Scope cut: drive-only MVP (remove racing + economy)

Per user direction, the MVP is now simply driving cars on the expressway.
- Removed RaceManager and Economy modules entirely
- Slimmed Remotes to DataUpdated / SpawnCar / EquipCar
- ProfileTemplate now just remembers the last driven car (v2)
- Cars: dropped price/rep/upgrade fields; kept identity + driving stats
- CarManager: stat-based tuning only; RX-7 allowlist via GameConfig.canDrive
- DataManager: assign default car on join; downgrade RX-7 if de-allowlisted
- Client: replaced garage/economy UI with a simple car picker + respawn
- Docs: GDD/ROADMAP/README rewritten for drive-only; added docs/MESH_SWAP.md
- Gates: stylua clean, selene 0/0, rojo builds

docs/GDD.md

@@ -1,52 +1,38 @@
 # Game Design Document — Fast & Furious: Tokyo Expressway (MVP)
 
 ## Vision
-A progression-fantasy street racer. You start in a humble-but-iconic 1993 Mazda
-RX-7 and claw your way up to hypercars on a neon-drenched Tokyo expressway at night.
-Easy to pick up, satisfying to grind, fair to spend on.
+A neon Tokyo expressway you can cruise at night in cool cars — starting with a
+real 1993 Mazda RX-7. The long-term dream is a full street-racing simulator, but
+the **MVP is deliberately tiny: just drive.**
 
-## The one-sentence pitch
-"Start in the RX-7, own the expressway."
+## MVP scope (what's built) — JUST DRIVING
+- Spawn on a neon Tokyo expressway at night.
+- Drive a car around the highway (built on Roblox's reliable VehicleSeat).
+- Switch between cars via a simple "CARS" picker.
+- Respawn your car if you flip or fall off.
+- The **RX-7 is demo-locked** to the owner + son (Roblox UserId allowlist,
+  enforced server-side). Everyone else drives the public cars.
+- Your last car is remembered between sessions (ProfileStore).
 
-## Core loop (the addictive 60 seconds)
-1. **Spawn** on the expressway in your equipped car.
-2. **Race** the time-trial down the highway to the finish line.
-3. **Earn** cash + reputation for finishing.
-4. **Spend** in the Garage: upgrade your current car or buy the next tier.
-5. A faster car / better tune makes the next race feel better → back to step 1.
+That's it. No racing, no money, no rep, no upgrades, no daily rewards. The point
+of the MVP is to get the car feeling good on the road and be testable fast.
 
-Daily rewards + rising rep gates give a reason to come back tomorrow.
+## Why this cut
+Driving feel is the hardest, most important part of a car game. Everything else
+(racing, economy, progression) is worthless if the car isn't fun to drive. So the
+MVP nails driving first; the rest is layered on later once it feels right.
 
-## Pillars
-- **Progression fantasy** — junker → hypercar, always a visible next goal.
-- **Nighttime Tokyo vibe** — neon, speed, style.
-- **Fair monetization** — spending accelerates the grind, never buys wins.
-- **Server-authoritative** — no exploiting money or unlocking cars.
+## Pillars (for the eventual full game)
+- Progression fantasy — junker → hypercar (LATER).
+- Nighttime Tokyo vibe — neon, speed, style (NOW: the map).
+- Fair monetization (LATER).
+- Server-authoritative — no exploiting (NOW: allowlist + anti-cheat foundations).
 
-## MVP feature set (what's built)
-- 5-tier car catalogue; **RX-7 is the free starter** (Tier 2).
-- Drivable cars via VehicleSeat (proven, swap-in real mesh later).
-- Procedural expressway map with kill-walls (can't leave the road).
-- Garage + Dealership UI: view / buy / equip / upgrade.
-- Upgrade system: Engine / Tires / Nitro, cost-scaled with diminishing returns.
-- Solo time-trial race with server-validated payouts.
-- Reputation gates on higher-tier cars.
-- Daily login reward.
-- Robust saving via ProfileStore (session-locked, reconciling).
-- Basic movement anti-cheat.
+## Deferred (see ROADMAP)
+Racing, checkpoints, money/economy, reputation, upgrades, customization, daily
+rewards, traffic AI, leaderboards, monetization, crews/PvP, full city map.
 
-## Deliberately deferred (see ROADMAP)
-Traffic AI, head-to-head/drag racing, car customization cosmetics, crews/PvP,
-full city map, mobile-tuned optimization pass, monetization products.
-
-## Economy first-pass numbers (tune freely in `GameConfig`)
-- Start: $1,500, 0 rep, own the RX-7.
-- Race finish: +$650 (base+win) and +15 rep.
-- Daily: +$300, +10 rep.
-- Upgrades: base $500, ×1.6 per level, cap level 5 per part.
-- Car tiers: Junk $800 → S15 $12k (50 rep) → R34 $45k (180 rep) → Hyper $250k (600 rep).
-
-## Win condition / retention
-No hard "end" — the chase up the tiers plus daily rewards and (future) leaderboards
-supply the long tail. First-session goal: earn enough to feel one upgrade land
-inside the first 10 minutes.
+## Cars in the picker
+RX-7 (restricted), City Runabout (public default), Silvia S15, Skyline GT-R R34,
+and a stylized hypercar. Stats (Speed/Accel/Handling, 0-100) only affect driving
+feel — there are no prices or unlocks in the MVP.

docs/MESH_SWAP.md

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# Swapping the placeholder RX-7 for the real mesh (M1)
+
+Right now every car is a coloured block + a `VehicleSeat` so the game is drivable
+today. This is the **one file** you touch to make the RX-7 a real model:
+`src/server/CarManager.luau` → the `buildCarModel` function.
+
+Nothing else (saving, the allowlist, car switching, the map, anti-cheat) needs to
+change. That's the whole point of isolating model-building in one function.
+
+## Reference photos
+The real car's reference photos live on the NAS (too large to commit to git):
+
+```
+unraid-1:/mnt/user/data/yy-roblox-games/0-fast-n-furious-sim/001-1993 Mazda RX-7/
+```
+
+A single downscaled reference is included at `assets/reference/rx7-reference.png`
+for quick lookups.
+
+## Step 1 — Get a model into Roblox
+Options, easiest first:
+1. **Buy or find a free RX-7 FD model** on the Roblox Creator Marketplace/toolbox,
+   or
+2. **Model it** in Blender from the reference photos and import the mesh
+   (`.fbx`/`.obj`) via Studio's 3D importer, or
+3. Commission one.
+
+You want a single `Model` whose parts are welded together, with a clear "body"
+part you can drive. Keep the part count low (mobile perf).
+
+## Step 2 — Store it where Rojo/Studio can clone it
+Put the finished `Model` under `ReplicatedStorage` (e.g. a `CarModels` folder).
+Two ways to manage it:
+- **Simple:** keep it in the Studio place file as a real Instance (not synced by
+  Rojo). Fine for a single hero car.
+- **Version-controlled:** export the model to a `.rbxm` and reference it from the
+  Rojo project so it lives in git. See Rojo's `$path` docs for `.rbxm` model files.
+
+## Step 3 — Rewrite `buildCarModel` to clone the real mesh
+Replace the block-building body of `buildCarModel(car, maxSpeed, torque, turnSpeed)`
+with something like:
+
+```lua
+local CAR_MODELS = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("CarModels")
+
+local function buildCarModel(car, maxSpeed, torque, turnSpeed)
+    -- Look up a real model by car id; fall back to the block builder if missing.
+    local template = CAR_MODELS:FindFirstChild(car.Id)
+    if not template then
+        return buildBlockCar(car, maxSpeed, torque, turnSpeed) -- keep the old code as a fallback
+    end
+
+    local model = template:Clone()
+
+    -- Ensure it has a VehicleSeat named "DriveSeat" welded to the driving body.
+    local seat = model:FindFirstChild("DriveSeat")
+    if not seat then
+        seat = Instance.new("VehicleSeat")
+        seat.Name = "DriveSeat"
+        -- weld seat to model.PrimaryPart, position it in the cabin...
+        seat.Parent = model
+    end
+    seat.MaxSpeed = maxSpeed
+    seat.Torque = torque
+    seat.TurnSpeed = turnSpeed
+
+    assert(model.PrimaryPart, "Car model needs a PrimaryPart set")
+    return model
+end
+```
+
+Keep the current block-builder renamed as `buildBlockCar` so any car without a
+real mesh still works. That way you can import cars one at a time.
+
+## Step 4 (recommended, M1) — Move to a real chassis
+The `VehicleSeat` is great for "it drives today" but for real suspension/grip,
+adopt a proven **constraint chassis** (A-Chassis or a modern equivalent). At that
+point `buildCarModel` clones the chassis rig and attaches the RX-7 body to it.
+Still one function; still no changes elsewhere.
+
+## Verify
+- `rojo build --output build.rbxl` compiles.
+- In Studio: Play → you spawn in the real RX-7 → it drives → it saves.
+- Non-allowlisted test account still can't select the RX-7 (server enforced).

docs/ROADMAP.md

@@ -1,62 +1,60 @@
 # Roadmap — realistic solo-dev plan
 
-This replaces the original doc's optimistic 12-week timeline. It assumes **one
-part-time developer learning as they go**. Ship the vertical slice, then layer
-polish. Each milestone is independently playable/testable.
+Assumes **one part-time developer learning as they go**. The MVP is intentionally
+tiny — *just driving* — so there's a fun, testable thing FAST. Everything else is
+layered on only after the driving feels good.
 
-> Rule of thumb: the original guide's "weeks" are really "milestones." Expect
-> **4–8 months** of part-time work to a polished, launch-ready MVP. That's normal.
-> The goal of this order is that you always have something that *runs*.
+> Expect **months, not weeks** to a polished full game. That's normal. This order
+> guarantees you always have something that runs.
 
 ---
 
-## ✅ M0 — Vertical slice (DONE — this repo)
-Drive → race → earn → buy/upgrade → **save**. Server-authoritative. Placeholder
-RX-7 block car, procedural expressway. Proves the whole stack end to end.
+## ✅ M0 — Drive-only MVP (DONE — this repo)
+Spawn on the neon expressway, drive a car, switch cars, respawn. RX-7 demo-locked
+to owner + son. Cars persist between sessions. CI green on a self-hosted runner.
 
-## M1 — Make it feel good (the real work)
+## M1 — Make driving feel GOOD (the real work, do this next)
 - [ ] Import the **real RX-7 mesh**; swap `CarManager.buildCarModel` only.
-- [ ] Adopt a proven **constraint chassis** (A-Chassis or modern equivalent) for
-      real suspension/grip instead of the raw VehicleSeat. Do NOT hand-roll physics.
-- [ ] Tune driving feel: acceleration curve, grip, camera.
-- [ ] Sound: engine loop, boost, tire screech.
-**Exit test:** the RX-7 is genuinely fun to just drive around.
+      See `docs/MESH_SWAP.md` for the exact steps.
+- [ ] Adopt a proven **constraint chassis** (A-Chassis or a modern equivalent)
+      for real suspension/grip instead of the raw VehicleSeat. Do NOT hand-roll
+      physics.
+- [ ] Tune acceleration curve, grip, and the chase camera.
+- [ ] Sound: engine loop, tire screech, boost.
+**Exit test:** the RX-7 is genuinely fun to just drive around. Ship nothing else
+until this is true.
 
-## M2 — Race depth
-- [ ] Checkpoints + lap/segment timing (extend `RaceManager`).
-- [ ] Personal best times saved to profile.
-- [ ] A second race type (drag / point-to-point).
-- [ ] Countdown + results screen.
+## M2 — More cars + polish (still no racing)
+- [ ] Import a few more real car meshes.
+- [ ] Better map: more expressway sections, ramps, tunnels, scenery.
+- [ ] Day/night, weather mood.
 
-## M3 — Content & progression polish
-- [ ] Flesh out the 25-car catalogue across tiers.
-- [ ] Car customization cosmetics (rims, wraps, neon) — visual only for MVP.
-- [ ] Daily missions (not just login): "win 3 races", "earn $5k".
-- [ ] Tutorial for the first 10 minutes.
+## M3 — Racing (the first "game" layer)
+- [ ] Checkpoints + timing (a new RaceManager — the old one was removed in M0).
+- [ ] Personal best times.
+- [ ] Simple point-to-point and drag modes.
 
-## M4 — Systems hardening
-- [ ] Leaderboards (OrderedDataStore: top rep, fastest times).
-- [ ] Anti-cheat pass 2 (validate race times against car stats).
-- [ ] DataStore stress test / backup-version restore drill.
-- [ ] Performance pass: StreamingEnabled tuning, part budget, mobile test.
+## M4 — Progression & economy (only once racing is fun)
+- [ ] Money from races, a garage, buying/unlocking cars, upgrades, reputation.
+      (These systems existed as scaffolding and were cut for the MVP; reintroduce
+      them deliberately when they have a purpose.)
 
-## M5 — Monetization (only after it's fun)
-- [ ] 2× Cash gamepass (the classic first product).
-- [ ] VIP membership (daily bonus, cosmetic-only exclusives).
-- [ ] Nitro/boost dev-products — **never** pay-to-win on ranked races.
-- [ ] Receipt handling via ProfileStore `LastSavedData`.
+## M5 — Systems hardening & monetization
+- [ ] Leaderboards, anti-cheat pass 2, DataStore backup drill.
+- [ ] Performance pass (StreamingEnabled, part budget, mobile).
+- [ ] Fair gamepasses/products — never pay-to-win.
 
 ## M6 — Traffic AI (deferred hardest system)
-- [ ] Start with **spline-following** dummy cars on fixed paths (cheap, no lag).
-      Only attempt true pathfinding AI if performance allows.
-- [ ] Spawn/despawn by distance to keep part count sane.
+- [ ] Spline-following dummy cars first (cheap). True AI only if perf allows.
 
 ---
 
 ## Standing engineering rules
-- Every change must pass `stylua --check`, `selene`, and `rojo build` (CI enforces).
-- Keep the client dumb: it requests, the server decides. No exceptions for money.
-- Add new tunables to `GameConfig`, not scattered magic numbers.
+- Every change must pass `stylua --check`, `selene`, and `rojo build` — CI on the
+  self-hosted Gitea runner enforces all three on every push.
+- Keep the client dumb: it requests, the server decides. The RX-7 allowlist and
+  anti-cheat live server-side.
+- Add tunables to `GameConfig`, not scattered magic numbers.
 - Add a save key by adding it to `ProfileTemplate` (auto-reconciles); never remove
-  a key without a migration.
+  a key without a migration (bump `ProfileStoreName` `_vN` in dev to wipe).
 - Test in Studio after every server change (ProfileStore uses a mock store there).