1. Core Player States
The game defines three core player states which affect movement and interactions:
- Out of Combat (OoC): Normal traversal stance. Sprinting and free movement allowed.
- In Combat (IC): Weapon must be drawn to attack. 0.5s delay when entering or swapping weapons. Movement speed halved but stamina regen doubled. Sprint speed matches OoC.
- Mounted: Riding a mount with its own max speed and handling profile.
- Swimming: Slower movement, ignores slope effects.
- Falling: Freefall state with terminal velocity applied; slope >50° triggers sliding.
2. Movement Mechanics
Movement follows realistic physics principles with speed modifiers based on posture, slope, and inertia.
- Postures: Crouch (-50% noise), Crawl (0 noise), Walk, Jog, Run.
- Sprint: Ramp-up of 2s to max speed, 5 stamina to engage, stamina does not regenerate during sprint. Damage >5 cancels sprint.
- Backpedal: -25% speed in all environments.
- Jumping: After 3 quick jumps (<2s apart), apply 10%, 15%, 20% successive speed decay.
- Clamber: Costs 5 stamina.
- Inertia: No instant directional changes; momentum and animations control responsiveness.
3. Terrain & Slope Effects
- Uphill: Speed reduction begins at 20° slope, capped at -45% speed at ≥45°.
- Downhill: Provides acceleration up to 12 m/s. Steering control narrows with speed. Players slide uncontrollably if slope >50° until ≤30°.
- Climbing: Cannot climb >49° slope.
- Swimming ignores slope modifiers.
4. Speed Matrix
Minimum floor speed is set to 0.5 m/s so movement never feels broken.
| Stance / Surface | Flat Ground (m/s) | 20° Uphill (m/s) | 30° Downhill (m/s) | Water / Swim (m/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walk (OoC) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.7 | — |
| Jog (OoC baseline) | 4.0 | 3.2 | 4.6 | — |
| Sprint (OoC / IC) | 6.5 | 5.0 | 8.0 | — |
| Combat Stride (IC) | 2.0 | 1.6 | 2.3 | — |
| Crouch | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 (wading) |
| Crawl | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 (prone waterline) |
| Swim | — | — | — | 1.2 (slope-agnostic) |
| Mounted Gallop | 12.0 | 9.0 | 12.0 (capped) | — |
Downhill values approach the 12 m/s cap from slope acceleration, while uphill values reflect the -45% slow at a 45° slope scaled down to 20°.
5. Combat Interactions
- Weapons can only be used in Combat Stance.
- Entering combat stance, removing a weapon, or swapping incurs 0.5s delay.
- Out of Combat vs In Combat sprint speeds are identical.
- Quick Turn: Costs 20 stamina, look direction temporarily locked, released after animation. Adds disorientation effect.
6. Noise & Stealth
- Walking/Running: Normal noise.
- Crouch: Generates 50% less noise.
- Crawl: Generates no noise.
- Volume scaling: Noise radius changes with environment/stance.
7. Gravity & Falling
- Real-world drag modeled at sea level.
- Max falling speed (terminal velocity): 55 m/s.
- Hitting slopes >50° triggers sliding until ≤30°.
- Players cannot stick to vertical surfaces; hitbox remains consistent.
8. Anti-Cheat Enforcement
Server-authoritative system enforces per-state speed caps. Any exceedance flags potential cheats.
- Each state has a max speed cap (see matrix).
- Effective cap = design cap × 1.10 tolerance.
- Whitelist legitimate buffs (knockback, dash, ziplines).
- If player exceeds cap for >500ms, increment flag count. After N flags, temp ban player and alert GM.
- Snapshot telemetry saved for GM review: recent state transitions, velocity, slope, stance, network RTT, and collision data.
9. Design Considerations & Pitfalls
- Uphill/downhill realism adds immersion but may feel punishing; caps and floors ensure playability.
- Combat stance delay (0.5s) allows animations to complete, but too long could frustrate players.
- Swimming intentionally weak to discourage use.
- Gradual speed decay on jumps avoids sudden punishments.
- Mounted state balances fantasy speed with real-world believability.
- Anti-cheat tolerances prevent false bans from latency or scripted events.