rivencraft/docs/PORTING.md

Porting plan

Mystcraft Legacy contains more than 700 Java source files and targets Minecraft 1.12.2. The Minecraft world-generation, dimension, registry, networking, and rendering APIs have all changed substantially since that release. The port is split into independently testable milestones.

Milestones

1. Bootstrap — NeoForge 1.21.1 build, mod metadata, item registration, and CI. (In progress.)
2. Books and linking — descriptive/linking book data components, lectern-like interaction, safe teleportation, and return links.
3. Ages — dimension definitions backed by data packs, deterministic seeds, lifecycle management, and persistence.
4. Writing system — pages, symbols, notebooks, desks, and book assembly.
5. Age grammar — translate symbol combinations into modern biome, noise, dimension-type, and worldgen configuration.
6. Instability — deterministic validation and effects with server-safe behavior.
7. Structures and polish — libraries, crystals, portals, recipes, models, sounds, advancements, compatibility, and migration tests.

Provenance rules

• New code uses the net.dnorberg.rivencraft package.
• Adapted Mystcraft code must retain its upstream copyright notice and be tracked in this document or a nearby source comment.
• Do not copy generated, binary, or third-party dependency content from the legacy repository.
• Preserve LGPL-3.0-or-later compatibility for the complete distributed mod.

First vertical slice

The first functional target is: create a Descriptive Book, bind it to one server-managed Age definition, travel to that Age, and use a Linking Book to return. This exercises persistence, networking, dimensions, and safety before the symbol grammar is introduced.