR
  • Multiplayer service layer (e.g. Colyseus or Supabase Realtime) for Krewe co-op missions
  • Expanded analytics + community moderation tooling for ICU's 'cosmic referee' systems

18 — Guardrails

What We Will Not Do

Guardrail

No blockchain, crypto, or token requirements anywhere in the MVP or V1. If a future optional collector's-item NFT layer is ever explored, it must be clearly marked optional, opt-in, and never required for gameplay.

Guardrail

All AR is WebAR-first (Illust.space) — no mandatory app-store download to participate in the MVP.

Guardrail

Local-first intelligence: FuX should run on local/self-hosted models (Ollama) as the default so the experience is not dependent on a single third-party AI vendor.

Guardrail

Every mission maps to a real, named New Orleans location. No generic or fictional-only map pins.

Guardrail

Physical safety first: all booth and street missions are designed for public, well-lit, ADA-accessible locations with no trespassing or private property.

This Repository

What This Build Actually Ships Today

  • Next.js + PostgreSQL/Drizzle app functioning as the ICU shell and design bible.
  • Working Awakening Ritual quiz writing real Hunter + FuX Profile rows to Postgres.
  • Working Hunter Dossier reading live 8D data back out, with dominant-Sin narrative.
  • Real-world mission map (Leaflet/OpenStreetMap) rendering live database rows across seven real New Orleans locations plus the Kern Studios finale pin.
  • Full lore Codex, Season 1 outline, style guide, and sound direction as living documentation for the next build phase.