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Crafting — Refine & Forge

A recipe turns inputs → outputs over time, run in batches. You choose how many batches to queue; inputs are debited upfront, and each batch matures one duration apart. Outputs are always whole units, claimed as they mature.

Two categories​

  • Refine (tier-2, free to run) — start immediately.
  • Forge (tier-5, paid in $CPU) — does not start until the $CPU payment clears.

The full recipe graph — inputs, outputs, durations, tiers, and costs — is in the Recipes table. There are 6 seed recipes today: five free refines and one paid forge.

The free refines​

  • Generate Power — the bootstrap recipe; consumes no Power so the tech tree can start from raw resources.
  • Refine Pure Silicon, Refine Concrete, Smelt Steel, Refine Copper — each consumes Power plus raw inputs.

Provisional All recipe ratios and durations are balance placeholders.

The CPU Forge​

The CPU Forge is the only paid recipe and the sole source of WCPU. It consumes refined goods plus a large amount of Power and pays out WCPU per batch, on a long timer, for a per-batch $CPU cost. WCPU then sits in the cell's balance and can be withdrawn 1:1 to $CPU.

Batches, claiming, and limits​

  • Inputs for all queued batches are debited once, upfront.
  • Batches mature one duration apart — a 10-batch, 30-second recipe matures outputs at t = 30, 60, 90, … 300s.
  • Claiming matured outputs is free; you can claim partial progress as batches complete.
  • There is a hard cap on batches per process and on concurrent processes per cell — see the Limits table.

Provisional The current intent is one active process per cell; design notes carry an older "max 4" figure, so this limit is not fully settled. Building-tier upgrades may raise it in future.