Neon Core v0.4.0-alpha.1 — Interface Reboot

Neon Core v0.4.0-alpha.1

Neon Core has received a full interface reboot.

This alpha release rebuilds the game around a wider cockpit-style reactor dashboard, introduces a cleaner category-based upgrade shop, improves the presentation of achievements and stats, redesigns the settings drawer, fixes the volume-slider visual defect, adds a custom favicon, and significantly improves the game’s visual hierarchy.

Play the latest build:
https://dawsoncodes.github.io/NeonCore/

Highlights

Cockpit-style desktop dashboard

• Replaced the narrow vertical layout with a wider three-zone reactor-control interface.
• Positioned progression systems such as Neon Surge, Singularity, and Event Horizon on the left.
• Moved the living reactor core and HUD into the center of the experience.
• Rebuilt the upgrade shop as a dedicated right-side panel.
• Reduced unnecessary page length and excessive scrolling.
• Added a compact lower strip for activity history, achievements, and stats.

Reactor HUD redesign

• Made the current energy total the visual centerpiece.
• Improved readability for per-click energy, passive generation, multiplier, critical chance, and Surge state.
• Added clearer Singularity progress presentation.
• Improved the reactor stage spacing and hierarchy.
• Preserved keyboard and touch interaction.

Living reactor visuals

• Added progression-aware reactor intensity.
• Improved glow behavior and ring motion.
• Added stronger Surge-ready presentation.
• Added distinct Singularity-ready and Event Horizon-ready visual states.
• Improved click feedback and visual response.
• Preserved reduced-animation support.

Category-based upgrade shop

• Replaced the long upgrade list with category tabs.

• Added dedicated categories for:

  • Core Output
  • Passive Systems
  • Neon Surge
  • Economy
  • Singularity Tech

• Added compact upgrade cards.

• Preserved locked-state hints, affordability states, Buy 1 / Buy Max behavior, unlock notifications, and NEW badges.

• Added keyboard navigation support for shop tabs.

Achievements and stats improvements

• Collapsed achievements by default on desktop.
• Added a compact achievement summary with recent unlocks.
• Preserved the full categorized achievement collection when expanded.
• Collapsed detailed stats by default.
• Added a compact stats preview.
• Preserved grouped lifetime records and progression tracking.

Activity-log improvements

• Kept the event history visible without allowing it to dominate the interface.
• Improved the compact activity presentation.
• Preserved timestamps and event-type styling.
• Reduced visual clutter.

Settings-drawer redesign

• Rebuilt the settings drawer with clearer visual grouping.

• Improved sections for:

  • Appearance
  • Audio
  • Data Management
  • Save Slots
  • Controls
  • Version

• Improved spacing, readability, and button hierarchy.

• Preserved local save slots, imports, exports, reset behavior, theme persistence, volume persistence, and reduced-animation settings.

Volume-slider fix

• Fixed the unintended extra grey thumb-like element on the volume slider.
• Reworked the range-input styling.
• Added a cleaner cyan-filled track.
• Preserved keyboard adjustment and accessibility.
• Verified the corrected slider appearance in dark mode and light mode.

Theme improvements

Dark theme

• Improved the cyberpunk reactor-command-center presentation.
• Refined panel hierarchy.
• Improved small-label readability.
• Reduced generic card repetition.
• Added stronger progression-state accents.

Light theme

• Improved the solar-laboratory presentation.
• Refined contrast and readability.
• Preserved the bright laboratory identity.
• Improved panel distinction and control legibility.
• Kept the reactor visually prominent.

Mobile improvements

• Preserved the app-like mobile navigation experience.
• Improved reactor-first presentation.
• Improved shop category browsing.
• Improved settings access.
• Improved safe-area handling.
• Preserved touch-friendly controls.
• Preserved portrait and landscape support.

Custom favicon

• Added a new lightweight favicon.svg.
• Added a Neon Core reactor-style browser-tab icon.
• Added GitHub Pages-safe favicon wiring.
• Added browser theme-color metadata.

Validation

This release includes:

• 91 passing automated tests

• 106 passing browser checks

• Regression coverage for:

  • reactor input handling
  • floating-number placement
  • particle limits
  • notification behavior
  • save compatibility
  • category-tab selection
  • achievement expansion
  • stats expansion
  • theme persistence
  • volume persistence
  • reduced-animation persistence
  • favicon loading
  • mobile layout behavior

Gameplay compatibility

This release intentionally preserves the working gameplay systems from v0.3.0-alpha.1.

No major balancing changes were introduced.

The following systems remain intact:

• 14 tiered upgrades
• Neon Surge
• Singularity prestige
• Event Horizon prestige
• 48 achievements
• grouped stats
• local save slots
• schema-v4 save migration
• import and export compatibility
• offline progress
• procedural audio
• keyboard controls
• mobile support
• accessibility features

Controls

• Click or tap the reactor to generate energy.
• Press Space to activate the reactor.
• Press B to toggle Buy 1 / Buy Max.
• Press S to save.
• Press Esc to close open panels and dialogs.

Alpha status

This remains an early alpha release.

The interface is now much stronger, but Neon Core still needs deeper replayability and additional long-term variety.

Roadmap

Planned future improvements include:

• Optional challenge modifiers
• More Neon Surge interactions
• More visual set-pieces
• Richer activity-log filtering
• Additional replayability systems
• Further mobile polish
• Continued balancing
• A future late-game prestige concept after Event Horizon receives more playtesting

This release is marked as a pre-release while Neon Core continues to evolve.