🎨 Palette: Enhance game feedback and visual polish

.Jules/palette.md

@@ -25,3 +25,11 @@
 ## 2026-03-02 - Hiding the Cursor in CLI Games
 **Learning:** In terminal applications that require rapid visual updates or where user input doesn't involve typing text, an actively blinking cursor can be a visual distraction. Hiding it during interaction (`\033[?25l`) and rigorously ensuring it is restored (`\033[?25h`) on exit—including signal interrupts—significantly improves the aesthetic and focus.
 **Action:** Always hide the cursor for interactive CLI games and explicitly restore it across all exit paths, including async-signal-safe signal handlers.
+
+## 2026-05-24 - Cleaner Terminal UI with Erase Line
+**Learning:** Using manual trailing spaces to clear previous output on a carriage-returned line is brittle and error-prone. The ANSI escape sequence \033[K (Erase in Line) provides a robust way to clear the remainder of the line from the cursor position, ensuring a clean UI regardless of string length changes.
+**Action:** Prefer \033[K over manual padding when performing in-place terminal updates.
+
+## 2026-05-24 - Inclusive Achievement Logic
+**Learning:** Requiring a pre-existing non-zero high score before triggering "New Best" or congratulations messages excludes first-time players from initial delight. Celebrating the first-ever score as a personal best provides immediate positive reinforcement and a stronger initial hook.
+**Action:** Ensure achievement and celebration logic is inclusive of first-time interactions by not requiring a non-zero baseline.

src/main.cpp

@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ int main() {
     std::cout << "Controls:\n " << CLR_CTRL << "[h]" << CLR_RESET << " Toggle Hard Mode (10x Speed!)\n "
               << CLR_CTRL << "[q]" << CLR_RESET << " Quit Game\n " << CLR_CTRL << "[Any key]" << CLR_RESET << " Click!\n\n";
 
-    std::cout << "Press any key to start... " << std::flush;
+    std::cout << "Press " << CLR_CTRL << "any key" << CLR_RESET << " to start... " << std::flush;
     struct pollfd start_fds[1] = {{STDIN_FILENO, POLLIN, 0}};
     if (poll(start_fds, 1, -1) > 0) {
         if (read(STDIN_FILENO, &input, 1) > 0 && input == 'q') {
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ int main() {
     }
 
     for (int i = 3; i > 0; --i) {
-        std::cout << "\rStarting in " << i << "... " << std::flush;
+        std::cout << "\r\033[KStarting in " << CLR_CTRL << i << CLR_RESET << "... " << std::flush;
         auto start_wait = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
         while (std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::milliseconds>(std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - start_wait).count() < 1000) {
             int elapsed = std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::milliseconds>(std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - start_wait).count();
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ int main() {
             }
         }
     }
-    std::cout << "\rGO!             \n" << std::flush;
+    std::cout << "\r\033[K" << CLR_NORM << "GO!" << CLR_RESET << "\n" << std::flush;
     std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(200));
     tcflush(STDIN_FILENO, TCIFLUSH);
 
@@ -137,10 +137,11 @@ int main() {
         }
 
         if (updateUI) {
-            std::cout << "\r" << CLR_SCORE << "Score: " << score << CLR_RESET << " "
+            std::cout << "\r\033[K" << CLR_SCORE << "Score: " << score << CLR_RESET
+                      << " | High: " << CLR_SCORE << (score > highscore ? score : highscore) << CLR_RESET << " "
                       << (hardMode ? CLR_HARD "[HARD MODE]" : CLR_NORM "[NORMAL MODE]")
-                      << (score > initialHighscore && initialHighscore > 0 ? " NEW BEST! 🥳" : "")
-                      << "           " << std::flush;
+                      << (score > initialHighscore ? " NEW BEST! 🥳" : "")
+                      << std::flush;
             updateUI = false;
         }
     }
@@ -151,7 +152,7 @@ int main() {
 
     tcsetattr(STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &oldt);
     std::cout << "\n\n" << CLR_SCORE << "Final Score: " << score << CLR_RESET << "\n";
-    if (score > initialHighscore && initialHighscore > 0) {
+    if (score > initialHighscore) {
         std::cout << "Congratulations! A new personal best!\n";
     }
     std::cout << "Thanks for playing!\n";