Symbiosis — Charger Loiter + Stealth + Trail

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.

Boss Mode

Primary role: rhythmic damage pulses / supportive damage identity.
Bit colors: Green/Yellow bias (great when you want to shift your economy away from Blue dominance).

Collection Mode

Nodes shape what’s in the field more than they directly vacuum it.
They pair well with strong collectors (Drones, Batteries, Hub intake).

Luck Interaction

Luck is less “direct” here; Nodes don’t target Synapses.
But when you’re not feeding Blue as hard, you’ll see fewer Synapse events — that’s a tradeoff.

Batteries — Tethers / Anchors

What it is: Storage + turn-in. Batteries pull in Bits and “bank” energy. They’re part of how Synapses can appear during Collection.

Boss Mode

Primary role: positional control and future-proofing your recovery.
They matter most in how they set up your Collection efficiency.

Collection Mode

Primary role: intake + storage (reduces cap/decay losses).
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.