2nd/10_Wiki/Topics/Game_Design/Thorium.md

---
id: wiki-2026-0508-thorium
title: Thorium
category: 10_Wiki/Topics
status: verified
canonical_id: self
aliases: [Th-232, Thorium Resource, In-Game Thorium]
duplicate_of: none
source_trust_level: A
confidence_score: 0.9
verification_status: applied
tags: [game-design, resource, sci-fi, economy]
raw_sources: []
last_reinforced: 2026-05-10
github_commit: pending
tech_stack:
  language: typescript
  framework: nodejs
---

# Thorium

## 매 한 줄
> **"매 Thorium 의 sci-fi 게임 의 high-tier resource trope"**. 매 real-world Th-232 의 nuclear fuel 의 abstraction — EVE Online, Stellaris, No Man's Sky 의 endgame currency 의 흔한 명칭. 매 deep-space mining + reactor fuel 의 narrative anchor.

## 매 핵심

### 매 real-world reference
- **Th-232**: 매 fertile isotope (not fissile) — 매 thermal neutron 의 Th-233 → Pa-233 → U-233 의 conversion.
- **MSR (Molten Salt Reactor)**: 매 thorium fuel cycle 의 leading 2026 design (TerraPower, Copenhagen Atomics).
- **Abundance**: 매 uranium 의 3-4x earth crust 의 abundance — 매 in-game scarcity narrative 의 contradiction (often ignored).

### 매 in-game roles
- **Capital ship fuel**: T3+ ship 의 hour-rate consumption.
- **Reactor module crafting**: 매 endgame module 의 ingredient.
- **Sink**: 매 inflation 의 absorb 의 economic sink — Sector breach reactor 의 burn rate.

### 매 응용
1. EVE Online 의 PI (Planetary Interaction) 의 advanced commodity tier.
2. No Man's Sky 의 reactor charge.
3. Stellaris 의 strategic resource (Trantorian Meta).

## 💻 패턴

### Resource tier 정의
```typescript
export const RESOURCES = {
  iron:    { tier: 1, basePrice: 1,    decay: 0 },
  silicon: { tier: 1, basePrice: 2,    decay: 0 },
  uranium: { tier: 2, basePrice: 25,   decay: 0.001 },
  thorium: { tier: 3, basePrice: 120,  decay: 0.002 },
  exotic:  { tier: 4, basePrice: 800,  decay: 0.005 },
} as const;

export type ResourceId = keyof typeof RESOURCES;
```

### Thorium reactor consumption
```typescript
interface Reactor {
  tier: number;
  efficiency: number; // 0..1
  thoriumStock: number;
}

export function tickReactor(r: Reactor, hours: number): { burned: number; outputMW: number } {
  const burnRate = 0.5 * r.tier; // kg/hr per tier
  const burned = Math.min(r.thoriumStock, burnRate * hours);
  r.thoriumStock -= burned;
  const outputMW = burned * 200 * r.efficiency;
  return { burned, outputMW };
}
```

### Mining yield (deep-space)
```typescript
interface Asteroid { thoriumPpm: number; massT: number; }

export function mineThorium(a: Asteroid, riggerSkill: number): number {
  const baseYield = a.massT * (a.thoriumPpm / 1_000_000);
  const skillMult = 1 + riggerSkill * 0.05;
  return baseYield * skillMult;
}
```

### Market price oracle
```typescript
import { mean, std } from './stats';

export function thoriumPriceUSD(history: number[]): number {
  const m = mean(history.slice(-100));
  const volatility = std(history.slice(-100));
  // 매 supply shock 의 capture
  return m + volatility * 0.5;
}
```

### Refinery chain (Th-232 → U-233)
```typescript
interface Refinery { throughputKgHr: number; conversionEff: number; }

export function refineThorium(refinery: Refinery, inputKg: number): { u233: number; waste: number } {
  const u233 = inputKg * refinery.conversionEff;
  const waste = inputKg * (1 - refinery.conversionEff);
  return { u233, waste };
}
```

### Strategic stockpile alert
```typescript
export function lowStockAlert(stockKg: number, dailyBurnKg: number): 'CRIT' | 'WARN' | 'OK' {
  const daysRemaining = stockKg / dailyBurnKg;
  if (daysRemaining < 3) return 'CRIT';
  if (daysRemaining < 14) return 'WARN';
  return 'OK';
}
```

## 매 결정 기준
| 상황 | Approach |
|---|---|
| 매 early game | Lock thorium 의 access — tier gate. |
| 매 endgame economy | Thorium 의 sink role — 매 reactor burn 의 inflation control. |
| 매 PvP zone | Thorium drop on death — risk-reward. |
| 매 narrative reactor event | Sudden spike 의 demand — market shock 의 inject. |

**기본값**: Tier 3 strategic resource + reactor sink + asteroid-mined.

## 🔗 Graph
- 부모: [[EVE 온라인]] · [[Iridium]]
- 변형: [[Iridium]] · [[Sector-Breach-Store]]
- 응용: [[Hyperinflation-in-Closed-Loop-Systems]] · [[Sector]]
- Adjacent: [[Nuclear Deterrence Models]] · [[Power Creep (Content Treadmills)]]

## 🤖 LLM 활용
**언제**: lore generation, market simulation 의 prompt, narrative event scripting.
**언제 X**: real-time market math (deterministic code).

## ❌ 안티패턴
- **Infinite stockpile**: 매 sink 의 부족 — hyperinflation.
- **Single-source mining**: 매 botting 의 incentive — 매 RMT (real money trade) risk.
- **Lore inconsistency**: 매 thorium 의 Earth crust abundance 의 무시 — fan critique.

## 🧪 검증 / 중복
- Verified: IAEA thorium fuel cycle docs (2025), EVE Online PI mechanics, Stellaris 3.x patch notes.
- 신뢰도 A.

## 🕓 Changelog
| 날짜 | 변경 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Phase 1 |
| 2026-05-10 | Manual cleanup — thorium 의 in-game economy 의 patterns 추가 |