Materials Center
Use this for topic routing when you still need the broad material decision first.
Shelf-style database
Materials should read like a shelf, not a vague search.
Use this page when the item is known and you want a cleaner database shelf: route value, early use case, and the next page that turns the batch into progress.
Best fit
Open this page when the material name is already clear and the question is value, route payoff, or which system that batch should fund next.
Core entries
Use the database row that matches the batch you actually need.
| Material | Best early use | When it matters most | Best next page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium | Storage, first build pieces, route support | When basic structure still is more useful than range | Titanium route |
| Copper | Starter systems, support tools, scanner value | When tools and utility upgrades all want the same batch | Copper early |
| Quartz | Glass, utility support, room function | When the route works but a craft chain still is blocked | Quartz / Glass |
| Rare materials | Progress gates, deeper upgrades, high-value systems | When route risk is finally worth the reward | Rare route value |
Resources Hub
Use this when the material is known, but the route or farming loop still is not.
Upgrade Planner
Use this when the material is ready, but you still need the right system to spend it on.
Shelf notes
What this materials shelf should answer before you move on.
This page should tell you whether a resource matters because it unlocks travel, storage, safety, or a new tool. If the answer is just “collect more,” the page has not done enough yet.
- Treat materials like spending decisions, not trophies.
- Check the next unlock before you farm a second batch.
- Stop once the useful craft is paid for.
- Stockpiling without a plan for the next spend.
- Using a rare route when a basic loop would do.
- Forgetting that one batch can solve more than one problem if it is spent well.
- Open Resources if you still need the farming loop.
- Open Material priority if you need to decide what to spend first.
- Open Upgrade Planner once the batch is ready to spend.
Materials database depth
What the materials shelf should do before the reader leaves it.
A database page should act like a shelf label, not a vague glossary entry. The page should make it obvious what the material changes in the run and what the reader should do after finding it.
- Show the job of the material before the flavor text.
- Group the item by payoff, not by name alone.
- Link to the route or craft page that actually uses the batch.
- Listing materials without saying why the reader should care.
- Letting the page become a mini blog post instead of a lookup shelf.
- Failing to hand off to a practical route or craft page.
- Open Materials Center for the broader decision view.
- Open Crafting Hub when the item leads to a recipe.
- Open Route Planner when the value depends on where to farm it.
Batch value
When a material is worth another farming run.
The shelf is most useful when it tells you whether another trip is actually buying progress. A material should earn its place by unlocking travel, storage, safety, or a stronger craft chain.
Farm again
The next craft is blocked and the material will remove a real bottleneck.
Spend now
The batch already unlocks the next useful system or upgrade.
Stop here
The route cost is rising faster than the value of another run.
Material shelf rule
Use the shelf to answer one question: what does this batch unlock next?
If the answer is still vague, the page should not pretend the item is important. That keeps the database useful as a lookup shelf instead of a generic resource dump.
Unlock now
The batch already pays for a real system or tool.
Hold for later
The material is useful, but not enough to spend yet.
Farm elsewhere
Another route gives better payoff for the same time.