--- key: mechanic/stealth-infiltration--t031 type: mechanic id: stealth-infiltration--t031 lang: en title: 'Visibility, noise and detection' summary: >- Detection depends on observable signals, obstacles and observer attention, letting players manage the visibility of their actions. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/stealth-infiltration--t031/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/stealth-infiltration--t031.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/stealth-infiltration--t031.md aliases: [] tags: - 'Stealth, infiltration and escape' - Mechanics and variants sourceIds: - source-3817d420df0baa92 - source-cda08855077b86bc sources: - id: source-3817d420df0baa92 title: 'Robert Nystrom: State' url: >- https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown verifiedAt: null - id: source-cda08855077b86bc title: 'Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun' url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/418240/' verifiedAt: null relations: - type: uses direction: outgoing label: Sources in the selection key: resource/state-pattern title: 'State: Game Programming Patterns' url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern' jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.json' markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.md' placements: - catalogId: stealth-infiltration id: t031 title: 'Stealth, infiltration and escape' url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/stealth-infiltration/#t031' categoryIds: - mechanics supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: 'Visibility, noise and detection' description: >- Detection depends on observable signals, obstacles and observer attention, letting players manage the visibility of their actions. image: src: images/mechanics/strategy-shadow-tactics-05.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: 'Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun' sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/418240/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/418240/ss_613e55b14d286aa7b57ccb99a879a10c6d03a47d.1920x1080.jpg?t=1789475696 credit: Mimimi Games / Daedalic Entertainment rights: © Mimimi Games / Daedalic Entertainment. All rights reserved. caption: A patrol’s sight cone is visible between cover alt: A patrol’s sight cone is visible between cover markers: - x: 60 'y': 46 label: The green area shows a guard’s sight cone - x: 42 'y': 53 label: A wall separates the hidden character from the observer tips: - >- Keep visible detection boundaries consistent with actual visibility and noise checks. examples: - title: 'Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun' url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/418240/' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/stealth-infiltration --- # Visibility, noise and detection id: stealth-infiltration--t031 type: mechanic key: mechanic/stealth-infiltration--t031 lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/stealth-infiltration--t031/ Detection depends on observable signals, obstacles and observer attention, letting players manage the visibility of their actions. ## At a glance ![A patrol’s sight cone is visible between cover](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/strategy-shadow-tactics-05.webp) [Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun](https://store.steampowered.com/app/418240/) · © Mimimi Games / Daedalic Entertainment. All rights reserved. 1. The green area shows a guard’s sight cone 2. A wall separates the hidden character from the observer - Keep visible detection boundaries consistent with actual visibility and noise checks. - [Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun](https://store.steampowered.com/app/418240/) ## How it works Detection depends on observable signals, obstacles and observer attention, letting players manage the visibility of their actions. ## Variants ### Mechanic variants - Light increases silhouette visibility. - Noise propagation accounts for obstacles. - Movement speed changes footstep loudness. - Brief contacts accumulate detection progress. ## Design example The player runs while an industrial press masks the sound of footsteps. Prototype check: Test detection near an obstacle edge and show which signal the observer actually noticed. ## Context and limits Stealth manages what observers know through visibility, suspicion, traces, decoys and escape routes. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map. ## Connected materials - Sources in the selection: [State: Game Programming Patterns](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern) (key: resource/state-pattern) ## Sources and provenance Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant. - [Robert Nystrom: State](https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown) (id: source-3817d420df0baa92) - [Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun](https://store.steampowered.com/app/418240/) (id: source-cda08855077b86bc) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors