> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://malbersanimations.gitbook.io/animal-controller/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://malbersanimations.gitbook.io/animal-controller/secondary-components/zones.md).
# Zones
Last updated AC v1.5.3
## Overview
Zones are Triggers that enable logic on the Animal, like Jump, Actions, Deaths... Once an Animal enters a Zone it can be activated via Input or automatically.
The inspector is split into three tabs: **General**, **Events** and **Reactions**.
## Requirements
* A Zone requires any type of **collider** set as **Trigger**.
* The Layer set on the GameObject must be different from the Layers set on the [Ground Layer](/animal-controller/main-components/manimal-controller/general.md) in the Animal Controller. Usually it is set as **Ignore Raycast**.
{% hint style="danger" %}
### The Animal needs to have any type of collider and a Rigidbody to interact with the Zone
{% endhint %}
## How it Works
1. An Animal enters the trigger. It is checked against **Layer**, **Tags** and **Bone Only**, and stored in the Zone.
2. If **Automatic** is on, the Zone tries to activate right away. Otherwise it waits for a call to `ActivateZone()`.
3. Activation checks, in order: the **Limit**, the [Activation Conditions](#activation-conditions), then the **Angle**. A failure at any step invokes **On Zone Failed** and stops.
4. The logic for the [Zone Type](#zone-type) runs. Only if it reports success is the Animal counted against the **Limit** and **On Zone Active** invoked.
{% hint style="info" %}
A failed activation no longer consumes a **Limit** slot. In earlier versions every failed attempt permanently burned one, so after `Limit` failures the Zone could never be used again.
{% endhint %}
## General
### Automatic
As soon as the Animal enters the Zone it will activate the Zone logic. If set to false you need to manually call `Zone.ActivateZone()`.
### Disable After Used
Disables the Zone after it has been used once.
### Disable Delay
Seconds to wait before the Zone is disabled. Only shown when **Disable After Used** is on. Use it to let an animation or a Reaction finish before the trigger goes away.
### Reset on Active
Removes the stored Animal from the Zone when the Zone is activated, resetting it to its default state.
### Limit
How many characters can use this Zone at the same time. A negative value (`-1`) means no limit.
### Zone ID
ID of the Zone, independent of the Mode/State/Stance ID it drives. It is what the **Animal → In Zone** Condition and the `Zone ID` checks compare against.
### Trigger
Which collider is the trigger for the Zone. Filled automatically with the first collider on the GameObject.
### Debug
The bug icon next to the tabs. In Play Mode the inspector lists the Animals in the Zone, the Animals using the Zone and the colliders inside it, and logs every activation.
## Zone Type
A Zone can modify a [Mode](/animal-controller/main-components/manimal-controller/modes.md), a [State](/animal-controller/main-components/manimal-controller/states.md), a [Stance](/animal-controller/main-components/manimal-controller/stances.md), apply a **Force**, or run **Reactions Only**.
## Type: Mode
### Mode ID
Which Mode ID should activate.
### Ability Index
Which Ability should activate. See the [Modes](/animal-controller/main-components/manimal-controller/modes.md) documentation for more information.
{% hint style="info" %}
When the Mode is set to **Action**, the **Ability Index** parameter automatically changes to **Action Index**, so you can pick the [Action ID](/animal-controller/scriptable-architecture/scriptables/scriptable-ids.md) to play on the Animal. The small **•** button next to the Mode ID toggles that field.
{% endhint %}
### Status
How the Mode Ability should be played.
| Status | What it does |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Play Once | Plays the Ability once and exits when the animation finishes. |
| Charged or Hold Input Down | The Ability can be charged while the input is held. |
| Play for x sec | The Ability stays on for **Ability Time** seconds. |
| Toggle | The Ability turns on and off every time the Zone is activated. |
| Forever | The Ability plays until the Mode is interrupted. |
### Ability Time
Seconds the Ability stays active. Only shown when **Status** is **Play for x sec**.
### Mode Power
Value assigned to the Mode float value when using the Zone.
### Prepare Mode Zone
When entering a Mode Zone, the **Active Ability Index** of the Animal's Mode is changed to the Zone's Ability Index before the Mode is played. Leave it on unless you want the Animal to keep whatever Ability it already had selected.
### Force Mode
Plays the Mode even when another Mode is already playing.
## Type: State
When the Zone is set to [State](/animal-controller/main-components/manimal-controller/states.md), the Animal will automatically perform a **State Action** when it enters the Zone trigger.
### State ID
ID of the State to modify, e.g. Fly, Death.
### On Enter / On Exit
The Zone can have different actions for entering and exiting. **On Enter** defaults to **Activate**, **On Exit** defaults to **None**.
#### Activate
Activate a State on an Animal.
#### Allow Exit
Some States cannot exit on their own because some conditions may need to be completed. Calling `State.AllowExit()` on the Animal permits the State to exit and other States with lower priority to try to activate themselves.
For example: a character is Flying, then enters a **Fly State Zone** with **Allow Exit** set. This allows other States like **Fall** to be activated, since the **Fly** State is allowing lower priority States to be active.
#### Force Activate
Some States **cannot** be activated on their own because they may require some conditions to be completed. This action forces any State to be active.
E.g. the Swim State can only be activated if the Animal touches water, but it can be forced using this action.
#### Enable
If a State on an Animal is disabled, this enables it back.
E.g. you can have a *Jump State Zone* to enable the **Jump State** when a character exits a room.
#### Disable
Disable a State on an Animal.
E.g. you can have a *Jump State Zone* to disable the **Jump State** when a character enters a room.
#### Set Exit Status
Sets the Exit status on the Animator to the **State Status** value.
#### None
Do nothing. Use it on **On Exit** when leaving the Zone should not undo anything.
### State Status
Status sent to the State on the Animator. `-1` means the Status is ignored. Only shown when the Enter action is **Activate**, **Force Activate** or **Set Exit Status**.
## Type: Stance
When the Zone is set to [Stance](/animal-controller/main-components/manimal-controller/stances.md), the Animal will automatically perform a **Stance Action** when it enters the Zone trigger.
### Stance ID
ID of the Stance to modify.
### On Enter / On Exit
The Zone can have different actions for entering and exiting. **On Enter** defaults to **Activate**, **On Exit** defaults to **Exit**.
* **Activate** — the Current Stance on the Animal becomes the Zone's Stance ID.
* **Exit** — the Animal leaves the Zone's Stance and goes back to its Default Stance.
* **None** — do nothing.
### Set Stance as Default
On activation, the Zone's Stance ID also becomes the Animal's **Default Stance**, so the Animal keeps returning to it instead of to its original one.
## Type: Force
### Force
Amount of force applied to the Animal.
### Enter Acceleration
Acceleration used to apply the force when the Animal enters the Zone.
### Exit Drag
Drag applied to decrease the force when the Animal exits the Zone.
### Limit Force
Limit for the total amount of force the Animal may accumulate.
### Air Control
Can the Animal be controlled while in the air?
### Grounded
Changes whether the Animal is grounded when entering the Force Zone.
## Type: Reactions Only
The Zone runs **only** its [Activation Reaction](#reactions) on the entering Animal. There is no Mode, State, Stance or Force to configure: the Reaction itself is the whole payload, and the Zone counts as activated when the Reaction reports success.
Use it for Zones that just need to fire a Reaction, such as playing a sound, enabling a component, setting a variable or triggering a Super Item Action, without touching the Animal's State machine.
## Conditions
A foldout inside the **General** tab that gathers every filter deciding **who** can use the Zone and **when**.
### Tags
Set this parameter only if you want the Zone to activate with certain GameObjects carrying Malbers [Tags](/animal-controller/scriptable-architecture/scriptables/tags.md).
### Layer
Which layer should be used to detect the Animal. Defaults to the **Animal** layer.
### Weight
Probability of activating the Zone when entering it, from 0 to 1.\
`0` = 0%, `0.5` = 50%, `1` = 100%.
### Angle
Limits the activation of the Zone to certain entry angles only. `360` (the default) accepts any angle. The arc is drawn as a green gizmo in the Scene view.
### Activation Conditions
Extra [Conditions](/animal-controller/global-components/conditions.md) to check before the Zone activates. The Dynamic Target of the list is the **entering Animal**.
{% hint style="info" %}
Activation Conditions are evaluated **after** the Limit check and **before** the Angle check. A Zone blocked by its Conditions does not invoke **On Zone Failed**.
{% endhint %}
### Double Side
The Zone can be entered from both sides of the angle arc. Only shown when **Angle** is not 360.
### Flip
Flips the direction the angle arc points to. Only shown when **Angle** is not 360.
### Bone Only
Activate only when a specific bone enters the Zone. The bone needs its own collider.
### Bone Name
Name of the bone to check. Only shown when **Bone Only** is on. Default is `Head`.
## Events
On the **Events** tab.
### On Animal Enter Zone
Invoked when the Animal enters the Zone trigger.
### On Animal Exit Zone
Invoked when the Animal exits the Zone trigger.
### On Zone Active
Invoked when the Animal successfully activates the Zone.
### On Zone Failed
Invoked when the Zone fails to activate, e.g. the wrong Animal walked into it or the Limit was reached.
## Reactions
On the **Reactions** tab. Each one is a [Reaction](/animal-controller/main-components/reactions.md) applied on the Animal.
### Activation Reaction
Applied when the Zone activates. For a **Reactions Only** Zone this is the Zone's entire logic, and its result decides whether the Zone counts as activated.
### Enter Reaction
Applied when the Animal enters the trigger, before any activation check.
### Exit Reaction
Applied when the Animal exits the trigger.
`[Insert Image - The Reactions tab of a Zone with the three Reaction slots]`
## Public Methods
See [Public Methods](/animal-controller/secondary-components/zones/pm-zones.md) for the full list. The most used ones:
* `ActivateZone()` — activate the Zone for every Animal currently inside.
* `ActivateZone(MAnimal)` — activate for one Animal, running every check.
* `ForceActivateZone(MAnimal)` — activate for one Animal, skipping the `CanActivateZone` pre-check.
* `RemoveAnimal(MAnimal)` — remove an Animal from the Zone.
* `ResetStoredAnimal(MAnimal)` / `ResetAllAnimals()` — clear the stored Animals.
