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# Avatar Component System & glTF Attachment Spec
> **Status:** Proposed
> **Owner:** Platform team
> **Related:** Server authority + client prediction, world chunk data format
## 1. Overview
This document specifies the **avatar component system** for **agp-game**, a
Godot-based multiplayer game. It defines:
- How an avatar is decomposed into **body parts** and **attachment slots**.
- How **cosmetic attachments** (clothing, accessories, gear) mount onto the
base body.
- The **glTF/GLB format requirements** that all avatar assets must satisfy so
they can be loaded, skinned, and networked consistently.
The goal is a **modular, data-driven avatar pipeline**: a single base body rig
plus swappable attachments, all authored in glTF and consumed by a shared Godot
runtime. This enables player customization, cosmetic monetization, and
server-authoritative validation of what a player is wearing.
### 1.1 Design Goals
- **Modularity:** Body parts and attachments are independent assets that can be
combined at runtime without re-exporting.
- **Consistency:** A single, well-defined skeleton and slot convention so any
attachment fits any base body.
- **Networkability:** The avatar's composition is expressed as a compact,
serializable **loadout** that the server can validate and replicate.
- **Performance:** Attachments are skinned to the same skeleton and share
materials where possible to minimize draw calls and skinning cost.
- **Tooling-friendly:** Assets are authored in standard glTF 2.0 and validated
by a build-time checker.
---
## 2. Avatar Decomposition
### 2.1 The Base Body
Every avatar is built on a **base body** — a single glTF asset containing:
- A **skeleton** (the canonical rig, see §3).
- A **base mesh** for the skin/body (head, torso, arms, legs).
- **Attachment points** (empty nodes) that define where accessories mount.
The base body is the only asset that carries the skeleton. Attachments reference
the skeleton by **bone name** and are skinned to it; they never carry their own
rig.
### 2.2 Body Parts vs. Attachments
Two distinct concepts:
| Concept | Definition | Example |
|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| **Body part** | A mesh that replaces part of the base body's skin (e.g., a different head, a tail, wings). | Alternate head, cybernetic arm |
| **Attachment** | A mesh that mounts *on top of* the body without replacing it (clothing, accessories). | Shirt, hat, glasses, backpack |
The distinction matters for **slot exclusivity** and **layering**:
- **Body parts** are *exclusive* per slot — only one head can be equipped.
- **Attachments** are *layered* — a hat and glasses can coexist, and both sit
above the head mesh.
---
## 3. Skeleton & Slot Convention
### 3.1 Canonical Skeleton
All avatars share a **canonical skeleton** with a fixed set of bone names. This
is the contract that lets any attachment fit any body. The skeleton follows a
humanoid convention (Godot's `Humanoid` profile / glTF VRM-style naming).
Required bones (subset of the full rig):
```
Root
├── Hips
│ ├── Spine
│ │ ├── Chest
│ │ │ ├── Neck
│ │ │ │ └── Head
│ │ │ │ ├── HeadTop # hat / hair mount
│ │ │ │ ├── Jaw # face accessories
│ │ │ │ └── LeftEye / RightEye
│ │ │ ├── LeftShoulder
│ │ │ │ └── LeftUpperArm
│ │ │ │ └── LeftLowerArm
│ │ │ │ └── LeftHand
│ │ │ └── RightShoulder
│ │ │ └── RightUpperArm
│ │ │ └── RightLowerArm
│ │ │ └── RightHand
│ │ └── (Chest children for torso attachments)
│ ├── LeftUpperLeg
│ │ └── LeftLowerLeg
│ │ └── LeftFoot
│ └── RightUpperLeg
│ └── RightLowerLeg
│ └── RightFoot
```
**Rules:**
- Bone names are **case-sensitive** and must match exactly.
- The skeleton is **T-pose** at rest for consistent skinning.
- Attachments must be skinned to **at least** the bones they deform; static
accessories may be parented to a single bone (e.g., a hat parented to `Head`).
### 3.2 Attachment Slots
Slots are the **logical mount points** for body parts and attachments. Each slot
maps to one or more bones and defines what can be equipped there.
| Slot ID | Category | Mount bone(s) | Exclusivity | Example assets |
|----------------|--------------|--------------------|-------------|-------------------------------|
| `head` | body part | `Head` | exclusive | alternate head, face |
| `hair` | attachment | `HeadTop` | exclusive | hairstyles, hats |
| `face` | attachment | `Jaw` | exclusive | glasses, masks, beards |
| `torso` | body part | `Chest` | exclusive | alternate torso |
| `chest` | attachment | `Chest` | exclusive | shirts, armor, chest gear |
| `back` | attachment | `Chest` (back) | exclusive | backpacks, wings, capes |
| `left_arm` | body part | `LeftUpperArm` | exclusive | alternate arm |
| `right_arm` | body part | `RightUpperArm` | exclusive | alternate arm |
| `left_hand` | attachment | `LeftHand` | exclusive | gloves, weapons (held) |
| `right_hand` | attachment | `RightHand` | exclusive | gloves, weapons (held) |
| `legs` | body part | `Hips` | exclusive | alternate legs |
| `pants` | attachment | `Hips` | exclusive | pants, skirts |
| `left_foot` | attachment | `LeftFoot` | exclusive | shoes |
| `right_foot` | attachment | `RightFoot` | exclusive | shoes |
| `accessory` | attachment | `Root` (free) | multiple | belts, jewelry, floating items|
**Slot semantics:**
- **`exclusive`** slots allow at most one equipped item at a time.
- The **`accessory`** slot is *multi-slot* — multiple accessories may be equipped
simultaneously (bounded by a configurable limit, e.g., 8).
- **Body-part slots** (`head`, `torso`, `legs`, `left_arm`, `right_arm`) replace
the corresponding base mesh. When a body part is equipped, the base mesh for
that region is hidden.
- **Attachment slots** layer on top of the base mesh and never hide it.
### 3.3 Slot → Bone Mapping
Each slot declares a **primary mount bone** and an optional **secondary bone
list** for skinning. The runtime uses this to:
1. Parent static accessories to the mount bone.
2. Skin skinned attachments to the union of the slot's bones.
---
## 4. glTF/GLB Format Requirements
All avatar assets (base bodies, body parts, attachments) are distributed as
**glTF 2.0** (`.gltf` + external buffers/textures) or **GLB** (`.glb`, binary
container). GLB is the preferred distribution format for runtime loading.
### 4.1 Required Conventions
| Concern | Requirement |
|--------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Format** | glTF 2.0 (`.gltf` or `.glb`). GLB preferred for runtime. |
| **Coordinate system** | glTF standard: **+Y up, +Z forward, right-handed**. Godot converts to its own convention on import. |
| **Units** | Meters. Avatar height ~1.8 m at the `Root` bone. |
| **Skeleton** | Single skeleton per asset; bone names per §3.1. |
| **Skinning** | `skins` + `nodes` with `JOINTS_0` / `WEIGHTS_0` accessors. |
| **Pose** | T-pose at rest. |
| **Materials** | PBR metallic-roughness. Use `KHR_materials_unlit` for emissive/UI-only items. |
| **Textures** | Max 2048×2048; power-of-two preferred. Use `KHR_texture_basisu` (BasisU) for runtime. |
| **Animation** | Optional. If present, must not rename or remove canonical bones. |
### 4.2 Asset Metadata (extras)
Each asset **must** declare its slot and identity in the glTF `asset.extras`
object. This is the machine-readable contract consumed by the build pipeline and
runtime.
```json
{
"asset": {
"version": "2.0",
"extras": {
"agp": {
"type": "attachment", // "base_body" | "body_part" | "attachment"
"slot": "chest", // slot ID from §3.2
"id": "shirt_bandit_01", // globally unique asset id
"display_name": "Bandit Shirt",
"version": "1.0.0",
"mount_bone": "Chest", // primary mount bone
"skin_bones": ["Chest", "Spine", "LeftUpperArm", "RightUpperArm"],
"exclusive": true, // matches slot exclusivity
"tags": ["cloth", "common"],
"author": "platform-team"
}
}
}
}
```
**Validation rules for `extras.agp`:**
- `type` must be one of `base_body`, `body_part`, `attachment`.
- `slot` must be a known slot ID (§3.2).
- `mount_bone` must exist in the canonical skeleton.
- `skin_bones` must all exist in the canonical skeleton.
- `exclusive` must match the slot's declared exclusivity.
- `id` must be unique across the asset catalog.
### 4.3 Node Naming Convention
To make assets self-describing and mergeable, nodes follow a convention:
- **Base body:** the mesh node is named `Body`; the skeleton root is `Root`.
- **Body part:** the mesh node is named `<SlotID>_Mesh` (e.g., `head_Mesh`).
- **Attachment:** the mesh node is named `<SlotID>_<AssetID>` (e.g.,
`chest_shirt_bandit_01`).
- **Attachment points** (empty nodes) on the base body are named
`attach_<slot>` (e.g., `attach_head`, `attach_left_hand`).
### 4.4 Material & Texture Requirements
- All materials use the **metallic-roughness** PBR model.
- Textures are embedded in the GLB or referenced as external files; external
references must be relative paths within the asset package.
- **Color customization** is supported via a `baseColorFactor` tint applied at
runtime (multiplied over the albedo). Assets should use a neutral albedo
(white/gray) where tinting is intended.
- **Masked/transparent** materials must set the correct alpha mode
(`MASK` or `BLEND`) and `alphaCutoff`.
### 4.5 Skeleton Merging at Runtime
When an attachment is loaded, the runtime **merges** it onto the base body:
1. Load the base body (skeleton + base meshes).
2. Load each equipped attachment.
3. For each attachment, **re-target its skin** to the base body's skeleton by
bone name (no re-export needed).
4. Parent static accessories to their `mount_bone`.
5. Hide base meshes for any equipped body-part slots.
6. Apply material tints and merge into the render tree.
The merge is **name-based** — bone names must match exactly (§3.1). This is the
core reason for the strict naming contract.
---
## 5. Loadout Model (Network & Persistence)
The avatar's composition is serialized as a **loadout** — a compact, ordered
list of equipped asset IDs. This is what the server validates, persists, and
replicates.
### 5.1 Loadout JSON
```json
{
"base_body": "base_human_male_01",
"slots": {
"head": "head_cyber_01",
"hair": "hair_mohawk_01",
"face": null,
"torso": null,
"chest": "chest_bandit_01",
"back": "backpack_01",
"left_arm": null,
"right_arm": null,
"left_hand": "glove_leather_01",
"right_hand": "glove_leather_01",
"legs": null,
"pants": "pants_cargo_01",
"left_foot": "shoe_boot_01",
"right_foot": "shoe_boot_01",
"accessory": ["belt_01", "necklace_01"]
}
}
```
**Rules:**
- `base_body` is required and must reference a valid `base_body` asset.
- Each exclusive slot holds **at most one** asset id (or `null`).
- `accessory` is an array (0..N, bounded).
- The server validates that every id exists in the catalog and that slot
exclusivity is respected.
### 5.2 Network Replication
The loadout is replicated as part of the player's spawn/state data:
```
spawn_entity:
entity_id: uint32
type: player
transform: { x, y, rot }
props:
loadout_hash: uint32 # hash of the loadout for change detection
loadout: { ... } # full loadout on spawn / on change
```
- The **full loadout** is sent on spawn and whenever it changes (reliable).
- A **`loadout_hash`** lets clients skip re-resolving assets if unchanged.
- The server is the **authority** on the loadout; clients send *requests* to
change equipment, and the server validates and broadcasts the result.
### 5.3 Server-Side Validation
The server rejects a loadout if:
- `base_body` is missing or unknown.
- Any slot references an unknown asset id.
- An exclusive slot has more than one item.
- An asset's declared `slot` does not match the slot it is placed in.
- The accessory list exceeds the configured limit.
- The asset is not owned/unlocked by the player (for gated cosmetics).
---
## 6. Godot Runtime Architecture
### 6.1 Node Structure
```
Avatar (Node3D)
├── Skeleton3D # canonical skeleton (from base body)
├── BodyMeshes # base body meshes (skinned to Skeleton3D)
│ ├── head_Mesh
│ ├── torso_Mesh
│ └── ...
├── Attachments # equipped attachments
│ ├── chest_shirt_bandit_01
│ ├── hair_mohawk_01
│ └── ...
└── AttachmentPoints # empty nodes for dynamic mounting
├── attach_head
├── attach_left_hand
└── ...
```
### 6.2 Core Classes
| Class | Responsibility |
|--------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| `AvatarSystem` | Loads base body + attachments, resolves loadouts, owns the avatar node. |
| `AvatarLoader` | glTF/GLB import, skeleton merge, skin re-targeting. |
| `AvatarSlotRegistry` | Static registry of slot definitions (id, bones, exclusivity).|
| `AvatarLoadout` | Serializable loadout model + validation. |
| `AvatarCatalog` | Asset catalog (id → asset metadata + resource path). |
| `AvatarVisualizer` | Builds the render tree from a loadout. |
### 6.3 Loading Pipeline
```
loadout JSON
│
▼
AvatarCatalog.resolve(loadout) # id → asset metadata + GLB path
│
▼
AvatarLoader.load_base_body() # import GLB, extract skeleton + base meshes
│
▼
for each equipped slot:
AvatarLoader.load_attachment()# import GLB, re-target skin to skeleton
│
▼
AvatarVisualizer.assemble() # parent, hide replaced parts, apply tints
│
▼
Avatar node ready for render
```
### 6.4 Performance Considerations
- **Shared skeleton:** All meshes skin to one `Skeleton3D`, so skinning is
computed once per frame.
- **Material batching:** Attachments that share a material are merged into a
single mesh where possible (static accessories).
- **LOD:** Optional LOD variants per asset; the runtime selects based on
distance.
- **Caching:** Resolved loadouts and imported GLB resources are cached by
`AvatarCatalog` to avoid re-importing on respawn or re-join.
---
## 7. Asset Pipeline & Validation
### 7.1 Build-Time Validation
A build-time checker validates every asset before it enters the catalog:
1. **Format check:** valid glTF 2.0 / GLB.
2. **Metadata check:** `extras.agp` present and valid (§4.2).
3. **Skeleton check:** all `skin_bones` exist in the canonical skeleton.
4. **Slot check:** `slot` is known and `exclusive` matches.
5. **Mesh check:** meshes are skinned (or static accessories parented to a bone).
6. **Texture check:** sizes, formats, and alpha modes are valid.
7. **Uniqueness check:** `id` is unique.
### 7.2 Catalog Manifest
The catalog is a JSON manifest mapping asset ids to metadata and resource paths:
```json
{
"assets": {
"base_human_male_01": {
"type": "base_body",
"path": "res://assets/avatars/base_human_male_01.glb",
"version": "1.0.0"
},
"chest_bandit_01": {
"type": "attachment",
"slot": "chest",
"path": "res://assets/avatars/chest_bandit_01.glb",
"version": "1.0.0"
}
}
}
```
---
## 8. Security & Anti-Cheat
- **Server-authoritative loadouts:** Clients only *request* equipment changes;
the server validates against the catalog and the player's owned items.
- **No client asset injection:** Clients cannot send arbitrary GLB data; they
reference catalog ids only.
- **Rate limiting:** Equipment-change requests are rate-limited per peer.
- **Hash verification:** The `loadout_hash` lets the server detect tampered or
stale loadout state.
---
## 9. Open Questions / Future Work
- **Morph targets / blendshapes:** Support for facial expressions and body
morphs (e.g., height, muscle) via glTF morph targets.
- **Physics attachments:** Cloth simulation for capes/skirts (Godot cloth).
- **Dynamic tinting UI:** A color-picker that writes `baseColorFactor` tints.
- **VRM compatibility:** Consider supporting VRM (a glTF extension for
humanoid avatars) as an import source.
- **Attachment LOD streaming:** Streaming high-res attachments on demand.
---
## 10. Summary
| Concern | Decision |
|------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Format | glTF 2.0 / GLB (GLB preferred for runtime) |
| Skeleton | Single canonical humanoid skeleton, name-based merge |
| Slots | Fixed slot registry; exclusive body parts + layered attachments |
| Loadout | Compact JSON; server-authoritative and validated |
| Replication | Full loadout on spawn/change + `loadout_hash` |
| Runtime | Godot `Skeleton3D` + name-based skin re-targeting |
| Validation | Build-time asset checker + runtime catalog validation |
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# World Chunk Data Format & Persistence Architecture
> **Status:** Proposed
> **Owner:** Platform team
> **Related:** Server authority + client prediction, avatar component system, content moderation & age verification, backend auth (JWT)
## 1. Overview
This document specifies the **world chunk data format** and **persistence
schema** for **agp-game**, a Godot-based multiplayer game built by autonomous
agents. It defines:
- The **chunk data format** — both a human-readable **JSON** form (for
authoring, tooling, and debugging) and a compact **binary** form (for
runtime loading and network transfer).
- The **SQLite schema** that persists world state on the server, including
chunk metadata, chunk payloads, and the world/room hierarchy.
- The **read/write API** that the server and client use to load, save, and
stream chunks.
The goal is a **single, versioned chunk contract** that is shared across the
Godot client, the Python backend, and the persistence layer. A chunk is the
atomic unit of world geometry, gameplay objects, and persistence — the server
loads and saves whole chunks, and clients stream the chunks around them.
### 1.1 Design Goals
- **Versioned & forward-compatible:** Every chunk carries a format version so
the loader can migrate old data and reject unknown future data gracefully.
- **Dual representation:** JSON for authoring/debugging, binary for
runtime/network. Both encode the *same* logical model so there is exactly one
source of truth for the schema.
- **Server-authoritative persistence:** The server is the only writer to the
SQLite store. Clients submit *edits* (deltas) and the server applies and
persists them, mirroring the server-authoritative networking model.
- **Chunk-granular persistence:** Persistence happens at chunk granularity so
the server can save a dirty chunk without rewriting the whole world, and can
stream only the chunks a client needs.
- **Deterministic & testable:** The binary format is byte-stable for a given
logical payload, enabling checksums, caching, and reproducible tests.
- **Moderation-aware:** Chunks reference content (assets, scripts) that carry
content flags (see `content_moderation.md`); the persistence layer stores the
moderation state alongside chunk data so enforcement can happen at load time.
---
## 2. World Model & Chunking
### 2.1 World Hierarchy
The world is organized as a hierarchy that matches the moderation content graph:
```
World
└── Room
└── Chunk (the atomic persistence & streaming unit)
├── Tiles / Terrain
├── Static objects (props, geometry)
├── Dynamic objects (spawnable entities, interactables)
└── Metadata (flags, version, timestamps)
```
- A **World** is the top-level container (a named, versioned space).
- A **Room** is a bounded region within a world (a level, a building, a zone).
- A **Chunk** is a fixed-size, axis-aligned region of a room. It is the unit of
load, save, and stream.
### 2.2 Chunk Dimensions
Chunks are **fixed-size, axis-aligned boxes** in world space. The default
dimensions are a configuration constant so they can be tuned per world:
| Constant | Default | Description |
|---------------------|---------|----------------------------------------------------|
| `CHUNK_SIZE_X` | 32 | Chunk width in world units (tiles). |
| `CHUNK_SIZE_Y` | 32 | Chunk height in world units (tiles). |
| `CHUNK_SIZE_Z` | 1 | Chunk depth (1 = flat 2D world; >1 = volumetric). |
| `CHUNK_ORIGIN` | `(0,0)` | World-space origin of chunk coordinate `(0,0)`. |
A chunk is identified by its **integer chunk coordinate** `(cx, cy, cz)`,
computed from a world-space position `p` as:
```
cx = floor((p.x - CHUNK_ORIGIN.x) / CHUNK_SIZE_X)
cy = floor((p.y - CHUNK_ORIGIN.y) / CHUNK_SIZE_Y)
cz = floor((p.z - CHUNK_ORIGIN.z) / CHUNK_SIZE_Z)
```
The chunk's world-space bounding box is therefore:
```
min = (CHUNK_ORIGIN.x + cx*CHUNK_SIZE_X, ...)
max = min + (CHUNK_SIZE_X, CHUNK_SIZE_Y, CHUNK_SIZE_Z)
```
### 2.3 Chunk Coordinate Key
For storage and lookup, a chunk is addressed by a **canonical string key**:
```
"{world_id}:{room_id}:{cx}:{cy}:{cz}"
```
Example: `"w_0001:r_0001:12:-4:0"`. This key is the primary lookup key in the
SQLite `chunks` table and is used in the read/write API.
---
## 3. Chunk Data Format
### 3.1 Logical Model
Both the JSON and binary encodings serialize the same logical chunk model. The
logical model is defined here once; the two encodings are projections of it.
```
Chunk
├── version : uint (format version, currently 1)
├── key : string (canonical chunk key, see §2.3)
├── world_id : string
├── room_id : string
├── coord : { cx, cy, cz } (int)
├── bounds : { min_x, min_y, min_z, max_x, max_y, max_z } (float)
├── tiles : TileLayer[] (terrain / tile data)
├── objects : WorldObject[] (static + dynamic objects)
├── flags : ContentFlags (moderation flags, see §3.5)
├── meta : { created_at, updated_at, revision, author }
└── checksum : string (SHA-256 of canonical payload)
```
### 3.2 Tile Layer
A chunk's terrain is stored as one or more **tile layers**. Each layer is a
dense grid of tile IDs of size `CHUNK_SIZE_X × CHUNK_SIZE_Y` (× `CHUNK_SIZE_Z`
for volumetric worlds).
```
TileLayer
├── name : string (e.g. "ground", "walls", "decor")
├── layer_id : uint
├── width : uint (= CHUNK_SIZE_X)
├── height : uint (= CHUNK_SIZE_Y)
├── depth : uint (= CHUNK_SIZE_Z)
├── tiles : uint[] (flattened tile IDs, row-major, length = w*h*d)
└── palette : TileDef[] (tile ID → tile definition, shared per layer)
```
**Tile encoding:** A tile ID is a `uint16` index into the layer's `palette`.
`0` is reserved for "empty/air". The palette maps each tile ID to a `TileDef`:
```
TileDef
├── id : uint16
├── asset_id : string (reference to a tile/terrain asset)
├── solid : bool (collision)
├── flags : uint32 (bitmask: walkable, climbable, liquid, ...)
└── variants : uint8 (number of visual variants for this tile)
```
**Rationale for palette + indices:** Storing dense `uint16` indices rather than
full asset strings per cell keeps the binary payload small (2 bytes/cell) while
the palette (shared across the layer) carries the rich per-tile metadata.
### 3.3 World Objects
Objects are the non-tile entities in a chunk: static props, interactables,
spawn points, and dynamic-object templates.
```
WorldObject
├── id : string (stable object id, unique within the chunk)
├── type : string (e.g. "prop", "interactable", "spawn_point", "door")
├── asset_id : string (reference to the object's mesh/glTF asset)
├── transform : { pos: [x,y,z], rot: [x,y,z,w], scale: [x,y,z] }
├── properties : object (type-specific key/value map, JSON-typed)
├── dynamic : bool (true if this is a spawnable dynamic entity)
└── flags : ContentFlags (per-object moderation flags)
```
**Dynamic objects** are stored as *templates* in the chunk. Their *runtime
state* (position, health, inventory) is **not** stored in the chunk; it lives
in the runtime entity store and is persisted separately (see §4.4). This keeps
chunks stable and diffable — a chunk only changes when its *static* content
changes.
### 3.4 Content Flags
Each chunk (and each object) carries a **content flag set** that is the
aggregate of the moderation flags of the assets and scripts it references. This
mirrors the aggregation rules in `content_moderation.md`:
```
ContentFlags
├── categories : { violence, sexual, language, substance, gambling, horror, hate, custom }
│ (each → severity: none|mild|moderate|severe)
├── mature : bool (true if any contributing item is mature)
└── sources : string[] (flag ids that contributed, for audit)
```
The server computes and persists these flags at write time so that enforcement
(age gating, content filtering) can happen at load time without re-scanning
assets.
### 3.5 JSON Encoding
The JSON encoding is the **authoring and debugging** representation. It is
human-readable, diffable, and used by tools and tests. It is the canonical
logical model serialized directly.
```json
{
"version": 1,
"key": "w_0001:r_0001:12:-4:0",
"world_id": "w_0001",
"room_id": "r_0001",
"coord": { "cx": 12, "cy": -4, "cz": 0 },
"bounds": { "min_x": 384.0, "min_y": -128.0, "min_z": 0.0,
"max_x": 416.0, "max_y": -96.0, "max_z": 1.0 },
"tiles": [
{
"name": "ground",
"layer_id": 0,
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"depth": 1,
"palette": [
{ "id": 0, "asset_id": "", "solid": false, "flags": 0, "variants": 1 },
{ "id": 1, "asset_id": "tiles/grass", "solid": false, "flags": 1, "variants": 4 }
],
"tiles": [0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1]
}
],
"objects": [
{
"id": "obj_0001",
"type": "interactable",
"asset_id": "props/chest",
"transform": { "pos": [400.0, -110.0, 0.0],
"rot": [0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0],
"scale": [1.0, 1.0, 1.0] },
"properties": { "loot_table": "chest_basic", "locked": false },
"dynamic": false,
"flags": { "categories": { "violence": "none" }, "mature": false, "sources": [] }
}
],
"flags": { "categories": { "violence": "none" }, "mature": false, "sources": [] },
"meta": { "created_at": "2026-08-17T00:00:00Z",
"updated_at": "2026-08-17T00:00:00Z",
"revision": 3,
"author": "agent-bot" },
"checksum": "9f86d081884c7d659a2feaa0c55ad015a3bf4f1b2b0b822cd15d6c15b0f00a08"
}
```
### 3.6 Binary Encoding
The binary encoding is the **runtime and network** representation. It is compact
and byte-stable. It uses a simple, explicitly-specified layout (no external
serialization library) so it can be produced and consumed identically by the
Godot client (GDScript) and the Python backend.
#### 3.6.1 Header
| Offset | Size | Field | Type / Encoding |
|--------|------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
| 0 | 4 | magic | ASCII `"AGPC"` (0x41 0x47 0x50 0x43) |
| 4 | 2 | version | `uint16` LE (currently `1`) |
| 6 | 2 | header_len | `uint16` LE (bytes of header after this) |
| 8 | 4 | flags | `uint32` LE (bitmask, reserved) |
| 12 | 4 | payload_len | `uint32` LE (bytes of payload body) |
| 16 | 32 | checksum | SHA-256 of payload body (hex, 32 bytes) |
Total header size: **48 bytes**.
#### 3.6.2 Payload Body
The payload body is a sequence of typed sections. Each section has a small
header:
| Offset | Size | Field | Type / Encoding |
|--------|------|------------|----------------------------|
| 0 | 1 | section_id | `uint8` (see table below) |
| 1 | 4 | section_len| `uint32` LE (bytes of section data) |
| 5 | ... | data | section-specific |
Section IDs:
| section_id | Section | Data layout |
|------------|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `0x01` | metadata | world_id, room_id (length-prefixed strings), coord (3×int32), bounds (6×float32) |
| `0x02` | tile layer | name, layer_id, dims (3×uint16), palette, dense tile indices |
| `0x03` | object | one `WorldObject` (repeated; one section per object) |
| `0x04` | content flags | category severities (8×uint8), mature (uint8), sources (string list) |
| `0x05` | meta | created_at, updated_at (int64 unix), revision (uint32), author (string) |
**String encoding:** length-prefixed UTF-8 — `uint16` LE byte length followed by
the UTF-8 bytes.
**Tile layer data layout (section `0x02`):**
```
name : string
layer_id : uint16 LE
width : uint16 LE
height : uint16 LE
depth : uint16 LE
palette_count : uint16 LE
palette : palette_count × TileDef
tile_count : uint32 LE
tiles : tile_count × uint16 LE (dense, row-major)
```
```
TileDef:
id : uint16 LE
asset_id : string
solid : uint8
flags : uint32 LE
variants : uint8
```
**Object data layout (section `0x03`):**
```
id : string
type : string
asset_id : string
pos : 3 × float32
rot : 4 × float32
scale : 3 × float32
dynamic : uint8
properties : JSON string (length-prefixed)
flags : ContentFlags (see 0x04 layout)
```
**Content flags layout (section `0x04`):**
```
violence, sexual, language, substance, gambling, horror, hate, custom
: 8 × uint8 (severity enum: 0=none,1=mild,2=moderate,3=severe)
mature : uint8
source_count: uint16 LE
sources : source_count × string
```
#### 3.6.3 Byte-Stability
For a given logical payload, the binary encoding is **deterministic**:
- All integers are little-endian.
- All strings are UTF-8, length-prefixed, and never null-terminated.
- Maps (e.g. `properties`) are serialized as a **canonical JSON string** with
keys sorted lexicographically.
- The `checksum` is the SHA-256 of the payload body bytes.
This guarantees that two encoders produce identical bytes, enabling content
addressing, caching, and reproducible tests.
---
## 4. SQLite Persistence Schema
The server persists world state in a **SQLite** database. SQLite is chosen for
its zero-configuration, single-file, transactional, and embedded nature — ideal
for a server that owns the world store and needs ACID guarantees without a
separate database process.
### 4.1 Database Layout
The database file is `world.db` (path configurable). It contains the following
tables:
```
worlds
rooms
chunks
chunk_objects
content_flags
revisions
```
### 4.2 `worlds`
Top-level world containers.
```sql
CREATE TABLE worlds (
id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, -- e.g. 'w_0001'
name TEXT NOT NULL,
description TEXT,
chunk_size_x INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 32,
chunk_size_y INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 32,
chunk_size_z INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
origin_x REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
origin_y REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
origin_z REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
created_at TEXT NOT NULL, -- ISO-8601 UTC
updated_at TEXT NOT NULL
);
```
### 4.3 `rooms`
Rooms within a world.
```sql
CREATE TABLE rooms (
id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, -- e.g. 'r_0001'
world_id TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES worlds(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
bounds_min_x REAL NOT NULL,
bounds_min_y REAL NOT NULL,
bounds_min_z REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
bounds_max_x REAL NOT NULL,
bounds_max_y REAL NOT NULL,
bounds_max_z REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
created_at TEXT NOT NULL,
updated_at TEXT NOT NULL,
UNIQUE (world_id, name)
);
CREATE INDEX idx_rooms_world ON rooms(world_id);
```
### 4.4 `chunks`
The core persistence table. One row per chunk. The **payload** is stored as a
BLOB in the **binary format** (§3.6); the JSON form is derived on demand for
authoring/debugging and is not stored (to avoid dual-write drift).
```sql
CREATE TABLE chunks (
key TEXT PRIMARY KEY, -- canonical key 'world:room:cx:cy:cz'
world_id TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES worlds(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
room_id TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES rooms(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
cx INTEGER NOT NULL,
cy INTEGER NOT NULL,
cz INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
format_version INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
payload BLOB NOT NULL, -- binary chunk encoding (§3.6)
payload_len INTEGER NOT NULL,
checksum TEXT NOT NULL, -- SHA-256 of payload
revision INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
dirty INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, -- 1 = needs flush to disk
created_at TEXT NOT NULL,
updated_at TEXT NOT NULL,
UNIQUE (world_id, room_id, cx, cy, cz)
);
CREATE INDEX idx_chunks_world_room ON chunks(world_id, room_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_chunks_coord ON chunks(cx, cy, cz);
```
**Design notes:**
- The `payload` BLOB is the single source of truth for chunk content. The
`checksum` guards against corruption and enables content addressing.
- `revision` increments on every write; it is used for optimistic concurrency
and change detection (see §5.4).
- `dirty` marks chunks that have been modified in memory but not yet flushed,
enabling a write-behind persistence strategy (see §5.5).
### 4.5 `chunk_objects`
A denormalized, queryable index of the objects inside each chunk. This is
**derived** from the chunk payload and kept in sync by the write path. It exists
so the server can answer queries like "which chunks contain a door?" without
parsing every payload BLOB.
```sql
CREATE TABLE chunk_objects (
id TEXT NOT NULL, -- object id (unique within chunk)
chunk_key TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES chunks(key) ON DELETE CASCADE,
type TEXT NOT NULL, -- 'prop', 'interactable', ...
asset_id TEXT,
dynamic INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
pos_x REAL NOT NULL,
pos_y REAL NOT NULL,
pos_z REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
PRIMARY KEY (chunk_key, id)
);
CREATE INDEX idx_chunk_objects_type ON chunk_objects(type);
CREATE INDEX idx_chunk_objects_asset ON chunk_objects(asset_id);
```
### 4.6 `content_flags`
Persists the aggregated moderation flags per chunk (and optionally per object).
This lets the server enforce age/content gates at load time without parsing
payloads.
```sql
CREATE TABLE content_flags (
chunk_key TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES chunks(key) ON DELETE CASCADE,
object_id TEXT, -- NULL = chunk-level flag
violence INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
sexual INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
language INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
substance INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
gambling INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
horror INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
hate INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
custom INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
mature INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
sources TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]', -- JSON array of flag ids
PRIMARY KEY (chunk_key, object_id)
);
CREATE INDEX idx_content_flags_mature ON content_flags(mature);
```
Severity is stored as `0=none, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe`.
### 4.7 `revisions`
An append-only audit log of chunk writes. Enables rollback, auditing, and
replication of changes.
```sql
CREATE TABLE revisions (
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
chunk_key TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES chunks(key) ON DELETE CASCADE,
revision INTEGER NOT NULL,
actor TEXT NOT NULL, -- user / agent id
action TEXT NOT NULL, -- 'create' | 'update' | 'delete'
checksum TEXT NOT NULL,
created_at TEXT NOT NULL
);
CREATE INDEX idx_revisions_chunk ON revisions(chunk_key);
```
### 4.8 Schema Versioning & Migrations
The database carries a schema version in a `meta` table:
```sql
CREATE TABLE meta (
key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
value TEXT NOT NULL
);
-- seed: INSERT INTO meta(key, value) VALUES ('schema_version', '1');
```
Migrations are applied in order at startup. Each migration is a numbered SQL
script; the server tracks the applied version in `meta` and applies any pending
migrations transactionally. This keeps the schema forward-compatible as the
chunk format evolves.
---
## 5. Read/Write API
The API is exposed as a **Python service layer** on the backend (the same
process that owns the SQLite store) and consumed by the Godot client over the
network transport (see `networking.md`). The service layer is the **only**
writer to the database; clients never touch SQLite directly.
### 5.1 Service Interface (Python)
```python
class WorldStore:
"""Owns the SQLite connection and chunk read/write operations."""
def get_chunk(self, key: str) -> Chunk | None: ...
def get_chunk_binary(self, key: str) -> bytes | None: ...
def put_chunk(self, chunk: Chunk, actor: str) -> Chunk: ...
def delete_chunk(self, key: str, actor: str) -> None: ...
def list_chunks(self, world_id: str, room_id: str | None = None,
bounds: Bounds | None = None) -> list[str]: ...
def get_chunk_flags(self, key: str) -> ContentFlags: ...
def flush_dirty(self) -> int: ...
def migrate(self) -> None: ...
```
### 5.2 Encoding Helpers
The service layer provides symmetric encode/decode functions shared by the
client and server:
```python
def encode_binary(chunk: Chunk) -> bytes: ...
def decode_binary(data: bytes) -> Chunk: ...
def encode_json(chunk: Chunk) -> str: ...
def decode_json(text: str) -> Chunk: ...
def checksum(payload: bytes) -> str: ...
```
These are the single implementation of the format spec (§3), so the Godot
client and Python backend never drift.
### 5.3 Network RPCs
The chunk API is exposed to the client via RPCs (matching the networking
architecture). All chunk traffic is **reliable** (chunks are discrete,
must-arrive data).
| RPC | Direction | Payload | Notes |
|----------------------------|-----------|-------------------------------------------|-------|
| `request_chunk` | C → S | `{ key }` | Client asks for a chunk |
| `chunk_data` | S → C | `{ key, binary_payload, checksum }` | Server streams a chunk |
| `request_chunk_edit` | C → S | `{ key, base_revision, delta }` | Client submits an edit |
| `chunk_edit_result` | S → C | `{ key, success, new_revision, error? }` | Acknowledges an edit |
| `chunk_invalidated` | S → C | `{ key, new_revision }` | Server pushes a change |
| `request_chunk_flags` | C → S | `{ key }` | Age/content gate check |
### 5.4 Edit & Concurrency Model
- **Read:** Client requests a chunk; server returns the binary payload and its
`revision`.
- **Edit:** Client submits a **delta** against a known `base_revision`. The
server applies the delta, increments `revision`, persists, and returns the new
revision.
- **Optimistic concurrency:** If the chunk's current revision differs from the
client's `base_revision`, the server rejects the edit with a conflict error
and the client re-fetches and re-applies. This prevents lost updates when two
clients edit the same chunk.
- **Deltas:** A delta is a JSON patch (RFC 6902 style) applied to the chunk's
logical model. The server validates the patched chunk (schema, bounds,
moderation) before persisting.
### 5.5 Write-Behind Persistence
To amortize disk I/O, the server keeps a **dirty set** of chunks modified in
memory and flushes them to SQLite in batches:
1. `put_chunk` updates the in-memory chunk and marks it `dirty`.
2. A background flusher periodically calls `flush_dirty()`, which writes all
dirty chunks in a single transaction and clears the `dirty` flag.
3. On graceful shutdown, `flush_dirty()` is called to ensure durability.
This keeps the hot path (in-memory chunk access) fast while guaranteeing
durability at shutdown and on a configurable interval.
### 5.6 Streaming & Caching
- The server streams only the chunks a client needs (those within the client's
view radius), using `list_chunks` with a bounds query.
- Chunks are cached in memory (LRU) keyed by `key`; the cache is invalidated on
write.
- The binary payload is content-addressed by `checksum`, so unchanged chunks can
be served from cache without re-reading SQLite.
---
## 6. Format Versioning & Migration
- The chunk format `version` field (currently `1`) is checked on decode. A
decoder that encounters a higher version than it supports **rejects** the
chunk with a clear error rather than misreading it.
- The SQLite `schema_version` in `meta` drives database migrations (§4.8).
- Chunk payloads are migrated **lazily**: when a chunk is read and its
`format_version` is older than the current one, the server migrates it to the
current version in memory and marks it dirty so it is rewritten on the next
flush. This avoids a costly full-world migration at startup.
---
## 7. Security & Integrity
- **Server-authoritative writes:** Only the `WorldStore` writes to SQLite;
clients submit deltas that are validated before application.
- **Checksum verification:** Every chunk payload is checksummed (SHA-256) on
write and verified on read. Corruption is detected and the chunk is re-fetched
or flagged.
- **Bounds validation:** Chunk coordinates and object positions are validated
against the world's chunk dimensions and room bounds before persistence.
- **Moderation enforcement:** `content_flags` are checked at load time; mature
chunks are gated behind the age-verification flow (see `content_moderation.md`).
- **Input validation:** All string fields are length-limited and validated
against allowed character sets to prevent injection and oversized payloads.
---
## 8. Open Questions / Future Work
- **Volumetric worlds:** The schema and format already support `CHUNK_SIZE_Z >
1`, but the tooling and streaming for 3D chunks are not yet specified.
- **Chunk compression:** For very large worlds, the binary payload could be
compressed (e.g. zstd) before storage/transfer. The header reserves a `flags`
bitmask for a compression flag.
- **Multi-server sharding:** If a single SQLite file becomes a bottleneck, the
`chunks` table could be sharded by `world_id` across multiple databases. The
key design already supports this (world_id is a leading key component).
- **Delta compression for streaming:** Instead of sending full chunks, the
server could send only the delta between revisions to reduce bandwidth for
frequently-updated chunks.