This document specifies all meta-screen layouts and flows outside of active gameplay: the main menu, Achernar Station hub, hangar, shop, and navigation between them. These screens represent the player's "home" — between missions, between sessions, between decisions.
All meta screens share a common visual language derived from the game's identity:
#c8f542 for active states, selection highlights, and primary CTAs--color-background-primary), muted secondary surfaces, lime accents. Warm Telos-gold used only for specific Telos-adjacent content (boss records, Veiled Token economy).--border-radius-lg (12px) for all cards and panels--color-border-tertiary for surfaces; --color-border-secondary on hover/activeOn absolute first launch (no save data):
#c8f542, DM Mono, 28px23_ftue.md)On subsequent launches:
[TAO BARYON] ← title, top-center, lime
[CDL Production] ← subtitle, muted, 11px
[CONTINUE] ← primary button, loads last session
[CAMPAIGN] ← secondary button
[ENDLESS MODE] ← secondary button (locked until S30 cleared)
[HANGAR]
[CODEX]
[SETTINGS]
[Pilot Rank badge] ← bottom-left
[Version number] ← bottom-right, muted 10pxButton styling:
--border-radius-md--color-border-secondary border, --color-text-primary textPilot Rank badge (bottom-left): Small card showing rank numeral, current title, and XP progress bar to next rank. Tapping it opens the profile screen.
Accessed from: Main menu → CAMPAIGN
Vertical scroll list of all 5 sectors, each expanded to show its stages.
Sector header card:
17_achievements.md)Stage entry row:
Tap a stage: Opens Stage Intel Briefing → begins stage
Visual progression: Cleared stages have a subtle filled background. Current "frontier" stage (first uncleared) has a lime left accent strip. Future locked stages are dimmed.
Accessed from: After stage clear, or main menu → CONTINUE
The hub is the player's emotional anchor. It should feel like returning somewhere. Not a menu — a place. The design intent: coming home from a mission.
The hub is a single scrollable screen with sections:
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ ACHERNAR STATION │ ← header, small, muted
│ [Sira-Vel greeting line] │ ← changes per session/milestone
│ │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │ CAMPAIGN │ │ ENDLESS │ │ ← primary action cards
│ │ Stage 23 │ │ Depth-- │ │
│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │
│ │
│ [HANGAR] [SHOP] [CODEX] │ ← secondary navigation row
│ │
│ ─── Recent Unlocks ─── │
│ [achievement card if any] │
│ [codex card if any] │
│ │
│ ─── Daily ─── │
│ [Daily login bonus card] │
│ │
│ ─── Status ─── │
│ [Active build timer card] │
│ [Energy bar + refill timer] │
└──────────────────────────────────┘A single line of text below the header. Changes contextually:
Lines are authored, not generated. A pool of ~40 contextual lines cycles based on conditions, with no-repeat logic.
Two large cards side by side (if campaign ongoing and endless unlocked) or one full-width card (pre-S30):
Campaign card:
Endless card (post-S30):
Three equal-width icon buttons below the primary cards: HANGAR (ship icon), SHOP (store icon), CODEX (book icon). Each has a notification pip if new content is available.
If any achievements or codex entries unlocked since the last hub visit: a horizontally-scrolling row of cards, one per unlock. Each card: tier color left strip, name, tap to view. Clears after viewing. Missing if nothing new.
At the bottom of the hub, always visible:
⚡ 5 / 8 [███████░░] Next in 06:42Accessed from: Hub → HANGAR, or Main Menu → HANGAR
The hangar is where the player manages their fleet. It must communicate both what they own and what they're working toward.
Top: Horizontally scrolling ship cards Middle: Selected ship detail panel Bottom: Upgrade/Build action panel
Each ship has a card (80px × 100px):
16_pilot_rank.md)Order: Always H-1, H-2, H-3, V-1, V-2, V-3, C-1, C-2, C-3. Locked ships appear but are grayed.
Shows the full detail of the selected ship:
[Ship name] [Series badge]
[Mastery progress bar: Trained]
[Stats grid]
HP: ████░░ 200 Speed: 1.15×
Fire Rate: 1.15× Hitbox: Small
[Passive ability]
Coalition Standard — 2 shield charges on stage start + HP regen
[Mark indicator: M0 M1 M2 [M3]]
[Upgrade to M3 button] or [Already at M3]
[Module Loadout]
[Offense slot: Kinetic Amplifier M2] [tap to change]
[Defense slot: Hull Membrane M1] [tap to change]
[Utility slot: Pickup Magnet M2] [tap to change]
[Weapon Mount]
[Penrose Lance M3 — Native] [tap to change]Active ship indicator: A lime "ACTIVE" badge on the currently selected battle loadout. Tapping a different ship and confirming switches the active loadout.
Tapping a module slot opens a bottom sheet:
Same pattern as module picker. Lists all owned weapons with affinity badge (N / C / F).
When a ship is selected that is not at M3 or not yet owned:
If not owned:
[Build H-2 Interceptor]
Cost: 3,500 credits · 30 min build
Requires: Pilot Rank 5 · Sector 1 cleared
[BUILD] ← button, lime if affordable / grayed if notIf owned but not M3:
[Upgrade to M3 — H-2 Interceptor]
Cost: 20,000 credits · 6 Blueprint Shards
Build time: 2 hours
[UPGRADE]If at M3: No action panel — a small "Fully Upgraded" label in muted text.
Accessed from: Hub → SHOP
The shop is a service, not a casino. No loot boxes. No mystery packs. Every item is visible at full price before purchase. The player knows exactly what they are buying.
Top tab bar: SHIPS | WEAPONS | MODULES | COSMETICS
Each tab is a scrollable list of buildable items.
Lists all 9 ships in series order. For each:
Build/upgrade confirmation sheet:
Same structure. Lists all 8 weapons.
Grouped by slot type (Offense / Defense / Utility). Each module shows:
Lists all cosmetics available for purchase:
Cosmetics that are achievement-exclusive show their achievement condition instead of a price. This creates an aspirational display — the player can see what exists and what they'd need to do to earn it.
No direct purchase of achievement cosmetics. They are not for sale. Ever.
A persistent banner at the top of the shop screen (if a build is active):
⏳ H-2 Interceptor M2 — 1h 23m remaining [Skip Ad: 40min]Only one build slot. Queue is not available in v1.0.
Accessed from: Hub → rank badge, or Main Menu → rank badge
[PILOT PROFILE]
[Rank numeral with tier frame]
[Rank N — "Apparatus Breaker"]
[XP bar: 217,800 / 236,800]
[Title: "Apparatus Breaker" ▼] ← tap to change from owned titles
[Banner: "Beyond the Veil" ▼] ← tap to change from owned banners
─── Stats ───
Total stages cleared: 24
Boss kills: 4
Highest combo: 9.8×
Best endless depth: 0
Total enemies: 14,312
Total playtime: 38h 22m
─── Achievements ───
[progress bar: 28 / 72]
[View all →]Title selector (bottom sheet): Lists all owned titles, current selected has lime checkmark. Tap to equip, closes sheet.
Main Menu
├── Campaign Map → Stage Intel → [game] → Stage Clear → Hub
├── Endless Mode → [game] → death → Hub
├── Hangar
│ ├── Module Picker (sheet)
│ └── Weapon Picker (sheet)
├── Shop
│ ├── Build Confirmation (sheet)
│ └── Active Build Banner
├── Codex (→ see 21_codex_ui.md)
├── Settings (→ see 22_settings.md)
└── Profile
Hub
├── Campaign Card → Stage Intel → [game]
├── Endless Card → [game]
├── Hangar (tab switch)
├── Shop (tab switch)
└── Codex (tab switch)Back navigation: Standard platform back gesture / button returns up one level. From game → hub (not main menu). From hub → main menu only via explicit exit.
No loading screens between hub sections. The hub, hangar, shop, and codex are the same screen with tab switching — they share the same state and switch without loading.
| Transition | Animation | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Main menu → hub | Cross-fade | 300ms |
| Hub tab switch | Slide in from direction of tab | 200ms |
| Bottom sheet open | Slide up | 250ms ease-out |
| Bottom sheet close | Slide down | 200ms ease-in |
| Stage Intel overlay | Fade in | 300ms |
| Gameplay start | Black flash → playfield | 400ms |
| Stage clear | Playfield fade to dark | 800ms |
| Hub return after clear | Fade in | 300ms |
All transitions use ease-out for entries (feels snappy) and ease-in for exits (feels intentional, not jerky).
Document version: 1.0 (locked) Part of: Tao Baryon GDD — Tier 4 UX & Meta