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+# Phase 3: Complete Experience - Context
+
+**Gathered:** 2026-03-10
+**Status:** Ready for planning
+
+<domain>
+## Phase Boundary
+
+Transform the game from a bare mechanic into a polished, navigable experience. Deliver: title screen, mode select, settings (AI difficulty + sound toggle + color scheme), game over screen, and audio feedback respecting browser autoplay policy. Replaces Phase 2's temporary key-prompt screens with real, styled screens.
+
+</domain>
+
+<decisions>
+## Implementation Decisions
+
+### Visual Style
+- Neon arcade aesthetic — magenta/hot pink as the default accent color on black background
+- Consistent neon treatment across ALL screens (title, mode select, settings, game over) — coherent visual language
+- Title screen: large glowing title text with color accent, feels like an arcade cabinet
+- Game over screen: displays final score + winner — e.g. "PLAYER 1 WINS  7 – 4" — not just the winner name
+
+### Screen Navigation
+- Arrow keys to move between options, Enter/Space to confirm selection
+- Escape or Backspace to go back to the previous screen
+- Screen navigation flow is Claude's discretion (connect: title → mode select → game, title → settings → title)
+- Settings is accessible from the title screen only — not in-game
+
+### Title Screen Structure
+- Title screen has a menu with at least: Play, Settings
+- "Play" navigates to mode select (Solo vs AI / 2-Player), then difficulty select (if AI mode)
+- Phase 2's 'modeSelect' and 'diffSelect' gameStates stay but get styled to match the neon aesthetic
+
+### Settings Screen
+- AI difficulty: Easy / Medium / Hard (sets GameState.difficulty)
+- Sound: On / Off toggle (sets GameState.soundEnabled)
+- Color scheme: cycle through preset neon palettes — Magenta, Cyan, Lime, White
+  - Palette swap affects: ball color, paddle colors, and UI accent color globally
+  - Store active palette in GameConfig or GameState; all draw calls reference it
+- Navigation: arrow keys highlight the current setting, Left/Right (or Enter) changes value
+
+### Color Scheme
+- Palettes are named presets (e.g. PALETTE_MAGENTA, PALETTE_CYAN, PALETTE_LIME, PALETTE_WHITE)
+- Each preset defines: accent color (ball/paddle/UI highlights), glow color (shadow/blur)
+- Default palette: Magenta (#ff00cc or similar hot pink)
+
+### Audio Character
+- Modern synthesized tones using WebAudio API — sine/triangle wave, slight reverb envelope
+- Three clearly distinct sounds:
+  - **Paddle hit**: mid-range tone, short attack (recognizable rally sound)
+  - **Wall hit**: higher-pitch tone, shorter duration (quick snap)
+  - **Score**: single deep thud — low-frequency impact tone, weightier than the other two
+- AudioContext initialized only after first user interaction (keydown/click) — satisfies AUD-04
+- GameState.soundEnabled flag (set by settings) gates all playSound calls
+
+### Claude's Discretion
+- Exact screen transition order / gameState names for new states (title, settings, etc.)
+- Glow implementation (canvas shadowBlur or manual outer-ring draw)
+- Exact frequencies and envelope parameters for audio tones (within the described character)
+- Typography sizing, spacing, and layout of each screen
+- Whether modeSelect/diffSelect are merged into one screen or kept separate
+
+</decisions>
+
+<specifics>
+## Specific Ideas
+
+- Neon magenta on black is the hero palette — the project aims for a "whoa" first impression
+- Audio should feel like modern indie game audio, not chip-tune — synthesized but clean
+
+</specifics>
+
+<code_context>
+## Existing Code Insights
+
+### Reusable Assets
+- `Renderer.ctx`: all screen drawing uses this canvas context — new screens render via the same draw path
+- `Renderer.drawRect()` / `Renderer.drawCircle()`: reuse for UI elements; canvas shadowBlur can add glow
+- `GameState.gameState`: string-based state machine already drives the render switch — add new states ('title', 'settings')
+- `GameState.mode` / `GameState.difficulty`: already in place; settings screen just sets these values
+- `Input` keydown handler: already handles mode/difficulty selection — extend for arrow key menu navigation
+- `GameConfig`: central constants — add palette definitions and WIN_SCORE is already there
+
+### Established Patterns
+- Single HTML file — all new code (Audio module, menu nav) goes in `index.html`
+- Module-object pattern: add a new `Audio` object with `init()`, `play(event)`, `setEnabled(bool)`
+- `GameLoop.main()` render switch: add cases for 'title' and 'settings' gameStates
+- Phase 2's 'modeSelect' and 'diffSelect' cases stay in the switch — just get styled with neon palette
+
+### Integration Points
+- `GameState.gameState = 'modeSelect'` currently starts Phase 2 flow — Phase 3 adds 'title' before it
+- Score display uses hardcoded '#fff' — switch to `GameConfig.palette.accent` or equivalent
+- Ball/paddle colors are `'#fff'` in GameState defaults — make them reference the active palette
+- `Input` keydown: currently responds to Digit1/2/3 for mode/difficulty — add ArrowUp/Down/Enter/Escape for menu nav
+- WebAudio `AudioContext` must be created inside a user gesture handler (already in Input.init's keydown)
+
+</code_context>
+
+<deferred>
+## Deferred Ideas
+
+- None — discussion stayed within phase scope
+
+</deferred>
+
+---
+
+*Phase: 03-complete-experience*
+*Context gathered: 2026-03-10*