🌌 AstroForge: The Procedural Deep-Space Odyssey

Context Develop a high-fidelity, browser-based 3D space exploration game utilizing the Three.js library and vanilla JavaScript. The project aims to push the boundaries of WebGL performance by simulating a persistent, vast universe that combines procedural generation with complex physics.

Objective Construct an immersive sandbox environment where players navigate a procedurally generated cosmos. The system must integrate realistic flight dynamics, economic loops (trading/mining), and interactive AI entities, all while maintaining a seamless, high-frame-rate experience across star systems.

Style Cinematic, expansive, and technically sophisticated. Focus on high-quality shaders for atmospheric scattering, nebula volume rendering, and Newtonian motion blur. The UI should be a diegetic "cockpit" style, integrating HUD elements directly into the 3D environment.

Tone Grand and adventurous. The atmosphere should evoke the vastness and isolation of deep space, punctuated by intense moments of discovery or combat.

Audience Space-sim enthusiasts and web developers interested in the capabilities of modern WebGL and procedural content generation (PCG).

Response Requirements

• Procedural Universe:
  • Infinite star system generation using Perlin/Simplex noise for planetary terrain.
  • Volumetric nebulae and dynamic starfield shaders.
  • Wormhole transition effects for seamless loading between sectors.
• Physics & Gameplay:
  • Spacecraft flight model based on Newtonian physics (inertia, momentum, and multi-directional thrusters).
  • Mining mechanics with resource node depletion.
  • Combat system involving projectile physics and particle-based weapon effects.
• Systems & Economy:
  • Cargo management and ship upgrade hierarchy (hull, engines, weapons).
  • Trading outposts with dynamic supply/demand NPCs.
  • Mission engine for story-driven objectives and faction interactions.
• Visual Fidelity:
  • Atmospheric scattering and Rayleigh/Mie shading for planet surfaces.
  • Detailed alien AI behaviors utilizing finite state machines (FSM).