Indie Teardown

Drill Core

A mining platform that faces two ways. By day you spend worker time and worker lives digging down for coal, iron and swarmlit; by night the same platform becomes a turret-lined bottleneck against a swarm coming down the shaft. The defining decision is how much of each day you push into the mine before the clock turns red.

Genre
Mining management × tower defense roguelite
Studio
Hungry Couch Games / tinyBuild
Release
1.0 · 17 Jul 2025 (EA Sep 2024)
Steam players
85% positive of 2,477 · 29 Sep 2026
Cross-section of a Drill Core contract on day 5: green wall turrets high on the shaft walls, the rail platform with barracks, factory, laboratory and the glowing core in the middle, and a partly excavated mine below with workers and yellow-bracketed blocks marked for digging.
The whole game in one slice. Turrets hang on the shaft walls above, the platform and its buildings sit in the middle, and the mine opens below. Tagged blocks carry yellow corner brackets; the coal counter under the drill button reads 3 of 4 needed for the next descent.
000 m

One platform, two directions

Every system in Drill Core hangs off a single vertical line: the mine below is where value comes from, the shaft above is where danger comes from, and the platform in between has to survive both.

Digging is the only way down and the only source of materials, but every worker in the mine is a worker who is not on the platform when the swarm arrives. The day clock turns that trade-off into a deadline.

The player manages a corporate drilling platform on a hostile planet. Nobody is controlled directly: you mark blocks for miners, carriers haul the loose ore back to the platform, guards shoot what hatches underground, and the platform itself is a row of build pads around a glowing core. When the day clock runs out, the camera swings up to the shaft, the platform's lights turn red, and a descending swarm tests whatever turrets you bolted to the shaft walls. Survive until the last attacker is dead and the next day begins at once.

The pursuit is depth. Each 50 m descent costs a fixed number of coal blocks that must be found and hauled from the current stratum. Reaching the contract's target depth opens the core launch that ends the contract (once a further launch condition is met); a run can also keep drilling past the target. What persists between contracts is a set of permanent minerals, division experience and unlocked platforms, buildings and upgrades.

The shaft, read top to bottom

Each layer shows what the player does there by day and what threatens it by night. The platform is the only layer that matters in both halves of the clock.

Night — what arrives
Layer
Day — what you do
The swarm enters from the top of the shaft and descends toward the core; flyers and crawlers, later bosses on threads.
Shaft mouth
Nothing to do up here; the shaft is empty by day. Events announced for tomorrow appear as banners.
Turrets on fixed wall mounts fire automatically inside their radius; active night abilities are aimed with a reticle.
Wall mounts
Build, sell (100% refund minus 1 iron) and reposition the defence. The first two turrets are free.
The core loses segments of durability when attackers reach it. Zero core ends the contract.
Platform & core
Build pads: barracks, factories, laboratories, ability buildings. Recruit. Draft technologies. Order the drill when coal is full.
Anyone still below is in Terrabor territory. Workers must be back on the platform before dark.
The mine
Tag blocks; miners dig, carriers haul iron, swarmlit, coal and permanent minerals; guards fight what hatches. Hazards react to proximity.
Deeper strata bring new mounts, harder waves and scheduled bosses.
Next 50 m
Opened only by spending the coal quota; the platform descends at the next dawn in 1.0.

The day clock

  1. DayTag blocks, haul, build, recruit, draft technology. Daytime abilities work unless an eclipse is on.
  2. DuskThe ring on the day clock closes; platform lights flash red and the crew climbs home.
  3. NightClock turns red. The swarm descends; turrets fire; night abilities are aimed. Building is still allowed.
  4. Last killWhen the final attacker dies, the clock flips straight to the next day.
  5. DawnA queued drill fires; the platform descends 50 m and the game saves. At target depth the core-launch exit opens.

↺ repeat until launch or core loss

What creates resistance

Coal is scattered and must be excavated in the current stratum; blocks have hardness; some blocks fight back (hatch blocks crack open monster nests near workers, black holes swallow neighbouring tiles, worms roam on event days). Iron and swarmlit are always short because the same stock pays for buildings, recruits, turrets and lab tiers.

Who the game asks you to be

A manager, not a hero. The fantasy is corporate and satirical — the store copy is a job advert for a “Platform Manager” — and the demanded skill is split attention: planning a dig two or three days ahead while keeping a defensive build coherent against waves you only see at night.

050 m

A contract, from briefing to first drill

Before any digging, three screens fix the run's rules: the contract (planet, target, conditions), the platform preset (workforce and starting kit) and, in 1.0, an oversight department. Then the platform lands and drills its first 50 m immediately.

Contract screen in the preview build: difficulty 2. Core Engineer, planet Thristle, objective Magnetic Field Correction, reward 19 orange and 13 green minerals, target depth 3x50m, charges required 1x, planet type Cavernous, conditions locked as available in full version, qualifications 0/2.
A contract is a small rule card. Difficulty tier, planet and biome, an objective, the target depth as a count of 50 m strata (3×50 m), a charge requirement, the minerals the planet holds and the fixed contract reward. Qualifications are optional side goals.
Contract screen in version 1.0 for planet Bleakwind, difficulty 2. Core Engineer: conditions list a nighttime ability recharge bonus of plus 20 percent and a penalty of minus 50 permanent resources in the mine; target depth 3x50m; reward 19 orange and 18 green; a Choose a Department button at top right.
In 1.0 the card gains a bonus and a malus. This contract pairs faster night-ability recharge (+20%) with 50 fewer permanent resources in the mine, and the screen adds department selection.

Platforms are workforce identities

The preset screen chooses more than a skin. Each platform levels separately and brings a trait list: the classic Earthcrusher starts with barracks, factory, laboratory and two gun turrets; the Swarnid platform replaces human hiring with a nest that produces larvae, adds a Swarnid Watchtower and Incubator turret, and deals extra damage to night enemies. Two empty start technology slots, a core slot and two bonus slots show where the meta-game plugs in.

The Swarnid workforce is where the platform choice changes arithmetic. Its HUD shows each worker class as a decimal share of the workforce cap — five tenths per basic Swarnid according to the developer's launch notes — so the same cap supports twice as many bodies, each cheaper to lose.

Platform Preset screen: Swarnid Platform level 12 selected among Earthcrusher level 13 and a dimmed Dwarves Platform; traits Night Enemy Damage, Swarnid Nest, Laboratory, Swarnid Watchtower, Swarnid Incubator and Laser Turret; empty start technology and bonus slots around a Standard Core; division level 23.
The Swarnid preset. Six traits, a standard core, two start-technology and two bonus slots; the platform itself has its own level (12) separate from the division level (23).
Platform Preset screen for Earthcrusher level 13, described as the classic, reliable and easy platform, with traits Lucky Number, Turret Radius, Barracks, Factory, Laboratory, Machine Gun Turret and GUN 311 Turret.
Earthcrusher, the human baseline. “Reliable and easy to learn”: two build-economy traits and five starting structures, including two machine-gun-type turrets.
The rail platform on the planet surface at depth 0 of 150 m on day 1 with a crew of two miners, one carrier, one guard and a moth; resources 8 iron, 0 swarmlit, 4 coal; population 4 of 4; a prompt reads Hold Enter to start drilling down.
Landing at 0 m. The crew starts at four of four, with 8 iron and 4 coal. The only prompt is to hold the drill button: the first descent is the tutorial's first verb.

The first minutes, in order

  1. Hold to drillThe platform grinds down its first stratum. In the preview build the purple coal counter drops from 4 to 0 on the way to 50 m.
  2. Build on the deckHammer icons mark free build pads. Barracks: “Used for recruiting units. Each building of this type increases the hiring speed and worker limit.” One barracks lifts the cap from 4 to 7. In 1.0 the first two buildings are free.
  3. Recruit and tagNew workers queue from the barracks; the player drags yellow brackets over blocks to dig.
  4. First technologyMining turns up technology; a choose one screen offers two or three cards and a reroll.
  5. First duskThe crew climbs home, the clock turns red, and the first two wall turrets go up for free in the quiet moments before the swarm appears.
General Buildings menu at depth 50 of 150 on day 1: Barracks selected with description and a cost of 3 iron and 0 swarmlit, a second building costing 4 iron and a brain-jar building costing 2 iron; resources 8 iron, 0 swarmlit, 0 coal.
Depth 50 m before the first building. Coal already reads zero after the opening descent. In this build the barracks costs 3 iron — the opening 8 iron covers two buildings and little else.
Version 1.0 General Buildings menu with a yellow banner reading First two buildings are free; Barracks, a factory and a laboratory all show zero cost.
1.0 removes the opening squeeze. A banner makes the first two buildings free, so the first iron can go to recruits and the first paid turret.
100 m

Daytime: a mine you command but never walk

The mine is an order board. You decide which blocks matter; autonomous workers decide how to get there, and the terrain decides how dangerous the route is.

Three in-contract resources, three permanent minerals

Iron · builds, turrets, recruits, labs Swarmlit · advanced buildings, turret surcharge, labs Coal · the drill quota for each 50 m

Orange, green and purple permanent minerals are also mined during a contract, banked on success as “retrieved”, and spent between runs. The contract screen lists which of them a planet contains.

Orders, not avatars

Tagging a block puts yellow corner brackets on it. Miners walk and climb through excavated space to reach tagged faces and chip them down; ore drops to the floor; carriers pick it up and bring it to the platform, where the HUD counters change. Guards patrol the tunnels and engage what hatches underground. The HUD tracks each class separately and against the cap, so recruitment is always a choice between faster digging, faster hauling and safer tunnels.

That separation is the day's hidden clock. A block dug far from the platform is worth nothing until a carrier returns with it; a long tunnel is also a long walk home at dusk. The shape of the tunnel network decides how late in the day you can still start a dig.

The mine at depth 100 of 150 on day 7 with a red warning banner titled Terrabor reading Increased daytime activity of underground worms; tunnels with iron, swarmlit and green mineral blocks, several blocks tagged with yellow brackets and a worker marked with minus one.
The mine as an order board. Bracketed blocks are queued work; loose ore waits for carriers. Today's event lets Terrabor worms roam in daylight, so the usual safe window is gone.

Blocks that answer back

Hazard blocks are the terrain's counter-play, and each one punishes a specific habit. The in-game wiki (1.0) states the rules in plain text, which makes them reliable reconstruction anchors.

In-game wiki card for Hatch Block: creates a monster crack in a radius of 4 blocks from which a Stoneling will eventually appear; the crack is only created if a worker is within 5.5 blocks; it cannot crack a block that is not connected to the hatch block by other blocks; higher difficulty means more frequent cracks and a higher chance of two or more at a time.
Hatch Block: proximity is the trigger. It only cracks nearby blocks into Stoneling nests while a worker is within 5.5 blocks, and only through connected rock — so digging past it quickly is safer than lingering.
Swarnid workers in a cave tunnel on day 2 at depth 50 of 150; at the lower left a purple swirling black hole sits next to a cracked block crossed by purple lightning.
Black hole. A purple singularity arcs into a neighbouring block before pulling it in. Per the developer's notes it swallows whatever occupies that tile — workers included — and leaves coal behind.

Events rewrite a single day

Planet events arrive as banners and usually change one day's rules: worms active in daylight, an eclipse that disables daytime abilities, a “Day Off” speed boost, richer ore drops. Several are announced a day ahead, which turns them into planning inputs rather than surprises. Negative and positive events are mixed, and the contract's own conditions shift the odds.

Close view of Swarnid workers with smiley icons over their heads beside a banner titled Day Off: The workers feel a surge of energy! Their speed is increased.
A positive event. “Day Off” raises worker speed for the day; smiley icons mark affected workers. The frame is a creator's zoom, not the default camera.
150 m

Dusk to dawn: the clock turns the mine into a liability

Night is short, bright and legible. The game moves the camera for you, turns the clock red, and ends the night the instant the last attacker dies.

Dusk on day 1: the camera has moved to the platform, which flashes red lights; the day clock ring is almost closed; one worker is still climbing the ladder below the platform.
Dusk. The clock ring closes, the platform's lights flash red and the camera returns to the deck; one worker is still on the ladder.
Night on day 1: the day clock is red; the view shows the empty shaft above the platform with hammer icons marking turret mounts on both walls.
Night. The clock is red and the view shows the shaft above; hammer icons on both walls are the only places a turret can go.
Machine Gun-Type Turrets build menu at night: Machine Gun Turret described as effective against low-HP and fast targets, high accuracy, low damage, fast attack speed, range 11 blocks, cost 0 and 0, with a note First two turrets are free; three machine-gun turret variants are listed.
Build under pressure. Menus stay usable at night. The first two turrets cost nothing; this card defines the basic gun: low damage, fast fire, 11-block range.

The swarm comes down the only opening

Attackers spawn above and descend the shaft toward the core. Turrets fire automatically at targets inside their radius; the player's night job is triage — build or sell a turret, recruit, and aim night abilities with a reticle. The shaft geometry does most of the design work: every enemy must pass the same column of wall mounts, so range, rate of fire and damage type (machine-gun, explosive, energy) map directly to where a turret sits on the wall.

Damage to the platform is shown as lost segments on the CORE bar in the top-left HUD; later builds add a percentage on hover, and the result screen reports the surviving share. Both recordings end contracts with the core at 65–71%, so partial core loss is normal rather than fatal.

First night: a swarm of red flying insects descends through the dark shaft while two green machine-gun turrets on the left and right walls fire yellow tracers upward.
The first wave. Two free machine guns on opposite walls cover the shaft; the swarm has to pass both.
Night on day 17 at depth 150 of 150: a circular targeting reticle for a night ability is placed over the last attacker in the shaft; the day clock is red.
Before. The night-ability reticle lands on the last attacker of night 17. The clock is still red.
A moment later the attacker explodes and the clock reads DAY:18 in gold; a new HOLD G button has appeared in the bottom action bar beside the drill button.
After. The kill flips the clock straight to day 18 — no dawn timer — and, at target depth, the HOLD G core-launch button returns to the action bar.

1.0 turns nights into a buildcraft puzzle

Later nights stack turret types with distinct geometry: lasers that triple damage on wounded targets, a horizontal wall-to-wall beam, flamethrowers, piercing railguns. Launch-era additions give each turret a focus priority (nearest, strongest, closest to the core, and so on) and a per-turret upgrade tree, and the developer capped identical turrets to force mixes. The night therefore rewards reading which enemies leak through and changing a turret's job, not only adding more of them.

Night on day 11 at depth 100 of 150 in version 1.0: red laser beams cross the shaft from turrets on both walls, including one horizontal beam spanning wall to wall, while an enemy explodes in purple and orange particles near the top.
Beams as geometry. Energy turrets draw lines across the shaft; one horizontal beam acts as a wall every descending enemy must cross.

What the night does to the mine

The mine is not defended at night. The developer's notes describe Terrabors — underground worms — harassing mining operations after dark, a building that makes them spawn less often, and a UI marker for workers who cannot get back to the platform. The recordings show the crew recalled and the camera moved at dusk; they never show a worker left below overnight, so the exact penalty (instant death, damage, or pursuit) is a design decision recorded in the Build layer.

200 m

The technology draft: a hand you build for one contract

Buildings and turrets are not a fixed tech tree inside a run. Technologies found in the mine are offered two or three at a time; the pick unlocks that structure for the rest of the contract only.

Choose One Technology screen on day 2 in the preview build offering Machine Gun Turret Catalyzer, Exploder and Oscillator; population 7 of 7 shown in red.
Early draft. Three options of three kinds: a passive turret booster, an ability building and a utility. The workforce counter is red at 7/7 — the draft competes with a full barracks for the next iron.
Version 1.0 Choose One Technology screen offering Resonant Laser, Distributor and GUN 311 Turret, each with two stars; a banner explains that technologies found open access to new buildings or turrets until the end of this contract.
1.0 draft with quality stars. The banner states the rule: a found technology unlocks construction “until the end of this contract”. Stars mark a rarity tier that improves the card.

Reading a card before committing

Every card can be inspected before the pick. The tooltip gives the role in one sentence, a cooldown or range, and, in 1.0, a yellow quality line — for example “Ability recharge speed +20%” on a two-star Resonant Laser. A red cross on the tooltip bans that building from the contract's pool, preserving rerolls for the rest of the run. Rerolls are a counted resource (“Reroll — left: 1”) and a permanent upgrade adds one more.

The draft is where a run gains identity. Picking a turret booster commits you to that turret family; an ability building opens an active verb; a utility changes the economy. Because offers are random and unlocks expire with the contract, the same planet can be played as a laser build, a flamethrower build or an ability build.

Tooltip over a Resonant Laser card: active daytime ability that destroys underground enemies or blocks with a precision laser; each additional building reduces the cooldown by 10 seconds; cooldown 70 seconds; yellow quality line Ability recharge speed +20%; a red X ban button in the corner; Distributor and GUN 311 cards beside it.
Card anatomy in 1.0. Role, stacking rule (−10 s cooldown per extra building), base cooldown (70 s), a quality bonus from its two stars, and the red ban button.
Preview-build technology choice on day 1: a tooltip for the Minigun reads after selecting a target it gradually accelerates the rate of fire, extremely effective against targets with high HP but not against low-HP targets, range 12 blocks; the other card is Weakening Laser Turret; a REROLL button shows 1 left.
Two cards, one reroll. The preview build's first draft shows only two options — a minigun that spins up against high-HP targets and a weakening laser — with one reroll to spend.

Turret cards are numeric contracts

Energy-Type Turrets menu with First two turrets are free: Laser Turret shoots lasers in a huge radius and deals triple damage to targets below half HP; shooting speed 0.7 shots per second, damage 10, damage multiplier 3 below 50 percent HP, attack radius 17.8 blocks; cost 0 iron, 0 swarmlit, 0 larvae.
Laser Turret. 0.7 shots/s, 10 damage, ×3 against targets under 50% HP, 17.8-block radius. Free here because it is one of the first two turrets.
Railgun Turret card with two stars, machine-gun type: deals damage to all enemies in the projectile's path and has a huge range; quality line Attack range +40%; cost 3 iron, 2 swarmlit, 1 larva; shooting speed 0.1, projectile damage 34, attack radius 21.1 blocks.
Railgun. 0.1 shots/s, 34 piercing damage, 21.1-block radius; its two stars add +40% range. Swarnid costs add a larva.
Distributor card with two stars, active nighttime ability building: allows you to make one turret temporarily shoot 300 percent faster; each additional building increases the duration by 20 percent; cooldown 15 seconds; quality line Ability recharge speed +20%; cost 3 iron, 1 swarmlit, 1 larva.
Distributor. Makes one turret fire 300% faster for a while; 15 s cooldown; each extra building lengthens the effect by 20%.

The laboratory rewards building more laboratories

Worker upgrades live in the laboratory's grid. Tier 1 needs one lab; tiers 2, 3 and 4 are locked until the platform holds two, three and four laboratories, and cost 8/1, 14/2 and 20/3 iron/swarmlit. A single row therefore competes for deck space: a player who wants Jawforce Enhancement 3 (+75% mining speed) must give three pads to laboratories instead of defence or production.

Across the run these choices accumulate in the pause menu's Modifications list: platform traits, contract conditions and bonus technologies are summarised as plain statements — “Turret price in iron −1. The price may not be lower than 1 iron.”

Laboratory research grid on day 12 during an eclipse: Jawforce Enhancement 3 increases mining speed by 75 percent and costs 14 iron and 2 swarmlit, with a red note Build more laboratories; column headers read 2 labs needed, 3 labs needed, 4 labs needed with costs 8 and 1, 14 and 2, 20 and 3.
Tiers gated by building count. Column headers read “2 / 3 / 4 Labs needed”; the selected node asks the player to build more laboratories.

Selling is cheap, so defence is fluid

Any structure can be destroyed for a full refund of its build cost minus a one-iron fee. A 5-iron, 1-swarmlit turret returns +5 iron and +1 swarmlit and charges 1 iron, so it nets +4/+1. With refunds this generous, the defence line is rebuilt around each night's threat — in the preview recording, a player sells wall turrets during an eclipse night and immediately browses for an Automatic Turret, which “deals much more damage to enemies with > 60% HP” and is “effective at the top of mine shaft”.

Pause-menu Modifications list: Nighttime ability recharge speed +20%; Permanent Resources: amount of permanent resources in the mine minus 50; Building Recharge: building recharge speed +10% apart from Watchtower buildings; Turret Price: turret price in iron minus 1, may not be lower than 1 iron; Turret Radius: effective turret radius +12%.
The run's rule sheet. Contract conditions and drafted bonuses appear as one scrollable list in the pause menu.
Destroy confirmation dialog: Do you want to destroy this structure? 100% of the resources will be returned to you, excluding the fee; refund plus 5 iron and plus 1 swarmlit; DESTROY button marked minus 1 iron.
Refund rule. +5 iron, +1 swarmlit back; the button itself costs 1 iron.
Eclipse night on day 14 at depth 150: after a wall turret is destroyed in an orange puff, floating numbers show minus 1, plus 1 swarmlit and plus 5; rocket smoke trails rise through the shaft.
Result. A sold wall turret leaves an orange puff and the ledger −1 / +1 / +5 floating over its mount.
Preview-build turret menu: Automatic Turret, machine-gun type, deals much more damage to enemies with more than 60 percent HP and is effective at the top of the mine shaft, range 11 blocks, cost 5 iron and 1 swarmlit; other turrets cost 3 and 1, 6 and 1, 5 and 1, 4 and 1, 2 and 2.
Placement is part of the stat line. The Automatic Turret is built for the top of the shaft, where enemies are still healthy.
250 m

Coal gate, strata and escalation

Depth is bought with coal, one 50 m stratum at a time. Each purchase moves the platform into harder ground, extends the shaft the swarm must cross and brings the scheduled threats closer.

The quota

The drill button carries a counter: coal delivered out of coal required for the next descent. In the September 2024 preview build a stratum costs 4 coal; in 1.0 it costs 6, matching a developer note that raised the drilling cost by two coal while putting more coal on each level. Coal has to be found in the current stratum, so the quota steers where the day's digging goes.

In 1.0 the order is a promise rather than an action: after the order the button reads DRILLING NEXT MORNING, the coal is already spent, and the platform grinds down at the next dawn while the crew is aboard. A save is written during the descent, and a new gauge on the right edge shows the platform's position against the surface.

Version 1.0 platform drilling on day 8: dust billows beneath the Swarnid platform, the coal counter reads 0 of 6 and coal stock 0, and a vertical depth gauge on the right edge shows the platform marker moving down.
The descent. Dust under the platform, coal back to 0/6, and the right-edge gauge tracking the platform's depth.
Night on day 7 in version 1.0 at depth 50 of 150: turrets fire red lasers at descending bugs; the drill button reads DRILLING NEXT MORNING and the coal stock is zero.
Queued. Night 7, coal already spent, button reading “Drilling next morning”.
Day 8 morning: the camera frames the platform over the mine as the descent begins; the depth gauge on the right and the drill button still reading drilling next morning.
Executed. With the day clock back to gold, the camera frames the platform over the mine and the descent begins.

Scheduled escalation

Day 13 at depth 150 of 150: red banner Eclipse: An eclipse is coming! Daytime abilities will be unavailable tomorrow; the platform is wreathed in dust with rocket launchers on its upper deck; the core bar is partly depleted.
Warning a day ahead. “An eclipse is coming! Daytime abilities will be unavailable tomorrow.” The next day's banner confirms the lockout.
Day 16 at depth 150: red banner Arachnor is approaching you. He will reach the mine at night!; a two-storey platform with rocket racks and wall turrets; an upper-deck build slot costs 2 iron; a HOLD G button in the action bar.
A boss with an appointment. “Arachnor is approaching you. He will reach the mine at night!” The platform has grown a second storey of rocket racks.

Escalation is mostly telegraphed. Events and the boss are announced before they matter, so a warning is really a build order: the eclipse day asks for work that does not rely on daytime abilities; the Arachnor warning asks for single-target damage before dark. Arachnor descends on a thread, carries a bank of glowing egg sacs, and in the 1.0 run it withdraws up the shaft under sustained fire rather than dying (the preview report describes the same outcome) — a boss visit is a durability check, not a finale.

The platform itself escalates upward: extra storeys add build pads above the first deck. In the 1.0 run the final platform is three storeys tall with sixteen workforce slots — the defence and the economy have literally stacked on top of each other.

Arachnor, a huge spider with orange egg sacs and a red health bar, hangs on a thread in the middle of the shaft while horizontal laser beams and turret fire hit it.
Arachnor in the beams. A health bar over the body; lasers and gunfire converge.
Seconds later Arachnor has climbed higher up the shaft, leaving smaller enemies below the laser lines.
Withdrawal. Moments later it has climbed away, leaving its escort to the lasers.
300 m

Launch, score and the meta ladder

Target depth does not end the contract; it opens an exit. The player chooses when to hold the launch button, and the score rewards depth, time and a surviving core.

The exit is a held button

Once the platform is at or below the target depth, a HOLD G launch button joins the action bar during the day. It was not yet visible on the day the preview run reached 150 m, and the contract card lists “charges required: 1×”, so some launch condition beyond depth exists that the recordings do not show. Holding the button plays the ending: a shuttle lands on the deck, the core is lowered into the drill, the planet's core detonates and the camera cuts to orbit. The preview run stayed at 150 m for several days before launching; the 1.0 run kept drilling to 300 m — twice the 3×50 m target — before pressing it.

Continuing is a genuine bet: every extra day is another night against a growing swarm, but deeper, longer contracts pay more experience and more mined permanent minerals.

Version 1.0 day 36 at depth 250 of 150 m: a three-storey Swarnid platform packed with buildings, workforce 16.0 of 16, three daytime and two nighttime ability slots, the depth gauge on the right, drill counter 0 of 6 and a G button in the action bar.
Past the target. Day 36, 250 of 150 m: three storeys, a full 16/16 workforce, five ability slots in use.
Launch cutscene: the glowing core is lowered through the centre of the three-storey Swarnid platform into the drill below, with steam venting around it; a Hold to skip prompt at the bottom left.
The payoff shot. The core that the whole run protected is dropped into the drill. The ending is a spectacle of the same object the player defended every night.
Mission Success panel, difficulty 2. Core Engineer, three stars: depth 150 m, days 18, core 65 percent; evacuation +240 xp, difficulty +832 xp, total +1072 xp; retrieved +10 orange, +6 green, +1 purple; contract reward +19 orange, +13 green.
Preview run. 150 m in 18 days with 65% core: 240 + 832 = 1,072 XP; +10/+6/+1 minerals retrieved plus the fixed 19/13 contract reward.
Mission Success panel in 1.0, difficulty 2. Core Engineer, three stars: depth 300 m, days 36, core 71 percent; evacuation +140 xp, difficulty +2288 xp, total +2428 xp; retrieved +29 orange, +17 green, +3 purple; contract reward +19 orange, +18 green.
1.0 run. 300 m in 36 days with 71% core: 140 + 2,288 = 2,428 XP; +29/+17/+3 retrieved plus 19/18 reward. Depth and duration dominate the XP.

What carries over

After the result come qualifications — optional per-contract challenges shown in green or red. The preview run failed both of its own: “Reach depth of 250m on a Cavernous planet” and “Have at least 10 workers at the end of the contract” (it finished with 9 of 10). The developer's notes tie qualifications to unlocking new building blueprints, so they are the game's way of asking for a different style of run.

Between contracts the permanent minerals buy nodes in the Upgrades tree. Each node costs orange, green and purple minerals in different ratios and many are gated by division level. The scarce purple mineral is the brake: with 200 orange, 74 green and 2 purple the preview player could not afford a 30/15/7 node such as the Factory Fusion Module, which lets factories produce swarmlit. The next contract tier answers that scarcity: the tier-3 card on offer (“Core Master”, 4×50 m) pays 26 orange, 28 green and 7 purple, so difficulty is the route to the scarce mineral.

Contract card for Stonewhisper at difficulty 3. Core Master, with the next tier locked: objective Magnetic Field Correction, target depth 4x50m, charges required 1x, planet type Cavernous, reward 26 orange, 28 green and 7 purple minerals, qualifications 0/2.
Harder tiers pay the bottleneck. One more stratum (4×50 m) and a reward that includes purple minerals.
Qualifications panel with two red, unmet entries: Reach depth of 250m on a Cavernous planet, and Have at least 10 workers at the end of the contract.
Side goals as unlock keys. Two red, unmet qualifications after a successful contract.
Upgrades tree at division level 7: checked early nodes on the left, a highlighted unaffordable node costing 30 orange, 15 green and 7 purple, and locked red nodes gated at levels 8 to 14 with costs such as 40/24/5, 35/17/9 and 95/30/31; the player holds 200 orange, 74 green and 2 purple.
The meta tree. Three-mineral prices and division-level gates (LVL 8–14); the purple balance (2) blocks the highlighted 30/15/7 node.
Upgrade tooltip: Factory Fusion Module — thanks to the Fusion module, factories can produce Swarmlit; cost 30 orange, 15 green, 7 purple with the purple amount in red.
A node that changes an in-run economy. Factory Fusion Module: factories can produce swarmlit.
350 m

Two builds, one loop

The two recordings are ten months apart — a preview build from two days before Early Access and the 1.0 launch build. The skeleton is identical; nearly every change moves information earlier or makes the economy less punishing at the start.

SystemPreview build (Sept 2024)1.0 (July 2025)What the change does
Coal per 50 m46Deeper coal search per stratum; offset by more coal on each level (developer note).
Opening costsBarracks 3 iron; first two turrets freeFirst two buildings and first two turrets freeFirst iron goes to workers and a paid turret instead of the deck.
Drill order“Hold Enter to start drilling down”; immediate“Drilling next morning”; executes at dawn, saves, right-edge depth gaugeDescending can no longer strand workers mid-day; the save point is predictable.
Technology cards2–3 cards, reroll counterQuality stars with a bonus line; ban button; per-contract bannerMore variance per pick, and a tool to prune the pool.
WorkforceHumans: miner, carrier, guard; integer capAlso Dwarves and Swarnids (larvae, 0.5 workforce each)Platform choice becomes an economic identity.
InformationTurret card text and rangeNumeric turret sheets, in-game wiki on blocks and enemies, damage numbers, focus priorityRules are readable before the cost is paid.
Contract screenConditions locked “Available in full version”Conditions as explicit bonus/malus pairs; department choiceEach run has a visible twist.
ShaftNarrow, pre-designed layoutsProcedural resolit caves up to 3–4× wider; depth unlimitedMore digging decisions per stratum and longer walks home.
400 m

Development & Production

Hungry Couch Games, a Serbian studio previously known for Black Skylands, took Drill Core from a Steam Next Fest demo (June 2024) through ten months of Early Access to 1.0, then kept shipping free systemic updates. The patch history reads like a list of the loop's pressure points.

  1. Jun 2024 · Next Fest demoThe developer reported 100,000 players across Next Fest and a playtest — the first public signal that the pitch landed.
  2. Sep 2024 · Early Access, patches 0.62–0.76Immediate response to difficulty complaints: the first three difficulties made easier with fewer random events, cheaper division upgrades, higher contract income, double rewards on failure, a purchasable extra reroll, default “alternative AI” pathfinding, in-contract saves after each drilling.
  3. Dec 2024 · Dwarves, Beards and TNTA second workforce (TNT bomber miners, jetpack guards), the Icewarden boss for frost planets, 33 planet conditions, 28 platform bonuses, 30 “boost” technologies, gamepad support; minigun redesigned to overheat.
  4. Feb 2025 · Jungle updateJungle biome and Sporelord boss, four alternative cores, the technology quality system (stars), end-of-contract statistics; a cap of five identical turrets; jet-firing blocks now shake before they fire.
  5. Apr 2025 · Oversight DepartmentsProcedural resolit caves, shafts 3–4× wider, unlimited depth; six departments that unlock new buildings and turrets; black-hole, explosive and geyser blocks; coal per drill +2.
  6. Jul 2025 · 1.0Swarnid platform, per-turret upgrade trees and focus priority, visible turret stats, global ore priority, technology ban, in-game wiki, damage numbers.
  7. Oct 2025 – Sep 2026Contracts Expanded (competitive, shipment and field-trial contracts; accelerated mode; elite aliens; most instant-kill blocks turned into heavy damage), consoles and The Machine World DLC (Apr 2026), Anniversary update with Relaxed Mode, contract escalation and ×3 speed (Sep 2026).

Documented problems turned into tests

Reported problemDocumented changeBuild / dateApplies to 1.0 target?Trade-offRegression case
Early contracts too punishing; frequent negative eventsFirst three difficulties easier; random events greatly reduced there0.62 · 17 Sep 2024Yes (carried forward)Less early drama; later tiers made harderAC-12
Losing progress when a long contract is interruptedSave during the contract after each drilling0.73 · 30 Sep 2024Yes (“Saving” shown during 1.0 descents)Save points are coarseAC-14
Workers stranded or ignoring retreatIndicator for workers who cannot reach the platform; retreat bug fixes0.62 · 0.77 · 0.9xYes—AC-05
One turret type stacked into a dominant buildMax five identical turrets (six from Apr 2026)Jungle · Feb 2025Yes (five at 1.0)Forces mixed defencesAC-09
Deaths from hazards felt unfairJet blocks shake before firing; later, most instant-kill blocks deal heavy damage insteadFeb 2025 · Oct 2025Shake: yes; damage change: post-1.0Lower lethality, more survivable mistakesAC-11
Unclear rules before spendingTurret stats before building, in-game wiki, damage numbers; “drilling available” reminder1.0 · Oct 2025Yes (wiki, stats)Denser UIAC-13

The production principle: the team kept the core loop fixed and spent three years adding ways to vary it — workforces, cores, departments, contract types, modes — while steadily converting hidden rules into on-screen text. The risk the reviews point to is the flip side: variation on a fixed loop can feel like more of the same over dozens of hours.

450 m

Offer, audience, reception

A $20 Windows strategy game sold as corporate satire, with a steady free-update cadence, one paid biome DLC and console ports.

The offer (Steam, looked up 29 Sep 2026)

  • Drill Core — $19.99, no discount at lookup; Early Access 12 Sep 2024, 1.0 on 17 Jul 2025.
  • Windows; Steam Deck Verified since Jan 2025; full controller support; PlayStation, Xbox and Switch versions announced for 28 Apr 2026.
  • 11 languages (full audio in English, German, Russian, Simplified Chinese); 83 achievements; Steam Cloud and leaderboards; single-player only.
  • DLC: The Machine World ($4.99, 28 Apr 2026 — tech biome, boss, core, buildings, turrets), soundtrack ($3.99), supporter pack ($4.99).
  • Tags lead with Strategy, Roguelite, Tower Defense, Colony Sim.

Audience and fit

Declared: the store page is written as a mock job advert for a corporate platform manager and frames the game as a choice between efficient, risky mining and a safe, defensive operation.

Demanded: comfort with indirect control, reading tooltips, planning a dig two or three days ahead, and accepting worker losses as a cost of speed. A contract in the recordings spans 18–36 in-game days.

Fit: the promise and the loop agree — the efficiency-versus-safety dilemma is exactly the day-length decision. The tension is length: the loop's shape does not change much from contract to contract, which is where critics' reservations cluster.

Reception snapshot

SignalFigureScope and date
Steam, all reviews“Very Positive” — 2,101 of 2,477 positive (≈85%)Full game, all languages, Steam review API, 29 Sep 2026
Steam, English826 of 975 positive (≈85%)English-language reviews, same date
Steam, last 30 days19 of 29 positive (all languages); 9 of 12 (English)Counted from the most recent reviews; the store page showed “Mixed” for its default recent filter — small sample
Steam, DLC18 of 20 positive (“Positive”)The Machine World, all languages
Metacritic (PC)No Metascore yet — 3 critic reviews (86, 80, 70); user score 8.3 from 7 ratingsmetacritic.com, looked up 29 Sep 2026
OpenCriticNo Top Critic Average (too few reviews); 8 reviews from 6.3/10 to 8.5/10opencritic.com, 29 Sep 2026

Published reviews. Tech-Gaming (86%, 18 Jul 2025) credits Early Access iteration with a polished loop that forces trade-offs between crew, defence and mining efficiency, but notes repetition in long late-game stretches. Output Lag (8/10, 6 Aug 2025) praises the day/night tension and the 1.0 quality-of-life tools, and criticises the steep learning curve, upgrade grinding and biomes that feel cosmetic. GameLuster (7/10, 10 Aug 2025) likes the experimentation and low failure penalty but finds that every contract is “fundamentally the same operation”.

Reading it: player sentiment is consistently positive over a mid-sized sample; critic coverage is thin and mostly from smaller outlets, clustering around 7–8.5/10. Players and critics agree on the loop's pull and disagree mainly on how long it holds. Review counts are not sales figures and none are inferred here.

500 m

Transferable lessons

What Drill Core does that other hybrids can reuse.

Put both halves of the loop on one axis

The mine and the defence share a single vertical line, so every tunnel is also a route home and every storey is also a firing position. Hybrids that separate their “economy screen” from their “combat screen” lose that tension.

Make the deadline visible and the transition automatic

The ring clock, the red lights and the forced camera move mean the player never misses nightfall, and the night ends the moment it is won — no dead time.

Draft structures, not stats

Per-contract technology picks create run identity cheaply; quality stars and bans came later to keep the draft interesting without adding systems.

Refunds make experimentation affordable

Full refund minus a one-iron fee turns the defence into something you rearrange every night rather than a sunk cost.

Telegraph, then punish

Events and bosses announced a day ahead, jet blocks that shake first, wiki text on hover: the patch history shows the team repeatedly converting surprise deaths into planned risks.

CORE

Build layer — complete mobile web adaptation

Authoritative reconstruction spec for a builder. Editorial sections above explain the design; this layer fixes rules, values, evidence status, design space and tests. Where they differ, this layer wins.

Readiness: complete-game specification ready with named limits (audio never heard; defeat flow, wave tables, launch “charge” condition, XP/star formulas and most numeric balance are design space). Package: one self-contained HTML with embedded evidence.

Status codes: V verified in an inspected frame, tooltip or clip · D developer/primary source, dated · I inferred from observed states · R Research report only, unverified · U unknown → design space.

Reading procedure for the receiving agent

  1. Parse this HTML structurally (not line deletion). Keep all text, tables and <details> content; do not load data: image payloads into your text context.
  2. Extract every <img> payload inside figure[id] to files named after the figure ID; open them with an image tool.
  3. Check the evidence index below: every data-required-figure ID must resolve to one extracted image. Report missing or duplicated IDs.
  4. Before coding, compare the defining transitions against the images: coal gate and queued drill (fig-drill-queued, fig-drill-morning), night end on last kill (fig-last-kill-ability → fig-dawn-hold-g), refund (fig-destroy-confirm, fig-refund-popup), result arithmetic (fig-success-early, fig-success-1-0).
  5. Then follow the Build prompt. Record your own design choices for every U item in your working notes and final report.

Short launch instruction for a local agent: “Build the complete web game from this teardown. First parse the whole HTML, including its Build layer, without loading base64 into the text context. Extract the embedded evidence into your working directory and inspect it with an image tool; identify any missing required figure IDs. Then follow the in-document Build prompt: keep the verified rules, design the parts left open so they fit the game, improve art, clarity and usability. Plan, build, play-test and fix within this task; a demo or a promise to finish later is not completion. Report notable design decisions and actual test coverage.”

Build prompt

Build a complete, original mobile-first web game in one portable HTML file that reconstructs the design of Drill Core 1.0 as documented in this teardown (working title: "Deep Contract").

Fantasy: you are a corporate platform manager. Your drilling platform sits in a vertical shaft on a hostile planet — the mine opens below it, the alien swarm comes down from above, and the glowing core in the middle must survive until you blow up the planet.

Defining decision: how much of each day's worker time, iron and risk to push into the mine before the clock turns red.

Loop: DAY — tag blocks; autonomous miners dig, carriers haul iron / swarmlit / coal / permanent minerals, guards fight what hatches; build on deck pads; recruit; draft one of 2–3 technologies found in the mine (unlocked for this contract only; reroll, ban, quality stars). DUSK — alarm, forced camera move, crew returns. NIGHT — the swarm descends; turrets on fixed wall mounts auto-fire; aim night abilities; build, sell (100% refund minus 1 iron) and re-plan under pressure; the night ends the moment the last attacker dies. DAWN — a queued drill spends the coal quota and descends 50 m; the game saves. At target depth a hold-to-launch exit opens; the player may keep drilling for more reward. Between contracts: division XP, three permanent minerals, an upgrade tree, qualifications and platforms.

Scope: deliver the whole game in #build-rules → "Complete game" (all three platforms, three biomes with their bosses, the difficulty ladder, meta progression, save/continue, defeat and retry) — not a slice, not a demo. Keep rules marked V/D; design everything marked U inside the stated constraints and record your choices; do not copy the original's names, art or audio.

Look and feel: amber-on-soot CRT terminal UI with corner-bracket frames and monospace numbers; crisp pixel art at integer scale; readable silhouettes by worker role; loud, legible night feedback. Portrait phone first: vertical camera over shaft / deck / mine, hold-to-commit for drill, launch and sell, long-press for every tooltip or wiki entry, no hover. Build the sound from the event/music brief (the original audio was not heard). Use the embedded figures as visual and rule reference only; source licensed or original assets and credit them in-game.

1 · Scope, version and source boundary

ItemDecision
Target versionDrill Core 1.0 behaviour (build string ver: 1.190.5.7.11.9076fd6, launch day 17 Jul 2025). Preview build ver: 0.55.4.9.9.15 (Sept 2024) is used for rules that did not change, and its differences are listed in the editorial “Two builds” table. Post-1.0 changes are recorded as history, not target rules, unless marked.
Source coverageTwo YouTube recordings: V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg (Splattercatgaming, uploaded 2024-09-10, 44:57, human crew, tier 2 contract to 150 m, launch, meta screens) and V2 MW2CsLPm-lY (Blitz, uploaded 2025-07-17, 47:04, Swarnid platform, tier 2 contract to 300 m, launch). 27 packet frames plus 13 self-acquired bounded clips (video only). Steam store/API and 100 developer announcements (Jun 2024–Sep 2026). Two supplied research reports reconciled as unverified claims.
Not observedDefeat, frost/jungle biomes, Dwarves platform, bosses other than Arachnor, difficulty tiers other than 2, most meta nodes, any audio.
Target platformMobile web, portrait first (the game is a vertical slice), landscape and desktop supported. One self-contained HTML, no network.
Session scale (hint)A tier-2 contract spans 18–36 in-game days; each recording lasts ~45 minutes including menus (game speed setting unknown). Aim for 20–35 minute contracts on mobile, with pause and save at each descent.

2 · Complete game

PartDecisions, systems, content (status)Entry → exitCasesLimits / design space
Hub & metaDivision level from contract XP V; upgrade tree priced in orange/green/purple minerals with division-level gates V; platform levels V; departments that level with division XP and unlock buildings/turrets D; qualifications log V.Boot / after result → contract boardAC-20Node catalogue, prices and department perks are design space (≈40–60 nodes, 6 departments).
Contract setupDifficulty ladder (numbered tiers; “2. Core Engineer” 3×50 m, “3. Core Master” 4×50 m and locked in V1) V; planet with biome, objective, target, charges, minerals, reward, bonus/malus conditions, qualifications V; platform preset (platform, core, 2 start techs, 2 bonuses) V.Board → landingAC-01Tier count and scaling: design (≥6 tiers; +1 stratum every 1–2 tiers).
Stratum loopDay → dusk → night → last kill → dawn; 50 m strata; coal quota (6 per stratum in 1.0) V.Landing → launch or core lossAC-05 AC-06 AC-10Day length, wave tables.
EconomyIron, swarmlit, coal, permanent minerals; workforce classes and cap; barracks; factories; laboratory tiers gated by lab count V.ThroughoutAC-03 AC-04 AC-16Yields, costs of recruits, factory output.
DefenceWall mounts only; three turret families; first two turrets free; refund; focus priority and per-turret upgrades D; max 5 identical D; day/night ability buildings with stacking V.ThroughoutAC-07 AC-08 AC-09Full turret roster values beyond the verified cards.
DraftTechnologies found while mining → choose one of 2–3; reroll count; quality stars; ban; unlock lasts for the contract V; bonus technologies (stat modifiers) V.ThroughoutAC-15How techs are found and delivered; pool contents and weights.
Hazards & eventsCavernous: hatch block, black hole, worms, jets, crumbling/explosive blocks V/D; events announced by banner, some a day ahead V.Per stratum / per dayAC-11 AC-12Frost and jungle block sets from developer descriptions.
BossesArachnor (cave): warned a day ahead, descends on a thread at night, withdraws after sustained damage V. Icewarden (frost, shields) and Sporelord (jungle, splits) D.Scheduled nightsAC-17HP, attacks, withdraw threshold, schedule.
ExitHold-to-launch at/after target depth (daytime), launch cutscene, result with depth/days/core %, XP lines, retrieved minerals + contract reward V; continue deeper allowed V.Target depth → result → hubAC-18 AC-19“Charges required 1×” condition, stars, XP formula.
Failure & retryCore durability is the loss condition I; failed contracts still pay a reduced meta reward D.Core 0 → failure → hub / quick restartAC-23Defeat screen and payout: design.
Save / continueIn-contract save after each descent D (“Saving” shown during 1.0 descents V); meta always saved.Quit → resumeAC-14Mid-day resume granularity.
AlternativesPlatforms: Earthcrusher (humans) V, Swarnid (larvae, 0.5 workforce) V/D, Dwarves (TNT bomber miners, jetpack guards) D. Cores: Standard V; Plasma, Titan, Ion, Phoenix D. Biomes: Cavernous V, Frost, Jungle D.Unlocked via metaAC-21All values beyond the notes.
Optional (post-1.0, not required)Competitive / shipment / field-trial contracts, accelerated and relaxed modes, specialists, distortions, contract escalation, tech biome DLC D.——Build only if time allows; never at the expense of the required parts.

Suggested build order (work plan, not a delivery boundary): shaft/camera/HUD → mine grid, orders, workers → day clock, dusk, night, waves → turrets, mounts, refund → coal gate and descent → draft and lab → launch/result/failure → meta hub and upgrades → Swarnid and Dwarves platforms → frost and jungle biomes and bosses → balance, audio, polish, save.

3 · Principles (interpretations from two contracts)

  • Situations come from geometry. One shaft, one column of wall mounts, one mine: every choice is a position on a vertical line. Keep the platform between threat and resource.
  • Teach one verb at a time. Hold to drill → build → recruit → tag → draft → first night with two free turrets. Every card and block explains itself in numbers.
  • Escalate by depth and schedule. Each stratum is harder; events and bosses are announced before they matter; contract conditions add one twist per run.
  • Reward digging. Technologies, permanent minerals and XP all come from going deeper and staying longer — so greed is always tempting and always risky.
  • Make mistakes recoverable. Full refunds, rerolls, bans, telegraphed hazards (the developer moved from instant kills to heavy damage after 1.0).

4 · Rules

IDStart state / inputResolution and resultFeedback / next decisionStatus · evidence
R-01 ContractHub → PLAY: pick difficulty (arrows), planet (arrows), Qualifications, Platform Preset, (1.0) Department; START CONTRACT.Contract fixes biome, objective, target N×50 m, charges required, minerals present, fixed reward, conditions (↑ bonus / ↓ malus), qualifications.Conditions also appear in the pause-menu Modifications list.V contract-early, contract-1-0, modifications
R-02 LandingPlatform at 0 m, day 1; preview start: 2 miners, 1 carrier, 1 guard, cap 4, 8 iron, 0 swarmlit, 4 coal.Hold drill → descend to 50 m immediately; coal 4 → 0.Prompt “Hold Enter to start drilling down.” Build pads appear.V landing, first-buildings; 1.0 opening stock U
R-03 Deck buildingTap hammer pad → General Buildings catalogue.Build costs iron (+swarmlit, +larva for Swarnids). 1.0: first two buildings free. Preview: Barracks 3/0, second building 4/0, brain-jar building 2/0. More storeys add pads (2–3 observed); normal-mode costs rise with each storey D.Pad shows building; destroy available.V first-buildings, free-buildings-1-0, boss-warning (2-iron upper pad)
R-04 BarracksBarracks built.“Increases the hiring speed and worker limit” per building; cap 4 → 7 after one barracks.Cap shown as NN/NN, red when full.Text V; +3 per barracks I
R-05 WorkforceRecruit from barracks (humans) or hatch larvae from the Swarnid Nest.Humans: miner, carrier, guard, 1 slot each. Swarnids: Gnawler (dig), Lumper (carry), Warden (guard), 0.5 slot each; larvae incubate on a random block before emerging.HUD shows count or decimal share per class and total/cap.HUD V; Swarnid rules D (1.0 notes); human recruit costs 1 iron (+1 swarmlit for miner/guard) R
R-06 OrdersTag blocks (yellow corner brackets); limited order count (1.0: 20; Swarnid 30).Miners path to tagged faces and damage them; destroyed blocks drop their ore; carriers haul loose ore to the platform; guards engage underground enemies.Counters rise only on delivery; unreachable workers get a marker D.Tags V worm-event; roles I+D; order caps D
R-07 Resources—Iron (blue), swarmlit (red), coal (purple; drill quota). Permanent minerals (orange, green, purple) are mined in-contract (“retrieved”) and paid as contract reward.HUD top-left; result screen.V success-1-0; fusion-module (swarmlit name)
R-08 DraftA technology is found while mining.“CHOOSE ONE TECHNOLOGY”: 2–3 cards; tooltip on inspect; REROLL with a counter; 1.0: 1–3 quality stars with a bonus line, red ✕ bans a building for the contract. Pick unlocks that structure “until the end of this contract”.Structure appears in its build catalogue.V draft-early, reroll, draft-rarity, ban; discovery mechanism U
R-09 Bonus techsBonus draft (1.0).Choose one modifier, e.g. Night Enemy Damage, Explosion Radius, Effective turret radius +12%; added to Modifications.Pause-menu list.V modifications; trigger timing U
R-10 TurretsTap a hammer mount on a shaft wall.Catalogue grouped Machine-Gun / Explosive / Energy; first two turrets free; costs iron + swarmlit (+larva). Turrets fire automatically at enemies inside their radius. 1.0: focus priority (closest/farthest to turret, lowest/highest HP, closest/farthest to core) and a 3–15 node upgrade tree per turret paid in iron+swarmlit D; max 5 identical turrets D.Radius ring on hover/select; hover card with type and efficiency.Mounts, catalogue, free rule V night-begins, mg-free, laser-card
R-11 DestroySelect structure → Destroy.Confirm dialog: 100% of build cost refunded, fee 1 iron (5/1 turret → +5 iron, +1 swarmlit, −1 iron).Floating ledger over the mount.V destroy-confirm, refund-popup
R-12 DuskDay ring nearly closed.Platform lights flash red, camera moves to the deck, crew paths home by ladder; night begins when the clock turns red.Next: build/sell turrets, prepare abilities.Visuals V dusk-return; automatic retreat I (+ patch wording “general retreat”) D; manual retreat control U
R-13 NightClock red.Swarm spawns above and descends to the core; turrets fire; night abilities are aimed with a circular reticle; building, selling and the recruitment menu remain available (recruit panel opened at night, V1 ≈222 s). Underground, Terrabor worms harass the mine at night D.Core segments lost on hits.V swarm, reticle
R-14 Night endLast attacker dies.Day counter increments immediately (≈1 s), clock gold.Dawn actions (queued drill, launch button at target depth).V (two observations) dawn-hold-g; time-limit fallback U
R-15 CoreEnemies reach the platform.CORE bar loses segments; percentage on hover D; result shows remaining %. Zero ends the contract in failure.—Bar/% V; failure at 0 I; failure payout ≈2× earlier baseline D
R-16 Coal gateCoal counter under the drill button X/N (N = 4 preview, 6 in 1.0).When full, the drill can be ordered. Preview: immediate descent (hold). 1.0: after the order the button shows DRILLING NEXT MORNING and the coal stock is already 0 (exact deduction moment I); at dawn the crew is aboard, the platform descends 50 m, a save is written, the right-edge gauge tracks depth.New stratum; coal counter resets to 0/N.V queued, morning, gauge; N change D (Apr 2025 +2)
R-17 LaunchAt/below target depth, daytime, plus a contract launch condition (“charges required 1×”).HOLD G → cutscene (shuttle lands, core lowered into drill, core blast, orbit) → result. Continuing deeper instead is allowed.Result screen.Button, cutscene, continue V dawn-hold-g, core-launch, deep-platform; charge condition U
R-18 ResultLaunch completed.MISSION SUCCESS, 3 stars (both runs), Depth, Days, Core %; XP = Evacuation + Difficulty lines (240+832=1072; 140+2288=2428); Retrieved minerals; Contract reward. Then Qualifications.CONTINUE (1.0 adds DETAILED STATS).V success-early, success-1-0; formulas U
R-19 QualificationsSelected per contract (0/n).Checked at the end; green met / red unmet. Unlock new building blueprints D.—V qualifications
R-20 Meta treeHub → Upgrades.Nodes cost orange/green/purple minerals; many gated by division level (LVL 8–14 in view); purchase requires all three amounts.Unaffordable amounts shown in red.V upgrade-tree, fusion-module
R-21 LaboratoryLaboratory built.Rows of worker upgrades; tier 1 with one lab; tiers 2/3/4 need 2/3/4 labs and cost 8/1, 14/2, 20/3 iron/swarmlit. Jawforce Enhancement 3 = +75% mining speed.“Build more laboratories”.V lab-grid; +25% per tier I
R-22 AbilitiesAbility buildings fill 3 day and 3 night slots.Tap slot → aim → fire; cooldown. Resonant Laser (day): destroys underground enemies/blocks, 70 s, −10 s per extra building. Distributor (night): one turret +300% fire rate, 15 s cooldown, +20% duration per extra building. Eclipse day: daytime abilities unavailable.Charges shown on slot.V ban, distributor, eclipse
R-23 HazardsHazard blocks in strata.Hatch Block: with a worker within 5.5 blocks, cracks a connected block within 4 blocks; a Stoneling later emerges; more often on higher difficulty. Black hole: rifts a block within 1–2 blocks and pulls it in with anything on it; ore there becomes coal; releases swallowed resources when destroyed D.Wiki on hold/hover.Hatch V hatch-wiki; black hole visual V black-hole + rules D
R-24 EventsDaily roll.Banner top-left; observed: Terrabor (worms active in daytime), Eclipse (announced a day ahead), Day Off (worker speed up), Rich Soil (double ore drop chance). Eclipse/Polar Night at most once per 5 days D.Plan the next day.V worm, eclipse, day-off
R-25 BossScheduled night.Warning the day before (“He will reach the mine at night!”); boss descends on a thread with escorts, health bar overhead; withdraws up the shaft after sustained damage; night then ends on last kill.—V warning, fight, retreat; HP/threshold U
R-26 PausePause.Resume, Settings, Manual, Quick Restart, Abort Mission, Quit; difficulty; Modifications.—V (pause frame in V2 clip 636–655)
R-27 SpeedToggle.×2 speed (×3 added Sep 2026).—D; which HUD button U
5 · Entities and values
EntityValues / behaviourContextStatus
Machine Gun Turret“Effective against targets with low HP and fast targets. High accuracy, low damage, fast attack speed.” Range 11 blocks. First two free; paid cost 3 iron 1 swarmlit (first machine-gun slot in the later catalogue).PreviewV text; paid cost I mg-free, auto; 1.0 stats 1.8 shots/s, 8 dmg (from Sep 2026 patch baseline) D
Minigun Turret“Gradually accelerates the rate of fire” on a target; strong vs high HP, weak vs low HP; range 12. Overheats from Dec 2024.Preview / DV reroll
Automatic TurretMuch more damage to enemies >60% HP; best at the top of the shaft; range 11; 5 iron 1 swarmlit.PreviewV auto
Laser Turret0.7 shots/s; damage 10; ×3 damage below 50% HP; radius 17.8 blocks; energy type; Swarnid starting trait.1.0V laser-card
Railgun TurretMachine-gun type; pierces all enemies in the projectile path; 0.1 shots/s; 34 damage; radius 21.1; ★★: +40% range; 3 iron 2 swarmlit 1 larva.1.0 SwarnidV railgun
Weakening Laser, Shotgun, GUN 311, Fury, Lightblade, Cryo Flux, Shrapnel, Slowing Laser, HurricaneNames seen on cards or in reports; report values: Weakening Laser 2× damage taken; Shotgun range 8, 5/1; Fury burn; Lightblade wall-to-wall beam.MixedNames V; values R/D
BarracksRecruiting; +hiring speed, +worker limit per building; 3 iron (preview), free as one of first two (1.0).BothV
LaboratoryWorker upgrade grid gated by lab count (R-21). Preview brain-jar building 2 iron; Swarnid lab 3 iron.BothV (identity of the preview jar I)
Factory / Factory Fusion ModuleFactory produces iron over time R; Fusion Module meta node lets factories produce swarmlit (30/15/7).Preview metaV node; output rate U
Swarnid Nest / Watchtower / IncubatorNest produces larvae; Watchtower fires flies that latch onto targets; Incubator turret hatches Swarnubs by day that fly around the mine. The first General Building in the 1.0 Swarnid catalogue (yellow pods) costs 6 iron 2 swarmlit and is probably the Nest.1.0D; cost V, identity I catalogue
Resonant Laser / DistributorSee R-22.1.0V
Other ability buildingsExploder, Oscillator, Explodrone Launcher, Drone Station, Solaris Lens, Hospital, Machine Gun Turret Catalyzer (passive fire-rate boost to MG turrets; +10% after Oct 2024).MixedNames V; effects R/D
Swarm enemiesRed winged bugs descending the shaft; later heavier types; Stoneling from hatch cracks; Terrabor worms underground.CaveVisual V; stats U
ArachnorGiant spider boss on a thread with egg sacs; warned a day ahead; withdraws after damage.CaveV
Contract examplesThristle (preview) and Bleakwind (1.0): Cavernous, Magnetic Field Correction, 3×50 m, 1× charge; rewards 19/13 and 19/18. Stonewhisper (tier 3 “Core Master”, 4×50 m, reward 26/28/7, next tier locked) tier3; Snowclad (Frost, 3×50 m) seen only at low resolution.BothV (Snowclad I)
Result valuesPreview: 150 m, 18 days, core 65%, +1072 XP, retrieved 10/6/1. 1.0: 300 m, 36 days, core 71%, +2428 XP, retrieved 29/17/3.BothV
Meta balancesPreview: division 7; 200/74/2 minerals. 1.0: division 23; 80/94/30; Earthcrusher lvl 13, Swarnid lvl 12.BothV
6 · Design space (important gaps)
GapEstablishedRole / interactions to preserveBuilder may designHow to check
Wave tables & night difficultySwarm from above; night ends on last kill; two free MGs hold night 1 without core damage (preview).Must force turret mixing by mid-run and punish ignoring the top of the shaft.Per-stratum wave budgets, enemy roster with roles (fast, armored, flyer, shielded), difficulty multipliers.Night 1 winnable with free turrets; unupgraded single-type defences leak by stratum 3.
Day length & speedRing clock; forced dusk.Long enough to finish 1–2 digs, short enough that deep digs are risky.150–210 s at ×1; ×2/×3 toggles; pause.Median player completes coal quota in 1–2 days at stratum 1.
Technology discovery“Technologies found” while mining; 2–3 cards; rerolls; stars; bans.Digging must pay off in options, not only resources.Tech caches as special blocks carried home; pool by biome/platform; star odds from meta.One draft per 1–2 days on average; no dead picks.
Launch condition (“charges 1×”)Button appears after target depth but not instantly.Make the exit a deliberate, visible step.A core-charge object or building completed at target depth; clearly shown.Launch button never appears before target depth; condition explained in UI.
Workers left below at nightTerrabors harass the mine at night; stranded-worker marker.Keep the dusk deadline meaningful without instant-kill unfairness.Worms hunt stranded workers with heavy damage; guard escort helps; marker + alert.A worker left below is at clear risk; returning in time is always possible if dusk warning is heeded.
Defeat & retryCore is the loss condition; failure pays a reduced reward.Failure must still feed progress.Failure screen with partial minerals and XP; quick restart.Failure never yields more than success at equal depth.
Stars & XPEvacuation + Difficulty lines; deeper/longer pays more.Reward depth, time and core health.Stars from core % and qualifications; XP from strata × tier × days.Reproduce the recorded ordering: 300 m/36 d ≫ 150 m/18 d.
Frost & Jungle biomes, DwarvesDeveloper descriptions only.Each biome changes blocks, events and boss; platforms change workforce rules.Block sets (jets, regenerating ice, swamp, spores, pull blocks), Icewarden shields, Sporelord splitting; Dwarf TNT miners and jetpack guards.Each biome needs distinct counter-play; each platform needs a different opening.
Meta tree & departmentsThree-mineral prices, level gates, sample node.Unlock breadth, not raw power only.40–60 nodes: rerolls, platform unlocks, cores, economy nodes, quality odds.Purple-mineral scarcity paces unlocks; no node required to beat tier 2.
AudioNothing heard (see brief).Night must sound urgent; day calm; alarms unmissable.Full SFX and two-state music.Listening review; dusk alarm audible over music.
7 · Controls, UI and mobile adaptation

Observed HUD: top-left CORE bar, depth X / 150 m, iron / swarmlit / coal; top-right workforce by class, total/cap, ring day clock (gold day, red night); top-left event banners; bottom-left day-ability slots, bottom-right night-ability slots, bottom-centre action bar: Q (highlighted toggle with a “»” glyph; reports disagree: recall vs speed U), HOLD R (U), drill with coal counter, HOLD G launch (at target), ? info (1.0). CRT scanline filter; version string bottom-left.

Source actionMobile: inspect / select / commit / cancelPreserved decision / change
Tag blocks (click/drag)Dig mode on; tap or drag to paint tags; tap tagged to untag; long-press = block infoSame order model; larger touch targets (≥44 px per block at default zoom)
Hover tooltips, Ctrl+hover wikiLong-press anything (block, enemy, card, building) → info sheetNo hover dependency
Build on pad / mountTap pad → bottom sheet catalogue → tap card (stats) → “Build” (disabled if unaffordable)Selection separate from commitment
DestroyTap structure → “Sell” shows +refund −1 iron → hold to confirmRefund rule unchanged
RecruitTap barracks/nest → +/− per class, queue visibleSame costs and caps
DrillDrill button shows X/N; hold 0.6 s when full → “Drilling next morning”1.0 queue rule
LaunchHold 1.5 s with progress ring; explicit textMirrors HOLD G
AbilitiesTap slot → reticle appears → drag to aim → “Fire” / ✕ cancelNo accidental casts
CameraVertical drag, pinch zoom, jump chips: Shaft / Deck / Mine; auto move at dusk and dawnPortrait fits the vertical slice
DraftCards full-width stacked; tap to expand; “Pick” button; reroll and ban as separate buttonsNo mis-picks by tap
Pause / speedTop-right pause; speed chip ×1/×2/×3; menus pause the gameMenu pause is an adaptation U
8 · Asset direction and audio brief
CategoryTarget (reference figures)Likely source and whyCoherence constraints
CharactersTiny workers readable by helmet/role colour; bug-like Swarnids; alien swarm (hero, black-hole)Licensed pixel packs or original pixel art; animation matters more than detailOne pixel scale; nearest-neighbour integer scaling; 3–4 frame walk/dig cycles
EnvironmentLayered cave rock, ore glints, rail platform, shaft walls with mounts (swarm)Tilesets (licensed) + code-drawn parallaxBlock tiles one size; ore colours match resource colours
UI & fontsAmber CRT terminal, corner brackets, monospace numbers (cards)Code/CSS; OFL monospace fontContrast ≥ 4.5:1; numbers never smaller than 12 px
EffectsTracers, beams, explosions, drill dust, core glow (beams, dust)Code particles + sprite sheetsNight effects must not hide enemies or HUD
SFXSee event sheetLicensed CC0 libraries or generatedNormalised loudness; per-turret identity; alarm priority
MusicTwo states: calm industrial day, driving nightLicensed tracks or generated loopsCrossfade at dusk/dawn; ducking under alarms

Audio evidence: none heard in this authoring run (clips were video-only; no audio-capable inspection available). The supplied reports describe, unverified R: a klaxon at nightfall; a synthetic female announcer (“The night is upon us”, “Night descends and foes approach”, “The sun rises. Resume your tasks”, boss and core-launch announcements); rhythmic drilling thuds; distinct turret signatures; low ambient synth by day and driving synthwave with heavy percussion by night. Treat as mood reference only.

Event cueTriggerRolePriority
Dusk alarm + voice lineRing reaches duskDeadline warningHighest; ducks music
Night start / dawn stingersClock red / last killState changeHigh
Drill rumbleDescentProgressMedium, long
Dig ticks, ore drop, delivery chimeBlock damage / break / deliveryEconomy feedbackLow, varied pitch
Turret fire ×3 familiesShotIdentify which defence worksMedium; rate-limited
Enemy hit/deathDamage/deathConfirmationLow
Core hitCore damageDangerHigh
Card pick, build, sellUICommit confirmationMedium
Boss arrivalBoss spawnClimaxHighest
Launch sequenceHOLD G completePayoffHighest

9 · Acceptance cases (frozen before build)

CaseSetup and real inputExpected stable resultBasis
AC-01 OpeningNew tier-2 contract, human platform; hold drill.Platform descends 0 → 50 m on day 1; coal spent to 0; build pads visible.V R-02
AC-02 Free buildings1.0 rules: build two general buildings, then a third.First two cost 0; third costs its list price.V banner; third I
AC-03 Barracks capCap 4; build one barracks.Cap 7; hiring faster.V/I
AC-04 Tag and haulTag an iron block next to the tunnel.Miner digs it; ore drops; iron counter rises only when a carrier delivers.I
AC-05 DuskWorkers deep in the mine as the ring closes.Red lights, camera to deck, workers path home; a worker who cannot reach the platform is marked and is at risk from Terrabors at night.V visuals; risk D/design
AC-06 Night endKill the last attacker.Day counter +1 within ~1 s; no extra wait.V
AC-07 Free turretsPlace three machine-gun turrets from zero turrets.First two cost 0; third costs its list price (3 iron 1 swarmlit for the basic gun), minus Turret Price modifiers, floor 1 iron.V; list price I
AC-08 RefundSell a 5 iron / 1 swarmlit turret.+5 iron, +1 swarmlit, −1 iron fee (net +4/+1); mount empty.V
AC-09 Identical capBuild a sixth identical turret.Refused with a clear reason (cap 5).D
AC-10 Coal gateDeliver 6/6 coal (1.0); order drill at night.Coal stock already 0 while the button reads “Drilling next morning”; at dawn descend 50 m with crew aboard; “Saving” shown; counter 0/6.V; deduction moment I; crew aboard D
AC-11 Hazard telegraphWorker approaches a hatch block; a jet block is about to fire.Crack only when a worker is within 5.5 blocks and the block is connected; jet blocks shake before firing.V/D
AC-12 Event forecastEclipse rolls on day N.Banner on day N; day N+1 daytime abilities disabled; no second eclipse within 5 days; tiers 1–3 roll fewer negative events.V/D
AC-13 ReadabilityLong-press any block, enemy, card or building.Info sheet with numbers (radius, damage, cooldown, cost) before any purchase.Adaptation of V/D
AC-14 SaveQuit after a descent; reopen.Contract resumes at that stratum with buildings, turrets, workforce and resources.D; mid-day granularity design
AC-15 DraftFind a technology; reroll once; ban one; pick one.Reroll counter −1; banned card never reappears this contract; pick appears in its catalogue until contract end; star bonus applied.V
AC-16 Lab gatingOne lab; inspect tier 2; build a second lab.Tier 2 locked with “Build more laboratories”; then available at 8 iron 1 swarmlit.V
AC-17 Boss visitWarning day; survive the night.Boss descends on a thread with escorts; withdraws after sustained damage; night ends when escorts die.V; threshold design
AC-18 LaunchAt target depth by day with the launch condition met; hold launch.Cutscene → result with depth, days, core %, XP lines summing to total, retrieved minerals, contract reward; a deeper, longer run yields more XP.V; formula design
AC-19 QualificationsFinish with 9 workers when a qualification needs 10.That qualification shown red/unmet; met ones green and unlock their blueprint.V/D
AC-20 Meta purchase200/74/2 minerals; node costs 30/15/7.Purchase refused; purple shown red.V
AC-21 Swarnid shareSwarnid platform; hatch two Gnawlers.Workforce use +1.0 (0.5 each); HUD shows decimals.D/V
AC-22 Touch onlyPhone viewport, no keyboard or hover.Every action reachable; commits (drill, launch, sell) need hold or explicit button; every selection cancellable.Adaptation
AC-23 DefeatLet the core reach 0.Contract failed; reduced payout; retry from hub or quick restart.I/D/design
10 · Corrections to the supplied research reports
Report claimChecked evidenceResolution
V1 build “ver. 0.10.4.9.b.1118”Every V1 frame reads ver: 0.55.4.9.9.15Corrected
V2 build “1.100.5.7.11.9976150”Frames read ver: 1.190.5.7.11.9076fd6Corrected
V1 planet “Thistle”Contract card reads “Thristle”Corrected
Barracks 4 iron 1 swarmlitMenu shows Barracks 3 iron 0 swarmlitCorrected
Core “2000 / 2000 HP” on HUDHUD shows a segmented bar onlyNumber not shown; % on hover per developer
V1 frame at 11:31 shows the Lab screen; 17:30 lava vent killing miners; 43:37 full stats; 44:00 meta treeFrames show the platform (day 5), a worm event, a stats-less success panel, an empty loading panelReplaced by acquired stills
V1 rewards “+413 Gold, +13 Tech”Retrieved +10/+6/+1; contract reward +19/+13Corrected
V2 total “+2515 XP” with Core +2100, Depth +160, Days +140, Evac +10, Difficulty +105Evacuation +140, Difficulty +2288, total +2428; retrieved +29/+17/+3; reward +19/+18Corrected
Distributor: all turrets +300% for 15 s, cooldown 55 sCard: one turret 300% faster; cooldown 15 s; +20% duration per extra buildingCorrected
V2: Terrabors are aerial night enemiesV1 event banner “Terrabor: increased daytime activity of underground worms”; developer notes place Terrabors in the mine at nightTerrabor = underground worm
Coal “exactly 6” per stratum6 in 1.0; 4 in the preview build; developer +2 change Apr 2025Version-scoped
V2 0:19 contract briefing; 8:14 black hole destroyed; 16:55 eclipse banners; 22:44 railgun card; 46:21 score cardFrames show an intro night montage, a “Day Off” zoom, a laser night, the turret catalogue, a space cinematicRe-acquired at nearby times where needed
Swarnids 0.5 populationHUD decimals + developer launch notesConfirmed
MG turret “first 2 free, then 3 iron”Free note on card; catalogue 3 iron 1 swarmlitConfirmed (with swarmlit)
Turret refund 100% minus 1 ironConfirmation dialog and floating ledgerConfirmed
Night ends when waves are annihilatedTwo observed last-kill transitionsConfirmed; timer fallback unknown
Arachnor retreats at 50% HPWithdrawal observed; bar proportion unreadableThreshold unverified
Black hole destroyed by ExplodroneClip 480–505 inconclusive; developer: releases swallowed resources when destroyedDestruction possible D; method unverified
Audio descriptions, PA lines, musicNo audio inspectedKept as R mood reference
11 · Evidence index (required figures, source mapping)

Packet frames come from the supplied capture (extension actualTime, HTMLVideoElement → canvas). For size, full frames are embedded as WebP at native resolution (quality 84–88; one creator zoom at 1600 px); small crops keep their JPEG bytes. The listed sha256 is that of the source file before embedding. Acquired stills: self-downloaded HLS video-only sections (yt-dlp, ≤1080p60), decoded with ffmpeg and PTS logged; source time ≈ section start + PTS. Calibration by image matching against packet frames: 11 of 13 clips align within 0.6 s (most at 0.0 s); V2 108–130 (tooltip state differs) and V1 2394–2450 could not be calibrated, so their times are approximate. Crops keep native pixels. Times in seconds of the source video.

  • fig-landing — Landing at 0 m, crew 4/4, 8 iron, 4 coal, hold-to-drill prompt
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 14 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_01 · source sha256 f90bb8be819f…
  • fig-first-buildings — Depth 50 m on day 1, coal 0; Barracks 3 iron
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 36 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_02 · source sha256 8a99ab3ed182…
  • fig-tech-draft-early — Preview draft: MG Catalyzer / Exploder / Oscillator; pop 7/7
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 316 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_06 · source sha256 e3c12cef8153…
  • fig-hero-shaft — Day 5 cross-section: wall turrets, platform, tagged mine; coal 3/4
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 691 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_07 · source sha256 c27984b98cea…
  • fig-worm-event — Tagged blocks; Terrabor daytime worm event
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 1050 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_08 · source sha256 82ea321da3e1…
  • fig-eclipse-warning — Eclipse announced for tomorrow
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 1853 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_09 · source sha256 d117593cf344…
  • fig-refund-popup — Floating −1 / +1 / +5 after selling a turret
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 2140 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_10 · source sha256 cc48b7620fce…
  • fig-boss-warning — Arachnor warning; second storey; HOLD G
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 2394 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_11 · source sha256 ccdacc4f9855…
  • fig-contract-early — Preview contract card (Thristle, 3×50 m, 1× charge, reward 19/13)
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · 2664 s · packet frame JgT7ZMEdYXg__drill_core_14 · source sha256 c7a4db21e627…
  • fig-swarnid-preset — Swarnid preset: traits, core, start-tech and bonus slots
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 22 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_platform_swarnid_02 · source sha256 0aec805b05cb…
  • fig-laser-card — Laser Turret stats 0.7 / 10 / ×3 <50% / 17.8
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 156 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_turret_laser_stats_05 · source sha256 68f3946ef727…
  • fig-black-hole — Black hole beside a rifted block
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 196 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_hazard_blackhole_06 · source sha256 3d39e9f37f12…
  • fig-day-off — Day Off event (worker speed)
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 494 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_hazard_blackhole_destroyed · source sha256 3eeb70bd218f…
  • fig-tech-draft-rarity — 1.0 draft with stars; per-contract banner
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 644 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_tech_distributor_08 · source sha256 73c47c5fa2e5…
  • fig-drilling-gauge — 1.0 descent: dust, coal 0/6, right-edge depth gauge
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 707 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_layer_transition_50m_09 · source sha256 ad719b4e4ad5…
  • fig-laser-night — 1.0 laser beams incl. wall-to-wall beam
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 1015 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_event_eclipse_10 · source sha256 16c748c1d652…
  • fig-lab-grid — Lab tiers gated by 2/3/4 labs; costs 8/1, 14/2, 20/3
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · 1140 s · packet frame MW2CsLPm-lY__cap_lab_research_tree_11 · source sha256 ab7d0d4dcc74…
  • fig-dusk-return — Dusk: red lights, camera to deck, worker on ladder
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈220.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 20.0 s) · source sha256 330e309b8adf…
  • fig-night-begins — Night: red clock, hammer mounts on shaft walls
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈223.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 23.0 s) · source sha256 d1e20692533d…
  • fig-mg-free — Machine Gun Turret card, “First two turrets are free”
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈230.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 30.0 s) · source sha256 f002f54cd915…
  • fig-swarm-first-night — First swarm vs two free wall turrets
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈250.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 50.0 s) · source sha256 90cc9b336f2b…
  • fig-last-kill-ability — Night 17: reticle on the last attacker
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2581.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 1.5 s) · source sha256 d6eaee423e94…
  • fig-dawn-hold-g — Last kill → DAY 18 immediately; HOLD G visible
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2582.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 2.5 s) · source sha256 2dc28a129d7c…
  • fig-success-early — Preview result 150 m / 18 d / 65%; 240+832=1072 XP
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2626.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 46.0 s, crop) · source sha256 3806b10affee…
  • fig-qualifications — Qualifications: 250 m cavernous; ≥10 workers (both unmet)
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2630.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 50.5 s, crop) · source sha256 2706e6702c1b…
  • fig-upgrade-tree — Upgrades tree: 3-mineral prices, level gates
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2646.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 66.0 s) · source sha256 719fd18da363…
  • fig-fusion-module — Factory Fusion Module 30/15/7
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2642.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 62.0 s, crop) · source sha256 c5c231fbb8b0…
  • fig-reroll-tooltip — Minigun tooltip, REROLL left 1
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈106.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 16.0 s) · source sha256 1d7e00a02fe0…
  • fig-destroy-confirm — Destroy dialog: +5/+1 refund, −1 iron fee
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2134.9 s · acquired still (clip PTS 9.9 s, crop) · source sha256 ae7709f1afb9…
  • fig-automatic-turret — Automatic Turret card; catalogue costs
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2143.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 18.5 s, crop) · source sha256 81c742aeb17d…
  • fig-free-buildings-1-0 — 1.0 “First two buildings are free”
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈10.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 10.5 s) · source sha256 79f28e80a83b…
  • fig-earthcrusher-preset — Earthcrusher preset traits
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈20.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 20.5 s) · source sha256 f0dbe83b4bcd…
  • fig-contract-1-0 — 1.0 contract card (Bleakwind; +20% night ability recharge, −50 permanent resources)
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈29.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 29.0 s) · source sha256 5117fac62a3d…
  • fig-hatch-wiki — Hatch Block wiki text (4-block crack, 5.5-block trigger)
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈116.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 8.5 s) · source sha256 5ef09fde8915…
  • fig-ban-and-rarity — Resonant Laser card: CD 70 s, −10 s/building, ★★ +20%, ban ✕
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈648.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 12.0 s, crop) · source sha256 71d5f4d38978…
  • fig-modifications — Pause-menu Modifications list
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈638.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 2.0 s, crop) · source sha256 888a5c089ebf…
  • fig-distributor-card — Distributor: one turret +300%, CD 15 s; Nest 6/2/0
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈1351.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 21.0 s, crop) · source sha256 3111e9c5e68b…
  • fig-railgun-card — Railgun stats 0.1 / 34 / 21.1; ★★ +40% range; 3/2/1
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈1365.1 s · acquired still (clip PTS 35.1 s, crop) · source sha256 669369a4111a…
  • fig-drill-queued — Night: “Drilling next morning”, coal already 0
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈702.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 12.0 s) · source sha256 a9a9ed10588a…
  • fig-drill-morning — Day 8: descent begins
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈705.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 15.0 s) · source sha256 d7431839eb0e…
  • fig-arachnor-fight — Arachnor on a thread under fire
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈1598.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 63.0 s) · source sha256 b6578627b99a…
  • fig-arachnor-retreat — Arachnor withdrawing up the shaft
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈1605.5 s · acquired still (clip PTS 70.5 s) · source sha256 9698fa750442…
  • fig-deep-platform — Day 36 at 250/150 m; 3 storeys; 16/16
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈2741.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 1.0 s) · source sha256 b749d5dafccc…
  • fig-core-launch — Launch cutscene: core lowered into the drill
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈2767.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 27.0 s) · source sha256 3eee40e64de2…
  • fig-success-1-0 — 1.0 result 300 m / 36 d / 71%; 140+2288=2428 XP
    V2 MW2CsLPm-lY · ≈2796.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 56.0 s, crop) · source sha256 b52c2675b4e4…
  • fig-tier3-contract — Tier 3 Stonewhisper: 4×50 m, reward 26/28/7
    V1 JgT7ZMEdYXg · ≈2673.0 s · acquired still (clip PTS 93.0 s, crop) · source sha256 842fcb400ad3…
12 · Coverage, method and limits
  • Inspected: all 27 packet frames (18 show the intended state, 9 partly or not — see corrections); 13 acquired clips: V1 90–120, 200–280, 2125–2150, 2394–2450, 2580–2700; V2 0–30, 108–130, 480–505, 636–655, 690–715, 1330–1375, 1535–1620, 2740–2830 (contact sheets at 1–5 s spacing, dense stills at key transitions).
  • Modalities: images and silent video only. Game audio was not acquired or heard; every sound statement is report-only.
  • Not resolved: meaning of the Q and HOLD R buttons; exact launch condition; star and XP formulas; recruit costs; worker/enemy/block stats; wave composition; day length and recording game speed; defeat flow; frost/jungle/Dwarves content (developer text only).
  • Version drift: numeric values are 1.0 (or preview where marked). Later patches changed several turrets (e.g. Laser 0.8 shots/s and 12 damage, Railgun 0.2 shots/s and 36 damage in Sep 2026) and made most instant-kill blocks deal damage instead (Oct 2025).
  • Packaging checks: structural validator; desktop and 390×844 rendering; lightbox fit/1:1. Semantic review was manual against the frames listed above; the validator does not certify rules.
SRC

Sources

External product facts; gameplay claims rest on the embedded figures.