Neon Core v0.2.0-alpha.1 — Reactor Overhaul Preview

Neon Core v0.2.0-alpha.1

The first major overhaul of Neon Core is here.

This alpha preview transforms the original three-file prototype into a modular, mobile-friendly sci-fi reactor game with a redesigned interface, improved accessibility, versioned saves, and a much stronger foundation for future gameplay updates.

Highlights

• Completely redesigned reactor-dashboard interface
• Refined cyberpunk dark theme
• Fully reworked solar-laboratory light theme
• Modular browser-native ES module architecture
• Improved mobile layout with touch-friendly navigation
• New settings panel
• Versioned save system with legacy-save migration
• Save importing, exporting, and autosave status
• Cloud-free browser persistence
• Improved offline-progress handling
• Reworked notification manager with queued messages
• Improved achievement, milestone, Surge, and Singularity feedback
• Reduced-animation preference
• Improved keyboard accessibility
• Expanded public README
• Lightweight automated test suite with 37 passing tests
• No framework, bundler, or third-party runtime dependencies

Existing gameplay preserved

The core Neon Core loop remains intact:

• Click the reactor to generate energy
• Purchase upgrades
• Build passive generation
• Trigger Neon Surge
• Unlock achievements
• Collapse the reactor into a Singularity for permanent power
• Save locally and continue earning limited offline progress

Controls

• Click the reactor or press Space to generate energy
• Press B to toggle Buy 1 and Buy Max
• Press S to save
• Press Esc to close open panels

Alpha status

This is an early public preview of the redesigned experience. The foundation is significantly improved, but balancing, animation quality, sound design, progression depth, and some interface details still need additional work.

Known issues

• Combining rapid reactor clicks with the Space key can sometimes generate more energy than intended.
• Rapid click feedback can occasionally place floating energy numbers incorrectly.
• Rapidly toggling Buy 1 and Buy Max may leave an outdated notification visible.
• Progression balance, Neon Surge timing, animations, and sound effects still need further tuning.
• The expanded achievement area currently takes up more space than intended.

Next planned improvements

• Gameplay balancing pass
• Reactor-input bug fixes
• Improved notification replacement behavior
• Refined click-feedback positioning
• Stronger animation system
• Remastered sound effects
• More upgrade tiers
• More achievements and stats
• Collapsible achievement interface
• Optional cloud-free save slots
• Second prestige layer

This release is marked as a pre-release while the redesigned game continues to evolve.