A persistent lair-building simulation — Evil Genius meets Dwarf Fortress. Build an underground lair, run schemes against the outside world, and survive the raids your infamy provokes.

Gameplay #

You are the Supervillain. Time flows continuously (pause with SPACE); there are no levels, waves, or phases — everything runs on one clock:

Build — dig corridors, place traps and facilities (b), research technology (r), hire minions (f)
Scheme — open the world map (m) and dispatch minions on heists, sabotage, and propaganda. Schemes pay out gold, loot, and notoriety while the minions are away
Heat — schemes and violence raise heat; agencies notice. Hotels and freezers launder it back down
Raids — when heat stays high, agency forces raid the lair, scaled by your notoriety. Traps, minions, and henchmen fight them off. If agents reach your throne, you take damage; at 0 HP the lair falls

The threat readout in the sidebar shows when the next raid is coming. Raids are consequences, not a schedule — a quiet lair is left alone.

Controls #

Key	Action
`WASD` / `hjkl` / arrows	Move the Supervillain
`SPACE` / `p`	Pause / resume time
`+` / `-`	Simulation speed
`b`	Build mode
`r`	Research menu
`f`	Hire minions
`m`	World map / schemes
`1`-`9`	Activate superpowers
`Ctrl+S` / `Ctrl+L`	Save / load
`q`	Quit

Build Mode #

Key	Action
`WASD` / `hjkl` / arrows	Move cursor
`TAB`	Cycle build category
`n` / `p`	Cycle item in category
`SPACE`	Place selected tile
`x`	Demolish tile (50% refund)
`ESC`	Exit build mode

Buildings #

Building	Cost	Effect
Dig / Corridor	0	Carve through walls
Spike Trap	50g	15 damage to heroes
Fire Trap	100g	25 damage + splash (requires research)
Electric Trap	150g	10 damage + stun (requires research)
Gas Trap	120g	8 damage + poison DOT (requires research)
Guard Post	200g	Spawns a minion defender
Barracks	200g	+2 minion capacity
Armory	250g	Upgrades minion damage (requires research)
Med Bay	180g	Heals nearby minions (requires research)
Research Lab	300g	Generates research points
Vault	150g	Gold storage bonus
Power Core	250g	Powers traps and facilities
Door	30g	Heroes must break through

Hero Types #

Hero	HP	Dmg	Special
Soldier	40	10	Basic unit
Ninja	25	15	Fast, detects traps
Tank	80	8	High HP, slow
Hacker	30	12	Can disable traps
Superhero	120	20	Boss-level, resists traps

Installation #

cd ~/code/supervillain
cargo build --release
./target/release/supervillain

Requirements #

Rust 1.70+ (uses 2024 edition)
A terminal with color support

Tips #

Build Power Cores first — traps don't work without power
Create chokepoints with traps along corridors
Guard Posts auto-spawn minions that fight agents
Use Research Labs to unlock advanced traps and upgrades
Schemes are the economy — but every scheme heats you up. Pace yourself, or build heat-laundering facilities before going loud
Raid strength scales with notoriety: fame is power (it unlocks superpowers) and a target on your back

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Supervillain #