Imported from hudsonrivercrossing/HudsonHustle (.codex/skills/basemap-candidate-generation/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add hudsonrivercrossing/HudsonHustle --skill basemap-candidate-generation. Copyright stays with the author.

Basemap Candidate Generation

Use this when the work is about repeatable backdrop generation, not one-off visual tuning.

Goal

Generate a quiet vector basemap candidate that sits between the board surface and gameplay routes/stations/labels. Routes, stations, and labels are protected; the basemap supports place memory without becoming playable information.

Inputs

• Config map folder or id: map.json supplies board size, active stations, route geometry, labels, and waypoints.
• Protected zones: pass a JSON file when available, otherwise derive them from the config map.
• City recipe: reusable local knowledge for land/water shapes, region labels, landmarks, theme traces, and AI-reference intent.

Command

pnpm config:basemap-candidate \
  --config v0.4-flushing-newark-airport \
  --recipe configs/hudson-hustle/basemap-recipes/nyc-harbor-memory-v1.json \
  --out /tmp/nyc-basemap-candidate.json

Optional:

pnpm config:basemap-candidate --config <id-or-folder> --recipe <recipe.json> --protected-zones <zones.json> --out <candidate.json>

Recipe Rules

• Use coordinates: "normalized" for reusable city recipes; use coordinates: "board" only for final hand-tuned output.
• Keep recipe geometry 神似, not GIS-exact.
• Put broad land/water memory in landAreas, waterAreas, and shorelines.
• Put local flavor in landmarks and themeLines.
• Default landmarks and theme lines must avoid protected zones; set avoidProtectedZones: false only when the feature is intentionally under gameplay and visually quiet.
• Use low opacities. The route graph must still read if the candidate is shown at real play size.

Workflow

1. Verify the config id or folder with pnpm config:preview <config-id>.
2. Draft or update a city recipe under configs/hudson-hustle/basemap-recipes/.
3. Generate to /tmp first.
4. Review the candidate JSON against protected-zone omissions in generatedBy.notes.
5. Paste or merge the candidate into visuals.json only after visual approval.
6. Run pnpm --filter @hudson-hustle/game-core test -- game.test.ts, pnpm config:preview <config-id>, and pnpm build.

Acceptance

• Candidate output is vector-only: land areas, water areas, shorelines, region labels, landmarks, and theme lines.
• It does not require changing current.json.
• It keeps gameplay on top and avoids route/label confusion.
• City-specific recipes can be reused for Berlin and future maps without changing the generator.