I. OVERVIEW

You are the overseer of an underground research facility. Your objective is to manage resources, personnel, and eventually either escape or transcend. Failure to maintain containment will result in facility collapse.

The game progresses through 4 phases, each unlocking new systems and challenges.

II. PHASE PROGRESSION

III. POWER SUBSYSTEM

Generators produce power continuously when ON. Each generator has an efficiency rating (%) that affects output.

• BUY GEN - Purchase a new generator. Cost increases with each purchase.
• BOOST - Temporarily overclock all active generators (+10% efficiency). Costs 10 power. Efficiency drops after 5 seconds.
• AUTO-VENT - When enabled, excess power is vented at 95% capacity to prevent overflow.

TIP: Keep at least 2 generators running. Engineers increase generator efficiency over time.

IV. MINING OPERATIONS

Drills extract ore from the ground. Active drills consume power.

• NEW DRILL - Purchase a drill. Each drill extracts ore independently.
• SELL ORE - Convert ore stockpile to credits (0.5 credits per ore).
• DRILL SPEED - Slider controls extraction rate (higher = faster but more power).

In Phase 3+, drills also increase DEPTH. Deeper excavation unlocks story events and is required for Phase 4.

TIP: Miners (workers) also extract ore passively, supplementing drills.

V. PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Workers perform tasks based on their assigned ROLE. Each worker has STAMINA that depletes during work.

TIP: Rotate workers to Idle when stamina is low. A worker with 0 stamina produces nothing.

VI. RESEARCH LABORATORY (Phase 2)

Select a technology from the tech tree to begin researching. Progress requires Research Points (RP) generated by Researcher workers.

Completed research provides permanent bonuses:

• Power Efficiency I - Generators +20% output
• Ore Storage I - Max ore capacity +500
• Drill Motors I - Drills +25% speed
• Anomaly Sensors - Faster anomaly detection
• Reinforced Cells - Containment decay -50%
• Deep Boring - Unlock depths beyond 300m
• Turret Targeting - Turrets +50% damage
• ??? - Hidden research. Unlocks after Deep Boring.

VII. ANOMALY DETECTION (Phase 2)

The radar scans for anomalies underground. When detected, they appear as blips and are logged.

Detected anomalies can be CAPTURED in Phase 3 to become specimens.

Anomaly Energy (A-ENERGY) is generated by contained specimens and is required for the Escape Pod and Transcendence endings.

VIII. CONTAINMENT GRID (Phase 3)

The 6-cell grid holds captured specimens. Each specimen has:

• Power Level - Determines A-Energy output and breach danger
• Containment % - Decays over time. At 0%, specimen escapes (BREACH!)

Controls:

• CAPTURE - Capture a detected anomaly (costs 20 power)
• PURGE - Destroy selected specimen
• FEED ALL - Restore containment on all specimens (costs 10 ore)
• LOCKDOWN - Emergency containment boost + clear breaches (costs 50 power)

WARNING: Low containment (red cells) means imminent breach!

IX. DEFENSE SYSTEMS (Phase 4)

When a specimen escapes, a BREACH occurs. Breaches have a timer and must be neutralized before it expires.

• TURRETS - Toggle on to damage breaches. Consumes ammo and power.
• AMMO - Purchase additional ammunition for turrets.
• EMERGENCY SIREN - Boosts Security workers' stamina.

Survive 3 breaches to prove facility resilience. Repeated breach timer expiration causes facility damage.

X. ENDINGS

ESCAPE (Victory)

Build and launch the Escape Pod. Requirements:

• Hull Plating: 500 ore
• Engine Core: 1000 total power generated
• Navigation: 3 completed research
• Life Support: 200 credits
• Fuel Cells: 50 A-Energy

TRANSCENDENCE (Secret Victory)

Merge with the anomaly. Requires:

• Research "???" technology
• 500 Anomaly Energy
• 5+ contained specimens
• Depth 500m

COLLAPSE (Defeat)

Facility integrity reaches 0% from repeated breach damage.

XI. TIPS FOR SUCCESS

1. Balance power production with consumption. Running out of power stops drills.
2. Sell ore regularly to maintain credit flow for hiring and purchases.
3. In Phase 2, prioritize Anomaly Sensors and Drill Motors research.
4. Keep specimens fed! One breach can cascade into facility collapse.
5. In Phase 4, keep at least 2 turrets active and ammo above 50.
6. The hidden "???" research requires Deep Boring to be completed first.
7. Watch the status lights at the bottom - red means trouble!

XII. KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

None. This facility uses only manual controls. Good luck, Overseer.

XIII. DEBUG MODE

⚠ WARNING: Using Debug Mode will permanently mark your save as a "cheat save"!

A mysterious key can be found somewhere in the facility interface. If you find it and manage to unlock the Debug Randomizer Button, you will gain access to powerful but dangerous capabilities:

• Randomize Game State - Instantly set random values for all resources, workers, specimens, and research
• Unlock All Phases - Skip progression requirements and access all systems immediately
• Populate All Fields - Generate random generators, drills, workers, and specimens

Once activated, a floating "Cheat Mode Active" indicator will appear, and the console warning will cease. Your save file will be forever marked.

TIP: The key must be placed directly over the locked button to unlock it. Look in the corners of your screen...