Simulation systems at a glance
The launch simulation covers needs and hunger, favourite food, faction currency, threat level, faction crafting, equipment distribution, diplomacy, zone capture, and ageing with lifespans. Each has an inspector or panel that reports it.
Nine systems run in the launch build, and each one has a place you can watch it. This table is the diagnostic map: when a world behaves strangely, find the row, open the panel, and stop guessing.
Systems in the launch build
| System | What it touches | Watch it in | Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs and hunger | Population, heroes, soldiers, animals, monsters | Creature panels | Before launch |
| Favourite food | Individual characters | Creature panels | Before launch |
| Faction currency | Faction economy | Faction inspector | Before launch |
| Threat level | Monster aggression, zone danger | Zone inspector | Before launch |
| Faction crafting | Food, items, equipment | Faction inspector | Before launch |
| Equipment distribution | Heroes and soldiers | Creature equipment slots | Before launch |
| Diplomacy | Alliances, wars, trade | Faction inspector | Before launch |
| Zone capture | Ownership and borders | Map colours, zone inspector | Before launch |
| Ageing and lifespans | All characters | Creature panels | Before launch |
Two more systems exist but are authoring-dependent: faction quests are generated from needs, and combat resolution uses the attribute model. Neither has a dedicated panel of its own.
Reading the table as a chain
The systems are not independent. A useful way to read them is as a chain of consequences:
Needs → goals. Hunger and nutrition create pressure. Factions turn pressure into generated quests.
Goals → action. Heroes and soldiers pick up quests. If nothing moves, either there are no quests or pathing is broken.
Action → resources. Faction currency accrues and is spent on crafting food, items and equipment.
Resources → power. Crafted equipment is distributed to heroes and soldiers, which changes what those entities can win.
Power → politics. Threat level and strength decide whether diplomacy produces trade, alliance or war, and whether zones change hands.
Break any link and the chain stops. That is why "the simulation is dead" almost always means a broken link rather than a broken system.
What each system does not do
| System | Limitation at launch |
|---|---|
| Quests | Generated from needs; no hand-authored chains until Q1 2027 |
| Events | No event system until the event editor lands in Q1 2027 |
| Diplomacy | Driven by need and proximity; no manual treaty editing |
| Capture | Ownership flips; there is no siege or occupation state exposed |
| Economy | No market UI, no price simulation beyond base values |
| Ageing | Individuals age and die; there is no dynasty or inheritance system in the panels |
| Threat | Affects aggression and zone danger; the exact scaling is not published |
Diagnosing a quiet world
Work down this list, in order. Each step takes under a minute.
- Zones owned? No owner means no politics. Check the zone panel.
- Zones adjacent and conquerable? Borders need somewhere to move.
- Factions with unmet needs? Self-sufficient factions have no goals.
- Creatures spawning? No threat means no pressure.
- Entities moving? If not, it is pathing.
If all five pass and the world is still static, the world is probably too large for its population - the systems are running, but the relationships never touch. Shrink the map or add neighbours.
Where the numbers live
The systems use the attribute model, the item chain and the zone rules. The attribute reference lists the stats, the item tables lists the materials, and the zone field page lists the rules. The narrative version of this page - why the loop feels the way it does - is the simulation guide.
