Primordial Swamp 🦕

A scientifically accurate dinosaur roguelite browser game inspired by Odell Lake, featuring modern roguelite mechanics, turn-based combat, and educational content about prehistoric life.

🎮 Game Features

• 3 Playable Dinosaurs: Deinonychus (Hunter), Ankylosaurus (Tank), Pteranodon (Scout)
• Turn-Based Combat: Strategic encounters with prehistoric creatures
• Roguelite Progression: Permadeath with meta-progression unlocks
• Educational Content: Learn real paleontology through gameplay
• Procedural Generation: Unique runs with branching paths
• Scientific Accuracy: Based on current paleontological research

🚀 Quick Start

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run development server
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Preview production build
npm run preview

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Game Engine: Phaser 3.80+
• Language: TypeScript 5.3+
• Build Tool: Vite 5.0
• Testing: Vitest

📖 Documentation

• Game Design Document
• Technical Architecture

🎯 MVP Features

Implemented

• ✅ Project structure
• ✅ Phaser 3 integration
• ✅ TypeScript configuration

In Progress

• 🔨 Core game systems
• 🔨 Combat mechanics
• 🔨 Dinosaur entities

Planned

• ⏳ Encounter system
• ⏳ Map navigation
• ⏳ Meta-progression
• ⏳ Educational codex

🦖 Playable Dinosaurs

Deinonychus

Role: Agile Hunter
Abilities: Sickle Claw, Pack Coordination
Playstyle: High damage, critical hits

Ankylosaurus

Role: Armored Tank
Abilities: Tail Club Counter, Armored Hide
Playstyle: Defense, sustain, counter-attacks

Pteranodon

Role: Scout/Support
Abilities: Aerial Scout, Dive Attack, Escape Flight
Playstyle: Hit-and-run, reconnaissance

🎲 Game Mechanics

• Turn-Based Combat: Strategic action selection
• Stats System: HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, Stamina
• Trait System: Unlock passive abilities during runs
• Encounter Types: Combat, Resources, Events, Special
• Biome Progression: Multiple prehistoric environments
• Permadeath: Each run is unique

📚 Educational Content

Learn about:

• Dinosaur anatomy and behavior
• Geological time periods
• Prehistoric ecosystems
• Paleontological discoveries
• Extinction events

🔬 Scientific Accuracy Framework

Primordial Swamp is built on a foundation of real paleontological research. Every game mechanic has scientific backing.

Data Architecture

Our scientific data is organized in structured JSON formats:

Data File	Purpose	Key Fields
dinosaurs.json	Organism stats and taxonomy	Species, period, morphology, behavior
mutations.json	Evolutionary adaptations	Effects, prerequisites, citations
citations.json	Academic references	DOI, author, journal, year
biomes.json	Ecosystem definitions	Climate, flora, fauna, hazards
traits.json	Acquired abilities	Stat modifiers, scientific basis

Scientific Foundations

Physiology & Stats: Character statistics are derived from paleontological evidence:

• Health/Defense: Based on body mass, armor (osteoderms), and estimated resilience
• Attack: Derived from bite force studies, claw measurements, and predatory adaptations
• Speed: Calculated from limb proportions and biomechanical analyses
• Stamina: Inferred from bone histology indicating metabolic rates

Evolutionary Mutations: The mutation system reflects real evolutionary pathways:

• Mutations require biological prerequisites (e.g., feather development requires theropod ancestry)
• Incompatibilities prevent biologically impossible combinations
• Each mutation cites peer-reviewed research

Ecosystem Dynamics: Biomes are based on paleoenvironmental reconstructions:

• Flora assemblages from paleobotanical fossil sites
• Climate data from isotope analysis and climate modeling
• Fauna distributions from fossil locality data

Example: Science-to-Code Translation

/**
 * Tail Club Strike ability for Ankylosaurus
 *
 * SCIENTIFIC BASIS:
 * - Force calculation from Arbour 2009 biomechanical study
 * - Tail club could generate ~14,000+ Newtons of impact force
 * - Sufficient to fracture tyrannosaur leg bones
 *
 * GAME TRANSLATION:
 * - High damage multiplier (1.4x) reflects devastating power
 * - Counter-attack mechanic reflects defensive weapon use
 * - Stun chance represents concussive impact
 *
 * @see Arbour, V.M. (2009). "Estimating impact forces of tail club
 *      strikes by ankylosaurid dinosaurs" PLOS ONE 4:e6738
 */
interface TailClubAbility {
  damageMultiplier: 1.4;      // Powerful but not instant-kill
  counterChance: 0.4;         // Defensive weapon, triggers on attack
  stunChance: 0.3;            // Concussive force
  staminaCost: 40;            // Heavy weapon requires effort
}

Reference Sources

Our scientific content draws from:

• Primary Literature: Nature, Science, PLOS ONE, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
• Institutional Sources: American Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Natural History Museum London
• Key References: Paul (2016) "Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs", Holtz (2007) "Dinosaurs Encyclopedia"

All citations are stored in src/data/citations.json with DOIs for verification.

Contributing Scientific Content

When adding new scientific content:

1. Cite at least one peer-reviewed source
2. Use conservative interpretations for disputed topics
3. Flag speculative content clearly
4. Update citations.json with new references

See Scientific Accuracy Roadmap for detailed guidelines.

🎨 Art Style

16-bit inspired pixel art with modern color palette and smooth animations.

🔊 Audio

• Ambient soundscapes (period-accurate)
• Combat sound effects
• Adaptive music system

🤝 Contributing

This is an MVP project. Contributions welcome!

📄 License

MIT

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by Odell Lake (1986)
• Influenced by Darkest Dungeon's map system
• Built with Phaser 3 community resources

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Status: 🚧 In Development (MVP Phase 1)