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Creatures in Gameplay

Creatures are not just collectibles — they serve as game pieces and affect gameplay outcomes. This ties the care/nurture loop directly to competitive play.

As Game Pieces​

When starting a game, each player selects a creature from their deck. The creature appears as the player's token on the board:

  • 3D model: If a GLB model exists, loaded via useGLTF with Suspense fallback
  • 2D sprite: Billboard texture fallback if no 3D model

Initiative​

The opening turn is determined by creature initiative, computed from:

initiative = creature.stats.speed + (creature.stage * 10) + airBonus

Where airBonus is an additional +5 for Air-element creatures. The player with higher initiative goes first.

Reward Bonuses​

Creature element affects reward payouts after a match:

ElementBonus Effect
FireBoosts win energy rewards
WaterBoosts draw energy rewards
EarthBoosts loss recovery rewards
AirInitiative advantage (go first more often)

Higher creature stage and stats provide incrementally better bonuses.

Signature Moves​

Each creature has a signature move that is displayed in the game HUD during play. The move text updates when the creature evolves.

Key Files​

  • src/machines/gameSessionMachine.ts - Creature profile integration, initiative calc, reward bonuses
  • src/components/game/GamePiece.tsx - 3D/2D creature rendering on the board
  • src/components/game/GameHUD.tsx - Turn indicator with creature context