• Visibility: 100%
• Audio range: 100%
• Movement: 100%
• Normal creature behaviors
• Standard schedules are followed, and creatures operate at full activity level.
• Vision-based detection at maximum range
• Player Strategy: Patterns are more predictable.

• Visibility: 80%
• Audio Range: 60%
• Movement: 70%
• Creatures mostly spawned around shelter, rarely spawned in other areas.
• Creatures roam less, stay in sheltered areas, and spend most of their time in a resting state.
• The feeding state is reduced by 60%
• Movement speed reduced by 30%
• The rain muffles audio cues.
• Caves could have groups of predators; players must be careful.
• Player Strategies: Check shelter locations, check caves, check dense vegetation.

• Visibility: 40%
• Audio range: 150%
• Movement: 70%
• Creatures can enter the alert state more frequently. A slight leaf crunch sound could trigger the flee state.
• Visual detection is low, auditory detection is high. When the creatures are not in flee mode, they move slowly.
• Predators rely on ambush tactics. Players could be hunted if they haven’t noticed the predators.
• Player Strategies: Move slowly and quietly, but be careful; players can also be hunted if they are unaware of the predator.

1.2 - Layer 2: Micro-zoning

Core Concept: Within each biome, there are special micro-zones that determine the creature density and spawn priority. These zones are tied to terrain features.

• High elevation: More like hills, or mountains. Predators and scavengers hide or rest here.
• Dense Vegetation: Dense forests with thick vegetation such as trees, bushes, plants, etc.
  This zone serves as a resting ground for prey. 
• Cave Entrance: Dark tunnels or just an opening; mostly predators rest; sometimes prey can be found here, too. 
• Riverside/Seashore: Where all animals drink or hang out. Still, predators and scavengers hunt and feed here. Also, some predators are in the water to hunt fish.

1.2.1 - Micro-zone types

• Water proximity zones (Riverside/Seashores)
  • Zone 1: 0-50m. All the creatures drink water. Some predators hunt prey or fish in the water.
  • Zone 2: 50-150m. Predator ambush zone. Predators could hide in a bush and attack prey or players.
  • Zone 3: 150m+. General territory. Where the Valley or Vegetation starts. Prey rest or feeding place, depending on vegetation density.
• Elevation zone
  • High Ground: Predators and scavengers' resting place. Territorially, they become aggressive when an outsider approaches.
  • Mid Elevation: Migration paths, predators, and scavengers pass through or rest here during the late hours.
  • Valley: Prey resting, or feeding place, depending on the density of the vegetation.
• Vegetation Density:
  • Dense: Where the prey primarily hide and rest. If there is a prey nest, the prey are territorial. There could also be predators for players to hunt, but players will mainly find prey. During fog and rain, there will be no predators in here.
  • Forest Edge: Where the prey feeds on fruits and berries on trees and bushes. Where predators hunt prey.
  • Clearings: Where the prey feeds on bushes and grass. Where the predators haunt prey, and scavengers feast on carcasses.
• Cave:
  • Cave Entrance: During rain, most prey will hide here from the rain. Other than rainy days, there will be no prey. During foggy periods, predators will be here.
  • Inner Cave: A Hide and resting place for predators. Predators in here are territorial because this place also serves as their nest. 

1.3 -  Layer 3: Interaction Chains

Core Concept: Creatures interact with each other, which creates readable behavioural changes and environmental clues for the player.

1.3.1 - Prey-Predator Detection Ranges

• Sunny Weather
  • Creatures' visual detection range will be 100 meters.
  • The audio detection range will be 50 meters. 
• Foggy Weather
  • Visual Detection will be 40 meters.
  • Audio Detection will be 100 meters.
  • Within 50 meters, a slight leaf crunch will trigger the flee state.
• Rainy Weather
  • Visual Detection range will be 60 meters. 
  • The audio detection range will be 30 meters.
  • Most of the sounds will be muffled by rain interference. 
  • Within 10 meters, a slight leaf crunch is audible.

1.3.2 - Prey-Prey Interaction

• During sunny weather, prey will spawn and will stay more dispersed
• During foggy weather, they spawn and remain more clustered. Herd-like.
• Some creatures will be designed as herds. (Will be specified later)
• If herds or herd-like creature groups trigger each other. For instance, if a prey animal detected a predator, triggering the flee state and initiating a run, the rest of the herd would also enter the flee state and run.

1.3.3 - Scavenger Interaction

• After the player or any other creature kills a creature, scavengers spawn depending on the weather conditions.
• If the weather is sunny, scavengers will spawn in 5 minutes near the carcass.
• If the weather is foggy, scavengers will spawn in 7 minutes near the carcass.
• If the weather is rainy, scavengers will spawn in 10 minutes near the carcass.

1.4 - Layer 4: Environmental Traces

1.4.1 - Physical Traces Timeline

Core Concept: Creatures leave observable traces behind for their presence and movement. Players can observe these traces to predict the creatures' locations or movements.

Sunny: 8 minutes

• 0 min: 100% visibility.
• 2 mins: 75% visibility
• 4 mins: 50% visibility
• 6 mins: 25% visibility
• 8 mins: Faded

Rainy: 3 minutes

• 0 min: 100% visibility
• 1 min: 50% visibility
• 2 min: 20% visibility
• 3 min: washed away

Foggy: 15 minutes

• 0 min: 100% visibility
• 5 mins: 65% visibility
• 10 mins: 33% visibility
• 15 mins: Faded

1.4.2 - Audio Range by Weather

Audio Detection Comparison:

• Sunny: Source —-------------------> Player

100m

• Rainy: Source —-------------------> Player

60m

                                     Muffled by rain

• Foggy: Source —-------------------> Player

                                               150m

                          Echo Effect, harder to pinpoint

Audio Range Table

1.4. - Environmental Disturbance Types

• Crushed grass: When the creature walks on grass or in a wheat field, it crushes the grass or wheat, indicating its presence.
• Broken branches: When the creature walks on a tree branch on the ground or near a tree, or breaks a branch, this indicates the creature is nearby. 
• Disturbed water: Indicates the creature is passing by, or drank a couple of seconds ago, or is still drinking.
• Mud Tracks: Footprints will spawn on rainy days, and the water will fill them. Due to that, the fresh tracks will last longer. But in the following rain, if the footprints are still alive, they will start to fade away, as explained in 2.4.1
• Claw Marks: Claw marks indicate that a predator is nearby.

2 - Teaching the System

An essential aspect of this concept is that players should never be instructed or told how to hunt or find creatures. The player should learn this system while observing creature behaviours and patterns. Depending on the player types, there may be multiple hints to guide players in the right direction.

Player Types

• Explorer
  • Discovers through wandering
  • Needs environmental clues
• Achievers
  • Challengers are more beneficial
  • Needs quests
• Socialisers
  • Learns from the NPC
  • Benefits from community knowledge

2.1 - Learning Through Natural Gameplay Loop

2.2 - Creature Behaviour Complexity Progression

This section explains the creature behaviours, and to convey the progression to the player, I designed the complexity increase through zone changes. However, when the player reaches the next zone, and its complexity increases, the previous zone's complexity increases as well.

At Zone 1 

• Creatures have more predictable behaviours. 
• Creatures make more noise.
• They can be found in more predictable locations, such as openings, along waterways, cave entrances or near bushes.
• They react less to the weather conditions.
• Visual and auditory detection ranges 50% lower than base conditions. As a result, 50% fewer triggers in the flee state.

From Zone 2 to 4

• Creatures have less predictable behaviour.
• Creatures make less noise.
• They can be found in less predictable locations and are more likely to migrate between micro-zones or to areas close to their nests. 
• Creatures will interact more frequently with one another.
• They fully respond to weather conditions. 
• Visual and auditory detection ranges 30% lower than base conditions. As a result, 30% fewer triggers in the flee state.

From Zone 5 to 6

• Creatures have less predictable behaviour.
• Creatures will fully interact with each other.
• Visual and auditory detection ranges 10% lower than base conditions. As a result, 10% fewer triggers in the flee state.

From Zone 7 to 8

• Every behaviour will be in the base conditions, as explained in the previous section.

Design Notes

• Instead of zones, playing time could be used to set the complexity progression. 
• Instead of zones, experience level could be used to set the complexity progression.

2.3 - NPC Dialogue with Subtle Hints

Hint Types

• Weather: NPC explains the creature's behaviours during the weather changes between texts. 
• Hunter Wisdom: NPC gives subtle hints on prey behaviour and patterns.
• Old Tales: Tells old tales that caution the player on scavenger and predator behaviour and patterns.
• Self Thought: The PC that talks by itself with the observations depending on the pattern findings.

2.4 - Quest Design for Teaching

Teaching quest sequence examples

• Q1 - Teaches: Location of the creatures and what they do during a specific time frame.
• Q2 - Teaches: Creatures' behaviour during the weather changes.
• Q3 - Teaches: Creatures’ audio cues 
• Q4 - Teaches: Environmental traces left by creatures.
• Q5 - Teaches: Creature interactions with each other.