Enemy Data & AI

Status: Designed Author: user + game-designer Last Updated: 2026-03-28 System Index: #8 — MVP, Core Layer

Overview

The Enemy Data & AI system defines enemy data resources (stats, intents, scaling) and the AI logic that selects enemy actions each turn. Enemies are data-driven Godot Resources (.tres), similar to cards. Basic enemies use fixed action patterns (repeating sequences) for learnability. Elites and bosses use conditional logic (state-based decisions) for depth. All enemies telegraph their next action via intent icons before the player phase, giving players information to react to.

Player Fantasy

"I can read the battlefield and make smart decisions." Intent telegraphing turns combat into a puzzle — players see what's coming and choose how to respond. Basic enemies are learnable patterns you master; elites and bosses force you to adapt. In co-op, visible intents create natural coordination: "The boss is hitting for 20 — someone needs to block."

Detailed Design

Core Rules

1. Every enemy type is an EnemyData Godot Resource (.tres) stored in assets/data/enemies/.
2. Enemies are spawned by the Combat System based on the current map node (encounter table).
3. Each enemy has a list of actions it can perform. Actions are selected by the AI each turn.
4. Before the player phase, all enemies reveal their intent — the action they will perform in the upcoming enemy phase.
5. During the enemy phase, enemies execute their revealed intent in order (left to right on screen).
6. Enemy HP scales with player count. Other stats do not scale.
7. All enemy state and AI runs server-side only.

EnemyData Resource Schema

EnemyAction Resource Schema

AICondition Resource Schema (CONDITIONAL AI only)

Conditions are evaluated top to bottom. First match wins. Last condition should always be ALWAYS as a fallback.

Enums

• AIType: PATTERN, CONDITIONAL
• EnemyTier: BASIC, ELITE, BOSS
• EnemyActionType: ATTACK, DEFEND, BUFF, DEBUFF, HEAL, SUMMON
• EnemyTarget: ALL_PLAYERS, RANDOM_PLAYER, SELF, ALL_ENEMIES
• ConditionType: HP_BELOW_PERCENT, TURN_NUMBER, STATUS_ACTIVE, ALWAYS

AI Selection Logic

PATTERN AI (basic enemies):

current_action_index = action_pattern[turn_number % action_pattern.size()]
next_intent = actions[current_action_index]

Example: Slime with pattern [0, 0, 1] and actions [Attack 8, Defend 6] → Attack, Attack, Defend, Attack, Attack, Defend…

CONDITIONAL AI (elites/bosses):

for condition in conditions:
    if evaluate(condition, enemy_state):
        next_intent = actions[condition.action_index]
        break

Example: Goblin Shaman with conditions:

1. HP_BELOW_PERCENT 0.3 → action[2] (Heal 15)
2. TURN_NUMBER == 0 → action[1] (Buff: +3 Strength to all enemies)
3. ALWAYS → action[0] (Attack 10)

HP Scaling

actual_hp = floor(base_hp * hp_multiplier[player_count])

Intent Telegraphing

Each action type has a standard intent icon:

The intent shows the icon + value (e.g., sword icon with "12" = attacking for 12). Players can see exactly what's coming.

V1 Enemy Roster

Encounter Tables

States and Transitions

Per-enemy runtime state during combat:

Enemy lifecycle: SPAWNED → ALIVE (selecting intents, taking actions) → DEAD (HP = 0, removed from combat)

Interactions with Other Systems

Formulas

Enemy Damage Output

base_damage = action.value
if enemy has Strength: base_damage += strength_stacks
if enemy has Weak: base_damage = floor(base_damage * 0.75)
# Then passed to Player Resources damage resolution (Vulnerable check, Block, etc.)

Encounter Difficulty (V1 — simple)

encounter_value = sum(enemy.base_hp for each enemy in encounter)

Target ranges:

• COMBAT: 50-100 encounter value (2p base)
• ELITE: 80-130 encounter value
• BOSS: 120 encounter value (single enemy)

Expected Run Damage Budget

Across an 8-node run (5 combats, 1 elite, 1 rest, 1 boss):

• Basic combats deal ~15-25 damage per player per encounter (after block)
• Elite deals ~20-35 damage per player
• Boss deals ~25-40 damage per player
• Total expected damage: ~120-180 per player
• Starting HP: 60, one rest heals ~18 → budget of ~78 HP
• This means players MUST block effectively — can't just face-tank everything

Edge Cases

Dependencies

Upstream

Downstream

Contracts

• Enemy data resources are read-only at runtime. Runtime state (current_hp, statuses, turn_number) is held separately.
• Only the Combat System creates enemy instances. Other systems interact via the Combat System's enemy list.
• Intent is selected and revealed before the player phase. Intent cannot change during the player phase.

Tuning Knobs

Interaction warning: Enemy damage output × enemies per encounter × rounds per combat must be balanced against player HP + Block generation. If players generate ~15 Block per turn and face 20 damage, they lose ~5 HP per round → ~6 rounds of combat budget before dying.

Acceptance Criteria