The glass board arrives in seconds: the figures' textures are 256 px (3.8 MB for all fifteen, down from 30), each kind takes its places as its file lands behind a progress bar, the toggle says it is fetching, and the squares sit exactly under the figures now that the checker covers the sheet's rim

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01CCLa2PaEeCj8njQZSWGqHx

src/lib/components/Board.svelte

@@ -21,8 +21,16 @@
 	/** The glass board, loaded the first time it is asked for, so three.js stays out of every other visit. */
 	let Glass = $state<typeof import('./Glass.svelte').default | null>(null);
 	let onGlass = $state(false);
+	let fetching = $state(false);
 	async function seeGlass(open: boolean) {
-		if (open && !Glass) Glass = (await import('./Glass.svelte')).default;
+		if (open && !Glass) {
+			fetching = true;
+			try {
+				Glass = (await import('./Glass.svelte')).default;
+			} finally {
+				fetching = false;
+			}
+		}
 		onGlass = open;
 	}
 
@@ -211,7 +219,7 @@
 		{#if room.error}<p class="warning">{room.error}</p>{/if}
 
 		{#if glass.open}
-			<p class="muted small glass-way"><button type="button" class="link plain" onclick={() => seeGlass(!onGlass)}>{onGlass ? 'Back to the flat boards' : 'See the glass board'}</button></p>
+			<p class="muted small glass-way"><button type="button" class="link plain" disabled={fetching} aria-busy={fetching} onclick={() => seeGlass(!onGlass)}>{fetching ? 'Fetching the glass board…' : onGlass ? 'Back to the flat boards' : 'See the glass board'}</button></p>
 		{/if}
 		{#if onGlass && Glass}
 			<Glass {g} {mySide} {selected} {targets} {reach} {shownSquares} {shownCaptured} {checkSquare} {calm} {tap} />

src/lib/components/Glass.svelte

@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@
 	/** Air between the sheets, in squares: enough for a Dragon's wings. */
 	const GAP = 4.2;
 	const CELL = 1;
+	/** The sheet's rim beyond the outer squares, in squares. */
+	const RIM = 0.3;
 
 	const levelY = (level: number) => (level - 1) * GAP;
 	/** Where a square's centre sits: Gold's side towards +z, file a at -x. */
@@ -49,6 +51,8 @@
 	let frame: HTMLDivElement;
 	let canvas: HTMLCanvasElement;
 	let status = $state('Setting out the figures…');
+	/** How many of the fifteen kinds of figure have arrived. */
+	let arrived = $state(0);
 	let view = $state<'quarter' | 'seat' | 'above'>('quarter');
 
 	type Livery = Record<Side, { plain: THREE.Material; held: THREE.Material }>;
@@ -58,7 +62,7 @@
 	const figures = new Map<number, THREE.Group>();
 	/** How many of the game's moves the figures have played through. */
 	let played = -1;
-	let ready = false;
+	let ready = $state(false);
 
 	onMount(() => {
 		const renderer = new THREE.WebGLRenderer({ canvas, antialias: true });
@@ -89,18 +93,22 @@
 		// The sheets, tinted by level, and the posts that hold them.
 		const slabs: THREE.Mesh[] = [];
 		for (const level of [1, 2, 3]) {
+			// The texture covers the whole sheet, rim included, so that the squares sit exactly under the figures.
+			const PX = 40;
 			const c = document.createElement('canvas');
-			c.width = FILES * 32;
-			c.height = RANKS * 32;
+			c.width = (FILES + 2 * RIM) * PX;
+			c.height = (RANKS + 2 * RIM) * PX;
 			const ctx = c.getContext('2d')!;
+			ctx.fillStyle = SQUARES[level][1];
+			ctx.fillRect(0, 0, c.width, c.height);
 			for (let r = 0; r < RANKS; r++) for (let f = 0; f < FILES; f++) {
 				ctx.fillStyle = SQUARES[level][isLight(idx(level, f, r)) ? 0 : 1];
-				ctx.fillRect(f * 32, (RANKS - 1 - r) * 32, 32, 32);
+				ctx.fillRect((RIM + f) * PX, (RIM + RANKS - 1 - r) * PX, PX, PX);
 			}
 			const map = new THREE.CanvasTexture(c);
 			map.colorSpace = THREE.SRGBColorSpace;
 			const slab = new THREE.Mesh(
-				new THREE.BoxGeometry(FILES * CELL + 0.6, 0.12, RANKS * CELL + 0.6),
+				new THREE.BoxGeometry((FILES + 2 * RIM) * CELL, 0.12, (RANKS + 2 * RIM) * CELL),
 				new THREE.MeshPhysicalMaterial({ map, transparent: true, opacity: 0.74, roughness: 0.15, metalness: 0, clearcoat: 1 })
 			);
 			slab.position.set(0, levelY(level) - 0.06, 0);
@@ -346,9 +354,16 @@
 		look(view);
 		controls.addEventListener('change', wake);
 
+		// Each kind's figures take their places as its file arrives, so the board fills in while the rest are fetched.
 		Promise.all(
 			(Object.keys(FIGURE) as Kind[]).map(
-				(kind) => new Promise<void>((ok, no) => loader.load(`/figures/${FIGURE[kind]}.glb`, (gltf) => { protos.set(kind, { scene: gltf.scene, livery: liveries(gltf.scene) }); ok(); }, undefined, no))
+				(kind) => new Promise<void>((ok, no) => loader.load(`/figures/${FIGURE[kind]}.glb`, (gltf) => {
+					protos.set(kind, { scene: gltf.scene, livery: liveries(gltf.scene) });
+					arrived++;
+					for (let i = 0; i < g.cells.length; i++) if (g.cells[i] !== '' && kindOf(g.cells[i]) === kind && !figures.has(i)) figure(i);
+					wake();
+					ok();
+				}, undefined, no))
 			)
 		).then(() => {
 			ready = true;
@@ -388,7 +403,12 @@
 
 <div class="glass" bind:this={frame}>
 	<canvas bind:this={canvas} aria-label="The three boards as sheets of glass with the pieces standing on them. The flat boards beside this view are the place to play by keyboard."></canvas>
-	{#if status}<p class="status muted">{status}</p>{/if}
+	{#if status}
+		<div class="status" role="status">
+			<p>{status}</p>
+			{#if !ready}<progress max={Object.keys(FIGURE).length} value={arrived}>{arrived} of {Object.keys(FIGURE).length}</progress>{/if}
+		</div>
+	{/if}
 	<p class="ways muted small">
 		<button type="button" class="link plain" class:current={view === 'quarter'} onclick={() => (view = 'quarter')}>From the corner</button> ·
 		<button type="button" class="link plain" class:current={view === 'seat'} onclick={() => (view = 'seat')}>From your seat</button> ·
@@ -413,9 +433,22 @@
 
 	.status {
 		position: absolute;
-		top: 1rem;
-		left: 1rem;
+		inset: 0 0 auto;
 		margin: 0;
+		padding: 2rem 1rem 0;
+		text-align: center;
+	}
+
+	.status p {
+		margin: 0 0 0.6rem;
+		font-size: 1.15rem;
+		color: var(--bone);
+	}
+
+	progress {
+		width: min(60%, 320px);
+		height: 6px;
+		accent-color: var(--ember);
 	}
 
 	.ways {

src/routes/learn/game/+page.svelte

@@ -12,8 +12,16 @@
 	/** The glass board, loaded the first time it is asked for. */
 	let Glass = $state<typeof import('$lib/components/Glass.svelte').default | null>(null);
 	let onGlass = $state(false);
+	let fetching = $state(false);
 	async function seeGlass(open: boolean) {
-		if (open && !Glass) Glass = (await import('$lib/components/Glass.svelte')).default;
+		if (open && !Glass) {
+			fetching = true;
+			try {
+				Glass = (await import('$lib/components/Glass.svelte')).default;
+			} finally {
+				fetching = false;
+			}
+		}
 		onGlass = open;
 	}
 
@@ -72,7 +80,7 @@
 	<section class="stage">
 		<div class="boards">
 			{#if glass.open}
-				<p class="muted small"><button type="button" class="link plain" onclick={() => seeGlass(!onGlass)}>{onGlass ? 'Back to the flat boards' : 'See the glass board'}</button></p>
+				<p class="muted small"><button type="button" class="link plain" disabled={fetching} aria-busy={fetching} onclick={() => seeGlass(!onGlass)}>{fetching ? 'Fetching the glass board…' : onGlass ? 'Back to the flat boards' : 'See the glass board'}</button></p>
 			{/if}
 			{#if onGlass && Glass}
 				<Glass {g} {shownSquares} {shownCaptured} {checkSquare} selected={inspected} {reach} {calm} {tap} />