Cosmic Collector
Operational Field Manual
LAUNCH MISSION
1. Mission Objective
You are a pilot of a Class-4 UFO. Your mission is to descend to Earth and collect biological specimens for the Galactic Zoo.
The longer you remain in the atmosphere, the more the military escalates (see THREAT on the HUD).
- COLLECT animals, humans, and (occasionally) aliens to earn funds.
- AVOID military fire and lightning strikes.
- ESCAPE by flying off the top of the screen to enter the Shop and upgrade your ship.
- CARGO persists between missions. It does not automatically reset or "bank" in the shop.
- SPECIAL STAGES can be triggered by reaching certain cargo totals (see below). Once triggered, they can continue appearing until you Drop Off Cargo at the Galactic Zoo or restart your run.
Special Stage Triggers (Cargo Thresholds)
- Chicken World: 50+ Chickens collected.
- Penguin World: 150+ Penguins collected.
- Woodland Stage: 50+ Deer and 10+ Bears collected.
- Alien Stage: 100+ Aliens collected.
Stage selection priority: Alien > Penguin > Chicken > Woodland > Earth.
2. Flight Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|
| Arrow Keys | Navigate the ship (Up, Down, Left, Right). |
| Space | Activate Tractor Beam.
(Hold to lift targets. Release to drop.) |
| Z | Activate EMP Blast (must be unlocked). |
| X | Activate Turbo Boost (must be unlocked). |
| C | Deploy Decoy (must be unlocked). |
| Enter | Start / Restart / Confirm selection in Shop. |
| ~ / D | Toggle the Developer Cargo Editor (debug tool). |
3. The Specimens
Different specimens have different Weights. Heavier targets require stronger beams (upgrades) to lift efficiently.
- Chicken (Weight: 0.5): Easy to catch. Low value.
- Penguin (Weight: 1.0): Common in colder regions (and Penguin World).
- Human (Weight: 2.5): Medium weight.
- Deer (Weight: 4.0): Fast.
- Cow (Weight: 6.0): Slow, heavy.
- Bear (Weight: 8.0): High value, very heavy.
- Alien (Weight: 10.0): Rare, very high value, extremely heavy.
Behavior note: Most ground targets will try to flee if you get too close while you're visible.
Tip: If your beam is weak, abduct heavy targets by flying low so they have less distance to travel to reach your ship.
4. The Military (Antagonists)
The military spawns based on Round and rising Threat. Staying longer means more contact.
-
Infantry: Weak ground unit. Can be abducted for points.
-
Jeep: Fast ground unit with rapid fire. (Round 3+)
-
Tank: Heavily armored ground unit. High damage shots. (Round 6+)
-
Jet: High-speed air unit with long range. (Round 8+)
Note: Special stages can swap in themed military visuals, but the roles remain the same.
5. Survival & Mechanics
Visibility & Stealth
Your VISIBILITY (VIS) affects how easily the military can target you.
- Day/Night: You are most visible during the day, least visible at night.
- Clouds: Flying inside a cloud makes you extremely hard to detect.
- Beaming / Frozen: Using the beam (or being frozen by lightning) makes you fully visible.
- Weather: Fog, rain, and storms reduce visibility.
Weather Hazards
- Storms: May include lightning.
- Lightning Strike: Damages hull and temporarily freezes your controls.
Flight Ceiling & Ground Clearance
- Leaving the mission: Fly off the top of the screen to enter the shop.
- Ground clearance: Your UFO hovers slightly above the ground and can take impact damage if you slam into the lowest limit.
Health Systems
- Shields (Blue): Regenerate automatically over time.
- Hull (Green): Does not regenerate during a mission. If Hull reaches 0%, you crash. Repair Hull in the shop.
6. Shop (Upgrades)
After escaping a level (fly up), spend your funds:
- [1] Hull Repair (100): Fully repairs hull (up to your max).
- [2] Beam Power ++ (300): Increases lift strength (each purchase adds a small boost).
- [3] Beam Width ++ (400): Catch multiple targets at once.
- [4] Engine Speed ++ (400): Fly faster. Base engine speed starts at 0.2.
- [5] Max Shield ++ (500): Increase your shield capacity.
- [6] Stealth Tech ++ (600): Passively lowers your visibility.
- [7] Lure Beacon ++ (700): Causes more entities to spawn each mission.
- [8] Unlock EMP (1000): Unlocks EMP on Z.
- [9] Unlock Boost (800): Unlocks Boost on X.
- [0] Unlock Decoy (1200): Unlocks Decoy on C.
- Cargo Report: View a detailed manifest of everything you've collected.
7. Galactic Zoo (Drop-Off)
The Galactic Zoo can appear as a special location during the Alien Stage.
- When you find the Galactic Zoo building, fly into it to open the Zoo Manifest.
- Use DROP OFF CARGO to store your current cargo permanently and reset special stage progression.
- This is the only way to clear your current cargo without restarting your run.