Open Arsenal

The Ocean Lives Beyond the Player.

Pelagia is an open specification for creating living ocean worlds where exploration, discovery, and simulation extend far beyond traditional underwater gameplay. Designed as a modular framework, Pelagia provides developers with the foundation to build spearfishing experiences, diving simulations, marine research platforms, underwater adventures, and expansive multiplayer ocean environments. The specification treats the ocean as a persistent ecosystem that continues to evolve, even when the player is not present.

At the core of Pelagia is the idea that the ocean is not simply a location to visit, but a world to discover. Through procedural ocean generation, dynamic marine ecosystems, intelligent wildlife behavior, and persistent environmental systems, Pelagia enables oceans where fish migrate, habitats change, weather affects conditions, and exploration reveals new discoveries over time. Players can map unknown waters, uncover hidden caves, explore shipwrecks, recover lost treasures, and document previously undiscovered species.

Pelagia provides a comprehensive modular architecture covering character creation, diving progression, equipment customization, underwater mapping, treasure recovery, crafting, economy, research, conservation, and multiplayer experiences. Players can advance from beginner divers to expert explorers by earning certifications, mastering advanced spearfishing equipment, discovering rare marine species, and developing specialized skills. Advanced systems such as bait and chum mechanics, dive physiology, boat operations, and expedition planning create deeper strategic gameplay.

The specification also introduces systems for marine science and environmental stewardship. Players can participate in research missions, monitor ecosystems, restore habitats, photograph wildlife, and contribute to conservation efforts. With support for underwater archaeology, salvage operations, procedural caves, and dynamic ocean events, Pelagia creates opportunities for exploration beyond traditional fishing mechanics.

Built around open standards and modular design, Pelagia allows developers, researchers, educators, and creators to build compatible underwater experiences using shared systems and data structures. By separating features into independent modules, implementations can scale from realistic diving simulations to large multiplayer ocean worlds while maintaining interoperability.

This specification is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+) and may be used freely with required attribution. Attribution-free deployments require a Specification Branding License, with fees based on usage, scope, and deployment size.