Roadmap

RangerHQ Buddy is built in phases. Each phase is a focused capability addition that ships independently, gets validated, then sets up the next phase. The current release (v0.1.5) sits at the end of Phase A.

Phase A — Pet exists ✅ (v0.1.0 → v0.1.5)

The Buddy is born. Everything visible today.

✅ Dashboard widget at WP Admin → Dashboard
✅ Dedicated admin page at WP Admin → Buddy → My Buddy
✅ Settings page (rename your Buddy)
✅ About page (roadmap + version history)
✅ Per-user state in wp_usermeta under buddy_state
✅ Inline-SVG sprite renderer with three mood tones (happy / neutral / sad)
✅ Wink mood added in v0.1.1, probability-tuned in v0.1.2, fixed as real CSS animation in v0.1.3
✅ WordPress.org submission prep (v0.1.4) — renamed to RangerHQ Buddy, GPL v2 LICENSE, readme.txt
✅ wp.org reviewer-feedback fix (v0.1.5) — moved inline <style> block to enqueued CSS

Phase B — Interactions (next)

Make the Buddy respond to the user.

⏳ Feed button → bumps hunger up, cooldown 4 hours
⏳ Play button → bumps happiness up, slight energy drain, cooldown 1 hour
⏳ Clean button → bumps health up, cooldown 8 hours
⏳ Sleep button → restores energy, mood becomes "sleeping", cooldown 6 hours

Architectural addition:

inc/actions.php (new) — interaction handlers + cooldown logic
The first JavaScript in the plugin: a small assets/js/buddy-actions.js to handle AJAX clicks without page reloads
AJAX endpoint via admin-ajax.php, secured with wp_create_nonce() + check_ajax_referer()

Phase C — Decay

Stats drift down over time. Your Buddy needs you.

⏳ WP-cron event runs hourly, lowers all four stats by 1-3 points each
⏳ Dismissible admin notice "Your Buddy is hungry" / "Your Buddy is sleepy" when a stat drops below 25
⏳ Notice dismissal persists per-user in wp_usermeta (port the Logbook pattern)
⏳ Buddy's mood label changes based on the average of the four stats

Architectural addition:

inc/decay.php (new) — WP-cron handler
inc/notices.php (new) — admin notice rendering + dismissal

Phase D — Species

More than one kind of Buddy. Pick the character that fits you.

⏳ Dog (loyal, sleeps a lot)
⏳ Dragon (proud, plays a lot)
⏳ Sprite (curious, eats a lot)
⏳ Robot (stoic, doesn't get sick)
⏳ Per-species personality phrases ("Woof!", "Beep boop", etc.)
⏳ Species picker on the Settings page

Architectural addition:

inc/sprites/dog.php, inc/sprites/dragon.php, etc.
inc/sprite.php becomes a dispatcher that picks the right per-species renderer

Phase E — Site health integration ⭐ (the headline feature)

Buddy's mood reflects how well you're taking care of your WordPress site. This is the reason the whole plugin exists.

⏳ wp_get_site_health() results feed into Buddy's stats:
- Outdated plugins → drain health
- Unpublished drafts piling up → drain energy
- Spam queue length → drain happiness
- Recently published posts → boost hunger (Buddy is fed by content)
⏳ Optional: WooCommerce / EDD integration where sales boost happiness
⏳ Optional: comments approved boost hunger

Architectural addition:

inc/site-health.php (new) — readers for each WP health signal
A daily WP-cron job that recalculates Buddy's stats based on site health

Phase F — Pro tier (long-term, optional)

If the free plugin finds an audience, a paid tier:

⏳ Custom skins (premium SVG art)
⏳ Multi-pet farm (manage several Buddies for a multisite)
⏳ Social visits (anonymously see how other WP admins' Buddies are doing)
⏳ Anonymous leaderboard (most-cared-for Buddy)

What WILL NOT be added (deliberate non-goals)

❌ External account / login
❌ Telemetry / analytics
❌ Third-party JavaScript libraries
❌ CDN-fetched fonts or images
❌ Any feature that requires sending user data off-site

These are non-negotiable across the whole RangerHQ family — see Family.