Mana-Loop/docs/task5_insight_proposals.md

Task 5: Insight Upgrade Proposals

Overview

These proposals expand the existing Insight upgrade tree with permanent cross-loop advantages that accelerate early-loop ramp-up, aligned with the prestige philosophy defined in docs/GAME_BRIEFING.md. Proposals are grouped by thematic category, each with a rationale explaining alignment with core philosophy and gaps addressed in the existing upgrade tree (referenced below).

Existing Insight Upgrades (Reference)

Upgrade	Max Level	Cost (Insight/Level)	Effect
Mana Well	5	500	+500 starting max mana
Mana Flow	10	750	+0.5 permanent regen per level
Deep Memory	5	1000	+1 memory slot per level
Insight Amp	4	1500	+25% insight gain per level
Spire Key	5	4000	Start at floor +2 per level
Temporal Echo	5	3000	+10% mana generation per level
Steady Hand	5	1200	-15% durability loss per level
Ancient Knowledge	5	2000	Start with blueprint per level
Elemental Attune	10	600	+25 element cap per level
Spell Memory	3	2500	Start with random spell per level
Guardian Pact	5	3500	+10% pact multiplier per level
Quick Start	3	400	+100 starting mana per level
Elem. Start	3	800	+5 each unlocked element per level

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Theme 1: Mana & Elemental Acceleration

Rationale

Existing upgrades in this category (Mana Well, Mana Flow, Elemental Attune, Elem. Start, Temporal Echo) focus on boosting mana generation and elemental access, but leave two critical gaps: (1) no permanent bonus to base capacity for unlocked mana types, and (2) no reduction to attunement conversion costs. These proposals fill those gaps to further reduce early-loop grind for elemental mana setup, a core bottleneck in first-loop progression.

Proposal 1: Unlocked Mana Type Capacity

• Max Level: 5
• Cost: 1000 Insight per level
• Effect: Start each loop with +10 base capacity per unlocked mana type per level, plus immediate access to all mana types unlocked in any previous loop (no re-unlocking required).
• Gap Addressed: Builds on Elem. Start (which grants +5 element cap per level) by adding permanent capacity for all historically unlocked types, eliminating repetitive base capacity grinding for each elemental mana type in early loop.
• Implementation Notes:
  • Track unlocked mana types across loops in cross-loop save data (player.insight.unlockedManaTypes)
  • Apply capacity bonus on loop initialization via LoopManager.applyInsightUpgrades()
  • Respect existing elemental cap limits from Elemental Attune upgrades

Proposal 2: Attunement Efficiency

• Max Level: 5
• Cost: 800 Insight per level
• Effect: Reduce raw mana cost for elemental mana conversion (attunement) by 5% per level for the first 3 in-loop days.
• Gap Addressed: Existing Temporal Echo boosts mana generation but not conversion efficiency. This directly accelerates early elemental mana accumulation, a key bottleneck in first 48 hours of each loop.
• Implementation Notes:
  • Apply cost reduction modifier to AttunementStation component for 72 in-loop hours
  • Reset modifier automatically after 3-day window
  • Stack with Temporal Echo generation bonuses

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Theme 2: Spire Progression Acceleration

Rationale

Existing Spire Key (start at +2 floors per level) enables batch-skipping of low-level Spire floors, but lacks granular progression retention. This theme adds finer-grained Spire skip options to let players incrementally bypass repetitive early floors without over-skipping content, aligning with early-loop ramp-up goals.

Proposal 3: Spire Progress Retention

• Max Level: 10
• Cost: 500 Insight per level
• Effect: Start each loop with 1 additional Spire floor cleared per level (stacks additively with Spire Key bonuses).
• Gap Addressed: Spire Key only offers +2 floors per level, leaving no option for 1-floor increments. This allows players to tailor skip amount to their progression speed.
• Implementation Notes:
  • Store highest Spire floor reached per loop in player.insight.highestSpireFloor
  • Apply cleared floors on new loop initialization via SpireManager.syncProgress()
  • Cap total skipped floors at 50 (to prevent over-skipping endgame content)

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Theme 3: Guardian & Pact Continuity

Rationale

Existing Guardian Pact boosts pact multipliers per level, but requires players to re-sign Guardian pacts each loop to access boons. This theme adds permanent pact memory to retain critical boons across loops, eliminating repetitive pact signing grind.

Proposal 4: Guardian Pact Memory

• Max Level: 3
• Cost: 3000 Insight per level
• Effect: Retain 1 Guardian pact bonus (selected from previous loop's signed pacts) per level across loops, no re-signing required.
• Gap Addressed: Guardian Pact only boosts multiplier strength, not retention. This lets players keep high-value boons (e.g., resource generation, damage resistance) permanently.
• Implementation Notes:
  • Track signed Guardian pacts per loop in player.insight.signedGuardians
  • Add pact selection UI to prestige screen (PrestigeModal.tsx)
  • Apply retained bonuses on loop start via GuardianManager.applyRetainedPacts()

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Theme 4: Skill & Knowledge Acceleration

Rationale

Existing upgrades like Ancient Knowledge (blueprints), Spell Memory (spells), and Quick Start (starting mana) accelerate early knowledge/skill access, but leave a gap in core skill category progression. This theme adds skill head-start options to reduce early-game grind for core skill bonuses.

Proposal 5: Skill Head-Start

• Max Level: 5
• Cost: 600 Insight per level
• Effect: Start each loop with 1 level in a chosen core skill category (mana, study, enchant, combat) per level, selectable during prestige.
• Gap Addressed: No existing upgrade boosts core skill levels at loop start. Builds on Quick Start's immediate resource boost by adding skill progression acceleration.
• Implementation Notes:
  • Add skill category selector to prestige UI (PrestigeModal.tsx)
  • Apply skill levels on loop initialization via SkillManager.addLevels()
  • Respect per-skill max level caps defined in skillData.ts