acdream/docs/research/2026-08-24-campaign-ca-test-script.md

Campaign CA — connected gate script (CA5, user-driven)

Purpose: live verification of the whole advancement chain against ACE after CA1–CA4 (1fc64984, 65430d4c, 57818959, 08b77e20). Everything below should be visible without a relog — that is the entire point of the campaign.

Character: use a SCRATCH character (owner decision 2026-08-24 — XP and skill credits will be spent, and the respec checks are destructive). A fresh character is ideal: low attribute costs mean many cheap raises.

Launch: the normal connected launch (ACDREAM_RETAIL_UI=1, live ACE at 127.0.0.1:9000). No diagnostic env vars needed. Useful ACE console helpers: @ci <wcid> to spawn gems, @grantxp, @grantskillcredits (see claude-memory/../memory/reference_ace_commands.md).

Open the Character panel (F9 / toolbar) before starting; keep the vitals bar visible throughout.

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1. Attribute raise → derived skills + run speed (the original #431)

Prep: bank some XP (@grantxp if the scratch character is too poor). Note current run speed by running a straight line; note the Run skill's displayed value and one other Quickness-fed skill (e.g. Melee Defense).

1. Raise Quickness by 1.
   • PASS: the attribute value updates when the server record lands (a round trip, not a relog); Run and every Quickness-fed skill row update in the same moment; XP remaining drops by the server's accounting.
2. Raise Quickness repeatedly until the formula contribution crosses a point (attribute current +2 → skill formula +1 for /2-divisor skills).
   • PASS: skill rows tick up as the attribute crosses each threshold.
3. Run before and after. With runrate_add_hooks active on ACE the server also re-broadcasts your movement speed mid-run.
   • PASS: run speed visibly increases after the raise — at latest on the next movement start. FAIL if speed only changes after relog.
4. While the raise is in flight (click and watch closely): the raise buttons ghost momentarily and un-ghost when the record lands.
   • PASS: brief ghost; no double-send on rapid double-click (the second click does nothing).

2. Endurance/Self raises → vitals maxima (the single-record quirk)

Note max health / max stamina / max mana from the vitals bar.

1. Raise Endurance by 1–2 points.
   • PASS: max health AND max stamina both move on the bar and the panel (ACE only pushes a Health record; the client-side fan-out must cover Stamina — research doc §4.1).
2. Raise Self.
   • PASS: max mana moves.
3. Sanity: current values don't jump wrongly (regen keeps ticking normally; watch ~10 s).

3. Direct vital raise + the retail raise-10 client bug (AP-73 CHECK)

1. Raise Max Health directly by 1.
   • PASS: bar max + panel update on the record; XP debits.
2. The deliberate failure case — this resolves the narrowed AP-73 row. Arrange XP so you can afford exactly ONE vital raise but not ten (spend down; the cost curve is steep so this is easy). The retail client bug ACE documents: the raise-10 button is enabled anyway. Click raise ×10.
   • EXPECTED from ACE: chat line "Your attempt to raise ... has failed." and NO stat change.
   • RECORD: do the raise buttons stay ghosted afterward?
     • If they un-ghost on their own → note what un-ghosted them (a regen tick counts as a quality change — that is retail-plausible and AP-73 can then RETIRE with that mechanism recorded).
     • If they stay ghosted until you close/reopen the panel → AP-73's symptom confirmed; report it and we decide the fix against the retail oracle (cdb on the live retail client if needed).

4. Skill raise

1. Select a TRAINED skill, raise ×1 and ×10.
   • PASS: ranks/value update on the record; XP debits; the "Your base skill is now N!" advancement line appears in the SpewBox with the advancement color.
2. Confirm an attribute-less skill (e.g. Salvaging, if trained) shows value = ranks-only progression and raises normally.

5. Train a new skill

Prep: ensure ≥ the DAT cost in skill credits (@grantskillcredits).

1. Select an UNTRAINED skill, click Train.
   • PASS: the skill flips to Trained on the record; credits drop by the DAT cost; chat: " trained. You now have N credits available."
2. NEGATIVE (silent-failure probe): nothing client-side should allow a wrong cost, so simply confirm no double-send on rapid clicks and that the button ghosts while awaiting.

6. Specialize / lower (SkillAlterationDevice)

Prep: @ci a Gem of Enlightenment (specialize) and a Gem of Forgetfulness (lower) — wcids per ACE's db (ask the console with @acecommands if unsure).

1. Use the Enlightenment gem on a TRAINED skill.
   • PASS: retail confirmation dialog appears; on accept, the skill flips to Specialized, credits drop, and the "You have succeeded specializing..." notice lands in chat (the 0x028B WeenieErrorWithString route).
   • Also confirm DECLINING the dialog changes nothing.
2. Use the Forgetfulness gem: Specialized → Trained, then Trained → Untrained.
   • PASS: each step updates the panel on the record and refunds credits per ACE's accounting; an untrained skill row returns to the untrained section with formula-only value.

7. Respec-adjacent (as far as ACE supports)

If ACE's Enlightenment/attribute-reset paths are reachable on this server (level requirements may block a scratch character — skip if so), exercise one and confirm the client tracks every pushed record without a relog. Otherwise mark N/A — the message shapes are identical to §6's, so §6 passing covers the client-side mechanism.

8. Regression sweep (5 minutes)

• Vitae/buff display still correct after raises (buff an attribute; panel shows effective + base pair; skill values include the buff through the formula).
• Logout/login: everything you raised persists and PlayerDescription agrees with what the live records showed (any mismatch = a parser bug — report exact numbers).
• Ordinary play smoke: run, jump, cast, fight one mob — nothing about movement feel changed outside the raises.

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Report back

Per section: PASS/FAIL plus anything odd. The three answers that matter most:

1. §1.3 — did run speed change live?
2. §2.1 — did max STAMINA move on an Endurance raise?
3. §3.2 — the AP-73 ghost question (un-ghosted by what / stayed stuck?).