Hey guys!

I know I asked this a bit in the discord, but I want to:

• 1. Test how the Forums work with others contributing
• 1. See how people feel about Hitless in general.

I know right now it varies from game to game, but I feel like there is a definition that makes sense across games. I know there will be disagreements, but I feel something exists that can cover 95% of rules. I know that games will need additional exceptions too.

My main concerns are around failed states like failing a mini-game or failing a stealth mission being seen as hits since it muddies the definition. I understand the challenge is to basically do a Damageless, plus Deathless, plus no failed states in one run, but some things are allowed to be more convenient.. And that is where I start feeling like it gets muddy. In an effort to isolate the challenge, I want to separate glitches from hitless and damageless altogether. People can still choose to restrict themselves if they want to, but I cannot wrap my head around "this is not allowed because it makes the fight too easy, but standing in one place with poison for 10 minutes is allowed".

Of course there is more, but returning back to the core definition, I think Hitless can be identified by in-game interactions. Here is what I currently have the definition for Hitless as:

• A hit is when an NPC or dynamic object makes contact with your character's hurtbox, causing damage or hard crowd control (Hard CC).
• Player-initiated actions that cause damage or movement are NOT hits.

The language is quite rough to digest at first.

• Dynamic Object is meant to cover things like exploding barrels or other traps that can stun/lock someone in place.
  • There might be a better phrase for this.
• "Hurtbox" is taken from fighting games. It is the collision around your character's model that registers if damage is received. "Hitbox" refers to the damaging portion of an weapon's attack. So like in DS1, imagine an enemy has its' AI changed to just a walking animation. They can walk into you and push you aside, but not stagger you. That happens because their hurtbox is making contact with your hurtbox. It is only when there is some damaging, stunning, or root effect when it becomes a hit.
• Hard CC is how I heard Blasty refer to it and it makes a lot of sense. If you have played MOBA games, it is basically anything that restricts, stuns, or halts your character. It is different than something like a debuff where you lose speed or attack damage.

But... maybe I have the wrong idea. Maybe there is better wording or another way to view it. So let me know what you think of the definition I have above. The only thing I ask is this:

Please think of this definition for games that do not already have established rules.

I feel it is very easy to get into the weeds of "well, X game does this and they dont allow Y". Too often I have seen people (honestly, even me) pointing out the 5% difference and saying "well if X does this then we need to". But yeah. Let me know what you guys think. Sorry for long post.