openthebox/README.md

# Open The Box

A CLI box-opening game where curiosity is the engine and every box is a mystery. Built in C# on .NET 10 with a progressive interface that evolves as you play.

> *Open a box. It contains another box. That one has a key. The key opens a chest. The chest holds a story fragment. The story unlocks a character. The character reveals a place. The place offers an adventure. The adventure rewards... a box.*

## Features

- **Progressive CLI** -- Start with bare `Console.ReadLine` numbered menus. Unlock colors, arrow-key navigation, panels, portraits, and full layouts by finding Meta Boxes.
- **25+ box types** with weighted loot tables, conditional drops, and nested auto-opening boxes.
- **9 interactive adventures** powered by [Loreline](https://loreline.app) scripting (Space, Medieval, Pirate, Contemporary, Sentimental, Prehistoric, Cosmic, Microscopic, Dark Fantasy).
- **160+ items** -- cosmetics, materials, consumables, adventure tokens, lore fragments, fortune cookies.
- **34 crafting recipes** across 16 workstation types.
- **Auto-activation system** -- items interact automatically (key + chest, badge + adventure).
- **Character customization** -- hair, eyes, body, legs, arms, tints with ASCII portrait.
- **Bilingual** -- full English and French support (UI + adventures).
- **Save/Load** -- JSON-based save files.
- **Music Box** -- `Console.Beep` melodies (Windows).
- **Fortune Cookies** -- 20 box-themed wisdom messages.

## Architecture

The game follows the **Black Box Sim** pattern ([Brian Cronin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhcHlg7YhPg)): strict separation between simulation and presentation.

```
Input (keyboard)
      |
      v
  GameAction         -- command sent to the simulation
      |
      v
+----------------+
| GameSimulation |   -- BLACK BOX: zero I/O, pure logic
|  (GameState)   |
+-------+--------+
        |
        v
   GameEvent[]       -- events describing what happened
        |
        v
+----------------+
|   IRenderer    |   -- BasicRenderer (phase 0) or SpectreRenderer (phases 1-8)
+----------------+
```

The simulation never reads input or writes output. It receives actions and returns events. The game loop in `Program.cs` bridges input/renderer to simulation.

## Prerequisites

- **Windows 10/11**
- **.NET 10 SDK** -- install via `winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10`

## Setup

```powershell
git clone <repo-url>
cd openthebox
.\init.ps1
```

The init script will:
1. Check for .NET 10 SDK (offers to install if missing)
2. Download [Loreline](https://github.com/Loreline/loreline/releases) v0.7.1 DLL
3. Restore NuGet packages (Spectre.Console)

## Build & Run

```powershell
dotnet build
dotnet run --project src/OpenTheBox
```

## Distribute

```powershell
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64
```

This produces a self-contained single-file executable in `publish/<runtime>/`. The target machine does **not** need .NET installed. Distribute the entire folder (exe + `content/`).

## Tests

```powershell
dotnet test
```

43 content validation tests verify all JSON data files deserialize correctly, cross-references are valid, and localization keys exist.

## Project Structure

```
openthebox/
+-- src/OpenTheBox/
|   +-- Program.cs              # Entry point, game loop
|   +-- Core/                   # Pure models, enums, no dependencies
|   +-- Simulation/             # BLACK BOX: GameSimulation, engines, actions, events
|   +-- Rendering/              # IRenderer, BasicRenderer, SpectreRenderer, Panels
|   +-- Adventures/             # Loreline integration
|   +-- Persistence/            # Save/Load
|   +-- Localization/           # JSON string manager
+-- content/
|   +-- data/                   # boxes.json, items.json, interactions.json, recipes.json
|   +-- strings/                # en.json, fr.json
|   +-- adventures/             # 9 themes, each with .lor + .fr.lor files
+-- docs/GDD.md                 # Game Design Document (French)
+-- init.ps1                    # Setup script
+-- global.json                 # Pins .NET 10 SDK
```

## Tech Stack

| Component | Technology |
|-----------|-----------|
| Runtime | .NET 10, C# 14 |
| CLI rendering | [Spectre.Console](https://spectreconsole.net) |
| Interactive fiction | [Loreline](https://loreline.app) (.lor scripts) |
| Serialization | System.Text.Json |
| Localization | JSON string tables + Loreline translation files |

## Terminal GUI

All content is expected to be renderer in a 120x30 characters frame.

## License

All rights reserved.