[Epic] Signature experience: the definitive simulator for conversations

[charneykaye]

North star

What Microsoft Flight Simulator is to aspiring pilots and SimCity is to aspiring mayors, Conversation Simulator is to aspiring conversationalists and negotiators: graded challenge, honest instrumentation, visible skill growth, and a creator ecosystem — all local-first.

Pillars (this epic is blocked by all of the below)

Instrumentation — the black-box recorder

• [Insights] Debrief telemetry v1: talk ratio, question mix, fillers, latency, and state-arc timeline #295 Debrief telemetry v1 (talk ratio, question mix, fillers, latency, state arc) — unblocked root of this track
• [Insights] Moment replay and branch retry: restart from any transcript turn #306 Moment replay & branch retry ("try that moment again")

Challenge — the physics of difficulty

• [Packs] Standardized difficulty system: schema presets, prompt-composer knobs, and setup UI #296 Standardized difficulty system (schema presets + prompt knobs + setup UI) — unblocked
• [Speech] Conversational timing realism: thinking pauses, backchannels, and player barge-in #308 Conversational timing realism (pauses, backchannels, barge-in)

Growth — the career mode

• [Progression] The Logbook: local skill profile aggregated across sessions #307 The Logbook: local skill profile, streaks, personal records
• [Progression] Adaptive training plan: recommended next scenario from skill gaps #310 Adaptive training plan (recommended next scenario)
• [Spike] Persistent NPC relationship memory across sessions — one-week timebox #314 Spike: persistent NPC relationship memory (go/no-go)

Content & reach

• [Packs] Ship official pack #5: Dating — Confidence & Boundaries #297 Official pack Initialize SQLite storage, migrations, and local data directories #5: Dating — Confidence & Boundaries — unblocked
• [Steamworks] Steam Workshop distribution for free scenario packs #311 Steam Workshop distribution for free packs
• [i18n] Localization framework: string extraction, locale switching, and the first non-English locale #312 i18n framework + first non-English locale
• [UI] Full controller navigation and Steam Deck 1280×800 layout pass #313 Controller navigation + Steam Deck Verified layout

Scope discipline

Everything here honors ROADMAP.md's "not now" boundaries: no multi-NPC, no hosted registry, no paid marketplace (that path stays behind #244), no classroom features. Post-launch items carry roadmap:post-launch and stay out of the Steam launch gate (#246's scope doc governs).

Exit criteria

A player can articulate, unprompted, what they're getting better at and what to practice next; a creator can reach players without leaving the app; a Deck player never touches a keyboard.