01 — Outpost Mode Overview¶

Document Type: Design Document Last Updated: 2026-08-26 Vault destination: 06_Outpost

Auto Warz — Outpost Mode Design Document Version 1.1 — 2026-03-13

What Is Outpost Mode¶

Outpost Mode is a self-contained tower defence and factory-building mode set inside derelict alien outposts in space. Genesis explores and reactivates these structures, clearing enemies, restoring power, and building an underground factory that produces the consumables the defence needs.

Outpost Mode is designed as a mobile companion to the main Auto Warz game but is fully self-contained — it does not require the main game to play. Completed outposts unlock passive resource trickles that contribute to the player's supply chain in the main game.

Design Pillars¶

No death, no failure — Genesis cannot be permanently killed. No game over state. Players always make progress.
AFK-safe — the game continues running when the player steps away. Towers auto-defend. Nothing is permanently lost.
Always something to fix — between the power grid, the factory, tower management, and wave defence, there is always an active problem demanding attention.
Same factory brain — the underground factory uses the same thinking as the planet-surface factory. Players who know Auto Warz apply that knowledge immediately.
Real electrical concepts — the power grid teaches real-world principles across outpost levels. Players encounter transformers, breakers, transmission loss, and load balancing through play.

Three Outpost Modes¶

Mode	Seed	Contribution	Notes
Progression	Fixed, authoritative, game-determined	Yes	Must complete Level N before Level N+1
Seasonal	Fixed, rotates monthly	Yes — boosted	Monthly leaderboard (opt-in)
Sandbox	Player-chosen	No	Free experimentation, no supply chain impact

Players never set seeds in Progression or Seasonal — prevents exploitation of supply chain contribution.

Seasonal seed derivation:

var seasonal_seed = hash(str(year) + str(month) + "seasonal_salt")

Seasonal contribution boost (decreasing by week):

Week	Contribution multiplier
Week 1	×2.00
Week 2	×1.75
Week 3	×1.50
Week 4	×1.25

Outpost Structure¶

Each outpost has three interconnected layers:

Surface layer
  — traversal, one-time salvage resources, drone landing zones
  — Genesis accesses underground via physical hatches

Underground layer
  — interconnected tunnels and chambers
  — power transmission lines
  — one-time enemy clear (aliens from nests)
  — factory floor — where the mini factory is built and operated
  — permanent layer: stays loaded throughout the run

Building layer (one or more buildings per outpost)
  — basement: power step-down transformer, internal drone spawn
  — storeys 1-N: tower defence arenas
  — storey completion unlocks the next storey
  — building completion = output multiplier applied

Power Core: Single core per outpost, located in the underground chamber. Genesis locates, repairs, and integrates it. Activating the core triggers external drone attraction and internal drone activation.

Outpost Status Progression¶

Derelict → Active → Compromised → Cleared

Status	Condition
Derelict	Power core offline. No threats.
Active	Power core online. Drones inbound. Internal drones awakened.
Compromised	One or more buildings partially complete — output degraded.
Cleared	All buildings complete. Full passive trickle unlocked.

Outpost Types¶

Type	Output	Notes
Raw Resources	Raw metal ore, raw minerals	Lowest complexity
Intermediate	Refined metals, processed materials	Medium complexity
Components	Circuit boards, mechanical parts	High complexity
Modules	Game modules for Genesis and buildings	Highest complexity

Rules: - One incomplete outpost per item type at a time - Must complete Level 1 before Level 2 is unlocked - Output protection — locked output is the maximum of previous level vs new level - Higher outpost levels require more storeys per building and larger underground factories

Multiplayer in Outpost¶

1 Genesis Per Storey¶

One Genesis bot is physically present. Roles are completely fluid — no forced assignment. Both players can be underground managing the factory, both on the storey during a brutal wave, or split across layers based on urgency.

Three emergent roles:

Genesis Operator — physical movement, alien combat, mining salvage for the factory, advancing toward the trigger node.

Commander — tower placement and repositioning, power grid, resource allocation, minimap reading.

Factory Engineer — underground production line, tube network, processing upgrades, power load management.

These are not locked. Players flow between them based on what the situation demands. Genesis parked while both players sort a factory problem is a legitimate and sometimes correct choice.

Rewards¶

Role	Passive trickle	Level progression	XP	Achievements
Host	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Support player	No	No	Yes	Yes

Support player XP must be visibly and substantially displayed at all times — animated toasts on storey completion, running total in HUD, level progress bar always visible. Invisible rewards feel like nothing.

Full multiplayer model: see 06_Multiplayer Model.md

Storey Completion — Beacon Restoration¶

Each storey contains BEACON cells — damaged communications infrastructure Genesis must restore.

BEACON count by storey depth: depth 1 → 1 BEACON depth 2-3 → 2 BEACONs depth 4+ → 3 BEACONs

First BEACON always placed in a dead end or corner cell. Additional BEACONs in open interior cells, min 5 cells apart.

Each BEACON contributes independently to storey yield (partial progress). Restore 1 of 3 → receive 33% of storey trickle. Enemies attack BEACONs — causes bleed. Genesis repairs to reduce.

RECLAIM BUILDING becomes available when all BEACONs on all storeys are restored. Accessed from underground control room. Player can optimise (reduce bleed) before triggering. Once triggered — building locked, trickle begins, appears as reclaimed on planet map.

Enemy Entry Points: - Discrete perimeter openings, any side of storey - Count matches storey depth (same as BEACON count) - Minimum distance from BEACONs (6 cells) and STAIRCASE (4 cells)

Reclaim Building¶

Once all BEACONs on all storeys are restored, RECLAIM BUILDING becomes available from the underground control room.

All BEACONs restored across all storeys
↓
RECLAIM prompt appears in underground control room
↓
Player optimisation window — go back, repair bleed, improve setup
↓
Player triggers RECLAIM
↓
Building permanently locked — no more changes
Final trickle rate calculated from current bleed state
Passive trickle begins immediately
Building appears as reclaimed on planet map

The optimisation window is intentional — players should feel the weight of the decision. A building reclaimed with high bleed produces less. Taking extra time to reduce bleed before reclaiming is always worth it.

Underground Factory¶

The factory is built in the underground layer. It produces consumables the defence needs: repair packs, ammo (per tower type), relay components, tower cores, and breaker units.

Raw material patches in the underground are unlimited — throughput is the constraint, not supply. Tubes (pressurised pneumatic lines) carry produced items up to storeys via 2 fixed shaft points per storey.

Full factory design: see 07_Factory in Outpost.md

Resource Bleed System¶

Bleed represents resource loss during imperfect defence. It is calculated at storey completion only — not continuously.

Bleed floor by outpost level:

Outpost level	Bleed floor (minimum yield)
Level 1	50%
Level 2	55%
Level 3	60%
Level 4+	65%

Bleed formula:

yield = base_yield × (1 - bleed_reduction)
yield = max(yield, base_yield × bleed_floor)

Bleed reduction is earned by good defence — low tower damage, no power trips, high kill rate. The bleed floor guarantees the player always receives meaningful output regardless of performance.

Accelerated bleed: - Short circuit without breaker protection: bleed rate increases for the duration - Multiple simultaneous short circuits: stacks

All layer transitions are physical — Genesis walks to access points rather than teleporting.

Transition	Access method
Surface → Underground	Physical hatches at marked locations
Underground → Building basement	Physical connection points
Storey N → Storey N+1	Staircases at seeded fixed positions
Underground → Storey (fast travel)	Lift — late-game restoration project

Camera pans in the direction of travel during transitions. Transition animations buy generation time for the destination chunk — no visible loading hitch.

Minimap System¶

Three map views accessible at any time:

Storey minimap — always visible. Shows Genesis position, tower locations, enemy positions and flight height tints, trigger node, power status indicators.

Building overview — vertical stack of all storeys with status icons per storey. Status: ✓ Complete / ⚠ Warning / 🔴 Critical / ⚡ Power disruption / 🔒 Locked.

Outpost overview — macro map of all buildings. Status bubbles up from worst storey in each building.

Status thresholds: - Bleed near floor → CRITICAL - Enemies overwhelming towers → WARNING - Power disruption → WARNING

Drone height tints on minimap: - Blue tint: low flyer — most towers engage - Yellow tint: medium flyer — mid turrets needed - Red tint: high flyer — anti-air only

AFK Behaviour¶

When the player steps away: - Game continues running - Towers auto-defend using current placement - Genesis auto-attacks nearest alien in range - Bleed floor prevents total drain - Nothing is destroyed permanently, nothing is permanently lost

Well-placed towers before going AFK result in near-normal bleed rates. Poor placement results in higher bleed — approaching but never reaching 100%.

In-Game Feedback System¶

A small info icon is always visible in the corner of the screen. Opens a menu with: - Outpost Overview - Building Overview - Storey Minimap - Power Grid Status - Feedback on this level - Tips

Feedback capture: Outpost type, level, building, storey. Time on storey. Performance indicators. Optional freeform comment (280 character limit). Never interrupts gameplay.

Community feedback thresholds triggering review: - Abandon rate per storey > 40% - Negative feedback volume > 15% - Overall completion rate < 10% - Completion time outliers (statistical flags)

Open items for this document are tracked in docs/open-items.md, area outpost.

Revision History¶

Version	Date	Changes
1.0	2026-03-12	Initial document
1.1	2026-03-13	Added multiplayer section — 1 Genesis, fluid roles, host/support reward split. Added underground factory summary. Updated enemy section with genesis attack clarification. Added drone height tints to minimap. Noted 06 and 07 doc references.