Standout Builder Studio · planning Index / Examples / Variant · Trunk Raider: Overdrive review Updated 12 Jun 2026

Worked example · Trunk Raider: Overdrive (config-only variant)

A builder wants a higher-volatility cut of Trunk Raider: same mechanic, same pick-em structure, no engine changes — just four config knobs pushed toward more extreme outcomes. This example traces the config diff, the Math-Sim proof run that validates it, the human math-owner gate that separates a tune from a reskin, and the resulting sandbox session. The math gate is the story.


The path

At the Build Path Picker, the builder selects Tune (config-only variant) — the path that branches from an existing mechanic and allows config field changes, but no mechanic code changes. The base game chosen is Trunk Raider (trunk-raider in the mechanics library — certified, RTP 96.0%, turn-based pick-em with bonus escalation).

What the Tune path unlocks
A Tune path gives the builder write access to every config field in the TrunkRaiderConfig schema — betting limits, multiplier ranges, bonus thresholds, and the free-round counts. Volatility retuning is the canonical use case: push the multiplier ceiling up, raise the threshold for bonuses to trigger, and the game plays harder with the same base mechanic. The scaffold PR is auto-raised against the certified base-game reference; no mechanic changes are permitted within this path.
What the Tune path locks — and what it costs
Mechanic code is read-only for the duration of the Tune path. No changes to the pick-em logic, bonus state machine, or RNG calls are permitted — those require the New Mechanic path. More importantly: math-owner approval is REQUIRED before the build can be promoted from sandbox. Any config field tagged "affects RTP / volatility / max win" triggers the math gate. A reskin skips this gate entirely; a tune hits it every time. That is the difference between an hours-scale path and a day-scale path. See the mechanic record for the full certified config schema.

The diff

Trunk Raider: Overdrive changes exactly four config fields. Everything else is inherited verbatim from the base game. The table below shows all changed and unchanged rows; tunes are judged by their deltas — the smaller the diff, the easier the Math-Sim proof.

Note on defaultRtp: it is inherited unchanged at 0.96 (96%). This is intentional — the target stays the same. The Math-Sim agent must prove that the new, more extreme multiplier ranges and adjusted thresholds still land on that target within tolerance. That proof is what the math gate is for.

TrunkRaiderConfig — base vs Trunk Raider: Overdrive v0.2.1 CONCEPT · base values are real trunk-raider defaults
Field Group Base (Trunk Raider) Build (Overdrive v0.2.1)
minBet
Minimum bet amount
Betting 0.25 0.25
maxBet
Maximum bet amount
Betting 1000 1000
defaultRtp
RTP target — must be proved by sim
Math & RTP 0.96 (96%) 0.96 (96%)
cheatCodeThreshold
Rounds needed for Cheat Code bonus
Bonuses 65 65
informantFreeRounds
Free rounds granted on Informant
Bonuses 5 5
cheatCodeFreeRounds
Free rounds granted on Cheat Code
Bonuses 10 10
winMultiplier
Base win multiplier range
Math & RTP {0.1–5.1}× {0.1–5.1}× {0.05–8.0}×
cheatCodeFirstPickMultiplier
Cheat Code first-pick multiplier range
Math & RTP {0.1–1.9}× {0.1–1.9}× {0.1–2.6}×
silentPickThreshold
Rounds needed for Silent Pick bonus
Bonuses 15 15 12
informantThreshold
Rounds needed for Informant bonus
Bonuses 32 32 40

Four changed fields out of the full config. Tunes are judged by their deltas — the diff is the proof surface the math owner reviews.


The Math-Sim report

The Math-Sim agent consumes the saved config and runs a 10-million-round simulation, producing an RTP proof artefact and a volatility/max-win summary. This is the primary evidence the math owner reviews when the gate opens. The sim is queued automatically when the last math-touching field is saved.

Math-Sim report · rtp-proof #341 · Trunk Raider: Overdrive v0.2.1 CONCEPT · illustrative numbers
RTP · observed vs target
95.97% vs 96.00% ±0.25
PASS
Volatility class
Medium-High High
class change
Max win observed
510× 800×
ceiling raised
Hit frequency
41.2% 33.8%
rounds per win up

10M rounds · these figures are illustrative; the RTP pass / tolerance band and the version reference (95.97% vs 96.00 ±0.25) are consistent with the agent feed in Architecture · agent workforce.

09:35:00
Math-Sim
Claimed work item rtp-proof #341 — running simulation against config v0.2.1
claimed
10:50:00
Math-Sim
Sim complete: RTP 95.97% (target 96.00 ±0.25) · volatility High · max win 800× — needs-review
needs-review
11:30:00
Math owner
Approved rtp-proof #341 — RTP within tolerance, volatility class confirmed
approved

The gate

The validation panel for this build mirrors the step-5 hi-fi mock in Vision, titled "Validation · Trunk Raider: Overdrive v0.2.1". Two states are shown below: the gate panel before the sim completes, and after the math owner approves.

State A — sim pending (initial)

When the builder first opens validation, the sim is queued but not yet complete. The RTP sim proof gate shows a Warn — the last proof was for a prior version and does not cover the new config. The math gate row is amber: it cannot resolve until the sim proof is attached.

Validation · Trunk Raider: Overdrive v0.2.1 — before approval CONCEPT · proposed
PASS
Manifest completeness
Package definition, mechanic record link, and target fields present
auto
PASS
Math config schema
All TrunkRaiderConfig fields valid; ranges within schema bounds
auto
WARN
RTP sim proof
Sim pending — last proof was v0.1.9; config v0.2.1 not yet proved
sim pending
WARN
Math-owner approval
Needs math-owner approval — unlocks after RTP sim proof passes
human gate
PASS
Asset completeness
Lobby tile, hero art, and copy strings present for en-AU
auto
PASS
Jurisdiction scope
Target jurisdictions match certified mechanic's approved market list
auto

State B — sim complete, math owner approves

The Math-Sim agent posts the sim result to the work item. The math owner reviews the proof (RTP 95.97% vs target 96.00% ±0.25 — PASS, volatility class now High) and approves. Both gates move to green.

10:50:00
Math-Sim
Sim complete: RTP 95.97% (target 96.00 ±0.25) — PASS. Volatility class: High. Proof attached to rtp-proof #341.
sim pass
11:30:00
Math owner
Approved rtp-proof #341 — RTP within tolerance, volatility class confirmed. Build cleared for sandbox-to-promote.
approved
Validation · Trunk Raider: Overdrive v0.2.1 — after approval CONCEPT · proposed
PASS
Manifest completeness
auto
PASS
Math config schema
auto
PASS
RTP sim proof
rtp-proof #341 — RTP 95.97% vs 96.00% ±0.25 → PASS
auto + sim
PASS
Math-owner approval
Approved by math owner at 11:30:00 — volatility class High confirmed
human ✓
PASS
Asset completeness
auto
PASS
Jurisdiction scope
auto

All gates green. The build is cleared for sandbox-to-promote.

Why this gate doesn't exist on the reskin path
A reskin inherits the certified math record intact — no config change, no sim required, no math owner involved. The gate only opens when a config field tagged "affects RTP / volatility / max win" is written. That is the structural reason a reskin takes hours and a tune takes a day: the human gate dominates. The gate is not a failure of the tooling — it is the correct response to changing a number that affects player outcomes.

The clock

Elapsed time from path choice to playable sandbox session, in hours:minutes. Agent steps are fast; the human gate dominates.

0:00
Path chosen
Tune selected in the Build Path Picker; base game set to Trunk Raider; scaffold PR auto-raised
0:15
Diff staged
Four config fields updated in the Builder; Math-Sim agent queued automatically on last field save
0:35
Sim queued
Math-Sim agent claims work item rtp-proof #341; 10M-round simulation begins
1:50
Sim PASS
RTP 95.97% vs 96.00% ±0.25 — PASS; volatility class High; proof attached and work item moved to needs-review
2:30
Math owner approves
Math owner reviews RTP proof and volatility class change; approves rtp-proof #341; all validation gates green
3:10
Sandbox session
Builder opens Launch Lab; sandbox session provisioned; first pick resolved in Trunk Raider: Overdrive

Three hours and ten minutes from "Add a game" to a live sandbox session. The sim takes seventy-five minutes; the math owner's review window accounts for most of the rest. A day-scale path, dominated by the human gate — which is the point.