Aetheria/docs/aetheria-perfect-machine-map.md

Aetheria Perfect Machine Map

Date: 2026-06-13

This is the Proprioception and Imagination pass for turning Aetheria from a Unity project with ancestral cache/network/UI machinery into a coherent GameCult machine: typed CultCache state, CultMesh networking, and Eve CultUI surfaces lowered into Unity without JSON or RethinkDB remaining as live authority.

Objective

Aetheria should persist and replicate game state as typed CultCache documents, publish multiplayer/service state through CultMesh, and render operator/runtime interfaces from Eve CultUI surfaces. The old JSON, RethinkDB, JsonKnownTypes, legacy catalog cache, and legacy UI paths should be migration-only or deleted.

Current Mechanism

• Unity client/runtime lives under Assets/. Gameplay now opens the typed runtime catalog from GameData/aetheria-world.cc and projects current ItemData DTOs through AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog. ActionGameManager no longer owns or opens a legacy catalog cache. GameCult.Aetheria.State.Unity, the embedded Unity package under Packages/org.gamecult.aetheria.state, owns the Unity runtime path to GameData/aetheria-world.cc through AetheriaRuntimeStateBoundary and owns the Unity boot-time state-file existence probe through AetheriaRuntimeStateBoot. ActionGameManager consumes that package-owned boot report and throws if aetheria-world.cc is missing before gameplay boot. When the typed state file exists, ActionGameManager opens a package-owned read-only runtime catalog snapshot from the .cc directory store before constructing the temporary legacy ItemManager. Player settings saves, loadout saves, shutdown checkpoints, and wormhole transition checkpoints now queue typed .cc.pending Verse commit documents through the embedded runtime state package. Run checkpoint documents include the current zone plus its runtime entity snapshots. Aetheria.State owns applying those command documents into canonical AetheriaPlayerSettings, AetheriaLoadoutTemplate, AetheriaRunState, AetheriaZoneState, and AetheriaEntitySnapshot documents through AetheriaStateNode. Local run saves, loadouts, player settings files, zone files, and generated keyboard layout caches no longer write bespoke durable files. The legacy RuntimePlayerSettings runtime object is no longer named or decorated as a MessagePack persistence shape. Economy.Server now drains aetheria-world.cc.pending into canonical typed state and drains typed aetheria-world.cc.eve.pending command documents through the provider-owned Eve command bridge on startup and on a daemon polling loop while hosting the CultMesh state node. Aetheria.State.ApplyPending remains a bounded local operator applicator for both pending lanes.
• Shared item domain state is still partly built around RuntimeItemDefinitionReference, ItemData, BehaviorData, GUID identity, and runtime catalog metadata. Dead user-record and galaxy-map-layer catalog roots have been deleted, and surviving runtime DTOs no longer carry legacy catalog group/table annotations. Newtonsoft, JsonKnownTypes, RethinkDB, LiteNetLib client transport, and the broken Economy.Shared wrapper have been removed from live source. The stale StrategyGameManager.csbak backup file and unused Unity asset MessagePack formatter classes have also been deleted, so the remaining direct MessagePackSerializer calls are no longer present in live gameplay source; the package-owned pending command lanes still use MessagePack as the current CultCache binary transport for typed .cc command envelopes.
• Local legacy catalog data remains in GameData/AetherDB.msgpack and GameData/NameFile/*.msgpack as migration inputs only. Unity gameplay no longer opens those MessagePack files at runtime. The old PlayerSettings.msgpack, .loadout, .zone, and GameData/KeyboardLayouts/*.msgpack authority paths are disabled or deleted. The old SavedGame/SavedZone DTOs and Galaxy save-loader constructor are deleted. The dead SavedStory JSON DTO is deleted. RuntimeZoneBlueprint, body/orbit zone runtime data, item-instance runtime data, Ship, and EntitySettings remain as runtime construction/loadout/session projections, but no longer use save-file or serializer vocabulary or declare themselves as MessagePack persistence documents.
• Aetheria.State now expands AetheriaPlayerSettings beyond an active-run pointer into the typed Verse replacement for PlayerSettings.msgpack: player name, tutorial flag, story-file hash cursors, gameplay formatting, graphics preferences, input binding overrides, and action-bar inputs. Unity's menu and input screens mutate RuntimePlayerSettings in memory and queue typed Verse commits through shared player-settings commit primitives; the in-memory projection is not portable state authority. Aetheria has its own remapping UI that calls Unity's InputSystem at the binding/action layer; Unity's generated AetheriaInput class is the edge consumer of typed binding overrides, not the durable owner. Binding drag/drop and action-bar remapping both route through named runtime input commit methods instead of writing the input collections directly. The action bar also uses typed runtime catalog category rows to reject non-consumable inventory drops and creates consumable bindings around typed catalog rows. Missing typed rows are rejected for consumable binding instead of falling through to legacy DTO classification. Consumable activation, active-duration fill, runtime duration, and effectiveness curves now use typed item rows with neutral defaults for missing optional facets. Gear action-bar bindings read custom icon resource paths from typed item rows, then use typed weapon and hardpoint facets for fallback icon selection, and finally fall back to a generic tool icon when typed facets are incomplete. The current legacy catalog has zero populated custom action-bar icon paths, but the typed field is present and owns that surface when data appears. Player camera articulation grouping now classifies equipped non-launcher weapons through typed behavior kind rows instead of inspecting runtime BehaviorData subclasses. Unity boot reads typed player settings back through the package-owned CultCache reader before falling back to defaults.
• The combat schematic HUD uses typed runtime catalog weapon facets for its static weapon icon strip; missing typed weapon facets no longer fall back to legacy WeaponItemData. Schematic weapon-row selection now uses typed behavior-kind rows instead of inspecting runtime BehaviorData subclasses; live weapon behavior instances still own ammo, cooldown, and active firing values until those session facts have typed runtime surfaces. Hull and item durability percentages use typed max durability only; incomplete typed rows use current runtime durability as the generic denominator instead of falling back to legacy ItemData.Durability. Target HUD hitpoint fill also reads target hull max durability from the typed runtime hull row instead of EquippedHull.Data.Durability. Gear heat-fill ranges in the schematic HUD also read typed catalog thermal bounds; rows without typed thermal bounds use a neutral current-temperature range instead of hydrating legacy ItemData. Ship thruster VFX emission scaling also uses typed max durability only. Runtime weapon behavior still owns ammo counts, active range, cooldowns, temperature, and current durability values until those session facts have typed runtime surfaces.
• Aetheria.State now exposes typed node put/get ports for run state, zone state, and entity snapshots. The state smoke writes a run referencing a zone, a zone referencing an entity snapshot, and an entity snapshot carrying position, direction, faction, hull, equipment slots, weapon groups, and a stat grid. This proves the .zone replacement graph is durable typed state. Unity now queues current-zone/current-entity-collection snapshots, current action-bar bindings, and current faction relationship rows through the runtime commit log during run checkpoints; RuntimeZoneBlueprint and RuntimeEntityBlueprint remain runtime construction/loadout projections rather than durable file formats. Runtime blueprint restore now iterates typed hull shape rows when restoring saved conductivity, and blueprint price aggregation uses typed runtime item prices through ItemManager instead of hydrating HullData.Shape or ItemData.Price. Runtime blueprints no longer capture or restore behavior-private PersistentBehaviorData blobs; that dead save-shape hook and its IPersistentBehavior interface are deleted.
• Aetheria.State now defines AetheriaLoadoutTemplate as the typed Verse replacement for bespoke .loadout files. It stores structured hull, equipment, cargo bay, docking bay, child-entity, assignment, and weapon-group state through record-key references and typed value slots instead of opaque runtime blueprint serialization. Unity's save/loadout UI now projects its in-memory RuntimeEntityBlueprint into a typed Verse commit command; the in-memory list remains a UI/session cache, not durable authority.
• ActionGameManager opens AetheriaRuntimeCatalogStore over aetheria-world.cc, projects it through AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog, and gives ItemManager explicit item lookup authority. Item instances carry RuntimeItemDefinitionReference, an item-definition id, not a process-global catalog resolver, hydrated projection cache, or durable item-data owner. The old LegacyItemCatalogBoundary, LegacyItemCatalogCache, and runtime MessagePack deserializer path have been deleted. The old DatabaseEntry/RuntimeCatalogEntry/RuntimeItemProjectionEntry identity base has been deleted from live source, and the old generic DatabaseLink<T>/RuntimeCatalogLink<T> path has collapsed into the item-specific runtime reference.
• ItemManager no longer exposes the raw runtime item catalog reader as public gameplay/UI API, and its old GetData/Hydrate item DTO projection path has been deleted. AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog no longer materializes whole ItemData DTOs as a runtime cache; it exposes typed item rows only. The temporary behavior config bridge has moved under ItemManager behavior construction. The item properties UI no longer uses ItemManager for manufacturer display; it resolves the manufacturer through the package-owned ActionGameManager.RuntimeCatalog typed snapshot. Entity restore and loadout manufacturer-distance weighting no longer use ItemManager for faction lookup; they resolve factions through the Galaxy typed corporation projection. There is no live console item-spawn command; future operator item actions should be typed command documents or Eve/CultUI commands, not in-client catalog hydration shortcuts. LoadoutGenerator also receives the typed runtime catalog and uses typed candidate-kind selectors for item selection and instantiation. Hull type, hardpoint type, shape fit, station bay fit, hull/category, and behavior-kind prefilters run against typed catalog rows. EquippedItem and ConsumableItemEffect now create behavior instances through ItemManager.CreateRuntimeBehaviors; the remaining BehaviorData config list is explicitly temporary and internal to behavior construction. StatModifier requirement and stat-target lookup now inspects the live equipped behavior instances and asks package-owned typed behavior metadata for kind/family matching, not a freshly rebuilt config list or a behavior-local class taxonomy. The unused TradeMenuDebug script has been deleted instead of preserving an old uGUI debug path that turned typed trade rows back into legacy ItemData objects. That hydration now comes from typed state, not AetherDB.msgpack. The surviving trade menu wraps rows in a typed TradeRow: name, mass, price, size, hardpoint type, commodity subtype, hull ownership, and behavior-kind filters read typed catalog rows before any legacy projection is hydrated. Active behavior filters store typed behavior kind keys and match typed behavior payloads through package-owned typed behavior metadata, including parent-kind matching for behavior families. PropertiesPanel and TradeMenu display metadata are now package-owned typed behavior metadata. The obsolete RuntimeInspectable attribute has been deleted from behavior classes and fields. Dynamic behavior columns read typed behavior payload fields by legacy payload key instead of hydrating BehaviorData DTOs. Trade buy decisions for crafted price, ship-hull classification, simple commodity base price, and simple commodity stack size also read typed catalog rows; the existing inventory transfer and ship-construction paths still own the actual runtime mutation. The sector properties UI also resolves station/turret/ship counts only through typed hull classifications from the runtime catalog; missing typed hull rows no longer fall back to legacy HullData. Loot pickup presentation now uses typed catalog category/name rows to choose weapon-vs-gear pickup visuals and scan labels; missing typed rows degrade to generic unknown pickup presentation instead of falling back to legacy item projections. Zone entity scene instantiation also reads typed hull prefab paths and hull classifications from the runtime catalog; missing typed hull prefab rows fail loudly instead of asking legacy HullData to choose the scene prefab. Entity scene instances use typed hull shape cells and typed hardpoint rows for collision damage masks and weapon-barrel presentation setup; behavior effect prefabs still come from behavior DTOs until behavior construction/execution moves to typed payloads. Inventory panel equipment-grid geometry, hull/interior cell drawing, temperature overlay masking, thermal edge toggles, and entity cell tinting now use typed hull shape/interior masks from the runtime catalog. EquippedCargoBay now reads cargo interior shape, item fit shape, simple commodity max stack, cargo bay mass, and cargo bay thermal mass from typed runtime catalog rows; InventoryPanel lowers cargo-grid display from that typed InteriorShape. Final equipment fit/equip acceptance also reads typed item shape, hardpoint type, hull shape, hull interior, hardpoint masks, cargo/docking categories, and mass/thermal mass from runtime catalog rows. Entity.MapEntity, Entity.UnoccupiedSpace, grid-offset placement, and Entity.UpdateTemperature also read typed hull shape/interior, hardpoints, base armor, mass, specific heat, and conductivity from runtime catalog rows. Entity construction now names entities from the typed hull row and no longer keeps a HullData property just to preserve the old naming bridge. LoadoutGenerator candidate weighting, hardpoint/cargo/capacitor fit, selected-item reuse, and hull conductivity setup now use typed runtime catalog rows. Generated loadout item birth also uses a typed-row instance primitive, so selected catalog rows no longer hydrate EquippableItemData just to create equipment. Docking bay max ship size is imported as typed item state and EquippedDockingBay.MaxSize derives from the typed runtime catalog row. EquippedItem.InsetShape now derives from typed hull/item shape rows. EquippedItem and ConsumableItemEffect behavior construction now read typed behavior payloads through the runtime behavior config bridge before instantiating the current BehaviorData-backed behavior classes. BehaviorData remains the temporary behavior-class config bridge, not the runtime behavior payload owner; bridge instances carry the typed behavior payload kind so runtime logic does not have to reselect behavior identity from the old class graph. StatModifier behavior requirements and behavior-stat targets compare typed behavior kinds on the live equipped behavior instances through AetheriaRuntimeBehaviorMetadataCatalog instead of scanning BehaviorData subclasses, rebuilding temporary configs, or hydrating EquippableItemData.Behaviors. ConsumableItemData and EquippableItemData no longer expose legacy Behaviors lists at all. The old item-DTO stat branch was deleted after inspection showed no active PerformanceStat fields on the live equippable item DTO hierarchy. Ship drag, combat/turret shot prediction height, and thruster torque geometry now consume typed hull facets and typed shape masks. The item properties panel also reads typed catalog title names, descriptions, manufacturer, base mass, max durability, thermal bounds, and thermal performance curve keys for basic item presentation without hydrating legacy DTOs. Runtime behavior stat display reads typed behavior payload fields through package-owned typed behavior display metadata; stat modifier presentation checks the package-owned typed StatModifier kind instead of a legacy data class name. Damage-range payload selection is keyed by package-owned typed weapon behavior metadata; legacy BehaviorData ancestry is no longer a fallback for weapon payload selection. The old explicit Inspect(ItemData) DTO inspection overload is deleted; trade row clicks now inspect the typed runtime catalog row directly. Incomplete typed thermal curve rows render a neutral fallback curve instead of hydrating legacy EquippableItemData. Inventory selection highlighting now uses typed item shape cells only for UI tint geometry; incomplete typed rows produce no selected-cell mask instead of falling back to legacy ItemData.Shape. Inventory cargo cell tint now uses typed hardpoint facets only; incomplete typed rows receive the generic tint instead of falling back to legacy EquippableItemData.HardpointType. Inventory HUD durability tint uses typed max durability only, with current runtime durability as the generic denominator for incomplete typed rows. ItemManager.Evaluate also uses typed runtime item max durability and item names when evaluating unequipped performance stats. Weapon group assignment and guided projectile diagnostics report names from equipped typed runtime rows instead of ItemData.Name. ItemManager typed item instantiation primitives create simple commodities, crafted items, and equippable items from runtime catalog rows; old DTO-based item creation is gone from blueprint cloning. EquippedItem also takes conductivity, max durability, thermal bounds, and thermal performance curve keys from the typed runtime item row for heat conduction, durability performance, thermal performance, and wear scaling. Thermal resilience is also typed and feeds wear scaling. Audio parameter stat bindings are typed item rows and feed equipped-item Wwise parameter updates; missing optional thermal/audio facets now degrade to neutral runtime defaults instead of hydrating legacy equippable DTOs. Consumable stackability, duration, and effectiveness curve slots are part of typed item rows, and action-bar consumable activation/fill now command typed item IDs. The current mapped legacy catalog has no consumable item rows, so consumable runtime behavior still needs future typed data coverage, but it no longer hydrates ConsumableItemData as a fallback. Inventory drag preview occupancy now projects typed item shape cells only into the local Shape grid, and final fit/equip acceptance shares the typed runtime catalog geometry path in Entity.ItemFits and TryEquip. Action-bar gear slots now resolve custom icon resource paths from typed runtime item rows before falling back to typed weapon/hardpoint facets; legacy EquippableItemData.ActionBarIcon is no longer a UI owner.
• Galaxy generation no longer accepts a runtime item catalog reader or ItemManager. Sector and tutorial generation receive the package-owned typed runtime catalog. Galaxy projects typed corporation v2 records into temporary legacy Faction DTOs, including allegiance edges, for the existing simulation shape and resolves full name arrays from aetheria.name_file.v2 records. The runtime no longer opens the old GameData/NameFile/*.msgpack directory.
• Item instances carry RuntimeItemDefinitionReference, a narrow item-definition id resolved by ItemManager against the typed runtime item catalog projected from aetheria-world.cc. Runtime item references no longer carry hydrated DTO projection caches or global link-resolution authority. MessagePack catalog construction no longer grabs global link-resolution authority, and the old generic RuntimeCatalogLink<T> abstraction is gone.
• Economy.Server now starts the modern Aetheria.State CultMesh node, drains pending Unity runtime commits through the typed state applicator, and no longer owns RethinkDB/LiteNetLib state.
• Aetheria.State.Import writes a typed quarantine manifest and migration ledger for the legacy catalog files. It also raw-decodes stable old MessagePack union fields into typed item/faction/name-file documents without compiling the old Unity domain model into Aetheria.State. The current checked-in catalog maps to 115 item definitions, 12 factions, and 12 name files. Item definitions now carry legacy manufacturer IDs, price, shape dimensions, occupied cell counts, full typed shape-cell masks, hardpoint type, hull type, interior shape masks for hull/cargo equipment, hull hardpoint definitions, behavior kind fingerprints, typed recursive behavior payloads, stack size, specific heat, conductivity, hull grid offset, hull armor, hull drag, hull towing flag, durability, and weapon range/caliber/type/fire/modifier classifications. Corporation documents now carry the legacy short name, true description from key 3, name-file and boss-hull legacy IDs, influence distance, allegiance count, full allegiance edges, and music bank IDs. Empty legacy GUID references are imported as absent links rather than as Guid.Empty catalog IDs. Name-file documents are now aetheria.name_file.v2 records and carry both sample names for compact surfaces and the full legacy name array for future Galaxy/Markov name generation cutover. Corporation documents are now aetheria.corporation.v2 records because runtime generation needs actual allegiance edges, not only a count. Aetheria.State now owns the canonical legacy-ID record key mapping for migrated item, corporation, and name-file documents.
• AetheriaCatalogSnapshot is the typed catalog read surface over materialized .cc records. It exposes trade-item, manufacturer, corporation prefix, and corporation name-file queries, plus equipment, hardpoint, and behavior queries without touching runtime projection DTOs.
• ItemManager can now ask its typed runtime item reader for the owning AetheriaRuntimeCatalogItem row by item ID. Its generic mass, thermal-mass, and crafted-price helpers read typed mass, specific heat, quantity, quality, and price rather than hydrating ItemData; legacy projection hydration is still used for behavior construction and simulation surfaces that have not been rebuilt yet.
• The embedded GameCult.Aetheria.State.Unity package now owns the Unity-visible immutable catalog read-model contract for trade/equipment/behavior/hardpoint/manufacturer/corporation/name queries, typed item shape masks, typed interior masks, hardpoints, and behavior payloads. It also owns a read-only Unity-compatible CultCache directory-store opener for the known Aetheria catalog schemas, so Unity runtime code can read aetheria-world.cc catalog records without runtime projection DTOs or a MessagePack catalog cache. The SDK-style Aetheria.State.Unity facade includes that package source and owns the full Aetheria.State mapper plus Eve surface read path for .NET smokes. Neither is a simulation owner and neither writes state. Aetheria.Shared.Unity references this package directly so Galaxy can consume typed name files without loading legacy NameFile documents. The package also owns Unity's typed runtime commit log writer for settings, loadout-template, and run-checkpoint command documents under aetheria-world.cc.pending. This log is command-only: it cannot decide canonical state, and the Aetheria.State node applicator deletes applied commands after writing typed documents. Run checkpoint documents now carry current-zone and entity snapshots so the old .zone file path has a live typed runtime projection path.
• Aetheria.State.ApplyPending opens the typed state node and applies queued Unity runtime command documents from aetheria-world.cc.pending, deleting successfully applied command files by default. It is an operational bridge, not a second state owner; the applicator delegates all writes to AetheriaStateNode.
• AetheriaRuntimeEveCommandLog emits typed AetheriaRuntimeEveCommandDocument files under aetheria-world.cc.eve.pending; AetheriaEveCommandBridge consumes the same shared document type, validates provider/surface/command authority, and deletes accounted command files. The Eve pending lane is command transport, not renderer-owned state.
• Economy.Server hosts the CultMesh state node and now owns the long-running pending runtime commit drain loop. --apply-pending-once runs the same drain path once for smoke/operator use without keeping the process alive.
• AetheriaRuntimeCommitDrainStatus and the aetheria.operations Eve surface publish pending-drain health, pending depth, applied counts, failures, and timestamps as typed state. Console logs are notification-only.
• AetheriaProviderAdvertisementProjector publishes gamecult.eve.provider_advertisement.v1 for the aetheria provider, advertising the catalog and operations surfaces, command boundaries, schemas, and .cc witness path. This is the discovery map for Odin/Eve, not a health page.
• AetheriaCatalogSurfaceProjector now emits the first provider-owned Eve surface from typed catalog state. The importer materializes a gamecult.eve.surface.v1 catalog operator document at eve:surface:aetheria.catalog.operator with summary, trade-catalog, and corporation views. This is a typed CultCache surface document, not a renderer dashboard or JSON status card.
• The embedded Unity state package can now read gamecult.eve.surface records directly from the CultCache .cc store into the shared Eve surface contract DTOs. This gives Unity the same provider-owned retained tree that the SDK-style state client reads, without JSON fixtures, HTTP dashboard summaries, or renderer-owned state.
• AetheriaEveSurfacePresenter is the first runtime UI Toolkit consumer of those typed surface documents. It owns mounting only: state file resolution, surface lookup, lowering, and command emission into a typed pending queue. Provider command acceptance still belongs to the future CultMesh command bridge.
• GameData/aetheria-world.cc is now materialized from the importer as the project-local typed state file for the checked-in catalog. The importer stores relative provenance in the state document, not machine-local absolute paths. Unity resolves this path through the embedded GameCult.Aetheria.State.Unity runtime package, not through the legacy catalog boundary. Unity also asks the package to inspect whether the typed state file exists during boot; the warning is notification-only and does not make legacy catalog data the typed state owner. Import rebuilds clear the generated .cc, .cc.records, and .cultmesh outputs for the selected state path after capturing legacy inputs, so schema evolution can rematerialize typed state instead of being blocked by stale embedded schema catalogs. Aetheria.State.Verify opens the materialized file and checks that migration ledger counts match actual typed catalog records, that name-file v2 records carry their full name arrays, that the legacy-ID lookup API resolves migrated item, corporation, and name-file documents, and that the expanded typed catalog facts, typed catalog snapshot queries, and typed Eve catalog surface are present in the .cc store. The current verifier sees 52 shaped item masks, 5 interior masks, 3 hardpoint-host hulls, 22 hardpoints, 39 behavior-bearing item definitions, 65 behavior payloads, 661 behavior fields, 18 behavior-side legacy-ID references, 51 hardpoint-tagged equipment items, 3 hull items, 18 weapon-facet item definitions, and 143 corporation allegiance edges. Legacy content includes at least one overhanging hardpoint (LonginusX); migration verification preserves that payload and does not convert content repair into mapper authority.
• .voidbot/state/aetheria.cc is the repo Persona state witness. Aetheria is not registered as a VoidBot Discord identity yet, so mutations use the repo-local void-self-state.mjs apply-operation typed boundary rather than the registered Face MCP path.
• The old IMGUI DB inspector has been deleted. NameTools can still clean/generate names, but the legacy NameFile .msgpack export control has been deleted instead of leaving a warning-only writer stub. The remaining Unity helper files formerly under Assets/Scripts/CultCache now live under Assets/Scripts/UnitySupport because they are color/curve helpers, not cache authority.
• Galaxy generation no longer reads legacy Faction or NameFile entries through ItemManager; it requires the typed runtime catalog opened from GameData/aetheria-world.cc.
• The dead Unity NameFile projection class has been deleted. Runtime name generation reads AetheriaRuntimeNameFile records from the typed catalog facade; legacy GameData/NameFile/*.msgpack remains migration input only.
• Pending Unity runtime commit envelopes now name their source catalog IDs as CorporationLegacyId, ItemDefinitionLegacyId, and HullItemDefinitionLegacyId; the applier has always projected those fields into typed corporation and item-definition record keys.
• Entity restore and loadout manufacturer-distance weighting no longer read legacy Faction entries through ItemManager; they use Galaxy.ResolveFaction over the typed corporation projection.
• The give command no longer enumerates legacy item catalog entries; typed catalog selection owned the command match before the command was deleted.
• LoadoutGenerator no longer enumerates legacy item catalog entries for its candidate pool; typed catalog filtering owns the first item selection pass, and typed runtime item rows are passed directly to ItemManager for instantiation. The remaining post-selection bridge is behavior config construction for old behavior constructors, not whole-item DTO hydration.
• TradeMenuDebug no longer enumerates legacy item catalog entries for its table rows; typed trade catalog records own the row set, with legacy DTO hydration kept for the old debug UI callbacks.
• MessagePack is no longer used as a runtime object-cloning shortcut for EntitySettings, and UI/player-settings startup no longer registers the old MessagePack resolver. The custom Unity-side MessagePack resolver and math/type formatter source has been deleted with the old bespoke file format path. Unused Unity asset formatters for GameObject, Material, Sprite, and Texture2D are deleted. Keyboard layout DTOs are plain runtime parse/display models, not MessagePack save shapes. PlayerSettings is a plain session-local runtime object until typed Verse settings are imported into Unity. ZoneData body/orbit DTOs, ItemInstance DTOs, EntitySettings, Ship, Unity inspector game settings, environment/volume settings, exponential curves, Wwise bindings, and enum dictionaries are also plain runtime/session/config projections now, not MessagePack persistence shapes. The global scene-load MessagePack resolver hook is deleted. The slime compute settings path no longer serializes its local parameter struct for change detection. Agent task runtime shapes no longer carry MessagePack object, union, key, or ignore metadata. AgentTask no longer inherits the shared runtime projection identity base; task objects are plain in-memory AI work orders until a typed Verse task document exists.
• Legacy player, faction, name-file, galaxy-map-layer, and narrative helper DTOs no longer carry MessagePack object/key/ignore metadata. Typed corporation/name-file/catalog documents own durable state; these classes are inspector/runtime projections only. Item and behavior DTO field layout for AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog no longer depends on MessagePack attributes. The temporary bridge uses LegacyPayloadKeyAttribute while typed item instances and behavior factories are being built.
• The dead PersonalityAttribute projection DTO and its unused property-panel hook have been deleted; no typed catalog import or runtime caller owned that shape.
• Declaration-only personality fields on Faction/Entity and the unused production personality setting have also been cut; there is no surviving personality-state owner in live Unity source.
• AgentTask has been cut loose from the item projection base; AI tasks are local runtime work orders and no longer participate in the shared projection identity base.
• BodyData and OrbitData have also been cut loose from the item projection base; they keep local GUID fields for zone runtime lookup, but no longer inherit shared projection equality.
• Faction has been cut loose from the item projection base; it keeps local GUID equality for galaxy dictionaries while typed corporation records remain the durable catalog owner.
• Aetheria.Shared.Unity no longer references the vendored MessagePack assembly. The embedded GameCult.Aetheria.State.Unity package still depends on MessagePackReader to open CultCache .cc records; that dependency belongs to the typed state package boundary until it can move to a modern CultLib Unity package.
• The dead story compiled-JSON cache sketch and its SHA helper are deleted; story compilation currently reads Ink source directly until a typed Verse story/cache document exists.
• Runtime UI is old Unity UI/uGUI prefabs plus MonoBehaviour scripts under Assets/Scripts/UI/ and Assets/Prefabs/UI/.
• Aetheria already has Unity UIElements support available through com.unity.modules.uielements. It now imports local staged org.gamecult.eve.surface and org.gamecult.eve.unity-uitoolkit packages: the first carries no-engine gamecult.eve.surface.v1 contract DTOs, and the second lowers those retained trees into UI Toolkit VisualElement trees. These packages are renderer boundaries, not UI truth owners. org.gamecult.aetheria.eve-runtime now adds the Aetheria-specific UIDocument presenter that reads provider-owned Eve surfaces from GameData/aetheria-world.cc and mounts them through the lowerer. Its command path queues gamecult.eve.command.v1 envelopes under aetheria-world.cc.eve.pending for the provider-owned command bridge instead of accepting renderer-local command effects. AetheriaEveCommandBridge currently accepts the advertised catalog/operations refresh commands, republishes provider-owned surfaces, rejects unknown/unadvertised commands, and records AetheriaEveCommandDrainStatus as typed state.

Invariants

• Durable game state is typed CultCache state, not JSON documents or ad hoc sidecars.
• Network-visible state is published through CultMesh/CultNet documents, not a RethinkDB changefeed or bespoke status endpoint.
• Record identity belongs to CultCache record keys and typed references, not to mutable domain base classes.
• UI surfaces are provider-owned Eve CultUI documents; Unity is a lowering runtime, not the owner of UI truth.
• Migration code may read old formats, but old stores cannot decide live state after migration.
• The runtime must have one commit path for user action, load/import, server replication, and editor mutation of the same state.

Current Authority Map

• Owner: Aetheria.State owns the new typed state spine for durable state. The embedded GameCult.Aetheria.State.Unity package owns Unity's runtime typed state file path plus the boot-time state-file probe, and is the landing zone for future typed catalog boot. ActionGameManager opens the package-owned typed runtime catalog snapshot and binds item reference resolution through AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog. Runtime code receives narrow ItemManager projection methods where gameplay still needs old ItemData DTOs. Galaxy, entity restore, and faction-distance loadout weighting have been moved off legacy faction catalog reads. The embedded Unity state package owns the read-only runtime catalog model contract and the read-only known-schema .cc catalog opener. ActionGameManager now exposes that typed package snapshot at boot. The SDK-style Aetheria.State.Unity facade maps typed .cc documents into the same contract for full .NET smokes and Eve surface reads. Neither writes state or owns simulation. The runtime no longer has a MessagePack catalog cache or whole-item DTO projection cache. AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog exposes typed item rows only. ItemManager.CreateRuntimeBehaviors owns the temporary projection from typed behavior payloads into BehaviorData config objects required by the current behavior constructors. Direct config reads no longer escape ItemManager; gameplay stat modifiers target live behavior instances and package-owned behavior metadata instead of rebuilding config DTOs for lookup. ItemInstance.ItemId is the runtime identity surface and ItemInstance.Reference is the explicit item-reference API; there is no remaining ItemInstance.Data identity/backing field. The reader interface for this bridge is named IRuntimeItemCatalogReader and exposes only typed catalog row lookup. Behavior type selection now uses an explicit runtime catalog map instead of UnionAttribute reflection, and the temporary behavior config constructor map is keyed by typed behavior payload kind rather than legacy union key. Runtime item category classification uses package-owned AetheriaRuntimeItemCategories tokens; gameplay code should not ask C# legacy DTO class names to classify typed catalog rows. The typed state verifier also consumes those package-owned category tokens for consumable and docking-bay coverage checks instead of hardcoding migrated class-name strings. Item/behavior DTO field layout for the temporary projection bridge is now marked with project-owned LegacyPayloadKeyAttribute, not MessagePack metadata. Item properties manufacturer display is a typed snapshot consumer; loadout generation uses typed catalog rows for hull type, shape, category, hardpoint type, behavior kind prefilters, and selected-item instantiation. The old trade debug UI and console give command have been deleted. The surviving trade menu also uses typed catalog rows for first-pass size, hardpoint, and behavior filters before hydrating row projections. No live caller can enumerate legacy catalog entries or request catalog-shaped single entries through ItemManager.
• Inputs: Unity gameplay code, legacy catalog files, typed state documents, and CultMesh server state.
• Outputs: Aetheria.State emits .cc state and CultMesh documents. Runtime typed item catalog projection emits in-memory domain objects only; the old local save and editor catalog write paths have been cut. Migrated catalog documents are addressed through AetheriaCatalogKeys and AetheriaStateNode legacy-ID methods, not importer-local string concatenation. Player settings, loadout templates, and run checkpoints have a shared Unity commit-log primitive plus a typed state node applicator. Run checkpoints now carry the current zone and its entity snapshots through that same command/apply spine. Whole-galaxy unloaded-zone projection still needs to be added once lazy generation has a typed state owner. The old SaveState/SaveZone command surface is gone. The catalog operator UI is emitted as a typed Eve surface document derived from the catalog snapshot.
• Derived state: UI panels, generated keyboard layouts, editor rows, typed state boot warnings, and serialized legacy payloads are projections, migration inputs, diagnostics, or disabled session-local DTOs, not durable authority.
• Forbidden writers: old JSON backing stores, JsonKnownTypes converters, Rethink/LiteNet paths, IMGUI database editor exports, local save-file writes, generated keyboard layout caches, server-side DatabaseCache paths, and item DTO projection caches.
• Shared paths: manual gameplay edits, editor edits, server updates, file load, file save, and migration all need to converge on one typed commit primitive.
• Deletion line: no new behavior should be added to old ItemData DTO metadata or MessagePack catalog paths except bounded migration readers and the current typed behavior config bridge.

Target Authority Map

• Owner: Aetheria.State, a typed document layer backed by modern GameCult.Caching and opened through a CultMesh node.
• Inputs: typed commands, save/import migration records, CultMesh replication, editor mutations, and deterministic simulation facts.
• Outputs: CultCache .cc state files, CultMesh document streams, Eve surface documents, simulation events, and migration reports.
• Derived state: Unity scene objects, HUD panels, editor inspectors, debug views, server dashboards, and compatibility DTOs.
• Forbidden writers: Unity UI components, RethinkDB, legacy JSON stores, RuntimeCatalogEntry.ID, RuntimeItemProjectionEntry, global cache statics, and any compatibility reader.
• Shared paths: gameplay input, editor edits, import/deep-load, replication, simulation ticks, and tests all call the same typed state service.
• Deletion line: replace the remaining ItemData runtime DTO projection with native typed item instances and typed behavior factories, then remove old MessagePack catalog metadata from live Unity source once import-only migration no longer needs it.

Intended Change

Create a modern Aetheria state runtime that opens a CultMesh node over a typed CultCache file, registers Aetheria document types, and exposes narrow ports for gameplay, editor tools, migration, and UI projection. The state runtime becomes the only live writer. Everything else becomes a consumer, a command source, or a migration reader.

Use modern CultLib surfaces:

• GameCult.Caching for [CultDocument], record keys, indexes, references, schema catalog, and typed persistence.
• GameCult.Caching.MessagePack for the binary CultCache backing format.
• GameCult.Mesh for node/database illusion, durable shard logs, Verse descriptors, authority leases, replication, and peer discovery.
• Eve CultUI for portable UI documents and command envelopes.

UI Direction

Unity should lower Eve surfaces through UI Toolkit, not through the old uGUI CultUI package as the strategic path.

The package should live in the Eve repo as an importable Unity package, for example org.gamecult.eve.unity-uitoolkit. It should consume gamecult.eve.surface.v1 and gamecult.eve.command.v1, lower retained components into UIDocument/VisualElement trees, and publish commands back to the provider through CultMesh/CultNet.

Aetheria should import that Eve package and provide surfaces. It should not own a bespoke Unity lowering. The existing CultLib Unity uGUI package remains useful as prior art for resolver-backed controls and inspector generation, but it is not the new portable UI authority.

Until the shared Eve package lands upstream, Aetheria carries a local staged Unity package pair:

• org.gamecult.eve.surface: no-engine DTOs for gamecult.eve.surface.v1.
• org.gamecult.eve.unity-uitoolkit: UI Toolkit lowering from those DTOs to native VisualElement trees.

These are import boundaries, not Aetheria UI authority. The provider-owned surface document in CultCache/CultMesh remains the truth, and the lowerer only projects it.

First Aetheria surfaces to publish:

• runtime HUD
• inventory
• menu shell
• sector/map view
• typed state inspector
• migration report / quarantine viewer
• server/session status

Migration Phases

1. Baseline

   • Record the current compile/test status for Unity and .NET projects.
   • Keep this map current before cutting code.
   • Count old authority references with rg so deletion has a visible target.

2. Modern state spine

   • Add references to modern GameCult.Caching, GameCult.Caching.MessagePack, and GameCult.Mesh.
   • Create Aetheria.State document definitions using [CultDocument], [MessagePackObject], [CultName], [CultIndex], and typed references.
   • Add a smoke that writes, flushes, reopens, and reads typed state from a CultCache .cc file.

3. Legacy quarantine

   • Done: capture old GameData/AetherDB.msgpack and related name files as a typed quarantine manifest without granting them runtime authority.
   • Done: emit typed CultCache records plus a migration ledger for the catalog quarantine preflight.
   • Done: implement a bounded raw payload mapper that converts stable old DatabaseEntry union fields into typed item/faction/name-file catalog documents without making Aetheria.State depend on Unity's legacy model.
   • Done: promote typed name files to aetheria.name_file.v2 with full name arrays, so future Galaxy name generation has a Verse-owned replacement for legacy NameFile.Names.
   • Done: promote typed corporations to aetheria.corporation.v2 with full allegiance edges, so temporary Faction DTO projection can preserve loadout generation behavior without reading legacy faction entries.
   • Done: expand the stable item mapper to include equipment facets and behavior kind fingerprints needed by future Unity/Eve catalog consumers.
   • Done: import full item shape-cell masks into typed catalog documents and expose them through the Unity-facing read facade.
   • Done: import typed interior shape masks and hull hardpoint definitions needed by future equipment/cargo layout and fitting consumers.
   • Done: import recursive typed behavior payloads so future behavior factories no longer have to depend on legacy BehaviorData objects just to see authored behavior fields.
   • Done: expand typed AetheriaPlayerSettings so PlayerSettings.msgpack no longer lacks a durable Verse replacement for actual runtime settings values.
   • Done: add typed AetheriaLoadoutTemplate documents and smoke coverage so .loadout no longer lacks a durable Verse replacement.
   • Done: add typed node ports and smoke coverage for run -> zone -> entity snapshots so .zone no longer lacks a durable Verse replacement graph.
   • Done: extend run checkpoint commits and smoke coverage to carry typed action-bar bindings into AetheriaRunState as stable input-control and target references instead of UI or behavior-object payloads.
   • Done: extend run checkpoint commits and smoke coverage to carry typed faction relationship rows into AetheriaRunState as corporation references, relationship tokens, and numeric standings.
   • Done: make AetheriaRuntimeSession a live CultMesh document with state node ports, provider advertisement, server heartbeat publication, and smoke coverage; daemon liveness is no longer only console output or incidental drain status.
   • Remaining: add typed documents/mappers for runtime object graphs, typed behavior factory construction, simulation state, and any catalog fields not covered by the stable scalar/fingerprint/payload pass.

4. Runtime cutover

   • Done: add a Unity-facing typed catalog read facade and smoke proving it can read the materialized .cc catalog plus Eve surface without the legacy catalog reader.
   • Done: move Galaxy faction selection and name generation to the typed runtime catalog; legacy Faction/NameFile catalog entries no longer decide generated sector factions or zone names.
   • Done: move entity faction restore and loadout manufacturer-distance weighting to Galaxy.ResolveFaction, so legacy Faction catalog entries no longer decide runtime faction references after generation.
   • Done: move LoadoutGenerator weighted candidate selection, hardpoint fit, station bay fit, cargo/capacitor fit, selected-item reuse, hull/category, hull type, hull conductivity setup, and behavior-kind prefilters onto typed runtime catalog rows; selected item instantiation now receives typed rows directly.
   • Done: replace LoadoutGenerator's legacy DTO generic selectors with private typed candidate-kind selectors, so loadout code no longer asks for HullData, GearData, CargoBayData, or EquippableItemData as candidate-selection authority.
   • Done: add package-owned AetheriaRuntimeItemCategories tokens and move runtime category checks off nameof(ConsumableItemData), nameof(HullData), nameof(WeaponItemData), and scattered raw category strings in gameplay/loadout/docking classification.
   • Done: delete unused TradeMenuDebug; the old debug uGUI trade path no longer hydrates typed trade rows back into legacy ItemData objects.
   • Done: move surviving trade menu size, hardpoint, and behavior filters onto typed catalog row prefilters before row-level ItemData hydration.
   • Done: move trade menu row presentation for name, mass, price, size, hardpoint type, commodity subtype, hull-owned counts, and behavior-kind filtering onto typed TradeRow fields.
   • Done: demote TradeMenu behavior filters from BehaviorData Type authority to typed behavior kind keys matched against typed payloads; BehaviorData reflection remains only for temporary filter labels and dynamic column metadata.
   • Done: move trade menu buy price, ship-hull classification, and simple commodity stack-size decisions onto typed catalog rows; inventory transfer and ship construction remain the runtime mutation owners.
   • Done: move TradeMenu dynamic behavior columns onto typed behavior payload fields; the menu no longer hydrates ItemData or BehaviorData for row display, filtering, sorting, or buy decisions.
   • Done: move action-bar consumable drop binding, activation command, and active-duration fill onto typed catalog item IDs; legacy ConsumableItemData is now only a compatibility fallback because the current mapped legacy catalog contains no consumable item rows.
   • Done: move player camera articulation grouping for equipped non-launcher weapons onto typed behavior-kind rows instead of runtime BehaviorData type inspection.
   • Done: import typed thermal bounds and move schematic HUD heat-fill ranges onto typed catalog rows.
   • Done: move schematic HUD weapon-row classification onto typed behavior-kind rows; runtime Weapon instances remain the owner for live ammo/cooldown display values.
   • Done: move target HUD hitpoint fill denominator onto typed hull durability; live hull item durability remains the numerator/runtime damage owner.
   • Done: import typed item specific heat and move ItemManager generic mass, thermal-mass, and crafted-price helpers onto typed runtime catalog rows.
   • Done: import typed thermal performance curve keys and move PropertiesPanel thermal curve presentation onto typed catalog rows; incomplete typed rows use a neutral fallback curve instead of hydrating legacy thermal DTOs.
   • Done: move PropertiesPanel runtime behavior stat display and damage-range curves onto typed behavior payload fields, and delete the explicit Inspect(ItemData) projection inspector after moving trade row inspection onto typed runtime catalog rows.
   • Done: replace the PropertiesPanel stat modifier class-name check with the package-owned typed StatModifier behavior kind.
   • Done: demote PropertiesPanel weapon damage-range payload matching from BehaviorData Type authority to package-owned typed weapon behavior metadata.
   • Done: move PropertiesPanel generic behavior stat display off BehaviorData reflection and onto package-owned typed behavior display metadata keyed by behavior kind and payload field key.
   • Done: move TradeMenu behavior filter options, behavior family matching, and dynamic behavior columns off BehaviorData reflection and onto package-owned typed behavior metadata.
   • Done: delete the dead RuntimeInspectable attribute and annotations after the UI behavior metadata owner moved into the typed runtime package.
   • Done: remove the loot pickup presentation fallback to legacy ItemData; typed category/name rows now decide pickup visuals and scan labels, and missing typed rows render generic unknown gear pickup presentation.
   • Done: import typed hull prefab paths and move ZoneRenderer entity scene instantiation onto typed hull rows; legacy HullData no longer chooses zone entity prefabs or station compass classification.
   • Done: move EntityInstance hull shape and hardpoint presentation/damage masks onto typed catalog rows; legacy HullData no longer supplies hull shape or hardpoint lists to scene entity instances.
   • Done: move InventoryPanel entity-grid hull shape/interior rendering and thermal overlay masking onto typed catalog rows; legacy HullData no longer supplies equipment-grid display geometry.
   • Done: move EquippedCargoBay cargo geometry, item fit shape, simple stack limits, cargo mass, cargo thermal mass, and InventoryPanel cargo-grid lowering onto typed catalog rows; legacy CargoBayData remains only in later simulation projections such as behavior construction.
   • Done: import docking bay max ship size into typed item rows and move EquippedDockingBay.MaxSize onto the typed runtime catalog row; legacy DockingBayData.MaxSize is no longer the runtime docking-limit owner.
   • Done: move EquippedItem.InsetShape construction onto typed hull and item shape rows; legacy HullData.Shape/EquippableItemData.Shape no longer decide equipped-item temperature footprint geometry.
   • Done: move EquippedItem and ConsumableItemEffect behavior construction off Data.Behaviors and onto typed runtime behavior payload config construction; BehaviorData remains only the temporary behavior-class config bridge.
   • Done: route EquippedItem and ConsumableItemEffect behavior instance creation through ItemManager.CreateRuntimeBehaviors; temporary config reads are internal to that construction bridge.
   • Done: move the temporary behavior config constructor map from legacy union keys to typed behavior payload kind strings; union keys remain migration provenance only for this runtime path.
   • Done: move StatModifier behavior requirements and behavior-stat targets off EquippableItemData.Behaviors and old BehaviorData subclass identity checks. Temporary behavior configs carry typed payload kinds, and StatModifier matches those kind strings for target and requirement selection. The obsolete item-DTO stat target branch is deleted because the live equippable item DTO hierarchy has no active PerformanceStat fields.
   • Done: move StatModifier target and requirement lookup onto the live equipped behavior instances. It now modifies the PerformanceStat objects actually held by runtime behavior data instead of rebuilding temporary config DTOs from the catalog.
   • Done: move StatModifier behavior kind/family matching onto AetheriaRuntimeBehaviorMetadataCatalog; the behavior only normalizes migrated *Data tokens before asking the package-owned metadata owner.
   • Done: delete the legacy Behaviors lists from ConsumableItemData and EquippableItemData; item DTOs can no longer carry behavior config state.
   • Done: move runtime blueprint price aggregation and conductivity restore geometry onto typed runtime item price and hull shape rows; legacy ItemData.Price and HullData.Shape no longer own those blueprint paths.
   • Done: move runtime blueprint item cloning off ItemData hydration and onto typed runtime item rows; ItemManager.Instantiate now clones simple commodities, crafted items, consumables, and equippables from AetheriaRuntimeCatalogItem identity and facets.
   • Done: delete dead runtime blueprint behavior-private persistence: PersistedBehaviors, IPersistentBehavior, and PersistentBehaviorData no longer exist, so behavior state cannot smuggle itself through the blueprint projection path.
   • Done: delete the runtime item DTO hydration bridge; ItemManager.GetData, ItemManager.Hydrate, the old projection reader item DTO API, the AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog whole-item DTO cache, and RuntimeItemReference.Projection are gone.
   • Done: move final Entity.ItemFits, TryFindSpace, TryEquip, and TryUnequip gear occupancy/mass deltas onto typed catalog rows for item shape, hull shape/interior, hardpoint masks, cargo/docking category, and mass/thermal mass.
   • Done: move LoadoutGenerator selected item birth onto typed runtime item rows via ItemManager.CreateEquippableInstance; generated hulls, cargo, docking bays, controllers, capacitors, reused gear, and station inventory no longer hydrate EquippableItemData projections merely to instantiate.
   • Done: import typed conductivity and hull physical facets, regenerate the checked-in .cc catalog, and move Entity.MapEntity, Entity.UnoccupiedSpace, grid-offset placement, and Entity.UpdateTemperature onto typed runtime hull rows.
   • Done: move entity default naming onto typed hull rows and delete the entity-level HullData property that only preserved legacy name hydration.
   • Done: move unequipped ItemManager.Evaluate durability/name inputs onto typed runtime item rows; legacy EquippableItemData.Durability no longer owns that stat-evaluation path.
   • Done: move new equippable instance durability initialization onto typed runtime item rows.
   • Done: move EquippedItem conductivity and max-durability performance/wear inputs onto typed runtime item rows.
   • Done: move EquippedItem thermal performance evaluation onto typed runtime item thermal bounds and curve keys; missing typed curve/range data uses a neutral runtime default.
   • Done: import typed thermal resilience and move equipped-item wear scaling off EquippableItemData.ThermalResilience; missing typed resilience uses a neutral runtime default.
   • Done: import typed audio parameter stat bindings and move equipped-item Wwise parameter updates off EquippableItemData.AudioStats; missing typed audio stat bindings produce no parameter updates.
   • Done: add typed consumable stackability, duration, and effectiveness curve fields and route action-bar consumable activation/runtime evaluation through typed item rows; verifier records that the current mapped catalog has 0 consumable item rows, so future consumable content still needs typed coverage.
   • Done: delete Entity consumable activation overloads that accepted ConsumableItemData; active lookup uses item ids and activation commands accept typed runtime catalog rows only.
   • Done: delete dead Entity.GetBehaviorData<T>() and stale commented switch/trigger/axis behavior-query helpers; entity-level behavior queries expose live behavior instances, not DTO config.
   • Done: import action-bar icon resource paths into typed item definitions and move ActionBarSlot custom gear icon lookup onto typed runtime item rows.
   • Done: move Ship drag, combat/turret predicted shot height, and thruster torque geometry onto typed hull facets and typed shape masks.
   • Done: delete the console give command instead of preserving a debug operator path that hydrated typed item rows back into legacy item DTOs.
   • Done: delete ItemManager.GetCatalogEntries<T> after all live callers moved to typed catalog selection.
   • Done: delete ILegacyItemCatalogReader.GetAll<T> and the type/global indexes inside LegacyItemCatalogCache; the legacy cache is now only a pull-fed GUID lookup bridge.
   • Done: remove GameData/NameFile/*.msgpack from Unity runtime legacy catalog boot; typed name files now own runtime names, and old name files remain migration inputs only.
   • Done: narrow ILegacyItemCatalogReader and DatabaseLink<T> to ItemData; LegacyItemCatalogCache ignores non-item entries from AetherDB.msgpack.
   • Done: replace ActionGameManager cache bootstrap with AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog, a typed-state-backed projection from AetheriaRuntimeCatalogSnapshot; delete LegacyItemCatalogBoundary, LegacyItemCatalogCache, and the runtime MessagePack deserializer path.
   • Done: demote DatabaseEntry and DatabaseLink<T> from MessagePack union/object shapes to plain runtime identity/link helpers.
   • Done: rename live Unity projection helpers from DatabaseEntry, DatabaseLink<T>, and InspectableDatabaseLinkAttribute to runtime projection names, and move the old ServerShared/CultCache folder to ServerShared/RuntimeProjection.
   • Done: rename the surviving runtime DTO identity base from RuntimeCatalogEntry to RuntimeItemProjectionEntry.
   • Done: delete the RuntimeItemProjectionEntry base after item DTO hydration was removed; surviving ItemData DTOs own only their local legacy GUID.
   • Done: delete unused InspectableRuntimeCatalogLinkAttribute metadata from runtime DTOs; link inspection no longer masquerades as catalog authority.
   • Done: delete the empty RuntimeProjection/Serialization folder marker and unused projection-era attributes (GlobalSettings, RangedFloat, Tooltip, Name, and the commented ExternalEntry) from live Unity source.
   • Done: replace behavior union reflection with an explicit runtime catalog behavior map and remove all live Union(...) annotations.
   • Done: demote agent task runtime shapes from MessagePack object/key/union metadata to plain in-memory DTOs.
   • Done: demote legacy player, faction, name-file, galaxy-map-layer, and narrative helper DTOs from MessagePack metadata to plain runtime/inspector shapes.
   • Done: replace remaining item/behavior DTO MessagePack field metadata with LegacyPayloadKeyAttribute; no live Assets/Scripts source depends on Newtonsoft, RethinkDB, or bespoke save-file serializer symbols. Remaining package-level MessagePack usage is the typed CultCache .cc transport boundary, not a gameplay save format.
   • Done: delete dead PlayerData and GalaxyMapLayerData catalog roots, and remove legacy catalog group/table annotations from surviving runtime DTOs.
   • Done: move loadout generation's selected-item instantiation onto typed runtime item rows; typed catalog filtering remains the selection owner.
   • Done: remove stale main-menu/editor database vocabulary from Unity UI surfaces; galaxy generation now reports typed catalog loading.
   • Done: remove the stale MessagePack assembly reference from Aetheria.Shared.Unity; the remaining MessagePack reference is contained in the typed state package's .cc reader.
   • Convert domain references from GUID/base-class patterns to typed record refs.
   • Remove runtime dependency on ItemData DTOs as item instance owners.

5. Mesh host

   • Replace Economy.Server RethinkDB and LiteNetLib database authority with a CultMesh node.
   • Keep any transport bridge only if it delegates to CultMesh and protects a named external compatibility contract.
   • Publish Verse descriptors and state subscriptions through CultMesh.

6. Eve UI

   • Done: publish the typed catalog operator surface from Aetheria.State.
   • Done: stage the Eve surface contract DTO package and UI Toolkit lowering package as importable Unity packages in Aetheria while the neighboring Eve repo is dirty on unrelated work.
   • Done: teach the embedded Unity state package to read gamecult.eve.surface records from the .cc store into that shared contract.
   • Done: add org.gamecult.aetheria.eve-runtime with a UIDocument presenter that mounts typed Eve surfaces from GameData/aetheria-world.cc through UI Toolkit without giving the renderer state authority.
   • Done: queue renderer-emitted Eve commands as typed gamecult.eve.command.v1 documents under .eve.pending, separate from runtime state commits so the existing state applicator cannot accidentally accept commands it does not own.
   • Done: add the provider-owned Eve command bridge that drains .eve.pending, validates provider/surface/command templates, invokes the current refresh handlers, republishes accepted surfaces, rejects unknown commands, and records typed command-drain status.
   • Done: delete provider-side Eve command emission from AetheriaEveCommandBridge; renderer/runtime command files are queued through AetheriaRuntimeEveCommandLog, while the provider bridge only validates, applies, reports, and deletes accounted commands.
   • Done: replace the .eve.pending command lane's private raw MessagePack array protocol with shared AetheriaRuntimeEveCommandDocument files.
   • Extend the command bridge beyond refresh commands as gameplay/editor Eve surfaces acquire provider-owned handlers.
   • Wire the presenter into a Unity scene/prefab for the first runtime surface and replace a concrete uGUI screen.
   • Move the staged packages into the Eve repo once its worktree is clean, then import them back into Aetheria from Eve instead of carrying a local copy.
   • Replace the old IMGUI DB inspector first, because it is closest to state authority.
   • Then replace runtime HUD/menu/inventory/map screens.

7. Purge

   • Done: delete vendored RethinkDB.
   • Done: delete root-level RethinkDB operator query notes; no old Rethink runbook remains as a live operational surface.
   • Done: delete JsonKnownTypes.
   • Done: delete Newtonsoft dependencies and attributes from live code.
   • Done: delete old JSON backing stores.
   • Done: delete the broken Economy.Shared wrapper and tracked build output.
   • Done: disable legacy local save, loadout, zone, player-settings, and keyboard layout writers; delete the DB inspector and NameFile export control instead of preserving warning-only editor surfaces.
   • Done: delete the old SavedGame/SavedZone runtime save DTO and loader.
   • Done: remove the stale Unity SaveState/SaveZone command names after their bespoke serializers were deleted.
   • Done: replace warning-only player settings, loadout, shutdown, and wormhole save paths with typed .cc.pending Verse commit commands and a state-node applicator that writes canonical typed documents.
   • Done: replace the .cc.pending runtime commit lane's private raw MessagePack array protocol with AetheriaRuntimeStateCommitDocument, shared by the Unity runtime package and the provider applicator.
   • Done: extend run checkpoint commands to carry current-zone and entity snapshots into canonical AetheriaZoneState and AetheriaEntitySnapshot documents.
   • Done: add Aetheria.State.ApplyPending as a bounded local applicator for queued runtime commits until the drain loop is hosted as a daemon.
   • Done: move the pending runtime commit drain into Economy.Server startup and daemon polling, with --apply-pending-once for bounded operation.
   • Done: publish pending-drain health as typed CultCache state and an Eve operations surface.
   • Done: publish Eve command-drain health as typed CultCache state and include it in the operations surface.
   • Done: publish an Eve provider advertisement so Odin/Eve can discover Aetheria surfaces and command boundaries through typed state.
   • Done: stop legacy catalog pull/read paths from writing entries back to their source backing store.
   • Done: delete legacy catalog backing-store write/realtime APIs.
   • Done: delete public legacy catalog cache mutation APIs.
   • Done: delete the stale StrategyGameManager.csbak backup source and unused Unity asset MessagePack formatters.
   • Done: demote keyboard layout DTOs from MessagePack shapes, delete the global scene-load MessagePack resolver hook, and remove the now-unused Unity-side custom MessagePack resolver/formatter source.
   • Done: demote PlayerSettings and nested settings from MessagePack shapes after the legacy settings writer was disabled.
   • Done: delete the process-global runtime catalog resolver from RuntimeCatalogLink<T>; item instances now carry item-definition identifiers and ItemManager owns hydration through the typed runtime catalog reader.
   • Done: collapse the old generic RuntimeCatalogLink<T> abstraction into RuntimeItemReference, an item-specific runtime projection reference owned by ItemManager.
   • Done: demote RuntimeItemReference.Value to an item-definition id, then delete RuntimeItemReference.Projection; item references no longer carry hydrated ItemData DTOs.
   • Done: add ItemInstance.ItemId as the direct runtime identity surface and move live runtime/UI/catalog lookup call sites off .Data.ItemId. The old Data field is now compatibility backing state rather than the identity API callers use.
   • Done: add ItemInstance.Reference as the explicit item-reference API and move factories/cargo stacking off direct .Data comparisons and assignments.
   • Done: rename RuntimeItemReference to RuntimeItemDefinitionReference and delete the ItemInstance.Data compatibility field; item instances now expose item identity through Reference and ItemId only.
   • Done: delete the dead ItemManager.GetRuntimeItemProjection<T> bridge after loadout generation stopped hydrating selected typed rows into EquippableItemData merely to instantiate equipment.
   • Done: rename the surviving runtime item read port from IRuntimeItemProjectionReader to IRuntimeItemCatalogReader, and rename behavior config methods to temporary behavior config construction so old projection vocabulary no longer implies item DTO authority.
   • Done: delete IRuntimeItemCatalogReader.GetTemporaryBehaviorConfigs; the runtime catalog reader now exposes typed item rows only, and the remaining BehaviorData config projection is private ItemManager behavior construction machinery.
   • Done: quarantine the vendored Unity MessagePack assembly by disabling asmdef auto-reference; only explicit state-spine assemblies should see it while the Unity CultCache bridge still needs a low-level .cc codec.
   • Done: demote ZonePack/EntityPack runtime names to RuntimeZoneBlueprint/RuntimeEntityBlueprint, and rename loadout collections away from save-payload vocabulary. These are now explicitly runtime construction projections, not portable state authority.
   • Done: rename the old EntitySerializer runtime helper to RuntimeEntityBlueprintProjector; it captures/instantiates runtime blueprint projections and no longer presents itself as a serializer.
   • Done: demote Unity's live PlayerSettings runtime object to RuntimePlayerSettings; AetheriaPlayerSettings remains the typed Verse state document owner, while Unity only keeps a session projection and queues typed player-settings commits.
   • Done: route input-screen binding/action-bar edits through named typed player-settings commit methods on the Unity runtime boundary, so the UI is no longer a direct writer of input binding or action-bar collections.
   • Remaining: delete or quarantine old cache abstractions that no longer protect an invariant once catalog migration has a typed reader.

Verification

• rg "Newtonsoft|JsonObject|JsonProperty|JsonConvert|JsonKnownTypes|RethinkDb|RethinkTable|DatabaseCache" is zero outside migration quarantine and docs.
• rg "DatabaseEntry|DatabaseLink|InspectableDatabaseLink|ServerShared\\\\CultCache" Assets Economy.* shows no live runtime ownership path.
• dotnet list package --vulnerable --include-transitive is clean for active maintained projects.
• CultCache smoke proves write, flush, reopen, query, and typed reference resolution, including full player settings as the PlayerSettings.msgpack replacement, loadout templates as the .loadout replacement, and a run -> zone -> entity snapshot graph as the .zone replacement. It also proves aetheria.runtime_session.v1 is advertised and survives reopen as the typed daemon-session signal.
• CultMesh smoke proves node start, typed put/get, subscription, flush, and reopen.
• Eve surface smoke proves provider-owned surface documents are generated from typed state and survive .cc store reopen before any renderer owns them.
• Quarantine import smoke proves old catalog file facts can be captured into typed state without old readers remaining on the live runtime path.
• Migration smoke proves stable old catalog payload fields can be read once and converted without old readers remaining on the live runtime path.
• Unity runtime catalog smoke proves read-only catalog consumers can open the typed .cc store through both the SDK-style Aetheria.State.Unity opener and the embedded package-owned read-only catalog opener, receiving the same package-owned runtime catalog read models without a MessagePack catalog cache, including typed item masks, interior masks, hardpoint definitions, corporation/name-file links, and typed behavior payloads. It also proves the embedded package can read provider-owned Eve surface documents from the same CultCache store. The smoke proves the Unity runtime state commit log can queue player-settings and run snapshot commands, the Aetheria.State node can apply them into canonical typed settings/run/zone/entity state, and commands are cleared after application. It also proves renderer-emitted Eve commands are queued as typed command envelopes separately from state commits.
• Unity batchmode compile with Editor 6000.4.2f1 returned cleanly after the runtime catalog resolver cut; Logs/codex-unity-compile.log has no compiler error hits.
• rg ".Data.Value|SetValue|GetCatalogEntry|IRuntimeItemCatalogReader|BindRuntimeItemCatalog|ResolveRuntimeItemCatalog|private static IRuntimeItemCatalogReader" in Assets/Scripts is zero for the old item value/catalog-entry/resolver path.
• Live Unity source has no RuntimeCatalogLink<T> or RuntimeCatalogLinkBase; item instances expose ItemId and Reference; the old ItemInstance.Data identity field is deleted.
• Live Unity source has no RuntimeCatalogEntry or RuntimeItemProjectionEntry.
• Live Unity source has no InspectableRuntimeCatalogLinkAttribute; LegacyPayloadKeyAttribute remains only as the temporary mapper key.
• Unity batchmode compile also returned cleanly after disabling MessagePack auto-reference; Assets/Scripts and Assets/Editor have no using MessagePack, MessagePackSerializer, [MessagePackObject], or IMessagePackFormatter hits.
• Unity batchmode compile returned cleanly after the runtime blueprint rename; live Unity source has no EntityPack, ShipPack, OrbitalEntityPack, ZonePack, PackedContents, PackZone, EntitySerializer.Pack, or EntitySerializer.Unpack hits.
• Runtime entity blueprint projection no longer uses the EntitySerializer authority name; live Unity source calls RuntimeEntityBlueprintProjector.
• Unity runtime settings projection is now RuntimePlayerSettings; live Unity source has no standalone PlayerSettings class/property/method symbols.
• Input binding and action-bar edits now queue the same typed player-settings commit path as menu settings changes through named runtime input commit methods; the old SaveLayout runtime-only warning is gone. The generated AetheriaInput class still calls Unity's InputActionAsset.FromJson, but that JSON belongs to Unity's generated input action lowering under Aetheria's remapping system. It is not durable Aetheria state and does not own remapping authority.
• Keyboard display layout parsing is no longer JSON-backed: InputDisplayLayout builds its static ANSI-104 display projection from typed InputLayout rows/columns. The dead commented Ink ToJson write path and checked-in ansi104.json display file have been removed from live source.
• Aetheria.State.Smoke proves the provider-owned Eve command bridge drains gamecult.eve.command.v1 envelopes, accepts advertised refresh commands, rejects unknown commands, persists AetheriaEveCommandDrainStatus, and exposes the Eve command drain through the operations surface.
• Unity play smoke proves runtime UI reads from Eve surfaces and sends commands through the shared state service.
• UI Toolkit lowering parity compares Aetheria surfaces against the Eve browser renderer for component tree, state bindings, command envelopes, disabled/stale states, and visible error surfaces.

Immediate Cut Line

Do not add behavior to ItemData or resurrect RuntimeItemProjectionEntry. The typed state spine and migration quarantine exist; the next cuts should replace the surviving behavior DTO projection bridge with typed behavior factories and Eve surfaces. Any predicate that still needs legacy DTO objects must earn that dependency by using behavior objects or simulation-only methods that typed facets do not yet expose.