A walkthrough of the systems PondBot is being built around. This is a design preview, not live documentation: commands, numbers, and names can change before launch.
⚠️In development. PondBot is not invitable yet. This guide describes the design in the repo's DESIGN.md so future pond keepers know what they are signing up for.
1. Overview design preview
You keep a pond full of ducks (the stars) and pond fish (the calm underlayer). The game is an equal blend of three things:
Collection: catch, hatch, and find ducks across many rarities and skins; complete the Duck-Dex.
Care & play: feed, play with, and bond with your ducks; find them toys and hats.
Competition: leaderboards for the rarest, best-dressed, most-loved ponds.
The tone is humor plus cuteness. Ducks idle, react, and occasionally embarrass you in front of the whole server. This is intentional.
2. Ducks & Skins headline feature
The duck is the canvas; skins and variants are the main collectible flex:
Layering: base duck × skin × accessory slots (hat, neckwear, held toy), shared DNA with TerraBot's trait layering.
Shiny variants: rare sparkly versions of any duck, because of course.
Rarity uses the shared SpartanBots ladder (⬜ Common → 💎 Mythic), and skin rarity is a parallel axis: a Mythic skin on a Common duck is its own brag.
3. Care & Bonding core loop
Feed (bread is traditional, proper feed is responsible), play mini-interactions, give toys.
Happy ducks level their bond: bond unlocks cosmetics, follow-you-around moments, and bonus finds.
Neglect makes ducks sad, never gone. Recovery is always possible: PondBot is a comfort game.
The care framework is planned to be shared with TerraBot (one engine, two themes), so both games get better together.
4. The Wardrobe core verb
Dressing ducks is a first-class activity:
Slots: hat, neckwear, held toy. Mix-and-match fits.
Hunting: rare cosmetics are found through play and foraging, not just bought.
Fit-flexing: show off ensembles on your profile and the best-dressed leaderboard.
5. Your Pond & the Koi in design
The pond is your customizable home base: plants, bridges, floaties, lanterns, and seasonal decor. Underneath the ducks, koi and pond fish form a second, quieter collectible layer with patterns and colors for the peaceful collectors.
6. The Duck-Dex collection book
Every duck, skin, and fish you have ever logged. Completion milestones grant rewards and badges, and first finds get stamped with your name and date.
7. Shops & Economy no pay-to-win
Soft currency (name in progress; Breadcrumbs is the front-runner) earned through care, play, dailies, and finds.
Rotating Duck Shop: ducks, skins, hats, toys, pond decor, and feed on rotation.
Drachmas, the shared SpartanBots premium currency, buy cosmetics, convenience, and premium stock. Never power.
One Patreon covers perks across all SpartanBots. No gameplay paywalls, anywhere, ever.
8. The SpartanBots Ecosystem cross-bot
PondBot shares its rarity ladder, premium currency, and Patreon with the whole family: AestherBot, TackleBot, GargoyleBot, and the in-development TerraBot, BinderBot, and ServerPet. Planned crossovers include duck cards in BinderBot.