17. Architecture Glossary

Shared vocabulary keeps architecture discussions short and less mysterious.

Core Terms

Term	Meaning
PrototypeRuntime	The live Macroquad runtime owner for the playable prototype.
pure module	Code that can run without Macroquad rendering/window/audio state.
runtime boundary	The point where pure rules become rendered/audio/input behavior.
data-driven	Content or tuning comes from Assets//Mods/, not hardcoded Rust.
graceful degradation	Broken/missing content reports a problem and falls back where practical.
mod layer	A selectable Mods/<mod_id> content overlay with a manifest.
data.pak	Packed moddable runtime content for release builds.
identity.pak	Separate protected canonical studio media pack.
GameCommand	Shared request shape used by Lua, choreography, data, and runtime application.
run event journal	Structured record of run events used by debug, Lua hooks, tests, and future tooling.
ECS lifecycle bridge	Adapter that mirrors runtime enemy lifecycle into EcsWorld.
scene project	A choreography TOML file under Assets/Data/scenes.

Flow Terms

flowchart LR
    content[Content]
    loader[Loader]
    model[Model]
    command[Command]
    apply[Runtime apply]
    event[Event]

    content --> loader --> model --> command --> apply --> event

Term	Meaning
loader	Reads loose/packed text and produces typed data.
model	Rust struct/enums that represent a content schema or game rule.
command buffer	List of GameCommand values returned by a script or data-authored action.
apply layer	Runtime code that safely mutates live state from commands/intents.
intent	Choreography output describing what should happen without owning rendering.

Contributor Shorthand

Phrase	Usually means
“move it to data”	Add or use a TOML/YAML/Lua/choreography surface instead of hardcoding.
“keep it pure”	Put deterministic logic in src/game, src/data, or src/ui without Macroquad.
“runtime adapter”	Thin code that turns pure output into Macroquad drawing/audio/state changes.
“pack discoverable”	asset_pack --dry-run --list includes the runtime asset.
“mod-checkable”	mod_check can catch bad ids/ranges/schema before launch.
“single engine”	Extend the established system instead of adding a parallel mechanism.

State Terms

flowchart TB
    content[Content defaults]
    settings[User settings]
    run[Run save]
    account[Account progression]
    modmeta[Mod metadata]

    content --> run
    settings --> run
    modmeta --> run
    account --> run

Term	Meaning
content default	Version-controlled value in Assets/.
user setting	Player-edited setting persisted outside Assets/.
run save	Snapshot of the current run/mode/profile.
account progression	Long-term progression, inventory, and unlock state.
content namespace	Save metadata identifying active mod content context.