The Combat Interface is the visceral, jarring, and often traumatic interface for physical Conflict. It is the moment when the careful social dances of negotiation and persuasion fail, and the primal drives of Violence and Survival take center stage. This interface rejects objective data displays in favor of rendering the raw, subjective experience of battle through the Incarnation’s own senses and psyche.

The transition from the controlled environment of the Social Arena to the chaos of combat is deliberately jarring. It is designed to emphasize the gravity of resorting to violence, turning a strategic choice into an emotional and physical ordeal.

The Philosophy: The Body at War

The core philosophy of the Combat Interface is that violence is not a game of numbers, but a crisis of being. Every blow struck, every evasion, every wound taken, is experienced directly through the character’s physical form and psychic state. The player does not command an avatar; they inhabit a vessel under extreme duress.

This makes combat not just a challenge of execution, but a test of the Incarnation’s core Beliefs, its learned Skills, and the very integrity of its Vessel and Psyche.

The Transition: From Negotiation to Carnage

The shift from the Social Arena to Combat is marked by a dramatic, immediate change in the interface:

• Environmental Distortion: The calm, objective rendering of the world gives way to chaos. Visuals might become desaturated or tinted with red, reflecting the character’s rising adrenaline or fear. The camera may zoom in, blurring the background and focusing intensely on the immediate threats and the character’s own body.
• Auditory Assault: The ambient soundscape is replaced by the harsh, immediate sounds of conflict: ragged breathing, the clang of metal, the crack of energy weapons, the panicked shouts of allies, and the chilling screams of the dying.
• UI Fragmentation: The clean lines of the Social Arena shatter. Prompts for social actions are replaced by visceral, context-sensitive combat commands. Information is presented not as data, but as an immediate sensory experience.

The Anatomy of the Combat Interface

The combat UI is designed to be an immersive, low-information-display, high-feedback system that reflects the chaos of battle and the Incarnation’s internal state.

Part 1: The Immediate Threat Zone (The Focus)

The primary view is intensely focused on the immediate surroundings and the agents involved in the conflict.

• Target Highlighting: Enemies are visually distinct: often brighter, more saturated, or outlined with aggressive auras determined by the player’s Beliefs and Psyche. The Subjective Interface might render a hated enemy as a monstrous caricature, while a respected rival appears as a formidable but clear opponent.
• Environmental Context: Key environmental elements relevant to combat: cover, hazards, escape routes; are subtly highlighted by the Perception system based on the Incarnation’s skills and knowledge. A high Tactics skill might highlight flanking routes.

Part 2: The Vessel’s Feedback (The Cost of Battle)

The character’s physical and psychological state is displayed through direct sensory feedback, rather than abstract meters.

• Damage and Integrity: Visual effects directly represent injury. A blow to the leg might cause a limp in the animation and a shaking blur when the character tries to move. Critical damage causes screen-wide red flashes, audio distortion, and the character’s pained cries. A “health bar” is replaced by the character’s observable state of injury.
• Stamina and Exhaustion: Physical exertion is conveyed through the character’s breathing rate, animation speed, and a subtle sway or blur to the camera, especially when critically low on Stamina.
• Psychic States: Trauma, fear, or rage manifest as powerful UI distortions. A high Fear level might cause the screen to darken, trigger auditory hallucinations, or cause the player’s aiming reticle to waver. A state of Rage might overlay the screen with a red filter and amplify the sounds of violence.

Part 3: The Arsenal (The Will to Act)

Player actions are presented contextually and are deeply tied to the Incarnation’s capabilities.

• Contextual Action Prompts: Available actions appear directly related to the immediate situation. A [Dodge] prompt might appear when an attack is incoming. A [Melee Attack] prompt appears when an enemy is in range.
• Weapon Integration: The equipped weapon is visually represented, and its own state (e.g., heat levels for energy weapons, ammo count) is communicated diegetically through UI elements integrated into the weapon model or the character’s immediate interface.
• Ability Hotkeys (The Soul’s Verbs): Special abilities are mapped to the player’s input, but their visual and audio presentation is always tied to the character’s state. Using a powerful psychic ability might be accompanied by a visible surge of energy around the character’s hands, or a distortion in the surrounding environment.

The Player’s Experience: Inhabiting the Violence

The Combat Interface aims to immerse the player directly into the role of the combatant.

• Agency Through Choice: The player’s choices are direct and immediate. Do you risk a heavy attack that might leave you vulnerable? Do you use your last bit of Willpower to activate a protective ability? Do you Flee from a losing engagement, or stand your ground based on a Belief in your own strength?
• The Weight of Action: Every action has a clear, immediate consequence, both mechanically and narratively. Killing an enemy is not just reducing their HP to zero; it is a visceral act that adds to the Incarnation’s Eidos and potentially alters their mental state.
• The Importance of Adaptation: The player must constantly adapt their strategy based on their Incarnation’s physical state, psychological condition, and the evolving situation on the battlefield. A character with low Agility cannot play like a nimble assassin. A character with a high Fear level must manage their panic as much as their enemy.

Design Intent

The Combat Interface is designed to:

• Make Violence Consequential: Ensure that combat is never a casual or purely tactical affair, but an experience that carries narrative and psychological weight.
• Reinforce Character Identity: Make the Incarnation’s unique abilities, skills, and mental state central to their combat effectiveness and experience.
• Promote Strategic Decision-Making: Force players to consider not only what action to take, but how their character’s internal state influences their ability to perform it.
• Create a Visceral, Immersive Experience: Utilize sensory feedback and diegetic UI elements to draw the player directly into the chaotic reality of combat.