Storm warning: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 02:34, 3 July 2026

Every dig in Archeological Expedition ends the same way: the storm takes the site back.

The dig clock only ticks while you work - stop, breathe, plan your next move, and the site waits with you. But every scrape and brushstroke spends it, and if you're digging to the Time Pressure soundtrack, you'll hear it going - the music leans forward as the time runs down, the unmistakable feeling that the day's work is running out. Somewhere under your feet there's still treasure, and there's only so much digging left in the day.

The last find

When the storm finally breaks over the site, it isn't quite over. There's a moment - a heartbeat - where an artifact you've already uncovered is right there, half out of the ground, and you can still grab it before everything disappears under sand or water. Archaeologists who make a habit of this kind of exit earn a reputation (and an achievement: Storm Surfer).

Sand and sea

Not every site drowns the same way. Desert digs like Petra vanish into a sandstorm; coastal and riverside sites go under water. Either way, whatever you didn't carry out stays buried - until the next expedition.

Living with the clock

The brush saves artifacts beautifully and costs you dearly in time. Every archaeologist eventually learns where the line is - usually the hard way.
The pickaxe doesn't slow down for anything, including the artifact you forgot was under that rock.
And there is no shame in packing up early. The finds you leave behind will wait. They've waited this long.

Journal - where the finds you saved from the storm live forever.
Tools - your side of the argument with the clock.
Achievements - for those who cut it close on purpose.

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 <!-- ae-wiki-sync v1 type=manual id=storm-warning -->
-The '''storm warning''' is the time-pressure system that sits underneath every Expedition. Each dig has a clock; once it reaches a threshold the storm starts rolling in, and the player has a short window to extract one final artifact before the dig is forced to end.
+Every dig in '''[[Archeological Expedition]]''' ends the same way: the '''storm''' takes the site back.
-== How it works ==
+The dig clock only ticks while you work - stop, breathe, plan your next move, and the site waits with you. But every scrape and brushstroke spends it, and if you're digging to the ''Time Pressure'' soundtrack, you'll hear it going - the music leans forward as the time runs down, the unmistakable feeling that the day's work is running out. Somewhere under your feet there's still treasure, and there's only so much digging left in the day.
-* Each [[Locations|dig site]] has a '''time limit''' computed from the site's grid size, artifact density, and the eras present. The figure is calibrated against a Gold-tier loadout with a 10% human-factors buffer, so an unhurried Bronze-tier run is meant to feel tight.
+== The last find ==
-* As the clock runs down, the [[About AKKA|game]]'s background music drops a half-step in pitch. That pitch shift is the audio cue: the storm is coming.
-* When the warning fires, the player is in the '''clutch grace window''' &mdash; just enough time to grab one last artifact you've already exposed. (The [[Achievements]] page lists "Storm Surfer", which unlocks if you do.)
-* Sites use one of two '''storm types''' &mdash; '''sand''' (desert / arid sites like Petra) or '''water''' (coastal / wet sites). Both end the dig the same way; the audio and visual flavor differs.
-== Strategy notes ==
+When the storm finally breaks over the site, it isn't quite over. There's a moment - a heartbeat - where an artifact you've already uncovered is ''right there'', half out of the ground, and you can still grab it before everything disappears under sand or water. Archaeologists who make a habit of this kind of exit earn a reputation (and an [[Achievements|achievement]]: '''Storm Surfer''').
-* The '''[[Tools|Brush]]''' preserves what it touches but is brutally slow on stone and bone &mdash; budgeting brush time inside the storm window is risky.
+== Sand and sea ==
-* The '''[[Tools|Pickaxe]]''' clears stone fast but destroys any artifact it strikes &mdash; useful for opening the path to a known fragile, dangerous for fragile finds themselves.
-* Calling the day early is always an option: the artifacts you missed stay in the dirt, but so does your remaining money. There is no penalty for leaving with what you have.
+Not every site drowns the same way. Desert digs like Petra vanish into a '''sandstorm'''; coastal and riverside sites go under '''water'''. Either way, whatever you didn't carry out stays buried - until the next expedition.
+== Living with the clock ==
+* The [[Tools|brush]] saves artifacts beautifully and costs you dearly in time. Every archaeologist eventually learns where the line is - usually the hard way.
+* The [[Tools|pickaxe]] doesn't slow down for anything, including the artifact you forgot was under that rock.
+* And there is no shame in packing up early. The finds you leave behind will wait. They've waited this long.
 == Related ==
-* [[Journal]] &mdash; what your storm-time decisions get permanently recorded in.
+* [[Journal]] - where the finds you saved from the storm live forever.
-* [[Tools]] &mdash; the trade-offs each tool makes against time.
+* [[Tools]] - your side of the argument with the clock.
-* [[Achievements]] &mdash; mastery and event unlocks tied to storm-window play.
+* [[Achievements]] - for those who cut it close on purpose.