Ghostline

Ghostline is a connected Cyberpunk 2077 quest-mod series built as a WolvenKit project. Its quests follow a covert broker collective uncovering Quiet Spine, an identity-laundering network that treats memories, bodies, and civic infrastructure as interchangeable parts.

Quest Series

Quest	Title	Status
gq000	Original prototype	Superseded story; reusable runtime baseline
gq001	Ghostline	First canonical quest; extends and replaces gq000
gq002	The Machine Stops	Canonical
gq003	Black Lantern	Canonical preproduction

The series index owns story order, shared cast, voice design, continuity, and the template for future quests. Each quest README owns its build and focused test commands.

Start Here

Clone the repository with its submodules, then work from the repository root:

git submodule update --init --recursive
py -B -m unittest discover -s tests -v

The normal development loop is:

1. Change plain authoring inputs under quests, characters, or braindance, or edit CR2W-JSON under source/raw.
2. Run the owning generator and focused tests documented by the relevant quest or authoring guide.
3. Validate generated raw resources before converting them to packed CR2W.
4. Build the complete archive from source/archive.
5. Stage the loose files from source/resources beside the archive.
6. Install and record runtime evidence on a suitable save.

See the development workflow for the common commands and the build/package guide before producing an installable archive.

Documentation

• Documentation map — choose a guide by task.
• Quest series — narrative and per-quest implementation ownership.
• Automated testing — repository and focused test gates.
• Runtime testing — current candidates and dated in-game evidence.
• Tool catalog — complete helper-command reference.
• Agent guide — source-of-truth and task-routing rules.

Repository Layout

Path	Ownership
quests/story/ghostline	Series bible, quest design, scripts, compiler manifests, and per-quest build commands
quests/examples, quests/tests	Generic compiler examples and isolated gqt### test quests
characters	Character manifests and catalogs, neutral frame shells, and tooling-owned component libraries
braindance	Performance specs, rig contracts, templates, and render presets
source/raw	Editable CR2W-JSON for packed resources
source/archive	Packed/game-ready CR2W resources; never edit these binaries as text
source/resources	Loose ArchiveXL, TweakXL, REDscript, and configuration resources
docs	Cross-cutting workflows, authoring guides, references, and history
reference	Local serialized game references and generated selection indexes
tools	Generators, validators, explorers, and the pinned ghostline-red submodule
generated	Ignored reproducible build, audition, and preview output
converted, packed, .tmp	Ignored build and staging outputs
modding_docs	Read-only local modding reference submodule

Source Rules

• Do not edit source/archive resources as text, including binary resources whose depot names end in .json.
• Edit source/raw when changing a packed CR2W resource. Convert and verify the result with the native template-backed workflow or WolvenKit where required.
• Plain manifests under quests, characters, and braindance are authoring inputs, not packed resources.
• A scoped archive pack includes source/archive only. It does not include ArchiveXL, TweakXL, REDscript, or configuration files from source/resources.
• Search modding_docs before guessing at Cyberpunk-specific behavior.
• Treat GraphEditorStates as editor support data, not packed source.

Runtime Dependencies

Ghostline uses ArchiveXL for quest, journal, localization, streaming, and resource registrations. It uses TweakXL for custom character, faction, item, and encounter records. Individual quest or character guides document any additional dependency or expansion requirement.