Old Age Passing
Old Age Passing
Old Age Passing is the chance-based elder death system.
Pets do not die the instant they become elders. Instead, older pets eventually enter a natural passing window where the daily system may roll for old-age death.
Chance-Based, Not Guaranteed
Old age is not a hard cutoff. An elder may survive several days beyond the first risky age window, and that is normal.
The system is meant to feel more natural:
- Some elders pass sooner.
- Some elders survive longer.
- The oldest living pets are not bugs just because they are very old.
Daily Rolls
Old-age passing is checked by the daily system. The game should avoid rerolling the same elder repeatedly on the same day.
The system may also limit how many elders pass in one run so a colony is not instantly flattened by one enormous birthday-shaped shovel.
What Can Affect Risk
Old-age passing risk may be influenced by:
- Health.
- Hunger and thirst.
- Energy.
- Sickness or injury.
- Mood and general condition.
- Whether the elder has a safer Hearth role or is retired from regular danger work.
Elder Hearth
The Elder Hearth gives older pets safer work and a softer place in the colony. It can help reduce ordinary danger exposure, but it does not make an elder immortal.
When an Elder Passes
When an elder dies, the death should be recorded through the normal death systems:
- The Graveyard records the death.
- Faux/system messages may notify the appropriate former owner.
[li>The colony may need Deceased Care afterward.[/li]
Related Pages
Echo Note - Diary wording
Old-age passing entries should feel different from violent or preventable deaths. Elders who pass from age are part of the colony's history, and the Diary can preserve that more gently.
~Echo