1d ago
Feature Design Spec - ECO Energy & Sleep System
Feature Design Specification: ECO Energy & Sleep System
Executive Summary
This design replaces ECO’s current digestion-based crafting restriction with a realistic, dual-resource framework. It separates Skill Progression from Physical Labor Energy, introduces Sleep as a core gameplay and housing loop, and reinforces the server economy through long-term demand for cooks, carpenters, and builders.
1. Core Mechanics: Separation of Biology & Labor
Stomach & Nutrition (Skill Progression): The stomach exclusively handles nutrient balance and taste preferences to calculate XP regeneration.
Labor Energy (New Resource Bar): A dedicated stamina/focus bar consumed when executing manual actions (shoveling, chopping) or starting production recipes at machines.
2. Food as Immediate Mobile Fuel
Food remains the primary on-the-go source of Labor Energy, leveraging existing taste markers (smileys) dynamically:
Green Smiley (Favorite Food): Restores 100% of the Labor Energy bar.
Yellow Smiley (Neutral Food): Restores 50–70% of the Labor Energy bar.
Red Smiley (Disliked Food): Restores only 20–30% of the Labor Energy bar.
Economy Impact: Chefs remain vital, as high-tier, well-liked dishes save inventory space and maximize energy efficiency per meal.
3. Sleep as a Sustainable Recovery Source
Sleeping restores Labor Energy without consuming food. Efficiency depends directly on room quality and furniture tiers (Housing):
Basic Bed / Straw Mat (Tier 1 / Tent): Slow recovery rate; caps at 30–50% maximum energy.
Upholstered / Luxury Bed (Tier 2–3+ / Advanced Housing): Fast recovery rate; caps at up to 100% maximum energy.
4. Multiplayer Balance & Anti-Exploit Design
To prevent AFK farming (Away From Keyboard) and time-zone exploits on persistent servers:
Rest Buff Cap: A daily limit (e.g., maximum 800 energy points restored via sleep per 24 hours) prevents infinite sleeping.
Active Power Nap (Online): Sleeping requires 3 to 5 minutes of real-time. If the player remains inactive after energy is full, an automated AFK kick triggers.
Offline Recovery (Logout Bonus): Logged-out players resting in a bed passively regenerate energy over time (e.g., 10% per hour) up to their bed’s tier cap.
Synchronized World Time: Sleeping does not speed up server time, crop growth, or machine processing in multiplayer.
5. Multiplayer Economy & Profession Impact
Carpenters & Decorators: Beds and furniture shift from static decoration items into essential, recurring capital goods.
New Service Economy: Players can build and operate Inns and Hotels at transit hubs, alongside an active Real Estate Market for ready-to-move-in housing.
Profession Balance: Chefs supply field workers with high-density mobile energy; builders and carpenters provide the foundation for long-term, cost-free energy recovery.
6. Singleplayer Strategy & Mechanics
Time-Skip Mechanics: Sleeping takes 3 seconds of real-time but advances world time by 6 to 8 in-game hours (smelters and crops continue processing).
Risk vs. Reward: Sleeping conserves food and crafting resources but consumes precious in-game time before the Meteor Impact. Higher-tier beds reduce the required sleep duration, saving valuable days on the countdown clock.
Pending