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First meeting onboarding kit

Goal for the first team meeting: everyone leaves with Perforce access, the correct local toolchain, a working editor launch path, and one small assignment.

Pre-meeting install checklist

Ask everyone to start these before the meeting because UE and Visual Studio installs can take a long time.

  • USC Perforce access (Helix Core, ssl:perforce.sca.usc.edu:1666, client GL_Main_PC) — the current daily depot
  • P4V (Helix Visual Client) and/or the p4 command-line client
  • Epic Games Launcher
  • Unreal Engine 5.8
  • Visual Studio 2026 Community, stable channel
  • Repo-root .vsconfig imported into Visual Studio Installer
  • Optional for AI workflow: Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, or another MCP-capable coding agent
  • Optional for MCP: uv

60-90 minute agenda

0-10 min — Project and VCS orientation

  • Rephrased daily work is on the USC Perforce depot (client GL_Main_PC).
  • Git/GitHub is legacy reference only — no new branches, commits, or pull requests.
  • The workflow is sync → check out → review → submit. No branches, no PRs.
  • Binary Unreal assets (.uasset/.umap) use exclusive checkout (locking): checking one out locks it so nobody else edits it at the same time.

10-25 min — Perforce access and sync

  • Confirm each person can log in to GL_Main_PC in P4V / p4 login.
  • p4 sync the project to a simple writable Windows path (workspace root).
  • Confirm the project folder contains Rephrased.uproject, Content/, Source/, and Config/.

25-45 min — UE/VS environment check

  • Confirm UE 5.8 is installed.
  • Confirm Visual Studio 2026 Community is installed from the stable channel.
  • Import the repo .vsconfig.
  • Explain: designers/artists do not open Visual Studio day to day; it is installed so Unreal can rebuild when C++ changes.

45-60 min — Build/open check

  • Run [OpenAfterPull]Build_Project.bat -check.
  • Expected checks: UE 5.8 found, VS 2026 C++ found, Windows SDK 10.0.22621 found.
  • Run [OpenAfterPull]Build_Project.bat normally.
  • Open LV_2ndPlayable and press Play.
  • Record blockers by person instead of trying random fixes.

60-75 min — Rephrased MCP setup

Rephrased MCP is useful, but it should not block the first meeting. If it blocks, skip it and continue with sync/build onboarding.

  • Confirm the project ships .cursor/mcp.json and .claude/mcp.json.
  • Install/run the local MCP package from tools/rephrased-mcp.
  • Engineers: run /onboard with your personal review key from the lead.
  • Designers/artists: run /onboard without a review key — keys are for the code-review gate only. You submit directly and a lead reviews after, in the design/art submission channel.
  • Confirm the agent can see the tools for the role: engineers get convention_check + request_review; designers/artists get content_check and submit directly (onboarding, sync_latest, start_task, submit, wiki_query, devlog are shared).
  • Never commit/submit the review key (engineers only) or paste it into shared chat.

75-90 min — First assignments

Assign tiny, low-risk tasks that prove each person can use the workflow.

  • Engineers: sync latest, open a changelist (start_task), build/open, inspect one small C++ area, submit nothing large.
  • Designers: open LV_2ndPlayable, inspect one level or DataAsset, write one question/blocker.
  • Artists: open content folders, inspect materials/assets, avoid checking out / renaming shared assets without lead approval (remember: checkout locks it for everyone).
  • Producer/lead: track who is blocked, what install step failed, and who needs follow-up.

Copy-paste team message

Tomorrow setup goal: get everyone into the Rephrased Perforce depot and able to open the project.

Please install before meeting if possible:

  1. Epic Games Launcher + Unreal Engine 5.8
  2. Visual Studio 2026 Community, stable channel
  3. P4V (Helix Visual Client) and/or the p4 CLI
  4. USC Perforce access to ssl:perforce.sca.usc.edu:1666 (client GL_Main_PC)

After syncing, import the repo .vsconfig into Visual Studio Installer. You do not need to open Visual Studio day to day; it is installed so Unreal has the compiler toolchain when the build bat needs it.

Daily workflow after setup: p4 sync latest, then double-click [OpenAfterPull]Build_Project.bat.

If the bat fails, do not randomly edit project files. Screenshot/copy the error and tell Gabriel/lead.

MCP talking points

  • Rephrased MCP is the team AI toolkit, not a replacement for Unreal.
  • It wraps the Perforce flow (sync, start task, convention check for engineers, team review request for engineers, submit) plus wiki search and devlog.
  • The review key is engineers only. A lead shares it directly; it is never committed/submitted. Designers and artists onboard without one and submit directly.
  • MCP setup is second priority after Perforce access and project launch.

Main risks tomorrow

  • UE 5.8 install is large and slow.
  • Visual Studio install can take a long time.
  • Some members may not yet have USC Perforce access.
  • Submit-time enforcement (server-side Perforce trigger) is not installed yet; discipline is manual + the review gate.
  • Cloudflare wiki deployment still builds from the legacy git mirror until hosting is migrated.
  • MCP setup may vary by IDE; do not let MCP block people from opening the project.

Success criteria

By the end of the meeting:

  • Everyone has Perforce access or a named access blocker.
  • Most members have UE 5.8 + VS 2026 installed or installing.
  • At least a few machines run the bat successfully.
  • At least one engineer verifies Rephrased MCP sees the eight expected tools.
  • Everyone knows the daily workflow: sync latest, run the bat, open a changelist, ask before shared-asset checkouts.

Change history

  • 2026-09-05 — Gabriel Li — Rewrote for Perforce onboarding: access/sync instead of GitHub clone, sync→checkout→review→submit instead of branch→PR, exclusive checkout explained, 8-tool MCP list, submit-trigger risk. Git is legacy.

  • 2026-09-05 — Gabriel Li — Updated sandbox references to PreProShowcase (Content/Rephrased/Levels/Prepro/) after the content reorganization (PR #19).

  • 2026-08-26 — Gabriel Li — Added Cloudflare live wiki source risk after org migration.

  • 2026-08-26 — Gabriel Li — Updated first-meeting kit with main-repo source-of-truth policy, standalone reference repos, VS-once workflow, and MCP setup order.
  • 2026-08-26 — Gabriel Li — Initial first-meeting kit for org repo onboarding and Rephrased MCP setup.