Referred to as "The Cradle of Humankind", Earth is now a desert planet. Humankind has reached out across the stars and spread to many, many other planets and systems.

Humankind has become the aggressive invaders. We are the aliens that take over other worlds, and often we leave worlds razed, bare and uninhabitable, consuming all natural resources.

This is Earth today.


Not much is left, but some very important landmarks remain. Namely, one of the cubes that contains the entrance to the space controlled by Alya, the God Emperor.

Humankind serves Alya, and Alya provides Humankind with technology beyond our own capabilities to perform God's Will.

First and foremost, let's get the awkward science out of the way.

Gamers frequently misuse the terminology of "Non-Euclidean" space. Rather than debate this terminology, let's assume that when we speak about non-euclidean space, we're talking about impossible spaces that exist within the game. If it was truly "Non-Euclidean", it would mean that looking at a doorway from directly in front of it would not have the same shape to our eyes compared to if we were looking at it from a 45 degree angle. Technically, this is an Euclidean Orbifold, which is a complex topic that we won't cover here.

Why is this important? Because it's important to understand that if we try to navigate the world that exists within Tea For God based on our normal perception of space and pathfinding, you will end up... Horribly Lost. (You'll find I use this term several times, and for good reason.) Rather than saying everything in the God Emperor's domain is non-euclidean, we should operate under the assumption that navigation and spacial travel is non-euclidean.

Let's take the example of the 300 by 300 meter cube that contains one of the entrances to the God Emperor's entire domain.



Within this cube is an entire world, and the structure that Alya resides in has a radius of at least 6 miles. This is an example of impossible architecture within a confined space. The world within this cube has a lot going on within. Initially it appears that there are two factions. Humans (you), Alya and the God Emperor's tech. This isn't exactly the case, and the more time you spend within this space, the more you see that things are very, very busy, and there are more actors within that all have their own agendas.



Not so confusing, right? It's just a big space in a small space. However, this is where we need to start paying attention, because things are going to get a little more complicated.

The God Emperor's domain does not adhere to the normal rules of reality as we understand them. Not only can a massive space fit within a relatively small cube, but the space within is (terminology be damned,) non-euclidean.



We can see this immediately at the doorway to the God Emperor's domain. So what does this mean for us? Well, perhaps this could be a reason why many have entered this place and no one has ever left. On top of the countless dangers within, it's easy to get lost.

To put it plainly, if we perceive ourselves as "walking forward", we could be walking vertically, sideways (horizontally), and at the same time in a curve that could put ourselves right back where we started. We can't perceive things like this, as we're hard-coded as humans to see everything on a euclidean, planar axis.

Euclidean navigation:



Non-Euclidean Navigation:



What this means for us is that, while we perceive ourselves moving forward in a relatively straight line, we are in fact, moving in a multiple axis fashion. We could be moving "vertically", as well as through, or around, points in space, and travelling great distances with just a few steps.

For example, you could walk out a door and step onto a balcony high up on a tower looking across a ravine overlooking several other towers, then take the next door and walk a few paces and find yourself looking in the opposite direction, on a new tower, across the other side of the ravine.

This is the fundamental part of the maze that is Tea For God. You could wander for days and end up right back where you started, or you could travel for a minute or two and travel what we would perceive as several miles in the wrong direction.

How do we use this in practice? Luckily, our not-so-benevolent God Emperor has provided us with some technology that can help. We'll talk about that in the "Navigating With The Map" section.

Navigating by our own perception will leave you Horribly Lost in Alya's domain. However, our God Emperor has provided us with technology beyond our own capabilities. One of them involves your suit, and the EXM upgrades it can contain.

First and foremost, touching your suit's helmet will bring up a map overlay as well as important statistics about your own well being.

The map is set on a Euclidean grid, despite the area we are exploring being non-euclidean. Each diamond "node" represents a functional, connected space within the God Emperor's realm.



On either side of each doorway, markers will appear. These markers will flash when it leads to more than one path or notable location. Initially, we do not know how to decipher Alya's iconography, so it will be difficult to tell what notable locations are represented by which icons until you discover them. At that time, your suit will update your codex, and you'll see the proper symbol for each resource or location.

When traversing the map, you'll need to understand that you are not moving in a linear fashion. One node can have paths that lead all over the map, contained in a very small space. However, the nodes are an assistive device that can help you navigate in the only way that matters, being able to progress to areas you haven't been to without backtracking or getting lost.

The map will be your source of truth for navigation. If you use a mixture of the maps and the path indicators on the door, you will find yourself getting lost much less often.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Some difficulty modifiers can remove your ability to know where you are on the map. Do not use this until you have a grasp of how to navigate with maps and door markers, or you'll find yourself... HORRIBLY LOST....

Your equipment is your lifeblood. It consists of suit upgrades, weapons, and utility bots. Equipment upgrades are the form of progression that is attained in-game. Most equipment is upgraded in EXM chambers, though multiple forms of EXM chambers exist in the map. Utility bots are found throughout the map, and new weapons are found by defeating enemy bots, which occasionally drop either weapons or utility bots.

Your suit provides you with protection, as well as weapon storage and EXM utilities. Your resources, such as your weapon and utility energy, and Shields (your health bar) are managed by your suit.

Your Shields are broken up into 2 pools, current and stored. When your current health is damaged, after a period of time, your stored shield energy will be routed to your current shield pool, as shown here:



The large square is your current shields, the thin bar is your reserves. Some EXM Upgrades can affect the behavior of your shield pools.

WARNING: If your current shields are reduced to 0, you will die regardless of how much shield energy you have in reserves. If you take damage, find a safe place for your reserves to transfer to your active shield reservoir.

Your suit resources can be recharged at appropriate recharging stations found across the map.

You start with 2 broken weapons. These need replaced as quickly as possible. Weapons are found by defeating enemy bots. Firing a weapon depletes your suit's energy, a resource shared by weapons and utility EXM Upgrades.



Each weapon has a different set of stats and behaviors, and some weapons have non-offensive functionality such as ability to repair damaged friendly bots. Weapon upgrade stations can be found in EXM chambers that look like this:



Note that you can lock the EXM station doors behind you to prevent nasty surprises. By placing both weapons in the EXM chamber's weapon slots, you can then use the dials to target the weapon's specific subsystems that you'd like to upgrade. Each weapons' subsystem upgrades specific stats on the weapon, so choose carefully based on the purpose of your desired weapon.

Suit upgrades expand your capabilities, and can range from map enhancements, to defensive skills, or any number of utility functions. All EXM Chambers offer at least 1 EXM upgrade, though you can only choose one upgrade at a time per EXM chamber, including weapon upgrades. Additionally, you can only have a limited amount of EXM upgrades on each hand, so choose carefully.



Utility bots can be found around the map, as well as can be dropped by enemy bots that have been defeated. Each utility bot has a different function, such as providing a damage-resistant shield, or being placed as a proximity mine. Don't hesitate to experiment to find the best way to utilize each of these bots, and remember that you can place unused bots in your side holsters on either side of your waist.



Keep an eye out for red buttons that can be pressed to activate the bot's abilities. Be sure to understand how they work, as some present a danger to yourself if misused.

With the following information in mind, you're prepared to start exploring!

It's important to note that while there's multiple ways to approach certain obstacles, you don't have to fight or overcome everything. Sometimes finding a way to navigate around a difficult area is a valid tactic, rather than putting yourself in danger when you aren't sure you can survive.

If you would like detailed information about everything from enemies, utility bots, EXM upgrades and more, visit the Wiki here:
https://tea-for-god.fandom.com/wiki/Tea_For_God_Wiki

Good luck, and happy exploring. Go kill a god!