Character Movement System

Base

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Status: Released
Year: 2016
Genre: Indie, Strategy
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

1. Summary

A character-movement system that divides playable characters into agile and heavy mobility archetypes, gating traversal options (vine climbing, swimming, rooftop jumping, grappling hooks, narrow walkways) by archetype while varying footstep noise and body-carrying capacity. Movement stance (standing, crouching, running) directly interacts with the stealth detection layer, and certain movement states (climbing, swimming, carrying a body) block ability use.

2. Tags

movementtraversalagileheavycrouchrunswimclimbjumpgrapplebalancenoisefootprintbody-carrybody-dragbody-throwstanceladdervinerooftophook-ringnarrow-walkwaysnowwater

3. Design Intent / Job Story

When planning a route through a patrolled environment, I want to know which characters can traverse which terrain and how much noise they make, so that I can choose the right character for each path and remain undetected.

4. Role in Gameplay Loop

Defines the traversal puzzle layer of each mission by restricting certain paths to specific character archetypes
Drives squad composition and positioning decisions through mobility differentiation
Creates risk/reward tension between fast but noisy movement and slow but stealthy movement
Gates environmental verticality (rooftops, cliffs, water crossings) behind character capabilities
Integrates with the stealth detection system via stance-based visibility and footstep noise
Enables emergent tactics through body-transport profiles (carry, drag, throw) that affect speed and stealth

5. Preconditions

The mission level has loaded with terrain affordances (vines, ladders, hook-rings, water, rooftops, narrow walkways)
At least one player-controlled character is alive and not incapacitated
The active character's movement archetype permits the desired traversal type
For grappling-hook use, a hook-ring must be present in the environment
For body transport, a manipulable body must be within interaction range

6. Parameters

Parameter	Value	Type	Notes
Movement archetypes	Agile / Heavy	enum	Determines available traversal options
Traversal types	Walk, Run, Crouch, Climb, Swim, Jump, Balance, Grapple	enum set	Available movement states
Run speed modifier	1.5–2.0× base	scalar	Movement speed multiplier while running
Crouch speed modifier	0.4–0.6× base	scalar	Movement speed multiplier while crouching
Footstep noise profile	Silent / Normal / Loud	enum	Audible radius category for running
Vine climb speed	TBD	duration	Time to ascend/descend a vine
Ladder climb speed	TBD	duration	Time to ascend/descend a ladder
Grapple hook speed	TBD	duration	Time to ascend via grappling hook
Jump distance	TBD	distance	Maximum horizontal gap an agile character can jump
Body carry speed modifier	0.3–0.5× base	scalar	Speed reduction while carrying a body
Body drag speed modifier	0.2–0.3× base	scalar	Speed reduction while dragging a body
Heavy object speed modifier	0.2× base	scalar	Speed reduction for heavy archetype carrying stones or barrels
Snow footprint duration	TBD	duration	Time before footprints fade on snow
Water splash noise radius	TBD	distance	Radius within which swimming/splashing alerts enemies
Disguise break triggers	Climb vine, Enter water	enum	Actions that immediately cancel disguise state
Ability block states	Climbing, Swimming, Carrying body	enum set	States during which abilities cannot be used

7. Core Rules

Each playable character belongs to one of two movement archetypes: Agile or Heavy.
Agile archetype characters can climb vines, swim, jump between rooftops, balance on narrow walkways, and use grappling hooks at environmental hook-rings.
Heavy archetype characters can climb ladders but cannot swim, climb vines, jump, balance on narrow walkways, or use grappling hooks.
All characters can walk, run, and crouch regardless of archetype.
Running produces footstep noise; the noise level varies by character (silent, normal, or loud).
Crouching reduces movement speed and allows undetected passage through the outer (darker) region of enemy vision cones.
While climbing, swimming, carrying a body, or performing another action, ability use is blocked.
Disguise state is cancelled when the character climbs a vine or enters water.
Body transport modifies movement speed and noise based on the transport method: carrying (moderate slowdown, audible noise), dragging (significant slowdown, audible noise but can pass through outer vision cone undetected), or throwing (instant launch, stuns enemy on impact).
Heavy archetype characters can carry heavy environmental objects (stones, barrels) at a severe speed penalty and may throw them.
Snow-covered terrain leaves temporary footprints that enemies can detect and follow.
Standing water creates splash noise that guards within hearing radius can detect.
Characters transition between movement states automatically when interacting with terrain affordances (approaching a vine, ladder, or water edge).
Leaping kills from elevated positions are only available to characters with the jump/climb capability.

8. BDD Scenarios

Scenario: Agile character climbs vine to rooftop

Given: an agile archetype character is adjacent to a climbable vine
When: the player issues the move command toward the vine
Then: the character begins climbing
And: reaches the rooftop at the top of the vine
And: can now jump to adjacent rooftops or use a grappling hook at a hook-ring

Scenario: Heavy character cannot traverse water

Given: a heavy archetype character is at the edge of a body of water
When: the player attempts to move into the water
Then: the character stops at the edge
And: cannot enter the water

Scenario: Silent runner passes near a guard

Given: a character with a silent running profile
When: the player holds the run command past the guard
Then: the guard does not react to footstep noise
And: a patrolling guard nearby
And: continues patrolling undisturbed

Scenario: Crouching through outer vision cone

Given: a character is in crouch stance
When: the character moves through the outer region
Then: the enemy remains in the undetected state
And: an enemy's vision cone overlaps the character's position in the outer region

Scenario: Body carrying blocks ability use

Given: a character is carrying a body on their back
When: the player attempts to activate an ability
Then: the ability activation is blocked
And: a visual or audio feedback indicates the blocked state

Scenario: Disguise breaks on vine climb

Given: a disguised character is near a climbable vine
When: the player orders the character to climb the vine
Then: the disguise is immediately removed
And: the character begins climbing in normal visibility

Scenario: Snow footprints lead enemy to player

Given: a snowy level surface
When: the player character runs across the snow
Then: footprints are left behind
And: if an enemy patrol intersects the trail, they follow it toward the player's last known position

Scenario: Leaping kill from rooftop

Given: an agile character is on a rooftop above an enemy
When: the player executes a leaping kill command
Then: the character drops onto the enemy
And: the enemy is killed or knocked out

9. Edge Cases

A character attempts to jump a gap that exceeds the maximum jump distance and falls
A heavy archetype character is ordered to a destination reachable only by swimming; the pathfinder must reroute or fail
A character carrying a body is spotted at greater distance due to the body being visible over cover
A disguised character enters water and the disguise breaks while enemies are watching
Snow footprints from multiple characters cross, causing enemies to follow the most recent trail
A thrown body misses its target and lands in an enemy's vision cone, causing unintended discovery
A character starts climbing a vine just as a guard turns toward them; the climbing animation may expose them
A character swimming is spotted by an enemy on a bridge or cliff above
A character attempts to grapple to a hook-ring but the target position is occupied by another character or object
Running noise from one character alerts a guard who then spots a second, silent character in their vision cone

10. QA Notes

Verify agile archetype characters can climb all designated vines and use all hook-rings
Verify heavy archetype characters cannot interact with vines, water, narrow walkways, or hook-rings
Verify footstep noise levels: silent runners produce no audible radius, normal runners produce standard radius, loud runners produce expanded radius
Verify crouching allows undetected movement through the outer vision-cone region for all archetypes
Verify ability use is blocked while climbing, swimming, or carrying a body
Verify disguise breaks immediately upon climbing a vine or entering water
Verify snow footprints spawn correctly and fade over time
Verify standing water splash noise alerts enemies within the correct radius
Verify body carrying reduces speed and increases visibility/detection probability
Verify body dragging allows movement through outer vision cone without detection
Verify leaping kills work from all valid elevated positions (rooftops, walls, cliffs)
Verify ladder climbing works for all characters and does not break disguise
Verify grappling hook ascent is only available at designated hook-ring locations
Verify jump distance is consistent across all agile characters
Verify heavy object carrying (stones, barrels) reduces speed to slow walk for heavy archetypes

11. Mechanic Dependencies

Stealth Detection System (movement stance and footstep noise directly affect detection states and vision-cone visibility)
Character Ability System (ability usage is blocked while climbing, swimming, carrying a body, or performing another action)
Stealth Elimination Mechanics (leaping kills from elevated positions require the jump/climb traversal capabilities)
Environmental Interaction System (terrain affordances (vines, hook-rings, water, rooftops, snow) are provided by the environment system)
Body Manipulation Mechanics (body transport methods (carry, drag, throw) are defined as movement-state modifiers with speed and noise penalties)
Character Specialization System (movement archetype is a core pillar of character specialization differentiation)

12. UI Links

Options Menu - Controls settings configure input bindings that drive character movement commands
Post-Mission Results Screen - the Heroes tab shows time played per character as MM:SS with percentage, reflecting how much each character was actively selected and moved during the mission
Character Portrait And Selection Panel - Switching characters via the portrait panel changes which character the player directly controls for movement and positioning.
Shadow Mode Command UI - The Character Movement System is used when the player positions characters before activating Shadow Mode. Movement commands can also be queued as the single action for a character in Shadow Mode.
Enemy Vision Cones - The Character Movement System determines how players interact with vision cones. Standing characters are detected in the inner zone; crouching characters are only detected in the outer zone. Movement speed and stance directly affect detection buildup within the cone.
Detection Feedback Overlay - Character stance and movement speed affect whether the player remains safe in a cone or causes suspicion buildup, making movement state a direct input to the overlay.

References

1.
Steam Community :: Guide :: Shadow Tactics: Full Character Guides and Tricks (L0-200 of 116) Hayato movement abilities: climb vines, swim, jump, balance on narrow walkways, hookshot to rooftops; silent running; body carrying. Yuki movement: climb vines, swim, balance, jump; body dragging through dark vision cone. Mugen: ladders only, no jump/swim; carry two bodies and throw them. Aiko: climb vines, jump, swim, balance; silent run; drag bodies. Takuma: ladders only, no swim/vines/balance; loud run; cannot carry bodies.Hayato Hayato, the ninja mercenary, is your first character. Hayato excels at infiltration and distraction: he can disrupt patrols and trick guards into looking the wrong way, and...
2.
Steam Community :: Guide :: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun 101 (L4-100 of 101)
3.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (L4-50 of 52) Gameplay overview confirming agile characters can climb vines, jump from rooftops, use grappling hooks at hook-rings. Heavy characters cannot swim or climb walls. Environmental elements: snow and darkness alter enemy behavior.== Gameplay == Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a stealth-oriented real-time tactics game inspired by the Commandos and Desperados game series. The player commands a small...