--- 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 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 --- # Creature behavior, stealth and attention id: phone-flashlight--family-agents type: mechanic key: mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-agents lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-flashlight--family-agents/ Design scenario: a light command affects a virtual enemy or live game. The phyphox interface illustrates LED output, not creature detection. ## At a glance ![phyphox: LED brightness, frequency and pulse duration](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/sensor-phyphox-4.webp) [phyphox](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4) · © RWTH Aachen University. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Brightness and frequency control the phone’s physical flashlight - Distinguish a programmed enemy reaction from a person observing real light. - [phyphox](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4) ## How it works Light changes the behavior of a virtual opponent or the rules of a matched live game. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - 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. - 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. - 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... - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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 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. - 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. - 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. ## Context and limits 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. ## Connected materials ## Sources and 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. - [phyphox](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4) (id: source-bdbe910fe2426deb) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors