Handoff

Build notes after the science pass. Play stays on the spec. This page is what not to simulate, what to log, and what done means.

In the syllabus

A continuous closed path lets current flow. An open switch or a gap stops it.
Current is the rate of flow of charge. I = Q/t. One ampere is one coulomb per second.
Q = It and t = Q/I are the same relation, with a different unknown.
An ammeter measures current and is connected in series.
In a metal, electrons are the charge carriers. Each carries 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.
One coulomb is the charge of nearly 6 × 10¹⁸ electrons.
Conventional current is taken opposite to electron flow.

Out of this mission

Potential difference, which the cutscene only asks about.
Resistance, Ohm’s law, and series or parallel resistors.
Heating effect, electric power, and brightness as a scored idea.
A full circuit solver. Current in this mission is an experiment setting, not V/R.

Do not teach

Do not say the bulb uses up the current.
Do not say electrons are consumed by the lamp.
Do not say reversing the cell keeps a good loop dark. The lamp still lights.
Do not show a damaged or exploding meter. A wrong connection makes the reading unusable.
Do not call the charge jar a school instrument. The ammeter is the instrument. The jar is a model.
Do not draw electrons to scale, or as something the player must click to select.
Do not teach potential difference, voltage, or resistance in this mission.
Do not label any line a CBSE previous-year question. That audit is not done.

Systems

Topology

Ports on the cell, switch, bulb, meter, and lamp. A wire is a seated plug. The lamp or bulb lights only if there is one closed path through the cell and a closed switch. Count of parts stays small. Snap radius is generous.

Current value

The dial sets I. The engine does not compute it from resistance. Time and charge follow I = Q/t in coulombs, seconds, and amperes. The unit ring converts milliamperes or minutes before a check.

Ammeter

Valid only when the meter is in the same path as the bulb or lamp. Clipped across the bulb, the needle is unusable and the trial stops. The marker snaps to a labelled tick.

Models

The lens does not change the circuit. The jar pictures charge accumulating. The swarm pictures nearly 6 × 10¹⁸ electrons per coulomb. Neither is a lab instrument.

Electron Dodger, optional

After the copper view is open, the student may steer Amp between the model electrons. A few hits and Amp overcharges, the round ends, and he resets. Skip is always there. No mastery flag, no miss count, no change to the circuit. Overcharge is the toy’s game-over, not a claim about real electrons.

Attempts

Only a committed try increments the miss count: Try, a released marker, wheels checked, a decade set, or arrows released. Fiddling does not.

Mastery flags

M1-A through M1-I are flags. The lamp and the cutscene play even if a flag is unset. A flag that needed the explanation can be earned on one skippable retry. Coins and the badge never gate a stage.

Question metadata

Store this beside any authored check. Game-facing words stay original. Do not paste a board paper into the scene.

source_type: NCERT, or a later verified CBSE paper
chapter: Electricity
subtopic: Electric current and circuit
concept_tags: current, charge, time, ammeter, electron, direction
cognitive_type: knowledge, application, or analysis
atomic_skills: identify, relation, units, calculation, interpretation
game_mechanic: snap, trace, mark, wheels, decade, twist, tile
feedback_mode: consequence, then hint, then explanation
mastery_condition: which flag, and whether the explanation was used

Events

mission1_started
component_inspected
circuit_committed
circuit_lit
circuit_dark
electron_view_opened
electron_poked
ammeter_placed
ammeter_invalid
current_marked
charge_predicted
charge_checked
decade_set
direction_committed
explanation_shown
hint_shown
retry_skipped
cutscene_finished
mission1_story_complete
mission1_mastered

Access

Bulb on or off, an open gap, and the needle tick must read without color.
Optional narration for Ohm’s lines.
No timer on a try. The player commits when ready.
Reduced motion: snaps and ticks remain, swarm drift stops.
Skip on the cutscene, and skip on Electron Dodger. Retry can be declined.
Text on the apparatus is short. The formula is spoken, not a wall of type.

Assets still to build

Locked cast: Amp, Pico, Wonder, Arav, Ohm, Leta, Asha, Bina, Deepa.
Bench kit: cell, bulb, knife switch, three cloth leads, generous ports.
Ammeter with two leads and a ticked scale.
Charge jar, current dial, clock hand, unit ring, charge wheels. Jar is a model.
Lens, electron swarm, decade dial, digit wheel, electron token.
Amp sprite for the optional Electron Dodger, inside the copper model. Not required to ship the core slice.
Two arrow tokens, plus tray, electron tray, three cards, six word tiles.
Street lamp with one dangling plug. Clinic lantern and pump stay unsolved.
Concept plates already in the visual bible are reference, not final game art.

Acceptance

Pressing Try on an open switch leaves the bulb dark and counts one miss. Unplugging counts none.
A reversed cell on a closed loop still lights the bulb.
An ammeter across the bulb gives an unusable reading and does not break the prop.
The marker seats on a labelled tick. It does not require a precise pixel.
One coulomb is accepted at about 6 × 10¹⁸ electrons. The player is not failed for missing 6.25.
The first charge prediction can be made while the relation is still hidden.
The third committed miss explains, and does not complete the action by itself.
The street lamp can light, and the cutscene can be skipped, with M1-I still unset.
No stage is locked behind coins.
No on-screen line teaches resistance, Ohm’s law, or potential difference.
Electron Dodger can be missing, or skipped, and the slice still passes. It never counts as a miss.