# Mana Loop
An incremental/idle game about climbing a magical spire, mastering disciplines, and uncovering ancient secrets.
Repository ·
Getting Started ·
Game Systems ·
Contributing ·
Deployment
---
## Table of Contents
- [Overview](#overview)
- [Features](#features)
- [Tech Stack](#tech-stack)
- [Getting Started](#getting-started)
- [Project Structure](#project-structure)
- [Game Systems](#game-systems)
- [Deployment](#deployment)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [Banned Content](#banned-content)
- [License](#license)
- [Acknowledgments](#acknowledgments)
---
## Overview
**Mana Loop** is a browser-based incremental/idle game where players gather mana, practice disciplines, climb a mysterious spire, craft enchanted equipment, and summon magical golems. The game features a unique time-loop prestige system (Insight) that provides permanent progression bonuses across playthroughs.
### Core Game Loop
1. **Gather Mana** — Click to collect mana or let it regenerate automatically (22 total mana types)
2. **Practice Disciplines** — Continuously train abilities that drain mana each tick in exchange for growing stat bonuses
3. **Climb the Spire** — Battle through procedurally-generated floors; every 10th floor is a guardian encounter
4. **Craft & Enchant** — 3-stage equipment enchantment system with capacity limits
5. **Summon Golems** — Magical constructs that fight alongside you (1 base + 3 elemental + 6 hybrid types)
6. **Prestige (Loop)** — Reset progress for Insight currency, gain permanent bonuses
---
## Features
### 🔮 Mana System
- **22 Mana Types**: 7 base elements + 1 utility + 8 composite + 6 exotic
- Elemental conversion, regeneration mechanics, and meditation bonuses
- Mana types: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light, Dark, Death (base), Transference (utility), Metal, Sand, Lightning, Frost, BlackFlame, RadiantFlames, Miasma, ShadowGlass (composite), Crystal, Stellar, Void, Soul, Time, Plasma (exotic)
### 📜 Discipline System
- Practice-based progression — no discrete levels, only continuous XP growth
- Disciplines drain mana each tick; stat bonuses grow as a power curve of accumulated XP
- Perks unlock at XP thresholds (once, capped, or infinite stacking)
- Attunement-gated discipline pools (Base / Elemental / Enchanter / Invoker / Fabricator)
- Concurrent discipline slots unlock as total XP grows (max 4)
### ⚔️ Combat & Spire
- Cast-speed based combat system with elemental effectiveness
- Multi-spell support from equipped weapons
- Every 10th floor is a guardian: base elements (10–80), composite (90–160), exotic (170–240), then procedural combination bosses (250+)
- Golem allies that deal automatic damage each tick
- Enemy modifiers: Armored, Agile, Mage, Shield, Swarm
### 🛡️ Equipment & Enchanting
- 3-stage enchantment process: Design → Prepare → Apply
- Equipment capacity system limiting total enchantment power
- Enchantment effects: stat bonuses, multipliers, spell grants
- Disenchanting to recover mana (only in Prepare stage)
- 8 equipment slots with 50 equipment types across 9 categories
### 🤖 Golemancy System
- 10 golems total: 1 base (Earth) + 3 elemental (Steel, Crystal, Sand) + 6 hybrid types
- Golem slots unlock every 2 Fabricator levels (max 5 slots at Level 10)
- Hybrid golems require Enchanter 5 + Fabricator 5
### 🔄 Prestige (Insight)
- Reset progress for permanent Insight currency
- Insight upgrades across 14 categories
- Signed pacts and attunements persist through prestige
- Three attunement classes: Enchanter (Transference), Invoker (Spells/Pacts), Fabricator (Golems/Equipment)
---
## Tech Stack
| Technology | Version | Purpose |
|------------|---------|---------|
| **Next.js** | ^16.1.1 | Full-stack framework (App Router) |
| **React** | ^19.0.0 | UI library |
| **TypeScript** | ^5 | Type-safe development |
| **Tailwind CSS** | ^4 | Utility-first styling |
| **shadcn/ui** | Radix-based | Reusable UI components |
| **Zustand** | ^5.0.6 | Client state management (with persist) |
| **Bun** | Latest | JavaScript runtime & package manager |
| **Vitest** | ^4.1.2 | Unit testing framework |
| **ESLint** | ^9 | Code linting |
---
## Getting Started
### Prerequisites
- **Bun** runtime (recommended) or Node.js 18+
- Git
### Installation
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone git@gitea.tailf367e3.ts.net:Anexim/Mana-Loop.git
cd Mana-Loop
# Install dependencies (using Bun - recommended)
bun install
# Or using npm
npm install
```
### Development
```bash
# Start the development server (runs on port 3000)
bun run dev
# or
npm run dev
```
The game will be available at `http://localhost:3000`.
### Available Scripts
| Script | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `dev` | Start Next.js development server with logging |
| `build` | Build for production (outputs to `.next/standalone`) |
| `start` | Start production server (requires build first) |
| `lint` | Run ESLint |
| `test` | Run Vitest tests |
| `test:coverage` | Run tests with coverage report |
---
## Project Structure
```
Mana-Loop/
├── src/ # Application source code
│ ├── app/ # Next.js App Router
│ │ ├── layout.tsx # Root layout (metadata, fonts, providers)
│ │ ├── page.tsx # Main game UI
│ │ ├── globals.css # Global styles
│ │ └── components/ # App-level components
│ ├── components/ # React components
│ │ ├── ui/ # shadcn/ui components (20+ components)
│ │ └── game/ # Game-specific components
│ │ ├── tabs/ # Tab components (SpireTab, DisciplinesTab, etc.)
│ │ ├── ManaDisplay.tsx, ActionButtons.tsx, TimeDisplay.tsx
│ │ └── crafting/, debug/, LootInventory/ subdirectories
│ ├── hooks/ # Custom React hooks (use-mobile, use-toast)
│ └── lib/ # Utility libraries
│ └── game/ # Core game logic
│ ├── stores/ # 8 Modular Zustand stores (+ supporting files)
│ ├── crafting-actions/ # Modular crafting stage handlers
│ ├── constants/ # Elements, spells, rooms, prestige
│ ├── data/ # Game data
│ │ ├── disciplines/ # Per-attunement discipline definitions
│ │ ├── enchantments/ # Enchantment effects by category
│ │ ├── equipment/ # Equipment type definitions
│ │ ├── golems/ # Golem definitions
│ │ ├── guardian-data.ts # Static guardian definitions (floors 10–240)
│ │ └── guardian-encounters.ts # Procedural guardian lookup & combo bosses (250+)
│ ├── effects/ # Unified stat computation
│ ├── types/ # TypeScript types (disciplines, elements, etc.)
│ └── utils/ # Combat, floor, enemy, discipline math helpers
├── public/ # Static assets
├── docs/ # Project documentation
│ ├── AGENTS.md # Architecture guide for AI agents
│ └── GAME_BRIEFING.md # Comprehensive game design document
└── Configuration Files:
├── package.json, tsconfig.json, next.config.ts
├── vitest.config.ts, eslint.config.mjs
├── Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, Caddyfile
└── .gitea/workflows/ # Gitea Actions CI/CD pipeline
```
For detailed architecture patterns and coding guidelines, see [AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md).
---
## Game Systems
### Mana System
The core resource of the game with 22 distinct types organized in a hierarchy:
- **Base Elements (7)**: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light, Dark, Death
- **Utility (1)**: Transference (Enchanter attunement)
- **Composite (8)**: Metal (Fire+Earth), Sand (Earth+Water), Lightning (Fire+Air), Frost (Air+Water), BlackFlame (Dark+Fire), RadiantFlames (Light+Fire), Miasma (Air+Death), ShadowGlass (Earth+Dark)
- **Exotic (6)**: Crystal (Sand+Sand+Light), Stellar (Plasma+Light+Fire), Void (Dark+Dark+Death), Soul (Light+Dark+Transference), Time (Soul+Sand+Transference), Plasma (Lightning+Fire+Transference)
**Key Files**: `src/lib/game/stores/manaStore.ts`, `src/lib/game/constants/elements.ts`
### Discipline System
Disciplines replace the old skill system entirely. There are no discrete levels — disciplines grow **continuously** through practice. The player activates a discipline and it drains mana each tick in exchange for permanent stat growth within the run.
- **Stat bonus** grows as a power curve of XP: `baseValue × (XP / scalingFactor)^0.65`
- **Mana drain** also increases with XP: `drainBase × (1 + (XP / difficultyFactor)^0.4)`
- **Perks** unlock at XP thresholds (`once`, `capped`, or `infinite`)
- **Concurrent slots** start at 1 and unlock as total XP grows (max 4)
**Key Files**: `src/lib/game/data/disciplines/`, `src/lib/game/stores/discipline-slice.ts`, `src/lib/game/utils/discipline-math.ts`
### Guardian & Spire System
Every 10th floor is a guardian encounter. Guardians progress through multiple tiers of complexity:
1. **Base Elements (Floors 10–80)**: One guardian per base element + Transference. Static definitions with named guardians (Ignis Prime, Aqua Regia, etc.). Defeating them unlocks their associated mana types.
2. **Composite Elements (Floors 90–160)**: 8 composite element guardians (Metal, Sand, Lightning, Frost, BlackFlame, RadiantFlames, Miasma, ShadowGlass) with procedurally generated names.
3. **Exotic Elements (Floors 170–240)**: Crystal, Stellar, Void, Soul, Time, and Plasma guardians.
4. **Combination Bosses (Floor 250+)**: Fully procedural multi-element guardians through 8 scaling tiers, growing stronger every 10 floors.
**Key Files**: `src/lib/game/data/guardian-data.ts`, `src/lib/game/data/guardian-encounters.ts`
### Combat System
- Cast-speed based spell casting with elemental effectiveness multipliers
- Enemy modifiers: Armored, Agile, Mage (barrier), Shielded, Swarm
- Golem allies deal automatic damage each tick
- Discipline bonuses feed into damage via `getUnifiedEffects()`
**Key Files**: `src/lib/game/stores/combatStore.ts`, `src/lib/game/utils/combat-utils.ts`, `src/lib/game/utils/enemy-generator.ts`
### Enchanting System
3-stage equipment enchantment process:
1. **Design**: Choose effects for your equipment type
2. **Prepare**: Ready equipment (ONLY stage where disenchanting is possible)
3. **Apply**: Apply designed enchantments
**Key Files**: `src/lib/game/crafting-actions/`, `src/lib/game/data/enchantments/`
### Golemancy System
- **Base Golems**: Earth (Fabricator 2)
- **Elemental Golems**: Steel (Metal), Crystal, Sand
- **Hybrid Golems** (Enchanter 5 + Fabricator 5): Lava, Galvanic, Obsidian, Prism, Quicksilver, Voidstone
- **Golem Slots**: 1 slot at Fabricator Level 2, +1 every 2 levels (max 5 at Level 10)
**Key Files**: `src/lib/game/data/golems/`, `src/lib/game/stores/gameStore.ts`
### Prestige (Insight)
Reset progress to gain Insight currency for permanent upgrades:
- Signed pacts persist through prestige
- Attunement choices affect gameplay (Enchanter/Invoker/Fabricator)
- 14 insight upgrade types provide bonuses across all loops
---
## Deployment
### Docker Deployment
```bash
# Build and run with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d
# Or build manually
docker build -t mana-loop .
docker run -p 3000:3000 mana-loop
```
### CI/CD Pipeline
- **Gitea Actions**: `.gitea/workflows/docker-build.yaml` automatically builds and pushes Docker images to `gitea.tailf367e3.ts.net/anexim/mana-loop:latest` on push to `master`/`main`
- **Multi-platform**: Builds for linux/amd64 architecture
- **Image Tags**: Branch name, commit SHA, "latest"
### Reverse Proxy
A `Caddyfile` is included for reverse proxy setup (forwards port 81 to 3000).
### Production Build
```bash
bun run build
NODE_ENV=production bun .next/standalone/server.js
```
---
## Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please follow these guidelines:
### Development Workflow
1. **Pull latest changes** before starting work: `git pull origin master`
2. **Create a feature branch** for your changes: `git checkout -b feature/your-feature`
3. **Follow existing patterns** in the codebase (see AGENTS.md)
4. **Run linting** before committing: `bun run lint`
5. **Test your changes** thoroughly: `bun run test`
6. **Commit and push** to your branch, then create a pull request
### Code Style
- TypeScript throughout with strict typing
- Use existing shadcn/ui components over custom implementations
- Follow the modular store pattern (`src/lib/game/stores/`)
- Keep files under 400 lines (enforced by pre-commit hook)
- Use path aliases: `@/*` maps to `./src/*`
### Adding New Features
For detailed patterns on adding new effects, disciplines, spells, or systems, see the comprehensive [AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md) guide, which includes architecture overview, coding patterns, and git workflow.
---
## Banned Content
The following content has been removed from the game and must not be re-added:
### Banned Mechanics
- **Lifesteal** — Player cannot heal from dealing damage
- **Healing** — Player cannot heal themselves (floors take damage, not the player)
- **Scroll crafting** — Violates the no-instant-finishing design pillar
- **Ascension skills** — Removed; no replacement
### Banned Mana Types
- **Life** — Removed (healing theme conflicts with core design)
- **Blood** — Removed (life derivative)
- **Wood** — Removed (life derivative)
- **Mental** — Removed
- **Force** — Removed
### Banned Systems
- **Familiar System** — Removed in favour of Golemancy and Pact systems
- **Skill System** (study, tiers T1–T5, milestone upgrades) — Fully replaced by the Discipline System
---
## License
```
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2024 Mana Loop
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
```
---
## Acknowledgments
- Built with modern web technologies (Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS)
- UI components from [shadcn/ui](https://ui.shadcn.com/)
- State management with [Zustand](https://github.com/pmndrs/zustand/)
- Game icons from [Lucide React](https://lucide.dev/)
- Special thanks to the open-source community for the amazing tools that make this project possible.
---
Climb the spire. Master the mana. Uncover the loop.