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pou edited this page May 31, 2026 · 11 revisions

ROOT.WORKS — Game Wiki & Engineering Manual

Version: Current | Authors: ROOT.WORKS Engineering Team

This is the official systems engineering manual for ROOT.WORKS. It covers every major system in the game — from early hand-crafting through quantum antimatter synthesis — with detailed graphs, progression charts, and operational guides.

Table of Contents

  1. Keyboard Controls, Console Commands, & Shortcuts
  2. Logistics & Fluid Conduit Infrastructure
  3. Technology & Progression Stages
  4. Machines & Crafting Reference
  5. Digital Data Grid (AE-Style Automation)
  6. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) Scripting
  7. Drone Automation Systems
  8. Rail Transport & Train Logistics
  9. Advanced Reactor Engineering & High-Yield Power
  10. Industrial Hazards & Critical System Failures
  11. Survival Mechanics

1. Keyboard Controls, Console Commands, & Shortcuts

General Movement & Interaction

Action Key
Move W A S D or Arrow Keys
Sprint Hold SHIFT
Mine / Harvest tile Hold F
Open Player Inventory E
Open Machine Interface Right-Click on machine
Build Menu B
Hand Crafting / Table Menu C
Equipment & Usables U
Guide & Controls G

Building & Placement

Action Key
Click to queue placement Left Click (in build mode)
Drag to place continuous pipes Hold Left Click and drag
Rotate blueprint R
Cycle pipe shape T
Open network directory M
Confirm placement queue Enter
Cancel / exit mode ESC

Tip: When placing pipes, dragging creates straight runs. If you drag perpendicular to your current direction, the game auto-inserts a corner joint (like Logisim wire routing), letting you draw L-shaped pipe runs in one motion.

Routing Pipes

Action Key/Action
Enter routing mode L
Click start tile Left Click on a pipe tile
Click end tile Left Click on destination pipe tile
Cancel routing ESC

The blue highlight box shows where your mouse cursor currently sits in tile-space. The game runs A* pathfinding along existing pipe networks to find and create the route.

Advanced / Admin

Action Key
Open console /
Database dump to clipboard SHIFT + J
Save game SHIFT + O
Load game SHIFT + L
Toggle Creative Mode SHIFT + ; or SHIFT + :
Toggle Agent Mode CTRL + SHIFT + Y
Toggle Agent Recording CTRL + SHIFT + Z

Console Commands

/give <item_id> <quantity>      — Spawn item in inventory
/give all                       — Add every item & machine to inventory
/tick rate <multiplier>         — Speed up/slow down simulation (e.g. /tick rate 5.0)
/tick rate default              — Reset to normal speed

2. Logistics & Fluid Conduit Infrastructure

All item and fluid transport uses dedicated pipe networks. Each network only carries specific materials — you cannot route coal through a copper water pipe, or steam through a glass gas pipe. Ports on machines are colour-coded to match their compatible network.

Conduit Network Reference

Network Pipe Item Color Carries Heavy Variant?
Item item_pipe Dark Grey #424242 Solid items (ores, components, plates) Yes (item_pipe_heavy, 12/tick)
Iron iron_pipe Red #f44336 Molten Lava No
Copper copper_pipe Light Blue #03a9f4 Water, Brine, Heavy Water No
Brass brass_pipe Yellow #fbc02d Steam Yes (brass_pipe_heavy)
Glass glass_pipe Cyan #00bcd4 Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Petroleum Gas, Sulfur Dioxide, Chlorine, Unrefined Gas No
Lead Lined lead_lined_pipe Lime Green #8bc34a Sulfuric Acid No
Steel steel_pipe Slate Grey #90a4ae Crude Oil, Semi-Refined Oil, Heavy Oil, Light Oil, Naphtha, Liquid Plastic No
Insulated insulated_pipe Dark Blue #1565c0 Liquid Nitrogen, Hot/Superheated Nitrogen No
Gold-Lead gold_lead_pipe Crimson #c51162 Nuclear Waste No
Plasmatic plasma_conduit_pipe Orange #ff6d00 Raw Plasma, Stabilized Plasma No
Magnetic magnetic_containment_pipe Deep Purple #aa00ff Positron Streams, Antiprotons No

Pipe Flow Rules

flowchart LR
    A[Machine Output Port] --> B{Port Type?}
    B -- Item Port --> C[Item Pipe Network]
    B -- Copper Port --> D[Copper Pipe Water]
    B -- Brass Port --> E[Brass Pipe Steam]
    B -- Steel Port --> F[Steel Pipe Oil]
    C --> G[Route to Destination]
    D --> G
    E --> G
    F --> G
    G --> H[Machine Input Port]
Loading

Item Transport: Ticks & Throughput

Items on pipes move in discrete belt ticks (every 0.5 seconds). Normal item pipes carry 1 item per tick (2/sec). Heavy item pipes carry 12 items per tick (24/sec).

graph LR
    subgraph Normal Item Pipe
    A1[Machine] -- 1 item/tick --> B1[Pipe] -- 1 item/tick --> C1[Machine]
    end
    subgraph Heavy Item Pipe
    A2[Machine] -- 12 items/tick --> B2[Heavy Pipe] -- 12 items/tick --> C2[Machine]
    end
Loading

Backpressure: If a destination machine's input buffer is full (at maxStack, default 100 items per slot), items stop at the last pipe tile and back up the entire route, blocking further delivery until space opens.

Machine Input Stack Limits (maxStack)

Machine Category Default maxStack
Processing machines (furnaces, assemblers, etc.) 100
Storage boxes 10,000
Large storage chests 2,000
Fluid / Gas tanks 5,000
Digital storage 50,000
Splitters, filters 5

Junction & Corner Geometry

All conduits use the indexed shape library LOGISTICS_SHAPES:

Shape Character Use
Straight horizontal ─ Linear horizontal flow
Straight vertical │ Linear vertical flow
Corner NE/NW/SE/SW └ ┌ ┐ ┘ 90-degree bends
T-junction ┬ ┤ ┴ ├ Split or merge flows
Cross intersection ┼ Full cross-connection
Heavy/reinforced ━ ┃ Heavy pipe variants
Double-line hazardous ═ ║ Acid, SiCu, and Hyper Wire

Pipe Routing Example

graph LR
    Furnace -->|coal: item pipe| Pipe1[ ] -->|corner| Pipe2[ ] -->|straight| Pipe3[ ] --> CoalMine
Loading

3. Technology & Progression Stages

The factory is designed across 8 distinct industrial eras. Each stage builds on the last and requires its output to unlock the next.

graph LR
    S1["Stage 1<br/>Hand Tools"] --> S2["Stage 2<br/>Steam & Kinetics"]
    S2 --> S3["Stage 3<br/>Electric Grid"]
    S3 --> S4["Stage 4<br/>Petrochemicals"]
    S4 --> S5["Stage 5<br/>Semiconductors"]
    S5 --> S6["Stage 6<br/>Nuclear Fission"]
    S6 --> S7["Stage 7<br/>Fusion & Plasma"]
    S7 --> S8["Stage 8<br/>Antimatter"]
Loading

Stage 1 — Primitive Tools & Hand Logistics

Goal: Bootstrap a basic food, water, and material supply chain entirely by hand.

Key activities: Chop logs, harvest fiber and stone, till and plant farmland, hand-craft basic tools.

Machine Role
machine_crafter Crafting Table — unlocks structural & tool recipes
machine_manual_grinder Hand-mills wheat into flour
machine_manual_mixer Mixes flour + water into dough

Stage 2 — Steam & Kinetic Transmission

Goal: Replace hand labor with coal-fired steam engines and kinetic gear trains.

flowchart LR
    Coal --> CoalPump["Coal Pump<br/>Extracts Water"]
    Water --> Boiler[Brass Boiler]
    Coal --> Boiler
    Boiler --> Steam
    Steam --> SteamEngine[Steam Engine]
    SteamEngine --> KineticToken[kinetic_token]
    KineticToken --> Hammer[Steam Hammer]
    Hammer --> IronIngot[iron_ingot]
Loading
Machine Role
machine_coal_pump Extracts water using coal
machine_brass_boiler Converts water + coal → steam
machine_steam_engine Converts steam → kinetic_token
machine_steam_hammer Forges puddled iron → iron_ingot
machine_bronze_gear_miller Cuts plates into gear components

Stage 3 — Electrification & Solid Chemistry

Goal: Build the first electrical power grid using coal generators and begin alloying.

flowchart LR
    Coal --> Generator[Coal Generator]
    Generator --> PowerGrid[Electrical Grid kW]
    PowerGrid --> ElecFurnace[Electric Furnace]
    Lava --> AlloyingSmelter[Alloying Smelter]
    CopperIngot --> AlloyingSmelter
    ZincIngot --> AlloyingSmelter
    AlloyingSmelter --> BrassIngot[brass_ingot]
Loading
Machine Role
machine_generator Coal → electrical energy
machine_magmaeous_crucible Stone + coal → lava
machine_alloying_smelter Lava-powered alloy smelting (Brass, Bronze)
machine_furnace_electric Efficient electric ore smelting
machine_assembler Automated multi-input crafting

Stage 4 — Petrochemical & Hydrocarbons

Goal: Establish an oil extraction and multi-stage refining chain to produce plastics and fuels.

flowchart TD
    CrudeOil[crude_oil] --> HeavyTower[Heavy Distillation Tower]
    HeavyTower --> SemiRefined[semi_refined_oil]
    HeavyTower --> HeavyOil[heavy_oil]
    HeavyTower --> SourWater[sour_water]
    SemiRefined --> LightTower[Light Tower]
    LightTower --> LightOil[light_oil]
    LightTower --> Naphtha[naphtha]
    LightTower --> UnrefinedGas[unrefined_gas]
    UnrefinedGas --> GasTower[Gas Tower]
    GasTower --> PetroleumGas[petroleum_gas]
    Naphtha --> Polymerizer[Polymerizer]
    Chlorine --> Polymerizer
    Polymerizer --> LiquidPlastic[liquid_plastic]
Loading
Machine Role
machine_pumpjack Extracts crude_oil
machine_heavy_tower Distills crude into fractions
machine_light_tower Isolates light oils & naphtha
machine_gas_tower Isolates gases
machine_chemical_mixer Produces sulfuric_acid
machine_polymerizer Naphtha + Chlorine → liquid_plastic

Stage 5 — Semiconductors & Photolithography

Goal: Purify sand through a 7-stage pipeline into single-crystal silicon, then fabricate integrated circuits.

flowchart LR
    Sand --> Washer[Sand Washer]
    Washer --> Desorber[Thermal Desorber]
    Desorber --> MagSep[Magnetic Separator]
    MagSep --> AcidLeach[Acid Leaching Vat]
    AcidLeach --> Flotation[Flotation Cell]
    Flotation --> Calcin[Calcination Kiln]
    Calcin --> ArcPure[Arc Purifier]
    ArcPure --> PureSilica[pure_silica]
    PureSilica --> CzochralskiPuller["Czochralski Puller<br/> requires HEPA zone"]
    CzochralskiPuller --> SiliconIngot[silicon_ingot]
    SiliconIngot --> WaferSaw[Wafer Saw]
    WaferSaw --> RawWafer[raw_wafer]
    RawWafer --> WaferPolisher[Wafer Polisher]
    WaferPolisher --> Wafer[polished_wafer]
    Wafer --> Lithographer["Lithographer<br/> UV mask exposure"]
    Lithographer --> CPU_IC["cpu_ic / ram_ic"]
Loading

HEPA Containment: The machine_czochralski_puller and machine_lithographer require a machine_hepa_purifier within 13x13 tiles (6 block radius). Without it, they refuse to operate.

Machine Role
7-stage pipeline Produces pure_silica from raw sand
machine_czochralski_puller Pulls silicon crystal ingot
machine_wafer_saw Slices ingots into raw wafers
machine_wafer_polisher Polishes for lithography
machine_stencil_press Punches metallic IC masks
machine_lithographer UV exposure → CPU/RAM/GPU ICs
machine_hepa_purifier Cleanroom air scrubber

Stage 6 — Nuclear Fission Core Infrastructure

Goal: Process radioactive ores into enriched fuel rods and run a water-cooled fission reactor.

flowchart TD
    UraniumOre[uranium_ore] --> RockBreaker[Rock Breaker]
    RockBreaker --> Pulverized[pulverized_uranium]
    Pulverized --> SlurryFilter[Slurry Filter Press]
    SlurryFilter --> Yellowcake[yellowcake]
    Yellowcake --> Precipitator[Yellowcake Precipitator]
    Precipitator --> EnrichedU[enriched_uranium]
    EnrichedU --> FluorGasifier[Fluorination Gasifier]
    FluorGasifier --> GasifiedU[gasified_uranium]
    GasifiedU --> RodAssembler[Fuel Rod Assembler]
    SteelPipe --> RodAssembler
    RodAssembler --> FuelRod[uranium_fuel_rod]
    FuelRod --> FissionReactor[Fission Reactor]
    Water --> FissionReactor
    FissionReactor --> Steam[pressurized_steam]
    FissionReactor --> NuclearWaste[nuclear_waste]
    Steam --> SteamTurbine[Steam Turbine]
    SteamTurbine --> Electricity[Electrical Output]
    NuclearWaste --> GoldLeadPipe[Gold-Lead Pipe]
    GoldLeadPipe --> WasteStorage[Waste Storage]
Loading

Stage 7 — Fusion & Plasma Containment

Goal: Achieve self-sustaining plasma fusion for massive power output.

flowchart TD
    Deuterium --> FusionReactor[Fusion Reactor]
    Tritium --> FusionReactor
    LiquidN2["Liquid Nitrogen<br/>Cryocooling"] --> FusionReactor
    FusionCharge["Fusion Chargers<br/> 1M kJ to ignite"] --> FusionReactor
    FusionReactor --> SuperheatedN2[superheated_nitrogen]
    FusionReactor --> MassivePower[Extreme Power Output]
    MassivePower --> SiCuCable[SiCu Cable Manifold]
    SiCuCable --> MegaTransformer[Mega Transformer]
    MegaTransformer --> Grid[Power Grid]
Loading
Machine Role
machine_particle_collider Synthesizes Deuterium & Tritium
machine_cryocooler Nitrogen gas → Liquid Nitrogen
machine_primitive_plasma_tap Siphons raw plasma
machine_plasma_manifold Raw Plasma + Water → stabilized_plasma
machine_mhd_generator Stabilized Plasma → electricity
machine_fusion_reactor D + T → extreme power

Stage 8 — Quantum & Antimatter Synthesis (End-Game)

Goal: Synthesize antimatter, maintain ontological stability, and manufacture pseudo-matter alloys.

flowchart LR
    HighEnergyRad[High-Energy Radiation] --> PairChamber[Pair Production Chamber]
    PairChamber --> Positrons[positron_stream]
    PairChamber --> Antiprotons[antiprotons]
    Positrons --> PenningTrap[Penning Trap Array]
    Antiprotons --> ConfinementRing[Magnetic Confinement Ring]
    ConfinementRing --> AntimatterPellet[antimatter_pellet]
    AntimatterPellet --> ContainmentVessel[Antimatter Containment Vessel]
    ContainmentVessel --> AntimatterCell[antimatter_cell]
    AntimatterCell --> AnnihilationReactor[Annihilation Reactor]
    QuantumStabilizer["Quantum Stabilizer<br/>within 7 tiles, 1M kW"] --> AnnihilationReactor
    AnnihilationReactor --> VastPower[Vast Power Output]
Loading

4. Machines & Crafting Reference

Ore Smelting Chart

All standard ores can be smelted in both the coal and electric furnace:

Ore Output Ingot Notes
iron_ore iron_ingot Chance to produce ash (20%) in coal furnace
copper_ore copper_ingot —
zinc_ore zinc_ingot —
tin_ore tin_ingot —
lead_ore lead_ingot —
gold_ore gold_ingot —
aluminium_ore aluminium_ingot —
titanium_ore titanium_ingot —

Alloying Chart

Inputs Output Machine
copper_ingot + zinc_ingot brass_ingot x2 Alloying Smelter (lava)
copper_ingot x3 + tin_ingot bronze_ingot x4 Alloying Smelter (lava)
iron_ingot + coal steel_ingot Steel Converter

Power Generation Summary

graph TD
    A["Coal Burner<br/> ~100 kW"] --> P[Power Grid]
    B["Steam Turbine<br/> ~1000 kW"] --> P
    C["MHD Generator<br/> ~50000 kW"] --> P
    D["Fusion Reactor<br/> ~500000 kW"] --> P
    E["Annihilation Reactor<br/> ~5000000 kW"] --> P
    P --> F[Factory Machines]
Loading

5. Digital Data Grid (AE-Style Automation)

The Digital Data Grid centralizes all storage into one indexed virtual inventory accessed over Quartz Data Cables. Physical items and fluids are digitized on import and re-materialized on export.

Network Topology

flowchart TD
    ImportUplink["Import Uplink<br/>Drains adjacent machines"] --> CDH["Central Digital Hub<br/>CDH - Network Brain<br/>20 kW baseline"]
    CDH --> DiskDrive["Digital Disk Drive<br/>5,000 items"]
    CDH --> FluidTank["Digital Fluid Tank<br/>50,000 units"]
    CDH --> GasTank["Digital Gas Tank<br/>50,000 units"]
    CDH --> AcidTank["Digital Acid Tank<br/>50,000 units"]
    CDH --> Crafter["Digital Crafter<br/>Pattern-based autocrafting"]
    CDH --> ExportDownlink["Export Downlink<br/>Pushes items to pipes"]
    CDH --> GridTerminal["Grid Crafting Terminal<br/>Player access"]
Loading

Digital Grid Infrastructure

Component Function
Central Digital Hub (CDH) Master routing brain — scans storage, prioritizes imports/exports, coordinates crafters. Requires 20 kW.
Digital Disk Drive Stores up to 5000 solid items
Digital Fluid Tank Stores 50000 units: Water, Lava, Brine, Heavy Water, Sour Water
Digital Gas Tank Stores 50000 units: Steam, Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Liquid Nitrogen, Chlorine
Digital Acid Tank Stores 50000 units: Sulfuric Acid
Import Uplink Auto-drains adjacent physical buffers into digital storage
Export Downlink Continuously pulls items from digital storage into pipes
Digital Exporter Scans machine in front of its port, extracts products to CDH
Grid Crafting Terminal Manual view + retrieval of all digital items; request crafting jobs

Automated Crafting Jobs

flowchart TD
    Player["Player"] -->|Request craft: cpu_ic x10| Terminal[Grid Terminal]
    Terminal -->|Submit job| CDH[Central Digital Hub]
    CDH -->|Check ingredients| Storage[Storage Drives]
    Storage -->|Ingredients available| CDH
    CDH -->|Missing? Queue sub-jobs| CDH2[Sub-Job Queue]
    CDH2 -->|Dispatch job| Crafter[Digital Crafter]
    Crafter -->|Pull ingredients| Storage
    Crafter -->|Execute recipe| Output[Output Items]
    Output -->|Return to storage| Storage
    Crafter -->|Vacuum-extract leftovers| Storage
Loading

Rules:

  1. Pattern Matching: Define input/output patterns in the Digital Crafter terminal.
  2. Sub-Job Chaining: Missing ingredients with registered sub-patterns are queued automatically.
  3. Space Pre-Check: CDH verifies output storage capacity before starting. Full storage = job on standby.
  4. Vacuum Extraction: Leftover ingredients from cancelled or completed jobs return to storage automatically.

6. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) Scripting

A PLC Logic Processor connected via Quartz Data Cables compiles your script into an AST and runs it every simulation cycle. It communicates via input/output nodes, never touching the world directly.

I/O Node Types

Node Function
machine_gp_input Reads digital storage metric or power grid value → PLC channel
machine_gp_output Receives PLC channel value → broadcasts signal
machine_pgp_input Reads physical machine metric (aligned via port) → PLC channel
machine_pgp_output Pushes PLC channel value → enables/disables adjacent machine

PLC Signal Flow

flowchart LR
    PhysicalMachine -->|metric reading| PGP_Input[PGP Input Node]
    DigitalStorage -->|item count / power| GP_Input[GP Input Node]
    PGP_Input -->|IN channel| PLC["PLC Processor<br/>AST Logic Engine"]
    GP_Input -->|IN channel| PLC
    PLC -->|OUT channel| GP_Output[GP Output Node]
    PLC -->|OUT channel| PGP_Output[PGP Output Node]
    PGP_Output -->|enable = 0 or 1| TargetMachine[Target Machine]
Loading

Monitorable PGP Variables

Variable Returns
energy Current energy buffer
heat / temperature Internal temperature (K)
timer / progress Current process timer value
enabled 1 = running, 0 = disabled
fuelTime Remaining burn time of active fuel
waste Total nuclear waste in machine buffers
<item_id> / item:<item_id> Exact item count in machine inventory

PLC Language Syntax

// Variable assignment
variable = value

// Conditional
IF <condition> THEN
    // code
ELSE
    // code
ENDIF

// Read input channel
variable = IN(channel_index)

// Write output channel
OUT(channel_index) = value

// Operators: > < >= <= == != + - * /

Example Scripts

Battery-Saving Backup Generator

Monitors battery storage on Channel 0. Enables a backup coal generator (Channel 1) when power drops below 5,000 kJ; disables it above 75,000 kJ.

power = IN(0)

IF power < 5000 THEN
    OUT(1) = 1
ENDIF

IF power > 75000 THEN
    OUT(1) = 0
ENDIF

Fission Reactor Thermal Cutoff

Reads core temperature (Channel 2) and water reserves (Channel 3). Cuts the reactor (Channel 4) if overheating or coolant-starved.

temp = IN(2)
water_reserves = IN(3)

IF temp > 8500 THEN
    OUT(4) = 0
ELSE
    IF water_reserves < 5 THEN
        OUT(4) = 0
    ELSE
        OUT(4) = 1
    ENDIF
ENDIF

Digital Storage Overflow Guard

Shuts off an Import Uplink (Channel 5) when digital storage exceeds 90% capacity, preventing network flood.

stored = IN(0)
capacity = 5000

IF stored > 4500 THEN
    OUT(5) = 0
ELSE
    OUT(5) = 1
ENDIF

7. Drone Automation Systems

Drones extend your logistics reach for tasks that pipes cannot handle — particularly mid-game farming and bulk carrier operations.

Drone Types

Station Color Role
machine_drone_station_farming Green #8bc34a Autonomously farms crops in a designated rectangular region
machine_drone_station_carrier Orange #ff9800 Transports items between a Drone Input and Drone Output node

Carrier Drone Flow

flowchart LR
    DroneInput["Drone Input<br/>Source buffer"] -->|Drone picks up| CarrierStation[Carrier Drone Station]
    CarrierStation -->|Flies items| DroneOutput["Drone Output<br/>Destination buffer"]
    DroneOutput -->|Ready for belt| NextMachine[Next Machine]
Loading

Farming Drone Flow

flowchart TD
    FarmStation[Farming Drone Station] -->|Corner 1 and Corner 2 define area| FarmZone[Rectangular Farm Zone]
    FarmZone -->|Drone plants seeds| GrowingCrops[Growing Crops]
    GrowingCrops -->|Mature| HarvestReady[Harvestable Tile]
    FarmStation -->|Drone harvests| HarvestedItems[Harvested Items]
    HarvestedItems --> FarmStation
Loading

Routing Drone Networks

Drone networks use their own routing type (drone_farm or drone_carrier). Use routing mode (L) and select the drone network type to define:

  • Farming: Station → Corner 1 → Corner 2 (defines rectangular farm area)
  • Carrier: Station → Drone Input → Drone Output

8. Rail Transport & Train Logistics

When pipe networks become impractical for long-distance transport, the automated rail system moves bulk cargo across the map.

Train System Architecture

flowchart LR
    Depot["Train Depot<br/>Builds & fuels trains"] --> LocoWagon[Locomotive + Wagons]
    LocoWagon --> StopA["Train Stop A<br/>Loading Station"]
    StopA -->|Condition: Wagon Full| StopB["Train Stop B<br/>Unloading Station"]
    StopB -->|Condition: Wagon Empty| StopA
Loading

Rolling Stock

Vehicle Capacity Notes
Locomotive — Requires coal fuel; lead engine of a train
Cargo Wagon 500 solid items Ores, components, plates
Fluid Wagon 2,000 fluid units Water, oil, acids, gases

Train Station Components

Component Function
Train Stop Addressable station; set name via terminal (e.g. IRON_OUTPOST_1)
Train Depot Deploys trains; auto-transfers coal to docked locomotive fuel boxes

Schedule Departure Conditions

Condition Behavior
wait_full Train waits until all wagons are 100% loaded
wait_empty Train waits until all wagons are fully unloaded
wait_timer: N Train departs after N seconds at station
wait_inactivity: N Train departs if no load/unload activity for N seconds

9. Advanced Reactor Engineering & High-Yield Power

Water-Cooled Fission Reactor

flowchart TD
    FuelRod[uranium_fuel_rod] --> Reactor[Fission Reactor Core]
    Water[Water Coolant] --> Reactor
    GraphiteRod["graphite_control_rod<br/>Optional dampener"] --> Reactor
    Reactor -->|320 steam per 40 water consumed| Steam[pressurized_steam]
    Reactor --> NWaste[nuclear_waste]
    Reactor -->|Heat| TempGauge[Core Temperature K]
    Steam --> Turbine[Steam Turbine]
    Turbine --> Electricity["~1000 kW"]
    NWaste -->|Gold-Lead Pipe| WasteStorage[Waste Storage]
Loading

Thermal dynamics:

Event Heat Effect
Uranium fuel rod active +300K per second
Graphite control rod inserted Reduced to +25K per second
40 water units consumed -200K
Waste output buffer full +500K per second (uncoolable)
Core reaches 10,000K MELTDOWN

Plasma-Pinched Fusion Reactor

flowchart TD
    Charger["Fusion Chargers<br/> Charge to 1000000 kJ"] --> FusionCore[Fusion Reactor Core]
    Deuterium --> FusionCore
    Tritium --> FusionCore
    LiqN2["Liquid Nitrogen<br/>Cryocooling"] --> FusionCore
    FusionCore --> SuperN2[superheated_nitrogen]
    FusionCore --> MassivePower["~500000 kW"]
    MassivePower --> SiCu["SiCu Cable Manifold<br/>Required"]
    SiCu --> MegaTx[Mega Transformers]
    MegaTx --> Grid[Power Grid]
Loading

Thermal dangers:

Event Heat Effect
Liquid Nitrogen below 10 units/cycle +50,000K per second
SiCu cable manifold broken/missing +100,000K per second
Core reaches 500000K SUPERNOVA COLLAPSE

Annihilation Reactor (End-Game)

flowchart TD
    AntimatterCell[antimatter_cell] --> Annihilator[Annihilation Reactor]
    Matter --> Annihilator
    QStabilizer["Quantum Stabilizer<br/>Within 7 tiles<br/>1M kW"] --> Annihilator
    Annihilator --> VastPower["~5000000 kW"]
    Annihilator --> OntologicalIndex["Ontological Stability Index<br/> 0% = REALITY COLLAPSE"]
Loading

Stability rules:

  • Must have an operational machine_quantum_stabilizer within 7 tiles
  • Stabilizer requires 1,000,000 kW constant
  • If stabilizer goes offline: index drops 15% per second
  • Index reaches 0% → Paradoxical Reality Collapse (see Section 10)

Power Tier Comparison

graph LR
    CoalGen["Coal Generator<br/>~100 kW"] --> Mid["Mid-Tier<br/>Steam Turbine<br/>~1000 kW"]
    Mid --> High["High-Tier<br/>MHD Generator<br/>~50000 kW"]
    High --> Fusion["Fusion Reactor<br/>~500000 kW"]
    Fusion --> Annihilation["Annihilation Reactor<br/>~5000000 kW"]
Loading

10. Industrial Hazards & Critical System Failures

Operating high-tier machinery carries serious risks. Neglect cooling, control systems, or stability and your factory — or reality itself — pays the price.

Hazard Severity Overview

graph TD
    PlasmaBreach["Plasma Breach<br/>10-tile radius"] --> Meltdown["Nuclear Meltdown<br/>25-tile radius"]
    Meltdown --> Supernova["Supernova Collapse<br/>150-tile radius"]
    Supernova --> ParadoxCollapse["Paradoxical Reality Collapse<br/>Everything erased"]

    style PlasmaBreach fill:#ff7043,color:#fff
    style Meltdown fill:#e53935,color:#fff
    style Supernova fill:#6a1a9a,color:#fff
    style ParadoxCollapse fill:#000,color:#f44
Loading

Hazard 1: Plasma Breach

Trigger: Internal temperature of a Plasma Manifold or Plasma Tap exceeds its containment threshold, or magnetic confinement fails.

Consequence: A high-temperature explosion in a 10-tile radius that:

  • Destroys all machines and logistics inside the radius
  • Vaporizes all items on belts within range
  • Reduces nearby player HP by 80 points instantly
flowchart LR
    PlasmaOverheat[Plasma Overheat] --> Breach[10-Tile Blast]
    Breach --> DestroyMachines[Machines Destroyed]
    Breach --> VaporizeBelts[Belt Items Vaporized]
    Breach --> PlayerDmg[Player -80 HP]
Loading

Prevention: Maintain magnetic confinement grids; do not let stabilized plasma temperature rise unchecked.

Hazard 2: Nuclear Meltdown

Triggers:

  • Fission Reactor core temperature reaches 10,000K
    • Caused by: water starvation, no control rods, or blocked waste output buffer
  • Feeding superheated_nitrogen into a basic machine_cryocooler

Consequence: Nuclear detonation in a 25-tile radius that:

  • Destroys all structures and pipe networks
  • Permanently converts ground to radioactive barren soil
  • Instantly kills any player in the blast radius
flowchart LR
    WaterStarved[Water Starved] --> CoreTemp["Core Temp 10000 K"]
    WasteBlocked[Waste Buffer Full] --> CoreTemp
    NoControlRod[No Control Rods] --> CoreTemp
    CoreTemp --> Meltdown[25-Tile Nuclear Blast]
    Meltdown --> Structures[All Structures Erased]
    Meltdown --> Ground[Ground → Radioactive Soil]
    Meltdown --> PlayerDead[Player Instantly Killed]
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Prevention:

  • Keep water pumping into the core at all times
  • Route nuclear waste via Gold-Lead Pipes to a Waste Storage immediately
  • Insert graphite control rods during low-demand periods

Hazard 3: Supernova Collapse

Triggers:

  • Fusion Reactor core temperature exceeds 500,000K (Liquid Nitrogen starvation or severed SiCu manifold)
  • Running an Annihilation Reactor without adjacent Mega Transformers or connected SiCu cables

Consequence: A massive explosion in a 150-tile radius (300 tile diameter) that:

  • Destroys all machinery and logistics in the zone
  • Scorches terrain, converting soil to fused glass tiles
  • Instantly kills all players in the radius
flowchart LR
    N2Starved["Liquid Nitrogen Starved<br/>+50K per sec"] --> FusionCrit["Fusion Temp 500,000 K"]
    SiCuSevered["SiCu Manifold Broken<br/>+100K per sec"] --> FusionCrit
    FusionCrit --> Supernova[150-Tile Supernova Blast]
    Supernova --> AllMachinesGone[All Machines Destroyed]
    Supernova --> FusedGlass[Ground → Fused Glass]
    Supernova --> PlayerInstakill[All Players Killed]
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Prevention: Never let Liquid Nitrogen supply drop below 10 units/cycle; maintain SiCu cable manifold integrity at all times.

Hazard 4: Paradoxical Reality Collapse (The True Game-Over)

Trigger: Ontological Stability index of an active Annihilation Reactor falls to 0%.

flowchart LR
    Online["Quantum Stabilizer Online"] -->|Stabilizer goes offline| Degrading["Index Degrading<br/>-15% per second"]
    Degrading -->|Stabilizer restored| Online
    Degrading -->|Index reaches 0%| Collapse["REALITY COLLAPSE<br/>Everything erased"]
    style Online fill:#1b5e20,color:#fff
    style Degrading fill:#e65100,color:#fff
    style Collapse fill:#000,color:#f44
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Index Maintenance:

  • Annihilation Reactor must be within 7 tiles of an operational machine_quantum_stabilizer
  • Stabilizer requires 1,000,000 kW constant electrical supply
  • If stabilizer goes offline: index drops 15% per second — you have ~6 seconds to restore it

Consequence at 0%:

  • World map completely wiped — all machines, pipes, belts, and items deleted
  • Player HP set to -9999
  • Screen locked behind an unclosable "PARADOXICAL COLLAPSE" overlay
  • A fresh game restart is required

11. Survival Mechanics

Health, Hunger & Thirst

Players must manage three survival stats at all times:

graph LR
    Food["Food / Bread"] --> Hunger[Hunger Bar]
    Water[Drinking Water] --> Thirst[Thirst Bar]
    Hunger -->|Depleted| HPDrain["HP Drains<br/>0.5/sec"]
    Thirst -->|Depleted| HPDrain
    HPDrain -->|HP = 0| Death[Respawn at World Center]
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Stat Drain Rate Effect at Zero
Hunger -0.05 per second HP drains at 0.5/sec
Thirst -0.10 per second HP drains at 0.5/sec
HP (when starving) -0.5 per second Player respawns
HP recovery (when fed) +0.2 per second Capped at 100

Creative Mode (SHIFT + ;): Freezes all survival stats at 100. Useful for pure factory building sessions.

Death & Respawn

On death, the player respawns at the world center (WORLD_SIZE/2, WORLD_SIZE/2 + 3) with full HP, Hunger, and Thirst restored. Items in inventory are retained.

Tool Equipping

Equip tools via the U menu (Equipment & Usables). The equipped tool affects:

  • Mining Speed: Appropriate tools (pickaxe for ore, axe for logs) dramatically speed up the F-key mining timer.
  • Combat: The slingshot (rock_pellet ammo) deals ranged damage to monsters. Ammo count is displayed in the HUD when equipped.

ROOT.WORKS Engineering Manual — End of Document

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