Game Settings & Modes

The game offers extensive customization options to tailor the survival experience, varying from relaxed exploration to punishing hardcore survival challenges.

Difficulty Settings

Players can adjust four key difficulty parameters using a multiplier system. The default value for all settings is 1.0 (Normal).

Resource Scarcity

Controls the abundance of resources found in the world.

• 0.5 - Abundant (Easy): Resources are plentiful (2x yield).
• 1.0 - Normal: Standard resource generation.
• 1.5 - Scarce: Reduced resource yields (66% yield).
• 2.0 - Very Scarce (Hard): Significantly reduced resources. Looting yields much less (50% yield).
  • Mechanic: Resource yields are divided by this value.

Animal Aggression

Controls the behavior and danger level of wildlife.

• 0.5 - Passive (Easy): Animals are less likely to attack and easier to avoid.
• 1.0 - Normal: Standard animal behavior.
• 1.5 - Aggressive: Animals are more territorial.
• 2.0 - Very Aggressive (Hard): Wildlife is extremely hostile.
  • Mechanic: Increases difficulty of the Hunting Minigame (stealth penalty) and increases the chance of hostile Wolf Encounters.

Weather Severity

Controls the frequency and intensity of harsh weather events.

• 0.5 - Mild (Easy): Gentle weather patterns.
• 1.0 - Normal: Standard seasonal weather.
• 1.5 - Severe: More frequent storms and temperature drops.
• 2.0 - Extreme (Hard): Harsh survival conditions with frequent extreme weather.

Injury Consequences

Controls the severity of physical trauma.

• 0.5 - Minor (Easy): Injuries are less debilitating.
• 1.0 - Normal: Standard injury system.
• 1.5 - Serious: Injuries have significant impact on gameplay.
• 2.0 - Severe (Hard): Injuries are more severe.
  • Mechanic: Multiplies the severity of incoming injuries (e.g. at 2.0, an injury of severity 5 becomes severity 10).

Game Modes

In addition to difficulty settings, players must choose a Game Mode that defines the rules of life and death.

Permadeath Mode (Hardcore)

For the ultimate survival challenge.

• Permanent Death: If your character dies, the save file is deleted. There are no second chances or reloading from previous saves.
• Score Integration: High scores are tracked separately for Hardcore mode.

Legacy Mode

A generational survival experience where your actions echo through time.

• Inheritance: When a character dies, the next character you create inherits a portion of their progress.
• Skill Bonus: The new character gains a permanent bonus to ALL skills equal to 10% of the skill points earned (not starting values) by the previous character from the very beginning of the run.
• Achievements: Achievements and their permanent perks are preserved across runs.

Starting Season

Players can choose the season they wish to begin their journey in. Each offers different advantages and challenges.

Spring

• Description: Mild weather, nature awakening.
• Pros: Balanced resources, maple sap available.
• Cons: None specific.

Summer

• Description: Warm weather, abundant life.
• Pros: Abundant food (berries, insects).
• Cons: High thirst drain due to heat.

Autumn

• Description: Cooling temperatures, harvest time.
• Pros: Harvest nuts and mushrooms, prepare for winter.
• Cons: Days getting shorter, weather cooling.

Winter

• Description: Cold, harsh survival.
• Pros: None (Challenge).
• Cons: Scarce resources, high demand on warmth and food reserves.

Challenge Scenarios

Challenge Scenarios offer unique starting conditions and handicaps in exchange for increased score rewards.

1. Injured Start

• Condition: You begin the game in critical condition.
• Effects:
  • Start with only 40 HP.
  • Start with a Severity 5 Injury.

2. Winter Start

• Condition: You begin the game in the dead of winter.
• Effects:
  • Start on Day 330 (Late Winter).
  • Start with only 30 Warmth (Freezing).

3. Minimal Equipment

• Condition: You have lost almost everything.
• Effects:
  • Start with NO resources (Wood, Stone, Food).
  • Inventory cleared except for a maximum of 2 clothing items.
  • Start with 1 Water.

4. Hostile Territory

• Condition: You are in the middle of a war zone.
• Effects:
  • 3 Bandit Camps spawn nearby (strength 4-12 each).
  • Animal Aggression is forced to 1.5 (Aggressive).

5. Settlement Start

• Condition: You start near civilization.
• Effects:
  • Start location is forced to be near the friendly settlement "Frontier Haven".

Visual Settings

Players can customize the visual presentation of the game.

Style

• Modern: The default, full UI experience.
• Classic: A simplified, retro-inspired interface.

Glyphs

• Emoji: Uses vibrant emoji graphics for the map and items (Default).
• ASCII: Uses traditional text characters (., T, ~, #) for a roguelike tile map experience.

World Seed

Players can optionally enter a numeric Seed during character creation.

• Using the same seed guarantees the same world generation (terrain, biomes, and resource placement), allowing players to share interesting maps or replay the same world.