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PHASE1
LOSS000
MULTx1.00
ENERGY0.0
LUCK0.00%×x10.0s
TOTAL0
UPGRADES
DAMAGE
GUIDE
R.I.C.O.
COLLECTION
R
00:00
Waiting for boss…
RUN0s
PHASE1
CYCLE SPLITS (NEWEST)
PHASE
BOSS
CLEAR
TOTAL
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LEARN — System Wiki
Core Loop
Boss Mode = you’re dealing damage and producing Bits as a side-effect of that damage.
Collection Mode = Bits are in the field, moving/settling, and your system is focused on gathering them efficiently.
Bits are universal. No matter which unit creates them, the base “packet values” are the same:
0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 5.0.
Different units influence how many Bits you create and the color mix you tend to generate.
Strategy note: choosing what you use to do damage affects what colors you end up collecting later.
(Blue/Green/Yellow economy is a real thing in this game.)
ION — Click Power
What it is: Your direct interaction with the boss. Clicking the boss produces a small handful of Bits with a random energy value (from the universal packet set).
Boss Mode
Primary role: damage + “starter” Bits.
Bit colors: mostly a mixed baseline (less specialized than the systems below).
Use-case: early momentum, manual control, and “I need energy now.”
Collection Mode
ION does not vacuum the field by itself.
However, clicks can interact with Synapses if you click near one (see Luck section).
Luck Interaction
Luck improves your chance to successfully “grab” a Synapse when clicking near it.
Higher ION level also nudges that grab chance upward (small but noticeable).
Couplings — Tractor Beams
What it is: Your high-output damage system. Couplings tend to produce a lot more Blue Bits, with some Green and some Yellow mixed in.
Boss Mode
Primary role: sustained damage.
Bit colors: heavy Blue bias, plus some Green/Yellow.
Upgrades you’ll see: Couplings (count), Rate, and Speed.
Collection Mode
Couplings don’t “collect” by themselves; they shape what exists to be collected.
Because they produce more Blue, they indirectly feed your Synapse pipeline (see Luck).
Luck Interaction
Luck doesn’t change Coupling damage directly.
Luck matters because Blue-heavy strategies lead to more Synapse opportunities during Collection.
Drones
What it is: Mobile collectors that also influence your economy. Drones trend toward producing/bringing in more Blue Bits and some Yellow.
Boss Mode
Primary role: supporting pressure while setting up the field you want to harvest.
Bit colors: Blue-leaning with some Yellow.
Collection Mode
Primary role: scooping Bits efficiently.
Drones are a “clean-up crew” — they improve your recovery rate and reduce losses.
Luck Interaction
Luck doesn’t make Drones faster by default.
Luck matters because your overall system creates more chances for Synapses to appear (more total recovery events).
Nodes — Slingers / Thumpers
What it is: The “thumper” feel unit. Nodes tend to produce more Green and Yellow Bits compared to Blue-heavy builds.
Depositing Bits into Batteries can contribute to Synapse generation (chance-based).
Luck Interaction
Luck can increase how often Synapses appear from Battery turn-ins / deposits.
Later: the game will also add diminishing returns so “perma-10×” isn’t the only reality.
Chargers — Transports / Skiffs
What it is: The “go get it” unit. Chargers automatically chase the nearest Synapse to form a Connection — or you can click to interact manually.
Boss Mode
Primary role: mobility and positioning (they’re fast and reactive).
They become more important as Synapses start appearing regularly.
Collection Mode
Primary role: find + collect Synapses.
QoL: the closest Charger is allowed to pursue a given Synapse (prevents dogpiles).
Luck Interaction
Synapse pickup is reliable for Chargers once they reach it.
Manual clicking near a Synapse uses Luck — the game can treat “misses” as you swinging at a rare item.
Hub — Intake / Harvest Area
What it is: The central “collection authority.” The Hub determines how aggressively you can pull Bits into safety and convert field chaos into usable energy.
Boss Mode
Primary role: enabling strong Collection cycles after you’ve done damage.
Hub upgrades are about throughput and effective range.
Collection Mode
Primary role: intake radius + intake throughput.
When tuned well, the Hub prevents Bits from sitting long enough to decay/expire.
Luck Interaction
Luck doesn’t change Hub physics directly.
But higher recovery rates (Hub + Drones + Batteries) create more chances for Synapse events.
Luck & Synapses
Synapses are rare drops that behave like high-value “events.”
When collected, they award 5.0 energy and are tracked in RICO/LOD as a special mass type.
How Synapses appear
Blue-heavy Collection: when Blue Bits are consumed/processed during Collection, Synapses can spawn (chance-based).
Battery deposits: turning Bits into Batteries can also roll Synapse chances.
(These spawn rules are actively being tuned — expect balance changes.)
How to collect Synapses
Chargers automatically target the nearest Synapse.
Manual click: clicking near a Synapse can grab it. That grab has a chance roll.
What Luck does
Luck increases your chance to successfully grab a Synapse when clicking near it.
Luck also influences how often Synapses appear from eligible events (Blue processing / Battery turn-ins).
Planned: as your multiplier climbs, the extra time gained will diminish to prevent “always 10× forever” late-game lock-in.
RICO / LOD
RICO is your stability/efficiency scoreboard: it compares the energy that could have existed this cycle vs. what was lost.
Lost energy includes cap-suppressed Bits and Synapses that dissipate before being collected.
LOD (Overload) is a system state used to communicate when the simulation is shedding mass for performance/budget reasons.
When LOD triggers, the game is protecting FPS by limiting what can spawn or persist.
Translation: you’re building a machine. RICO is the machine’s “grace under load.”
SCRAM
SCRAM loads a full Charger payload and dives the boss. Damage and payback scale with Luck,
so higher luck turns bombing runs into real mid/late‑game momentum.
Upgrades (SYSTEM → SCRAM):
Bit Multiplier boosts energy payback and scales with Luck,
Explosion Size increases the blast spread/impact,
and SCRAM Core raises the base effectiveness.
At high Luck with full loads, SCRAM can return more energy than it spends and spike boss damage.
Tip: press System → tap the ? on any tile to jump here instantly.
NEXT UP (AUTO)
RICO SCORE
100%
LIVE MASS
TOTAL0
STILL0
BLUE0
YELLOW0
GREEN0
NEUT0
LIFE FLOW
REC0
LOST0
LIFE RICO100%
REC/s0
LOST/s0
COUNTS
SHARDS0
NEUT0
STILL ENT0
PERF
CAP0
POP0%
LODOFF
CONVON
RUN0s•PHASE0s
RECENT (last 5)
RUN RECORDS
ION0POWER
COUPLING0
DRONES0
NODES0
S.C.R.A.M.DISENGAGEDFLOWCHARGESTORE
BATTERIES0
CHARGERS0
HUB0
AUTOMATIONDISENGAGED
Click = buy/upgrade once • Hold 0.5s = toggle AUTO • AUTO scans every 1s • Boss takes AI damage only after your first ION