Tension and the pacing states
The director runs a six-state loop driven by how much the team is suffering. Peaks and relax phases are what give you breathing room, and Havoc takes them away.
The pacing manager is a state machine. It starts in the lowest build-up state and loops forever:
- Build-up low, build-up and build-up high: everything is allowed to spawn.
- Sustain peak: hordes, specials and trickles stop; only monsters may appear. This lasts 13-17 seconds at C5.
- Peak fade: still monsters only, for 30-35 seconds or until tension drops.
- Relax: patrols, monsters and scripted events are allowed, but no hordes, specials or trickles. This lasts 30-55 seconds at C5.
Pacing state ordermanagers/pacing/templates/default_pacing_template.lua:529
state_orders = {
build_up_tension_low = {
next_state = "build_up_tension",
},
build_up_tension = {
back_state = "build_up_tension_low",
next_state = "build_up_tension_high",
},
build_up_tension_high = {
back_state = "build_up_tension",
next_state = "sustain_tension_peak",
},
sustain_tension_peak = {
next_state = "tension_peak_fade",
},
tension_peak_fade = {
next_state = "relax",
},
relax = {
next_state = "build_up_tension_low",
},
},What each pacing state allowsmanagers/pacing/templates/default_pacing_template.lua:40
local DEFAULT_ALLOWED_SPAWN_TYPES = {
build_up_tension_low = {
hordes = true,
monsters = true,
roamers = true,
specials = true,
terror_events = true,
trickle_hordes = true,
},
build_up_tension = {
hordes = true,
monsters = true,
roamers = true,
specials = true,
terror_events = true,
trickle_hordes = true,
},
build_up_tension_high = {
hordes = true,
monsters = true,
roamers = true,
specials = true,
terror_events = true,
trickle_hordes = true,
},
sustain_tension_peak = {
hordes = false,
monsters = true,
roamers = false,
specials = false,
terror_events = false,
trickle_hordes = false,
},
tension_peak_fade = {
hordes = false,
monsters = true,
roamers = false,
specials = false,
terror_events = false,
trickle_hordes = false,
},
relax = {
hordes = false,
monsters = true,
roamers = true,
specials = false,
terror_events = true,
trickle_hordes = false,
},
}What raises tension
Tension is a number. The build-up states move forward when it crosses a threshold (26, 122 and 157 at C5) and back when it decays.
- Health damage. Each point of health lost adds a small amount, divided by the number of players. Toughness damage adds nothing.
- Bad events. At C5 a knock-down or death adds 60, a pounce 20, a net 15 and a daemonhost kill 75.
- Kills, but only while tension is still under 50.
Tension decays at a fixed rate per state after one to three seconds without new tension. Sustain peak has a decay rate of 0, so the peak always runs its full timer.
Tension added by downs, deaths, pounces, netssettings/difficulty/minion_difficulty_settings.lua:908
minion_difficulty_settings.tension_to_add = {
killed_by_daemonhost = {
120,
75,
75,
75,
75,
20,
},
knocked_down = {
120,
80,
60,
60,
60,
20,
},
netted = {
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
5,
},
pounced = {
60,
20,
20,
20,
20,
10,
},
died = {
60,
60,
60,
60,
60,
20,
},
}
minion_difficulty_settings.damage_tension_to_add = {
damaged = {
0.3,
0.2,Tension added per point of health damagesettings/difficulty/minion_difficulty_settings.lua:950
minion_difficulty_settings.damage_tension_to_add = {
damaged = {
0.3,
0.2,Tension decay per statemanagers/pacing/templates/default_pacing_template.lua:32
local DECAY_TENSION_RATES = {
build_up_tension_low = _multiplier_step(1.25),
build_up_tension = _multiplier_step(1.5),
build_up_tension_high = _multiplier_step(2),
sustain_tension_peak = _multiplier_step(0),
tension_peak_fade = _multiplier_step(2),
relax = _multiplier_step(2),
}What Havoc changes
From rank 16 all tension is multiplied by 0.5. That sounds kind, but tension is the thing that pushes the director into a peak and then a relax. With half the tension, the team stays in the build-up states, where everything spawns, for much longer.
Rank 16+: tension x0.5settings/mutator/templates/mutator_modify_pacing_templates.lua:710
mutator_auric_tension_modifier = {
class = "scripts/managers/mutator/mutators/mutator_modify_pacing",
init_modify_pacing = {
tension_modifier = 0.5,
},
},From rank 30 mutator_always_allow_all_spawn_types replaces the allowed spawns of every state with “everything”. Peaks and relax phases still happen on paper, but nothing stops spawning during them.
Rank 30+: every state allows every spawnsettings/mutator/templates/mutator_modify_pacing_templates.lua:655
mutator_always_allow_all_spawn_types = {
class = "scripts/managers/mutator/mutators/mutator_modify_pacing",
init_modify_pacing = {
override_allowed_spawn_types = {
build_up_tension_low = {
hordes = true,
monsters = true,
roamers = true,
specials = true,
terror_events = true,
trickle_hordes = true,
},
build_up_tension = {
hordes = true,
monsters = true,
roamers = true,
specials = true,
terror_events = true,
trickle_hordes = true,
},Below rank 16, a messy fight buys you a breather: a few downs push the director into a peak and then relax. At 16+ that breather comes much later, and at 30+ it never comes. The only real downtime is what you create by killing things fast. Hold a defensible spot and clear, rather than pushing ahead hoping for a lull.