Bloom Protocol v1 // alien reskin of the master loop

XENOVAT

A captured xenostrain, sealed in glass and farmed for the Syndicate. Feed the bloom, walk it through its lifecycle, and let the apex forms cannibalize the weak into rare matter. The station's dead sterilization grid still twitches: purge wraiths phase through the glass to scour your bloom clean. Keep it alive. Make it evolve. Same math as the master loop, repainted whole. Matter color encodes value throughout.

Lumen $15 Ichor $35 Spark $40 Nodule $150 Core $200 Geode $500 Relic $2000

DEPTH 01 · BLOOM VAT$1,245QUOTA $3,000FOOD LVL 2 · INJECTOR 5/9

feed → grow → collect matter → buy forms → survive purge waves

The lifecycle, as production chains

Three pipelines under the glass: glow the bloom for matter, feed the maw for rare matter, and automate the spawn.

01 · inject

Drop Plasm manually

Food is a paid action, not ambience. The player keeps clicking because each pod turns into growth, matter, or predator feedstock.

02 · collect

Matter is the coin fantasy

Every valuable object is visible, falls/drifts, and must be collected before the screen gets dangerous or crowded.

03 · spend

Shop is always present

Keep a compact buy rail: Spawnling, food grade, hatchery, predator, lance. No hidden economy menus for the core loop.

04 · survive

Purge waves reset attention

Wraiths arrive like alien attacks: stop feeding, shoot/defend, then resume farming with more pressure and better unlocks.

Glow economy · raise the bloom

SpawnlingVat $100

feed

Drifter$15~7s

feed

Glower$35~7s

10 min · fed

Matriarch$200cannot die

↳ from Glower

Catalyst

Sparkborn$40~7s

consumed by

Sparkeater$200

↳ Sparkborn also → Matriarch

Catalyst only takes on a Glower. Poured on a Spawnling or Drifter it dissolves them.

Apex economy · feed Spawnlings to the maw

Spawnlingthe feedstock

consumed by

GnasherVat $750$150

consumed by

HuskerVat $2000$500

Spawnlingthe feedstock

consumed by

MawVat $1000$200

consumed by

LeviathanVat $10000$2000

Spawnlings feed both Maws and Gnashers. The apex chain starves without a steady drip of fresh spawn.

Supply · automate the spawn

Hatchery Stage 1Vat $200

grow

Hatchery Stage 2Medium 40s

evolve

Hatchery Stage 3Large 18s

spawns

Spawnlingauto-hatched

→ feeds glow + apex chains

The Hatchery now has a three-stage static lineage: Stage 1 and 2 at 64px, Stage 3 at 96px. Medium births a Spawnling every 40s; Large every 18s.

Organism reference

What each form eats, what it sheds, value, and cadence. Glow cadence is a tuning target, not a constant.

Organism	Source	Eats	Sheds	Value	Cadence	Notes
Spawnling	$100or Hatchery	Plasm	grows only	n/a	n/a	Feedstock for Maw & Gnasher. Grows to Drifter when fed.
Drifter	grown	Plasm	Lumen	$15	~7s	Catalyst dissolves it.
Glower	grown	Plasm	Ichor	$35	~7s	Eligible for Catalyst and Matriarch ascension.
Matriarch	Glower, 10 min + fed	Plasm	Core	$200	periodic	Cannot die. Apex of the glow economy.
Sparkborn	Glower + Catalyst	Plasm	Spark	$40	~7s	Feeds Sparkeater. Can ascend to Matriarch.
Sparkeater	$750	Sparks	Core	$200	per spark	Turns Sparkborn output into Cores.
Maw	$1000	Spawnlings	Core	$200	per meal	Consumed by Leviathan.
Gnasher	$750	Spawnlings	Nodule	$150	per meal	Nodules feed Husker.
Husker	$2000	Nodules	Geode	$500	per meal	Calcifies Nodules into Geodes.
Leviathan	$10000	Maws	Relic	$2000	per meal	Apex predator of the whole vat.
Hatchery	$200Lvl 1	n/a	Spawnling	n/a	40s Med / 18s Lrg	Auto-spawns feedstock. Faster as it levels.

Lumen $15

Low-value teal bioluminescent orb dropped by Drifters.

xv_mat_lumen_static_32

Ichor $35

Gold organic droplet, richer glow-economy matter.

xv_mat_ichor_static_32

Spark $40

Jagged amber energy matter from Sparkborn.

xv_mat_spark_static_32

Nodule $150

Hardened orange node from Spawnling-eaters.

xv_mat_nodule_static_32

Core $200

Cyan faceted crystal, mid-game conversion matter.

xv_mat_core_static_32

Geode $500

Pale calcified geode with inner crystal sheen.

xv_mat_geode_static_32

Relic $2000

High-value magenta angular shard from Leviathan.

xv_mat_relic_static_40

Glow cadence (~7s) carries straight over from the master loop and remains the value to tune.

Depth ladder · actual level structure

Closer to the source loop: each level is a contained money target with specific unlocks, invader pressure, and a clear quota.

Depth 01

Nursery Vat

Teach feed, growth, Lumen collection, first purchases.

Goal: $3,000 harvest quota
Unlocks: Food Lvl 2, Hatchery, first Gnasher tease
Threat: Mote-wraith single attacks

Depth 02

Glow Farm

The screen starts behaving like a real money aquarium: more bodies, more drops, more clicking.

Goal: $7,500 quota
Unlocks: Glower, Catalyst, Sparkborn
Threat: Mote-wraith pairs + Cleaver

Depth 03

Predator Run

Introduce the second economy: organisms as food for bigger organisms.

Goal: $18,000 quota
Unlocks: Gnasher, Maw, Sparkeater, Lance calibration
Threat: Cleaver + Lytic pressure

Depth 04

Calcification Chamber

Late mid-game value chain: Nodules become Geodes, crowd control matters.

Goal: $45,000 quota
Unlocks: Husker, Food Lvl 3, injector cap push
Threat: Sterilizer + Schism

Depth 05

Relic Descent

The apex loop: protect enough Maws to feed a Leviathan and cash Relics.

Goal: $100,000 quota
Unlocks: Leviathan, relic economy, late mutation tiers
Threat: Null + Cauter boss

These are design-level rows, not new sprite work. The environment art can still be generated later as static backgrounds/overlays per Depth.

Feeding · Plasm

Plasm is the early money sink. Richer grades grow the bloom faster; the injector upgrade widens how much you can suspend at once.

Item	Cost	Effect
Raw Plasm Lvl 1	Free to unlock$5 per inject	Default nutrition. Every injected pod costs $5.
Enriched Plasm Lvl 2	$200one-time	Stronger; the bloom fills and grows faster. Per-inject cost scales with grade (tune).
Catalyzed Plasm Lvl 3	$200one-time	Strongest grade. Per-inject cost scales with grade (tune).
Injector Capacity	$300per +1, cap 9	Raises how many Plasm pods can hang in the vat at once. Maximum is 9.
Catalyst	$250	Pour on a Glower to force a Sparkborn. Dissolves Spawnlings and Drifters.

Raw Plasm

Base food. Small simple green plasm puck/pod.

xv_food_raw_plasm_static_32

Enriched Plasm

Upgraded food. Bigger silhouette, more internal energy.

xv_food_enriched_plasm_static_32

Catalyzed Plasm

High-tier food. Charged cluster, clearly distinct from earlier stages.

xv_food_catalyzed_plasm_static_32

Catalyst

Alien catalyst spore/core. Explicitly not a potion or vial.

xv_food_catalyst_static_40

Acquisition · the vat console

Per-Depth purchases. Prices reset each Depth; the Lance scales as you descend.

Item	Cost	Role
Spawnling	$100	Seed a fresh Spawnling.
Hatchery (Lvl 1)	$200	Auto-spawns Spawnlings; speeds up as it levels.
Sparkeater	$750	Eats Sparks, sheds Cores.
Gnasher	$750	Eats Spawnlings, sheds Nodules.
Maw	$1000	Eats Spawnlings, sheds Cores.
Husker	$2000	Eats Nodules, sheds Geodes.
Leviathan	$10000	Eats Maws, sheds Relics.
Lance Calibration	$1000 · $2000 · $5000Depths 1&2 · Depth 3 · Depth 4	Raises Lance damage against wraiths. Scales by Depth.
Plasm & Catalyst	see section 03	Nutrition, injector cap, and spark conversion.

The Mutation Tree

New layer. The vat itself adapts as it survives, and you choose how. Tank-level decisions that deepen as the run goes on.

How it works

The bloom is one living colony. As it harvests matter and outlasts wraiths, it accrues Adaptation (AP), the genome currency you spend to mutate the whole vat. Mutations persist for the run and reshape every form inside the glass at once.

You will never afford a full board in one run. Branches compete for AP, several nodes force an either / or choice, and four nodes grant active vat abilities you fire by hand. The result is a different bloom every descent.

Earning & gating

+1 AP at each harvest milestone (every set amount banked)
+1 AP per wraith wave survived
+ bonus AP the first time any form reaches a new tier

Depth gates the tree open: Tier I from the start, Tier II at the mid harvest threshold, Tier III and capstones only late. Decision space widens exactly as the vat matures.

Meta option: let one chosen branch carry a single mutation across Depths for a persistent spine. Default is per-run.

Metabolism

richer, faster matter

Tier I

Rich Plasm1 AP

Feed value +25%. The bloom grows on less.

Photosynthate2 AP

The vat trickles Lumen even while unfed.

Tier II

Gilded Secretion2 AP

Lumen and Ichor worth +30%.

Active

Bloom Pulse3 AP

Click to harvest all loose matter at once. 30s cooldown.

Tier III · choose one

either / or

Engorge3 AP

All forms shed matter 20% faster.

Concentrate3 AP

Half as many drops, each worth 2x.

Capstone

Living Reactor5 AP

The vat itself passively trickles Core-tier matter.

Proliferation

more bloom, faster

Tier I

Fertile Vat1 AP

Hatcheries breed +25% faster.

Brood Surge2 AP

A free Spawnling hatches every 60s.

Tier II

Crowd Tolerance2 AP

+4 to the vat creature cap.

Active

Spawn Bloom3 AP

Click to burst out 4 Spawnlings. 45s cooldown.

Tier III · choose one

either / or

Precocious Spawn3 AP

New Spawnlings hatch at Drifter size.

Rapid Maturation3 AP

All growth thresholds reduced 25%.

Capstone

Hive Mind5 AP

Feeding one form feeds all hungry same-tier forms near it.

Predation

deeper apex value

Tier I

Sharpened Maw1 AP

Predators eat +30% faster.

Efficient Digestion2 AP

Predators stay fed twice as long.

Tier II

Rich Harvest2 AP

Predator drops worth +25%.

Active

Cull3 AP

Click a wraith to mark it; predators swarm and tear it. 40s cooldown.

Tier III · choose one

either / or

Apex Pact3 AP

Leviathan sheds Relics 40% faster.

Geode Glut3 AP

Husker occasionally double-sheds Geodes.

Capstone

Endless Hunger5 AP

Predators no longer need feeding to survive.

Carapace

survive the purge

Tier I

Hardened Lance1 AP

Lance damage +1.

Reactive Membrane2 AP

Forms survive one extra bite.

Tier II

Sentinel Spores2 AP

An auto-pulse stings the nearest wraith on a timer.

Active

Immune Burst3 AP

Click to stun and damage every wraith. 50s cooldown.

Tier III · choose one

either / or

Carapace3 AP

A vat shield absorbs the next wraith whole, then recharges.

Toxin Bloom3 AP

Wraiths that bite a form take damage over time.

Capstone

Regenesis5 AP

If the bloom would collapse, instantly revive 3 forms. Once per Depth.

Wraiths · the purge roster

Phase through the glass in waves, devour your forms, fall to the Lance or to predators. Most leave matter on death. HP and behavior to be specced with combat.

Wraith	Behavior sketch
Mote-wraith	Basic phase-in feeder. First threat in the glass.
Cleaver	Early bruiser; bigger bite.
Lytic	Mid-tier eater introduced deeper.
Sterilizer	Armored purge unit; high HP.
Maelstrom	Aggressive; arrives in multiples.
Null	Late-Depth threat; erases matter it touches.
Schism	Splits into smaller wraiths when struck.
Cauter	High-tier menace; the facility's heavy purge.
Mote-spawn	Small swarm variant.

Core rules & special mechanics

The edge cases that hold the loop together. Same logic as the master bible, reskinned.

Win / lose

Lose when the bloom collapses (all forms dead). Win a Depth by hitting its harvest quota.

Catalyst

Use only on a Glower to force a Sparkborn. On a Spawnling or Drifter it dissolves them. Cost $250.

Matriarch

A Glower that survives 10 minutes and is then fed again ascends to Matriarch, shedding $200 Cores. Sparkborn can also ascend. Matriarchs cannot die.

Hatchery timing

Medium: a Spawnling every 40s. Large: every 18s. Both output Spawnlings.

Injector cap

Up to 9 Plasm pods suspended at once. Each capacity upgrade $300. Raw Plasm is free to unlock but costs $5 per inject.

Feedstock rule

Maws and Gnashers eat Spawnlings. Sparkeaters eat Spark output, Huskers eat Nodule output, and Leviathans eat Maws.

Creature state board

Every organism currently in the tracker, with its approved static sprite where one exists and the state work still ahead.

Spawnling

48px

xv_org_spawnling_static_48

static · 1f · 48pxswim · 6f · 48pxeat · 5f · 48pxdeath · 6f · 48pxhungry · 6f · 48px

Drifter

64px

xv_org_drifter_static_64

static · 1f · 64pxswim · 6f · 64pxeat · 5f · 64pxdeath · 6f · 64pxhungry · 6f · 64px

Glower

64px

xv_org_glower_static_64

static · 1f · 64pxswim · 6f · 64pxeat · 5f · 64pxdeath · 6f · 64pxhungry · 6f · 64px

Matriarch

64px

xv_org_matriarch_static_64

static · 1f · 64pxswim · 8f · 64pxeat · 5f · 64pxascend · 8f · 64px

Sparkborn

64px

xv_org_sparkborn_static_64

static · 1f · 64pxswim · 6f · 64pxeat · 5f · 64pxdeath · 6f · 64pxhungry · 6f · 64px

Sparkeater

96px

xv_org_sparkeater_static_96

static · 1f · 96pxswim · 6f · 96pxeat · 5f · 96pxdeath · 6f · 96pxhungry · 6f · 96px

Maw

96px

xv_org_maw_static_96

static · 1f · 96pxswim · 6f · 96pxbite · 6f · 96pxdeath · 6f · 96pxhungry · 6f · 96px

Gnasher

96px

xv_org_gnasher_static_96

static · 1f · 96pxswim · 6f · 96pxbite · 6f · 96pxdeath · 6f · 96pxhungry · 6f · 96px

Husker

96px

xv_org_husker_static_96

static · 1f · 96pxswim · 6f · 96pxbite · 6f · 96pxdeath · 6f · 96pxhungry · 6f · 96px

Leviathan

128px

xv_org_leviathan_static_128

static · 1f · 128pxswim · 8f · 128pxbite · 8f · 128pxdeath · 8f · 128pxhungry · 8f · 128px

Hatchery Stage 1

64px

xv_org_hatchery_stage1_static_64

static · 1f · 64pxidle · 6f · 64pxeat · 5f · 64pxspawn · 8f · 64pxdeath · 6f · 64pxhungry · 6f · 64px

Hatchery Stage 2

64px

xv_org_hatchery_stage2_static_64

static · 1f · 64pxidle · 6f · 64pxeat · 5f · 64pxspawn · 8f · 64pxdeath · 6f · 64pxhungry · 6f · 64px

Hatchery Stage 3

96px

xv_org_hatchery_stage3_static_96

static · 1f · 96pxidle · 6f · 96pxeat · 5f · 96pxspawn · 8f · 96pxdeath · 8f · 96pxhungry · 6f · 96px

Asset tracker sync

Pulled from the live Google Sheet: xenovat-asset-tracker. The spreadsheet remains source of truth for asset names, states, sizes, and status.

Environment 7 Food 8 Matter 14 Organism 67 UI 13 VFX 11 Wraith 27

Style lock from sheet

Engine target: Unity 2D (URP). Transparent PNG. Animations as a packed sprite sheet plus JSON atlas.
Art direction: Pixel art, bioluminescent xeno-organic. Wet translucent forms in a dark void, emissive parts glowing. Readable silhouettes first, glow second.
Base palette: Void darks: 07060E, 0E0B1D, 16122E, 2A2350. Foam light: ECE9F7. Biolume: 4FF0C0 / 28B793. Voidglow: B06CFF / 7E44C4.
Matter palette (value = color): Lumen 46E6C0 · Ichor F4B73C · Spark FFD23A · Nodule F0823C · Core 5AD0FF · Geode EFE7D6 · Relic E25CD6. Use only these for matter so color always reads as worth.
Outline: 1px selective outline in a darker shade of the local color. No pure black. Drop the outline where parts glow.
Lighting: Single key from upper area. Strong rim light and inner glow on emissive organs. Consistent across every asset.
Shading: 2 to 3 tone ramp per material. Minimal dithering. Let glow do the gradient work.
Pixel density: Consistent per size class (below). Do not mix densities inside a class or sprites look mismatched.

Current tracker notes

147 tracked asset rows found. Organism scale is currently 48 → 64 → 96 → 128px, with Hatchery now staged at 64 → 64 → 96px and Sparkborn tracked at 64×64.

Static approved rows are included below so the deployed protocol page no longer drifts from the asset production tracker.

Organism	Tracked size(s)	States in tracker
Spawnling	48	swim, eat, death, hungry
Drifter	64	static, swim, eat, death, hungry
Glower	64	static, swim, eat, death, hungry
Matriarch	64	static, swim, eat, ascend
Sparkborn	64	static, swim, eat, death, hungry
Sparkeater	96	swim, eat, death, hungry
Maw	96	swim, bite, death, hungry
Gnasher	96	swim, bite, death, hungry
Husker	96	swim, bite, death, hungry
Leviathan	128	swim, bite, death, hungry
Hatchery Stages 1–3	64, 96	static, idle, eat, spawn, death, hungry

Approved static rows currently in tracker:

Asset	Canvas	Filename	Status
Spawnling	48px	xv_org_spawnling_static_48	Complete
Drifter	64px	xv_org_drifter_static_64	Complete
Glower	64px	xv_org_glower_static_64	Complete
Matriarch	64px	xv_org_matriarch_static_64	Complete
Sparkborn	64px	xv_org_sparkborn_static_64	Complete
Sparkeater	96px	xv_org_sparkeater_static_96	Complete
Maw	96px	xv_org_maw_static_96	Complete
Gnasher	96px	xv_org_gnasher_static_96	Complete
Husker	96px	xv_org_husker_static_96	Complete
Leviathan	128px	xv_org_leviathan_static_128	Complete
Hatchery Stage 1	64px	xv_org_hatchery_stage1_static_64	Complete
Hatchery Stage 2	64px	xv_org_hatchery_stage2_static_64	Complete
Hatchery Stage 3	96px	xv_org_hatchery_stage3_static_96	Complete

Wraith production roster from tracker:

Wraith	State	Canvas	Filename
Mote-wraith	move	64px	xv_wra_mote_wraith_move_64
Mote-wraith	attack	64px	xv_wra_mote_wraith_attack_64
Mote-wraith	death	64px	xv_wra_mote_wraith_death_64
Cleaver	move	80px	xv_wra_cleaver_move_80
Cleaver	attack	80px	xv_wra_cleaver_attack_80
Cleaver	death	80px	xv_wra_cleaver_death_80
Sterilizer	move	96px	xv_wra_sterilizer_move_96
Sterilizer	attack	96px	xv_wra_sterilizer_attack_96
Sterilizer	death	96px	xv_wra_sterilizer_death_96
Cauter (boss)	enter	128px	xv_wra_cauter_enter_128
Cauter (boss)	move	128px	xv_wra_cauter_move_128
Cauter (boss)	attack	128px	xv_wra_cauter_attack_128
Cauter (boss)	death	128px	xv_wra_cauter_death_128
Lytic	full set	80px	xv_wra_lytic_fullset_80
Maelstrom	full set	80px	xv_wra_maelstrom_fullset_80
Null	full set	80px	xv_wra_null_fullset_80
Schism	full set	72px	xv_wra_schism_fullset_72
Mote-spawn	full set	40px	xv_wra_mote_spawn_fullset_40