This section provides a high-level summary of the game concept, defining the core fantasy, genre, and key progression metrics. The vision is to combine the satisfying grind of a simulator with the exponential progression of an idle game.
Game & Core Premise 🌌
Title: Galactic Mining Simulator
Genre: Simulator / Idle / Progression RPG
Players are deep-space prospectors who must drill, collect, and sell rare cosmic minerals to exponentially **upgrade their ships**, tools, and travel capabilities. The goal is to reach the ultimate, mythical resource located at the edge of the known universe.
Progression Metrics
- **Core Loop:** Time to fill a Cargo Hold.
- **Long-Term:** Number of Galaxies Unlocked (via Jump Drive).
- **Engagement:** Total Credits Earned.
- **Monetization:** Passive Income Rate (Refinery).
Cosmic Visual Concept
A low-poly, highly stylized environment blending the deep, dark void with vibrant, ethereal asteroid fields.
This process flow highlights the **"Invest to Explore"** core loop. The cycle is designed to be highly addictive, with each successful loop rewarding the player with the means to access even greater exponential rewards.
1. Drill & Collect
Venture into asteroid fields and actively use your **Mining Tool** to break apart celestial bodies. This is the **primary action** phase. Minerals collected are immediately stored in the ship's Cargo Hold. Efficiency is determined by the player's Drill Power and the asteroid's resistance.
2. Refine & Sell
Return to a safe Hub (or personal platform) to offload cargo. Raw minerals must be processed in the **Refinery** (a time-based mechanic, core to the Idle loop) before they can be sold for **Credits**. Higher-tier minerals have longer refinement times but yield significantly more Credits.
3. Upgrade & Automate
Spend Credits to permanently enhance all metrics: increasing Drill Power, expanding the Cargo Hold, and boosting Refinery speed. Players also purchase **Auto-Miners** (drones) and **Idle Modules** to automate the collection and refinement process while offline or focused on exploration.
4. Unlock New Zones
The primary long-term progression is upgrading the **Jump Drive**. Reaching the next level of the Jump Drive allows the player to access a new, distinct galaxy zone via Teleporter, unlocking new Tiered Resources and resetting the economic scale for exponential growth.
Explore the major gameplay systems that create depth and long-term goals for the player. New systems include Trade Routes for passive income and Zone Hazards for risk/reward decision-making.
🏠 Personal Mining Platform
A customizable base for spawning, refining, and stat viewing, providing a sense of ownership. Upgradeable to increase passive resource yield and security.
Implementation: Use a `Plot` system with permanent data persistence.
💎 Tiered Resources
Resources are strictly tied to specific zones. Higher tiers require higher Drill Power and offer exponential value increases, rewarding persistent progression.
Implementation: Simple parts with distinct particle effects and resistance properties.
🚀 Ship Progression
The Jump Drive is the key content gate. Upgrading it is expensive, time-consuming, and mandatory to unlock new, higher-tier galaxies and content.
Implementation: Jump Drive tier level gates teleporter access.
📈 Automated Trade Routes (NEW)
Allows players to set up automated, asynchronous routes for drones to transport minerals between galaxies, generating passive income while the player is offline.
Implementation: UI-driven system; passive income calculated server-side based on route efficiency.
⚠️ Zone Hazards (NEW)
Higher-tier galaxies feature environmental hazards like plasma storms or gravity wells, requiring players to invest in Ship Shields and specialized modules.
Implementation: Simple status effects (slow, shield drain) triggered within specific zone boundaries.
🐾 Pet System (Aura)
Collectible pets that follow the player and provide passive boosts, incentivizing collection and premium purchases. They are purely additive boosts.
Implementation: Simple accessory attachment with backend multipliers.
LLM Powered Content Prototyping
✨ Pet Concept Generator (Structured JSON)
Input a theme (e.g., 'cosmic jellyfish' or 'mini black hole') to generate a full, detailed Pet Concept ready for implementation.
✨ Resource Lore Draft (Creative Text)
Select a resource to instantly draft high-quality, immersive in-game lore suitable for a tooltip or item description.
This section details the Free-to-Play monetization strategy, designed to accelerate player progression without creating a pay-to-win environment. The approach is divided into two categories: permanent boosts (Game Passes) and one-time use items (Consumables).
⭐ 2x Mining Pass
Permanently doubles minerals collected per drill action. **Highest value long-term purchase.**
⚡ Instant Refinery Pass
Allows players to refine minerals instantly, skipping all time-gates and idle mechanics.
🗺️ Cosmic Navigator
Unlocks a detailed mini-map showing real-time respawn timers and the location of the highest-value asteroids.
🪙 Credit Pack
A primary Credit purchase option for players who wish to quickly buy the next Drill or Cargo Hold upgrade.
🚀 Warp Fuel
Instantly warps the player (and their cargo) back to the main Space Station Hub from any location.
💥 Hyper-Drill Charge
Temporarily triples drill power for 30 minutes, allowing a massive one-time collection boost.
These are the core technical and artistic requirements for building the game. The choices prioritize performance, scalable content development, and maintaining player progress.
💾 Data Persistence
MANDATORY. Must save player state (Credits, Inventory, Upgrades, Jump Drive Tier, Pets) using robust, high-availability Roblox Data Stores to prevent loss of long-term progress.
🎨 Asset Style
**Low-Poly / Stylized Sci-Fi.** This minimizes memory usage, ensures the game runs smoothly across all platforms (especially mobile), and provides a clean, iconic aesthetic that is easy to update.
🌍 Initial Environments
**Hub:** A central, low-gravity Space Station (the safe zone).
**Zone 1:** The "Outer Asteroid Belt" map (basic tier resources, no hazards).
**Zone 2:** The "Nebula Graveyard" map (mid-tier resources, light gravity wells).