How to play

You're a lone salvage ship in a hostile ASCII sector. Move with WASD or arrows (or the on-screen pad) — every action advances the world one turn, and every turn burns oxygen.

Walk into ◆ ore or ✦ crystal to mine it, and into ╬ wrecks to strip them for metal, crystal, fuel, ammo, oxygen, or scrap — a few are booby-trapped.

Press Space to fire your blaster in the direction you're facing (ammo is finite), or ram enemies with your hull if you enjoy consequences. ✕ drones chase you; ☠ corsairs keep distance and shoot down clear lines.

The fabricator crafts hull patches, fuel cells, ammo, O₂ canisters, and permanent upgrades (better mining laser, blaster, fuel injectors, hull plating, an O₂ recycler) from your metal and crystal — crafting is instant and free of turns.

Reach the pink Ω gate with 6 fuel to jump to the next sector: fresh loot, nastier pirates, and a survival bonus. Runs end when hull or oxygen hits zero — permanently.

Scoring

• Scrap is the score: ore pays 5, crystal 8, wrecks 5–50, drone kills 15, corsair kills 25, and each gate jump pays 40 + 10 per sector.
• Your score checkpoints at every gate jump and posts in full when the run ends.

Tips

• Oxygen is the real clock — mine what's on your route to the gate, not everything on the map.
• The O₂ recycler (5 crystal) halves your breathing rate and roughly doubles every run. Build it early.
• Never run the fuel tank dry: emergency thrusters burn 3 O₂ per move, which is how runs quietly end.
• Corsairs only shoot down clear straight lines — put an asteroid between you and them and they're just decoration.

Frequently asked questions

Is there any way to survive a run?

No. The void always wins eventually — the game is how much scrap you bank before it does.

Does crafting use up a turn?

No. The fabricator pauses reality, which is scientifically dubious and mechanically merciful.

What does ramming do?

Damages the enemy a little and your hull a little more. It's a tool of last resort and of people with fresh hull plating.

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