The game divides things the player / submarine can interact with into three types:
The abstract class that stores the item id for checking what the item is in code as well as any other relevant data about objects in the game. This is what will be stored in inventories and checking in recipes. Each item will have an associated packed scene of a prop that should be summoned when the item is dropped/extracted from the ROV bay.
Physically moveable objects on the submarine interior are called props. These can be picked up if liftable or dragged if not. Resembles the Voices of The Void system where props can be rotated while held and thrown. Each prop has an associated item that contains all its relevant data. Machines will generally check the item associated with a prop to determine how to interact with it.
Objects on the exterior of the submarine that can be collected with the ship's arm are called collectibles. These represent things like resources or story objects and will have an associated item that corresponds to what they should be when brought into the ship interior.
One of the main game loops when not engaging with the story directly is finding raw resources outside the submarine, collecting them, researching them, and eventually making use of them within the submarine. New recipes will be revealed at the fabricator based on what ingredients are placed in the input as well as what resources have previously been interacted with so far.
Such resources may be inanimate objects such as polymetallic nodules containing metals and minerals or living creatures.
Processed at the scrap processing table, or if story items will require investigation at the research table. Scrap and raw resources produce outputs rolled from a loot table that increases yield as the scrap processing setup is upgraded.
Creatures can be researched before they are euthanised and harvested for resources. In some cases more research may produce higher yields of resources or on occasion discover new useful materials to extract. Alternatively research may introduce potential use cases for the living creature in the wild (some forms of farming biproducts perhaps.) There are a total of 3 ways to research living creatures:
Observations can be made of a creature from the ship. This can be difficult for dangerous of skittish creatures and may need to be done from a distance or by setting up cameras.
The medical bay / laboratory room of the ship can be used to research the behaviour of a live specimen under controlled conditions. Some small to medium sized creatures will be able to be captured and placed within the lab’s aquarium for observation and analysis.