A way out of a mission that is not wiping the campaign

state.active was only ever cleared by completing a job. A target can
end up behind concrete there is no way round, and the only exit was
holding R for five seconds - which does not drop the job, it destroys
every mile of wear, every road the enemy learned and the whole map you
built.

Park at any base with a job you have not started bringing home and the
board offers to take it off you for X. It costs 12m of front line, half
what dying costs: deciding a route is not worth it is a judgement the
game should let you make, and it cannot be free or the board becomes a
reroll button. Not offered on the return leg, since that arrival is a
hand-in and it is about to pay you.

Dropped jobs are counted apart from completed ones. They are not runs.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/core/input.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ export interface DriverInput {
   select: number | null;
   /** True on the frame M was pressed. Consumed on read. */
   toggleMute: boolean;
+  /** True on the frame X was pressed: give up the job in hand. Consumed on read. */
+  abandon: boolean;
 }
 
 const KEYS = {
@@ -19,6 +21,7 @@ const KEYS = {
   handbrake: ['Space'],
   respawn: ['KeyR'],
   mute: ['KeyM'],
+  abandon: ['KeyX'],
 } as const;
 
 const SELECT_KEYS = ['Digit1', 'Digit2', 'Digit3', 'Digit4'];
@@ -34,6 +37,7 @@ export function createInput(): {
   // landed between two fixed steps, and must not fire twice if it spans three.
   let pendingSelect: number | null = null;
   let pendingMute = false;
+  let pendingAbandon = false;
   /** Called on the first real interaction, to satisfy autoplay policy. */
   let onFirstGesture: (() => void) | null = null;
 
@@ -44,6 +48,7 @@ export function createInput(): {
     }
     if (!down.has(e.code)) {
       if (e.code === 'KeyM') pendingMute = true;
+      if (e.code === 'KeyX') pendingAbandon = true;
       const index = SELECT_KEYS.indexOf(e.code);
       if (index >= 0) pendingSelect = index + 1;
     }
@@ -57,6 +62,7 @@ export function createInput(): {
     down.clear();
     pendingSelect = null;
     pendingMute = false;
+    pendingAbandon = false;
   };
 
   window.addEventListener('keydown', onDown);
@@ -67,8 +73,10 @@ export function createInput(): {
     read: () => {
       const select = pendingSelect;
       const toggleMute = pendingMute;
+      const abandon = pendingAbandon;
       pendingSelect = null;
       pendingMute = false;
+      pendingAbandon = false;
       return {
         throttle: (held(KEYS.forward) ? 1 : 0) - (held(KEYS.back) ? 1 : 0),
         steer: (held(KEYS.left) ? 1 : 0) - (held(KEYS.right) ? 1 : 0),
@@ -76,6 +84,7 @@ export function createInput(): {
         respawn: held(KEYS.respawn),
         select,
         toggleMute,
+        abandon,
       };
     },
 

src/main.ts

@@ -61,6 +61,14 @@ export const DEBUG = new URLSearchParams(location.search).has('debug');
 const SIGHT_RADIUS = 85;
 /** Seconds R must be held down to wipe the save and start a fresh campaign. */
 const RESET_HOLD_SECONDS = 5;
+/**
+ * Metres of front line given up for walking away from a job.
+ *
+ * Half what dying costs (`KIA_LAND_LOSS`). Deciding a route is not worth it is
+ * a judgement the game should let you make, but it cannot be free, or the board
+ * becomes a reroll button: park, dislike the route, drop it, take another.
+ */
+const ABANDON_LAND_LOSS = 12;
 
 function resolveSeed(): number {
   const raw = new URLSearchParams(location.search).get('seed');
@@ -480,6 +488,33 @@ async function boot() {
           // Checkpoint: taking a job is a decision worth not having to make twice.
           persistence.checkpoint(elapsed, snapshot());
         }
+      } else if (base && stopped && quests.active && quests.active.stage !== 'return') {
+        // Parked somewhere friendly with a job you have not started bringing
+        // home. There has to be a way out of one: a target can end up behind
+        // concrete there is no way round, and the only exit used to be holding
+        // R for five seconds, which does not drop the job — it destroys the
+        // whole campaign. Not offered on the return leg, because that arrival
+        // is a hand-in and stepQuest is about to pay you for it.
+        if (openBase !== base.nodeId) {
+          openBase = base.nodeId;
+          board.showActive(base, MISSION_SHAPE[quests.active.type].label.toLowerCase());
+          audio.ui('open');
+        }
+        if (cmd.abandon) {
+          const dropped = failQuest(quests);
+          // Walking away is cheaper than dying, and it still costs the war
+          // something. Otherwise the board is a free reroll: park, dislike the
+          // route, drop it, take another.
+          applyMissionImpact(front, -ABANDON_LAND_LOSS);
+          board.hide();
+          openBase = null;
+          audio.ui('open');
+          say(
+            `${MISSION_SHAPE[dropped!.type].label} dropped. That is ground somebody else has to take back.`,
+            6,
+          );
+          persistence.checkpoint(elapsed, snapshot());
+        }
       } else if (openBase !== null) {
         openBase = null;
         board.hide();

src/physics/physics.test.ts

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ const IDLE: DriverInput = {
   respawn: false,
   select: null,
   toggleMute: false,
+  abandon: false,
 };
 
 /** Rapier runs headless, so vehicle tuning is checkable without a browser. */

src/ui/board.ts

@@ -89,6 +89,26 @@ export function createBoard() {
           .join('')}</ol>
         <footer>press 1–${offers.length} to accept</footer>`;
     },
+
+    /**
+     * What a base has to say to somebody who turns up still carrying a job.
+     *
+     * There has to be a way out of a mission. A target can end up behind
+     * concrete you cannot get round, and until now the only exit was holding R
+     * for five seconds — which does not drop the job, it destroys the campaign.
+     */
+    showActive(base: Base, label: string) {
+      el.classList.add('open');
+      el.innerHTML = `
+        <h2>${base.name}</h2>
+        <ol><li>
+          You are still carrying: ${label}.
+          <div class="meta">Nobody here will take it off your hands, and nobody
+          here will hold the board open while you decide.</div>
+        </li></ol>
+        <footer><span class="key">[X]</span> give it up — we lose ground for it</footer>`;
+    },
+
     hide() {
       el.classList.remove('open');
     },

src/ui/hud.ts

@@ -153,7 +153,8 @@ export function createHud(seed: number) {
         `[debug] area ${bar(model.heat.area)}`,
         '',
         `seed ${seed}`,
-        `WASD drive · space handbrake · R respawn · M sound ${model.muted ? 'off' : 'on'}`,
+        `WASD drive · space handbrake · R respawn · X drop job at a base` +
+          ` · M sound ${model.muted ? 'off' : 'on'}`,
         'hold R to reset the campaign',
       ];
       if (model.resetProgress > 0.06) {