How to Get Started and Progress in Particle Clicker

Particle Clicker is a browser-based incremental game (a pre-release, version 0.9) built during the CERN Webfest 2014. To start, open the game, click the detector to generate events and earn data, then reinvest data and funding into HR, upgrades, and research to grow your data-per-second rate and reputation. Play in landscape orientation and save regularly, since the game notes it runs best that way and progress is tracked through manual and timed saves.

Starting Out: The Core Loop

The game screen is organized around a few panels: your detector, Data, Reputation, Funding, HR, Upgrades, Research, Achievements, and Statistics.

1. Click the detector. The page describes it as "Your detector. Click on it to generate events." Each click adds to your data total, shown as Data in the lab state.
2. Watch your counters. Data, Reputation, and Funding are displayed at the top of the lab view. Statistics track clicks, data spent versus collected, and money spent versus gathered.
3. Reinvest early. Your first data should go toward the cheapest available workers or upgrades so that data accumulates even when you are not clicking.

What Each Resource Does

Building Data per Second with HR and Upgrades

The HR panel lists workers, each with a name, a hired count, a description, a production rate ("Produce X data per second"), and a cost in currency. Hiring more of a worker raises your passive data income; the cost is shown next to each entry.

The Upgrades panel lists upgrades with a name, description, effect, and cost in currency. Upgrades modify your production rather than adding raw output, so check the stated effect before buying.

A practical order of operations:

• Buy the cheapest worker that meaningfully raises data per second.
• When an upgrade's effect multiplies or improves what you already produce, it is usually worth more than another low-tier worker.
• Keep some funding in reserve so you can respond when a new upgrade appears.

Using Research to Gain Reputation

Research entries appear as ????? until unlocked, then show a name, level, and description. Each research item states its reputation yield ("Research yields X reputation") and its data cost. Spending data on research converts it into reputation, which in turn opens up further content. Because research costs data, avoid draining your data balance entirely—keep enough flowing to sustain worker and upgrade purchases.

Saving, Orientation, and Other Practical Notes

• Save often. The interface shows a "Saved: [time]" indicator and a "Save now" button, plus a "Restart" option. Use Save now before closing the tab.
• Play in landscape. The game states it runs best in landscape mode and that on mobile you can only play in landscape orientation.
• Performance depends on hardware. The event display may rely heavily on your hardware, so a slower machine may feel less smooth.
• Report bugs via GitHub. The pre-release notice asks players to report issues through GitHub issues.
• Track progress through the Achievements panel (with a progress count) and the Statistics panel (clicks, data spent/collected, money spent/gathered).

A Quick Example Session

Suppose you open the game fresh: click the detector repeatedly until you can afford your first worker. Hire it, then keep clicking while its passive output accumulates. Once funding allows, buy a low-cost upgrade whose effect boosts existing production. When your data balance is comfortable, fund a research item to gain reputation and reveal the next ????? entry. Save, then repeat—each cycle should raise your data per second and your reputation total.

The game is free to play in the browser and its source code is available on GitHub under an MIT license; contact is available via the project's GitHub or the [email protected] email listed on the About page.