Top-down Academy path

Target time: 20–30 minutes. Start with Top-Down Starter. Its player uses four-direction movement, zero world gravity, and a circular visual/collider.

1. Shape a route

Move the garden and stone islands to form two recognizable routes. Add a curated wall and resize its visual and collider deliberately. The collider should block the player without hiding a walkable gap.

2. Add a discovery moment

Place a Dialogue trigger beyond the optional route. Use a short heading and two or three sentences. Add a collectible nearby so exploration produces visible score feedback.

3. Add motion

Place a safe entity with Patrol AI. Start with a horizontal range of 80 and a moderate speed. Patrol is deterministic movement, not pursuit or combat; ensure the player cannot be trapped against a wall.

4. Test the whole loop

Use all four movement controls, read the dialogue, collect every item, and enter the finish portal. Confirm no entity begins outside the world and no pickup reports a missing player Inventory when you intend it to enter inventory.

References: dialogue, Patrol AI, and inventory.