Adjust combat stats after playtest 1

Playtest 1 (first two pushes, ~40 min game time — pacing on target)
found the railgun_s-spam-cruiser meta and confirmed the repair tool as
overpowered (second signal after the persistent arena escort margin):

- repair_tool 9 -> 4 HP/s: the arena only prices in-fight sustain; real
  runs add free between-wave top-offs across the whole swarm
- railgun_l range 100 -> 130: now outranges stations (120), buying the
  siege role the capital ladder promises
- railgun_m 14 -> 16 dmg, range 70 -> 80: concentration tax softened so
  the ladder reads "pay some DPS efficiency for reach", not
  "strictly worse"
- new tracked arena: railgun_s-spam cruisers vs default cruisers

Module costs untouched, so all threat values stay valid. Docs updated
(derived.md, history.md playtest record, README status).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01DyCu8vwChKMbLJQ3xosYEN

docs/balancing/README.md

@@ -21,8 +21,11 @@ REQ-* ids in [../requirements.md](../requirements.md).
 
 First full balancing round complete (2026-07-06): targets → tree →
 numbers → threat-calculator parity → combat stats (arena-converged) →
-pacing. Next step: full-game playtests against the run-shape targets in
-`targets.md`.
+pacing. Playtesting in progress: playtest 1 (first two pushes) found the
+railgun_s-spam-cruiser meta and confirmed repair as overpowered — combat
+stats adjusted, see `history.md`. Next: re-run the arena suite against
+the adjustments, then continue playtests against the run-shape targets
+in `targets.md`.
 
 ## Open action items
 

docs/balancing/derived.md

@@ -94,10 +94,14 @@ geometry-validated against the hull grids)
 
 ## Combat stats
 
-(arena-converged, 2026-07; see `history.md` rounds 1–5)
+(arena-converged 2026-07, rounds 1–5; playtest-1 adjustments 2026-07-06 —
+see `history.md`)
 
 **Weapons:** railgun_s 2 dmg × 2.0 Hz (4.0 DPS), range 50 m;
-railgun_m 14 × 1.5 (21), range 70; railgun_l 52 × 0.8 (41.6), range 100.
+railgun_m 16 × 1.5 (24), range 80; railgun_l 52 × 0.8 (41.6), range 130.
+DPS per threat: s 0.62, m 0.55, l 0.41 — the concentration tax softened
+after playtest 1 so the ladder reads "pay some DPS efficiency for reach";
+railgun_l deliberately outranges stations (120 m) to buy the siege role.
 
 **Hull HP** (15/threat prior + empirical trims): drone 60, frigate 300,
 destroyer 550, cruiser 1500, battlecruiser 2400, battleship 6300,
@@ -109,8 +113,9 @@ destroyer 30|35|18|6|3, cruiser 24|25|12|4|2, battlecruiser 20|20|10|3|1.5,
 battleship 15|14|7|2|1, dreadnought/carrier 10|8|4|1|0.5.
 Sensors: 150/200/220/250/260/280/300/350 m.
 
-**Other modules:** armor_plates +1200 HP; repair_tool 9 HP × 1 Hz,
-range 80; salvager range 60, cargo 20, 0.5 collections/s; afterburner
+**Other modules:** armor_plates +1200 HP; repair_tool 4 HP × 1 Hz,
+range 80 (halved after playtest 1 — free between-wave top-offs were never
+priced by the arena escort test); salvager range 60, cargo 20, 0.5 collections/s; afterburner
 ×1.6 speed +60 accel; maneuvering_thrusters ×1.2 speed +10 maneuvering;
 sensor_booster +50 m; weapon_upgrade ×1.2 damage; weapon_primer ×1.2
 rate; weapon_stabilizer ×1.3 range ×0.8 rate.

docs/balancing/history.md

@@ -94,3 +94,34 @@ range 200).
   — ~1 expansion per cycle mid-game, 2–3 cycles apart late.
 - **First full balancing round complete.** Next: full-game playtests
   against the run-shape targets.
+
+## 2026-07-06 — playtest 1 (first two pushes)
+
+First real run: two enemy stations destroyed in ~40 min game time
+(~80 min real time with heavy build-pausing) — roughly on pace for the
+≤2 h game-time target, so pacing untouched.
+
+- **Meta finding: cruisers filled with 12× railgun_s dominate.** Predicted
+  by the numbers in hindsight: the concentration tax makes railgun_s the
+  best DPS/threat (0.62 vs m 0.48, l 0.41), range is the big guns' only
+  mechanical edge (armor is added HP, not damage reduction — no anti-swarm
+  mechanic), repair sustain covers the closing distance, and stations
+  outranged every ship gun (120 vs railgun_l's 100), so even capitals had
+  to tank-and-brawl. The cruiser compounds it: first hull with a large
+  1×1 canvas (12 cells) and a nearly quartz-free chain.
+- **Repair tool confirmed overpowered** (second signal after the
+  persistent +24% arena escort margin): the arena only prices in-fight
+  sustain; real runs add free full top-offs in every 15–45 s wave gap
+  across the whole swarm. The 0.7 HP/s-per-threat prior is wrong for
+  wave defence.
+- **Changes:** repair_tool 9→4 HP/s; railgun_l range 100→130 (now
+  outranges stations — buys the siege role the capital ladder promises);
+  railgun_m 14→16 dmg and range 70→80 (tax softened: m sits at 0.55
+  DPS/threat, between s and l). Module threats unchanged (costs
+  untouched), so no ladder recalculation needed.
+- New tracked arena added: railgun_s-spam cruisers (8× 178) vs default
+  cruisers (6× 233.5) — the spam side should win a brawl somewhat, but a
+  blowout means the small-gun premium needs retuning.
+- **Open:** re-run the arena suite to check the range/damage changes
+  against the round 1–5 results; next playtest should verify big guns now
+  feel worth climbing to and repair is merely good.