VEXHOLDNO ONE LEAVES
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Back to the island

The survival plan

The island tests
everything you have.

Animals that react to your choices. Weapons that attract attention. Wounds you cannot forget with one click. This is the detailed design for survival in VEXHOLD.

Planned

The game is still being built. This plan describes future systems and the intended visual direction; it is not a playable demo.

18Animal species
7Tameable species
32Base weapons
8Medical supplies

01 / Living world

A world with
its own instincts.

Hunt, track and care. Every species has a role, diet and behaviour. An infected animal is a variant of that species, not an extra number in the count.

Concept art: a survivor cares for a dog at a homestead with a horse, chicken and goat
Pre-render concept of the planned game · not a gameplay image

Wildlife6 species

WolfWildlife

Predator of forests and mountains.

Food
Meat
Behaviour
Hunts in packs; noise, blood trails and the season shape its route.
BearWildlife

Rare territorial threat around forests and mountains.

Food
Berries, fish and meat
Behaviour
Avoids busy areas but defends food and shelter.
DeerWildlife

Prey animal for meat and leather.

Food
Grass and leaves
Behaviour
Flees voices and gunfire; leaves tracks in mud and snow.
BoarWildlife

Hardy food source near forest edges.

Food
Roots, berries and food scraps
Behaviour
Seeks cover and may charge when cornered.
FoxWildlife

Small scavenger and a sign of nearby prey.

Food
Small prey and berries
Behaviour
Steals unattended food and disappears at loud noises.
RatWildlife

Pest around waste, stores and abandoned buildings.

Food
Food scraps and grain
Behaviour
Drawn to poorly sealed supplies; cats help keep numbers down.

Companions4 species

DogTaming planned

Guards the base and warns of intruders.

Food
Meat and dried meat
Behaviour
Feeding builds trust; can follow, stay and return.
CatTaming planned

Catches rats and warns of zombies.

Food
Fish
Behaviour
Explores around the base on its own and hisses at nearby danger.
HorseTaming planned

Transport with a third-person camera and saddlebags.

Food
Apples, carrots and hay
Behaviour
Needs rest and water; may panic at gunfire and hordes.
RabbitTaming planned

Small animal that is easy to tame.

Food
Lettuce and carrots
Behaviour
Stays near safe shelter and flees predators.

Farm animals5 species

ChickenTaming planned

Eggs when properly cared for.

Food
Grain
Behaviour
Forages by day and returns to its coop for the night.
GoatTaming planned

Milk and access to steep grazing land.

Food
Hay
Behaviour
Climbs obstacles; a poorly secured pen is no guarantee.
PigTaming planned

Sniffs out food near the base.

Food
Vegetable scraps
Behaviour
Responds to food smells and needs space and care.
CowFarm animals

Abandoned livestock; later expanded into animal husbandry.

Food
Grass and hay
Behaviour
Moves in small groups around farms; full husbandry comes later.
SheepFarm animals

Abandoned livestock; a later source of wool.

Food
Grass and hay
Behaviour
Seeks its flock and flees together; shearing belongs to later husbandry.

Fish3 species

PerchFish

Food from rivers and lakes.

Food
Small aquatic animals
Behaviour
Catch chances depend on the water, time of day and season.
PikeFish

Large predator fish in inland waters.

Food
Fish
Behaviour
Lives in deeper water; rarer than perch.
SalmonFish

Food along coasts and river mouths.

Food
Small aquatic animals
Behaviour
Seasonal routes make a permanent fishing spot unreliable.

Trust has to be earned.

  • The plan lists 18 real species in four groups. Infected variants do not count as extra species; species and counts may change during development.
  • The first trust loop covers dogs, cats, horses, chickens, goats, pigs and rabbits. Favourite food, repeated care and safe behaviour build trust; not a single click.
  • Food, water, dry shelter and protection remain necessary after taming. Neglect lowers trust and performance.
  • Noise, scent, time of day and season shape routes and reactions. Predators stay wild; milk, eggs and transport require care.
  • Animals can be wounded or infected and die permanently. The server tracks animal status and ownership; pets do not automatically return.
  • Cows and sheep begin as abandoned livestock. Full husbandry, wool and breeding are later expansions, beyond the first seven tameable species.

Meet Scout

Trust starts
with a small choice.

Pet Scout, give him food and water, play together and let him rest. Discover how care changes his trust and behaviour.

Interactive web prototype · not gameplayVEXHOLD
01 / SCOUTCurious

Tap Scout to pet him

Scout looks at you curiously. Give him a gentle introduction.

Trust20 / 100
Food45 / 100
Water55 / 100
Energy70 / 100
Stress20 / 100
Your supplies
3 food portions
3 water portions
Care for your companion
Heading out together55+

Earn 55 trust through at least 3 types of care to unlock commands.

A sudden noise shows how a wary or bonded dog responds.

How do you build a bond?

Give Scout time. An action only counts when it finishes; repeated petting is not enough. Varied care builds trust, playing uses energy and a loud noise increases stress. Your supplies are limited. Starting again gives you a fresh prototype.

Scout waits for you. The prototype pauses when out of view.

This is a small browser prototype of the planned animal system. Its care rules and responses are recorded in the game plan for the future game; this is not footage from the engine.

02 / Equipment and combat

Choose your weapon.
Carry the consequences.

The arsenal runs from improvised tools to rare military weapons. The counts below cover base weapons; skins, colours and attachments are not counted twice.

Concept art: a hunting rifle, handgun, crossbow and club on a weathered workbench
Pre-render concept of the planned game · not a gameplay image
0110

Melee weapons

Ten quiet choices for the first days; reach, stamina and wear shape the trade-off.

  • Wooden club
  • Reinforced baseball bat
  • Crowbar
  • Hatchet
  • Fire axe
  • Machete
  • Hunting knife
  • Sledgehammer
  • Scrap spear
  • Riot baton
024

Primitive ranged weapons

Four alternatives to firearms; less noise at the cost of slower shots and recovering projectiles.

  • Sling
  • Wooden bow
  • Recurve bow
  • Crossbow
035

Handguns

Five compact firearms; easy to carry, but ammunition and parts remain scarce.

  • Scrap pistol
  • Compact pistol
  • Service pistol
  • Revolver
  • Heavy pistol
044

Shotguns

Four close-range choices; powerful, loud and dependent on supplies and reloads.

  • Single-shot shotgun
  • Double-barrel shotgun
  • Pump-action shotgun
  • Semi-automatic shotgun
059

Long guns

Nine weapons from hunting gear to military loot; weight, noise and upkeep limit the advantage.

  • Hunting rifle
  • Lever-action rifle
  • Bolt-action rifle
  • Carbine
  • Scout rifle
  • Submachine gun
  • Assault rifle
  • Marksman rifle
  • Light machine gun

More than damage per second.

  • Target: 32 base weapons in five categories. Skins, attachments and quality variants are not extra base weapons; this list is a development plan.
  • Primitive gear starts with gathering and crafting. Better weapons require blueprints, suitable workbenches and rare loot.
  • Ammunition, weight, condition and noise shape the economy. Firearms draw zombies and may reveal your position.
  • Use, rain and poor upkeep cause wear and rust. Repairs cost parts; a better weapon never stays a free advantage.
  • Attachments modify an existing weapon. Raiding explosives and future vehicle weapons are outside this count.
  • The server validates damage, distance, fire rate, ammunition and condition. Final statistics follow playtests, with no paid combat advantages.

03 / Wound and bandage system

Survival does not stop
after the fight.

Stopping bleeding and fully recovering are different steps. The design connects wound location, blood loss, contamination and care.

Concept art: two survivors treat an injured forearm with a clean bandage
Pre-render concept of the planned game · not a gameplay image
  1. 01

    Read the wound

    The wound screen separates head, torso, arms and legs, with light, heavy or critical bleeding. Scratches, deep cuts, bites and fractures need different supplies.

  2. 02

    Find cover

    Treatment occupies your hands. A planned short action takes 4–6 game seconds; a complex one takes 8–12. Sprinting, using a weapon or taking damage interrupts it; the wound remains.

  3. 03

    Limit blood loss

    Clean bandages help with light bleeding; pressure dressings help with heavier bleeding. A tourniquet is only a temporary game option for a critical arm or leg wound and adds a movement penalty until follow-up treatment.

  4. 04

    Choose follow-up care

    Dirty or wet dressings raise the contamination meter. A cleaning kit and fresh clean dressing lower that risk. An improvised cloth can buy time but never counts as sterile treatment.

  5. 05

    Stabilize the injury

    A splint supports a fractured arm or leg and reduces the movement penalty; the bone is not healed. Painkillers temporarily dull pain signals without fixing bleeding, damage or infection.

  6. 06

    Recovery takes time

    Bandages do not instantly restore full health. Dry clothing, food, water and rest support gradual recovery. Water, dirt and new damage wear dressings out; the wound screen warns when replacement is needed.

  7. 07

    Help someone else

    Teammates can inspect the same wound status and target treatment when the other player allows help. The helper uses their own supplies and stays exposed. Server validation decides completed treatment and item consumption.

What goes in your medical bag?

Improvised cloth

Temporary help for light bleeding; dirty material raises contamination risk.

Clean bandage

Covers a light wound and helps limit blood loss; does not restore lost health.

Pressure dressing

Stronger game option for heavy bleeding; takes more time and material.

Cleaning kit

Lowers wound contamination; does not protect against the zombie infection.

Splint

Reduces a fracture movement penalty while recovery continues.

Tourniquet

Temporary game option for critical bleeding in an arm or leg, with a lasting penalty until follow-up care.

Painkillers

Temporary pain reduction; underlying damage and blood loss remain.

Infection medication

Targeted loot for infection treatment; ordinary dressings do not stop the zombie infection.

Recovery takes time and protection.

  • Each body zone has its own wound status; blood loss, pain, contamination and fractures are separate values. Several wounds may need treatment at once.
  • All listed timings are provisional game balance values. Interrupting consumes started material but gives no completed treatment; this prevents free healing.
  • Wound contamination, lung infection and zombie infection remain separate systems. The right infection medication is scarce; bandages cannot replace it.
  • The medical design belongs to phase 6, step 23; animals to phase 9, step 32 and combat to phase 6, step 24. These systems are planned and not playable yet.
  • Wound status persists through logout; the server simulates recovery only when the world allows it. Quickly logging back in does not heal injuries.

Follow what is actually complete on the roadmap. We build survival, combat and animal systems in their own development phases.

Explore the roadmap

A world we build together

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