diff --git a/PLAYERS_GUIDE.md b/PLAYERS_GUIDE.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b7569bc --- /dev/null +++ b/PLAYERS_GUIDE.md @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ +# Player's Guide: Production - The Idle Game + +Welcome, CEO! Whether you're a seasoned tycoon strategist or jumping into your very first incremental business game, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to take a modest wheat farm and build it into a multi-billion dollar industrial empire spanning aerospace, microelectronics, pharmaceuticals, and heavy robotics. + +--- + +## ๐Ÿญ 1. What Is the Game About? + +At its core, **Production - The Idle Game** is all about **interconnected supply chains**. + +Unlike simple clicker games where money just appears from thin air, in this game every single high-value product needs physical ingredients: +* You start by growing raw **Wheat** in fields. +* Grind that wheat into **Milled Flour** in a mill. +* Mix flour with **Refined Sugar** to bake **Artisan Bread**. +* Later on, you'll extract **Silica Sand** and **Crude Oil** to manufacture **Purified Silicon** and **Polymers**, feeding them into high-tech fabs to produce **Microchips**, **Display Panels**, and **Smartphones**โ€”eventually constructing **Commercial Jetliners** and **Orbital Launch Vehicles**! + +Your role as CEO is to balance production, eliminate bottlenecks, manage cash flow, expand factory lines, fulfill corporate contracts, and decide when to take your company public on Wall Street. + +--- + +## ๐Ÿš€ 2. Getting Started (Your First 5 Minutes) + +### Step 1: Launch & Register (or Play as a Guest) +* Open the game in your browser. +* You can play immediately as a **Guest**! Your game automatically saves in your browser's local storage. +* **Creating an Account (Recommended):** Click on your company badge in the top navigation bar to open your Profile. Choose a username and password to create an account. Creating an account backs up your progress to the cloud so you can log in and play across different computers or browsers. +* **Backing up your Save:** You can also export your entire game to a `.json` text file at any time (or paste one in to restore) directly from your Profile modal! + +### Step 2: Run Your First Batches +* On the main **Production Floor**, you'll see your starting facility: the **Wheat Field**. +* Click the **"Run Batch"** button a few times to harvest wheat. +* Notice your cash and warehouse stock start ticking upward! + +### Step 3: Hire an Operations Lead (Automation) +* Clicking manually gets tiring quickly. As soon as you have a few dollars, click **"Hire Lead"**. +* Each facility has a dedicated Operations Lead (like Farmer Giles for Wheat or Miller Hansen for Flour). Once hired, they will automatically run production cycles for you 24/7โ€”even while you're away! + +### Step 4: Expand Lines & Unlock Downstream Factories +* Use **"+1 Lines"** to add more capacity. More lines produce larger batches of goods each cycle. +* When your balance reaches the permit cost, click **"Acquire Permit"** on the next facility (like Milled Flour or Sugar Beet) to expand your industrial footprint. + +--- + +## ๐Ÿ“ˆ 3. How You Make Money: The Two Revenue Streams + +Your enterprise earns revenue through two distinct channels: + +### 1. Passive Wholesale Distribution (Fleet Logistics) +Every facility can deploy a **Wholesale Fleet** (trucks, tankers, cargo haulers). +* Each fleet unit automatically sells up to **0.75 items per second** directly onto the open regional wholesale market. +* This provides a continuous, reliable stream of passive income ($/sec). +* **Tip:** If a downstream factory is starving for raw materials, you can click **"Wholesale Fleet: ON/OFF"** on the card to pause open-market sales and save all materials for your own production lines! + +### 2. B2B Corporate Procurement Tenders (Big Contracts) +Click the **"B2B Contracts"** tab in the top header. +* Giant MegaCorps (like *Apex Resources*, *Titan Heavy Industries*, *Omni Dynamics*, and *Vanguard Shipping*) regularly post emergency requests for large batches of specific commodities. +* Stockpile the required amount, hit **"Deliver Shipment"**, and collect: + 1. **Massive lump-sum cash payouts** (often hundreds or thousands of times higher than standard wholesale). + 2. **Corporate Reputation points (Rep)** to boost your company's standing! + +--- + +## ๐ŸŽ–๏ธ 4. Corporate Reputation (Rep) & The Strategy Hub + +Located directly at the top of the **B2B Contracts** view is the **Corporate Standing & Reputation Hub**. + +When you deliver contracts, you earn **Rep Points**. You can freely allocate these points across three strategic departments, tailoring your company's advantages to your playstyle: + +1. **Model 1: B2B Procurement Standing** + * *The Benefit:* Grants **+0.5% bonus cash payout** on all future contract tenders per point. + * *Best For:* Players who love stockpiling goods to cash in on high-value corporate deals. + +2. **Model 2: Client Strategic Relations (MegaCorp Synergies)** + * *The Benefit:* Deepens ties with the four corporate giants to unlock four simultaneous perks: + * **Apex Resources:** Increases raw extraction yields (+0.2%/pt). + * **Titan Heavy Industries:** Gives a discount on building new lines (+0.2%/pt, up to a whopping **50% off**!). + * **Omni Dynamics:** Accelerates factory speed and cycle times (+0.15%/pt). + * **Vanguard Shipping:** Increases wholesale logistics fleet throughput (+0.25%/pt). + * *Best For:* Industrial optimizers looking to build massive production complexes at lower cost. + +3. **Model 3: Wholesale Brand Premium** + * *The Benefit:* Boosts the baseline open-market wholesale sale price by **+0.25% per point** across all fleet sales. + * *Best For:* Idle enthusiasts who rely on continuous, set-and-forget passive cash flow. + +> ๐Ÿ’ก **Pro-Tip:** You can click **"Reset Allocations"** at any time with zero penalty to recall all your points and re-invest them! + +--- + +## ๐Ÿ” 5. Facility Dossier & Smart Controls + +Want to know why a factory is paused or how much money it's making? Click the **blue info icon** or the title on any card to open the **Full Facility Intelligence Dossier**: + +* **Detailed Financials:** View exact revenue per second, projected earnings per hour, and total asset valuation. +* **The Net Flow Calculator:** Shows transparently: + `[Production Rate] - [Downstream Consumption] - [Logistics Sales] = [Net Stock Change (ฮ”/s)]` +* **Production Throttling (100% / 75% / 50% / 25% / Paused):** If an upstream factory (e.g. Purified Silicon) is running out because downstream chips are eating it too fast, dial the consumer down to 50% or 25% to restore balance. +* **Emergency Stock Liquidation:** Need fast cash to buy a critical permit? Instantly sell 50% or 100% of the facility's stockpiles at market rates. +* **DAG Navigation:** Click on any required input or downstream consumer in the dossier to jump straight to that facility! + +--- + +## ๐Ÿ‘๏ธ 6. Standard View vs. Compact View + +At the top right of your production floor, you'll find the **View Mode Toggle**: +* **Standard View:** Generous, card-based cards featuring rich, cropped photographs of your finished commodities, interactive input chips, and full operational switches. +* **Compact View:** A dense, high-speed summary grid designed for rapid scanning. It shows square thumbnails, real-time batch progress bars, line counts, and quick-purchase buttons so you can manage dozens of factories at a glance without endless scrolling. + +--- + +## ๐Ÿ›๏ธ 7. Initial Public Offering (IPO) & Wall Street Prestige + +Eventually, your company will reach an astronomical valuation. When you're ready to cement your legacy: + +1. Click on the **"Boardroom"** tab. +2. If your lifetime revenue exceeds $100,000, you can authorize an **IPO (Initial Public Offering)**. +3. **What happens during an IPO?** + * Your current factories, inventory, and cash are liquidated. + * In return, you receive permanent **Venture Shares ($V-Shares)** based on your lifetime earnings! +4. **The Boardroom Tech Tree:** + Spend your $V-Shares on permanent corporate upgrades that persist across all future runs: + * **Automated Supply Routing:** +15% raw yield per level. + * **Industrial Robotics & AI:** +20% faster cycle speeds across all factories. + * **Fleet Optimization:** +25% higher wholesale sale prices. + * **State Subsidies:** +35% larger payouts on B2B contracts. + * **Venture Capital Syndicate:** Start your next company with up to **$5,000,000** in starting capital! + * **Brand Legacy & Heritage:** Keep **10% to 50%** of your accumulated Corporate Reputation across IPOs instead of starting from scratch! + +--- + +## ๐Ÿ’ก Quick Tips for Aspiring Tycoons + +* **Watch the Flashing Alerts:** If a facility shows a yellow **"Starved / Bottlenecked"** badge, check its input chips. It's waiting for an ingredient from an upstream supplier! +* **Use the Multiplier Switcher:** In the top header bar, switch between **1x**, **10x**, **100x**, or **Next** (buys just enough lines to reach the next speed milestone). +* **Speed Milestones:** Every 25, 50, 100, and 200 lines you buy doubles or triples that facility's speed multiplier! +* **Offline Progress:** Need to step away? Go ahead! When you return, the game calculates up to **8 hours of offline production and logistics sales** automatically. + +Good luck, CEO. The global market is waiting for your supply chain!