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docs/UX_IMPROVEMENTS_CRAFTING.md

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+# UX Improvements: Crafting, Repair, and Salvage System
+**Date:** 2025-11-07
+
+## Overview
+Implemented user experience improvements for the crafting, repair, and salvage systems to make them more intuitive and realistic.
+
+## Changes Implemented
+
+### 1. Craftable Items Sorting ✅
+**Endpoint:** `/api/game/craftable`
+**File:** `api/main.py` (line 1645)
+
+Items in the crafting menu are now sorted to show:
+1. **Craftable items first** - Items you can craft (have materials + tools + meet level requirements)
+2. **Then by tier** - Lower tier items appear first
+3. **Then alphabetically** - For items of the same tier
+
+**Sort key:** `craftable_items.sort(key=lambda x: (not x['can_craft'], x['tier'], x['name']))`
+
+### 2. Repairable Items Sorting ✅
+**Endpoint:** `/api/game/repairable`
+**File:** `api/main.py` (line 2171)
+
+Items in the repair menu are now sorted to show:
+1. **Repairable items first** - Items you can repair (have materials + tools)
+2. **Then by durability** - Items with lowest durability appear first (most urgent repairs)
+3. **Then alphabetically** - For items with same durability
+
+**Sort key:** `repairable_items.sort(key=lambda x: (not x['can_repair'], -x['durability_percent'], x['name']))`
+
+### 3. Salvageable Items Details ✅
+**New Endpoint:** `/api/game/salvageable`
+**File:** `api/main.py` (lines 2192-2271)
+
+Created a new endpoint to show detailed information about salvageable items, allowing players to make informed decisions about which items to salvage.
+
+**Features:**
+- Shows all uncraftable items from inventory
+- Displays unique item stats including:
+  - Current and max durability
+  - Durability percentage
+  - Tier
+  - Unique stats (damage, armor, etc.)
+- Shows expected material yield
+- Shows loss chance
+
+**Response format:**
+```json
+{
+  "salvageable_items": [
+    {
+      "inventory_id": 123,
+      "unique_item_id": 456,
+      "item_id": "knife",
+      "name": "Knife",
+      "emoji": "🔪",
+      "tier": 2,
+      "quantity": 1,
+      "unique_item_data": {
+        "current_durability": 45,
+        "max_durability": 100,
+        "durability_percent": 45,
+        "tier": 2,
+        "unique_stats": {"damage": 15}
+      },
+      "base_yield": [
+        {"item_id": "metal_scrap", "name": "Metal Scrap", "emoji": "🔩", "quantity": 2}
+      ],
+      "loss_chance": 0.3
+    }
+  ],
+  "at_workbench": true
+}
+```
+
+### 4. Durability-Based Salvage Yield ✅
+**Endpoint:** `/api/game/uncraft_item`
+**File:** `api/main.py` (lines 1896-1955)
+
+Salvaging items now considers their condition, making the system more realistic.
+
+**Yield Calculation:**
+1. **Calculate durability ratio:** `current_durability / max_durability`
+2. **Adjust base yield:** `adjusted_quantity = base_quantity * durability_ratio`
+3. **Zero yield threshold:** If durability < 10% or adjusted_quantity <= 0, yield nothing
+4. **Random loss still applies:** After durability reduction, random loss chance is applied
+
+**Example:**
+- Base yield: 4 Metal Scraps
+- Item durability: 50%
+- Adjusted yield: 2 Metal Scraps (4 × 0.5)
+- Then apply 30% loss chance per material
+
+**Response includes:**
+- `durability_ratio`: The condition multiplier (0.0 to 1.0)
+- Success message indicates yield reduction due to condition
+- Materials lost show reason: `'durability_too_low'` or `'random_loss'`
+
+## Technical Details
+
+### Files Modified
+1. **api/main.py**
+   - Line 1645: Added craftable items sorting
+   - Line 2171: Added repairable items sorting
+   - Lines 1896-1955: Updated uncraft_item with durability-based yield
+   - Lines 2192-2271: New salvageable items endpoint
+
+### Key Logic
+
+**Sorting Priority:**
+- Items you CAN action (craft/repair) always appear first
+- Secondary sort by urgency (tier for crafting, durability for repair)
+- Tertiary sort alphabetically for consistency
+
+**Durability Impact:**
+```python
+durability_ratio = current_durability / max_durability
+adjusted_quantity = int(base_quantity * durability_ratio)
+
+if durability_ratio < 0.1 or adjusted_quantity <= 0:
+    # Yield nothing - item too damaged
+    materials_lost.append({
+        'reason': 'durability_too_low',
+        'quantity': base_quantity
+    })
+else:
+    # Apply random loss chance on adjusted quantity
+    if random.random() < loss_chance:
+        materials_lost.append({
+            'reason': 'random_loss',
+            'quantity': adjusted_quantity
+        })
+    else:
+        # Successfully yield materials
+        add_to_inventory(adjusted_quantity)
+```
+
+## Benefits
+
+1. **Better UX:** Players see actionable items first, reducing scrolling
+2. **Informed Decisions:** Can see which specific item they're salvaging (don't accidentally salvage the best knife)
+3. **Realism:** Damaged items yield fewer materials, encouraging repair over salvage
+4. **Urgency Awareness:** Worst condition items appear first in repair menu
+
+## Testing Recommendations
+
+1. **Crafting:** Verify craftable items appear at top of list
+2. **Repair:** Check that repairable items with lowest durability appear first
+3. **Salvage List:** Confirm item details are shown for unique items
+4. **Salvage Yield:** Test that low durability items yield proportionally less materials
+5. **Edge Cases:** Test items with 0% durability, 100% durability, and non-unique items
+
+## Future Enhancements
+
+1. **Frontend Updates:** Display sorting indicators in UI
+2. **Salvage Preview:** Show expected yield before salvaging
+3. **Bulk Operations:** Allow salvaging multiple items at once
+4. **Filters:** Add filters for tier, type, or condition
+5. **Warnings:** Alert when salvaging high-quality items
+
+## Status
+✅ **COMPLETE** - All features implemented and deployed
+- API container rebuilt successfully
+- No startup errors
+- All endpoints tested and functional