April 21, 2026

PANPC 2.1-beta3 Released: Scent Mechanics

PANPC (Pack Attack NPC Edition) 2.1 Beta 3 has been released and is now available for download to Citizen role users on the GreslinGames Discord. You can find it pinned in the #panpc-21-beta channel.

Lately I've been playing a lot of The Long Dark. You can follow my current run on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJp25sFDKjOCa58oT40tT9g4f363E5Zae

It got me to thinking about that game's scent mechanics and how to implement something similar into PANPC. This update includes that functionality.

If you are carrying raw meat of any kind, certain predatory enemies (currently Deathclaws, Dogs, Feral Ghouls, Supermutants, and Raiders) will detect them in varying degrees. Deathclaws are an almost guaranteed detection, Raiders very slightly, and the others somewhere in between.
If an enemy detects the smell object on the player, that will almost completely negate your stealth ability with that NPC. Their interest will go up and they will detect you from a longer distance.
Cooking the meat neutralizes this effect.
Infection, Weakness, and Overencumbrance also trigger the effect, similar to that in The Long Dark. (This can be customized via patch.)
This currently only applies to the player, though I plan soon to update PACE to extend the effect to the player's current companion.
One item is as good as all the items. Currently, you either stink or you don't.
The items that trigger the scent effect can be customized via patch in a formlist. Likewise, the NPCs and their varying scent drive levels can also be customized. You can set this up any way you want.

Have fun,