Sound and VFX checklist

Run this before calling audio or effects "done". Each line links back to the bug it prevents.

Sourcing and upload

• All audio comes from licensed online libraries (CC0 Kenney/OpenGameArt, Mixkit SFX), never the Toolbox. Toolbox audio from another creator plays as silence.
• No music from a library whose music licence forbids games. Mixkit's music licence does.
• CREDITS.md lists source URL and licence per file.
• Files are trimmed, loudness-normalised per group, limited, faded or loop-wrapped (tools/prep_sfx.py).
• Uploaded with the group that owns the game as creator. Personal uploads show "not approved" or play silent.
• Ids mapped into the registry by script.
• Every id preloads (IsLoaded, TimeLength > 0); failures have a fallback id.
• A human listened in Studio (the agent can't hear).

Registry

• One Sounds config with groups UI / SFX / Ambience / Music; gameplay code plays by name only.
• Victory and defeat stingers are not in Music. Muting music muted the win sound.
• supersedes set on milestone sounds. Two reward sounds stacked on one frame.
• Unknown names warn with the caller; a test checks every literal name used in source. "purchase" vs ui_purchase failed silently.
• No unused registry entries. train_complete existed and was never played.
• Each moment's sound has exactly one owner. The fanfare played twice from two systems.
• Loops stop when the owner dies. Wrecked vehicles kept their engine loops.
• Beds stop on destroy as well as on finish.
• Noisy repeats capped (voices, cooldown) and checked in the biggest fight.
• Repeated cues per event capped (≤ 5) and pitched up.

Music and ambience

• Composed music, never random-note generative. Players rejected it.
• Music default is quiet.
• One ambience bed per weather/state on a named layer.
• Battle bed follows intensity and camera distance.

VFX

• Effects are particles, beams and trails only; no Parts, spheres, Neon rings or physics debris. The developer rejected 3D puffs.
• One licensed texture pack, catalogued (grid, background, id).
• Explosions layered: flash, fire, smoke, sparks, debris, dust; offsets, rotation, staggered delays.
• Smoke is opaque with LightInfluence 1, in warm colours checked against rendered pixels. A cyan sky turned grey smoke blue.
• Verified in a playtest from the player's camera (particles freeze in edit mode).

FX controller

• Templates in ReplicatedStorage with Kind and EmitCount; all plays go through one FX controller.
• Pooled records carry a generation counter checked by every timer and handle. Stale timers parked reused effects mid-play.
• Per-class token-bucket budgets, live caps and culling; drop, don't queue.
• Low quality is the default on phones; counts halved, weather capped.
• No camera shake from thunder or other ambient events.
• Runtime sound and FX folders are Archivable = false in edit mode; place audited before publish. A saved sound pool played battle noise in every server.

Feedback

• Sound + burst + float text for collect, purchase, build, upgrade, level-up, tier-up, train complete, victory, reward, error.
• All of them go through one Feedback.moment helper.
• Every server event that matters has a client listener.