Ship and Extractors

Ship: Central Hub for Survival

The Horizon Quest spaceship is a symbol of hope in a world ravaged by a deadly virus, this spacecraft was discovered in a long-forgotten government facility by Dr. Emily Carter and Michael Richards, two of humanity's best chance at survival. Originally abandoned by those who fled Earth on their own search for a cure and were never heard from again, it now carries the weight of our last chance, the final opportunity to seek out a new sanctuary among the stars while Dr Carter searches for a solution. This ship will be your central hub as it flies you through space in pursuit of answers, survival, and the promise of a better tomorrow.

Horizon Quest

Extractors: Gathering Resources for Survival

Overview: The Evermore Extractors play an important role in your survival strategy. They are designed to gather resources like Solsite, Durasteel, and Nebulite from the surface of any planet you may explore. These resources are necessary for refueling Horizon Quest and upgrading your gear.

This cutting-edge technology is deployed by the Horizon Quest upon entering atmospheric entry. The extractors then remain in orbit until you select a mining location. A force field surrounds the extractor while it falls to minimize fall damage. However, once it lands, the force field disengages. If the extractor is exposed to too much damage after landing, it will stop working. If this occurs, it will require reinforcement derived from Durasteel.

Normal and Broken Extractor images

Extractor in use animation

Key Responsibilities:

• Resource Collection: Extractors continuously gather resources from celestial objects, debris, and other sources as the ship travels between planets. These resources include minerals, metals, energy sources, and more.
• Autonomous Operation: Extractors function autonomously, allowing you to focus on other activities while resources are collected in the background.
• Resource Management: Players must strategically manage the allocation of collected resources, deciding between extractor repairs, upgrades, and fuel, which will be needed for the search for a new planet to inhabit whilst the development of the virus cure is being researched.

Gameplay Interaction:

• Players can monitor the efficiency and status of extractors.
• Resource allocation decisions affect ship refueling, upgrades, and progression.
• Extractor challenges and emergent events keep players engaged with this essential game feature.

Extractor Models

Extractors come in various models, each with its specifications, efficiency rates, and resource collection capabilities. As players progress through the game, they might unlock and upgrade different extractor models, enhancing resource collection and ship maintenance efficiency.

Extractor Upgrades

Players can invest collected resources into upgrading extractors, improving their performance, repair capabilities, and resource yield. Upgrades may include enhanced automation, faster repair rates, and increased resource capacity.

Extractor Design

Extractors follow the below sequence on each update diagram, potentially spawning popup components.

sequenceDiagram
    activate GameTimer
    activate GlobalState
    Actor Entity
    Entity ->> ProductionComponent: Update 
            activate ProductionComponent

    ProductionComponent ->> GameTimer: getTimePasssed
    GameTimer -->> ProductionComponent: timePassed
    alt timePassed > tickRate
        ProductionComponent ->> GameTimer: resetTimePassed
        ProductionComponent ->> GlobalState: addResource(self.resource, self.tickSize)
        create participant PopupComponent
        ProductionComponent ->> PopupComponent: spawnPopupComponent
        ProductionComponent -->> Entity: void
        deactivate ProductionComponent
        Entity ->> PopupComponent: Update
        activate PopupComponent
        PopupComponent ->> GameTimer: getTimePassed
        GameTimer ->> PopupComponent: timePassed
        alt timePassed > lifeTime
            PopupComponent ->> PopupComponent: Dispose
        else
            PopupComponent ->> PopupComponent: updatePosition
        end
        deactivate PopupComponent
    else
        activate ProductionComponent
        ProductionComponent -->> Entity: void
        deactivate ProductionComponent
    end
    deactivate GameTimer
    deactivate GlobalState

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Future Development

• Advanced Extractor Types: Introducing specialized extractors optimized for specific types of resources.
• Extractor Events: Events that challenge players to manage extractors effectively during unique scenarios.
• Extractor Customization: Allowing players to customize and fine-tune extractor behavior based on their gameplay preferences.