Gate Control Terminal

You manage a gate; a transit hub where ships travel between distant locations. Ships arrive constantly requesting passage. Your job is to process them safely while keeping gate systems operational.

A gate is a transit hub built to stabilize corridor routes and connect locations throughout the galaxy. Ships use gates to jump between distant star systems that would otherwise be unreachable. Your gate has multiple systems (power, docking, decontamination, communications) that degrade over time and must be maintained.

You earn credits by processing ships and surviving your shift. One critical mistake: approving a hazardous ship, running out of fuel, losing all relays — will SEVER your gate connection. GAME OVER. Your shift officially ends at your chosen duration, but you can continue indefinitely if you stay vigilant.

When your gate loses power, communications fail completely, or a catastrophic event occurs, the gate SEVERS from the network. This ends your session. All severing conditions are preventable if you maintain systems and check ships carefully.

Shows your operator callsign (editable), gate ID, current credits earned, shift time, and alert count. The right side has controls for theme, sound, visual effects, HELP, and RESET (danger — wipes your session).

Two queues: INBOUND (ships arriving at your gate) and OUTBOUND (ships departing from your gate). Each ship shows ID, priority, type, cargo, status, and action buttons (DTL, QRY, DECON, APP, DENY). Ships with CRITICAL priority have strict deadlines — missing them can SEVER your gate.

Monitors your gate's health across 7 subsections: Gate Systems (beacon, alignment, sync), Corridor Systems (transit links to other gates), Facility Systems (decon bay, fuel manifold, dock clamps), Resources (fuel and supply levels), Concourse & Docks (current ship population), Relays (communication network), and Maintenance (active work orders). Systems have three states: ONLINE, DEGRADED (yellow), or OFFLINE.

Bottom section with two parts: Console Log (command output), and Command Input (where you type commands like STATUS or APPROVE V-9012). Four maintenance buttons sit above the input: REALIGN, RESYNC, PURGE, SCAN.

1. Ships may appear in TRAFFIC immediately. Check for CRITICAL ships (marked with a star) first.
2. Check your gate SYSTEMS, CORRIDOR LINKS and RELAYS for any issues.
3. Look for warnings in red text and check the console for initial updates.
4. If a ship is clean (no hazards, valid transponder), click APP (Approve). If hazardous, click DENY.
5. Use the MAINTENANCE buttons to fix any initial SYSTEMS issues.

Process ships as they arrive, monitor system health, acknowledge relay pings, order fuel and supplies when low, repair degraded facilities. The game never pauses. Systems degrade randomly. Ships keep coming.

Clears a ship for transit through your gate. You earn credits. Ship enters the Concourse and docks. WARNING: Approving an INBOUND ship with VACUUM BLOOM, RAIDERS, or PIRATES will INSTANTLY SEVER YOUR GATE and end the game.

Refuses ship entry/exit. Denying hazardous ships earns credits. Denying non-hazardous ships costs credits — a strategic tradeoff when you prioritize safety over profit. Denying won't end your game (unless it's a 'safe' CRITICAL or PRIORITY ship), but approving the wrong ship will.

Pauses a ship for 30-60 seconds. Use this when you need time to investigate, run SCAN, or QUERY a ship. Each ship can only be held ONCE. Use it wisely.

Requests ship identification and clears UNKNOWN fields. Use on ships with UNKNOWN sections or MISMATCH transponder status. Ship will respond after a delay. Some ships won't respond or may mask their signal. Use SCAN to dig deeper, but it may be risky.

Starts decontamination procedure. Ships with CORRIDOR RADIATION must be denied if outbound; you cannot decon outbound ships safely. Requires DECON BAY facility to be ONLINE. Costs supply.

Shows complete ship information: ID, state, cargo, transponder status, priority level, effects/hazards, notes, ETA, dock slot. ALWAYS CHECK DETAIL BEFORE APPROVING. One missed hazard = instant game over.

Hazard	Where	Correct Action	If Wrong
Vacuum Bloom	Inbound	DENY: QUARANTINE REQUIRED	GAME OVER
Corridor Radiation	Outbound	DENY: RADIATION HAZARD	GAME OVER
Raiders / Pirates	Any	DENY: AUTHORITIES NOTIFIED	GAME OVER
MISMATCH transponder	Any	QUERY first, then decide	Risk of hidden threat
UNKNOWN transponder	Any	QUERY + SCAN recommended	Risk of hidden threat
Hidden threats	Any	Use SCAN to detect	Approve unknowingly = disaster

Outbound ships have departure deadlines (countdown timers). CRITICAL priority ships must be processed quickly - missing their deadline will SEVER your gate. URGENT ships cause credit penalties if delayed. STANDARD ships are lower risk but still cost credits if you miss their window.

Status: ONLINE / FAULT / OFFLINE. Your gate's visibility signal to the network. If OFFLINE, other gates can't see you and fewer ships will arrive. No direct fix — use RESYNC command which can sometimes restore it. Degrades randomly.

Status: WITHIN TOLERANCE / DRIFTING / OUT OF TOLERANCE. Gate positioning accuracy for safe transit. If OUT OF TOLERANCE, ships cannot transit safely. Fix: Type REALIGN command or click REALIGN button (10-second cooldown). Use preventively when showing DRIFTING.

Status: SYNC / ASYNC / FAULT. Network synchronization state. If FAULT, gate connection becomes unstable and may lead to severing. Fix: Type RESYNC command or click RESYNC button (10-second cooldown). Healthy relays also help maintain sync. If ALIGNMENT is OUT OF TOLERANCE or SYNC is FAULT for 60s, the gate SEVERS (klaxon at 30s).

Status: STABLE / DEGRADED / INTERMITTENT / OFFLINE. Transit paths connecting your gate to others (usually 3-4 links labeled A, B, C, D). Like highways between cities. If ALL corridors go OFFLINE, your gate loses network connection and SEVERS (GAME OVER). No direct fix — corridors degrade and recover randomly. Maintain overall gate health to reduce risk.

Status: ONLINE / DEGRADED / OFFLINE. Gate station equipment (DECON BAY for decontamination, FUEL MANIFOLD for refueling, DOCK CLAMP ARRAY for docking, BEACON AMPLIFIER for signal strength, etc.). WARNING: DEGRADED facilities automatically fail to OFFLINE after 2-5 minutes if not repaired. If ALL facilities are OFFLINE with no active work orders, gate SEVERS (GAME OVER). Different facilities being offline will have different impacts on gameplay.

Option 1 (Quick): Type REPAIR [system name] or click REPAIR button. 70% success rate, instant if successful, 5-second cooldown. On failure, the system usually stays degraded; a failed repair can still knock it offline. Each REPAIR attempt costs supply. Option 2 (Guaranteed): Click WO (Work Order) button. 100% success, takes 1-3 minutes, costs supply. Issue work orders on critical facilities to guarantee repair.

Status: ONLINE / WEAK / FAULT / OFFLINE. Communication stations (2-3 per gate, labeled R-XXXX) that maintain your connection to the network. Relays periodically send PING requests. You MUST click ACK or type ACK [relay-id] within 5 seconds of a relay ping. Missed ACKs damage relay health by 25-40%. If ALL relays go OFFLINE for 10+ seconds, gate SEVERS (GAME OVER). Enable audio to hear ping alerts. Use STABILIZE for maintenance, RESTORE for repairs.

ACK [relay-id]: Acknowledge relay ping (CRITICAL! Do this ASAP!). PING [relay-id]: Test relay connection manually. STABILIZE [relay-id]: Available when relay health 25-49%, 75% success chance, +25-40% health, 30s cooldown. RESTORE [relay-id]: Available when relay health <25%, 50-65% success based on health, +15-45% health (capped at 75%), 30s cooldown.

Drains continuously, when it reaches 25% or less it will show CRITICAL warning. At 0% your gate loses power and SEVERS (GAME OVER). Fix: Click ORDER buttons under Resources or type ORDER FUEL [amount] (e.g., ORDER FUEL 50). Costs credits, takes time to deliver. Order fuel at 30-40%, not when critical.

Used for work orders, decontamination operations, and REPAIR attempts. Doesn't drain passively. Running out means you cannot issue work orders or decon ships. Fix: Click ORDER buttons or type ORDER SUPPLY [amount]. Order supply when below 30% if you have active maintenance needs.

You can purchase additional RELAYS and DOCKING SLOTS during longer sessions. Click PURCHASE buttons in their respective panels or type PURCHASE RELAY / PURCHASE DOCK. Cost increases with each purchase. Requires credits (CR) and SUPPLY. New items require 2-3 minutes to assemble before becoming operational.

Shows current ship population at your gate. Increases when you approve ships, decreases over time. High concourse levels raise the chance of facility subsystems degrading. Fix: Type PURGE command or click PURGE button to clear low-priority traffic from the ship queue (costs 10 FUEL, 10-second cooldown).

SYS — Show overall gate health summary
SHIFT — Show shift summary, time remaining, wage.
COMPLETE — End shift and display score (UNLIMITED/ENDURANCE only, minimum 15 minutes elapsed)
WAGE — Show current wage.
DETAIL [ship-id] — View ship details (e.g., DETAIL V-9012)
MANIFEST [ship-id] — View crew manifest of a specific ship (e.g., MANIFEST V-9012)
APPROVE [ship-id] — Clear ship for transit (e.g., APPROVE V-9012)
DENY [ship-id] — Refuse ship (e.g., DENY V-9012)
SCAN — Detect hidden hazards on ships and reveal info more often than QUEREY. USE WITH CAUTION - CAN DISRUPT ALIGNMENT, RELAYS AND SYNC STATE!
REALIGN — Fix gate alignment (10s cooldown)
RESYNC — Fix sync issues (10s cooldown)
PURGE — Clear ship queue congestion (costs 10 FUEL, 10s cooldown)
ACK [relay-id] — Acknowledge relay ping (e.g., ACK R-7701) CRITICAL
REPAIR [system] — Quick repair facility (e.g., REPAIR DECON BAY)
ORDER FUEL [amount] — Buy fuel (e.g., ORDER FUEL 50)
ORDER SUPPLY [amount] — Buy supplies (e.g., ORDER SUPPLY 30)
PURCHASE RELAY — Buy additional relay (costs CR + SUPPLY)
PURCHASE DOCK — Buy additional docking slot (costs CR + SUPPLY)

HELP or ? — Show command list
LOCAL or LOCALSYSTEM - Show local system registry
INFOEXPORT - Export archive report (GATE-ID-REPORT.txt)
LINKS — View corridor status
LIST or LIST INBOUND or LIST OUTBOUND or LIST DOCKED — List ships in queues
LOGS ADD [text] | LOGS LIST | LOGS VIEW [id] | LOGS DELETE [id] — Manage per-gate log entries
RELAYS — Show relay network status and pending ACKs
PACKETS — Show recent transmission activity
WORKORDER [system] — Issue guaranteed work order for facility

DETAIL [id] — Full ship information
QUERY [id] — Request ship identification
HOLD [id] — Pause ship for 30-60s (one-time use per ship)
DECON [id] or DECON START [id] — Start decontamination
NOTE [id] [text] — Add operator notes to ship record

ACK [relay-id] — Acknowledge relay ping (MUST DO WITHIN 5 SECONDS)
PING [relay-id] — Test relay connection
STABILIZE [relay-id] — Proactive maintenance (health 25-49%, 75% success, +25-40% health, 30s cooldown)
RESTORE [relay-id] — Emergency repair (health <25%, 50-65% success, 30s cooldown)

THEME LIST | THEME [color] — List or change theme (green/red/blue/purple/amber/cyan/orange/black/light)
SFX or SFX ON|OFF|TOGGLE — Control sound effects
MUSIC or MUSIC ON|OFF|TOGGLE — Control background music
VFX or VFX HIGH|MEDIUM|LOW|CYCLE — Control visual effects quality
CLEAR — Clear console text
ZOOM [up/down/reset/N%] — Adjust text size

MSG [message] — Send a message to the GATE NETWORK
ACTIVE — Display connected Gate operators
PING GATE-ID — Ping another GATE OPERATOR
ACK GATE-ID — Acknowledge a ping from other GATE OPERATORS
DND PING|MSG|ALL — Toggle Do Not Disturb mode for Messages, Pings, or both

Enter — Submit command. ArrowUp — Recall last command. Esc — Clear input or dismiss this panel.

FUEL reaches 0% → Power loss → SEVERED. Why: You didn't order fuel in time or ran out of credits. Prevention: Order fuel when below 30%, keep credits available, monitor fuel constantly.

All relays offline for 10+ seconds → Network disconnected → SEVERED. Why: You ignored relay PING requests or didn't ACK them within 5 seconds. Prevention: ACK relay pings IMMEDIATELY when they appear. Enable audio to hear ping alerts. Use STABILIZE and RESTORE when available to repair RELAYS. LAST RESORT: If all relays go offline, spam-click the BROADCAST button to extend the timer (+1.5s per click) until a relay recovers.

All corridor links offline → Lost network connection → SEVERED. Why: Degraded into OFFLINE and you did not use REALIGN. Prevention: Use REALIGN to realign corridor links.

All four facilities offline → System failure → SEVERED. Why: You let facilities degrade from DEGRADED to OFFLINE (happens in 2-5 min) without repairing them. Prevention: Issue work orders or use REPAIR command when facilities show DEGRADED.

Approved ship with Vacuum Bloom reaches gate or departs to a populated area → Outbreak → INSTANT SEVERED. Why: You approved a hazardous ship without checking DETAIL. Prevention: ALWAYS check ship DETAIL before approving. DENY any ship with Vacuum Bloom.

Approved ship with Raiders or Pirates reaches gate → Attack → INSTANT SEVERED. Why: You approved hostile ships. Prevention: Use SCAN command cautiously to detect hidden threats. DENY when detected.

Approved outbound ship with Corridor Radiation departs → Gate exposure → INSTANT SEVERED. Why: You let a contaminated ship depart from your gate. Prevention: DECON inbound ships with radiation before approval. DENY any outbound ship showing radiation with reason "RADIATION HAZARD".

Failed to process CRITICAL or PRIORITY ship on time OR wrongfully denied a CRITICAL or PRIORITY ship → Ship lost → INSTANT SEVERED. Why: You didn't prioritize or wrongfully denied high-urgency ships. Prevention: Process CRITICAL priority ships first, watch countdown timers, use HOLD if you need time to verify safety. Ensure that you approve all CRITICAL ships and have DOCKS available for INBOUND CRITICAL ships.

Reaching 0 (or less) total wage after an action that costs CR (incorrect approvals/denies, spending on resources, etc) → INSTANT SEVERED. Why: You didn't manage your incoming wage versus spending or made too many small mistakes that added up to cost you in the end. Keep an eye on WAGE and be careful!

Approved too many ships → More than THREE regular ships "Waiting to Dock" OR more than ONE CRITICAL/PRIORITY ship "Waiting to Dock" → INSTANT SEVERED. Why: You managed ship traffic poorly. CRITICAL/PRIORITY ships (marked with ★) are more important and cannot be left waiting. Prevention: Prioritize docking CRITICAL ships first. Use PURGE (-10 fuel) to clear the queue of non-critical ships, or DENY incoming non-critical ships and take the minor hit to WAGE if you can afford it. Make sure your DECON BAY and FUEL MANIFOLD stay ONLINE so ships go through docking faster.

ALIGNMENT becomes OUT OF ALIGNMENT or SYNC STATE becomes FAULT → 60 seconds pass, alarm sounding at 20 → Ignored for too long → INSTANT SEVERED. Why: Critical GATE SYSTEMS failed and were not fixed. Prevention: use REALIGN to fix ALIGNMENT, bringing it back up to "WITHIN TOLERANCE". Use RESYNC to fix SYNC STATE back to "SYNC" - if RELAYS are down, SYNC STATE may be stuck in ASYNC.

• Check DETAIL on EVERY ship if you're not CERTAIN approving. One hazard missed = instant game over.
• ACK relay pings IMMEDIATELY when they appear. Set audio ON to hear alerts.
• Order FUEL when below 40%, not when critical. Fuel takes time to deliver.
• Repair facilities at DEGRADED status. Don't wait for OFFLINE (harder to fix).
• Watch outbound ship deadlines. CRITICAL priority ships can SEVER your gate if missed.
• When in doubt, use HOLD to pause a ship, then SCAN and DETAIL to investigate.
• Incorrect DENYs cost credits but won't end your game. Incorrect APPROVEs will.
• Use REALIGN and RESYNC preventively (10s cooldowns). PURGE costs 10 FUEL.
• Use SCAN cautiously but as needed. It can reveal hazards and UNKNOWNS significantly better than QUEREY; but it often will degrade or impact systems.
• You earn credits per minute + credits per action.

EXPORT downloads a .tqegate save file. LOAD FILE restores a saved session. Use these to preserve long successful shifts.

THEME changes colors (12 options). SFX/MUSIC toggle audio (recommend ON for relay ping alerts). VFX toggles visual effects (use LOW on low performance devices). RESET button (top right) wipes your session completely.

As you learn the game, you will often experience SEVERS. Each GATE SEVER presents you with the reason that caused the SEVER; allowing you to learn from your mistakes.

With each shift, your stats are recorded in the PROFILE tab. You can unlock achievements and milestones based on your actions. Completing a shift of 1 hour guarauntees a new theme unlock. Each additional hour adds a chance of additional themes.

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Control visual effects quality. HIGH shows full effects, MEDIUM balances performance and visuals, LOW maximizes performance for low-end devices while keeping critical alerts visible.

Toggle gamepad/controller navigation support. When enabled, you can use Xbox, PlayStation, or generic controllers to navigate the interface and input console commands.

This callsign will auto-populate when starting new gates. You can still change it per-gate on the start screen.

Achievement progress uses normalized stats for shifts under 2 hours.

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Military Corporate Nickname Regional Name

Load a previously exported save file to restore a session. Allows you to continue from where you left off in a previous shift.

Export your current session as a .tqegate save file. Use this to preserve your progress and continue later. Disabled in ENDURANCE mode.

View your current shift score, statistics, and performance metrics. Shows efficiency, throughput, errors, and financial breakdown.

View your operator profile including lifetime statistics, achievements, unlocked themes, and clearance level. Set your default operator callsign here.

Configure interface settings including sound effects, music, keyboard sounds, visual effects, themes, zoom level, and co-op multiplayer options.

View the operator quickstart guide with detailed instructions on gameplay mechanics, interface controls, commands, and game systems.

Reset this gate session completely. Ends your current shift and returns to the start screen. All unsaved progress will be lost. Does not affect your operator profile.