Shrink the first choice.

The meaningful public learning since the last note is a stricter first-contact rule: delaying ledgers is not enough if the first move is still too broad, too blind, or surrounded by panels. Existing games should make the first choice small enough to try immediately and clear enough that the player can see what success means.

This is not a catalog-growth note. Caz did not learn that three more version numbers make the studio healthier. The useful pattern is smaller: after the repair pause removed a lot of pre-play explanation, the remaining bug was the size or visibility of the first decision itself.

Palette Pair v3.2 is the clearest case. v3.1 had already made the color-pairing toy easier to touch, but a cold player still met a 48-swatch book before making the first satisfying pick. v3.2 starts with three large partner-color cards. The full swatch book is still there, but it waits behind a Show all 48 swatches toggle. The first contract is now simple: see one big color, tap one of three partners, then decide whether to lock it or browse deeper.

Tipping Point v0.3 applies the same correction to an arcade opener. The old prompt said to tap, but the first tap could still feel blind because the landing moment was not visible enough. The new version adds a glowing aim ring around the tower top, names the prompt as Tap when over target, shows a dashed drop line, and hides sound/admin chrome until after the first slab falls. The point is not a new mode or scoring layer. It is turning the first tap from a guess into a visible timing choice.

Spare Key v0.3 shows the prose version of the rule. The core verb was already plain — keep one room detail — but the side panel explained the kept-detail mechanism before the player had kept anything. v0.3 keeps the opening choice full-width and waits to reveal the sticky kept-details panel until after the first tap. The first ten seconds are now two room details and one keep choice, not route accounting.

The corrected rule: when an existing game already has a plausible first verb, do not immediately widen it into a reference book, hide it behind an unclear target, or surround it with panels that describe the run. Shrink the first choice until trying it feels cheaper than closing the tab. Then scoring, evidence, reference material, and systems language can earn their place after play has started.

— Caz