Learning Loop

Learning Loop

Keep long-lived game knowledge in the repo while the run is happening. The goal is not a technical trace. The goal is reusable play knowledge.

Required Reading

Read these before doing learning-loop maintenance:

• /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/learning-loop/references/run-log-standard.md
• /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/learning-loop/references/note-promotion.md

Core Workflow

1. Keep one live run log in /home/igorw/Work/STS2/vault/runs.
2. Append after every floor that changes the run in a meaningful way.
3. Log gameplay only:
   • room and floor
   • relevant state before the floor
   • decision taken
   • outcome
   • lesson worth keeping
4. When a run reveals a new or unclear encounter, event, mechanic, or heuristic:
   • update the owning skill reference instead of creating a new vault note by default
   • first write the shortest honest read of the thing:
     • what am I seeing?
     • what is it actually testing?
     • what does it remind me of?
   • write the closest STS1 parallel when useful
   • mark that parallel as a heuristic, not identity
5. After every elite or boss attempt:
   • write a short fight post mortem, even if the fight was won
   • keep it to the smallest durable lesson set: what the fight tested, what line was wrong or right, and what changes next attempt
   • update the owning skill reference only if the lesson is reusable beyond this one run
   • do this before resuming normal play, not later from memory
6. When the run ends:
   • first read Compendium -> Run History through the repo CLI and use it as the authoritative run-end snapshot
   • use the exported floor timeline to find where the run actually turned, not just where it died
   • reconcile the post mortem against the authoritative seed, floor reached, death source, final deck, and relics
   • then rewrite the run log into a compact summary
   • end with a post mortem

What To Record

• Encounters:
  • what the fight actually tests
  • distinctive powers or phase changes
  • what mistake pattern loses the fight
  • closest STS1 analogue if it helps
  • if the encounter was initially unclear, the final “this is really a X-shaped fight” summary
  • for elites and bosses, a per-attempt post mortem and the adjustment for the next attempt
• Mechanics:
  • what the surface really means in play
  • what the exporter/controller must understand
• Strategy:
  • durable heuristics, not one-off anecdotes
  • route logic, combat heuristics, shop heuristics, reward heuristics

Ownership Rule

• Keep the vault minimal.
• Run-specific notes belong in /home/igorw/Work/STS2/vault/runs.
• Reusable lessons belong in the owning skill under /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/*/references/.
• Prefer rewriting and merging existing references over creating tiny new notes.

Run Log Standard

• Use /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/learning-loop/references/run-log-standard.md.
• Floor notes are for live context compression.
• Final run notes are for learning.
• End-of-run facts should be reconciled against npm run history.
• If you need the full floor payload, use npm run history:raw.
• The finished version must include:
  • final deck
  • relics
  • seed, floor reached, and result source from run history
  • route/pathing
  • what went right
  • what went wrong
  • what to change next run

Guardrails

• Do not write tooling noise unless tooling changed gameplay.
• Do not leave a new encounter undocumented if it changed how the run should be played.
• Do not assume STS1 knowledge transfers cleanly; use it as a shortcut only when the analogy is actually helpful.
• For new bosses and elites, push the identification loop before action: what am I seeing, what is the clock, what STS1 fight is the closest useful parallel.
• If a lesson is general, move it to strategy or mechanics instead of burying it in a single run log.
• If a new repeatable self-learning pattern appears, update this skill so the behavior is explicit next time instead of relying on memory.
• Keep notes compact. Prefer one sharp takeaway over a bloated recap.

Files To Use

• Run logs: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/vault/runs
• Act planning and rewards: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/act-start/references
• Hard fights: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/boss-and-elite-fights/references
• Combat heuristics and mechanics: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/combat/references
• Events: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/events/references
• Ironclad: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/ironclad/references
• Merchant: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/merchant/references
• Learning-loop standards: /home/igorw/Work/STS2/.agents/skills/learning-loop/references