{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/point-and-click--family-31","type":"mechanic","id":"point-and-click--family-31","lang":"en","title":"NPC, animal and living-system behavior","summary":"The player observes and influences creatures through their needs and responses.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/point-and-click--family-31/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-31.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/point-and-click--family-31.md","aliases":["Living-system behavior"],"tags":["Point-and-click adventures","Extended adventure systems"],"sourceIds":["source-f7441d52b2ede78b"],"sources":[{"id":"source-f7441d52b2ede78b","title":"Bulletstorm","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/feeding-enemies-to-creatures","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player observes and influences creatures through their needs and responses."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-31-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Distraction: redirect attention through noise, talk, incidents or attractive objects. <a id=\"family-31-variant-1\"></a>\n- Lures: bring actors to a target position. <a id=\"family-31-variant-2\"></a>\n- Needs: satisfy modeled hunger, curiosity, comfort or other needs. <a id=\"family-31-variant-3\"></a>\n- Routes: block, redirect or create reasons to turn. <a id=\"family-31-variant-4\"></a>\n- Provoking actions: arrange conditions for NPCs to open, carry, fix or report. <a id=\"family-31-variant-5\"></a>\n- Training and commands: teach, demonstrate or give understood signals. <a id=\"family-31-variant-6\"></a>\n- Habits: exploit predictable rituals, professional rules and routines. <a id=\"family-31-variant-7\"></a>\n- Living interactions: use plants, animals and their mutual reactions. <a id=\"family-31-variant-8\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A working classification with 44 families and 355 variants. Families overlap: one puzzle can combine items, dialogue, deduction and a character schedule. Core actions, progression architecture and assistance are separate layers. Sources identify examples from neighboring adventure genres."}],"relations":[{"type":"explains","direction":"incoming","label":"Understand the principle","key":"lesson/npc-action-selection","title":"How an NPC selects an action","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/npc-action-selection/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/npc-action-selection.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/npc-action-selection.md"}],"placements":[{"catalogId":"point-and-click","id":"family-31","title":"Point-and-click adventures","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/point-and-click/#family-31","categoryIds":["section-4"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Living-system behavior","description":"The player observes and influences creatures through their needs and responses.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/world-feeding-enemies-to-creatures.webp","width":498,"height":276,"game":"Bulletstorm","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/feeding-enemies-to-creatures","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/bulletstorm_feeder.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":0.6,"credit":"People Can Fly / Epic Games; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org; visible source watermark: GRAVITY BOOTS","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"The player sends a target toward a carnivorous plant","alt":"The player sends a target toward a carnivorous plant","markers":[{"x":43,"y":48,"label":"Enemy airborne after the hit"},{"x":45,"y":25,"label":"Carnivorous plant beside the target"}]},"tips":["Make a creature’s needs and reactions observable."],"examples":[{"title":"Bulletstorm","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/feeding-enemies-to-creatures"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original taxonomy adapted from user-selected design discussions; linked sources support specific examples, not the whole classification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/point-and-click"}}