🔄 Item Lifecycle Specification

Purpose

To define the valid runtime states an item can exist in within Steamforge, along with their allowed transitions, associated behaviors, and how these capabilities are exposed and enforced through Blueprint and engine-level logic.

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1. 🧾 Item States

Item states define where and how an item exists during gameplay. An item instance can only be in one state at a time.

State	Description
Inventory	Held within an actor’s inventory (player, container, NPC)
InUse	Actively equipped, consumed, or providing a persistent effect
Dropped	Exists as a world AItemActor, available for pickup
Placed	Manually positioned in the world (e.g., furniture, machines, decorations)

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2. 🧠 Item Capabilities

Capabilities define what an item can support, not what it is currently doing. These are static properties defined in the item’s DataTable row.

Capability	Description
bCanBeDropped	Item supports being dropped into the world
bCanBePlaced	Item can be placed and aligned (e.g., furniture)
bCanBeEquipped	Item can enter the InUse state through equip or activation
bStackable	Item can be stacked in inventory

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3. 🔁 State Transition Flow

From	To	Trigger	Notes
Inventory	Dropped	Drop action	Only if bCanBeDropped = true
Inventory	Placed	Placement system	Only if bCanBePlaced = true; places in world grid
Inventory	InUse	Equip/Use	Only if bCanBeEquipped = true; effects applied or attached
Dropped	Inventory	Pickup	Requires AItemActor pickup
Placed	Inventory	Dismantle/Recover	Optional mechanic
InUse	Inventory	Unequip/Consume End	Unequipping or consuming ends use

All transitions must be validated by the server.

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4. 📘 Blueprint Integration

Each item instance (via FItemInstanceData or actor) will expose:

• CurrentState : EItemState
• Capability checks:
  • CanBeDropped()
  • CanBeEquipped()
  • CanBePlaced()
• Transition calls:
  • DropItem()
  • UseItem()
  • PlaceItem(FVector Location)

These methods:

• Internally validate capabilities
• Run on server (RPC if needed)
• Replicate updated state to clients

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5. ⚙️ Engine-Level Enforcement

Placing an Item

• System checks bCanBePlaced
• Spawns a static world actor (decor, machinery, etc.)
• Anchors to player’s building grid (if applicable)

Dropping an Item

• Spawns a replicated AItemActor
• Transfers instance data
• Enables physics/collision

Equipping/Using

• Applies gameplay effect or equips mesh/attachment
• May consume item or transition to cooldown state

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6. 🧩 Future Extensions

• Durability depletion triggering state change
• Binding items to specific owners or characters
• Persistent world placement saved through SaveGame
• State history for auditing/tracking

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Summary

This specification ensures all item behaviors in Steamforge are consistent, rule-based, and extendable, while supporting secure multiplayer logic and Blueprint-based development for rapid prototyping and modding.