Game Settings & Modes

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)

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

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

Game Modes

Your mode choice defines the tone of your entire campaign: a one-life ordeal or a bloodline of survivors.

Permadeath Mode

One life. One run. No rewind.

• Death ends the run immediately and permanently
• The active save is removed on death
• Your score is tracked in a separate permadeath/highcore ladder, isolated from legacy runs

Legacy Mode

A generational survival arc where each death can strengthen the next survivor.

• Legacy runs track score in a separate legacy ladder
• When a legacy survivor dies, a legacy package is saved and used for your next legacy character

What Persists To The Next Legacy Character

• Unlocked achievements from the previous legacy run
• Global achievement progression state used by the legacy achievement system
• All-skills legacy bonus based on the previous character: 10% of skill points earned during that life (rounded down), applied to every skill at start
• Legacy record data (days survived and completed quests) is stored for progression context

Legacy Start Effect

• On a new legacy character, the game loads the saved legacy package and applies the all-skills bonus immediately
• The inherited days survived also generate an internal legacy experience bonus value for the new character profile

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 reshape your opening chapter. Each one changes your first decisions, your risk profile, and the story you must survive.

1. Injured Start

You wake up already broken

• Begin with 40 HP
• Start with multiple fresh injuries applied immediately
• Best for players who enjoy crisis-management from minute one

2. Winter Start

The world opens in deep cold, not gentle spring

• Run time is forced to late winter (Day 330)
• You begin with only 30 Warmth
• You receive 2 extra warm clothing items, but the season still punishes mistakes

3. Minimal Equipment

You start stripped down to bare survival

• Starting inventory is cut to clothing only (max 2 clothing items)
• Core resources begin near empty: 0 wood, 0 stone, 0 food, 1 water
• Every scrap matters; early misplays are expensive

4. Hostile Territory

You enter a map already breathing violence

• 3 nearby bandit camps are spawned around your opening area
• Camp strength rolls in a dangerous range
• Wildlife pressure is raised by forcing Animal Aggression = 1.5

5. Veyr Start

You begin inside the Veyr ruin-heart biome

• Spawn is relocated onto a valid Veyr tile when available
• Camp state is rebuilt around that location for immediate Veyr survival play
• If no valid Veyr tile is found, spawn falls back to standard placement

6. Settlement Start

You begin near organized human shelter

• A discovered settlement named Frontier Haven is created near your start zone
• Ideal for players who want earlier social, trade, and support options

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