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MARTINEZAI STUDIOS
CONTRABANDEdge of the Fold
THE ORIGINAL REFERENCE COLLECTION

The CONTRABAND library · Page 6

A field archive of the Fold: people, allegiances, equipment and the routes between them. Choose a subject, or search the full text of the collection. Story and ending entries contain spoilers.

Development archive

Vercel deployment workflow

Archived context (2026): Written during the browser prototype era. CONTRABAND now ships on Steam ; the playable web build was reti…

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Development archive

Writing Vex across 17 branches

Design diary — by Dero Lavigne…

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Development archive

Monetization Philosophy

Current model (2026): CONTRABAND: Edge of the Fold ships as a paid Steam PC release (App ID 4901100). The playable browser build i…

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Development archive

Procedural Audio

2026 update: The Steam PC release ships with a 21-track composed soundtrack ( Across the Silent Stars ). Combat/UI SFX may still u…

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Development archive

Designing the Rift branches

The revisit mechanic is the thesis of CONTRABAND. Getting it right took more iteration than any other system. Here's how it evolve…

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Development archive

Stripe & Firebase Integration

Archived (2026): This page documents the retired browser checkout stack . CONTRABAND now sells through Steam . The marketing site …

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Development archive

Three.js Lessons

2026 update: Combat still runs on Three.js/WebGL. Delivery moved from the retired browser build to the Steam PC release ; the rend…

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Development archive

Why Vanilla JavaScript

The most common question about CONTRABAND's tech stack: why not a game engine? The answer turned out to be about tradeoffs — and a…

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Endings

Burn the Tree

End all branching forever. Burn the Tree is one of four main endings in CONTRABAND, and like the others it has roughly 7 variants …

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Endings

Live With It

Refuse to choose; carry all branches forever. Live With It is one of four main endings in CONTRABAND, and like the others it has r…

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Endings

The Prune

Collapse the tree to a single canonical branch. The Prune is one of four main endings in CONTRABAND, and like the others it has ro…

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Endings

Walk Away

Abandon the branch for a quiet life. Walk Away is one of four main endings in CONTRABAND, and like the others it has roughly 7 var…

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Factions

The Cartel

Black market network spanning all six regions. The Cartel is one of four factions that shape the political landscape of CONTRABAND…

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Factions

Core Worlds Alliance

The Core Worlds Alliance is the galactic authority in CONTRABAND: Edge of the Fold — the political, military, and commercial power…

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Factions

The Rift

Not a faction. An ancient force trapped between branches. The Rift is one of four factions that shape the political landscape of C…

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Factions

The Black Fleet

Pirate empire that emerged from the first Rift war. The Black Fleet is one of four factions that shape the political landscape of …

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Factions

Guardians

Guardians of the Rift branches. Guardians is one of four factions that shape the political landscape of CONTRABAND, and your reput…

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Pilot guides

All Four Endings

CONTRABAND has four unique endings. Each one has its own Chapter 5 epilogue with multiple scenes and further branching choices. Se…

7 min · Read article ↗
Pilot guides

Beam sniper build

Beam sniper build is one of the most popular character builds in CONTRABAND. This guide explains what it does, when to use it, and…

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Pilot guides

Missile spammer build

Missile spammer build is one of the most popular character builds in CONTRABAND. This guide explains what it does, when to use it,…

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Pilot guides

Pacifist build

Pacifist build is one of the most popular character builds in CONTRABAND. This guide explains what it does, when to use it, and ho…

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Pilot guides

Pulse glass-cannon build

Pulse glass-cannon build is one of the most popular character builds in CONTRABAND. This guide explains what it does, when to use …

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Pilot guides

Shield fortress build

Shield fortress build is one of the most popular character builds in CONTRABAND. This guide explains what it does, when to use it,…

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Pilot guides

Shotgun brawler build

Shotgun brawler build is one of the most popular character builds in CONTRABAND. This guide explains what it does, when to use it,…

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