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Starbud Station — Sci-Fi Dispensary on a Floating Island
In Development  ·  Ashenex Interactive

Starbud
Station

Sci-Fi  ·  Shop Management  ·  Co-op Multiplayer  ·  PC
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About the Game

Run Your
Space Dispensary

Starbud Station is a co-op sci-fi shop management game set across floating island stations in space. You and your crew run a cannabis dispensary in a futuristic setting — growing product, managing inventory, serving customers, and expanding your operation across multiple specialized island stations.

The core loop runs on a business day system. Customers only arrive when you open for business from your ShopTerminal. List what you're selling, start the day, serve the customers that come in, restock through visiting traders, and close out. Then reinvest — rent a new island, install new machines, expand your tech tree.

Every system is designed for co-op from the ground up. Server-authoritative, fully replicated, built in Unreal Engine 5.4.

Studio Ashenex Interactive
Engine Unreal Engine 5.4
Architecture C++ Systems · Blueprint UI
Multiplayer Co-op · Server Authority
Platform PC · Steam
Status Active Development
Current Phase Blueprint & Editor Setup
Release TBD
World

Floating Islands
in Space

The game world is built around a persistent level with floating island stations as streamable sub-levels. Each island is a self-contained platform — not a corridor, not a box. Open sky, varied room heights, outdoor areas with a space aesthetic.

Players can rent or purchase new island stations and designate them for specific purposes. Your starter station is always yours — additional islands expand your operation. Move between them via fast travel.

Station Condition Progression
Derelict
Worn
Standard
Premium
Luxury
Station Types
Selling
Dedicated sales floor. ShopTerminal, counter, and customer access active.
Production
Machine and grow operations. Planters, automation, and processing equipment.
Storage
High-capacity storage islands. Inventory buffers between operations.
Mixed
All systems active. Flexible setup for smaller operations or early game.
C++ Systems

14 Systems.
Framework Complete.

All 14 core gameplay systems are C++ complete. The current phase is Blueprint and editor setup — wiring data assets, widget classes, and AI navigation on top of the finished framework.

01
Framework
GameInstance, GameMode, GameState with 4 manager components, PlayerState wallet, PlayerController with Enhanced Input.
02
Interaction
IInteractable interface, InteractTargetComponent, InteractionManagerComponent. All C++ virtuals, no BlueprintNativeEvent.
03
Inventory
Replicated InventoryComponent with 24 player slots, item category filtering, FItemInstance and UItemDefinition PrimaryDataAssets.
04
UI
UIManagerSubsystem screen stack with input mode policy. 9 complete UI screens, shared panel/slot/tooltip widgets.
05
Character
Camera, InteractionManager, Inventory integration. Toggle Inventory, CloseUI, and Pause input actions fully wired.
06
Grow / Planter
UPlantDefinition PrimaryDataAsset, UGrowComponent with FTimerManager, APlanterActor. Full save/load support via ApplyFromSave.
07
Shop / Listing
UShopComponent managing listings, sales, reputation, and revenue. ShopTerminalActor starts business days. ShopCounterActor for live restock.
08
Customer
ACustomerActor state machine, UCustomerDataAsset PrimaryDataAssets, UCustomerManagerComponent. Customers only appear during active business days.
09
Trader
ATraderActor with buy/sell wallet integration, UTraderDataAsset PrimaryDataAssets, UTraderManagerComponent with schedule-based spawning.
10
Storage
AStorageActor combining InteractTarget, Inventory, and Mesh. Category filtering and lock support built in.
11
Building / Upgrade
Prerequisite DAG tech tree via UUpgradeDataAsset. UBuildingManagerComponent handles wallet checks, GameplayTag effects, and actor spawning.
12
Machine / Automation
UMachineComponent and AMachineActor with recipe-based production. UMachineRecipeDataAsset for data-driven output configuration.
13
Save / Data
USaveManagerSubsystem as UGameInstanceSubsystem. Full gather and apply flow including placed actor respawn. FSoftObjectPath throughout.
14
Station
ASpaceStation anchor, AStationRoom with bounds and build zones, StationManagerComponent on GameState for multi-station registry and streaming.
UI

9 Screens.
All C++ Complete.

Tab Key
Player Inventory
Use, drop, and split items with category-based dispatch.
Storage Actor
Storage
Dual-panel transfer between player inventory and storage containers.
Machine Actor
Machine
Three panels, recipe selector, production progress, and controls.
Planter Actor
Planter
Grow status display with water, nutrient, and harvest actions.
Shop Terminal
Shop Terminal
Manage listings, start business days, and review revenue.
Shop Counter
Shop Counter
Quick restock, delist/relist, and live sale notifications.
Trader Actor
Trader
Buy and sell with visiting traders directly from your wallet.
Build Station
Build Menu
Full upgrade tech tree with category filter and wallet-gated purchases.
Escape Key
Pause
Resume, save, settings hook, and quit to menu or desktop.
Technical

Built to Last

Unreal Engine 5.4
C++ first — all gameplay logic, components, and replication
Blueprints for layout, styling, and per-widget visual setup only
Enhanced Input — all player input actions
GameplayTags — upgrade effects and loose system coupling
PrimaryDataAsset — items, plants, traders, customers, recipes, upgrades
Server-authoritative replication — anchor-based sync, no per-tick
FSoftObjectPath throughout all save data
Streamable sub-levels for island stations
Current Phase — Blueprint & Editor Setup
Creating Blueprint widget classes (WBP_InventorySlot, WBP_InventoryPanel, WBP_ItemTooltip, etc.)
Creating Data Assets — UItemDefinition, UPlantDefinition, UTraderDataAsset, UCustomerDataAsset, UMachineRecipeDataAsset, UUpgradeDataAsset
Setting up Enhanced Input Action assets and Input Mapping Context
Configuring UISettings — mapping EStarbudScreen to widget Blueprint classes
Setting up AI navigation — navmesh and behavior trees for Customer and Trader actors