Game Mechanics

Fish Generator

Every player has a Fish Generator in their village garden. It produces Fish over time.

• Generator Strength determines your Fish output

• Your share of Fish is proportional to your Generator Strength relative to all players

• Strength is increased by depositing into the ecosystem — Uncle Erby sends Generator Parts with every deposit, each one making you and your generator more powerful

Upgrading

When you deposit into the ecosystem, you receive:

Reward	Purpose
Fish Generator Parts	Permanently increase Generator Strength
Metal	Upgrade equipment and stats

PGM Bonus: Depositing PGM grants 20% more Metal than an equivalent deposit in other currencies.

Entry Fee

A one-time fee of 0.005 ETH (~$10) is required to start. This activates your village and Fish Generator, and triggers the first letter from Uncle Erby.

Metal and Stats

Metal is the upgrade currency. Use it to improve your Pengu:

Stat	Effect
HP	Survive more drone attacks
Attack	Damage dealt to hostile drones
Mining Speed	How fast you mine Hard Ice
Orca Detection	Spot the Orca before it's too late

Equipment

Equipment is brought into expeditions. Better equipment enables harder maps.

Equipment is crafted or purchased using Metal. Choose wisely — some of it can be lost permanently (see Death).

Expeditions

Spend Fish at the Exploration Vendor to buy an Expedition Map. You choose the difficulty:

• Higher difficulty = more Fish cost = more Hard Ice available = more PENGU earnable

• The challenge: can you handle the difficulty with your current stats and equipment?

Time Limit

Drones mine continuously alongside you. An expedition lasts roughly 20 minutes before the deposit is cleared. A skilled player can finish much faster.

Threats

Threat	Behavior	Danger
Shielded Drones	Mine Hard Ice, invincible	Time pressure — they take what you don't
Combat Drones	Mine and attack on proximity	Damage + time pressure — can knock you out
The Orca	Patrols beneath the ice	Instant kill on contact — no defense, only detection

Map Completion

A map ends when:

• All Hard Ice is mined (by you and/or drones)

• You die to the Orca

• You choose to extract early

Collected Hard Ice is traded at the Vendor for PENGU tokens.

Death

Drone Death — Knocked Out

You wake up in the village hospital. Bruised but alive.

	Status
Hard Ice collected this expedition	Lost
Equipment	Kept
XP earned this expedition	Kept
Fish Generator	Always safe

Hospital cooldown: 30 seconds after first knockout, 60 seconds after second, 90 after third — escalating within the same expedition. Resets on a new expedition.

After recovery you can head back out — if there's any Hard Ice left.

Orca Death — Gone

Instant. Total.

	Status
Hard Ice collected this expedition	Lost
Equipment you brought	Lost
XP earned this expedition	Lost
Lifetime XP	Kept — a new Pengu hatches, inheriting the wisdom of the one before
Fish Generator	Always safe

Experience and Progression

XP is earned by mining, destroying drones, and completing expeditions.

XP increases your level, unlocking:

• Higher tier equipment

• Skill bonuses

• Cosmetic rewards

XP is play-to-progress — it cannot be bought. Both time invested and skill matter.

Difficulty and Balance

Your core decision each expedition:

"What difficulty can I actually handle right now?"

• Too easy → low risk, low reward, slow PENGU earnings

• Too hard → death, gear loss, wasted Fish

• The sweet spot → the hardest difficulty you can reliably clear

This rewards players who understand their own capabilities and improve over time.