--- title: Status Values url: "https://orkframework.com/guide/ork4/ork4-documentation/section-status/ork4-status-values/" updated: "2026-07-21" category: "Section: Status" --- # Status Values Set up status values like health, MP, strength or experience. Status values are found in **Status > Status Values**. Status values are the core of ORK’s status system – they’re used to define things like health, strength, experience or other numerical values like proficiency in a skill or any other custom system. They’re *long* values, i.e. whole numbers. You can use *Number Formatting* options to display them in a different way (e.g. displaying a value of *69* as *6.9* instead). Status values can use [content types](https://orkframework.com/guide/ork4/ork4-documentation/section-content/content-types/) to organize them. You’ll mainly use them to filter status values in the editor and display status values in HUDs based on their content type. This e.g. allows to easily add new status values to HUDs by simply adding them to the group you want to display them with. # Status Value Types There are 3 status value types available – *Normal*, *Consumable* and *Experience*. ## Normal *Normal* type status values are used for most use cases, e.g. maximum health, strength or agility – values that remain somewhat static, e.g. only increasing on level ups or via upgrades or bonuses. You can optionally use a formula to create a *Combined Value* – this’ll calculate the value of the status value through the defined formula and can use e.g. other status values. Using the status value itself in the formula allows using the actual (uncalculated) value of the status value, e.g. coming from equipment bonuses and other sources. ## Consumable *Consumable* type status values are used for things like health or magic points, basically anything that can be *consumed* by actions or changed by damage and healing. They use *Normal* type status values to define their maximum value, so to increase the maximum value, you need to increase their maximum status value’s value (e.g. in the status development or via bonuses). *Consumable* type status values can automatically cause the death of a combatant by either reaching their minimum or maximum value, e.g. a combatant should usually die if their health reaches 0. They can also use other *Consumable* type status values as barriers, consuming negative changes for them. E.g. a *shield* status value can be used to take damage instead of *health* as long as it has a remaining value. ## Experience *Experience* type status values, as the name suggests, are used for anything experience-related. Beside regular experience, this can also be used to create spendable points to e.g. learn new abilities or upgrade them. They can automatically increase a combatant’s level or class level when reaching their maximum value (of the current level). Upon level up, experience status values can restart from their minimum value (e.g. 0) or keep growing from their current value. # Changing Status Values Status values can be changed in different ways: - abilities - items - equipment - status effects - schematics - etc. There is a difference between changing a *Normal* and *Consumable* or *Experience* type status values. For *Consumable* and *Experience*, changes are straightforward, simply changing their value. For *Normal* type status values the change made by an active ability or an item is permanent, e.g. an item increasing maximum health by 10 will stay that way. However, changes made via bonuses from passive abilities, equipment or status effects only remain as long as they’re available, e.g. an equipment increasing maximum health by 10% will revert back (removing the 10%) when it’s unequipped. # Change Schematics Status values can use schematics when receiving value changes. This allows implementing custom systems or reactions to status value changes. You can limit this to only happen under defined conditions, to specific value changes or from certain change sources. E.g. have a combatant show an autoclose dialogue saying ‘ouch’ when they receive health damage from abilities. In the schematic, the combatant who caused the change (if available) will be used as *Machine Object*, the combatant who’s status value was changed will be used as *Starting Object*. The change value is available as a local long and double variable via the variable key *change*, the old value as *oldValue* and the new value as *newValue*. Combatants can optionally add or replace this with custom schematics. # Flying Texts Status changes can display flying texts for damage (negative) and refresh (positive), as well as for blocking changes. You can set up different flying texts for player, ally (i.e. non-player group members that are not enemies) and enemy combatants. E.g. display red damage numbers for the player and white for the enemy. Attack modifier attributes can optionally override the text color of the flying texts, e.g. having a *Water* element attack display blue damage numbers. # UI You usually want to display the status values in a UI in some form, e.g. in a HUD or status menu. Status values can also be set to be *hidden* from the player, i.e. they’ll not show up in any status value listings in the UI, though you can still display them when directly using a status value instead of displaying a list. ## Count To Value You can optionally have status changes count to the new value over time instead of directly setting the new value. This can either only work as a displayed value, while the real value is already changed – or operate on the real value. E.g. having the real health value change over time could be used to allow combatants to still heal after a fatal hit, as death will only be caused when the value reaches 0 (or their defined minmum value). ## Status Value UI Displaying a list of status values usually uses a UI setup of a status value. The actual setup depends on the used UI module, e.g. in Unity the *Unity UI* module will use a prefab for this. ## Information Overrides A status value can optionally override default UI and information content, e.g. number formatting, how bonuses are displayed or console texts. # Combatants and Status Values Combatants are vessels for the status system, i.e. the status values are bound to them. Here are some things to consider in the relation between combatants and status values. ## Start Values The start values define how a newly created combatant’s status values will be initialized. They can be defined in multiple locations. - **Status Value** The status value itself defines a start value that’ll be used if no other start value is defined for it. Best used for status values that are usually the same for most combatants. - **Combatant** The combatant’s settings can add start values for defined status values, this’ll overrule the status value’s default start value. Best used for when you need to define specific values for a combatant. - **Status Development** The (optional) status development of the combatant defines the start values of the status values that are added to it. This’ll overrule the combatant’s start values and the status value’s default start value. Best used to create a reusable setup that can be used by multiple combatants, or if you need to define status values for multiple levels, e.g. when a combatant can level up (usually the player) or an enemy can be encountered at different levels. You can combine the different ways, having some status values defined via status development, some for the individual combatant and the rest using default start values. **Tip!** Make sure your *health* (or whatever other status value is capable of causing *death*) is using a start value above it’s minimum value. Creating a combatant with 0 health means it’s instantly dead, e.g. preventing battles from starting. ## Rewards Combatants can give the player *Experience* and *Normal* type status value rewards when they’re defeated in a battle. They’re added in the combatant’s *Status Settings >**Experience Reward* and *Status Settings > Normal Status Value Reward* settings. *Experience* rewards increase the used experience’s value and cause level ups (if the status value is used for that). *Normal* rewards permanently increase the *Normal* type status value. Each individual reward can optionally use a chance to determine if it’s used or not. # Setup Examples Here are some examples for setting up different kinds of status values. These examples will only focus on the value setup, i.e. it’ll not cover anything of the UI setup. ## Max HP This is the maximum health of a combatant. This setup example will cap it at 9999. - **Type** Select *Normal*. Click on *Edit Value Range* to set up the min/max value this status value can have. - **Minimum Value** Set to *0*. - **Maximum Value** Set to *9999*. Click on *Ok* to accept the value range change. - **Start Value** Set to *1* (or whatever other value you want to use as default max HP). - **Set In** Select *Value*. The start value is defined as value. ## HP This is the actual health of a combatant – it’ll use the *Max HP* as it’s maximum value. - **Type** Select *Consumable*. - **Max Status Value** Select *Max HP* (i.e. the maximum health status value you set up). - **Death On** Select *On Minimum*. - **Animate Damage** *Enable* this setting. This’ll automatically play damage animations when the combatant receives negative changes to this status value. - **Start Value** Set to *100*. - **Set In** Select *Percent*. The value is defined in percent of it’s maximum value, using 100% means it’s at full health. ## Max MP This is the maximum magic points of a combatant. This setup example will cap it at 999. The setup is basically the same as for the maximum health, just with a different maximum value. - **Type** Select *Normal*. Click on *Edit Value Range* to set up the min/max value this status value can have. - **Minimum Value** Set to *0*. - **Maximum Value** Set to *999*. Click on *Ok* to accept the value range change. - **Start Value** Set to *1*. - **Set In** Select *Value*. ## MP This is the actual magic points of a combatant – it’ll use the *Max MP* as it’s maximum value. This setup is similar to the health, but it doesn’t kill the combatant at it’s minimum value (though you can set it up to do so, if you want). - **Type** Select *Consumable*. - **Max Status Value** Select *Max MP* (i.e. the maximum magic points status value you set up). - **Death On** Select *None*. - **Animate Damage** Disable this setting. - **Start Value** Set to *100*. - **Set In** Select *Percent*. ## ATK/DEF/etc. This is a general setup for any kind of *Normal* type status value, e.g. for an attack, defence, strength, agility, etc. value. For this setup, it’s using a 1-255 value range. - **Type** Select *Normal*. Click on *Edit Value Range* to set up the min/max value this status value can have. - **Minimum Value** Set to *1*. - **Maximum Value** Set to *255*. Click on *Ok* to accept the value range change. - **Start Value** Set to *1*. - **Set In** Select *Value*. Don’t forget that you can copy complete status values, so you don’t have to set each one from scratch. In a status system, *Normal* type status values will often operate within the same value range, so just copy the first one and change what’s needed (e.g. name and other content information). ## EXP This is the experience points of a combatant and causes level ups. - **Type** Select *Experience*. You can limit the experience’s value range, or leave it at the default, which uses the maximum integer value (2147483647). - **Minimum Value** Set to *0*. - **Maximum Value** Set to *100000*. Click on *Ok* to accept the value range change. - **Experience Type** Select *Level*. - **From Minimum** *Enable* this setting. The experience will restart from 0 for each level for this setup. - **Start Value** Set to *0*. - **Set In** Select *Value*. ## AP (spendable experience) This is a setup for something like *ability points* or any similar kind of spendable experience. It doesn’t cause level up, but can either be used to ‘purchase’ upgrades (e.g. abilities and ability levels, status values, equipment levels, etc.), or automatically level up abilities and equipment of a combatant (depeding on the ability/equipment’s level up settings). - **Type** Select *Experience*. Like with the regular level up causing experience, you can limit the value if needed. - **Minimum Value** Set to *0*. - **Maximum Value** Set to *100*. Click on *Ok* to accept the value range change. - **Experience Type** Select *None*. - **Max Value Type** Select *Max Value*. - **From Minimum** *Disable* this setting. - **Init To Level** *Enable* this setting. A newly created combatant will receive the AP appropriate for it’s level. - **Start Value** Set to *0*. - **Set In** Select *Value*.