Same-code rooms collapse into fewer, larger SHARED leaves so the ~1.8/leaf
shape tax (§13.1) is paid once per group. Multiplicity k is recovered from
area (k=clamp(round(area/target),1,max_share)) — no genome change — and used
in two default-OFF sites: graph.check_space_counts counts coverage (Σk vs
req.count) so one leaf covers several rooms without a missing fail, and
fitness.quality_size centres on k×target (σ scaled by k). Construction:
operators._share_rooms groups instances; _size_divisions_from_targets sizes
shared leaves to k×target via leaf_mult.
Floor probe (experiments/diag_leaf_sharing.py, harbor+maple, seeds 0/1/2,
+innerloop): total fails −27% harbor / −16% maple at share3, shape factors
fall ~linearly with leaf count (confirms §13.1). Cap: 17–44 missing fails
leak because depth maldistribution (§13.2) keeps shared leaves below k×target
so round() undercounts; inner loop can't close it. Net still positive.
Default-OFF reproduces baseline exactly (214 tests pass). Driver plumbing +
staged 20k A/B remain; §13.3 records the next design fork.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Implement a graded proximity comparator key (-n_fails, grade, fitness) behind
a default-off use_grade flag: fitness._leaf_grade / score_with_grade sum
f/FAIL_THRESHOLD over failing per-leaf quality factors; scalar fitness and fail
count stay untouched so the inner-loop 0.5^n cliff (§5.4) is unaffected (0/9
regression check: PASS). Read once per child in driver._evaluate off the
already-optimised tree; threaded through search_staged (Stage 2 only).
Harbor staged A/B (20000 evals, seeds 0/1/2): lex 95/96/106 (mean 99.0) vs
lex+grade 99/98/102 (mean 99.7) — grade wins 1/3, no plateau escape. Premise
falsified: within a fixed fail-tier 0.5^n is constant so fitness still spans
~6 orders of magnitude; grade above fitness displaces that working signal.
Verdict: reject; lexicographic (-n_fails, fitness) stands. Flag kept default-off
for reproducibility / possible reuse as a §11.5 diversity signal.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
