Getting started

Welcome to the Node Factory

Your goal is simple: scale this operation from a single node to a global intelligence network. There is no end screen. The game is about growing numbers, better layouts and faster runs.

The grid is endless. Pan with WASD or by dragging with the right or middle mouse button. Zoom with the wheel or Q / E.

Place a Data Stream node

Open the Build Menu at the bottom of the screen and place your first Data Stream. It needs no input and produces 1 Data Stream per second. This is where your data pipeline begins.

Every node type has a limited number of slots. You start with one Data Stream and one Training Crawler. You buy more slots with Research later.

Understand what it makes

The Data Stream node pulls in raw traffic from external servers. That traffic is the fuel for everything you build next. On its own it is worthless: Data Stream can't be sold, so you have to refine it.

Add a Training Crawler

Place a Training Crawler nearby. It converts 1 Data Stream into 1 Training Data, the first sellable resource and the base of almost every chain.

Read the ports

Data flows strictly from output (right side) to input (left side). Always match the port shape and color. Each resource has its own, as listed on the Resources page. Generic ports such as Data (any) or Process (any) accept a whole family of resources.

Connect them

Click the output port of the Data Stream and drag to the input port of the Training Crawler. The wire lights up and data starts flowing.

Watch the capacity

Click a node to see its tooltip. Every production node has a capacity, the maximum number of recipes (sets) it can run per second. If you feed it more than that, the extra is wasted and the node shows a bottleneck warning. Keep inputs balanced. See Production & capacity.

Place a Market

Data only has value when it's sold. The Market is your gateway to the economy. You can build as many as you want.

Sell your Training Data

Drag a wire from the Training Crawler's output to the Market's input. The Market's port is dynamic: it changes to match any sellable resource you connect.

Check the price

Click the Market to see the sell price of what it's receiving. Prices never fluctuate. They only go up when you buy Sell Rate upgrades in the skill tree, up to 6× the base price. Training Data sells for $1.50 per unit.

Place a Collector

Money doesn't count until it's in the bank. The Collector is your local vault for the revenue a Market generates.

Wire Market → Collector

Connect the Market's green Money output to the Collector. The Collector's bar fills up as money arrives.

Collect your earnings

Money doesn't move by itself. Click Collect on the Collector (or right-click → Collect) to add it to your wallet. Later, the Auto Collect skill ($5M) banks everything instantly.

Buy your first upgrade

Open the Skill Tree (Z) and buy Data Stream Speed I. It costs $10 and adds another 1× base rate. Every rate upgrade adds the same flat amount, and costs grow ×1.07 to ×1.13 per level.

Place a Researcher

Raw hardware only takes you so far. Place a Researcher anywhere on the grid. It banks resources for the Model Lab.

Feed it Training Data

An output port can have several wires. Drag a second connection from the Training Crawler into the Researcher. It will pull Training Data alongside your Market chain, so you don't need to touch that connection.

Deploy Auto Grader

Open the Model Lab (C). Auto Grader needs 20 Training Data banked before it can go live. Once it's ready, hit Deploy. This is permanent: Auto Grader now generates Research every second, and Research unlocks new node slots.