# 03 Zones

A **Zone** is a box volume in the world. It affects every path passing through its bounds.

## Built-in zones

| Zone             | Color      | What it does                                                                    |
| ---------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Speed Zone**   | Yellow     | Multiplier on path cost. Slower zones cost more, faster zones cost less.        |
| **Blocked Zone** | Bright red | Completely blocks paths. AI never uses paths inside.                            |
| **Danger Zone**  | Dark red   | Strongly penalizes paths but doesn't block. AI uses them only as a last resort. |

## How to add a zone

Drag from the **Place Actors** panel under the **OpenWorld Navigation** category.

## Common settings (all zones)

| Setting           | What it does                                                                  |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Affected Tags** | Travelers must have ≥1 of these tags to be affected. Empty = affect everyone. |
| **Priority**      | Higher overrides lower when zones overlap.                                    |
| **Is Active**     | Master toggle. Turn off to disable the zone temporarily.                      |

## Zone-specific settings

| Zone   | Setting              | Effect                                                     |
| ------ | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Speed  | **Speed Multiplier** | 0.5 = 2× cost (slower terrain). 2.0 = half cost (highway). |
| Danger | **Danger Level**     | 0–1 hint; combined with traveler's tolerance.              |
| Danger | **Cost Multiplier**  | How much pricier, default ×3.                              |

## Examples

| Goal                                        | Setup                                                           |
| ------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Mud / snow slows traffic                    | Speed Zone, multiplier 0.5.                                     |
| Closed road                                 | Blocked Zone covering the segment.                              |
| Vehicle-only road closure                   | Blocked Zone, **Affected Tags** = `Locomotion.Vehicle`.         |
| Combat zone — patrols avoid, soldiers enter | Danger Zone with traveler tolerance check via custom condition. |
| Day-only path                               | Custom Zone subclass that reads world time.                     |

## Custom zone (Blueprint)

1. Content Browser → Add → Blueprint Class → Parent: **OWP Zone**.
2. Override **Modify Cost** to change cost (return a float).
3. Override **Allow Traversal** to fully block (return false).
4. Place via Place Actors.

## Toggling at runtime

Set **Is Active** false to disable a zone (e.g. lockdown ends, road opens). The pathfinding result updates the next time you call **Find Path**.

## Tips

* Use **one large zone** rather than many small ones — better performance and easier authoring.
* **Zone affects every path passing through.** Visualize with Color By Network if you're not sure which paths cross.
* For "this zone applies only to faction X" → set **Affected Tags**.


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