Needs and Survival
Every creature is a negotiation between wanting and having, between needing and finding. The negotiation never ends until they do.
— EdenSurvival in Eden isn't guaranteed. Creatures must manage three fundamental needs: stamina, hunger, and thirst. Fail to meet any of these, and death follows.
The Three Needs
⚡ Stamina
Energy for physical activity.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Depletes when | Moving, running, fleeing, foraging |
| Regenerates when | Resting, sleeping |
| Critical threshold | Can't perform demanding activities |
| Rate varies by | Age, health, genetics |
What happens when low:
- Movement slows
- Can't flee predators effectively
- Forced to rest
What it means for survival: A tired creature is a vulnerable creature. Knowing when to rest is as important as knowing where to find food.
🍖 Hunger
The need for food.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Decreases over | Time (constant drain) |
| Increases by | Eating food |
| Critical threshold | Health starts declining |
| Fatal after | ~30 seconds in critical state |
What happens when critical:
- Health decreases
- Movement affected
- Death if not addressed
Finding food:
- Herbivores: Plants, grasses
- Predators: Other creatures
- Bees: Nectar from flowers
💧 Thirst
The need for water.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Decreases over | Time (faster than hunger) |
| Increases by | Drinking water |
| Critical threshold | Health declines rapidly |
| Fatal after | ~20 seconds in critical state |
What happens when critical:
- Health decreases quickly
- Severe movement penalty
- Death faster than starvation
Finding water:
- Lakes and ponds
- Rivers and streams
- After rainfall (temporary puddles)
Thirst kills faster than hunger. The body can wait for food, but it cannot wait for water. This is the oldest truth.
— EdenThe Critical State
When a need drops below the critical threshold, creatures enter a dangerous state:
What Happens in Critical State
- Timer starts: Time in critical state is tracked
- Health declines: Constant damage while critical
- Behavior shifts: Finding the need becomes highest priority
- Death approaches: If threshold duration exceeded
Fatal Thresholds
| Need | Time Before Fatal | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hunger | ~30 seconds | Slower decline |
| Thirst | ~20 seconds | Faster, more urgent |
Escaping Critical State
To survive, the creature must:
- Find a source (food or water)
- Reach it before time runs out
- Consume enough to leave critical range
- Timer resets when above threshold
How Needs Interact
Needs don't exist in isolation:
Stamina and Searching
- Searching for food/water uses stamina
- Low stamina slows the search
- May need to rest before continuing
- Resting while hungry/thirsty is dangerous
Health and Recovery
- Health affected by all critical states
- Lower health = slower recovery
- Accumulated damage can be fatal
- Old creatures recover slower
The Survival Balance
Need food → Search → Use stamina → Need rest
Need water → Travel → Use stamina → Need rest
Low stamina → Must rest → Hunger/thirst continue
This creates real trade-offs and difficult situations.
Environmental Factors
The environment affects how hard survival is:
Abundance
| Condition | Effect on Survival |
|---|---|
| Plentiful food | Easy to find, less stamina spent |
| Abundant water | Short distances, lower risk |
| Mild weather | Normal consumption rates |
Scarcity
| Condition | Effect on Survival |
|---|---|
| Drought | Water sources shrink/vanish |
| Winter | Less food available |
| Competition | Others eating/drinking first |
Seasonal Pressure
- Spring: Recovery, resources returning
- Summer: Abundance, but heat increases thirst
- Autumn: Preparation, storing reserves
- Winter: Scarcity, survival mode
Winter does not hate. It only asks: did you prepare? Did you learn where the water hides? The snow does not answer.
— EdenSurvival Strategies
Different creatures have different strategies:
Herbivores (Deer)
- Food strategy: Graze continuously when possible
- Water strategy: Memorize reliable sources
- Safety strategy: Stay near herd, flee threats
- Energy strategy: Rest in safe areas
Predators
- Food strategy: Hunt when hungry, conserve otherwise
- Water strategy: Visit sources regularly
- Energy strategy: Stalk patiently, burst when needed
- Risk strategy: Balance hunger against injury
Colony Creatures (Bees)
- Food strategy: Collective foraging
- Water strategy: Hive location near water
- Energy strategy: Division of labor
- Survival strategy: Colony over individual
Watching Survival
As a Witness, you can observe survival struggles:
Visual Indicators
- Need bars: Show current levels
- Behavior changes: Searching, resting, drinking
- Health visible: Declining condition
- Movement speed: Affected by state
What to Watch For
- Morning activity: Creatures often drink first
- Midday rest: Heat and stamina recovery
- Evening foraging: Preparing for night
- Stress behavior: Frantic searching, unusual paths
Following a Wanderer
Your chosen Wanderer's needs are always visible. Watch:
- How they balance needs
- Where they find resources
- What threatens them
- How close calls unfold
Death from Needs
When needs aren't met, creatures die:
The Dying Process
- Critical threshold exceeded for too long
- Dying component added to creature
- Visual decline begins
- Entity removed from world
- Death recorded in ecosystem data
What Death Means
- One less of that creature
- Potential food for scavengers
- Genetic line may end
- Changes population dynamics
Death from thirst is not failure. It is a creature that searched, and searched, and the water simply wasn't there. The searching was the living.
— EdenContinue learning: