New Title Checklist

Use this checklist to track progress from first commit to production release.

Before First Run

  • [ ] Designer/publisher approval obtained — implementing a title requires permission from the rights holder; confirm before opening any PR (questions → Slack #18xxgamesdev)
  • [ ] lib/engine/game/g_<name>/meta.rb created with DEV_STAGE = :prealpha
  • [ ] lib/engine/game/g_<name>/entities.rb — CORPORATIONS and COMPANIES defined
  • [ ] lib/engine/game/g_<name>/map.rb — TILES, LOCATION_NAMES, HEXES, LAYOUT defined
  • [ ] lib/engine/game/g_<name>/game.rb — includes meta/entities/map, TRAINS, PHASES, MARKET defined
  • [ ] Game.new(%w[Alice Bob Charlie]) runs without exception in IRB
  • [ ] Title appears in the game creation list at http://localhost:9292/
  • [ ] At least one complete game played locally (auction → OR → game end)

Code Quality

  • [ ] No hardcoded player names or game IDs
  • [ ] All tile strings validated at /tiles/<title>/all — no rendering errors
  • [ ] Map renders correctly at /map/<title> with no missing hexes
  • [ ] SVG logos present at public/logos/<title>/<SYM>.svg for all corporations
  • [ ] frozen_string_literal: true at the top of every .rb file
  • [ ] No puts or pp left in game code (use @log << for game messages)

Testing

  • [ ] At least one fixture exists in public/fixtures/<TITLE>/
  • [ ] Fixture passes: bundle exec rspec spec/lib/engine/game/fixtures_spec.rb -e "<TITLE>"
  • [ ] Full suite still green: bundle exec parallel_rspec spec/
  • [ ] Fixture covers at least one complete game (status: "finished")

Ready for :alpha

  • [ ] DEV_STAGE set to :alpha in meta.rb
  • [ ] At least three distinct complete-game fixtures
  • [ ] At least three games played by people other than the implementer
  • [ ] Rules URL set in GAME_RULES_URL
  • [ ] GAME_DESIGNER, GAME_LOCATION filled in meta.rb
  • [ ] Optional rules (if any) defined in OPTIONAL_RULES with descriptions

Ready for :beta

  • [ ] DEV_STAGE set to :beta
  • [ ] At least five complete games played, covering different player counts
  • [ ] Fixtures for 3-player, 4-player, and 5-player game (if applicable)
  • [ ] No known rules-compliance issues
  • [ ] All abilities tested with fixtures (blocks_hexes, tile_lay, exchange, teleport)
  • [ ] Game-end condition tested with a fixture

Ready for :production

  • [ ] DEV_STAGE set to :production
  • [ ] Ten or more complete games played without rules disputes
  • [ ] Rules-compliance confirmed with the game designer or published rules
  • [ ] PR reviewed and approved by a maintainer
  • [ ] CHANGELOG or PR description lists any deviations from physical rules

Quick Command Reference

# Run your title's fixtures
docker compose exec rack bundle exec rspec spec/lib/engine/game/fixtures_spec.rb -e "8888"

# Run the full suite in parallel
docker compose exec rack bundle exec parallel_rspec spec/

# Open an IRB console
docker compose exec rack irb

# Check logs for startup errors
docker compose logs rack -f

# Validate all tiles render
# Open: http://localhost:9292/tiles/8888/all

# Validate the map
# Open: http://localhost:9292/map/8888

Common Mistakes

SymptomLikely cause
Title missing from game creation listModule name doesn't match Engine::Game::G<name> exactly, or Meta submodule is missing
NoMethodError on process_actionA Step's ACTIONS includes a type but process_<type> is not implemented
GameError: No valid route on first ORCorporation has no token or no reachable track; check home coordinates and HEXES
Revenue mismatch in fixture replayPhase-based revenue string changed without updating the fixture
Fixture fails with result mismatchEngine logic changed since fixture was recorded; either fix the engine or re-record
RouteTooLong unexpectedcheck_distance or train distance doesn't match tile connectivity

What's Next

Version: 2026-05-08.