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Neural Targeting

Live wiki revision 2031 · October 3, 2026View or improve the source →
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🎯 Neural Targeting

Overview

Neural Targeting is the Future Era's shooting-gallery minigame. Shoot enemies, intercept incoming fire, collect ammunition and extra time, and build long hit streaks. Finished rounds earn upgrade points; your saved high score unlocks twelve Arcade Prizes, including Ranged Weapon upgrades through Level 10.
The current version includes eight upgrade tracks with ten levels each, reusable grenades, enemies that grow tougher during a round, and three large bosses. This guide covers the minigame and its rewards without revealing story events.

Where to Play

Visit the Virtual Recreation Optimization Center in the Future Era → Prime Sector. Have at least 15 Calm to select Neural Targeting Practice. Its minigame actions are:
Action What it does
Neural Targeting Practice Starts a shooting session. The normal action time is 15 in-game minutes for the visit, including retries before leaving. No money entry fee.
Neural Targeting Upgrades Opens the eight upgrade tracks. Spend earned upgrade points to improve future rounds. Opening the menu takes no in-game time.
Arcade Prizes Opens the twelve high-score rewards. Select an available prize and Activate it. Opening the menu takes no in-game time.
The center also offers Quick Draw training: Ability 20, $250, 150 minutes, and 30 Energy / 30 Calm. Once learned, Quick Draw adds 7 seconds to every round's starting timer.

Controls and Interface

The current shooting interface: enemy fire, a clock, ammunition pickups and the reusable grenade. Example round with all upgrade tracks at Level 3 and Quick Draw; 59 bullets and about 43 starting seconds.
Control or display How to use it
Mouse Aim using the visible crosshair. At low Ability it trails behind your mouse; shoot when the crosshair reaches the target.
Left click Fires one bullet with Fire Rate at Level 0. With Fire Rate upgrades, press and hold for a burst; release before starting the next burst. Level 10 allows continuous held fire.
Right click Throws a grenade when ready.
Grenade icon The icon at the bottom left also throws a grenade. It turns grey and shows a countdown while cooling down.
Top-right panel Shows remaining time, score, ammunition, and your current hit streak.
Bullet row at the bottom Shows ammunition remaining. Expanded Ammo Case changes this to two rows.
Exit Game Ends the current round, records its score and upgrade points, and leaves the session.
Try Again Starts a fresh round after the results screen. It retains earned progression and the best round from this visit for the Ability reward.
You begin with 50 bullets and 30 seconds before upgrades and Quick Draw. A round ends when time or ammunition reaches zero. The results show your final score and bullet accuracy.
Ability improves crosshair response; at base Ability 90 or above it follows immediately. Perception, including modifiers, extends the visible lifetime of fading targets and pickups. At Perception 100 their lifetime is 50% longer than at Perception 1. Your Ranged Weapon also helps: each equipment level above 5, up to Level 10, adds 1 bullet damage.

Pickups and Grenades

Object Effect when shot
Ammo box Completely refills ammunition to your current maximum and awards 50 points. Appears in the lower part of the scrolling field. More Ammo makes boxes arrive more often.
Clock Adds 5 seconds at More Time Level 0, increasing by 0.3 seconds per level to 8 seconds at Level 10. Awards 50 points. More Time also makes clocks arrive more often.
Incoming red projectile Shooting it destroys it before impact. An interception counts as a successful hit for accuracy and streak length, but gives no points itself.
An enemy projectile takes about 1.5 seconds to reach you. Each impact removes 1 second from the remaining timer. Aim for larger incoming projectiles first when several overlap; a bullet that intercepts a projectile stops there rather than continuing through to enemies behind it.
Grenades are available from the first round, even with no grenade upgrades. They cost no bullets and have unlimited uses, subject to cooldown. The base cooldown is 15 seconds, falling to 10 seconds at Grenade Cooldown Level 10. Each throw travels for about 1 second, then damages every visible enemy, including the boss. The lob follows a fixed path; you do not need to aim it at a particular target.
Grenade damage is 1 + Grenade Power level, with a further +3 after activating Fragmentation Kit. Grenades do not collect ammo boxes or clocks and do not intercept incoming projectiles. They do not count as bullet shots or advance the hit count, although points from normal enemies they kill join the current streak's point bank. Throw when several enemies are visible to get more value from the cooldown.

Enemies and Bosses

Enemy Starting health Base kill score What to watch for
Large pop-up 1 50 The largest of the three fading pop-up targets.
Medium pop-up 1 100 Smaller and worth more than a large pop-up.
Small pop-up 1 250 The smallest pop-up, with the shortest base lifetime.
Approaching robot 1 50 Grows larger as it approaches and fires near the end of its approach.
Sentry / Gunner / Walker 1 each 50 each Stationary shooters that fire repeatedly while visible.
Spider 2 150 Drops from a web, hangs briefly, then retreats.
Flyer 1 200 Crosses the field quickly from either side.
Bouncer 1 175 Bounces around the field.
Mini-boss 5 500 Moves in a zigzag; its remaining health is displayed.
These are starting values, before time-based growth. Every 20 seconds of elapsed gameplay, newly spawned normal enemies gain +1 health and +20% of their original kill score, added for each elapsed interval. For example, a large pop-up spawned after 40 seconds has 3 health and is worth 70 points. Existing enemies retain the values they had when they spawned. Added clock time does not rewind this growth.
Health damage by itself gives no kill points. A successful hit on an enemy still extends your streak even if it survives. Weapon Power and high-score prizes become increasingly useful in long rounds.

The Three Large Bosses

Boss Arrival Health Fixed defeat reward
Walker boss After 90 seconds of elapsed round gameplay 500 75,000 points
Tank boss 90 seconds after defeating the Walker boss 1,000 150,000 points
Fortress boss 90 seconds after defeating the Tank boss 2,500 375,000 points
These are elapsed-time requirements, so reaching them requires pickups and score bonuses that keep the round alive. The bosses do not use the normal enemies' health or score growth, and their fixed rewards do not receive a streak multiplier.
During a boss encounter, new normal enemy spawns pause. Enemies already on the field remain, and ammo boxes and clocks continue to spawn. Keep collecting those pickups while damaging the boss and intercepting its fire. The Walker boss fires every 0.5 seconds; the Tank and Fortress fire every 0.25 seconds, and the Fortress can fire an additional shot. Their health numbers show how much damage remains to finish the fight.

Scoring, Streaks, and Extra Time

Every successful bullet hit increases your consecutive-hit count. This includes nonlethal enemy hits, pickups, boss hits, and projectile interceptions. A miss resets the streak. Grenade throws do not break it.
At five consecutive hits, the streak becomes a scoring streak. Its multiplier is hit count − 3: five hits means ×2, six means ×3, ten means ×7. Normal enemy kill points and pickup points are awarded immediately and also banked for the streak. When you miss or the round ends, the game adds the extra points needed to bring the banked total up to that multiplier. Boss defeat rewards stay outside that bank.
Example: a streak containing 500 banked points and ten successful hits adds a further 3,000 points when it ends, giving 3,500 from those banked points in total. You do not need to deliberately miss before leaving: finishing the round also settles the streak.
Your score awards 5 extra seconds at each 5,000-point milestone through 50,000. After that, the gap between milestones grows by 8% each time, rounded to the nearest point: the next thresholds are 55,400, 61,232, and 67,531. Crossing several thresholds at once awards all of their time bonuses while the round is active.
Bullet accuracy is the percentage of fired bullets that hit something. One bullet hitting several enemies counts as one successful shot; grenades are excluded. Accuracy is useful feedback, but score determines upgrade points and prizes.

Upgrade Points and the Eight Tracks

All eight upgrade tracks. Example progress shows Level 3 in each track and 350 unspent points; these values are illustrative.
Each finished round earns points based on its final score, including its settled streak bonus. These rewards accumulate across rounds; the brackets below give the total for a round and are not added together.
Final score Upgrade points earned
Below 2,500 0
2,500–3,999 1
4,000–5,999 3
6,000–7,999 8
8,000 or more score² ÷ 4,000,000, rounded down
Examples: 8,000 → 16 points, 10,000 → 25, 15,000 → 56, 100,000 → 2,500. Early exits also finish and record the round. Try Again starts another round with a fresh timer and ammo; it does not erase the points already earned.
Open Neural Targeting Upgrades, select a track, then buy its next level. All eight tracks start at Level 0 and have the same prices:
Level being bought Cost in upgrade points
1 10
2 30
3 100
4 300
5 1,000
6 3,000
7 10,000
8 30,000
9 90,000
10 250,000
Track What each level changes
Weapon Power Adds 1 bullet damage per level. Also raises the number of overlapping enemies one shot can damage: 1 at Levels 0–2, 2 at 3–5, 3 at 6–8, 4 at 9, and 5 at 10, before projectile prizes.
Fire Rate Increases how many bullets one held press fires. Levels 1–9 allow a burst of maximum ammo × level ÷ 10, rounded down, with at least one shot. Level 0 is single-shot; Level 10 is continuous held fire. The normal firing interval is about 6 shots/second.
Blast Size Adds 1.5 pixels to bullet hit radius per level, reaching 15 pixels at Level 10 before projectile prizes. The larger flash is a visual effect; it is not a grenade-sized blast.
More Enemies Adds one extra pop-up spawner per level. Also increases the spawn rate of robots, shooters, spiders, flyers, bouncers, and mini-bosses, reaching roughly twice the base rate at Level 10.
More Time Adds 2 starting seconds per level; increases each clock's bonus by 0.3 seconds; shortens clock spawn gaps from 10 seconds to 5 seconds.
More Ammo Adds 3 maximum bullets per level, giving 80 at Level 10 before Expanded Ammo Case. Shortens ammo-box spawn gaps from 8 seconds to 4 seconds. Each box still refills to your current maximum.
Grenade Cooldown Removes 0.5 seconds from the cooldown per level: 15 → 10 seconds.
Grenade Power Adds 1 grenade damage per level: 1 → 11, before Fragmentation Kit.
Upgrade levels, unspent points, high score, completed-round count, and activated prizes are saved with your game. They carry into later visits on that save. Start a new round after buying upgrades or activating prizes to use the changed setup.

Arcade Prizes

The twelve Arcade Prizes. Example high score of 750,000 with a Level 5 Ranged Weapon makes the first three prizes available; they still require activation.
Prizes unlock from your highest single-round score on the current save, rather than a lifetime sum. Reaching the score makes a prize available; you must then open Arcade Prizes, select it, and click Activate. Activation costs no money or upgrade points. Special prizes do not require previous special prizes.
Required high score Prize Effect
300,000 Ranged Weapon 5 → 6 Upgrades your actual Ranged Weapon to Level 6. Adds 1 bullet damage over Level 5 in Neural Targeting.
500,000 Threat Scanner Shortens the reveal fade of pop-ups, approaching robots, shooters, ammo boxes, and clocks to at most 0.1 seconds. It does not extend their lifetime or slow their fade-out.
750,000 Fragmentation Kit Adds 3 grenade damage and a second visual flash. The flash does not apply a second damage hit.
1,000,000 Gatling Feed Doubles held-fire speed from about 6 to 12 shots/second. Burst length still follows your Fire Rate level; Level 0 remains single-shot.
2,000,000 Ranged Weapon 6 → 7 Upgrades your actual Ranged Weapon to Level 7.
3,000,000 Expanded Ammo Case Doubles maximum ammunition after More Ammo: 100 at More Ammo Level 0, 160 at Level 10. Ammo boxes refill the enlarged capacity; the bullet display uses two rows.
4,000,000 Armor-Piercing Rounds Adds 2 bullet damage, 2 pixels of hit radius, and 1 extra enemy to the per-shot target limit.
5,000,000 Ranged Weapon 7 → 8 Upgrades your actual Ranged Weapon to Level 8.
6,000,000 Explosive-Tip Rounds Adds the same bullet bonuses as Armor-Piercing Rounds; they stack.
8,000,000 Ranged Weapon 8 → 9 Upgrades your actual Ranged Weapon to Level 9.
10,000,000 Ranged Weapon 9 → 10 Upgrades your actual Ranged Weapon to Level 10.
20,000,000 RIP — Radically Invasive Projectile Adds another 2 bullet damage, 2 pixels of hit radius, and 1 extra enemy to the target limit, stacking with both earlier projectile prizes.
Ranged Weapon prizes require an existing weapon of at least Level 5. Activate these rewards in order: Level 6 before 7, then 8, 9, and 10. A sufficiently high score can unlock several at once, but the activation order still applies. These are equipment upgrades that also benefit your character outside the arcade; their Neural Targeting damage bonus is based on the equipped weapon's level.
With Weapon Power 10, Ranged Weapon 10, and all three projectile prizes active, a bullet deals 22 damage and can damage up to 8 overlapping enemies. With Blast Size 10 as well, its hit radius is 21 pixels. These are maximum upgraded values, rather than starting-round capabilities.

Ability Rewards and a Practical Progression Route

When you leave the shooting session, your best round from that visit determines one Ability award:
Best round in the visit Ability reward on leaving
Below 8,000 0
8,000–14,999 +1 Ability
15,000 or more +2 Ability
Retries do not erase the best round, and they do not pay the Ability award separately after each attempt. The saved all-time high score unlocks prizes; the Ability award uses this visit's best score. A previous visit's high score does not automatically award Ability on a later low-scoring visit.
  1. Start with accurate shooting and pickups. Wait for the crosshair to catch up at low Ability. Refill ammo before your last shot, shoot clocks, and intercept incoming fire that would shorten the round.
  2. Aim for 8,000, then 15,000. These are the first useful Ability milestones and earn 16 and 56 upgrade points respectively. Learn Quick Draw when you can afford its requirements.
  3. Buy inexpensive early upgrades. More Ammo and More Time improve survival. Weapon Power helps keep kills efficient as enemy health grows. Add More Enemies when you can handle the extra incoming fire and use it to extend scoring streaks.
  4. Build controlled streaks. Nonlethal hits and interceptions help keep a streak going, but normal enemy kills and pickups supply the points it multiplies. Use grenades on crowded fields while preserving your bullet streak.
  5. Prepare for long rounds. Collecting ammo and time is essential for the first boss at 90 seconds. Keep pickups accessible during boss fights and clear dangerous incoming projectiles before returning to boss damage.
  6. Activate earned prizes between rounds. Claim the Level 6 Ranged upgrade once your score and weapon prerequisites are met, then Threat Scanner and Fragmentation Kit. Later rewards make sustained fire and long rounds easier; always check Arcade Prizes after improving your high score.

Troubleshooting

Situation Explanation or next step
Shots miss even though the mouse is on the enemy The visible crosshair is what fires. Low Ability makes it lag behind the mouse; pause your aim briefly before shooting.
Enemies suddenly need more hits Newly spawned normal enemies gain health every 20 elapsed seconds. Increase Weapon Power, activate projectile prizes, and improve your Ranged Weapon.
A held burst stops Below Fire Rate Level 10, each press has a limited burst. Release and press again. Gatling Feed speeds up the burst without making it unlimited.
Ammo box or clock remains after shooting An overlapping incoming projectile or an earlier-priority enemy can take the hit first. Aim at an unobstructed part of the pickup or clear what is in front.
A grenade does not throw Wait for the cooldown and for the previous grenade to finish its flight. Both right click and the grenade icon use the same readiness check.
Upgrade button is unavailable You need enough unspent upgrade points for the next level. Each track stops at Level 10.
Score requirement met but Activate is unavailable For Ranged prizes, have a Level 5 or better weapon and activate the earlier Ranged rewards in order. A prize already marked Activated is already claimed.
Boss has not appeared Its trigger uses elapsed gameplay, not remaining time. The first needs 90 seconds; the next needs 90 seconds after the previous boss's defeat.
Ability has not increased after a good round Leave the session using Exit. The Ability reward is paid once on leaving, using the best round from that visit.
Mechanics checked against the current game source on 4 October 2026. Screenshots show example game states; the displayed balances and upgrade levels are illustrative.


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Text adapted from the community-maintained Chronoromancer Wiki under CC BY-SA 4.0.