When the Bug Breaks Before You Do

A multi-day struggle with a persistent bug. The issue involved combat timing: ships weren't showing their dramatic "destroyed" flair until the start of the next turn.

I attempted numerous debugging strategies including:

• Roleplaying prompts (consultant, zookeeper)
• Workflow phase breakdown
• Code explanation requests
• Debugger subagents
• Extended reasoning ("ultra-think")
• Prompt optimization
• Detailed variable tracking across frames
• Consultation with ChatGPT for improved prompting

After six hours of unsuccessful attempts, a final standard approach unexpectedly resolved the issue. The ships now displayed destruction animations at the correct moment, and combat pacing felt properly balanced.

It was just the luck of the dice — one more roll, one more try, and this time it came up in my favor.