Summary
Max one encounter per raid, and most raids have none. Encounters are probabilistic events that trigger at 50% loot progress. When one fires, the raid pauses and the player has a real-time window to dispatch backup raccoons from the Raid Board. Fail consequences are lethal: dogs kill, animal control captures.
Encounter Chance
Rolled once at 50% loot progress. If the roll passes, no encounter — looting continues uninterrupted.
EncounterChance = TargetBaseChance × (1 - CrewStealthSum / StealthScale)
if daytime raid: EncounterChance × 2.0
if Scout in crew: EncounterChance × 0.5
clamp(EncounterChance, 0, 0.95)
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| TargetBaseChance | Per-target value. Riskier targets have higher base chance. See individual target pages. |
| Crew Stealth | Higher total Stealth = lower encounter chance. Stealthy crews avoid trouble. |
| Daytime | 2× base chance. Night raids (20:00–06:00) are the natural window. See Game Clock. |
| Scout | Having any Scout on crew halves the final chance. Scouts read the environment and steer the crew around threats. |
Most night raids with decent Stealth + a Scout pass without incident. Encounters are tense because they’re rare and lethal.
Encounter Selection
If an encounter triggers, the type is chosen by weighted random from the target’s encounter pool. Each target defines which encounter types can appear and at what relative probability. Example:
| Target | Dog Weight | Animal Control Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Average Home | 0.70 | 0.30 |
| Rich Neighbor | 0.40 | 0.60 |
| The Dump | 0.80 | 0.20 |
| Grocery Store | 0.50 | 0.50 |
Exact weights live on each target’s page.
Backup Window
When an encounter triggers:
- Raid pauses. Looting progress freezes at 50%.
- Player notified. HUD alert + sound. “[Crew] encountered [threat] at [Target]!”
- Backup window opens. 2–3 real minutes (tunable). Countdown visible on HUD.
- Player walks to Raid Board — must physically be at the station. No remote dispatch. If the player is across the hideout, they might not make it in time. Rewards positioning near the board during risky raids.
- Assign backup. City map opens with encounter marker highlighted. Backup assignment UI shows idle raccoons with estimated travel time to the target. Player selects raccoons and confirms.
- Backup travels. Backup group moves at their own
CrewAvgSpeedvia NavMesh. Only backup that physically arrives at the target before the window expires is counted. - Window closes. Either the timer expires or the player confirms “resolve now.” Encounter resolves with whoever is on-site: original crew + any arrived backup.
Backup is encounter-only. After resolution, backup raccoons return home. They do not participate in remaining looting or carry loot. They exist solely to pad stats for the encounter check.
Backup can die. If the encounter still fails after backup arrives, backup raccoons are included in the casualty pool. Sending backup is a real risk — not a free safety net.
Encounter Resolution
CrewStatSum = sum of all on-site raccoons' relevant stat (original crew + arrived backup)
Each encounter type checks one of two stats and uses the higher sum (dual-check):
| Encounter | Check A | Check B | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggressive Dog | Speed (flee) | Strength (fight) | Higher sum |
| Animal Control | Stealth (hide) | Cunning (evade) | Higher sum |
Compare CrewStatSum vs encounter threshold (set per target difficulty on the encounter DataAsset).
- Pass → encounter resolved, no penalty. Looting resumes from 50%.
- Fail → casualties applied, then looting resumes (or aborts if crew is wiped).
Casualty Tiers
How badly the crew fails determines how many raccoons are lost:
| Tier | Condition | Casualties |
|---|---|---|
| Close fail | Within 20% of threshold | 1 raccoon |
| Medium fail | 20–50% below threshold | 2 raccoons |
| Catastrophic fail | 50%+ below threshold | Half the crew (rounded up) |
Victim selection: lowest relevant stat first. The weakest raccoon for the encounter type dies / gets captured first. This means a single strong raccoon among weak ones is likely to survive.
Consequence by Encounter Type
| Encounter | Fail Consequence | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive Dog | Raccoons die. Permanent removal from roster. | None. Death is permanent. |
| Animal Control | Raccoons captured. Removed from roster. | Post-MVP: recoverable via Animal Control HQ boss raid. |
Post-MVP Encounters
- Triggered Alarm — Stealth OR Cunning check. Non-lethal. Fail = abort (early return, 50% loot) or time reduction. Lower stakes encounter type.
- Nosy Neighbor — Cunning OR Luck check. Non-lethal. Fail = abort or reduced loot quality.
- Bonus Stash — Luck check. No fail state. Pass = bonus loot roll. Reward encounter.
Links
Open Questions
- Exact threshold values per encounter per difficulty tier (tuning pass)
StealthScaleconstant for encounter chance formula- Should Luck influence victim selection (lucky raccoons dodge casualties)?
- Should there be a “near miss” visual/audio cue when encounter chance is rolled but doesn’t trigger?