Survival Loop¶
The central question is simple:
Do you stay one more turn to gain something, or move before the land turns against you?
Basic Loop¶
- Read nearby terrain and signs.
- Choose a short action or route.
- Spend time, condition, and attention.
- Gain water, food, knowledge, position, or safety.
- Adapt when fatigue, thirst, hunger, weather, or uncertainty change the plan.
Movement¶
Travel is chosen before it is spent.
Use pathfinding to trace a route. Wet ground, slope, and distance can make a short path expensive. A route preview helps decide whether the body can afford the movement.
Work¶
Activities such as gathering, water search, rest, hunting, and scouting are not isolated minigames. They are ways to spend time and condition for a possible change in local resources, knowledge, safety, or perception.
Knowledge¶
The player should not know everything by default.
Known ground determines which signs can be trusted. Moving, inspecting, scouting, and remembering make the world more legible.