Skip to main content

​
What it controls

A status component represents something that changes over time: alertness, trust, injury, or time pressure. In Letter from Mist Harbor, Tide Countdown rises as the player spends time in the post office.
Status panel with range, initial value, change rules, visibility, and change notice

Chinese UI screenshot: status component fields

​
Values

​
Changes

​
Visibility and binding

Write conditions as facts the test can reproduce, not “when the mood is tense.” A hidden status can still change reactions, but the player will not see its number. The range must stay within -1000 to 1000 with the minimum below the maximum, and the ranges must meet end to end and cover all the way to the maximum.

​
A complete example

Tide Countdown can be filled like this:
  • Range: 0–100;
  • Initial value: 20;
  • Increase: 15, when the player stays one turn without checking the register;
  • Decrease: 10, when the player finds the old-pier clue and leaves immediately;
  • Range reactions: 0–40 time remains, 41–70 the tide sounds closer, 71–100 leave soon;
  • Visible to player: Yes;
  • Change notice: The tide crosses the threshold; you have less time.;
  • Bound character: Player character.
The player never sees the increase condition as editor text, only the value change, the short notice, and the different scene reactions the status produces.
Required fields: component name, minimum, maximum, initial value, increase amount and condition, decrease amount and condition, value ranges, player visibility, and change notice, plus a single bound character. See Required Fields and Blockers.

​
Check it

Set a clear range, initial value, positive and negative conditions, reactions, visibility, notice, and character binding. Test the initial display and at least one change in both directions.