Question #
Which frame should REAL mode open on?
- Medium tactical default — open at the ~40° medium profile (core-on-pedestal composition readable); the extreme close-up stays as the nearest zoom stop.
- Keep the close default, raise legibility — slight ambient floor or machine-cast rim/fill so unlit mass reads as silhouette instead of void.
- Keep as is — close-up default, near-nothing ambient.
- Something else (say what).
Why this is open #
wiki/interface/material-dark-frame.md deliberately opens REAL as "a close-up on the core" in a physically dark room. The first human GUI playtest (wiki/playtests/2026-07-21-playtest-fable-gui.md, finding 7) found that default unreadable — a black monolith filling the canvas, unidentifiable until three zoom steps out — while the F4 work light proved the scene geometry is strong, i.e. the darkness is hiding quality, not absence. Zoom is already a semantic profile (close / medium / far), so option 1 is a default choice, not new camera work. Changing the authored default is a law change, so it needs your call.
Options #
| # | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| 1 | First REAL impression becomes legible at zero lighting cost; loses the intimate "wake at the machine" opening beat |
| 2 | Keeps the intimate open; lighting tuning risks diluting the machines-are-the-only-light law |
| 3 | Preserves authored intent exactly; every new player's first REAL flip stays illegible |
Recommendation #
1. The medium frame already reads beautifully (amber pool, pedestal, wires) and the close-up remains one keypress away for anyone who wants it; no lighting law is touched.
What your answer unlocks #
Amend material-dark-frame.md's default-frame clause, then a small material_view.rs change (default zoom profile) with a shot-fixture update. Close this issue when the amended spec lands.