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ryan e3df1cc5c0 feat: Implement kinematic-to-ragdoll transition system

- Added KINEMATIC_BLENDING_AND_RECOVERY.md to outline features for smooth transitions between kinematic and ragdoll states, including visual and physical blending, and ragdoll recovery.
- Introduced KINEMATIC_TO_RAGDOLL.md detailing the objectives, scope, and core architecture for transitioning the stickman from kinematic to ragdoll mode.
- Created KINEMATIC_TO_RAGDOLL_SPEC.md as an implementation specification, verifying codebase facts and correcting the initial plan based on Godot 4.4 source.
- Enhanced StickmanRig with state management for animated and ragdoll modes, including momentum preservation and ragdoll construction.
- Updated physics_test_harness to support toggling between kinematic and ragdoll states with user input.

2026-08-27 00:05:17 -04:00

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Technical Debt & Optimization Log

Overview

This document tracks known technical debt, optimization opportunities, and minor improvements for the Stickman Studio project. Items are prioritized by impact and effort. Update this log as issues are identified, resolved, or deprioritized.

Current Observations

#	Issue	Priority	Status	Notes
1	Neck Joint Free Rotation — The head can spin 360° during violent ragdoll tumbles, which looks unnatural.	Medium	Open	Consider adding `angular_limit_enabled = true` with ±45° limits and low stiffness to allow natural lolling while preventing full rotations.
2	Torso Capsule Origin — The torso capsule's local origin should be at its midpoint for natural rotation. Currently derived from bone distance; verify alignment.	Low	Open	Test by rotating the torso body in ragdoll mode — it should spin about its center, not its top. Adjust `position` offset if needed.
3	Collision Layers Separation — Bodies and terrain share layer 1/mask 1. This may cause self‑collision issues (limbs clipping through each other) under high stress.	Low	Open	Future enhancement: assign ragdoll limbs to layer 2, terrain to layer 1, and use masks to allow limb‑limb collision only where desired.
4	Performance (Ragdoll Pooling) — Spawning 10 bodies + 9 joints procedurally is fine for a single rig. If the scene ever contains dozens of ragdolls, consider a pooling system to avoid allocation spikes.	Low	Open	Not needed now, but worth noting if scaling to large crowds.
5	Line2D ↔ Capsule Radius Match — Limbs use `Line2D` width 16, ragdoll capsules radius 8. These align visually.	✅ Resolved	Closed	Verified during implementation. No action needed.
6	Recovery Animation Starting Pose — The `stand_up` animation must work from any captured ragdoll pose. Currently uses a fixed start frame.	High	Open	Investigate blending the captured pose with the animation's first keyframe using an additive blend or a `SkeletonModification` that interpolates.
7	Transition Visual Pop — The crossfade between kinematic and ragdoll currently uses a simple `modulate.a` lerp. This may cause ghosting if the kinematic and ragdoll poses are misaligned.	Medium	Open	Ensure the kinematic skeleton is snapped to the ragdoll pose before the fade begins (or vice versa) to avoid double‑exposure.
8	Rest Timeout UI — The director can adjust `rest_timeout` via inspector, but there is no in‑world UI in the physics harness yet.	Low	Open	Add a slider or spinbox to the harness UI for easier tuning.
9	Animation Generation DRY — `create_walk.gd` is a standalone script. It should be merged into a unified `create_animations.gd` that also generates `stand_up` and idle animations.	Medium	Open	Refactor to support parameterized generation (profile, duration, target pose).
10	Rig Collision Proxy Re‑addition — The proxy is re‑added on ragdoll exit, but may cause a brief visual pop if it appears while the kinematic rig is visible.	Low	Open	Consider delaying proxy re‑addition until after the recovery animation completes, or fading it in.

Suggested Future Improvements (Beyond Current Scope)

Improvement	Description	Priority
Soft Transition Blending	Add physical blending (joint stiffness ramp) to complement visual crossfade.	Medium
Ragdoll Recovery Interruptibility	Allow the director to force a mode switch mid‑recovery (e.g., if they want the character to ragdoll again immediately).	Low
Multiple Rig Support	Ensure all state variables are instance‑specific (already true) and that the harness can manage multiple rigs.	Future
Animation Blending (IK vs. Physics)	Blend between the animation‑driven pose and the ragdoll pose during transition to prevent snapping.	Future
Save/Load for Ragdoll State	Save the current ragdoll pose to `.stk` (e.g., for storyboarding a fall).	Future

How to Use This Log

New Issues: Add a row with #, description, Priority (Low/Medium/High), Status (Open/In Progress/Resolved/Deprecated), and Notes.
Resolving Issues: Change Status to Resolved and add a note with the date and fix details.
Deprioritizing: If an issue is no longer relevant, mark it Deprecated with a brief reason.
Quarterly Review: Revisit this log every major milestone to reassess priorities.

Change Log

Date	Change
2026-08-26	Initial creation — migrated observations from Phase 10 review.

End of Log

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