---
name: kq4-caption-creator
description: Generate AI image generation captions for King's Quest IV room scenes. Use when creating caption variations for KQ4 room backgrounds based on visual analysis of original Sierra game screenshots. Requires analyzing pic_XXX_visual.png files and generating 3 detailed caption files per room focusing on natural landscape descriptions for oil painting style generation.
---

# KQ4 Room Caption Creator

## Overview

This skill generates 3 caption variations per King's Quest IV room scene for AI image generation. Each caption describes the room's composition from a bird's-eye perspective in detailed, painterly terms, focusing on natural textures, spatial depth, and atmospheric lighting rather than the original 16-color pixel art style. You will describe it as if it were a painting.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:
- Creating caption files for new KQ4 rooms
- Regenerating or improving existing captions
- Adding caption variations (up to 3 per room)
- Working with room images in `./kq4-sierra-decompile/rooms/kq4-<ROOM>/pic_<ROOM>_visual.png e.g., ./kq4-sierra-decompile/rooms/kq4-001-beach/pic_001_visual.png

## Caption Format Requirements

### Mandatory Opening
Every caption MUST start with exactly:
```
kq5hoyos, wtp style, sylvain. oil painting style.
```

### Content Structure
After the opening, describe:

1. **Perspective**: High-angle/bird's-eye view establishing shot
2. **Foreground**: Immediate terrain details, textures, objects closest to viewer
3. **Middle Ground**: Main features, pathways, structures, focal points
4. **Background**: Distant elements, horizon, atmospheric perspective
5. **Lighting**: Time of day, light sources, shadows, color temperature
6. **Color Palette**: Dominant hues, complementary colors, atmospheric effects -- these are imagined, and not taken from the 16 color image
7. **Spatial Relationships**: How elements relate in 3D space, scale, depth cues

### Style Guidelines

- Use rich, artistic language ("velvet shadows", "crystalline waters", "gossamer light")
- Avoid describing pixel art, grid patterns, or game interface elements
- Describe as if viewing a master oil painting, not a digital scene
- Include natural textures: bark, stone, water, foliage, clouds
- Emphasize depth through overlapping elements and atmospheric perspective
- Keep each caption 150-300 words
- Vary descriptions between the 3 options while maintaining scene accuracy

## Workflow

### Step 1: Locate and Analyze Source Image
1. Identify room number from directory name (e.g., `kq4_010_forest_path` → room 010)
2. Open `./kq4-sierra-decompile/rooms/kq4-XXX-room-name/pic_XXX_visual.png`  for visual analysis
3. Study the composition 
4. You may want to look at the spec text description for "look", as well as the various interactions, in order to see what's in the room. these are in kq4-sierra-decompile/rooms/<ROOM>/<ROOM>md
5. Never include people or animals
6. Imagine what an expert artist would paint if given a brief.

### Step 2: Create Output Directory
Ensure directory exists at `asset-work/kq4_XXX_room_name/`

### Step 3: Generate Caption Variations
Create three distinct files:
- `asset-work/kq4_XXX_room_name/caption_1.txt`
- `asset-work/kq4_XXX_room_name/caption_2.txt`
- `asset-work/kq4_XXX_room_name/caption_3.txt`

### Step 4: Update Tracking
Add room to TODOS.md if tracking, marking as complete.

## Example Output

### caption_1.txt for kq4_001_beach
```
kq5hoyos, wtp style, sylvain. oil painting style. A dramatic high-angle vista overlooking a pristine crescent beach nestled between verdant headlands. In the immediate foreground, weather-worn driftwood rests on wind-sculpted sand dunes, their surfaces catching golden afternoon light. The beach curves gracefully toward the middle distance, where foam-capped waves lap gently at the shore, rendered in strokes of cerulean and turquoise. A narrow path meanders from the dunes down to the beach, inviting exploration. In the background, a dark forbidding tunnel mouth gapes within a rocky outcrop, creating stark contrast against the tranquil coastal scene. Muted purples and deep greens of distant headlands fade into atmospheric perspective. The palette harmonizes warm golden sands, deep marine blues, and shadowed rock tones under diffused afternoon light.
```

### caption_2.txt for kq4_001_beach
```
kq5hoyos, wtp style, sylvain. oil painting style. A secluded coastal paradise viewed from above, where honey-toned sands meet crystalline waters in a sweeping crescent arc. Foreground shows textured coastal scrub and hardy beach grasses rooted in sandy soil, their blades catching amber light. The middle ground reveals smooth wet sand reflecting pale sky, while gentle breakers create white lace patterns along the waterline. To the left, a mysterious cave entrance pierces dark volcanic rock, its maw suggesting hidden depths beyond the peaceful shoreline. Background cliffs rise in layered geological strata, their faces mottled with patches of resilient coastal vegetation. Cool cerulean waters transition to deeper indigo offshore, contrasting with the warm ochres and siennas of the beach. Evening light casts long shadows and bathes the scene in romantic, painterly atmosphere.
```

### caption_3.txt for kq4_001_beach
```
kq5hoyos, wtp style, sylvain. oil painting style. A panoramic coastal scene from elevated perspective, revealing a sheltered beach cradled between massive rock formations. Foreground dunes display rippled sand patterns and scattered tidal debris, painted with thick impasto texture. The central beach stretches invitingly toward turquoise waters that shimmer with reflected light. To the right, a substantial headland juts into the sea, its craggy silhouette softened by atmospheric haze. The mysterious dark opening of a sea cave dominates the left background, framed by moss-covered stones and tidal pools. Middle ground details include subtle variations in sand tone indicating wet and dry areas, while distant waves roll in gentle parallel lines toward shore. Color palette balances cool aquamarines and slate grays against warm sand tones and subtle rose-gold highlights from late-day sun.
```

## Common Room Types and Descriptors

### Beaches and Coasts
- Crescent sandy shores, tidal pools, headlands, sea caves
- Driftwood, beach grasses, rocky outcrops
- Water: turquoise, cerulean, aquamarine, foam-white

### Forests and Groves
- Canopy layers, tree trunks, undergrowth, dappled light
- Mossy stones, fallen logs, forest paths
- Greens: emerald, moss, sage, forest shadows

### Mountain and Passes
- Geological strata, elevation changes, rock formations
- Alpine vegetation, distant peaks, valleys
- Earth tones: umber, ochre, slate, granite

### Man-Made Structures
- Cottages, shacks, bridges, fences
- Weathered wood, thatched roofs, stone foundations
- Human scale relative to natural surroundings

### Atmospheric Conditions
- Golden hour, overcast, misty, moonlit
- Light rays through trees, reflections on water
- Shadow patterns, contrast ratios

## Directory Structure

```
asset-work/
└── kq4_XXX_room_name/
    ├── caption_1.txt
    ├── caption_2.txt
    └── caption_3.txt
```

## Quality Checklist

Before completing:
- [ ] All captions start with exact required prefix
- [ ] Each variation offers distinct perspective or emphasis
- [ ] Pixel art elements are NOT described
- [ ] Natural textures are emphasized
- [ ] Spatial depth is clearly conveyed
- [ ] 150-300 words per caption
- [ ] Artistic, painterly language throughout
- [ ] Scene elements match source image accurately

## Resources

### references/
`example_captions.md` - Reference file containing complete caption sets for various room types (beaches, forests, mountains, etc.) to guide tone and style.
