IRON NEST presents information through dispatches, clipboards, notebooks, calculator output, console entries, and post-operation records. A useful “card” is not a collectible database claim; it is the traceable bundle of facts that connects one target to one physical gun state.
2950790, Windows public version 1.0, checked 2026-08-09. Exact in-game card names and unlock conditions should be copied from the live interface, not inferred from community shorthand.Build a firing card that survives interruption
Record operation, dispatch stage, target label, evidence source, Nest-to-target bearing and range, shell, planned charges, calculated elevation, barrel, and objective effect. Add actual load and impact after firing. This is enough to resume after walking between stations without reconstructing the plan from memory.
Use one row per barrel. Strike through an invalid card when the target moves, Nest repositions, ammunition changes, or new intelligence supersedes the plot. Never erase the reason it became invalid until the corrected impact is understood.
Keep intelligence separate from solution
Observer bearing and reference range belong in an evidence note. The final bearing and range from the Nest belong on the firing card. Mixing them can create a plausible-looking wrong number.
Label uncertain intersections as estimates. Attach a recon result to the time it was received. The tactical map remains the visual source; the card is a concise audit trail, not a replacement for geometry.
Read ability information literally
For an ability or requisition entry, record exact displayed name, role, cost, availability, and current description. Do not convert promotional wording about ammunition and abilities into an item count by category. Do not fill a missing duration or radius from an old Demo screenshot.
Before activation, add a purpose: identify candidate, confirm impact, control area, or reposition. Afterward, record the visible result and whether it changed the firing solution.
Use post-operation records as evidence
The newspaper and result screen establish completion and may expose medal or Challenge outcomes. Dismiss them through the normal flow. The developer FAQ specifically ties saved Challenge results to correct completion and newspaper dismissal.
Capture operation, medal names, score, requisitions, and choices before beginning another run. A Steam achievement notification is separate evidence from an in-game medal; record both rather than treating them as synonyms.
Create an after-action review
For every miss, write its class: lateral, range, effect, state, or unknown. Note the one changed variable and second result. For a mission failure, write the last dispatch and objective state instead of only “stuck.”
For a successful experimental condition, repeat it before publishing a threshold. One gold result with multiple unusual choices does not prove which choice awarded the medal.
Maintain version and product scope
Every archived card set should include AppID, public patch title/date, mode, and platform. Demo AppID 4300500 observations can be retained in a separate notebook but must not merge into public 1.0 tables.
PATCH 1.0 (1547) changed High Tide’s incorrect/duplicate end newspaper and record, while PATCH 1.0 (1558) fixed crash-related save/mission entry and stale elevation state. Those examples show why old cards need a version label.
A compact reusable format
Use: Target / evidence / bearing / range / shell / charges / elevation / side / effect / impact / result. Add confidence beside derived facts. For an ability use: Name / purpose / cost / unlock / activation / visible result / version.
This format remains readable without claiming that every exact value is globally stable. It also makes a bug report reproducible while avoiding uploads of private saves.
Archive without leaking old answers
Keep cards grouped by public patch and operation. When a target or value becomes stale, retain it in a private/versioned test record but remove it from the current quick answer. A public template can show the fields without exposing story coordinates. This balance preserves reproducibility while keeping first-run guides spoiler-safe and preventing a Demo-era card from being mistaken for base-game 1.0.