Crafting & Progression

Canonical GDD content

Progression is gear/loot + a crafting tech tree, with a signature boss-driven layer on top — [CONFIRMED]. There are no global character levels; Phase 2 adds per-skill learn-by-doing proficiency so repeated activities improve related capabilities without turning the game into a traditional character-level RPG.

Progression vectors

1. Crafting tech tree

• Recipes are unlocked by acquiring blueprints (looted/researched) and/or reaching crafting-station tiers.
• Tiers gate access: better stations → better recipes (e.g., basic campfire vs. workbench tiers vs. advanced fabricator).
• The workbench also provides firearm work (3D inspect, attach/remove, later rail/stock adjust). Anyone in range may use it. See 09-Weapon-Customization.md. Phase 1 attach/remove is not skill-gated. Blood on inspected items is visual state, not a bench clean action — 10-Blood-Visual.md.
• Crafting consumes resources and time; some recipes require a specific station nearby.
• Recipe data is data-driven (DataTable/DataAsset): inputs, output, required station/tier, craft time, unlock condition.

2. Gear / loot

• Power comes primarily from what you carry, not a character level — consistent with full-loot stakes.
• Gear tiers from scavenged → crafted → boss-crafted. Higher tiers = better stats but greater loss risk on death.

3. Boss progression (signature system)

This is the spine of meta-progression. See ../03-Enemies/02-Boss-Zombies.md for boss design.

a) Boss components → tiered weapon crafting — [CONFIRMED]

• Defeating a boss drops boss-tier crafting components unique to that boss/tier.
• These components are the gate to powerful tier weapons: the higher the boss tier, the more powerful the weapon that its components can craft.
• Top-tier weapons are only obtainable via boss components — making boss hunts the endgame driver.

b) First-kill permanent buff — [CONFIRMED]

• The first time a given boss is defeated on a server, every player who participated in that fight receives a permanent buff.
• The buff is permanent for those participants on that server.
• This creates a server-wide milestone moment and rewards being present for "first blood" on each boss.

Open questions to resolve before building ([TBD])

• Participation rule: what counts as "participated"? (dealt damage / was within range / in the encounter when it died.) Default [RECOMMENDATION]: dealt nonzero damage and was alive/nearby at death.
• Scope of "first": per-server (default, [CONFIRMED] intent) — confirm it is not per-account-global.
• Buff content: flat stat boosts? new passive? Crafting/efficiency bonus? Define a buff catalog. [TBD].
• Stacking & caps: can a player hold many permanent buffs? Is there a cap to prevent runaway power? [TBD] — important for balance.
• Repeatable kills: later kills of the same boss give components/loot but not the permanent buff (only the first does).
• Persistence: permanent buffs must be saved in player data and survive death/relog. See ../04-Multiplayer/01-Network-Architecture.md.

4. Phase 2 learn-by-doing skills — [CONFIRMED]

Skills are confirmed for Phase 2 onward, after the Phase 1 vertical slice proves the core loop. They improve through relevant activity use, not through a global XP level. Effects are intentionally qualitative until playtest tuning; exact formulas, level caps, XP curves, thresholds, and numeric bonuses are [TBD].

Crafting flow

Gather resources ──┐
Loot blueprints ───┼──▶ Unlock recipe ──▶ Have station/tier? ──▶ Craft (time+inputs) ──▶ Item
Boss components ───┘                                                   │
                                                                       └─▶ Boss-tier weapons

Implementation guidance

• UCraftingComponent (C++) checks unlocked recipes + nearby station + inventory inputs, then requests a server-authoritative craft.
• Recipes, blueprints, station tiers, boss-component types, the Phase-2 skill catalog, and the buff catalog are all data assets — adding content should not require code.
• [RECOMMENDATION] implement permanent buffs (and status effects) via GAS GameplayEffects/Attributes for a clean, persistent, stackable buff layer. See ../05-Technical/01-Tech-Stack-and-Engine.md and 04-Survival-System.md.
• Skill bonuses that modify attributes or actions should route through shared systems: GAS for attributes/effects, inventory weight for Strength, combat data for Melee/Archery/Firearms, crafting recipes/stations for Crafting/Blacksmithing/Cooking/Medical, and source-owned loot tables for Scavenging.