Shared shapes

Some settings look the same wherever they appear; others share only a name. Each shape below is tagged:

• shared — one shape, one meaning, everywhere.
• per-surface — same name, different body. The table says which surface accepts what.

Fades and slides

Shared vocabulary. Kinds: instant, fade, slide_up / down / left / right.

Used on backgrounds, characters, sprites, objects, panels, screens. The default differs by surface (e.g. bg fades by default; char is instant), so check the command page.

One exception: char_layout accepts only "" / instant / fade (no slides).

→ Transitions · character expression swaps: Expression fades

Pictures (texture specs)

Per-surface. Two shapes share the word “picture”:

Chrome faces — panel plates, buttons, choice faces, text-input fields, sliders:

Character pack layers — one picture inside an expression — are a different shape: path (not file), plus frames, fps, drive, x / y / w / h, and per-layer modulate / scale / opacity. A layer that uses file is dropped — use path. → Expressions and layers

Where "" is allowed: chrome faces ("" = flat / no image); source ("" = keep empty); char.transition ("" = not specified); an SFX name ("" = silent). It is not a universal value — check the field.

→ Theme and the dialogue box · Choice and input looks

Position on screen

Per-surface. Either absolute x / y, or anchor_h / anchor_v plus offset_x / offset_y. Optional width / height, min/max, padding.

Host — where the surface offers it — differs: dock to the window (screen), beside the dialogue box (panel), or overlay for free choice menus.

→ Places on stage · Gameplay HUD · Sprites and objects

Conditions and “only when”

Split — three unrelated shapes share only the word “condition”:

→ Reacting to flags live · Choices and memory · Expressions

Sticky vs this moment (apply)

Shared.

Used on panel, labelplate, obj, and similar command families.

→ Sticky state and clear · Reacting to flags live

Live links to flags (bind)

Shared — the shape is the same; the surfaces that offer it differ.

"bind": {
  "opacity": { "flag": "lamp_on", "map": { "true": 1, "false": 0.2 } }
}

Surfaces: sprites, objects, characters, backgrounds, panels, and others that list bind keys in their command page.

→ Reacting to flags live · character look: Expressions and packs

Click, hover, focus (hooks)

Shared vocabulary, per-surface events. The shape is the same; which events exist depends on the surface (screen button vs sprite vs choice item).

"interaction": {
  "focusable": true,
  "hit_test": "rect",
  "hooks": {
    "on_click": "screen:pause"
  },
  "hooks_override": {}
}

A menu button carries its action here — interaction.hooks.on_click. Verb inventory: Actions and hooks.

→ Buttons and actions · Sprites and objects

Looks per state (state_visual)

Shared. Per-interaction-state faces: normal, hover, focus, pressed, disabled, optional fallback_order.

Each state may set textures / modulate, source pack compose, shader_params, or a short animation / animations block (not both). shader on a state is clear-only (null to clear) — shader_params is kept when present.

→ Choice and input looks · Buttons and actions

Layering one look on another

Shared.

Nested source up to depth 3. Merge: missing = inherit; null = delete; "" = keep empty; present = override.

→ Reusing settings · Choice packs

Effects (shaders)

Per-surface. Accepts a bare string (a stem under shaders/) or an object, and null clears — but which forms and target values each surface allows differs:

Only char / bg / stage (and theme plates) take a bare string; the rest need the object.

Object keys:

panel and screens forbid full + direct.

Where an effect sits: one shader per slot / instance — the whole composited result — never per layer or per part:

• Character: one shader over the whole slot (all layers composited). Not per layer.
• Object: one shader over the whole instance; text parts take no shader.
• Sprite / background: one each.

Full-screen sticky: screen_shader.

→ Shaders

modulate and shader_params

Per-surface. modulate is the most inconsistent shared-looking key:

shader_params (uniforms) is a sibling of shader on char / bg / stage / obj; sprite and panel have no shader_params — put uniforms in the shader object’s params.

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