ELITE NPC CORE: Planet Dominance

STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION but should have some NPCs spawning in (NPCs are still being built)

ELITE_NPC_CORE – Planet Dominance v3 Progressive Waves

Built for the ELITE SURVIVORS experience.

Planet Dominance v3 is a custom no-MES NPC core for Space Engineers, designed to make planetary survival dangerous, active, and worth fighting for.

This mod pulls the action back down to the surface. Rovers matter. Atmospheric combat matters. Salvage matters. Your base, your routes, your vehicles, and your choices all matter.

Space is not the main warzone here.

The planet is.

Expect hostile ground pressure, rover-based NPC combat, atmospheric threats, and progressive waves that make the world feel like it is pushing back against you.

This is not Modular Encounters Systems.

ELITE_NPC_CORE is a custom NPC foundation built for a more direct, planet-focused survival PvE experience.

OVERVIEW

ELITE_NPC_CORE – Planet Dominance v3 Progressive Waves is built around one core idea:

Make the planet dangerous again.

Instead of players rushing into space and avoiding most of the fight, this mod focuses pressure around planetary survival. The surface becomes the main battlefield, with hostile NPC activity built around rovers, ground movement, atmospheric threats, and survival progression.

You are encouraged to build smarter, travel prepared, scout your surroundings, defend your base, and salvage what you destroy.

The planet is not just where you start.

It is where the fight lives.

FEATURES

- Custom no-MES NPC core
- Planet-focused survival combat
- Progressive personal wave concept
- Ground and rover-based NPC pressure
- Atmospheric NPC encounters
- Low space pressure by design
- Built for survival PvE and PvPvE gameplay
- Encourages rover use and mobile survival
- Rewards scouting and salvage
- Makes planetary travel more dangerous
- Designed for gritty survival worlds
- Built around pressure, progression, and combat

PROGRESSION SYSTEM

Planet Dominance v3 uses a progressive wave style system.

The idea is simple:

The stronger you become, the harder the world can push back.

Early survival should feel tense, but not impossible. You may face lighter threats, smaller hostile movements, scout-style encounters, and early salvage opportunities.

As you grow, the pressure rises.

Mid-game progression can bring tougher rover threats, stronger atmospheric encounters, and more dangerous combat situations that force you to improve your designs.

Late-game survival becomes much more hostile.

Bigger bases, stronger vehicles, better weapons, and smarter tactics become important. The planet starts to feel less like a safe home and more like enemy territory.

This gives players a reason to keep upgrading, keep moving, and keep preparing for the next fight.

GAMEPLAY GOAL

The goal of this mod is to force planet-focused play.

That means:

- More action on the surface
- More reason to build rovers
- More reason to use atmospheric vehicles
- More value in salvage
- More danger when travelling
- More pressure around bases and routes
- Less focus on hiding in space
- More survival tension during progression

This is made for players who want survival to feel earned.

You should not feel safe just because you have a base.

You should not feel safe just because you have wheels.

You should not feel safe just because the last wave was easy.

The planet is watching.

CONFIG / TUNING

Planet Dominance v3 is designed around flexible gameplay pressure.

The experience can be shaped around different server styles, from lighter PvE survival to brutal hostile-world gameplay.

Suggested styles:

Casual PvE:
Lighter pressure, slower danger growth, more breathing room, and a smoother survival curve.

Hard PvE:
Stronger waves, tougher rover threats, more aggressive atmospheric pressure, and a more dangerous planet.

PvPvE:
NPC pressure adds danger to the world without replacing player conflict.

Hardcore Survival:
High danger, strong progression pressure, heavier threats, and very little room for lazy builds.

The intended ELITE SURVIVORS feel is gritty, hostile, and progression-based.

You build.
You move.
You fight.
You salvage.
You survive.

COMPATIBILITY

ELITE_NPC_CORE is a custom no-MES NPC core.

It is not built around Modular Encounters Systems.

Recommended with:

- Planet starts
- Rover spawn systems
- Salvage progression mods
- Block restriction mods
- PvE survival servers
- PvPvE survival servers
- Weapon mods, if balanced carefully
- Hard survival worlds

Use caution when combining with:

- Other large NPC systems
- Major encounter frameworks
- Heavy space encounter mods
- Large automated combat packs
- Mods that heavily change NPC behaviour

For the cleanest experience, this mod is best used as the main NPC combat foundation for a planet-focused world.

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS

For the intended ELITE SURVIVORS experience:

- Planet start recommended
- Rover gameplay strongly recommended
- Atmospheric combat recommended
- Salvage-first progression recommended
- Low space pressure recommended
- Ground vehicles encouraged
- Mobile bases encouraged
- PvE or PvPvE recommended
- No easy safezone abuse
- Survival-focused gameplay recommended

This mod works best when the planet is treated as the main battlefield.

Build small at first.
Scout before travelling.
Bring ammo.
Bring tools.
Bring spare parts.
Never ignore wrecks.
Never trust a quiet horizon.