Dedicated Server: standalone game loader with web visualizer

[zed-assistant]

Summary

Implement a standalone dedicated server that loads ONI game DLLs without the full Unity game binary.

Related community requests: #60, #380

Architecture

• Console .NET app (net48) loads Assembly-CSharp.dll via Mono runtime
• Harmony patches replace Unity InternalCall methods (reuses test infrastructure from MultiplayerMod.Test)
• Boots game world: Grid, singletons, state machines — no rendering required
• HTTP server (HttpListener) exposes world state API
• Web visualizer (React + Canvas 2D) renders the world in-browser

Current Status

Phase 1: Web Visualizer ✅ (PR #384, merged)

• HTML Canvas world renderer with element/temperature/mass overlays
• Zoom, pan, cell tooltips

Phase 2: Game DLL Loader ✅ (PR #385)

• Loads all 191 elements from game YAML
• Real WorldGen (SandstoneDefault, 256x384, seed-based)
• SimDLL physics simulation running headless
• Standalone Mono execution (no test runner needed)

Phase 3: World Simulation ✅

• SimDLL ticking at 200ms intervals
• Grid pointers wired to DLL-owned memory
• Real biomes, temperature, mass from physics engine

Phase 4: Multiplayer (planned)

• WebSocket transport for client connections
• Command synchronization
• Multiple connected visualizer clients

Run

export ONI_STREAMING_ASSETS="path/to/OxygenNotIncluded_Data/StreamingAssets"
arch -x86_64 mono DedicatedServer.exe

[zed-assistant]

Phase 1 (Web Visualizer) — merged via PR #384.

Phase 2 (Game Loader + SimDLL) — in progress on feature/game-loader:

• 191 real elements loaded from game YAML
• WorldGen: SandstoneDefault 256×384 with real biomes
• SimDLL: physics simulation running at 5 ticks/sec
• Frontend: dynamic element loading from /api/elements

Creating PR now.

[zed-assistant]

Progress Update (Phase 2-3)

Phase 1 (web visualizer) — ✅ merged via #384

Phase 2 (game DLL loader) — ✅ complete:

• Loads 191 elements from game YAML files
• Boots game singletons (Grid, World, Pathfinding, etc.)
• Harmony patches for headless Unity environment

Phase 3 (world simulation) — ✅ complete:

• Real WorldGen pipeline: SandstoneDefault 256x384 with actual biomes
• SimDLL initialized: element table, disease table, cell data
• Physics simulation ticking at 200ms intervals
• Grid pointers point to DLL-owned memory

Current PR: #385 (in review)