GENOME.md — the-beacon

Codebase analysis generated 2026-04-13. Sovereign AI idle game — browser-based.

Project Overview

The Beacon is a browser-based idle/incremental game inspired by Universal Paperclips, themed around the Timmy Foundation's real journey building sovereign AI. The core divergence from Paperclips: the goal is not maximization — it is faithfulness. "Can you grow powerful without losing your purpose?"

Static HTML/JS — no build step, no dependencies, no framework. Open index.html in any browser.

5,128 lines of JavaScript across 10 files. 1 HTML file with embedded CSS (~300 lines). 1 Python test file for reckoning projects.

Architecture

index.html (UI + embedded CSS)
    |
    +-- js/engine.js      (1590L) Core game loop, tick, resources, buildings, projects, events
    +-- js/data.js        (944L)  Building definitions, project trees, event tables, phase data
    +-- js/render.js      (390L)  DOM rendering, UI updates, resource displays
    +-- js/combat.js      (359L)  Boss encounters, combat mechanics
    +-- js/sound.js       (401L)  Web Audio API ambient drone, phase-aware sound
    +-- js/dismantle.js   (570L)  The Dismantle sequence (late-game narrative)
    +-- js/main.js        (223L)  Initialization, game loop start, auto-save, help overlay
    +-- js/utils.js       (314L)  Formatting, save/load, export/import, DOM helpers
    +-- js/tutorial.js    (251L)  New player tutorial, step-by-step guidance
    +-- js/strategy.js    (68L)   NPC strategy logic for combat

Note: docs/reference/ contains prototype code (npc-logic-prototype.js, guardrails-prototype.js) that was never wired into the runtime. See Dead Code Audit for details.

Entry Points

index.html

The single entry point. Loads all JS files, contains all HTML structure and inline CSS. Open directly in browser — no server required.

js/main.js — Initialization

initGame() sets initial state, starts the 10Hz tick loop (setInterval(tick, 100)), triggers tutorial for new games, loads saved games, starts ambient sound.

js/engine.js — Game Loop

The tick() function runs every 100ms. Each tick:

Accumulate resources (code, compute, knowledge, users, impact, rescues, ops, trust, creativity, harmony)
Process buildings and their rate multipliers
Check phase transitions (Phase 1→6 based on total code thresholds)
Trigger random events (corruption events, alignment events, wizard events)
Update boosts, debuffs, and cooldowns
Call render() to update UI

Data Flow

User clicks "WRITE CODE" / presses SPACE
    |
    v
G.code += 1 (or more with auto-clickers, combos, boosts)
    |
    v
tick() accumulates all passive rates from buildings
    |
    v
updateRates() recalculates based on:
  - Building counts × base rates × boost multipliers
  - Harmony (Timmy's multiplier, Pact drain/gain)
  - Bilbo randomness (burst/vanish per tick)
  - Active debuffs
    |
    v
Phase check: totalCode thresholds → unlock new content
    |
    v
Event roll: 2% per tick → corruption/alignment/wizard events
    |
    v
render() updates DO

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