Collectable data

A Collectable data is a floating pickup that grants timeline entries and audiologs. Used for “found a data fragment in space” story moments. Distinct from Data vault (which requires multi-stage unlock and has on-station UI).

Inheritance: component → destructible → object → drop → collectable → collectabledata.

Properties

Collectable-data-specific

Property	Type	Description
`.timeline`	list	Timeline entry ids revealed on pickup
`.audiologs`	list	Audiolog entry ids revealed on pickup

Useful inherited

Property	Source	Description
`.sector` / `.position`	object	Location
`.macro`	component	Macro

Comparison with Data vault

	Collectable data	Data vault
Location	Floating in space	On a station / world position
Pickup mechanic	Fly over	Walk up + multi-stage unlock
Repeat	One-shot	Three-state (locked / partial / unlocked)
Content	timeline + audiologs	timeline + audiologs (via unlock)
Class	`class.collectabledata`	`class.datavault`

Both deliver the same content types (timeline / audiologs) but via different UX flows.

Common patterns

”Listen for player picking up data"

<cue name="WatchDataPickup" instantiate="true">
    <conditions>
        <event_object_destroyed/>
        <check_value
            value="event.object.isclass.{class.collectabledata}
                and event.param.isplayerowned"/>
    </conditions>
    <actions>
        <set_value name="$data" exact="event.object"/>
        <do_for_each name="$tl" in="$data.timeline">
            <write_to_logbook
                text="'Timeline entry: ' + $tl"/>
        </do_for_each>
    </actions>
</cue>

"Filter for data-bearing drops in a sector”

<find_object
    groupname="$Drops"
    class="class.collectabledata"
    space="$Sector"
    multiple="true"/>

Events

Event	When	Notes
`event_object_destroyed`	Player picked it up	Standard

Common gotchas

⚠ .timeline / .audiologs are ID lists, not entries. Look up entries via timelines.xml / audiologs.xml. Same as Lockbox and Crate.
⚠ One-shot pickup. Unlike data vaults, collectabledata is consumed on first pickup. No “partial unlock” state.
⚠ Engine-driven content delivery. Vanilla doesn’t expose a <grant_timeline> action explicitly — the engine handles content delivery when the collectabledata is destroyed by player. Don’t try to manually replicate.
⚠ Rare in vanilla. Most timeline / audiolog content arrives through data vaults, crates, or mission cues. Collectabledata is the simplest “find data in space” form.

Collectable — parent.
Datavault — sibling (different mechanic — on-station unlock).
Crate — sibling (dock-slot content holder).
Lockbox — sibling (shootable-lock content holder).