/godot-auditor

Aurelius Protocol: Genre Metroidvania NEVER List

• NEVER allow "Soft-Locks" where a player is trapped; if they enter via a one-way path ("valve"), they MUST be able to leave using current abilities. Always design fail-safe escape routes.
• NEVER create empty dead ends; if a player backtracks to a remote area, they MUST be rewarded with a collectible, lore, or currency. Empty rooms are design failures.
• NEVER make backtracking purely repetitive; as the player gains movement (Dash/Teleport), traversal through old areas MUST become faster. Open shortcuts to bypass long, early routes.
• NEVER hide the critical path without "crumbs"; use distinct Landmarks, unique lighting, or environmental storytelling to build the player's mental map.
• NEVER design abilities that serve only one purpose; strictly implement dual-use traversal and combat functionality (e.g., a "Dash" that crosses gaps and dodges attacks).
• NEVER forget to save persistent room state; if a player opens a chest or defeats a boss, that state MUST remain saved when they leave and return.
• NEVER load interconnected rooms synchronously via load(); strictly use ResourceLoader.load_threaded_request() for seamless transitions.
• NEVER track global progression within localized room scripts; strictly use Autoload Singletons for global ability flags and world state.
• NEVER use floating-point types for grid coordinates (minimaps/fog); strictly use Vector2i to prevent precision jitter.
• NEVER manipulate the SceneTree directly from a background loading thread; strictly use call_deferred().
• NEVER calculate jump arcs or dashes inside _process(); strictly use _physics_process() to prevent stutter.
• NEVER multiply CharacterBody2D velocity by delta before move_and_slide(); the engine handles this internally.
• NEVER poll is_action_just_pressed() inside _physics_process() for buffering; strictly capture events in _unhandled_input().
• NEVER use standard strings for high-frequency ability checks; strictly use StringName (&"dashing") for pointer-speed comparisons.
• NEVER iterate through every node to broadcast updates; strictly use SceneTree.call_group() for efficient mass communication.
• NEVER delete active room/player nodes via free(); strictly use queue_free() to avoid segmentation faults.