A simplified reinterpretation of classic Malkari — a Gene Vault AI expanding through a shattered binary-star system. Short sessions, orbital prediction, and territory control over micromanagement.
You awaken as a Gene Vault AI. Your home asteroid drifts through chaos left by a rogue star. Claim rocks, harvest, build drones, predict paths, and contest rivals — win by dominance, survival, or points.
A rogue star enters the system. Planets and moons are torn apart.
Gene Seed Vaults awaken after the chaos.
Survivors compete across asteroids in multiple orbit types — circular belts around each star and figure-8 paths threading both wells.
The 1999 vision assumed fixed circular and figure-8 lanes. Wide binary orbits are a modern addition enabled by today's hardware.
Non-interactive timed jumps felt more fun in early playtests; physics ENGAGE exists for skill expression. Pick one model and commit.
Dispatch from home vault; secure rocks before rivals or before orbit carries them away.
Extract nickel-iron, rare metals, and vault-grade materials to feed fleet and structures.
Simple fleets — harvesters, scouts, fighters — plus outposts, extractors, shipyards.
Semi-accurate ephemerides and drift variance; timing beats raw APM.
Capture or fight over rocks that cross enemy lanes — conflict hotspots emerge naturally.
Dominance, survival, or point thresholds — tuned for async and blitz multiplayer.
Faithful to Malkari vault duels, compressed for 5–15 minute sessions. Spiritual successor to landing on a drifting rock, drilling into the unknown, and claustrophobic vault fights — without long turn waits or heavy UI.
Asteroids drift past your home vault on semi-predictable paths. Send a drone now, wait for a better rock, or split attention across multiple targets.
30–60s tap/hold drilling through ice, rock, metal, and void pockets. Race the orbit, rival drones, and power reserves.
Unclaimed: install your core and take the rock. Contested: 3–5 drone micro-battle in tight corridors with drillable flanks.
One structure slot, one asteroid role (miner, relay, factory, scout), slow vault-core upgrades — readable on a phone.
Predicted paths, drift variance, and support radius create safe expansion vs isolated high-risk outposts vs conflict hotspots.
| Guild | Playstyle | Vault identity |
|---|---|---|
| Miner Guild | Faster extraction, economy focus | Industrial yield |
| War Guild | Stronger drones and strike craft | Combat primacy |
| Navigator Guild | Orbital prediction and timing | Path mastery |
| Bio Guild | Vault expansion and adaptation | Organic growth |
Drones — harvest, scout, fight. Simple counts, no army micromanagement.
StructuresStations (defence, production, research), vault upgrades as HQ, outposts on claimed asteroids.
Readability first: glowing vector orbital map, irregular asteroids, LCARS-inspired minimal chrome, radial menus for mobile. Desktop prototype uses 3D belts today; mobile target stays stylised and light.