Dune/docs/ADVANCED_PREVIEW.md

Advanced preview

The user explicitly authorized a clearly labeled unfinished Advanced mode on 21 September 2026. This changes access to the existing development game, not the rules-completion or publication criteria.

Select and start

1. On the home page, choose Rules → Advanced preview, then Create a room.
2. Choose the desired expansion families, then invite players or add AI seats. Games support two through six players from the selected families and classics.
3. Optionally choose Leader Skills, Ecaz Treachery Cards, Nexus Cards, Discoveries, Homeworlds, Tech Tokens (three or more players) or Stronghold Cards. Supported module/roster combinations use their existing setup; unsupported selections reject at start with a reason.
4. Each human chooses Ready for Advanced preview. The host chooses Begin Advanced preview.

The host can also change Rules in an existing lobby. Changing modes or module selections clears human readiness; native AI seats remain ready. Switching to Basic removes unused Stronghold Cards and keeps Tech Tokens. Rules cannot change after setup starts. Joining a room uses that room's existing rules.

The warning remains visible throughout Advanced play, including older Advanced development saves. Games use the existing room save, reconnect and private seat system. Basic remains the default.

Admission and saved behavior

Normal room creation already stores advanced: boolean; the same request format and exact tab retry are retained. The host-only lobby action {type: 'rules', advanced: boolean} changes the mode. The ordinary start action must contain advancedPreview: true for Advanced; a bare start remains rejected. Core Advanced starts record Game.advancedPreview: true, projected as a boolean. Expansion/module starts retain their own setup markers instead: some module profiles deliberately exclude the core-only marker. The explicit Advanced opt-in remains required for every Advanced start.

Start calls the genuine shared setup pipeline, including prediction, Traitors, starting forces, advisors, elites and the starting Treachery deal at their normal stages. Public starts now call the same genuine setup entries as development tools; this is not permission to dispatch arbitrary initializer/profile names. Fresh-lobby and unused-module checks still prevent accidental redealing. Restored core preview markers must match their mode and roster. Mode changes and ordinary continuation retain the existing version/CAS fence and private views.

The 17 October lobby-access pass opens expansion factions and supported optional modules as previews; it does not remove their existing composition guards. Skills and the independent Ecaz cards use lobby-only selections consumed during start; the other modules retain their existing undealt lobby shape. Every selected module must be honoured or the start rejected. Ecaz selections must also support their mandatory allied Arrakis Occupy battle; fresh Ecaz/classic Homeworlds now compose that path, with or without the supported Skills entry. Special development profiles remain separate. No pending rules ruling or complete-mode/publication gate is resolved by opening these controls; see the decision index.

Evidence and limits

• advanced-preview.test.ts: normal explicit starts, strict authority/admission, readiness, Basic fallback, genuine setup for all 57 base rosters with each of four existing legal AI profiles, card/force custody, JSON and private views.
• advanced-preview-controls.test.ts: visible mode/warning/host controls and exact Advanced create-request restoration.
• advanced-preview-recovery.test.ts: production room SQL, fresh module reload, both private seats, unchanged rejected requests and start/rules CAS races.
• advanced-preview-http.test.ts: normal authenticated endpoints, explicit opt-in, origin/authority checks, readiness, duplicate start and refresh.

An Advanced six-seat sample exposed an Intrusion save boundary: a shipment without an accompanying-advisor offer stored followup: undefined, which JSON removed and changed the restored private views. Ordinary and Junction shipment calls now omit that field when no follow-up exists. Focused regressions cover both routes and every seat across JSON restoration. The same genuine six-seat seed then completed at turn 10 after 1,531 actions and 41 restores. A separate ten-game Basic/Advanced base-roster matrix (two through six seats) completed with no rejected actions; these samples do not certify all Advanced interactions.

The private checkpoint directory records final check/build/HTTP results, ordinary preview-start complete-game samples, browser checks and saved-game preservation. These are development samples, not AI calibration or complete interaction coverage. Advanced base powers and timing audits remain unfinished, including the recorded Guild/special-Karama boundaries and advisor interactions. Stronghold Cards and Tech Tokens retain their existing implementation limits. Full visual acceptance, complete rules compliance and publication remain open.