RIFT PILOTS

01 Vision

RIFT PILOTS centres on one recognisable ship fighting forward through hostile space. You can play the way you want: AUTO lets your build fight while you plan upgrades, missions and merges, and MANUAL puts you on the stick to dodge telegraphed boss patterns, dash and fire on your own timing.

Progress comes from what you build, not from a token chart. Ships, modules and pilots are earned through play and persist in your hangar. Every action that costs something shows its exact price, odds and risk before you confirm it.

02 What exists today

03 The gameplay loop

1. Dock. Repair Hull with Credits, equip modules (or press Equip Best), pick a galaxy and level.
2. Deploy. Each level costs Credits and Fuel and has five stages. A stage advances by kills (6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 14), not by enemies that fly past; escapes do no damage and give no reward.
3. Fight. AUTO positions and fires for you; MANUAL adds movement, dash and fire control. AUTO keeps fighting even while windows are open.
4. Loot. Bounties pay Credits; modules and contracts drop into the session's pending loot list and are delivered once when the session ends.
5. Build. Equip, merge three ships into a rarer one, recruit and assign a pilot, upgrade, then deploy deeper.

04 Combat

Three defence layers

Every ship and enemy has up to three layers: a Shield that regenerates, Armor whose hardness reduces damage while it lasts, and Hull. Armor and Hull do not regenerate during a sortie. A defeated ship stays at Hull 0 until it is repaired with Credits; equipping parts or auto-repair never revives it.

Weapons and matchups

Each weapon family is strong against one layer and weak against another, so builds matter.

Weapon	Base damage	Fire interval	Magazine / reload	vs Shield	vs Armor	Notes
Laser	1.8	0.40 s	4 / 1.15 s	×0.65	×1.5	Forward energy beam
Kinetic gun	0.75	0.18 s	12 / 1.65 s	×1.5	×0.7	Fast ballistic fire
Missile	5.2	1.05 s	2 / 2.4 s	Bypasses	×1.0	Homing, 72 splash; point defense can intercept it
Escort hangar	escorts	1.2 s	reload 9 s	×1.5	×0.7	Orbiting fighters that absorb bullets

Values are base stats before module rarity, ship class, pilot and control-mode bonuses. MANUAL control adds +5% damage and +5% regeneration.

Bosses

Level 10 of every galaxy ends with a phased boss. Bosses cycle through approach, reposition, telegraph, attack and recovery, and switch phase at 66% and 33% HP with a visible 1.2-second transition. Void zones have their own Void bosses.

05 Galaxies & stages

Ten galaxies × ten levels × five stages = 500 stages. Levels unlock in order. A new galaxy needs level 10 of the previous one cleared and a one-time unlock paid in Credits and Fuel; that unlock is separate from the per-level entry fee.

1 · Outer Perimeter

Threat ×1.00 · Entry 180–484 C · Free

2 · Ion Graveyard

Threat ×1.12 · Unlock 500 C + 20 Fuel

3 · Glass Nebula

Threat ×1.25 · Unlock 1,414 C + 57 Fuel

4 · Ashen Relay

Threat ×1.38 · Unlock 2,598 C + 104 Fuel

5 · Shard Belt

Threat ×1.52 · Unlock 4,000 C + 160 Fuel

6 · Silent Expanse

Threat ×1.68 · Unlock 5,590 C + 224 Fuel

7 · Cinder Orbit

Threat ×1.85 · Unlock 7,348 C + 294 Fuel

8 · Null Foundry

Threat ×2.20 · Unlock 9,260 C + 370 Fuel

9 · Eventide Gate

Threat ×2.55 · Unlock 11,314 C + 453 Fuel

10 · Core Rift

Threat ×3.20 · Unlock 13,500 C + 540 Fuel

Level entry ranges from 180 Credits + 7.2 Fuel (Galaxy 1, level 1) to 3,995 Credits + 26.1 Fuel (Galaxy 10, level 10). First clears pay a Credit bonus (180–2,358). Equipment drop chance per level rises from 20% to 29%. Provisional.

06 Ships

You own a roster of ships and deploy one at a time. Each ship has one shared Hull: its base Hull plus a contribution from every equipped part. Damage is recorded separately from equipment, so removing parts never erases damage and re-equipping never heals for free.

Tempest · Attack Craft

Agile forward striker

Hull

80

Combat

×0.85

Speed

×1.35

Slots W/D/U

2 / 1 / 2

Capacity

18

Nova · Corvette

Mobile multirole combat

Hull

125

Combat

×0.95

Speed

×1.10

Slots W/D/U

3 / 2 / 2

Capacity

26

Viper · Frigate

Fast precision striker

Hull

160

Combat

×1.00

Speed

×1.00

Slots W/D/U

3 / 2 / 3

Capacity

24

Falcon · Battleship

Four-weapon multirole ship

Hull

210

Combat

×1.05

Speed

×0.85

Slots W/D/U

4 / 3 / 3

Capacity

48

Warden · Capital Ship

Heavy modular weapons platform

Hull

320

Combat

×1.10

Speed

×0.65

Slots W/D/U

6 / 4 / 4

Capacity

68

Repair

Repair is always full: about 3 Credits per point of Hull, 5% cheaper per Shipyard level. Optional auto-repair runs only while docked, uses the same price, and respects a threshold and a Credits allowance you set.

07 Equipment

Ten module types fill weapon, defense and utility slots. Every module rolls a rarity, and higher rarities multiply its stats and its Hull contribution (weapon +4, defense +8, utility +3 Hull at Common).

Laser

Strong vs armor. Ruby Lance, Solar Beam, Prism Laser

Missile

Homing, bypasses shields. Comet Launcher, Wasp Rack, Nova Warhead

Kinetic gun

Strong vs shields. Rail Autocannon, Coil Repeater, Gauss Gun

Escort hangar

Orbiting escorts soak bullets. Falcon Bay, Vanguard Hangar

Hard armor

Non-regenerating, hardness cuts damage. Titanium Plating, Bastion Armor

Shield

Extra capacity and recharge. Aegis Projector, Prism Barrier

Point defense

Intercepts missiles. Guardian PD, Sentinel Array, Flak Screen

Fire control

Faster firing, better tracking. Vector, Helix, Rapidfire

Shield regeneration

Faster recovery. Flux Capacitor, Regeneration Coil

Afterburners

Speed and pulse recovery. Flux Thrusters, Comet Drive

Equip Best proposes a loadout for Balanced, Damage or Survival goals, shows four key stats with their gains, and applies the build only after you confirm. Locked items are always respected. Unwanted modules can be salvaged (60 to 1,600 Credits by rarity) after a preview.

08 Pilots (commanders)

One pilot flies your deployed ship. Pilots roll three stats, Combat, Engineering and Logistics, each worth +1% to damage, regeneration or mission success and rewards. They also roll a trait: Gunner (+3% damage), Mechanic (+3% regeneration), Explorer (+5% mission success) or Quartermaster (+5% rewards).

Recruitment shows a daily set of candidates, each priced by its stats. Up to ten refreshes per day: the first five cost 300–900 Credits, the last five 5–15 PWR. The count resets at midnight Manila time.

Twenty portraits (armored pilots, augmented officers and alien commanders) are assigned to pilots in the game, with a rarity-coloured frame.

09 Enemies & bosses

Fighter

Kinetic volleys · 75 bounty

Fast Corvette

Lasers, fast and evasive · 55

Battleship

Missile salvos, heavy hull · 120

Carrier

Tank that launches escorts · 150

Galaxy Overlord

Level-10 boss · phased attacks · 420

VOID Stalker

Rare Void hunter · 180 · Golden VOID 400

About 1.5% of enemies spawn as elites with ×1.5 Hull, ×1.15 damage and ×1.5 bounty. Enemies scale with galaxy threat and stage. During the "Into the Abyss" season, VOID Stalkers (about 1%) and the very rare Golden VOID can appear in real space as well.

10 The Void

Buy a portal in the Store, activate it, and fly into a darker, more dangerous zone for a limited time. Void kills earn Core. You can return to real space and re-enter while your access lasts. Void never advances normal levels.

Scout · 100 PWR

1 hour of deployed time: the clock pauses when you are docked or offline · quota 6 · threat ×0.8 · 1 Core/kill

Hunter · 150 PWR

1 elapsed hour · quota 8 · threat ×1.2 · 2 Core/kill

Vanguard · 200 PWR

1 elapsed hour · quota 10 · threat ×1.7 · 3 Core/kill

Abyss · 300 PWR

1 elapsed hour · quota 12 · threat ×2.4 · 5 Core/kill

One portal per tier per day; tiers unlock in order. Bosses earn ×5 Core. Portal sales route 95% to the next reward pool and 5% to the team. Provisional.

11 Missions & contracts

Contracts drop rarely from combat: about 1% per ordinary stage, 10% from a galaxy boss, 0.8% per Void stage and 5% from a Void boss, capped at 25%. Each is a single-use order. Deploy it with a pilot for a timed mission; a successful mission creates Core, and a failed one awards nothing. Five identical contracts can be combined into one of the next rarity.

Resource expeditions (Debris Sweep 30 min to Outer Relay 12 h) return Credits and Fuel and unlock with the Expedition Center.

12 Starbase

Central Command

Caps every other building.

Credit Exchange

Passive Credits.

Fuel Refinery

Passive Fuel for travel.

Shipyard

Cheaper Hull repairs.

Expedition Center

Longer expeditions.

Ten levels each, and upgrades take real time. Levels 2–3 cost Credits plus a little Fuel; from level 4, upgrades also need Core (3 rising to 56). Central Command at level 10 costs 1,258,291 Credits. Provisional.

13 Economy

Currency	Earned from	Spent on
Credits	Bounties, first clears, Credit Exchange, expeditions	Level entry, galaxy unlocks, repairs, buildings, contracts, recruitment
Fuel	Fuel Refinery, expeditions	Level entry, galaxy unlocks, contract launches
Core	Successful contract missions; Void kills	Advanced upgrades; earns a share of each reward settlement
PWR	Reward settlements, marketplace sales	Portals, ship orders, merges, late refreshes, marketplace

• Activation: a new online account pays a one-time 1 USDC (test USDC in the sandbox) and receives a Common ship and pilot. Signing in itself is free.
• Marketplace: 1% listing fee and 5% sales fee, both routed to the reward pool.
• Withdrawals (designed, not enabled): 105 PWR hold → 1 USDC payout with a 5 PWR fee.
• Practice balances are simulated and are never imported into an online account.

14 Wallet & accounts

Your Solana wallet is your login. RIFT PILOTS uses Sign-In With Solana: Phantom (or any Wallet Standard wallet) signs a one-time message containing the site, a fresh nonce and an expiry. Signing never sends a transaction or moves funds. Sessions are server-side, rotate on each login and are revoked on logout or wallet switch.

Online, the server owns combat outcomes, kills, drops, Hull damage, balances and receipts. Every paid action carries an operation ID, so a retried click can never charge twice.

Get Phantom

15 Art & audio

The library also holds the Spectre hull and four boss models (Leviathan, Bulwark, Harrier and Pike) that are reserved for future galaxy-specific encounters.

16 Roadmap

1. Done: combat slice (AUTO/MANUAL, 500 stages, phased bosses), ships, equipment, pilots, Void, contracts, shared Hull, audio, practice mode.
2. Done: wallet sign-in, PostgreSQL accounts, server-authoritative combat sessions, Core accounting, devnet test-USDC activation.
3. Now: wire the online frontend (Void timer, equipment, recruitment, marketplace); balance tuning from real playtests.
4. Next: galaxy-specific bosses and encounters, starbase online, public test with test USDC.
5. Later: withdrawals, security review, a decision on PvP, then mainnet only after audits.

17 Disclaimer

RIFT PILOTS is in development. This whitepaper describes a working prototype and a local test sandbox. It is not an offer of securities or an investment product. PWR is an in-game currency; settlements depend on funded pools and may be zero, and there is no promised rate of return. All numbers are subject to change through balancing. No real-money transactions are enabled.