Unknown Health System Guide
A practical guide to the Casualties: Unknown health system in Garry's Mod: limb damage, medical minigames, vitals, compatibility, and survival tips.
Why This Health System Changes Every Fight
A bullet wound in Garry's Mod is usually a number, but the Casualties: Unknown health system turns it into a scene: torn limbs, failing vitals, and a body that keeps bleeding after the shooting stops. If you are building a medical roleplay server or trying to survive a raid without respawning, the Casualties: Unknown health system changes nearly every decision you make. This guide walks through the addon’s beta mechanics, its medical minigames, and the compatibility traps that can ruin a session before the first bandage comes out.
The addon is server content for Garry's Mod and currently identifies itself as version 0.2.22Bt Patch 1, recreating beta 7.0.1 of Casualties: Unknown. It is still a beta build. Expect bugs, inaccurate behavior, and changes between updates. The file size is about 41 MB, and it requires Simple Custom Shaders. The release also carries a mature-content warning for frequent violence or gore, which fits a system built around dismemberment, blood pools, and unconscious ragdolls.
The biggest adjustment is that normal health logic no longer runs the show. Players can be awake, talking, and moving while their actual condition is collapsing. The addon tracks brain health instead of relying on vanilla HP, and it layers bleeding, pain, infection, fractures, cardiac rhythms, and sensory damage on top. Treat every injury as a changing situation, not a one-time hit.
| Layer | What it changes | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Brain health | Replaces vanilla HP as the core life state | A normal health bar will not tell you who is safe |
| Limb damage | Tracks 15 body parts | You need to locate the injured limb before treating it |
| Bleeding and wounds | Causes physical blood loss, blood pools, and staining | Untreated bleeding keeps affecting the scene |
| Pain and consciousness | Adds dynamic pain, critical condition, and unconsciousness | A player can be alive but unable to act |
| Cardiac rhythm | Tracks vFib, v-Tach, asystole, and sinus rhythm | The AED minigame can become an urgent task |
| Infection and immunity | Adds a separate status layer beyond immediate trauma | Recovery is not only about closing the current wound |
| Senses | Includes eye injury, hearing damage, and tinnitus | Blindness or ringing ears changes awareness |
| Feedback | Uses wound view, vitals, chat effects, and proximity voice | You must read the interface, not just watch HP |
Setup, Compatibility, and the First Check
Before you add the Casualties: Unknown health system to a live server, treat it like a damage-model overhaul rather than a small plugin. The Casualties: Unknown health system addon is flagged as incompatible with Garry's Mod in its current listing, so read the instructions and test on a private server before promising a smooth public launch. The required shader dependency is not optional; missing it can break visual feedback.
Start with a clean addon list. Remove other health systems, death blockers, and duplicate death-screen addons. Test armor, revive/down, ragdoll, camera, and playermodel addons one at a time. A server that runs smoothly with vanilla damage can still fail once 15-part limb tracking, bleeding, cardiac rhythms, and per-frame calculations all start at once.
| Check | Recommended action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Shader dependency | Install Simple Custom Shaders | It is a required item |
| Other health systems | Remove them | They directly conflict with the damage model |
| Armor systems | Test carefully and expect gaps | Compatibility with most armor systems is planned, not finished |
| Revive/down systems | Remove or replace | They conflict with unconscious and death flow |
| Death blockers | Avoid addons that change PlayerDeath | They can break the dying and death screens |
| Death screen addons | Disable them | They overlap with the built-in death flow |
| Ragdoll addons | Test one at a time | Most ragdoll addons conflict |
| Camera addons | Test individually | Some camera addons cause problems |
| Playermodels | Use standard ValveBiped bones | Nonstandard models may not map correctly |
| Low-end PCs | Benchmark before an event | The addon calculates a lot of math every frame |
| NPC behavior | Do not rely on NPCs to finish downed players | NPCs aim where the playermodel used to be |
Reading the Wound View, Vitals, and Limb Status
The Casualties: Unknown health system puts most of its information in the wound view medical UI. That interface combines limb status, vitals, and a doll that shows which body parts are damaged. Use it as your dashboard. Do not sprint into a fight, take a hit, and assume you are fine because you can still walk. The system can leave a player conscious for a moment and then drop them into an unconscious ragdoll state as blood loss, pain, or cardiac problems catch up.
Start every assessment with three questions: Which limb is damaged, what are the vitals doing, and is the player still conscious? The 15-part limb model means “arm hurt” is too vague. Check the doll first, then match the injury to a treatment. If a player is talking but the chat is breaking up or proximity voice behavior changes, do not assume they are stable. Condition affects chat and voice feedback, and those changes are part of the warning system.
Brain health is the real life state. A player who looks healthy in the usual sense can still be in serious trouble. Cardiac rhythms matter too: vFib, v-Tach, asystole, and sinus rhythm are all tracked, and the AED minigame exists because those rhythms are part of the simulation. If you see a cardiac problem, stop treating it as a cosmetic detail. Recheck the wound view after every major action, because the condition can shift while you are treating something else.
Useful UI habits:
- Check the doll before choosing a minigame.
- Read vitals before and after treatment.
- Watch for unconsciousness, critical condition, and dying-screen prompts.
- Track eye and hearing damage when a player complains about awareness.
- Treat chat and voice changes as clues, not decoration.
Medical Minigames and a Practical Treatment Order
In the Casualties: Unknown health system, medical care is interactive. The current build lists five minigames: syringe, shrapnel, AED, bandaging, and dislocation. Each one is a hands-on task rather than a single-use item. That design is the point: treatment takes time, and time is dangerous when bleeding or cardiac failure is progressing.
| Minigame | Primary use | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Bandaging | Dressing or closing bleeding wounds | Handle visible blood loss before long procedures |
| Shrapnel | Removing embedded debris | Use the limb doll to find the injured part |
| Syringe | Administering injectable medicine | Opiates are part of the pain system, so use the correct syringe |
| AED | Addressing tracked cardiac rhythms | Treat abnormal rhythm as an urgent problem |
| Dislocation | Reducing a dislocated limb | Do not ignore movement loss after a fall |
A practical field order looks like this:
| Step | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Secure the area | Minigames pull attention away from nearby threats |
| 2 | Read the wound view | Treatment depends on the actual limb, vitals, rhythm, and consciousness |
| 3 | Control visible bleeding | Blood pools and ongoing loss can worsen the scene |
| 4 | Check the cardiac rhythm | The AED minigame matters when rhythm is abnormal |
| 5 | Remove shrapnel and reduce dislocations | Local trauma will not fix itself |
| 6 | Manage pain | Pain is tracked and can be dynamic |
| 7 | Recheck vitals and the doll | Condition can change after each treatment |
Do not skip reassessment. The system is built around a physiological simulation, so a successful minigame does not always mean the patient is finished. After bandaging, shrapnel removal, AED use, or dislocation treatment, return to the wound view. If the player becomes unconscious, treat the ragdoll state as a medical emergency rather than a funny animation.
Hidden Trauma, Infection, and Server Performance
The Casualties: Unknown health system does not stop at visible cuts. It tracks muscle damage, skin damage, fractures, dislocations, hemothorax, internal bleeding, infection, and immunity. Eye injuries can leave a player half or fully blind, while hearing damage and tinnitus change audio awareness. Blood vomiting and dismemberment are possible, and the player physically bleeds and leaves blood pools. These are not cosmetic effects; they are reasons to reassess after every major hit.
Infection and immunity are listed as core systems, but the current feature list does not name a dedicated infection minigame. Treat infection as a status to monitor in the wound view and a reason to avoid letting several untreated injuries stack up. If a player has eye or hearing damage, adjust how you communicate with them. Do not assume they can see hand signals or hear voice warnings at full reliability.
Performance is the other hidden trauma. The addon calculates a lot of math every frame, and low-end PCs can struggle. On a busy server, that cost compounds quickly. If frame rate drops during mass-casualty scenes, reduce the number of concurrent wounded players, remove heavy camera or ragdoll addons, and keep the server’s addon list lean.
| Conflict area | What happens | Safer approach |
|---|---|---|
| Other health systems | Overlapping health logic | Run only one health system |
| Armor systems | Current compatibility is limited | Test armor separately and document what works |
| Revive/down systems | Death and unconscious flow conflict | Remove or replace them |
| Death blockers and PlayerDeath edits | Built-in dying and death screens can break | Avoid them on medical servers |
| Most ragdoll addons | Unconscious ragdoll behavior conflicts | Test one at a time |
| Some camera addons | Camera behavior can break | Test before a public event |
| Non-ValveBiped playermodels | Limb mapping may fail | Use standard models |
| Death screen addons | Duplicate screens and overlapping logic | Disable them |
| Low-end PCs | Heavy per-frame calculations | Benchmark with a full server |
| NPCs against unconscious bodies | NPCs aim at the old position | Do not depend on NPCs to finish downed players |
Several gaps are already on the roadmap: more syringe and bandage types, carrying unconscious players, an amputation minigame, access to other players’ wound views, armor compatibility for JMOD and HL2, and more screen effects. Do not treat those as live features until your build includes them. For now, build your server rules around what the current beta actually supports.
FAQ
Is this a finished replacement for normal Garry's Mod health?
No. It is a beta server-content addon that recreates beta 7.0.1 of Casualties: Unknown. Expect bugs, inaccuracies, and update churn. Test every change on a private server before a public session.
How many limbs does the Casualties: Unknown health system track?
Fifteen. The wound view doll shows limb statuses, so use it to locate injuries before starting a minigame. A vague guess is not enough when the UI can tell you which part is damaged.
Can the Casualties: Unknown health system run alongside other medical addons?
Other health systems directly conflict. Armor, revive/down, death screen, ragdoll, camera, and nonstandard playermodel addons can also break the experience. Add one mod at a time and test the full damage flow.
What should I treat first in a casualty scene?
Read the wound view, control visible bleeding, check the cardiac rhythm and AED need, then address shrapnel, dislocations, and pain. Recheck vitals after every step, because the condition can change while you work.
Related Guides
Brain Health Damage and Recovery
Learn how brain damage works in Casualties: Unknown, from oxygen loss and overdose to visual distortion, healing rates, and recovery items.
Casualties: Unknown Injuries
Survive limb trauma, bleeding, fractures, and body-wide emergencies in Casualties: Unknown with clear treatment priorities and practical tips.
Crafting Guide & Recipes
Master Casualties: Unknown crafting with intelligence gates, recipe categories, failure risks, liquid handling, and practical survival priorities.
Food Items: Stats and Uses
Every documented Casualties: Unknown food item broken down by hunger, thirst, mood, weight, condition, and trade value, plus how to pack them.