AR-018 — Team, budget and schedule (LOCKED)

Promoted from Action Required card AR-018. This is the decision of record.

This is actually where I disagree with Claude's estimate. > "2,000–4,000 unique assets." That's true for a traditional AAA pipeline. But that is NOT how we're building Astra. One of our Hard Rules is: > Everything must be modular and reusable. We're building like Fortnite, Valorant, and Supercell, not like Assassin's Creed. That changes everything. --- # AR-018 — Team, Budget & Production Schedule (LOCKED) Status: APPROVED Priority: HIGH --- # Production Philosophy Astra is AI-first, modular-first, solo-founder-first. The objective is not to build thousands of handcrafted assets. The objective is to build a small number of high-quality modular systems that can generate thousands of gameplay combinations. The project intentionally minimizes traditional content production by leveraging: * AI-assisted concept generation * AI-assisted 3D asset generation * Modular environment kits * Shared character skeletons * Shared material libraries * Shared animation libraries * Procedural assembly where appropriate --- # Project Timeline Estimated duration to Public Launch 18–24 months Broken into structured milestones. --- # Phase 0 — Foundation Duration: 2 months Status Completed / In Progress Deliverables * Vision * Hard Rules * Complete GDD * Technical Architecture * Production Bible * Combat Balance Bible * ProjectOS * Art Direction * UI System * Asset Taxonomy Gate No production begins until documentation is complete. --- # Phase 1 — Vertical Slice Duration 3 months Objective Prove that Astra is fun. Contains * One map section * Two heroes * Three weapons * Loot * Barrier system * Complete combat loop * Networking * One complete playable match Success Criteria The game is enjoyable without additional content. Gate Playtest approval before expanding. --- # Phase 2 — Alpha Duration 5 months Contains * Five heroes * All ten weapon families * Complete map * Solo mode * Duo mode * Matchmaking * Progression * Cosmetics foundation * Core UI * Audio Gate Feature Complete. No new gameplay systems after this point. --- # Phase 3 — Beta Duration 4 months Focus Optimization. Tasks * Performance * Balancing * Bug fixing * Device compatibility * Telemetry * Anti-cheat * LiveOps preparation Gate Stable on target devices. --- # Phase 4 — Release Duration 2–4 months Focus Store Marketing Community Launch readiness Submission Soft Launch Global Launch --- # Team Structure ## Phase 0–1 Founder * AI Only. AI acts as: * Technical Architect * Game Designer * Producer * Documentation Assistant * Concept Artist * Technical Writer External help only if required. --- ## Phase 2 Founder * Freelance Artist * Animator * Audio Designer As needed. No permanent hires. --- ## Phase 3 Additional QA Part-time Only if required. --- ## Phase 4 Community Support LiveOps Added only after launch. --- # Budget Strategy The project prioritizes ownership over outsourcing. Major expenses include: * Development hardware * Unity licensing (if required) * Server hosting (Contabo) * AI services (Claude, ChatGPT, image generation, Tripo AI, etc.) * Audio tools * Store accounts * Marketing * Contract specialists for high-impact assets The goal is to minimize recurring costs through automation and reusable systems. --- # Asset Production Philosophy Astra does not target 2,000–4,000 handcrafted assets. Instead, production is based on modular asset libraries. Example Temple Kit * 25 modular pieces Can produce Hundreds of unique temple layouts. --- Vegetation Kit * 15 tree variants Produces Entire forests. --- Rock Kit * 10 meshes Produces Hundreds of natural formations. --- Character Kit One shared skeleton ↓ Modular armor ↓ Modular cloth ↓ Modular accessories Supports dozens of visual combinations. --- Barrier Kit One shared framework ↓ Different materials ↓ Different effects ↓ Different mythology themes --- # Estimated Production Assets Instead of counting final placed objects, we count reusable production assets. | Category | Estimated Modules | | ------------------ | ----------------: | | Characters | 5 launch heroes | | Shared Skeleton | 1 | | Armor Modules | 60–80 | | Weapons | 10 | | Barrier Types | 10 | | Environment Kits | 8–10 | | Vegetation Modules | 20–30 | | Props | 80–120 | | VFX | 80–120 | | Audio | 300–500 | | UI Components | 120–180 | This is a realistic production scope for a solo founder using AI-assisted workflows. --- # Production Gates No phase may proceed without meeting predefined quality gates. ### Gate 1 — Design Freeze All core systems documented and approved. --- ### Gate 2 — Vertical Slice Approval Core gameplay proven fun. --- ### Gate 3 — Feature Freeze No new gameplay mechanics. Only balancing and polish. --- ### Gate 4 — Performance Certification Target frame rates achieved across supported device classes. --- ### Gate 5 — Launch Readiness Critical bugs resolved. Backend stable. Telemetry operational. Store approved. --- # Risk Management The project actively controls scope through the following principles: * No feature enters production without documentation. * No asset is created without a defined owner and purpose. * Modular assets are preferred over unique one-off assets. * Systems are completed before expanding content. * Performance budgets are enforced from the first asset. * Content additions require measurable gameplay value. --- # Success Criteria The project is considered on schedule when: * Every milestone passes its quality gate. * Vertical Slice proves the combat loop. * Alpha reaches feature completeness without scope expansion. * Beta focuses exclusively on optimization and stability. * Launch delivers a polished, fair, performance-first battle royale experience. --- # 🔒 Final Production Strategy Astra is not attempting to compete with the asset volume of major AAA studios. Instead, it competes through: * Strong systems design * Reusable modular content * AI-assisted production * Performance-first engineering * Tight scope control * High-quality execution The objective is to build a scalable platform, not a one-time game. Every asset, system, and workflow is designed to support years of expansion without requiring exponential increases in team size or production cost. --- ## One recommendation I'd add I would add a Scope Guard to the Production Bible: > Any feature that delays the Vertical Slice by more than two weeks is automatically deferred unless it directly improves the core combat loop. That single rule protects the project from feature creep, which is one of the biggest risks for an ambitious solo game project like Astra.