Cosmic Collector
Operational Field Manual
LAUNCH MISSION
1. Mission Objective
You are a pilot of a Class-4 UFO. Your mission is to descend to Earth and collect biological specimens for the Galactic Zoo.
However, the Earth Military is aware of your presence. They will escalate their response the longer you remain in the atmosphere.
- COLLECT animals and humans to earn funds.
- AVOID military fire and lightning strikes.
- ESCAPE by flying off the top of the screen to enter the R&D Shop and upgrade your ship.
- NOTE: Your CARGO is persistent across missions (it does not automatically "bank" in the shop).
- EXPLORE various Earth locations and special stages (Woodland, Chicken World, Penguin World, Alien Stage) triggered by specific cargo collections.
Special Stage Triggers (Cargo Thresholds)
- Chicken World: 50+ Chickens collected.
- Penguin World: 150+ Penguins collected.
- Woodland Stage: 50+ Deer and 10+ Bears collected.
- Alien Stage: 100+ Aliens collected.
Stage selection priority: Alien > Penguin > Chicken > Woodland > Earth.
2. Flight Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|
| Arrow Keys | Navigate the ship (Up, Down, Left, Right). |
| Spacebar | Activate Tractor Beam.
(Hold to lift targets. Release to drop.) |
| Z | Activate EMP Blast (Must be unlocked). |
| X | Activate Turbo Boost (Must be unlocked). |
| C | Deploy Decoy Flare (Must be unlocked). |
| Enter | Confirm selection in Shop / Start / Restart. |
| ~ / D | Toggle the Developer Cargo Editor (if enabled). |
3. The Specimens
Different specimens have different Weights. Heavier targets require stronger beams (upgrades) to lift efficiently.
- Chicken (Weight: 0.5): Easy to catch. Low value.
- Penguin (Weight: 1.0): Found in colder regions.
- Human (Weight: 2.5): Will run if they see you.
- Deer (Weight: 4.0): Fast moving.
- Cow (Weight: 6.0): Very slow to lift without upgrades.
- Bear (Weight: 8.0): High value, but heavy.
- Alien (Weight: 10.0): Rare, very high value, extremely heavy.
Tip: If your beam is weak, abduct heavy targets by flying low so they have less distance to travel to reach your ship.
4. The Military (Antagonists)
The military spawns based on the Threat Level and mission progression. The longer you stay, the harder they hit.
- Infantry: Weak. Can be abducted for points!
- Jeep: Fast moving. Rapid fire. (Round 3+)
- Tank: Heavily armored. Shoots high-damage shells. (Round 6+)
- Jet: Fast air unit. Fires missiles. (Round 8+)
5. Survival & Mechanics
Visibility & Stealth
Your VISIBILITY (VIS) meter determines how easily the military can target you.
- Day/Night Cycle: You are most visible during the day, least visible at night.
- Clouds: Flying inside a cloud makes you extremely hard to detect.
- Beaming: Activating your beam forces visibility to 100% (even if you are inside a cloud).
- Weather: Fog and rain reduce visibility naturally.
Weather Hazards
- Storms: May include lightning.
- Lightning Strike: Can damage your hull and temporarily freeze your controls.
Flight Ceiling & Ground Clearance
- Leaving the mission: Fly off the top of the screen to enter the shop.
- Ground clearance: Your UFO cannot descend fully onto the ground surface. It will stop slightly above the ground and still take impact damage if you slam into the lowest limit.
Health Systems
- Shields (Blue): Regenerate automatically over time. Your first line of defense.
- Hull (Green): DOES NOT REGENERATE during a mission. If Hull reaches 0%, you crash. Repair your Hull in the shop!
6. R&D Shop (Upgrades)
After escaping a level (fly up), spend your funds:
- [1] Hull Repair (100): Vital. Always keep your hull repaired.
- [2] Beam Power ++ (300): Lifts heavy objects (Cows/Bears) faster.
- [3] Beam Width ++ (400): Catch multiple targets at once.
- [4] Engine Speed ++ (400): Fly faster. Base engine speed starts at 0.2. Upgrades increase it.
- [5] Max Shield ++ (500): Increase your shield capacity.
- [6] Stealth Tech ++ (600): Passively lowers your visibility.
- [7] Lure Beacon ++ (700): Causes more biological entities to spawn per round.
- [8] Unlock EMP (1000): Unlocks EMP on Z.
- [9] Unlock Boost (800): Unlocks Boost on X.
- [0] Unlock Decoy (1200): Unlocks Decoy on C.
- Cargo Report: View a detailed manifest of all collected specimens.
7. Galactic Zoo (Drop-Off)
The Galactic Zoo can appear as a special location during the Alien Stage.
- When you find the Galactic Zoo building, fly into it to open the Zoo Manifest.
- Use DROP OFF CARGO to store your current cargo permanently and reset special stage progression.
- This is the only way to clear your current cargo during normal play.