Gameplay Systems

Novactorio recreates the factory-automation loop in the browser: gather resources, build machines, route materials, research, and survive.

Core loop

1. Mine raw resources from the procedurally generated world.
2. Build machines, belts, pipes, and inserters to automate production.
3. Research upgrades in the research tree.
4. Expand — pollution attracts and evolves enemies.
5. Co-op — share the factory with friends in real time.

Supply chains & logistics

systems.ts implements the material-flow simulation:

• Conveyor belts — items move along belts and merge/split at junctions.
• Inserters — transfer items between belts, containers, and machines.
• Pipe networks — fluids and materials flow through connected pipes.
• Supply chains — recipes consume inputs and produce outputs; machines pause when inputs run dry.

World generation

• Chunk-based infinite world (world.ts).
• Perlin noise terrain (noise.ts) with smooth height variation.
• Seamless scrolling — chunks generate and unload around the player.

Combat & evolution

• Enemy AI — enemies spawn, path toward your pollution/factory, and attack.
• Pollution — production emits pollution; higher pollution drives faster enemy evolution (bigger, tougher enemies over time).
• Pollution is visualized in-game via the PollutionOverlay render module.

Combat & interactions

• Build / remove blocks and machines with a build menu.
• Inventory per player with hotbar-style access.
• Particles & damage numbers for juicy feedback (renderer.ts).

Visual & ambient systems (src/render/)

Module	In-game effect
AmbientAtmosphere.ts	Sky and atmosphere grading
ParticleEffects.ts	Smoke, sparks, explosion particles
PollutionOverlay.ts	Pollution haze over polluted areas
ScreenEffects.ts	Screen-space feedback (flash, vignette)
SpriteManager.ts	Efficient sprite atlas rendering
WeatherSystem.ts	Dynamic weather conditions

Audio

audio.ts provides procedural sound effects tied to gameplay events — builds, mining, combat, and ambient feedback.

Post-processing

postproc.ts layers post-processing effects over the base canvas render for visual polish.

Co-op multiplayer

Supabase Realtime broadcasts:

• Player positions (movement sync)
• Build actions (place / remove)
• Chat messages (ChatPanel)

Each client runs the deterministic simulation locally; realtime events keep shared state consistent across players.

Trading

Players can trade with each other; trades are secured with a fee checkout handled by trade-fee-checkout and settled by trade-webhook Edge Functions.

Premium features

A premium tier (Stripe) unlocks additional content. See Backend & Monetization for the payment flow.

Controls & UI

• Responsive UI works on desktop and mobile (touch input).
• 23 languages via runtime i18n switching.