🧠 High-Level Architecture: Space Simulation System (7019)

🌌 Core Design Principles

Principle	Description
3D Continuous Space	Objects exist in real-valued (x, y, z) space, not discrete sectors.
Time-Driven Simulation	A tick engine runs every Δt, updating all object states.
Entity-Component System (ECS)	Each object (ship, planet, wormhole) is an entity composed of components (e.g., physics, sensors).
Event-Driven Communication	All meaningful changes generate outbound events published to Redis.
Deterministic Logic	Simulation should be replayable/debuggable given same input and seed.
Stochastic Interactions	Probability-driven events (e.g., detection rolls, jump gate anomalies).
Expandability	Designed for integration with AI (LLM NPCs), diplomacy, economy, etc.

🔩 Core Components & Systems

Component	Description
Object Manager	Tracks all entities: ID, type, position, velocity, status
Physics Engine	Applies Newtonian motion per tick (velocity, acceleration, trajectory)
Sensor System	Simulates active/passive scans, stealth, jamming, range attenuation
Event Queue	Emits JSON events (arrival, collision, scan result, combat hit) to Redis
Interaction Engine	Handles ship-to-ship combat, hailing, boarding, trade, docking
Topology Engine	Models wormholes, sector boundaries, restricted zones
AI Engine (optional)	For autonomous trade fleets, pirate behavior, NPC reactions
Time Manager	Controls tick rate, real-time scaling, and scheduled triggers
World Generator	Procedurally builds or loads systems (e.g., stars, planets, stations)
Persistence Layer	Saves current state to disk or MariaDB every N ticks

🌐 Key Objects & Data Structures

• 🌍 Planet: gravity well, orbit path
• 🛰️ Station: docking ports, inventory
• 🔘 Wormhole: exit destination, stability

📏 Space Units & Scaling

Feature	Value
Position	Floating-point meters (or km AU-scale)
Time step	0.5s ticks (tuneable)
Detection	Line-of-sight + signal attenuation by distance + stealth rating
Range units	Fixed or logarithmic sensor falloff

🔄 Simulation Loop (Tick Engine)

1. For each tick (every 500ms):
   • Update all object positions based on velocity and acceleration.
   • Check for interactions (arrivals, proximity triggers, collisions).
   • Run sensor detection and generate detection events.
   • Process queued player commands (via Redis).
   • Apply ship systems (cooldowns, recharge, passive systems).
   • Emit events as needed (to bridge:events).

📡 Sensor Model

Sensor Type	Passive/Active	Notes
Visual	Passive	Limited by obstruction and light
Radar	Active	Reveals own position, high range
Etheric Scan	Active	Long-range; blocked by interference
LLM Analysis	Passive	AI-driven sensor interpretation
Signature	-	Each ship has a stealth/visibility score
ECM/ECCM	-	Electronic countermeasures affect rolls

🧠 Command Flow (Player → Engine)

PennMUSH sends JSON command to bridge:commands:

{
  "ship_id": "VSS-AURORA",
  "command": "maneuver",
  "heading": [90, 0],
  "thrust": 0.4
}

Space engine consumes it, updates trajectory. Tick engine applies physics. Event generated:

{
  "event": "arrived",
  "ship_id": "VSS-AURORA",
  "location": "Tau-Ceti Station",
  "timestamp": 8292013.1
}

Event pushed to bridge:events.

🔮 Future Integration Points

• AI/NPCs: Autopilots, traders, pirates, diplomacy
• Docking / Economy: Buy/sell, construct, salvage
• Jump Mechanics: Wormhole decay, time-warp travel
• Environmental Hazards: Nebulae, gravitational wells, radiation zones
• Energy Management: Allocate power between shields, weapons, engines

🧰 Tech Stack

Subsystem	Language/Lib
Space Engine	Rust
Serialization	serde_json, ron, or flatbuffers
Redis Queue	redis-rs
Vector Math	nalgebra, glam
Physics/Sim Loop	Custom or integrate with physics engine (e.g., Rapier if needed)
Persistence	MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or flat file JSON snapshotting
Testing & Debug	CLI harness + deterministic seeds for replayability