Stealth Points

Overview

All actors have Stealth Points, which function basically as stealth "hit points" -- when your Stealth Points go to 0, you are detected. Simple, right?

Continuing the analogy to hit points, your Sneak skill functions as your stealth "armor class" -- the higher your Sneak, the less "stealth damage" you take.

Specifics

Stealth points only apply to "aggro" detection. (Not, for example, to whether or not you're caught stealing from a store.)

What makes my Stealth Points go down?

When anyone's detection value on me is higher than 0, my stealth points drop (with the rate of drop corresponding to the amount the detection is above 0 -- if their detection is at 1, my stealth points are dropping slowly; if they are at 50, my stealth points are dropping like a rock).

What makes my Stealth Points go up?

When detection is below zero, my stealth points are filling back up (at a rate based on how much detection is below 0 - if detection is at -1, stealth points refill slowly; if its at -30, it refills more quickly).

When is someone Alerted to me?

Any time my Stealth Points are going down, someone is Alert to me -- meaning that they would detect me if it weren't for my Stealth Points. Put another way, as soon as my Stealth Points run out, I will be detected.

When does someone detect me?

Whenever my Stealth Points go to 0, I am detected (by at least one enemy). Note that this does not mean that EVERYONE detects me -- only that I've lost the "protection" of my Stealth Points -- now as soon as an enemy's detection goes above 0, they will detect me immediately.

NOTE: If an enemy's detection goes above a (high) threshold, they will immediately detect you, regardless of how many Stealth Points you have remaining.

How do I evade an enemy once I've been detected?

Once I've been detected, I need to "refill" my Stealth Points in order to evade detection (but see below for a caveat). When an enemy loses detection on me in combat, a short timer runs - if that timer expires and detection is still < 0, my Stealth Points begin to increase, and the enemy begins "combat search" behavior. When my Stealth Points reach 100, I have escaped and my enemies stop searching for me.

Details

• There’s a gamesetting (fCombatStealthPointRegenAlertWaitTime = 10 seconds) = minimum Alert time – if someone becomes alert to you, your Stealth Points will not refill at all during that time.
• Stealth Points go up or down based on the current MAXIMUM detection level of all AGGRESSIVE actors.
• Stealth Points always = 0 when enemies are in combat with you.
• When in Alert/Lost states, as soon as your stealth points meter refills, the enemy drops out of combat search.
• If enemy detection exceeds the combat detection threshold (iCombatStealthPointSneakDetectionThreshold or iCombatStealthPointDetectionThreshold, depending on if you are sneaking or not), remaining Stealth Points are ignored and the enemy immediately detects you.