Quartz 4

player

6 min read

Player Core Systems

Overview

  • Defines account-to-character separation, custody rules, and guard-facing signals.
  • Clarifies sentence pressure, suspicion handling, and cell block density controls.
  • Aligns progression, needs, jobs, and reputation with non-profit riot suppression.

Core Concept + Diagram

  • Custody-first design: visible sentence, enforced density, soft deterrents, and responsive guards.
  • Suspicion mediates cross-block roaming, incident response, and lockdowns.
  • Progression = capability breadth; never bypasses custody or block rules.
graph TD
  PR[Player Record] --> SE[Sentence]
  PR --> CB[Cell Block Residency]
  PR --> NE[Needs]
  PR --> RE[Reputation]
  PR --> JB[Jobs]
  SE --> SU[Suspicion]
  SU --> GR[Guard Response]
  GR --> LO[Lockdown/Roll Call]
  CB --> LO
  SU --> LO
  JB --> RE
  RE --> SU
  NE --> SU

Data Model

  • Player Record: account_id, character_id, display_name, sentence_years, sentence_months, sentence_last_tick, residency_block_id, parallel_block_id, suspicion_value, suspicion_state, needs (hunger/thirst/fatigue/stress/hygiene), skills (category→rank), reputation_score, job_assignments, guard_flags, lockdown_status.
  • Sentence: base_years, base_months, crime_modifiers[], last_real_time_tick, pressure_multiplier.
  • Cell Block Residency: home_block_id, parallel_block_id, non_resident_timer, overcrowd_flag.
  • Suspicion: value, decay_rate, thresholds (warn/enforce/lockdown), sources[], decay_modifiers.
  • Guard Response: state (observe > warn > detain > suppress), recent_incidents, riot_flag.
  • Lockdown/Roll Call: trigger_reason, affected_blocks[], start_time, clear_time, non_resident_ejections[].
  • Needs: hunger, thirst, fatigue, stress, hygiene (optional), each value, decay_rate, recovery_actions.
  • Skills: category, rank, xp, persistence_stamp.
  • Reputation: score, sources[], visibility_flag, recent_decay_stamp.
  • Job Board: posting_id, block_id, requirements, reward, risk, cooldown.

System Rules (non-negotiable)

  • No parole, no sentence completion; escape is the only exit.
  • Sentence ticks in real-world time; crimes only add time.
  • Cell blocks control density; not progression tiers; friends can co-locate.
  • Cross-block roaming allowed; raises suspicion and guard attention.
  • Overcrowd/incident pressure triggers soft lockdown and roll call; non-residents removed.
  • Riots are suppression events; never profitable.
  • Reputation is social only; separate from suspicion/authority.
  • Jobs exist in all blocks; participation best within home block; cross-block carries suspicion cost.

Player Record / Identity

  • Separation: account may own multiple characters; each character has its own sentence, suspicion, needs, skills, reputation.
  • Persistence: all fields server-side authoritative; client is read-only display.
  • Guard Flags: store recent violations, roll call misses, riot involvement for elevated scrutiny.
  • Visibility: player-facing panel shows sentence, block residency, suspicion state, needs bands, job status, reputation score.

Sentence System

  • Purpose: constant custody pressure; ties misconduct to longer visibility; modifies suspicion decay/escalation.
  • Data: base sentence in years/months; increments per crime; last real-time tick; pressure multiplier.
  • Ticking: server updates in real time; pauses only on server downtime; no acceleration/pausing for player state.
  • Changes: crimes append modifiers; total updates immediately; UI refreshes sentence length.
  • Effects: higher sentence increases suspicion decay penalty and guard escalation sensitivity.
  • Non-goals: no parole; no completion; no time-based release.

Cell Block Residency

  • Home Block: assigned for density balance; parallel blocks for friends; both marked on record.
  • Density Control: blocks sized for shard cap (~80 total); system prioritizes even distribution.
  • Cross-Block Presence: allowed; increases suspicion over time; higher if block flagged unstable.
  • Overcrowd Handling: when population/incident thresholds exceeded, block triggers soft lockdown; non-residents ejected.
  • Progression: skills and jobs not gated by block; block is spatial/social, not power tier.

Suspicion System

  • Purpose: translate abnormal presence/behavior into guard response and block stability controls.
  • Inputs: time spent as non-resident, curfew/roll-call misses, entering restricted zones, assisting crimes, needs neglect (stress/fatigue), reputation extremes.
  • Decay: baseline decay; reduced by higher sentence; reduced during block instability; paused during lockdown.
  • Thresholds: observe (UI cue), warn (verbal + UI), detain (escort/remove), suppress (lockdown/riot prep).
  • Guard Response States: observe → warn → detain → suppress; state persists per block; decays with time and compliance.
  • Readability: UI shows suspicion band and source tags; guards provide verbal cues; signage during lockdown/roll call.
  • Relation to Sentence: longer sentence slows decay and accelerates threshold climb.

Overload / Soft Lockdown / Roll Call

  • Triggers: population exceeds safe threshold; incident density high; repeated guard suppression in short window.
  • Actions: announce lockdown; restrict doors/utilities; freeze jobs; suspend non-critical NPC routines.
  • Non-Resident Removal: guards escort or auto-port non-residents to their home block; suspicion applied to resistant players.
  • Compliance Outcomes: compliant = faster decay reset; non-compliant = immediate suspicion spike and detain/suppress.
  • Roll Call: mandatory presence in home block during lockdown; absence raises suspicion and guard state.

Riot Handling

  • Definition: multiple violent incidents against guards within short window; guard suppression state active.
  • Escalation Phases: detect clustering → seal doors/utilities → deploy non-lethal suppression → detain and segregate.
  • System-Level Suppression: locks transport, disables job terminals, pauses trading hubs, restricts lighting and comms.
  • Long-Term Consequences: guard flags updated; temporary privilege loss (jobs, movement leniency); suspicion baseline elevated.
  • Anti-Exploit: riots provide no profit; no loot from guards; rewards disabled during/after until stability restored.

Needs System

  • Needs: hunger, thirst, fatigue, stress; optional hygiene.
  • Effects: low needs reduce efficiency, slow recovery, increase suspicion gain when visibly neglected.
  • Decay: real-time downward ticks; faster during activity; stress rises from incidents and non-resident tension.
  • Recovery: consume resources, rest in safe beds, social decompress; hygiene via facilities if enabled.
  • Interaction: high stress/fatigue amplify suspicion inputs; guards note visible neglect during patrols.

Progression / Skills

  • Philosophy: expand capability and access methods; does not grant block bypass or custody relief.
  • Categories: physical, crafting, social manipulation, utility (maintenance), illicit handling.
  • Persistence: per character; server authoritative; unaffected by block; retained across sessions.
  • Constraints: skills cannot reduce sentence, override lockdowns, or neutralize suspicion thresholds.

Reputation

  • Purpose: social trustworthiness signal; affects player-to-player interactions and some NPC willingness.
  • Inputs: trade history, job reliability, cooperation, witnessed misconduct reports; decays slowly over time.
  • Effects: higher reputation improves trust-based opportunities; negative reputation raises passive suspicion gain but is not a guard authority metric.
  • Separation: never substitutes for suspicion; guards act on suspicion, not reputation.

Job Board

  • Presence: exists in every block with identical access; postings contextualized to home block conditions.
  • Participation: best efficiency in home block; cross-block job actions add suspicion over time.
  • Rewards: jobs grant resources/privileges; paused during lockdowns and riots.
  • Anti-Exploitation: cooldowns and suspicion scaling prevent cross-block farming.

Player Information Panel

  • Framing: official record style; no gamified badges; clean, readable.
  • Required Fields: character name, account marker (non-PII), sentence length (years/months), last sentence update time, home block, parallel block assignment, current suspicion state/value, needs bands, active job, reputation score, guard flags summary, lockdown/roll call status.
  • Feedback: real-time suspicion band changes; clear lockdown/roll call directives.

Connected To

Tags

systems custody suspicion sentence cellblocks needs jobs reputation lockdown design

Graph View