Redesign the interaction mechanic into a recursive chain reaction system
where items can trigger cascading reactions. Keys now open themed chests
which produce items that may trigger further reactions, with chain bonus
rewards for multi-step chains (x2/x3/x4+).
- Add 6 themed chests + mysterious chest + alchemist stone catalyst
- Rewrite InteractionEngine with recursive chain loop (max depth 10)
- Add ConsumeTrigger field to InteractionRule for catalyst support
- Add ChainBonusEvent and enrich InteractionTriggeredEvent with context
- Update rendering to show both reacting items and chain indicators
- Add item descriptions with anticipation hints for chain partners
- Update GDD Section 5 with full chain reaction specification
- Interaction messages now show which item triggered them (e.g., "You use
Golden Key — the key fits!") instead of appearing without context.
- Adventure character names are resolved from their Loreline script name
field before localization lookup, fixing IDs like "knight" showing
instead of translated names like "Sire Boîtalot".
LaunchOpenTheBox.cmd + Launch.ps1 set UTF-8 encoding, window title,
and error feedback. Fallback chain: Windows Terminal → pwsh → powershell → cmd.
Scripts are auto-copied to publish root via the csproj.
Also adds builds/ to .gitignore and updates README distribute section.
- Remove ChatPanel/EventLog entirely (UIFeature, GameState, MetaEngine,
SpectreRenderer, Program, ChatPanelTests, meta_chat item/box/strings)
- Retouch Space adventure: expand AlienEncounter with 3 proper endings
(RareBoxStory, AlienTrade, BoxContest with flair secret branch),
expand SpaceExploration with fuel-gated choices and deeper branching
- Add (NOUVEAU/NEW) prefix to adventure action when no adventure completed
- Translate character names via localization keys (character.* in en/fr.json)
- Replace hardcoded "(unavailable)" with localized hint or fallback text
- Fix snapshot path to use CallerFilePath instead of fragile ../ chain
- Add Workstations summary section to item_utility_report.txt
Workstations now appear as soon as they are unlocked, not only when a job
is active. Idle stations display a waiting-for-ingredients status (⏳/~).
Add craft.idle localization key and update empty message to "no workshops
unlocked".
Snapshot now writes to tests/snapshots/ at repo root instead of the test
bin output directory, so it can be committed and diffed across changes.
Crafting entries now show the workstation (e.g. "@ DrawingTable") for both
ingredients and outputs. Removed timestamp from report header to keep
snapshots stable across runs.
Strip Health, Mana, Food, Stamina, Oxygen, Energy — only Gold and Blood
remain as they serve as adventure gates (Contemporary ≥30, DarkFantasy ≥20).
Remove 22 orphaned items, 5 recipes, and the AlchemyTable workstation.
Replace energy_cell in rocket_boots recipe with cosmic_shard.
Change box_endgame condition from AllResourcesVisible to BoxesOpenedAbove:500.
Add ItemUtilitySnapshot test that maps every item to its usage contexts
(loot sources, crafting, interactions, adventures) and generates a report.
DEBUG overwrites the snapshot; RELEASE asserts no changes.
Update specifications.md and CLAUDE.md to reflect resource cleanup.
Remove obsolete bugs.md and refactoring_plan.md.
- Inventory panel: expand to full width, fix layout with long descriptions
- Compact inventory: show category summary instead of item list
- Detail panel header: show full category name instead of generic "Details"
- Material description: show "Crafting material — Raw" instead of repeating name
- Equipped indicator: use > fallback instead of ✓ on non-UTF8 terminals
- Fortune cookies and music: consumed immediately on receipt (ephemeral)
- Remove inline resource summary after box opening (not useful)
- Add localized category names (EN + FR) for 16 item categories
- Add OpenTheBox.cmd launcher for Windows Terminal / PowerShell / cmd
- Update TODO.md with characteristics report
- Detect Windows Terminal (WT_SESSION), PowerShell, and non-Windows
terminals to enable UTF-8 output encoding automatically
- Use ★ and → when UTF-8 is supported, fall back to * and -> on cmd.exe
- Set Console.OutputEncoding = UTF8 at startup for capable terminals
- Collect InteractionTriggeredEvent during box opening and display them
after the loot reveal sequence for better context
- Replace ★ with * and → with -> for cmd.exe compatibility (CP437)
- Remove emoji (🧪📜) from event log entries
- Play time tracking: accumulate TotalPlayTime each game loop iteration
- Return to menu: split _running into _appRunning/_gameRunning so quit
returns to main menu instead of exiting the app
- Deterministic meta unlock order: ArrowKeySelection first (accessibility),
then TextColors, AutoSave, InventoryPanel, etc. (13-step sequence)
- Merge KeyboardShortcuts into ArrowKeySelection
- Meta box pity system: guarantee a meta box every 10 openings
- Inventory flickering: buffer-based rendering with ANSI cursor repositioning
- Non-readable symbols: use ASCII abbreviations instead of emoji in footer
- Resource/stats confusion: rename Resource Panel to Characteristics Panel
in all user-facing text (EN/FR), update specs and descriptions
- Block consumable use before inventory panel unlock
- Remove obsolete proposal/suggestion files, clean up Spectre-only renderer
Update ShowGameState test to expect box counter output (added in
proposals_2.md). Add refactoring_plan.md documenting Black Box Sim
pattern violations and prioritized fixes.
- Fix box rarity display to use box definition rarity in detail panel
- Replace emoji category icons with ASCII abbreviations (BOX, CSM, MAT, etc.)
- Add category separator rows between groups in non-compact inventory
- Show equipped/not equipped status for cosmetic items
- Show crafting recipe hints for materials when workstations are unlocked
- Add rarity stars (★) in loot reveal table for Rare+ items
- Adaptive welcome message based on progression (50/200/500 boxes thresholds)
- Raw inventory display before InventoryPanel unlock (plain text list)
- Terminal.Gui as default mode (--classic flag for old sequential renderer)
- Early-game box counter before StatsPanel unlock
- Encouraging messages in empty ResourcePanel and locked panel placeholders
- Wider inventory name column (28 chars), cookie detail/consume, box teaser
- Richer StatsPanel with items discovered and play time
- Localize box names and rarity in PlaythroughCapture test events
- Fix name truncation to account for 2-char prefix (► / ) in inventory table
- Add AdventureToken detail panel showing linked adventure name
- Show remaining quantity after consuming an item
- Localize inventory column headers (Nom, Rareté, Qté in FR)
- Localize rarity labels in loot reveal and event log (Commun, Rare, Épique…)
- Add localized material form names (Lingot, Planche, Poudre, Gemme…)
- Show category summary footer in compact inventory (📦3 🧪5 📜2 👗12 🔩8)
- Remove WaitForKeyPress after consuming items for rapid multi-use
- Add description keys for all 14 meta items explaining their unlocked feature
- Resolve box names via BoxDefinition.NameKey instead of showing raw IDs
- Reorder inventory categories: Box → Consumable → Lore → Cosmetic → Material → Meta
- Replace English category/rarity text with emoji icons and localized rarity labels
- Show box description in detail panel when selecting a box item
- Add lore collection progress counter (N/10) in lore fragment detail panel
- Add FR rarity translations (Commun, Peu commun, Rare, Épique, Légendaire, Mythique)
- Reorder meta unlocks for better early-game pacing (visual panels first)
- Portrait always visible, cosmetics shown only when panel unlocked
- Auto-equip first cosmetic of each slot
- Transform ChatPanel into event log with localized title
- Compact UI feature announcements (Panel instead of FigletText)
- FullLayout-only screen clearing, inline resource summary pre-unlock
- Lore fragment named keys for inventory display
- Interactive inventory with ↑↓ selection, detail panel, and Enter to act
- Consumable items usable via UseItemAction pipeline
- Lore fragments readable in dedicated display panel
- Add InventoryRenderCapture test and document render capture workflow
- Add AdventureUnlockedEvent emitted by MetaEngine when a new adventure
is unlocked, displayed as a CTA in the loot reveal flow
- Rebalance box_of_boxes: reduce box_not_great weight 10→7, boost
box_ok_tier 5→7 for more variety in early game
- Add box_ok_tier and box_meta_basics drops to box_not_great loot table
so basic boxes can escape the loop
- Double box_meta_basics weight in box_ok_tier (1→2) for faster
meta progression
- Update bugs.md: resolve all 4 FIXME items
Integrate stats, resources, and cosmetics into adventures via conditional
branches gated by game state checks. Each of the 9 adventures now has a
secret branch that rewards exploration and encourages replay with subtle
hints on locked choices. The endgame box now triggers a Destiny adventure
that acknowledges all completed adventures and secret branches, with four
ending tiers culminating in an ultimate ending when all 9 secrets are found.
Also adds the crafting engine, CLAUDE.md and specifications.md for faster
onboarding.
Bug fixes:
- Fix double "NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED" message and broken enum-to-key mapping for all UIFeatures
- Fix Spectre markup crash when opening inventory with colors unlocked (unescaped rarity brackets)
- Fix latent Spectre markup crash in ResourcePanel (unescaped bar brackets)
- Fix WeightedRandom.PickMultiple picking with replacement causing duplicate drops
- Fix double AddItem bug (BoxEngine + RenderEvents both adding to state)
- Add StatType and FontStyle fields to ItemDefinition (were in JSON but missing from C# record)
New features:
- Endgame box (Mythic) that appears when all 8 resources are discovered, contains Crown of Completion
- Completion percentage tracker as mid-game meta unlock (tier 3), shown in both renderers
- Adventure pool depletion: adventure sub-boxes with already-unlocked themes are removed from loot pool
- Global error handling with log file output (openthebox-error.log)
- Tiered meta progression: 5 sequential meta boxes replacing single box_meta
New tests (180 new, 228 total):
- 5 panel rendering test classes covering all enum values (Portrait, Resource, Stats, Inventory, Chat)
- RenderContext and RendererFactory logic tests
- SpectreRenderer output tests across 4 context configurations
- BasicRenderer output and input method tests
- Simulation state mutation and full-run completion tests
- Auto-opened boxes now show "Box of Boxes opens automatically!" instead
of the full opening sequence, making the cascade clear to the player
- Items that are immediately auto-consumed (auto-opening boxes) are
hidden from loot reveal to reduce noise
- BoxOpenedEvent now carries IsAutoOpen flag set by BoxEngine
Renderers now use LocalizationManager for all UI text: box opening,
loot reveal, feature unlock, prompts, and error messages. Added
missing localization keys to both en.json and fr.json.
Box selection and inventory now show "Boite pas ouf (x4)" instead of
listing each instance separately. Picks the first instance of the
selected type when opening.
Every box now always drops a box_of_boxes (auto-open) alongside its
normal loot, ensuring the core loop never breaks. The player always
has at least one box to open next. Only auto-opening boxes (box_of_boxes
itself, box_adventure) are excluded to prevent infinite recursion.
GetItem() returns null for box definition IDs, causing [MISSING:box_*]
display. Added GetLocalizedName() helper that checks both item and box
registries before resolving the localization key.
- Fix LootTable.GuaranteedRolls type (int -> List<string>) to match JSON schema
- Fix BoxEngine guaranteed rolls to iterate item IDs directly
- Fix BoxEngine resource condition evaluation for "any" targetId
- Make ItemDefinition.DescriptionKey optional
- Fix font meta item nameKeys to use proper localization keys
- Add 43 xUnit content validation tests (deserialization, cross-refs, localization)
- Add self-contained single-file publish via publish.ps1
- Update README with distribute and test sections
