The Core Loop

The game runs on ticks. One tick is about 4 seconds early on and it gets shorter with Mod Branch: Loop and Time upgrades. Generators, ship systems and automation all work off ticks. See Ticks.

The cycle:

1. Cells come from Generators. MK2 makes MK1, MK3 makes MK2, and so on.
2. You spend Cells on generators, Tech Upgrades, ships, Crew and Installs.
3. Your run fills Loops. Each filled Loop adds pending Mod Points. See Loops and Mod Points.
4. You do a Loop Reset. Pending Mod Points become yours. Cells and most of your build go back to the start.
5. You spend Mod Points in the Mod Tree Basics and your next run is faster.
6. Repeat. Each cycle is stronger than the last.

Two kinds of run:

• Short runs chase Mod Points. See Short Runs vs Long Runs.
• Long runs build Shards and other slow currencies.

What survives a reset and what does not: What Resets and What Stays.