The Nerdy Stuff — How Amber Tides is built

◆ The headline flex

100% procedural. Zero binary assets.

No texture files, no 3D models, no audio files, no sprite sheets. The entire world is built at runtime in TypeScript — which is why the whole download is smaller than a single high-res photo on some apps.

Babylon.js 9 WebGL2 TypeScript (strict) Vite Capacitor 8 Capgo OTA Web Audio API Cloudflare Pages ~8.5 MB 0 asset files

🧱 Procedural generation

Meshes — assembled from Babylon primitives in code (no model files).
Characters — a shared rig (torso / limbs / face / hair helpers) builds the whole cast.
Materials & signs — code-defined colours; labels drawn live to canvas textures.
Audio — fully synthesised; the music is composed, the instruments & SFX synth-generated.
Sky — a gradient dome with a day/night crossfade. No skybox images.

🎮 Engine & rendering

Babylon.js 9 on WebGL2.
Post-FX pipeline: bloom, ACES tone-mapping, vignette, FXAA + a glow layer.
Real-time sun & dynamic shadows that move with the in-game clock.
Custom GPU vertex-shader for foliage wind-sway.
Shader warm-up on load & frozen static meshes for a hitch-free first frame.

🏗️ Language & architecture

TypeScript, strict — and a point of pride: zero as any, zero @ts-ignore.
System-based (ECS-flavoured): every feature is an ISystem in a strict dependency order.
Systems never import each other — they talk only through a fully-typed event bus.
Decoupled loop: simulation is a fixed 1/60s step; render is capped at 60fps.
Math-based collision (no physics engine) and per-system save/load serialisation.

📦 Cross-platform & delivery

One codebase → desktop browser, mobile browser and native Android (Capacitor 8).
Over-the-air updates (Capgo) — ship fixes to installed apps with no store round-trip; auto-rollback on a bad bundle.
Signed release APK (v2 APK Signature Scheme).
CI/CD on Cloudflare Pages — git-push deploys, auto-SSL, global CDN.
One version number locked across package.json, the git tag and the live bundle.

◆ How it fits together

The architecture, at a glance

 DELIVERY ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
                                                          ┌────────────────┐
  Desktop browser   Mobile browser   Android (native)     │  Cloudflare    │
       │                 │           Capacitor 8 WebView  │  Pages         │◄─ git push
       └────────┬────────┴──────────────────┤             │  CDN + SSL     │
                │                            │  Capgo OTA  └───────┬────────┘
                │                            │  live bundle ◄──────┘
                ▼                            ▼  (auto-rollback)
 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
  RUNTIME    index.html → main.ts → Game
                                     │
                  ┌──────────────────┴───────────────────┐
                  ▼                                       ▼
            ┌──────────────────┐               ┌────────────────────┐
            │  GAME LOOP        │  renders      │  Babylon.js 9      │
            │  sim   = 1/60 fix │ ────────────► │  WebGL2 · bloom    │
            │  render ≤ 60 fps  │               │  shadows · glow    │
            └────────┬─────────┘                │  GPU wind shader   │
                     │ update(dt)               └────────────────────┘
                     ▼
 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
  CORE   ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐
         │ GameContext  │  │   EventBus        │  │  SystemManager   │
         │ service loc. │  │   fully typed     │  │  ISystem order   │
         └──────────────┘  │ (no system imports│  │  init/update/    │
                           │  another system)  │  │  dispose         │
                           └────────┬──────────┘  └──────────────────┘
  SYSTEMS ◄─────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────►
   brew · friendship · mainQuest · personalQuests · womensDay · festival ·
   pubs · vibrancy · farming · weather · audio · graphics · lighting · … (~44)
            │                       │                       │
            ▼                       ▼                       ▼
 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
  PROCEDURAL GEN              CONTENT (data)          PERSISTENCE
  meshes · characters         catalog · quests        SaveManager → per-system
  canvas textures · sky       festivals · flowers     serialize → localStorage
  Web-Audio synth + score      …                       / Capacitor Preferences
                →  NO asset files

◆ Under the bonnet

Every system, listed

~44 independent systems, each owning one slice of the game and coordinating only through the typed event bus. Registered in a deliberate dependency order.

Core loop, input & world

InputSystem — keyboard, touch & on-screen controls.
TimeSystem & Clock — integer-tick game clock, day phases.
SeasonSystem — 7-day seasons, a 28-day year.
ActorSystem — Sophie & Pudding, movement.
InteractionSystem — "what can I interact with right now?".
CameraRig — the follow camera.
BeaconSystem — world markers for location quest-steps.
InteriorsSystem — walk-in buildings.

Brewing, economy & growing

BrewSystem — the gather→brew→name→label→shelf loop.
InventorySystem — what's in the bag.
WalletSystem — caps (the in-game currency).
PubSystem — daily pub orders, sales, tips.
CellarSystem — the brew-collection reward ladder.
FloraSystem — wildflowers & the Florilegium.
FarmingSystem — cultivated plots & the greenhouse.
EggSystem — the hens (and Kevin's love of eggs).

People, story & progression

FriendshipSystem — bonds & a 5-heart scale.
MainQuestSystem — the nine-act, year-long story.
PersonalQuestSystem — chained friendship favours.
WomensDaySystem — Lucienne's collaborative brew finale.
SocialSystem — gifts, pints & Roon's crafting.
FavourSystem — the village notice-board deeds.
NewsSystem — the daily Island Gazette headline.
VibrancySystem — the island "wakes up" as you play.
SecretsSystem — Pudding's hidden mysteries.
TidelineSystem — the morning shore ritual.
IntroSystem — the arrival sequence (new games).
FinaleSystem — the hidden heart of it all.

Festivals, decorating & play

FestivalSystem — four seasonal festivals.
FestivalBandSystem — a band plays on stage.
MinigameSystem — the festival stalls & signature games.
CustomisationSystem — outfits, decor & furniture.
CharmSystem — an island "charm" rating from your decor.

Rendering, atmosphere & audio

GraphicsSystem — the post-FX pipeline & glow, with a quality toggle.
LightingSystem — lighthouse beam, lamps, interior glow.
SkySystem — dome, clouds, sun, moon, stars, fog.
WaterSystem — the breathing sea.
AmbienceSystem — reads the clock's phase for mood.
WindSystem — drives the GPU foliage sway.
WeatherSystem — petals, leaves & snow that follow you.
LifeSystem — smoke, steam, fireflies, drift.
JuiceSystem — footstep dust, brew sparkle, ambient motes.
CrittersSystem — chickens, ducks, butterflies, gulls.
AudioSystem — the synth soundscape: SFX + dynamic music bed.

◆ Casual brag material

A few numbers & quirks

⚡ Performance & feel

Thermal-aware: a render-DPR cap + fps cap cut GPU load ~4× — without changing game feel (the sim is fixed-step).
Identical timing on a 60Hz and a 120Hz phone.
QA via headless soak tests (Puppeteer + SwiftShader software-GL) that fast-forward seasons, festivals & save/load.

🌍 The world

A 9-act main quest, ~50+ chained friendship favours, a hidden finale.
Four seasonal festivals with a band & minigames; live day/night & a turning year.
A wardrobe of 17 procedural outfits — every character built from the same code rig.
British island, British spelling, golden hour all the way down.

Made with Babylon.js · TypeScript · Vite · Capacitor — and rather a lot of care.