feat(simulation): location-to-culture resolution system (#679)

CultureResolver with Arc<Mutex<Connection>> over systems.db (SQLITE_OPEN_READ_ONLY).
3-pass lookup: system_id → body_id (COALESCE parent fallback) → station_id.
CultureResolverResource registered in main.rs with graceful warn-on-missing.
BookmarkRegistry.build_catalog() uses resolver for allowed_locations_cultures.
8 unit tests including concurrent safety. SQLite fixture at
server/src/knowledge/fixtures/culture_test.db.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
2026-04-19 13:14:05 +02:00
co-authored by Claude Sonnet 4.6
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---
title: "Location → Culture Resolution — Contract Spec (Sprint 36)"
description: "Function signature, module placement, and error semantics for the culture resolver. Contract between server #679 and client #680."
type: architecture
status: draft
ticket: "#679"
decision_refs: [D-010, D-041, D-121, D-128]
author: "Tyre"
created: 2026-04-19
updated: 2026-04-19
---
# Location → Culture Resolution — Contract Spec
**Tickets:** server #679 (implementation), client #680 (consumer), downstream #621 NPC personality, #681 apartment generator
**Decisions:** D-128 (culture implicit in starting location), D-121 (voice is culture-driven), D-010 (info boundaries), D-041 (BTreeMap mandate)
**Scope:** A pure read-only lookup function: `location_id → culture_tag`. No mutation, no IPC, no generation. This is the **ground truth** that downstream pipelines (voice, NPC blueprint, apartment generator, visual grammar) will pull from.
---
## 1. Purpose
D-128 established that culture is implicit in the starting bookmark location — Van Maanen's Star start = Van Maanen's Star culture. To keep that decision load-bearing rather than aspirational, the server needs one canonical function every downstream consumer calls. Without that single function, each consumer re-implements lookup against `systems.db`, drifts apart, and D-128 becomes a handshake instead of a contract.
This spec is that function.
## 2. Module placement
```
server/src/knowledge/culture.rs (new)
```
**Rationale:**
- Culture is a **world-knowledge** property (what the world is), not a simulation tick system (what the world is doing). It belongs under `knowledge/` alongside the knowledge graph — both are *what is true about the world*, read-only from most callers.
- NOT `server/src/settings/culture.rs`: `settings/` is player-config storage; putting world data there confuses the domain.
- NOT a new top-level `server/src/culture/`: the resolver is ~150 LOC, and a dedicated top-level module is heavier than it deserves. If the culture system grows (rules engine, inheritance, overrides for named cities), promote to top-level later — cheap refactor.
**Wiring:**
- Expose at `crate::knowledge::culture::{CultureTag, CultureError, resolve_culture}`.
- Re-export from `server/src/knowledge/mod.rs` for ergonomics:
```rust
pub mod culture;
pub use culture::{CultureTag, CultureError, resolve_culture};
```
## 3. Public API
### 3.1 Types
```rust
/// Canonical culture identifier.
///
/// String-backed (NOT an enum) — cultures expand with content, not code.
/// Value space matches `star_systems.cultural_corridor` in systems.db:
/// "core", "sol-gateway-axis", "north_reach", "south_reach",
/// "east_reach", "west_reach", "deep_frontier".
///
/// Wire format: passed as plain `String` over IPC (mirrors system_id handling).
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Eq, PartialEq, Hash, Ord, PartialOrd,
Serialize, Deserialize)]
pub struct CultureTag(pub String);
impl CultureTag {
pub fn as_str(&self) -> &str { &self.0 }
}
/// Error from culture resolution. See `resolve_culture`.
#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
pub enum CultureError {
/// `location_id` does not resolve to any known row in systems.db.
/// Either a typo / stale bookmark, or the DB is out of sync with code.
#[error("unknown location: `{0}`")]
UnknownLocation(String),
/// The location matched a row but its culture column is NULL.
/// This is a **data bug** — every inhabited row should have a culture.
/// Callers should log loudly; see §5 on fallback policy.
#[error("no culture assigned to location `{0}` in systems.db")]
NoCulture(String),
/// Underlying SQLite error. Wraps `rusqlite::Error` to avoid leaking
/// the rusqlite type to crates that don't depend on it.
#[error("database error: {0}")]
Db(String),
}
```
### 3.2 Function signature
```rust
/// Resolve a location identifier to the culture that location implies (D-128).
///
/// # Input
/// `location_id` — a location string. Accepted forms:
/// 1. `system_id` — e.g. `"GJ 35"`. Matched against `star_systems.system_id`.
/// 2. `body_id` — e.g. `"GJ 35-2"`. Matched against `bodies.body_id`.
/// If the body has `cultural_corridor` set, that wins; otherwise the
/// parent system's `cultural_corridor` is used.
/// 3. `station_id` — e.g. `"sova-transit"`. Matched against
/// `stations.station_id`. Falls through to parent system.
///
/// The resolver tries each table in order and returns the first match.
/// For v0.2 (bookmark selection), callers will pass `system_id` — but the
/// function is body/station-aware from day one so downstream systems
/// (apartment generator, NPC spawn) don't need a second lookup.
///
/// # Output
/// `Ok(CultureTag)` — the canonical culture for the location.
///
/// # Errors
/// - `CultureError::UnknownLocation` — `location_id` not in any table.
/// - `CultureError::NoCulture` — row found but culture column NULL.
/// - `CultureError::Db` — SQLite I/O failure.
///
/// # Determinism
/// Pure function of `(location_id, snapshot of systems.db)`. No RNG, no tick
/// state. `systems.db` is shipped read-only with the game (see schema
/// comment), so repeated calls always return the same value.
///
/// # Performance
/// Caller provides the `&CultureResolver` (caches connection + prepared
/// statements). A single resolution is a single indexed lookup —
/// sub-microsecond. Safe to call per-tick if needed, though for bookmark
/// selection this is a one-shot.
pub fn resolve_culture(
resolver: &CultureResolver,
location_id: &str,
) -> Result<CultureTag, CultureError>;
```
### 3.3 `CultureResolver` (the handle)
```rust
/// Handle that owns the DB connection + prepared statements.
/// Constructed once at startup, cheap to clone-reference across callers.
/// Internally uses `Mutex<Connection>` (mirrors `SettingsStoreResource`).
pub struct CultureResolver { /* private */ }
impl CultureResolver {
/// Open the resolver against `server/data/systems.db` (default) or a
/// test fixture. Read-only — opens with `SQLITE_OPEN_READ_ONLY`.
pub fn open(path: &Path) -> Result<Self, CultureError>;
}
/// Bevy Resource wrapper so systems can grab a `Res<CultureResolverResource>`.
#[derive(Resource)]
pub struct CultureResolverResource(pub CultureResolver);
```
**Why not a top-level free function reading `systems.db` on every call?**
A connection-per-call serializes SQLite open latency (few ms × N callers) and forces error handling at every call site. Single owned handle = one place to configure, one place to fail-fast at startup.
## 4. Lookup algorithm (implementation sketch)
```rust
fn resolve_culture(resolver: &CultureResolver, loc: &str)
-> Result<CultureTag, CultureError>
{
let conn = resolver.0.lock().map_err(|e| CultureError::Db(e.to_string()))?;
// 1. Try as system_id.
if let Some(c) = query_system_culture(&conn, loc)? {
return Ok(CultureTag(c));
}
// 2. Try as body_id — body override OR parent system.
if let Some(c) = query_body_culture(&conn, loc)? {
return Ok(CultureTag(c));
}
// 3. Try as station_id — currently always falls through to parent system.
if let Some(c) = query_station_culture(&conn, loc)? {
return Ok(CultureTag(c));
}
Err(CultureError::UnknownLocation(loc.to_string()))
}
```
Each helper distinguishes *row not found* (return `Ok(None)`, fall through) from *row found but NULL culture* (return `Err(CultureError::NoCulture)` — this is a data bug, not a miss).
SQL:
```sql
-- query_system_culture
SELECT cultural_corridor FROM star_systems WHERE system_id = ?;
-- query_body_culture
SELECT COALESCE(b.cultural_corridor, s.cultural_corridor)
FROM bodies b
JOIN star_systems s ON s.system_id = b.system_id
WHERE b.body_id = ?;
-- query_station_culture
SELECT s.cultural_corridor
FROM stations st
JOIN star_systems s ON s.system_id = st.system_id
WHERE st.station_id = ?;
```
(If `bodies` or `stations` don't expose `cultural_corridor` at schema level by the time #679 lands, start with system-only and add body/station passes in a follow-up. The function signature is stable either way — it already takes an opaque `location_id`.)
## 5. Error handling for callers
| Scenario | Server response | Client expectation |
|----------|----------------|--------------------|
| `UnknownLocation` during bookmark flow | Push `SimError::ProtocolError` via `SimErrorBuffer` and reject `ConfirmBookmark` | Character creation error — disallow confirm, re-enable picker |
| `NoCulture` during bookmark flow | Same as above, plus `tracing::error!` — this is a DB bug | Same (user-facing) — but file a bug; should not happen |
| `Db` during bookmark flow | Server shuts down (same as any fatal storage failure) | Session terminates |
**No silent fallback.** D-128 is load-bearing: if we fall back to a default culture on unknown location, we erase the signal and every downstream pipeline gets corrupted input. Loud error > quiet wrong answer.
**Special case — test worlds:** The Gauntlet and other test maps use synthetic location IDs (e.g. `"gauntlet:room-7"`) that aren't in `systems.db`. The resolver's caller handles this: at test-world init we insert a `SelectedBookmark { starting_location_id: "gauntlet:hub" }` and route those through a hard-coded `"core"` culture assignment before the resolver is consulted. The resolver itself stays pure.
## 6. Determinism and thread safety
- `rusqlite::Connection` is `!Sync` — wrapped in `Mutex` exactly like `SettingsStoreResource`.
- All queries use indexed primary keys — deterministic per-input.
- Pure function of `(location_id, systems.db contents)`. `systems.db` is shipped read-only with the game build, so the mapping is pinned at release time.
- Safe to call concurrently from multiple Bevy systems; the mutex serializes at sub-microsecond cost.
Satisfies D-010 principle 4 (deterministic simulation).
## 7. Test plan (#679 acceptance)
Unit tests in `server/src/knowledge/culture.rs`:
1. `resolves_known_system` — opens a fixture DB, resolves `"GJ 35"` to `"south_reach"`.
2. `resolves_known_body` — body override wins over system default.
3. `resolves_station_to_parent_system` — station falls through to its parent's corridor.
4. `unknown_location_returns_err` — unknown string returns `UnknownLocation`.
5. `null_culture_returns_err` — fixture with NULL `cultural_corridor` → `NoCulture`.
6. `concurrent_reads_are_safe` — spawn two threads, each resolving 1000 times; results match.
Fixture DB at `server/src/knowledge/fixtures/culture_test.db` — seeded in a build.rs or committed as a tiny blob. Opt for committed fixture — zero-effort for CI.
## 8. Consumers (for coordination)
| Consumer | Ticket | How it calls |
|----------|--------|--------------|
| Character creation (client) | #680 | Via IPC — see §9 |
| Apartment generator | #681 | Direct `resolve_culture()` when `SelectedBookmark` populated |
| NPC generator | (deferred, was #621) | Direct — passes culture into NpcBlueprint |
| Voice pipeline / Gemma | already integrated via `server/src/voice/` | Reads culture from NPC blueprint (no direct call) |
| Cultural visual grammar | (sprint 38+) | Direct — reads from `SelectedBookmark` → resolver |
## 9. Client exposure — how #680 sees culture
The client does NOT call `resolve_culture()` — it calls it indirectly via the bookmark flow:
**Option A (simplest):** server sends resolved culture as a field on the bookmark catalog per allowed_location.
```rust
// On BookmarkCatalog (see sprint-36-bookmark-spec.md §4.1)
pub struct BookmarkWire {
// ... existing fields ...
/// Parallel to `allowed_locations`: same index → same location.
/// Pre-resolved on the server. Saves the client a round trip.
pub allowed_locations_cultures: Vec<String>,
}
```
Rationale: cultures are effectively static data shipped with `systems.db`. Resolving them server-side once and shipping the catalog saves:
- A second IPC round-trip (client picks a location, server tells it the culture).
- Error handling duplication (client would need a "culture lookup failed" path).
**Trade-off:** catalog payload grows ~one short string per allowed location. For v0.2's single allowed location, the overhead is 8 bytes. Acceptable.
**Option B (rejected):** dedicated `PlayerAction::ResolveCulture(location_id)` → `ObserverSnapshot.culture_response`. Works fine mechanically; just unnecessary given how static culture data is.
Stig (client) should plan on reading `allowed_locations_cultures[i]` when the player highlights the `i`-th entry in the picker, then display the culture label inline (e.g. "Van Maanen's Star — south_reach culture").
## 10. Implementation plan (for Dudley)
**Size:** ~0.51 day. Pure DB wrapper + tests.
| Step | File | Work |
|------|------|------|
| 1 | `server/src/knowledge/culture.rs` (new) | Types + `CultureResolver` + `resolve_culture` |
| 2 | `server/src/knowledge/mod.rs` | `pub mod culture;` + re-exports |
| 3 | `server/src/main.rs` (App build) | Open `CultureResolverResource` against `server/data/systems.db` |
| 4 | `server/src/knowledge/fixtures/culture_test.db` | Tiny fixture for unit tests |
| 5 | Tests (§7) | 6 unit tests |
| 6 | Update bookmark catalog (§9 Option A) | Populate `allowed_locations_cultures` by resolving each allowed location at catalog-build time |
## 11. Open questions
1. **Scope of `location_id` at the bookmark boundary.** Is it `system_id` ("GJ 35") or a proper name ("Van Maanen's Star")? Convention so far is `system_id`. Confirm with Miri when she signs off on the tycoon default location in the bookmark spec.
2. **`bodies.cultural_corridor` column availability.** Schema has it (`server/data/systems-schema.sql` line 175). But does actual content populate it anywhere that differs from the parent system? If no, the body-level lookup still works — it just always falls back to the parent. Harmless.
---
**Contract status:** Ready for #679 implementation. Client #680 can start against the bookmark catalog once #614 + #679 land the server-side resolution.