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 commands through the embedded runtime state package. Run checkpoint commands include the current zone plus its runtime entity snapshots. Aetheria.State owns applying those command envelopes 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 aetheria-world.cc.eve.pending 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 RuntimeItemProjectionEntry, GUID identity, runtime catalog metadata, and static projection references. 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 runtime source.
• 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 the shared player-settings commit primitive; 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 queue the same typed player-settings commit after mutating the runtime projection. Unity boot reads typed player settings back through the package-owned CultCache reader before falling back to defaults.
• 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 through the runtime commit log during run checkpoints; RuntimeZoneBlueprint and RuntimeEntityBlueprint remain runtime construction/loadout projections rather than durable file formats.
• 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 RuntimeItemReference, an item-definition id plus optional hydrated projection cache, not a process-global catalog resolver or durable item-data owner. The old LegacyItemCatalogBoundary, LegacyItemCatalogCache, and runtime MessagePack deserializer path have been deleted. The old DatabaseEntry/RuntimeCatalogEntry base has been demoted to RuntimeItemProjectionEntry for surviving item DTOs, 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. Temporary item instantiation bridges now go through the narrow ItemManager.GetRuntimeItemProjection<T> method. ItemManager no longer exposes a legacy catalog enumeration API or a catalog-entry-shaped single-item API. This prevents catalog authority from leaking into every caller that only needs a projection lookup. 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 it to own item candidate selection before hydrating selected legacy item DTOs by ID for remaining behavior construction and legacy simulation checks. Hull type, hardpoint type, shape fit, station bay fit, hull/category, and behavior-kind prefilters now run against typed catalog rows before any DTO projection is hydrated. 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 applies typed row prefilters for size, hardpoint type, and behavior kind before hydrating ItemData projections for legacy commodity filters, columns, and buy actions. The sector properties UI also resolves station/turret/ship counts through typed hull classifications from the runtime catalog before falling back to legacy HullData projection for missing rows.
• 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 RuntimeItemReference, a narrow item-definition id resolved by ItemManager against the typed runtime item catalog projected from aetheria-world.cc. The optional Projection on the reference is a hydrated DTO cache for legacy simulation/UI code, not state 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, 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.
• 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 envelopes 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 envelopes 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 envelopes 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.
• 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 owns the command match, with runtime item projection kept as an instantiation-only bridge.
• LoadoutGenerator no longer enumerates legacy item catalog entries for its candidate pool; typed catalog filtering owns the first item selection pass, with runtime item projection kept as a fitting/instantiation bridge.
• LoadoutGenerator names the post-selection bridge as runtime item projection: typed catalog rows own candidate selection, and ItemManager only projects the selected row into the temporary DTO shape needed by fitting and instantiation.
• 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. AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog materializes temporary ItemData DTOs from typed item records for the old simulation object model. RuntimeItemProjectionEntry is an item projection identity helper, not a persistence base or corporation owner. RuntimeItemReference.Projection is a hydrated DTO cache derived from RuntimeItemReference.ItemId through ItemManager; it is not allowed to own item identity or persistence. The reader interface for this bridge is named IRuntimeItemProjectionReader so callers cannot mistake it for catalog ownership. Behavior type selection now uses an explicit runtime catalog map instead of UnionAttribute reflection. 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 is the remaining runtime single-ID item projection bridge, but typed catalog rows own the loadout candidate prefilters for hull type, shape, category, hardpoint type, and behavior kind before that bridge is invoked. 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, and server-side DatabaseCache paths.
• 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 item projection bridge. RuntimeItemProjectionEntry is not a persistence owner.

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, 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 RuntimeItemProjectionEntry/ItemData runtime DTO projection with native typed item instances, 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.
   • 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 item candidate selection to the typed runtime catalog; legacy item DTO hydration remains only for exact fitting checks and behavior construction.
   • Done: move loadout hardpoint fit, station bay fit, hull/category, and behavior-kind prefilters ahead of DTO hydration so typed catalog rows reject incompatible candidates before GetRuntimeItemProjection<T> is called.
   • Done: move loadout hull type and control-module behavior-kind checks onto typed catalog rows before hydrating HullData/BehaviorData projections.
   • 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: 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 unused InspectableRuntimeCatalogLinkAttribute metadata from runtime DTOs; link inspection no longer masquerades as catalog authority.
   • 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 MessagePack, Newtonsoft, RethinkDB, or bespoke save-file serializer symbols.
   • Done: delete dead PlayerData and GalaxyMapLayerData catalog roots, and remove legacy catalog group/table annotations from surviving runtime DTOs.
   • Done: rename loadout generation's selected-item bridge from legacy hydration to runtime item projection; 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 envelopes 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.
   • 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: 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 RuntimeItemReference.Projection, making the hydrated ItemData DTO a cache/display/behavior bridge derived from ItemId instead of the reference's apparent state value.
   • Done: rename the remaining ItemManager.GetCatalogEntry<T> bridge to GetRuntimeItemProjection<T> and rename the bridge reader interface to IRuntimeItemProjectionReader, so the live API exposes projection hydration rather than catalog-entry ownership.
   • 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 the typed player-settings commit primitive now that the Unity state package is live; the stale runtime-only keyboard layout warning is gone.
   • 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.
• 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 use RuntimeItemReference and expose Data.ItemId.
• Live Unity source has no RuntimeCatalogEntry; only surviving item DTOs inherit 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; 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, RuntimeItemProjectionEntry, or the temporary AetheriaRuntimeItemCatalog DTO materializer. The typed state spine and migration quarantine exist; the next cuts should replace surviving projection consumers with typed item facets, typed behavior factories, and Eve surfaces until GetRuntimeItemProjection<T> has no caller and the old DTO bridge can be deleted. Loadout generation should keep moving eligibility tests onto AetheriaRuntimeCatalogItem rows before projection; any predicate that still needs ItemData must earn that dependency by using behavior objects or simulation-only methods that typed facets do not yet expose.