HECTON-8 — Deep Sea Sci-Fi Survival Game (NASA-Punk / Deep Sea Noir)

HECTON-8 is an immersive, atmospheric Deep Sea Sci-Fi Survival & Salvage Game built using Unity 6000.4 (Universal Render Pipeline). Set in the cold, twilight depths of the ocean planet Aegir, the game combines hard-science industrial machinery (NASA-Punk) with a tense, atmospheric corporate-noir mystery.

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🕹️ Core Game Mechanics & Experience

🌊 1. Twilight & Abyss Survival

• Depth-Based Gameplay:
  • 0–100m: Bright, colourful alien shallows filled with dense bioluminescent flora and fauna (inspired by the beauty floor of Subnautica).
  • 200–400m: Twilight zone where light fades and silhouettes, navigation instruments, and sonar cues become vital.
  • 400m+: Complete abyss where player-visible details rely entirely on headlights, sonar, and active sensor suites.
• Physical Survival: Manage strict, real-time oxygen reserves, hydrostatic pressure limits, temperature gradients, and environmental contaminants.

🛠️ 2. Industrial Salvage (Marauder Operations)

• NASA-Punk Aesthetic: Heavy, pressure-rated, functional, and bolted industrial machinery. Operating retro-futuristic submersibles and maintenance rigs.
• Grid-Based Inventory: A tactical inventory layout that requires spatial management of salvaged materials and equipment.
• Wreck Exploration: Board and salvage abandoned deep-sea research facilities, pipeline channels, and cargo hulls.

🧭 3. Sonar & Navigation

• Navigate pitch-black trenches and complex cave networks using active sonar maps, depth metrics, and acoustic telemetry.

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📐 Project Architecture & Systems

HECTON-8 is engineered for performance, moddability, and cross-platform scalability:

• Clean Logic Separation: Gameplay state (oxygen, inventory, pressure, construction) is strictly separated from presentation-only systems (lighting, post-effects, haptics).
• Zero-GC Hot Paths: Update loops, input handling, and event dispatching (SignalBus<T>) allocate 0 Bytes/frame to guarantee a constant framerate.
• Continuous Scalability: The engine dynamically reads a unified GlobalQualityWeight value to scale visuals and simulation density seamlessly from low-end handhelds (Steam Deck) to high-end PCVR rigs.
• Modular Assembly Structure:
  • Hecton8.Core: Base systems, event dispatchers, save state, and global registry.
  • Hecton8.World: Terrain mesh generation, spline tools, and bioluminescent pulse systems.
  • Hecton8.Input: Input mappings and device routing.

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📂 Repository Structure

• /Assets: Core Unity project files, scenes, shaders, materials, and prefabs.
• /ProjectSettings: Unity project configurations.
• /Docs: Comprehensive system bibles, specifications, and development rules:
  • water.md: Crest Ocean integration and rendering standards.
  • terrain.md: MapMagic spline, mesh generation, and splatmap rules.
  • persistence.md: Checksummed binary save game layout.
  • audio.md: Spatial audio acoustic DSP pipeline rules.

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🚀 Getting Started

📋 Prerequisites

• Unity Hub and Unity Editor 6000.4.x URP installed.
• .NET SDK 8.0/9.0 for C# compilation checks.

⚙️ Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/marko1olo/Hecton8.git

2. Open the project root folder in the Unity Hub.
3. Select Unity Editor version 6000.4 and launch.
4. Load the bootstrap scene: Assets/_Project/Scenes/00_BOOTSTRAP.unity.