2024-11-15 · Dungeons & raids

PvE AI and encounter design

Scars of Honor's next major development focus is described as PvE content, including enemies, encounters, dungeons, and raids. The stated goal is not merely to add hostile creatures, but to support coordinated group play against encounter mechanics that require movement, positioning, and reactive decision-making.

The planned PvE direction is tied to a broader refactor of combat and backend technology. Creature responsiveness is presented as a prerequisite for meaningful PvE, with AI systems being rebuilt alongside the game's combat improvements.

Modular AI behavior system

The enemy AI is described as a modular, block-based instruction system. Each instruction can carry its own conditions and parameters, allowing designers to define different responses based on combat state.

Examples given for this system include:

an enemy caster checking how many players are within range and above a health threshold, then casting a mass debuff;
support creatures reacting to a boss falling below a health threshold by casting heals, buffs, or shields;
spatial checks such as detecting too many players behind a dragon and triggering a punishing response.

This approach is intended to make AI both responsive and easy to iterate on, so that many enemy types and bosses can be produced without hard-coding every behavior from scratch.

Encounter mechanics

The encounter design shown in examples emphasizes layered mechanics rather than stationary damage races. A boss may create multiple ground danger zones, force the group to reposition, and simultaneously threaten a frontal attack that restricts safe movement options.

The design direction for tanking also differs from a purely static model. The game still plans to use the tank-healer-damage role structure, but tanks are expected to move and avoid lethal mechanics rather than simply stand in place and absorb everything. A dragon breath attack is used as an example of a mechanic that should be avoided outright rather than blocked indefinitely.

Designer-facing scripting tools

A major part of the PvE plan is giving game designers direct control over AI scripting. The system is described as allowing designers to script the behavior of NPCs, bosses, and creatures in a custom way without requiring them to work directly in C++.

The tools are said to support hot reloading in real time, so behavior changes can be observed immediately while the entity is running. This is intended to speed up iteration and content production.

Relation to the server technology

The PvE work is also connected to the studio's proprietary multiplayer technology, referred to as the Vibranium Engine. The server-side solution is presented as supporting large online populations while remaining accessible enough for designers to build meaningful content on top of it.

The stated objective is to avoid simplistic MMO quest and combat loops such as basic kill-count tasks without encounter depth. PvE content is instead framed as something that should combine combat systems, AI behavior, and authored mechanics into more deliberate group experiences.

Bots and current limitations

The recording notes that bots are not currently available for battlegrounds because the AI technology needed for that is still being implemented. This implies that the same foundational AI work for PvE creatures is also necessary before automated player substitutes can be added to PvP modes.

Future reveals

More detailed plans for PvE, dungeons, and raids are said to be reserved for a later update. At the time of the recording, the focus is on establishing the technical and design foundations needed for those systems.

Source

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