Ember Wastes is a text-based space exploration game built in Python, where players captain a ship through a procedurally generated universe fraught with danger and opportunity. Survive by scavenging resources, repairing and upgrading your vessel, engaging in turn-based combat with hostile ships, and managing energy reserves to explore distant systems. Whether you're a scavenger hunting for loot in chaotic nebulae or a strategist outfitting your ship in the safety of your home base, Ember Wastes offers a gritty, immersive experience of survival and discovery in a vast, unforgiving cosmos.
- Dynamic Systems: Travel to procedurally generated systems with varying security levels (1.0 safe to 0.0 lawless), each offering unique loot tables and risks.
- Ship Management: Repair hull damage, fit new components, and craft items like power cells to keep your ship operational.
- Combat: Face off against enemy ships in turn-based battles, triggered by travel into low-security zones, with outcomes based on ship stats and tactics.
- Scavenging: Explore systems to gather resources like Scrap Metal or siphon energy, with random yields driven by percentile rolls.
- Persistent Progress: Save and load your game state, preserving inventory, ship condition, and explored systems.
- Modular Design: Built with an additive, function-based architecture—new features slot in as standalone files with minimal integration.
- Start at your Home base, where you repair, craft, and manage inventory.
- Travel to new systems (25 energy cost), risking combat encounters based on security status (e.g., 0.0 = 100% chance).
- Explore systems (10 energy) to reveal details, scavenge for loot, or fight enemies like Pirate Scouts.
- Refuel via fabrication (convert Power Cells to energy) or energy siphoning from rich systems.
- Return home to regroup, or press deeper into the wastes.
core.py: Main game loop and menu hub.game_logic.py: New game setup, travel, and exploration logic.combat/: Turn-based combat system and enemy triggers.ships/: Ship definitions (player and NPCs).systems/: System generation and classification.scavenge/: Resource gathering mechanics.fabrication/: Crafting system.drydock/: Ship repair and upgrades.- Plus utilities, menus, and JSON data files for extensibility.
As of February 2025, Ember Wastes is a playable prototype with a solid foundation:
- Core mechanics (travel, combat, scavenging) are functional.
- Combat triggers on travel, scaled by system security.
- Energy management balances exploration and survival.
- Next steps include expanding system types (e.g., Trader Hubs, Junkers Graveyards) with unique encounters and loot.
- Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/Kariko762/Ember-Wastes.git - Run
core.py:python core.py - Choose "New Game" and begin your journey!
This project is built additively—new features are welcome as standalone files with light integration. Want to add a new ship, system type, or mechanic? Fork the repo, code it up, and submit a pull request. Check the issues tab for current priorities like combat trigger expansion or new "unknown" system types.
[Pending—add your preferred license here, e.g., MIT, GPL]
Created by Kariko762.