Lesson 244: Q3 Summer Playtest Capstone Receipt (2026)

Direct answer: Q3 2027 summer playtest closes when q3_summer_playtest_capstone_v1.json links eight child receipts from Lessons 236–243, proves build_label alignment across art hash, Windows audio init, save isolation, feedback taxonomy, NPC inference batch, analytics allowlist, itch WASM heap, and highlight consent, and points to Q2 capstone (235) plus H2 capstone (223) so July playtest scale is not “wave GREEN, shipping or fest hardening RED.”

Why this matters now (July 2027 playtest scale gate)

July 2027 producers filed eight playtest receipts—sprite sheet hash, Wwise DSP init, Godot save isolation, Steam feedback tags, Sentis NPC batch, Construct analytics, itch WASM heap cap, OBS clip consent—but partners still ask: “Is this build_label safe to invite five hundred playtesters on Steam + itch?” Thursday BUILD_RECEIPT review needs one Q3 Capstone section, not eight Discord threads.

This lesson closes arc 236–244 (same pattern as Lesson 235 Q2 capstone). Pairs FMOD playtest snapshot spot preflight, 18 playtest feedback tools, and Wednesday demo smoke.

Beginner path (60-minute capstone audit)

Time: ~60 minutes when child lessons done; 90 minutes first full Q3 audit.

Developer path (gates S1–S11)

Child receipt crosswalk

S2 cousin note: Lesson 226 wwise_dsp_packaged_receipt_v1 is Q1 inventory—capstone checks 237 init path only.

S8 cousin note: Lesson 224 MKV gap recovery may be n/a per clip—capstone checks 243 consent manifest, not reencode schema.

q3_summer_playtest_capstone_v1.json

{
  "schema": "q3_summer_playtest_capstone_v1",
  "build_label": "summer-playtest-2027-rc1",
  "arc_lessons": ["236", "237", "238", "239", "240", "241", "242", "243", "244"],
  "receipts": {
    "236": "sprite_sheet_hash_receipt_v1.json",
    "237": "wwise_dsp_init_receipt_v1.json",
    "238": "playtest_save_isolation_receipt_v1.json",
    "239": "playtest_feedback_tag_receipt_v1.json",
    "240": "sentis_npc_batch_receipt_v1.json",
    "241": "construct_playtest_analytics_receipt_v1.json",
    "242": "wasm_heap_cap_receipt_v1.json",
    "243": "playtest_clip_consent_receipt_v1.json"
  },
  "receipt_paths": {
    "236": "release-evidence/art/SPRITE_SHEET_HASH_RECEIPT.json",
    "237": "release-evidence/audio/WWISE_DSP_INIT_RECEIPT.json",
    "238": "release-evidence/saves/PLAYTEST_SAVE_ISOLATION_RECEIPT.json",
    "239": "release-evidence/playtest/PLAYTEST_FEEDBACK_TAG_RECEIPT.json",
    "240": "release-evidence/ai/SENTIS_NPC_BATCH_RECEIPT.json",
    "241": "release-evidence/html5/CONSTRUCT_PLAYTEST_ANALYTICS_RECEIPT.json",
    "242": "release-evidence/phaser/WASM_HEAP_CAP_RECEIPT.json",
    "243": "release-evidence/playtest/vod/PLAYTEST_CLIP_CONSENT_RECEIPT.json"
  },
  "prior_arc_pointers": {
    "q2_spring_fest_shipping": {
      "lesson": "235",
      "schema": "q2_spring_fest_capstone_v1",
      "path": "release-evidence/capstone/Q2_SPRING_FEST_SHIPPING_CAPSTONE.json",
      "required_for_q3_promotion": true
    },
    "h2_fest_hardening": {
      "lesson": "223",
      "schema": "h2_fest_hardening_capstone_v1",
      "path": "release-evidence/capstone/H2_FEST_HARDENING_CAPSTONE.json",
      "required_for_q3_promotion": true
    }
  },
  "gates": {
    "S1_sprite_sheet_hash": "pass",
    "S2_wwise_dsp_init": "pass",
    "S3_playtest_save_isolation": "pass",
    "S4_playtest_feedback_tags": "pass",
    "S5_sentis_npc_batch": "pass",
    "S6_construct_playtest_analytics": "pass",
    "S7_wasm_heap_cap": "pass",
    "S8_playtest_clip_consent": "pass",
    "S9_build_label_crosswalk": "pass",
    "S10_prior_capstones_linked": "pass",
    "S11_capstone": "pass"
  },
  "q3_summer_playtest_promotion_allowed": true
}

Pin under release-evidence/capstone/Q3_SUMMER_PLAYTEST_CAPSTONE.json.

BUILD_RECEIPT capstone row

CI verify_q3_summer_playtest_capstone_v1 fails when q3_summer_playtest_promotion_allowed is false and July playtest invite flag is set.

Key takeaways

1. Capstone = wiring Lessons 236–243—not re-running CSP export, VM boot probes, or ffmpeg concat from scratch.
2. build_label joins art, audio, saves, tags, AI batch, analytics, WASM, and VOD rows (S9).
3. Lesson 237 ≠ 226—init path vs packaged inventory (S2).
4. Lesson 239 taxonomy feeds triage for 241 analytics_pii and 242 wasm_heap_cap tags—do not fork emoji strings.
5. Lesson 240 batch receipt stays separate from Lesson 216 deploy schema (S5).
6. Lesson 243 blocks public reels without highlight_concat_ok—stereo WAV metadata alone is insufficient (S8).
7. Lesson 235 Q2 still required—July playtest on a depot that failed May shipping fails partner audit (S10).
8. Lesson 223 H2 still required—fest hardening baseline (S10).
9. Q3 arc 236–244 closed — Course-Planner refill required for next live-ops wave.
10. Thursday review lists 236–243 pass/fail in one Q3 Capstone section.
11. FMOD playtest snapshot spot preflight is optional WebGL audio sibling—not in this eight-pack.
12. Pair Guide queue #9–16 on the next scale arc (Bevy crash label, Ren'Py save language, Unreal minidump, etc.).
13. Q4 July scale close: Lesson 253 wires 245–252 with pointer back to this capstone (R10).

Common mistakes

• Filing capstone while 239 taxonomy_ok is false but Discord pins look “fine.”
• Promoting playtest invite while 242 20-minute heap snapshot fails.
• sentis_npc_batch GREEN but 216 deploy receipt RED—batch does not replace deploy.
• Different build_label on 241 vs 242 itch artifact.
• Skipping 235 because “Q3 is a new arc.”
• Re-running sprite hash export in capstone instead of reading 236 receipt.

Troubleshooting

Mini exercise (85 minutes)

1. Mismatch one child build_label—confirm S9 fails.
2. Fix crosswalk; verify eight paths resolve.
3. Confirm 243 highlight_concat_ok without re-running ffmpeg in capstone.
4. Link 235 + 223 capstone JSON paths.
5. File q3_summer_playtest_capstone_v1.json.
6. Run Thursday review Q3 Capstone section.

Continuity — Q3 arc close (236–244)

Previous: Lesson 243 — OBS playtest clip consent
Next: Lesson 245 — Bevy playtest crash build_label receipt — Q4 scale hardening opens
Prior shipping arc: Lesson 235 — Q2 spring fest shipping capstone
Prior fest arc: Lesson 223 — H2 fest hardening capstone

FAQ

Same as Lesson 235?
235 wires 230–234 May shipping; 244 wires 236–243 June–July playtest.

Same as Lesson 229?
229 is Q1 post-fest recovery; 244 is Q3 playtest wave receipts.

Need FMOD WebGL in this capstone?
Optional sibling—FMOD playtest spot preflight + Lesson 228 for itch audio; not in the eight-pack.

Course-Planner next?
Q3 queue 236–244 is complete — Course-Planner refill required before the next go expects new lessons.

One capstone row for Q3 summer playtest—or July invites are eight receipts and zero accountability.