Survival Difficulty Class Guide

NOTE: Usage of the Survival Difficulty Class system is not enforced; rather, it is an optional asset which you have at your disposal to help you with the creation of your articles. You are free to use it in your articles if you deem it fit for your purposes, and have the full liberty of not using it as well.


Ever since its founding in 2012, the M.E.G. has been cataloging hundreds of levels, entities, objects, groups, people, and stories from all over The Backrooms with the aim of making passage through this diverse realm less hazardous for those trapped inside. This goal is one that is frustratingly difficult — even with the wide range of archivists the M.E.G. has working under its name — for two main reasons: The difficult process of compiling enough data and the general populace's lack of interaction with the full contents of the entries which we publish.

Whilst the former issue has been constantly worked on to great success, the latter one has been a subject of great concern. It is calculated that at best, the average database user spends a total of twenty-seven seconds on each individual entry — presumably to skim through an article for the information which they are searching for. As such, incidents may arise where the full nature of the described phenomena are not inferred correctly, which could lead to encounters of a dangerous and potentially hazardous sort.

To counteract this, several efforts have been made to alter the format used in the majority of articles in hopes of rectifying this — all of which have been received positively — but have only increased the average time by a total of seven seconds. This has led many to ill-prepare themselves for potentially dangerous encounters.

As such, the M.E.G. has decided that attempting to increase the time spent reading articles is futile, and instead, making the best of the average time spent would be more beneficial to its cause. With all this said, the M.E.G. would like to introduce its latest addition to the archival database, the Survival Difficulty Class system.



The Survival Difficulty Class System

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What is the Survival Difficulty Class system?

The Survival Difficulty Class System — SD class system for brevity — is a component that can be added to the top of entries which catalog levels, with the intent to immediately notify readers of the level's danger upon first glance. The SD class system will be implemented into all new entries and a few pre-existing level articles shortly for a trial run, with the goal being the gauging of feedback from frequent readers and the assessment of the previously mentioned average time.

What does the system mean?

The SD class system is broken down into 3 main sections: safety, security, and entity count.

Safety is how dangerous the level is in general. The default component will either say “safe” or “unsafe” depending on which version is used. If a level is marked as “Safe”, it is generally considered safe for wanderers to be inside or travel through. This does not necessarily mean that a safe rating signifies that it is impossible to encounter any dangers within the level; peril follows us no matter where we are. A safe rating simply means that your survival is more guaranteed in a level labeled as such (thus, safety as a scale can be represented by a horizontal spectrum). If a level is marked as “Unsafe”, it means the opposite: the level is usually very difficult to travel through or live in. Unsafe levels can be marked as such for a variety of reasons, such as entity count, poor environmental conditions, or hostile groups of people who inhabit the level.

Take Level 9 for example, a level notorious for its high entity count and its generally unsafe nature, hence why it has been classified with an unsafe rating. One would think it impossible to sustain a community within the reaches of the level, but despite this, some wanderers still thrive inside of it. In juxtaposition to this, an unsafe classification can also mean that the level is downright uninhabitable, like the famed Level 73. Even when well prepared, it is thought to be impossible to survive in lest you make your way to the castle, and even then, this is because of third party intervention. Both of these levels have been given the same classification, but actual safety varies for both of them. On the other hand, one can take Level 63 and Level 205 as examples of levels that are both classified as safe but are entirely different. Level 63 has no dangers whatsoever within it: none that are structural, none that are entity-related, none that are climate-related — by all means, Level 63 is the very definition of safe. Level 205, on the other hand, still possesses the occasional danger of Volpes and opposing factions within it, despite its safe rating.

Security describes how well-mapped a level is, as well as how easy a level is to traverse. Things such as environment, terrain, atmospheric conditions, temperature, sustained bases, etc. can all determine the security of a level.1 The default component will say either "secure" or "unsecure". Secure levels usually have trivially traversable terrain, a habitable environment, and a few sturdy bases here and there. A good example of a level that is secure would be Level 11, which is widely known as a wanderer hotspot due to its scarce dangers and adherence to the security ideals described above. On the other hand, unsecure levels usually have a blend of uncomfortable environments, hazardous terrain, and few — if any — bases. An example of an unsecure level would be Level 3, which is a highly unexplored, structurally unsound labyrinthine level that is riddled with entities, terrain that is nigh impossible to traverse, and uncomfortably warm temperatures that can sometimes even be lethal.

It is assumed that the term entity-count is self-explanatory: an estimation that is based on gathered statistics and interviews from wanderers and operatives alike of the entities found within a level, as well as the possibility one has of encountering them. One thing to note is that passive entities are not usually taken into account when this number is finalized, as they are not always necessarily a hostile threat — on the contrary, they may be helpful in some situations as well. A good example of this would be the previously mentioned Level 11, which is considered to have a minimal entity count despite the enormous population of passive Facelings and Hounds which call the level their home.

As the default entity count classifications vary more in nature than a simple positive and negative, each default classification has been explained below in more detail:

  • Devoid of entities: No hostile entities exist in the level, save for the occasional straggler from another group. This does not necessarily mean, however, that there are no entities at all within the boundaries of the level — passive entities, as has been noted, do not usually count towards this total.
  • Minimal entity count: There is a miniscule amount of entities in the level. This typically means that hostile entities are not a major issue in the level, and their numbers are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
  • Low entity count: Entities have a notable presence within the level, which, whilst not extremely dangerous, could cause some issues for wanderers attempting to explore. A low entity count means that when traversing the level, a wanderer is bound to encounter a hostile entity or two during their travel, but they will generally have ample time to take a breather should they need to do so.
  • Medium entity count: There is a significant amount of hostile entities in the level, which means encounters are fairly common at this stage. Wanderers who explore levels with a medium entity count will most definitely encounter a concerning amount of hostile entities, and they should always be on their guard for attacks.
  • Entity infestation: There is an incomprehensibly large population of hostile entities in the level. Wanderers traversing levels with this number of entities are guaranteed to encounter multiple entity attacks during their exploration. Traversing through hostile, entity-infested levels is generally unadvised unless absolutely necessary, for obvious reasons; no level which requires you to always keep a weapon at hand when traveling should be considered even remotely safe.
  • Undocumented Entities: The amount of hostile entities — or rather, entities in general — is unknown. Wanderers are nonetheless advised to prepare for the worst, as a lack of information is the pitfall of many daring wanderers.

What are the classes?

The default classes follow a numbered system of 0-5, or undetermined if there isn’t enough information to make a clear statement. The code template to use the default component looks like this:

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=#
]]

#” should be replaced with whichever number class you decide to use. For example, if you want your level to be a class 0, you would replace “#” with just “0”. Make sure you hit “SAVE” after you add the component in, as the database’s preview feature is finicky and will not properly display the component until you hit save. SD classes 0-5 are displayed below:


SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 0

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 1

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 2

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 3

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 4

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 5

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

Additionally, if a level does not have enough information to properly determine the survival difficulty, the “undetermined” class can be used. Below is the code for it and what it looks like:

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=unknown
]]


SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class unknown

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

Supplementary SD classes

In addition to the primary SD classes of 0-5 and undetermined, there are additional SD classes which serve their own purposes. Here are brief explanations of each one:

  • Habitable: A habitable SD class means that the level is completely safe to live in, with an astronomically low chance of any notable danger existing within said level. Preparation for entity attacks at all times is unneeded, as is preparation for sudden environmental changes or deadly terrain shifts. It is to be noted that a distinction is made between habitable and class 0 ratings: class 0 levels are usually not dangerous, but do not hold the potential to sustain perennial communities on their own. Habitable class levels, on the other hand, are both relatively safe and hold the potential for sustained life.
  • Deadzone: A deadzone classification means that the level in question is considered utterly unfit for human life. This can be caused by various factors, such as an immediately dangerous environment (e.g Level 420)2, the presence of substances lethal to humans (e.g Level 11.2), or anomalous effects that cause the level to be uninhabitable for some inexplicable reason (e.g Level 790). Deadzones are not entirely unsurvivable, however. Some of them can be traversed safely (or even lived in) with proper equipment and preparations. Exploring a Deadzone is not a feat to take lightly, and should be thoroughly planned out beforehand so as to have the highest chance of survival.
  • Pending: A pending class is merely just a placeholder for when the level's class is still undetermined, most oftenly due to ongoing studies or sudden changes in the level's environment. An example of a level which utilizes this class is Level 256.
  • N/A: N/A is a seldom given class which is assigned to a level unexplorable by normal means (e.g the Mind Palace) or to one that no longer exists (e.g Level 907).
  • Amended: Amended is a class given to articles that have been noticeably altered by extraordinary means. This class is not given out often, as altered documents can sometimes be difficult to notice. However, the class is always assigned to articles the moment these alterations are discovered. Levels such as Level 721 have been assigned the Amended class due to this.
  • Omega: Omega is assigned to levels that have been classified due to the entry containing sensitive information. Like amended, this class is given out rarely, as our mission is not to hide information from the public. This class exists for when we must do so when it is safer that the public does not know about it than if they did. An example of the Omega survival difficulty in use would be Level 302.

Below is the code for each class and a preview:


[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=habitable
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class habitable

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=deadzone
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class deadzone

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=pending
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class pending

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=n/a
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class n/a

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=amended
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class amended

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=omega
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class omega

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

Custom Classes:

In the case that none of these apply to an entry, we have also supplied the ability to create custom classes for those who desire to use it. A few examples of levels that have custom SD classes are Level 5.1, Level 23, and Level 73. These require a little extra work to create, but still have their own template for you to use, demonstrated below:

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=ClassName
|color=#000000
|image=URL
|one=Put any
|two=text here
|three=that you want
]]

This template may look slightly more confusing, but here’s a breakdown of how to use it. It’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it.

  • Class: The word or number that will appear at the left of the box. On the default components, this is where it says “Class 4” or something like that. Make sure you only put what comes after the word “class”, or else it will glitch out, displaying buggy text which is most definitely not what you want.
  • Color: Color is however you want the box itself to appear, which is based off of a hex code. Here is a great website to mess around with color levels. Simply move the bars on the left until you reach your desired color, and copy the hex code at the bottom. Then, come back here and paste it in the color section!
  • Image: This is the image that will appear in the diamond logo on the right. This part probably takes the most work, but it is still doable. You are free to use preexisting logos for this, but a blank logo template can be found Here, which you can modify in whichever way you want. To add it on to the page, upload it directly to the database on the “Files” tab, click the file, copy the URL it takes you to, and then replace “URL” on the code with the link you copied. It is also recommended you remove the background for these images if you make your own, as they tend to look better. Here is a free online background remover that’s very easy to use.
  • One, Two, and Three: These are the three bullet points to the left which you are also free to customize to say whatever you want.

Feel free to go wild with this! The possibilities are endless! Here are a few examples of custom SD classes on certain levels and their code:


“Class 4?” used on Level 23 by Kitty RikaKitty Rika:

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=4?
|color=#179639
|image=https://i.postimg.cc/rmcnmSXt/sd-class-4green.png
|one=Unsafe
|two=Overgrown
|three=Medium Entity Count
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 4?

  • Unsafe
  • Overgrown
  • Medium Entity Count

“Class Integral” used on Level 181 by DrBobtailDrBobtail:

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=Integral
|color=#CDEEFF
|image=http://backrooms-sandbox.wikidot.com/local--files/drbobtail2/integralsymbol.png
|one=Important Files
|two=Varied Reality
|three=Documented Phenomena
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class Integral

  • Important Files
  • Varied Reality
  • Documented Phenomena

“Class Hunting Grounds” used on Level 611 by SariastuffSariastuff:3

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=Hunting Grounds
|color=#000000
|image=http://backrooms-sandbox-2.wikidot.com/local--files/argonhalloween/hunt.png
|one=Hostile centralized oversight
|two=Imminent danger at all times
|three=No safe locations
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class Hunting Grounds

  • Hostile centralized oversight
  • Imminent danger at all times
  • No safe locations

Image SD classes

Whilst the coding method is generally easiest to use for making custom SD classes, a few pages also use image versions of certain SD classes. This is done by using the [[image URL]] code4. The coding is the easiest to customize, and is the recommended route to go, but preexisting images of certain SD classes do exist. Here are a few examples, just for reference.


“Class 0 (fragmented version)” used on Level 404 by etoisleetoisle

banner.png

“Class Habitable-N/A” used on Level 797 by SnomWritingSnomWriting and i like computeri like computer

797

Editing default components

Now, you may be wondering something like: "what if my level is a class 4 without entities?" This problem is very easy to solve, as you can edit the default wiki headers to get them to say something different. Simply add the |one= command within the brackets and put what text you want to appear in place of the set one; same goes for header 2 and 3. This can even be done if only the word choice is what needs to be changed. Here are a few examples:


[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=5
|three=High Entity Count
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 5

  • {$one}
  • {$two}
  • High Entity Count

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=habitable
|two=Flourishing Fauna and Flora
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class habitable

  • {$one}
  • Flourishing Fauna and Flora
  • {$three}

[[include :backrooms-wiki:component:level-class
|class=2
|one=Safe
]]

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 2

  • Safe
  • {$two}
  • {$three}

Tags

If the component is added to your level article, the components have a tag that should be added along with it when the level is published from the sandbox to the main database. The tags are sd-class-0, sd-class-1, and so on up to 5. For undetermined, the tag is sd-class-?. Any other classes, including custom ones, should be tagged with sd-class-other. If you forget to do this, don’t worry about it; database oversight will do so for you.

Closing Remarks

We hope this guide to our Survival Difficulty Class system was helpful and that you know a little more about how the component works. The job of the M.E.G. has always been to make the Backrooms a safer place, and this component will hopefully be the next step into making that happen. By organizing our database this way, we hope that wanderers can quickly know which levels are safe and dangerous at only a moment’s glance when opening the entry.


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