Enemy Type Hierarchy

1. Summary

A three-tier enemy classification system where Normal Guards represent standard threats with cone vision vulnerable to all tactics, Straw Hat Guards are more alert and resistant to distractions, and Samurai are elite heavy enemies immune to most indirect attacks and capable of seeing through disguises. Each tier demands different tactical approaches, requiring specific characters and abilities to defeat advanced threats. Environmental conditions such as snow and darkness can alter enemy behavior patterns.

2. Tags

enemy_typenormal_guardstrawhatguardsamuraivision_conearmorheavy_armordisguise_detectiontorch_guardtier_1tier_2tier_3alertnesspatrol_behavior

3. Design Intent / Job Story

When I encounter different enemy types on a mission, I want to understand their vulnerabilities and behavioral patterns, so that I can choose the right character and tactic to neutralize or bypass each threat.

4. Role in Gameplay Loop

Creates escalating tactical challenge across missions by introducing enemies with increasing resilience and awareness
Forces players to leverage character specialization and coordinate team abilities against advanced threats
Enables varied level design through enemy composition and placement of different tiers
Provides clear visual differentiation through distinct silhouettes (standard guard, straw hat, samurai armor)

5. Preconditions

Mission has loaded and enemy patrols are active in the level
Player has at least one controllable character selected
Enemy AI is in standard patrol state (not already in alarm or combat state)
Enemy type placement has been defined by level design

6. Parameters

Parameter	Value	Type	Notes
Normal Guard vision radius	TBD	float	Base distance for Normal Guard vision cone
Straw Hat Guard vision radius	TBD	float	Extended vision distance for alert Straw Hat Guards
Samurai vision radius	TBD	float	Vision distance for elite Samurai enemies
Pistol stun duration on Samurai	TBD	duration	How long a Samurai remains stunned after a matchlock pistol shot
Hand Cannon kill on Samurai	true	boolean	Whether Mugen's Hand Cannon can instantly kill Samurai
Sniper kill on Samurai	true	boolean	Whether Takuma's sniper rifle can instantly kill Samurai
Torch bright zone radius	TBD	float	Area around a torch where visibility is increased for enemies
Torch relight investigation delay	TBD	duration	Delay before nearest guard walks to an extinguished torch
Disguise detection range (Samurai)	TBD	float	Distance at which Samurai detect Aiko's disguise
Shuriken detection chance (Straw Hat)	TBD	float	Probability that a Straw Hat Guard spots a thrown shuriken

7. Core Rules

Normal Guards are the baseline enemy type, vulnerable to all elimination methods including melee, shuriken, pistol, and environmental kills
Straw Hat Guards have heightened alertness and observe a wider area; they can spot thrown projectiles (shuriken) in flight and will raise an alarm
Straw Hat Guards and Samurai ignore standard distractions such as thrown stones or noise-makers; they can only be lured by corpses
Samurai wear heavy armor that makes them immune to instant kills from matchlock pistols and bare-handed melee attacks
Mugen's Hand Cannon and Takuma's sniper rifle are the only ranged weapons capable of killing Samurai outright
Samurai can see through Aiko's disguise and will attack her on sight
Some enemies carry torches that create bright zones, increasing visibility for all guards within the light radius
Extinguishing a torch causes the nearest guard to walk over and relight it, creating a temporary distraction
Environmental kills (falling objects, animal kicks, trap pits) are effective against all enemy types regardless of armor

8. BDD Scenarios

Scenario: Normal Guard eliminated by melee takedown

Given: a Normal Guard is patrolling alone with his back exposed
When: the player approaches from behind and executes a melee takedown
Then: the guard is killed instantly and silently without raising an alarm

Scenario: Straw Hat Guard spots a thrown shuriken

Given: a Straw Hat Guard is on watch duty facing the player's direction
When: the player throws a shuriken within the guard's extended observation area
Then: the guard notices the projectile in mid-air and raises an alarm

Scenario: Samurai survives a matchlock pistol shot

Given: a Samurai is standing in the player's line of sight
When: the player shoots the Samurai with a matchlock pistol
Then: the Samurai is temporarily stunned but survives and will recover

Scenario: Samurai killed by Mugen's Hand Cannon

Given: a Samurai is within Mugen's weapon range
When: Mugen fires his Hand Cannon at the Samurai
Then: the Samurai is killed instantly by the armor-penetrating shot

Scenario: Samurai sees through Aiko's disguise

Given: Aiko is wearing her disguise and walking near a patrolling Samurai
When: the Samurai enters detection range of Aiko
Then: the Samurai immediately sees through the disguise and begins combat

Scenario: Guard relights extinguished torch

Given: a guard is carrying a lit torch near a patrol route
When: the player extinguishes the torch from stealth
Then: the nearest guard walks to the torch location and relights it

9. Edge Cases

Straw Hat Guards may spot a player character carrying a body if they are within the extended observation area
Samurai stunned by a pistol shot will recover after a short duration and raise an alarm if the player has not fled or finished them off
Multiple Samurai in close proximity require simultaneous elimination to prevent one from alerting the others
If the player's available characters lack anti-Samurai weapons, they must rely on environmental kills or complete avoidance
Torch carriers in night or snow missions create overlapping bright zones that compound detection difficulty
A Straw Hat Guard standing near a Normal Guard may cause the Normal Guard to also investigate disturbances the Straw Hat Guard notices

10. QA Notes

Verify each enemy type reacts correctly to every character ability (melee, shuriken, pistol, hand cannon, sniper, disguise)
Test that Straw Hat Guards specifically detect shuriken throws that Normal Guards would not notice
Confirm Samurai survive matchlock pistol shots across all difficulty settings
Verify torch relighting behavior triggers for the nearest guard and follows correct pathfinding
Test disguise detection by Samurai at various distances, angles, and movement speeds
Confirm environmental kills (falling objects, animal kicks, traps) work on all three enemy types
Verify that Straw Hat Guards and Samurai ignore standard distractions (stones, whistles)
Test simultaneous elimination of multiple Samurai using Shadow Mode coordination

11. Mechanic Dependencies

Stealth Detection System (Stealth Detection System provides the vision cone logic and detection states used by all enemy tiers)
Character Ability System (Character Ability System defines which characters have the tools to defeat each enemy type (e.g. Mugen's Hand Cannon for Samurai))
Stealth Elimination Mechanics (Stealth Elimination Mechanics define melee takedown rules that vary by enemy armor class)
Environmental Interaction System (Environmental Interaction System provides hazards (falling objects, animal kicks) that can kill any enemy type including Samurai)
Alarm Response System (Alarm Response System governs how enemies react when they spot the player or detect disturbances)
Character Movement System (Character Movement System defines how player characters can navigate within enemy vision cones)

12. UI Links

Difficulty Selection Dialog - The Enemy Type Hierarchy behavior is modified by difficulty selection. On Professional, enemies are more aggressive; on Novice, they are less aggressive. The dialog's description text communicates these behavioral differences to the player.
Enemy Vision Cones - The Enemy Type Hierarchy determines vision cone properties per enemy tier. Normal Guards have standard cones, Straw Hat Guards may have different detection sensitivity, and Samurai elites have enhanced vision ranges. Different enemy types' cones are visually identical but may differ in size and detection speed.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun