{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-agents","type":"mechanic","id":"phone-flashlight--family-agents","lang":"en","title":"Creature behavior, stealth and attention","summary":"Design scenario: a light command affects a virtual enemy or live game. The phyphox interface illustrates LED output, not creature detection.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-agents/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-agents.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-agents.md","aliases":["Light, stealth and agent attention"],"tags":["Phone flashlight interactions","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-bdbe910fe2426deb"],"sources":[{"id":"source-bdbe910fe2426deb","title":"phyphox","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Light changes the behavior of a virtual opponent or the rules of a matched live game."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-agents-variants\"></a>\n\n- Scaring away. Action: The illuminated target retreats. Application: Protection from virtual shadows, clearing the passage. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: Real animals are not predictable game agents. <a id=\"variant-71\"></a>\n- Luring. Action: The creature moves towards the light. Application: Bring a virtual companion, distract the enemy. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: The reaction is set by the program or the agreed rules of the participants. <a id=\"variant-72\"></a>\n- The gaze stops the enemy. Action: The enemy moves only outside the illuminated sector. Application: Horror for the distribution of attention, protection of several directions. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Motion sensors and calibration; Software game rule. Conditions: A sector model is needed; virtual visibility is calculated by the game... <a id=\"variant-73\"></a>\n- Short stun. Action: The impulse temporarily interrupts the action of the game target. Application: Parrying an attack, creating a window for escape. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: The effect is virtual; do not direct real impulses into people's eyes. <a id=\"variant-74\"></a>\n- Revealing the disguise. Action: Under the light, the real type of the creature is visible. Application: Search for the impostor, checking doubles, deduction. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: For a live game, the role is revealed by a person or an application according to an agreed rule. <a id=\"variant-75\"></a>\n- Masking by switching off. Action: Turn off the flashlight to reduce game visibility. Application: Stealth, hide and seek according to the rules, transition between shelters. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Software game rule. Conditions: Actual visibility also depends on ambient lighting; it is not removed only from the LED state. <a id=\"variant-76\"></a>\n- The compromise “I see and give myself away.” Action: Turning on helps exploration, but increases the risk of detection. Application: Horror, object hunting, tactical timing. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Software game rule. Conditions: Game detection must have a clear rule and feedback. <a id=\"variant-77\"></a>\n- A distraction aside. Action: Direct the source to another area to divert the agent's attention. Application: Rescue a companion, bypass security, control a crowd of virtual creatures. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Motion sensors and calibration; Software game rule. Conditions: A real “light trail” for an agent requires external observation. <a id=\"variant-78\"></a>\n- Accompanying an ally. Action: Keep a light on the companion or his path so that he moves forward. Application: Guide the character through the darkness, combine defense and navigation. Requirements: Rear LED and app control; Motion sensors and calibration; Software game rule. Conditions: The game evaluates its goal; tracking a person in a room is a separate task. <a id=\"variant-79\"></a>\n- Forbidden target. Action: Illuminate useful objects without touching dangerous ones. Application: “Don’t wake a sleeping person”, puzzle for accuracy, test of attention. Requirements: Rear LED and control from the application; Motion sensors and calibration; Software game rule. Conditions: With a wide real beam, accurate target separation may not be possible without shielding. <a id=\"variant-80\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"phone-flashlight","id":"family-agents","title":"Phone flashlight interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-flashlight/#family-agents","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Light, stealth and agent attention","description":"Design scenario: a light command affects a virtual enemy or live game. The phyphox interface illustrates LED output, not creature detection.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/sensor-phyphox-4.webp","width":663,"height":1440,"crop":{"x":0,"y":92,"width":663,"height":970},"game":"phyphox","sourceUrl":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4","originalUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/3e/83/1f/3e831fc9-b4dc-57f8-fad4-b2fd5cd5243c/iphone-05-strobe.png/720x1560bb.jpg","credit":"RWTH Aachen University","rights":"© RWTH Aachen University. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"phyphox: LED brightness, frequency and pulse duration","alt":"phyphox: LED brightness, frequency and pulse duration","markers":[{"x":64,"y":16,"label":"Brightness and frequency control the phone’s physical flashlight"}]},"tips":["Distinguish a programmed enemy reaction from a person observing real light."],"examples":[{"title":"phyphox","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/phone-flashlight"}}