ROIDRACER FIELD MANUAL

RoidRacer is a tick-based browser strategy game inspired by Planetarion-era space wars. You run one planet, mine resources from roids, build fleets, research upgrades, and steal enemy economy through precision raids.

• Tick interval: 30 seconds
• Round length: 20,160 ticks
• Win condition: highest score when the round ends

1. Create an account with username, planet name, email, and password.
2. Log in and review the Dashboard tick box for server timing.
3. Build early light ships to secure map pressure and scouting.
4. Use Research to unlock stronger classes before rushing capitals.

Tick-based games reward planning over speed: queue production, queue research, and line up arrival windows.

Resource	Use	Pressure Point
Gold	General ships, core economy, broad research spend	Main bottleneck for fleet refill during wars
Crystal	Advanced hulls, military/intel research	Midgame composition pivot resource
Plutonium	Specialist/capital hulls and expensive tech	Hard gate for late-game power spikes

Roids are your economy engine. If roids drop, your per-tick income drops immediately.

Target priority controls what classes are preferred in combat targeting.

Name	Class	Cost (G/C/P)	Build	ATK	DEF	SPD	Target Priority	Special	Research Unlock	Strategy Tip
Scout	Light	200/100/50	1	0	10	10	none	Intel-only; high evasion	Open	Hard to kill, cheap to build. Send in bulk against fortified targets for reliable intel.
Mosquito	Light	250/150/0	1	6	3	8	small	Fast rebuild swarm filler	Open	Use in bulk to absorb losses and pressure weak fronts.
Wasp	Light	350/250/30	2	8	7	7	small	Balanced light brawler	Open	Mix with Mosquitos for cleaner early trades.
Venom	Light	450/350/0	2	10	5	9	small_mid	Raider swarm profile	Open	Use as fast pick unit to shred fragile screens.
Dragoon	Medium	2000/1500/200	5	40	30	5	small_medium	Anti-swarm medium anchor	Advanced Weapons Lv.2	Core anti-light answer; scale with fleet lines.
Raptor	Medium	2200/1800/250	5	35	35	4	medium_large	Balanced pursuit hull	Advanced Weapons Lv.2	Use to bridge medium into capital transitions.
Phantom	Medium	1800/2000/300	6	25	45	4	all	Defensive medium tank	Advanced Weapons Lv.2	Great attrition ship when defending multi-wave attacks.
Sentinel	Specialist	3000/2000/1000	8	20	60	3	all	2x defense while stationary	Advanced Weapons Lv.4	Park at homeworld to punish incoming raids.
Claymore	Specialist	4200/4200/1500	10	80	40	3	large	Capital hunter	Advanced Weapons Lv.4	Primary answer to Thor/Zeus fleets.
Hydra	Specialist	6000/7000/3000	14	60	80	2	medium_large	Defensive siege profile	Advanced Weapons Lv.4	Heavy staying power in extended defensive fights.
Thor	Capital	22000/18000/8000	25	140	120	2	all	High-impact titan	Advanced Weapons Lv.7	Commit only with escort; rebuild time is long.
Zeus	Capital	27000/24000/10000	30	170	140	1	all	Top-end flagship	Advanced Weapons Lv.7	Use as finisher after Claymore threats are softened.
Roidracer	Economy	800/400/50	3	0	5	6	none	Chance to steal 1 roid/tick; dies on success	Open	Send in bulk against roid-rich targets; each successful steal costs one racer.

Target priority shorthand: none, small, small_mid, small_medium, medium_large, large, all.

Tick-by-Tick Resolution

1. Each fleet applies attack according to target priority.
2. Defense modifiers are applied (including tech and Sentinel stationary bonus).
3. Kills are resolved immediately; destroyed ships no longer fire later in the same tick cycle.
4. Surviving Roidracers steal roids each tick of successful attack presence.

Fleet Waves and Defense

• Up to 3 attack waves can be sent in one mission setup.
• Planet ships auto-defend; alliance defense fleets can reinforce.
• Defense fleets travel faster than attack fleets.

Orbital Cannon (Defense Multiplier)

The Orbital Cannon boosts the damage output of all defending ships on your planet:

defenseMultiplier = 1 + (cannonLevel × 0.05)

Level	Multiplier	Effect
0	×1.00	No bonus
1	×1.05	+5% defense damage
2	×1.10	+10% defense damage
3	×1.15	+15% defense damage
4	×1.20	+20% defense damage
5	×1.25	+25% defense damage

The Orbital Cannon scales with your fleet size — the more defending ships you have, the more total bonus damage it generates. Combined with Sentinels (2× defense when stationary) and Planetary Shield, a well-fortified planet is extremely expensive to crack.

Combat Matrix (Kills per Tick per Unit)

Attacker	Mosq	Wasp	Venom	Dragoon	Phantom	Raptor	Claymore	Thor	Zeus	Hydra	Roidracer
Mosquito	1.0	0.5	0.6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.0
Wasp	1.5	1.0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.5
Venom	1.2	0.8	1.0	0.3	0.2	0.3	0	0	0	0	1.5
Dragoon	4.0	3.5	3.0	1.0	0.8	0.9	0.2	0	0	0	1.5
Phantom	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.8	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.0
Raptor	2.5	2.0	2.0	1.0	0.7	1.0	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.4	1.2
Claymore	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.5	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.5
Thor	3.0	2.5	2.5	1.5	1.2	1.3	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.5	2.0
Zeus	4.0	3.5	3.0	2.0	1.5	1.8	0.2	0.6	0.5	0.6	2.5
Hydra	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.0	0.8	1.0	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.5	1.0
Sentinel	1.5	1.2	1.1	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	1.0

Roid Stealing Rules

• Protected minimum: 10 roids per type (gold/crystal/plutonium) cannot be stolen — you always keep at least 30 total.
• Max per tick: 20% of stealable roids (above protected minimum) can be stolen per combat tick.
• Steal chance per Roidracer: scales with target's total roid count:
  • 50 roids → 2% chance per racer
  • 100 roids → 4% chance per racer
  • 250 roids → 10% chance per racer
  • 500+ roids → 20% chance (capped)
  Formula: min(0.20, totalRoids / 2500)
• Roid Magnetism research adds +2% steal chance per level (max 30% total).
• Sacrifice: Each Roidracer that successfully steals a roid dies in the process.
• Stolen roids transfer immediately to attacker economy (random type, weighted by target distribution).
• Strategy: Target roid-rich players (250+ roids) for maximum efficiency. Small planets are protected.

Level N cost = base × 1.8^(N-1)

Current runtime has 13 active research techs. A 14th design slot is included below as a planned expansion entry for balancing documentation.

⛏️ Mining Branch

Tech	Base Cost (G/C/P)	What It Does
Efficient Mining	300/300/100	+10% income per level. Your roids produce more resources each tick. Level 5 = +50% income. This is your #1 early priority — more income means faster everything.
Deep Core Drilling	500/500/200	+5% plutonium income per level (stacks with Efficient Mining). Plutonium is the bottleneck for specialist and capital ships. Level 5 = +25% extra plutonium on top of mining bonus.
Roid Magnetism	700/700/400	+2% Roidracer steal chance per level. Makes your Roidracers more effective at stealing enemy roids. Level 5 = +10% steal chance on top of the base formula.
Asteroid Prospecting	1000/1000/500	Unlocks roid mining. Without this, you can't mine new roids at all. Each level reduces mining time by 5%. Required before you can grow your economy through mining.

⚔️ Military Branch

Tech	Base Cost (G/C/P)	What It Does
Advanced Weapons	800/900/500	+8% attack damage per level for all your ships. Also unlocks ship classes: Lv.2 = medium ships (Dragoon, Raptor, Phantom), Lv.4 = specialists (Sentinel, Claymore, Hydra), Lv.7 = capitals (Thor, Zeus). This is the most important military tech.
Reinforced Hulls	900/800/500	+8% defense per level for all your ships. Your ships take less damage and survive longer. Lv.3 unlocks Planetary Shield development.
Warp Drive	1000/1000/900	Reduces fleet travel time. Faster attacks, faster defense reinforcements, faster scouts. Lv.7 unlocks Hyperspace Beacon development.
Fleet Coordination	1100/1200/1000	Lv.5 unlocks a 4th attack wave (normally 3 max). More waves = more tactical flexibility in combat.

🕵️ Intelligence Branch

Tech	Base Cost (G/C/P)	What It Does
Long Range Scanners	500/700/300	Improves scout report quality. Higher visibility = see exact ship counts, resources, and roids of your target. Counters enemy Stealth Technology.
Stealth Technology	700/900/500	Hides your planet from enemy scouts. Reduces their visibility level. Lv.5 unlocks Cloak Generator development (complete ship concealment).
Early Warning	600/800/400	Detects incoming attacks earlier. More time to prepare defenses, call alliance support, or evacuate fleets.

🏭 Economy Branch

Tech	Base Cost (G/C/P)	What It Does
Shipyard Efficiency	400/300/200	Reduces ship build time. Ships finish faster, letting you rebuild after losses and maintain fleet pressure. Essential for war recovery.
Resource Compression	700/700/500	Economy stability. Protects your resource stockpile and improves storage efficiency.
Trade Routes	800/500/400	+3% passive income per level (stacks with Efficient Mining). A smaller but free bonus to all resource production.

Cost Multipliers by Level

Level	Multiplier
1	1.000
2	1.800
3	3.240
4	5.832
5	10.498
6	18.896
7	34.012
8	61.222
9	110.200
10	198.359

🏗️ Developments (Planet Upgrades)

Developments are permanent planet upgrades with multiple levels. Each level costs more but provides stronger effects. Unlike research, these are physical installations on your planet.

Development	Requirement	Base Cost (G/C/P)	Build Ticks	What It Does
Planetary Shield	Reinforced Hulls Lv.3	4000/4500/2500	8	Absorbs incoming damage. Each level blocks 25 ship kills per tick. Lv.5 = 125 kills absorbed. Protects your fleet from the first wave of damage — attackers need to overwhelm it.
Orbital Cannon	Advanced Weapons Lv.5	7000/6000/3500	10	Boosts all defending ship damage by +5% per level. Lv.5 = +25% damage from your entire garrison. Scales with fleet size — bigger fleet = bigger bonus. See combat section for details.
Cloak Generator	Stealth Technology Lv.5	5000/7000/4000	10	Hides your ships from enemy scouts. Enemy scouts see "Cloaked" instead of ship counts unless they have visibility 5+. Makes it impossible for enemies to know your defense strength.
Hyperspace Beacon	Warp Drive Lv.7	6500/6500/4200	12	Speeds up defense fleet travel. Alliance defense fleets arrive faster to help you. Critical for coordinated defense in late-game alliance warfare.

Research Priority Guide

1. Open with Efficient Mining and Shipyard Efficiency for tempo.
2. Rush Advanced Weapons 2 to unlock medium warships.
3. Move to Advanced Weapons 4 before committing specialist lines.
4. Push Advanced Weapons 7 only when economy can sustain capital losses.

Mining lets you grow your economy by prospecting new roids. Requires Asteroid Prospecting research (level 1+).

How It Works

• Mine one roid at a time (gold, crystal, or plutonium).
• Each mining operation costs resources and takes several ticks.
• When complete, you gain +1 roid of the chosen type.

Bitcoin-Style Difficulty

Mining cost increases exponentially as you accumulate roids:

difficultyMultiplier = 1 + (currentRoids / 50)^1.5

Current Roids	Multiplier	Cost (G/C/P)
40 (start)	~1.7×	~850 / 850 / 340
100	~3.8×	~1,900 / 1,900 / 760
500	~32×	~16,000 / 16,000 / 6,400
1,000	~90×	~45,000 / 45,000 / 18,000
2,000+	~280×	~140,000+ / 140,000+ / 56,000+

Strategy: Mine early when it's cheap (under ~500 roids). Beyond 1,000 roids, stealing from enemies becomes far more efficient than mining. This is by design — wars drive the late game.

Mining Time

ticks = (5 + floor(currentRoids / 100)) × (1 - prospectingLevel × 5%)

Asteroid Prospecting research reduces mining time by 5% per level.

• Create or join alliances for defense and tactical communication.
• Use alliance chat for wave timing and target calls.
• Send defense fleets to allies for rapid shared defense posture.
• Alliance score aggregates member performance and fleet value.

Map Structure

• Universe is organized by galaxy, system, and slot coordinates.
• Travel time depends on distance band (same system, same galaxy, cross-galaxy).

Scout Reports

Scouts provide intel snapshots when they arrive at the target planet. The quality of intel depends on your scanner tech vs the target's stealth tech:

visibility = max(0, scannerLevel − stealthLevel + 1)

Visibility	Resources	Roids	Ships	Stealable Roids
0	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
1	Unknown	Exact count	Unknown	Shown (10% per type)
2	Exact	Exact count	"Present" / 0	Shown
3+	Exact	Exact count	Exact count	Shown

Stealable roids = 10% of each roid type (min 1 if any exist). This shows how much you could steal per successful attack wave. Use this to evaluate raid targets — high stealable roids + weak defense = prime target.

Cloak Generator on the target planet hides all ship data unless your visibility is 5+.

• Use map scanning each session to find weak economies and idle targets.
• Scout frequently — intel goes stale fast as players build and move fleets.

Total Score = ShipScore + RoidScore + ResourceScore + ResearchScore + KillScore

• ShipScore = total fleet value × 3.0 — the dominant factor; build ships to climb the rankings
• RoidScore = total roids × 15
• ResourceScore = (banked gold + crystal + plutonium) ÷ 10
• ResearchScore = total research investment × 0.3
• KillScore = destroyed enemy value × 1.5

Key insight: Fleet power is by far the biggest score driver. Hoarding resources or roids without converting them into ships barely moves your ranking. Losing ships in combat hurts your score more than losing roids or resources. Kill score rewards aggressive play — destroying expensive enemy ships pays off.

Fleet value includes all owned ships — both garrison and ships traveling in fleets.

Rush

Flood lights early, pressure neighbors, then pivot quickly into Dragoons.

Turtle

Bank economy, establish Sentinel/Phantom layers, punish overextensions.

Balanced

Mix offense and defense, keep tech parity, and rotate raid windows with alliance support.

Alliance Tactics

Coordinate 3-wave attacks and stagger defense arrivals to deny enemy timing reads.

This section mirrors concepts from SHIP-BALANCE-v0.1.md in the repository and the current runtime constants.

• Research gates prevent immediate medium/specialist/capital rushes.
• Capital ships are expensive long-term commitments (Thor/Zeus now 1.5x pricing).
• Core counter loop: swarm pressure, Dragoon anti-swarm, Claymore anti-capital.
• Roid theft capped at 20%/tick of stealable roids (10 per type protected); steal chance scales with target roids (2%–20%, formula: roids/2500); Roidracers die on successful steal. Mining is instant with Bitcoin-style pricing — cheap early, exponentially expensive late.
• Scoring heavily favors fleet power (×3.0). Roids (×15), resources (÷10), and research (×0.3) are minor factors. Kills (×1.5) reward aggressive play. Build ships to climb rankings.
• Orbital Cannon is a defense multiplier, not a direct damage source. It amplifies all defending ship damage by +5% per level (max +25%). Scales with fleet size — bigger garrison = bigger cannon value.

Quick links: Gates | Capitals | Counters | Roid Economy

Architecture Snapshot

• server/tick-engine.js: tick loop, queue processing, fleet movement, combat, roid transfer.
• server/combat.js: combat resolution and matrix interactions.
• server/constants.js: ships, research, developments, matrix values.
• server/routes/game.js: shipyard/research/fleet endpoints and unlock validation.
• public/js/app.js: SPA rendering, shipyard UI, forms, SSE hooks.

How to Modify Balance Safely

1. Update ship/research constants first.
2. Enforce new gates in API endpoints before exposing UI toggles.
3. Reflect new values in manual and frontend labels.
4. Run through attack/defense, build queue, and unlock edge cases manually.

Keep combat matrix edits conservative; small coefficients produce large meta shifts over many ticks.