6.6 KiB
Gathering & resources
Vision for pulling raw value from the world: resource nodes, yields, who can compete, and how gathering feeds inventory and skill progression—without collapsing into gig combat progression.
Runtime ownership: E3.M1 — ResourceNodeAndGatherLoop defines ResourceNodeDef, GatherResult, ResourceYieldTable, and ties gather interactions to E1.M3 — InteractionAndTargetingLayer. Outputs land as items via E3.M3. Ecology / respawn pacing per zone: E4.M2 — SpawnEcologyController.
Skill roster (Gather category): skills.md — Gather (Salvage, Extraction, Harvest (bio), Quarry / bulk). Hybrid vocabulary: progression.md. Where gathered stuff goes: items.md Materials & intermediates and Acquisition.
Gig vs skill
- Gathering is skill progression, not gig identity. Combat encounters do not grant skill XP by default; gather / craft pipes do (progression.md, Epic 2 — Skills Slice 3).
- No gig XP from nodes or harvest loops—gig XP stays on the combat path (gigs.md).
- World gates (rep, licenses, zone access) can gate which nodes exist or who may interact; they must not replace “wrong class” locks—any character can train Gather skills over time (skills.md Pillars).
Node lenses (design-facing)
Nodes are data (ResourceNodeDef); these lenses help content and balance talk align with Gather skills:
| Lens | Fiction / examples | Typical skill hook |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer salvage | Wrecks, e-waste, stripped chrome, discarded gear | Salvage |
| Subsurface / geological | Seams, drilled feedstock, rare earths | Extraction |
| Bio / organic | Fungal mats, cultured tissue, black-market organics (grim concepts—overview.md presentation band) | Harvest (bio) |
| Urban bulk / structures | Demo recoverables, aggregate, structural mass—not consumer wrecks | Quarry / bulk |
Same physical prop might map to different node types or yield tables by zone tier and fiction—content decides; skills table in skills.md stays the boundary reference (e.g. Salvage vs Quarry).
Competition and “open world” feel
Directional goals (implementation open):
- Depletion and regen (capacity, timers) make presence and timing matter—aligned with E3.M1/E4.M2 responsibilities.
- Contesting the same node may be non-combat (arrival order, channel time, tool tier) or high-risk (PvP-adjacent) depending on security tier—see overview.md Risk & security bands (stub) and gigs.md PvP notes (open until PvP vision lands).
- Instanced vs shared world: some resources may live only in contracts or dungeons; others in shared overworld—split by content, not a single global rule (open).
Exhaustion, tools, and gates
- Stamina / daily caps / exhaustion on gather—open; if used, should support specialist fantasy without hard gig coupling (skills.md Low-gig specialist).
- Tools (pickaxes, rigs, scanners) are items—craft or buy via items.md; use may be skill-gated per item data (Seams Non-combat Rigging / utility pattern).
- Skill XP from gather: award on successful interaction / yield resolution—structured for telemetry (E2.M2 — XpAwardAndLevelEngine); exact curves open.
Pipeline position
Gather → Process → Make is the agreed chain shape (skills.md Production chains). This doc stops at raw outputs; recipes, benches, and pipeline vision: crafting.md; runtime contracts: E3.M2.
Module map (gathering-focused)
| Module | Role | Ties to this doc |
|---|---|---|
| E3.M1 | Nodes, gather, yields | Core |
| E2.M2 | Skill XP awards | Gather skill progression |
| E3.M3 | Items in inventory | GatherResult outputs |
| E4.M2 | Spawn profiles, respawn, depletion bounds | Zone density and recovery |
| E1.M3 | Interaction range / targeting | Player interacts with node |
Decisions log
| Topic | Direction | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Gather → skill XP, not gig XP | Skill XP from gather/craft pipes; gig XP from combat encounters | Agreed (progression.md) |
| Gather skills vs node fiction | Salvage / Extraction / Harvest / Quarry boundaries as in skills.md | Agreed |
| Pipeline | Raw from nodes feeds Process then Make—not a flat single-step economy | Agreed (skills.md) |
Open questions
- Node ownership (personal tap, party split, corp claims) vs FFA taps—social and exploit surface.
- Stealing gathered output or harvesting under fire—ties to risk bands and death doc (TBD).
- Bots / automation fantasy vs anti-bot—how much AFK is acceptable (open).
- Cross-skill nodes (e.g. Intrusion to unlock a Salvage pile)—mission design vs systemic rule.
Where to read next
| Topic | Document / module |
|---|---|
| Gather skill names & merge notes | skills.md Gather table |
| Items & materials buckets | items.md |
| Crafting & recipes (vision) | crafting.md |
| Epic 3 gather slice | Epic 3 — Slice 2 (Gather nodes) |
| Interaction contracts | E1.M3 |
| Zone ecology | E4.M2, Epic 4 |