Without enemies, most games would leave the heroes with nothing at all to do. One of the traps designers fall into is making enemies without much thought—taking a cookie-cutter approach. In this chapter, I explore some ways to create more interesting enemies and some ways to deal with them. But I’ll start out by looking at the kinds of enemies you might find in games.
Enemies seem to fall into several (more or less) consistent categories:
Sword Candy. Not even up to the level of a mindless drone, these are simply weak, mindless creatures designed only for the purpose of dying whenever the hero attacks them—usually in one hit. They are grass to be mowed. They are swarms of gnats to be swatted aside...usually there are lots of them.
Generic Enemies. In some games, many of the enemies you encounter are just mindless drones, only slightly more dangerous than sword candy. Usually there are a lot of them, and usually they can be defeated quickly, in just a few good strokes. They don’t all come in the same flavors, however. Some may be melee types, some spell casters, some ranged fighters.... In any case, these are the lowest of the low in the enemy pantheon (other than the sword candy enemies, and they hardly count) and are often tossed at the hero like rice at a wedding. Sword candy and generic enemies are often used to make the player feel more powerful, let him gain experience or general loot easily, and give him a sensation of being powerful—at least until the real bosses show up.
Minions. Minions can arguably be described as any of the followers of the boss or the syndicate, or whatever the main big enemy is, meaning that there can be a wide range of minion types—grunt minions, specialized minions, lieutenant minions, and so on. Their obvious affiliation with that group, gang, or boss distinguishes them somewhat from generic types of enemies. The lowest level of minions are the grunt types—the basic foot soldiers of the game who are generally on a par with, or slightly more interesting than, the generic enemies described a moment ago. They are generally low-level enemies associated with a specific boss or group. They are still pretty much cannon fodder—used to hone your skills, gain you experience, or charge up your character, depending on the type of game.
Specialists. Some enemies have special abilities. These can still be minions or even generic enemies, but they are somewhat distinguished by their specialized abilities. For instance, they might be snipers, magic users who specialize in hypnotizing heroes, thieves who steal your items, shape-shifters, or ninja assassins. In any case, the specialist enemy is generally more dangerous, often harder to fight, and certainly more interesting than either the generic enemy or the minions.
Mini-Bosses. Far more difficult than the average minion, the mini-boss is generally placed to provide additional challenge to the player. Early in a game, you’ll probably begin to encounter characters who serve this purpose. They are often the first real test of a character and are tougher, meaner, and more dangerous than most other characters. (Mini-bosses in some games are associated with the end boss [see below], and fill the role of lieutenants in the end boss’ organization. In other cases, the mini-bosses are unrelated to the end boss and simply serve as special challenges. They may also serve as gate-keepers to test the player’s readiness to advance, but at points not quite as significant as those guarded by bosses.)
Bosses. Bosses are really sub-bosses in that they generally appear at key points in a game chapter, mission, or level. They aren’t the big cheese (the end boss), but they are tough and generally have a variety of dangerous attacks, with only certain weaknesses. They may have some similarities to the end boss, but, while never as dangerous or complex to defeat, they should provide a good test of the player’s skills.
The End Boss. The ultimate test of the character, and generally the culmination of many games, is the so-called boss battle, in which the hero fights the ultimate bad guy. Bosses (and, to a lesser degree, sub-bosses) may have a variety of ways to attack the heroes. They may have devastating melee attacks, a variety of magic attacks, the ability to call minions or resurrect the dead, or just about any power, ability, or cheap trick a designer can think of. In addition, they often have very few weaknesses, so that damaging them requires precise aim or precise timing, or the employment of a specific device, weapon, or technique. In old-style games, there was often a loophole, such as a simple maneuver that was always effective or a safe spot where the boss’s attacks always missed.
Bosses sometimes start out fairly ordinary-looking, but somewhere in the battle—even after they appear to have been defeated—they morph into something even worse. This is a common trick for making boss battles seem longer and more difficult. I’ve seen a boss morph three or four times, appearing to have been defeated between each time. Also, some bosses may be segmented, so that you have to defeat different parts of them, either in sequence or simply one at a time.
All of the aforementioned enemy types can also be categorized as I did in Chapter 12, “Character Design,” in the “Villains” and “Minions” sections.
The Great Tyrant
The Conqueror
The Patriarch/Matriarch
The Smooth Villain
The Mad/Evil Genius
The Sociopath
The Professional Killer/Assassin
The Demon
The Defector
The Unscrupulous Bastard/Nasty Bitch
The False Ally
The Avenger
The Rival/Personal Enemy
The Fanatic
The Complete Lunatic
The Unseen
The Meek
Giant Monsters
Bosses in games often tend to be more like comic book villains than the more complex characters from literature or even good films. They tend to be simplistic, driven by a single drive for power, greed, or revenge, and are rarely shown in any detail during the course of the game. They are almost always power-mad megalomaniacs. However, villains can also be subtle and complex. They can have a good side, for instance, or conflicts. They might be certifiably crazy, but also have certain redeeming traits. For instance, Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator, but apparently he also wrote quite a few romantic novels...whatever passed for romantic to him, anyway.
The point is that the main enemy in a game can be a powerful archetype that is never given much personality—just a lot of dangerous abilities. Or it can be developed by borrowing from cinematic and literary techniques. Here are a few ways you can further develop a main enemy:
Flashbacks. Include flashbacks to events of the past that show the boss, perhaps before he was completely driven to take over the world or before he came to hate the hero. Think of how Gollum is developed in The Lord of the Rings, so that he goes from being just a monstrous creature to a tragic figure, who is nevertheless still evil and unredeemable—even though often he promises to “be good” to the “nasssty Hobbitses.” Flashbacks are presented most often these days in FMV (full-motion video), though sometimes the player is actually taken to an earlier time to play through past events.
Interludes. You can include scenes that show what the enemy is doing while the hero is happily slashing his way across the landscape. Basically, you can use these interlude scenes both to further the depth of the main villain and to create foreshadowing and tension in the plot of the game. It’s all the more interesting if you know what the enemy is up to and can anticipate it, but you can’t do anything about it until the time comes. Or, perhaps in a more interesting game, you have some choices to make based on what you know from that scene, so there is some opportunity for strategy. Another type of interlude is one you might think of as the “plot thickener,” in which you observe a scene that totally changes your perception of the situation, forcing you to reconsider your imminent course of action.
Character Encounters. Have the hero encounter the main boss several times during the game, each time learning more about him. These scenes can be dramatic, action-oriented, and revealing. Another type of character encounter might involve actually having the main villain as an ally at some point in the game. This could be because he really is on your side at some point or because he is messing with you. In any case, that experience with the enemy can deepen your experience of him and make the game more powerful. In some examples of character encounters, you may cross paths with the villain but be able to do nothing but observe. This sort of encounter can serve to deepen your feelings of righteousness or anger toward the bad guys, since you may see them do heinous acts, and, being powerless, your frustration and desire to punish them will grow. By the time you finally get to whack them, it’s all the more satisfying.
Switching Sides. Similar to the previous example, the enemy may start out as a friend and become the enemy during the game, due to some event that sends him against your side. Or, the enemy may even simply change allegiances, switch to an enemy side (or fall under the control of an evil power), then take over that group and become its leader—hence, your ultimate foe. In an interesting twist, the reason your former ally became evil might be something you can relate to—it might even seem, from a particular point of view, justified. That doesn’t mean you can let him get away with it, but just that you can understand the enemy’s feelings and responses to the story’s events. Of course, it could be the hero who switches sides, as the player determines that the “other side” is the one he prefers to support.
Third-Party Stories. You can learn more about the main boss by getting stories from various NPCs you meet, books you find, scenes you witness, or conversations you overhear. They can also come by listening to recordings or talking with a team member who once knew the villain.
Foreshadowing. This could be in the form of a change in the background music, distant villainous laughter, or some other indication that things are about to get violent. Sometimes you will get a cut scene that shows what is happening in real time, but at a different location—for example, the villain is about to cut the throat of someone the hero loves or push the plunger on the dynamite that will bring down the citadel of the good king. That kind of imminent danger increases the urgency of the situation, but simultaneously tells you that you’re getting close—because, of course, you are going to save the day. Aren’t you?
There are only a few ways that enemies will fight you. Some are quite common, while some are less often used:
Basic Melee. Hands and feet; simple weapons, such as swords, knives/daggers, clubs, etc.
Standoff Melee. Longer-reach weapons, such as spears, pole arms, and pikes.
Ranged Weapons: Guns, bows, throwing weapons.
Big Ranged Weapons. Catapults, mangonels, cannons, and other artillery.
Spells (and Magical Ranged Weapons). Includes a wide variety of types of casting, including direct damage, damage over time (such as poison), controls (such as putting you to sleep), debuffs (such as lowering your defense or offense), and so on. Enemies who cast spells may also heal themselves or their allies as well as cast enhancement buffs on themselves and their allies. In essence, spell-casting enemies can cast any type of spell. (See also “Magic Abilities” in Chapter 15, “Character Abilities.”)
Stealth. Less common is an enemy who can use stealth to take you by surprise, and even escape by disappearing from view.
Bull Rush. Enemies who rush at you to attack.
Leapers. Enemies who jump in to attack you and may keep leaping about, making them difficult targets.
Airborne. Enemies who attack from the air.
Mechs. Enemies who attack from vehicles or mechanical suits.
Summoners. A magic class that summons other creatures to attack you.
Hammer Blows. Some enemies have exceptionally strong attacks that can do massive damage if you get in the way.
Berserker. Some enemies can enter into a berserk phase where they do tons of damage and are hard to bring down.
Exploders. Some enemies will detonate when you attack or defeat them, possibly causing massive damage to you if you are too close at the time. Although generally exploder-type enemies won’t take you from full health to zero, if you are already somewhat damaged this can be fatal, and in a large battle, the extra damage from the exploders can also be fatal. Obviously, killing exploders from a distance is preferable, but some exploder enemies are also like homing missiles, in that they will run directly at you and try to get close enough to explode on death.
Phasing. Some enemies can phase in and out of tangible form. When they are intangible, they can’t be damaged.
Control and Debuffs. Some enemies can immobilize you, slow you down, put you to sleep, strip you of your offensive or defensive abilities, and otherwise mess you up.
Return the Favor. Some enemies actually return the damage you do to them or hurt you upon contact. Examples are enemies who have “damage shields” that actually reflect back some of the damage you inflict on them or enemies with some sort of natural protection (such as fire, acid, or cold) that can damage you when you attack them.
Passive Damage. Like the previous example, some enemies may have a field around them that can do damage or otherwise affect you when you get too close. In contrast to the “Return the Favor” example, this field can affect you regardless of whether you attack.
Indirect Damage. Using the surroundings to their advantage, the enemies cause it to attack you or cause you to hurt yourself by accident. It could be a cannon-like weapon, rolling boulders, forcing you off edges, maneuvering you so you get damaged, or getting you to trigger traps.
Here are some of the typical elements of boss battles, which occur either at significant points in the story or, most specifically, at the end of the game. Key questions to ask are:
How do you attack?
How do you defend?
How does the boss attack?
How does the boss defend?
What does the boss care about?
Does the boss display any patterns of attack and defense?
Does the boss have any weaknesses or vulnerabilities?
Does the boss have minions? If so, can you ignore them and concentrate on the boss, or do you need to defeat them first? Or, even if you don’t need to defeat them first, perhaps it’s strategically a good idea because they can do too much damage to you and they are easier to kill. Or, perhaps they are healing the boss or otherwise making the boss stronger or better defended. The same may hold true for items, weapons, and other structures that assist the boss in various ways. For instance, guns may protect the boss, but so might magical wards that increase the boss’s defenses.
Are there conditions you must meet or tasks you must accomplish before you can defeat or even harm the boss?
Does the boss have different phases, forms, or parts that must be dealt with in some order?
Shoot ’Em Up. Keep firing (and maybe dodging counterattacks) until you win and he loses.
You Da Man. Somehow being strong enough (even temporarily) or having access to enough enhancements and/or healing and recharging to stand up to the boss and duke it out.
Patterns. Many bosses follow a preset pattern of attacks and defenses, and all you need to do is figure out the pattern and the moments at which to attack or defend. If you can execute your counter-pattern properly, you can’t lose. Of course, the boss might change the pattern at some point.
Patterns within Patterns. The simple pattern boss is one type, but others might have patterns within patterns, so that you can get lulled into a repetitive, high-frequency pattern, only to be blindsided by an attack that occurs less frequently or even randomly.
Find the Weakness. The boss is probably nearly invulnerable, but there is a weakness—or there may be several that become vulnerable at different times in the battle.
Is It Safe? Good places to hide from wave attacks or when a boss is on a rampage. These safe spots may shift or may be moving.
Keep Moving. Sometimes there are safe spots, but they are moving. Other times, moving is simply a good strategy to prevent the boss from getting a good shot at you.
Stillness Is Death. Even more difficult than the previous example, some bosses will hit you almost immediately if you stop moving. You must carry out the battle on the move, attacking whenever the opportunity presents itself. This is especially interesting when there’s a very slight delay in the boss’s attack—just long enough for you to stop, aim, and deliver a shot or blow, but no longer. If you fail to move quickly enough, BAM! You get hammered. Of course, as a game designer, you get to choose how much delay there is. Technically, the boss could attack at the speed of the computer that runs the game, but then no human being could beat it, so some delay it necessary.
Periodic Waves. This boss sends waves of either minions or direct attacks at the player.
Delegation. This boss primarily (or totally) has others fight for him. This may be as part of a wave, or it may be that the boss himself is weak except for his ability to control, summon, or inspire other creatures to fight for him.
Destruction of Property. In some cases, the way to defeat a boss is to destroy the area around it. For instance, you can’t kill the boss directly, but if you take out all four columns holding up the building, the resulting crash-boom does the job.
Berzerker. This boss is a mad destroyer, hard to avoid because he is so aggro, random, and, generally, fast moving.
Tradeoff. Some bosses can attack in a multitude of ways, but each attack has its associated weakness or vulnerability. You must learn not only to avoid his attack, but to exploit the opening when it’s presented.
The Lure. In some cases, the player character must expose himself to danger in order to lure the boss into the open. From then on, the battle can take any of the forms listed here.
Retreat and Regroup. Sometimes the boss will appear to be defeated (or close to it) and will run, but beware. Some bosses only use this as a diversion to a) draw you into a more dangerous location, and/or b) recharge and renew the attack. They may also have a secret weapon or a devastating ability that they are just waiting to spring on you as you rush in for the kill.
Don’t Feed the Boss. Against some bosses, certain attacks not only don’t work, but they can actually increase the boss’s power. For instance, using fire against a fire monster might actually make it stronger. In such cases, there is always an alternative power or a way to redirect the attack so that it damages the enemy instead of feeding it.
Freedom Fighters. You enlist an ad hoc army by freeing the boss’s prisoners or releasing them from the boss’s mental hold, for example. Once freed, these people will fight on your side, giving you an edge against the boss.
The Element of Surprise. If you can somehow get off the first attack, you might do sufficient damage to the boss to shorten the battle and give you the edge.
Critical Systems. Perhaps you can destroy the source of the boss’s power or his life support, leaving him more vulnerable.
Multitasking. In many boss battles, you are simultaneously trying to destroy the boss and avoid being destroyed by his powerful attacks while also fighting/dodging attacks from other sources. Sometimes it is other minions, while in other cases it can be natural or technological dangers. For instance, you might have to avoid boiling lava pools and flying fireballs while fighting a boss inside a volcano, or you might have to avoid numerous automated machine-gun nests around the boss’s lair while you maneuver in your fight against the boss.
Charge Up. In some battles, either you or the boss will buy time to charge up a significant weapon or attack. If you are doing the charging, the chances are you’re also dodging the boss’s attacks and trying not to get hit, since getting hit often causes the charge-up procedure to restart.
Hit Him Where It Hurts. In some cases, attacking what the boss most values can give you an edge. You might distract the boss or weaken him in some way, or you might simply make him angry and cause him to make mistakes. This assumes that there’s something the boss thinks is worth protecting.
Clues.
Sound Clues. Sometimes a specific sound will signal the boss’s location or an imminent attack or phase change.
Visual Clues. Very commonly, there will be a visual indication of a boss’s imminent attack or moments of vulnerability. This can take the form of specific patterns of movement or something as simple as a glow or visual effect that occurs just before or during the moment in question.
Sense Deprivation. Some bosses can affect the player’s senses, such as sight or sound. Generally, this is not a total blackout or lack of hearing, but a distortion of those senses to make it harder (but not impossible) to conduct the battle.
Timers.
The Timed Attack. This boss’s pattern is very precise, such that you can time each aspect of it and know that, for instance, every 30 seconds the boss will unleash a powerful nuke that flattens everything within a specific radius. The best bet is to plan on being outside that radius when the attack comes.
The Countdown. This boss must be killed within a specific amount of time, or you lose (or have to reset). Often there is a countdown timer displayed on the screen to show you how long you have remaining.
Survival Test. In this case, the boss will die or be defeated in some other way if you can only survive for a specific period of time or until that other event transpires.
Morphology. Some bosses can change into different forms. Some, like the mythical phoenix, can rise from their own ashes (so to speak) to be even more powerful than ever. Others simply have the ability to take different forms during a battle, each form having its own strengths and weaknesses. Countering these forms may involve simple logic—attack the fire creature with ice, for instance, and vice versa—or it may be more obscure, and you might have to use trial and error, spells, or prior knowledge to figure out what your most effective attacks will be against the boss’ different forms.
Mental Powers. The boss may have a variety of special powers, such as telekinesis, where the boss has the ability to control the physical world with his mind and uses the objects in the environment to attack you. As another example, pyrokinesis would allow the boss to control fire. Just think X-Men, and you’ll have a good list of mental powers in no time.
Faker. This boss pretends to be defeated, but he’s only fooling. You relax, and he strikes again.
The Small(er) World. You and the boss are fighting in an area that is getting smaller in some way—the walls could be closing in, a platform could be falling apart at the edges, a force field could be failing and the safe zone shrinking, a fire could be raging around you and closing in, and so on.
Natural Hazards. Where you are fighting has its own hazards, such as boiling hot steam vents or falling rocks, and so on.
Outside Forces. You find yourself confronted with forces or creatures who are not associated with the boss, such as wild animals or the police, and you have to deal with them as well as the boss.
Teamwork. Some bosses cannot be defeated by one character alone, and you must rely on other players or NPC characters to fulfill necessary roles in vanquishing the boss.
The Secret Boss. This boss is hidden or hiding, and you must find him or even fight numerous enemies in search of him. Perhaps he has made himself appear like one of his minions, and only by attacking him can you get him to reveal his true identity. Or you might have to try other means, such as a detection device or an action that causes it to appear, and so on.
Charge Up Minions. Sometimes the boss has generous numbers of minions who will drop useful charge-up items, weapons, or anything that can help you in your battle against the boss. Mowing down a few minions is often necessary to get that next healing flask, ammunition pack, or temporary power.
Healing/Buff Minions or Items. Some bosses have minions or items that either heal them or in some way enhance their power(s). Taking out the minions/items is often advisable to make the boss more vulnerable.
Preliminary Minions or Items. Sometimes a boss is invulnerable until you take out certain minions or items. In such cases, you have no choice but to deal with the minions or items first—but the boss may be able to attack you while you’re doing so!
Bombardier. The boss (or minions) tosses or drops devices on you—generally not to help you out. However, in some cases, you may be able to take their weapons and reflect, catch, toss, or otherwise redirect them against the boss. So, for instance, suppose you have an umbrella as an item in your inventory. The minion tosses a bomb at you, but you use the umbrella to bounce the bomb at the boss, where it does some damage. Keep this up, and you’ll have him down licketysplit. But don’t get hit.
Boss in the Round. The boss battle takes place all around a boss who sits in the center of the battlefield.
Boss-in-a-Boss. As you defeat a boss, another form is revealed—generally worse and almost always different from the last. A boss can go through several incarnations in a single battle, usually culminating with something so visually stunning and scary-looking that you really feel a great sense of accomplishment and relief when you’ve defeated him.
Modular Bosses.
Attacking Parts. Some bosses can break up into various smaller parts, each of which attacks or in some way participates in the attempt to dismantle you.
Slow Destruction. You slowly destroy the boss’s weapons, armor, or other parts, such as tentacles, hands and arms, legs, and so on.
Bull Rush Boss. This boss thinks he is a rhinoceros (or perhaps he is one) and charges quickly at the enemies, who would be best advised to get out of the way.
Leapin’ Lizards. This boss likes a jump attack, and, like the bull rush boss, it’s a good idea to time the attack and be somewhere else when he lands.
Chaser. This boss is chasing you, and you have to reach a specific goal before he kills you.
Racer. This boss is actually trying to reach the same goal you are. Whoever gets there first wins.
Runner. This boss is running from you, essentially playing hide-and-seek. He may be setting traps for you along the way, too.
Weak Point. This boss is invulnerable unless a certain part of him is attacked.
As I said before, it’s possible to create enemies without really giving them much thought. After all, they have one purpose—to attack the good guys whenever they see them, right? And sometimes that’s good enough. But what if you could create enemies that were more interesting, challenging, and rewarding to the player? Here are a few ideas:
Give each enemy type at least one special quality or ability in addition to its basic attack.
Give some enemies the ability to adjust to the player’s style of fighting, particularly if the player uses the same patterns over and over again. This will require that the player make counter adjustments and will add a challenge to the encounters.
Make enemies better at seeking advantages in a fight by moving to a better attack position, finding cover, acquiring items in the environment to use as weapons, and so on.
Give the enemies some ability to tell where the threats are—not just the sources of damage, but other threats, such as characters who can heal or who can cast control spells or debuffs.
Give enemies better group strategies so that they take advantage of their various strengths, but also so that they respond to the player’s changes in tactics.
Put in something surprising—something that doesn’t happen often. For instance, have a grunt enemy occasionally take something from the environment and use it as a weapon. This should be rare enough to take the player by surprise when it happens.
In groups with leaders and minions, have the group fight better with the leader than without, so that if the player can kill the leader first, the minions will become less effective.
Provide the enemies with funny or colorful dialog, even if it is just a variety of things they say when they attack, during a battle, or when they are defeated—or even when you are defeated.
Give them the ability to surrender or try to cut a deal. This often works well in games where you have minions of your own, thus increasing your troops.
Give some enemies the ability to change sides. What do you do, as a player, if an enemy starts fighting for you? Do you trust him?
Give them the ability to set traps—physical or situational—for the player.
The setup is like this: The hero is walking into a situation where the enemy awaits. Or perhaps the hero is setting a trap. Or the enemy is setting a trap. In any case, how do we, as designers, create the situations and encounters that make the game interesting and fun? What are some of the ways the player and the enemies collide? Here are a few suggestions. Can you think of more?
Sitting Duck. The enemy gets caught out in the open.
Sitting Duck 2. You are in a vulnerable position that can get you killed if the enemy spots you. You need to get to a better position quietly before engaging the enemy.
Toast. You are instant toast if you get spotted. This is even worse than the previous example.
Bad Position. The enemy has some cover but it kind of sucks, such as hiding behind breakable glass or cardboard boxes.
Really Bad Position. The enemy hides behind very dangerous cover—for instance, behind a gas tank/collapsible bridge/fish tank.
Weak and Cornered. A wimpy enemy is stuck in a corner or dead end and will have to go through you to get away.
Stuck. The enemy has gotten stuck—for instance, a strap caught on a nail.
Trapped. You have trapped the enemy. (See Chapter 26, “Traps and Counter Traps.”)
Trapped 2. Of course, you may be the one who’s trapped when your enemy comes across you. Bummer.
Frozen/Paralyzed/Immobilized. You may come across an enemy who is somehow restrained or unable to attack when you first encounter him. You may not even realize he is an enemy. For instance, the enemy may be a statue that later comes to life, an innocent-looking creature that turns out to be a ravenous beast, or a demon currently held by magical wards (that will later fail, you can be sure).
Frozen/Paralyzed/Immobilized 2. Of course, you might be the one in the compromising position. Better hope the enemy doesn’t recognize you or that you have a way out of the situation.
Good Position. The enemy has good cover, and you’ll have to blast away his cover, get into another position, smoke him out, or use high explosives.
Great Position. The enemy has great cover, and you will probably need to use a special weapon, guile, or some other means to get to him. If all else fails, you can either lure out the enemy or try to infiltrate his position.
Up/Down. The enemy is at a different elevation, which may give one of you an advantage or disadvantage.
Side Vulnerability. The enemy can be flushed out by moving and shooting at angles.
Group Tactic #1. Shoot the closest enemy first, then the rest.
Group Tactic #2. Shoot the farthest enemy first because he might be stronger, could run for help, or might cause some other problem.
Group Tactic #3. Take out any stragglers, guards, or lookouts before you take on the main force.
Group Tactic #4. Take out the weakest enemies first so they can’t hamper you when you go after the stronger ones.
Group Tactic #5. Ignore the weak enemies and concentrate on the strongest ones.
Group Tactic #6. Take out a specific kind of enemy, such as the magic users, the healers, or the ones that can do the most damage.
Ambush. The enemies have an ambush ready—when you walk into an area to challenge one, more appear behind and/or around you.
Enemy #1. Shoot the most important enemy first. The most important enemy may be the strongest, the most dangerous, the leader, or the one whose death means the most to your mission (and who might get away if you don’t get him early).
The Big Weapon. Shoot the enemy with the biggest weapon first (on the premise that big weapons do more damage).
Position Control. Shoot the enemy in the best position to reach cover first.
Fancy Dress. Take out the enemy who has the fanciest costume.
The Lure. Bait the enemy (use something to draw his attention), then shoot him when he goes over to investigate.
Turn the Tables. The enemy is waiting to ambush you, but you know exactly where he is. (Time to surprise him!)
Surprise! You catch an enemy by surprise—for instance, you sneak up from behind, catch him in the bathroom, or plug him through a window when he doesn’t know you’re there.
Cat and Mouse. An enemy is stalking you—just playing and taunting you, but not risking his life. (For example, a bullet hits the wall beside you, then silence. Or an object falls over, but there is nobody there.)
Cat and Mouse Turnabout. You are chasing a very dangerous enemy, but now you don’t know where he is. The cat has become the mouse, and you are now the hunted.
Cat and Mouse Advantage. You play cat and mouse with the enemy, luring him into traps and other dangers or simply into vulnerable positions from which you can attack.
Unseen. You haven’t seen the enemy yet, but you have an indication that he’s coming. Perhaps someone says something or you hear a sound or ominous music or see his blip on the radar.
Accidental Meeting. The enemy blunders into you, and he is completely unprepared to fight.
Accidental Meeting 2. You blunder into the enemy and are completely unprepared to fight.
Intentional Meeting. You’ve set up a meeting with the enemy. Perhaps it ends up in violence, perhaps not. It starts out with talk, negotiations, revelations, threats. How it ends is up to you—and them.
Otherwise Engaged. Your enemy is fighting someone else—perhaps another of your enemies, some random heroic type, or even an innocent victim. There are no rules. Frag him while he is otherwise occupied.
Turned Tail. The enemy runs for his life. You must chase him down to catch him.
Preservation. You must not kill this enemy for some reason. For instance, killing him will cause someone else’s death, cause you to lose information you need from him, or get you into some bigger trouble.
Disabling. You don’t want to kill this enemy, but you had better disable him.
The Perfect Shot. You really need to take this enemy down in one shot (head shot), or things will get a lot worse. It may be that he will reach cover, that his counterattack will be deadly, or that he has a power he can activate that makes him invulnerable if you fail to take him out.
Kill Them All. Kill everyone in an area before they signal help or trigger an alarm. This will be a combo of explosions, disabling fight moves, and disabling shots.
Special Enemy. You must kill a specific enemy within a group of others—for instance, you must take out the guy with the radio.
I Have Seen the Enemy, and I’m It. Sometimes you must fight your own doppelganger. It may be a shape-shifter taking your attributes, it could be you from another dimension, or it could be a battle with your inner self as represented on the outside...something like that.
The Spirits Within or Without. Sometimes the enemy is not corporal, and you have to find a way to fight it without using physical force.
Look Out Below. Sometimes the enemy is able to fly or hover, presenting special challenges unless you can fly and/or hover, too.
Subterfuge. Disguise yourself so they don’t realize you are an enemy. You may be able to infiltrate the enemy’s organization and do great harm to them before you must reveal yourself.
3D Battle. You will need to use all the angles, moving three-dimensionally, to pick off the enemies.
Mass Destruction. Don’t worry about the individual enemies; just destroy the whole room with whatever WMDs you have.
Shoot On Through. You can shoot the enemy through whatever they are hiding behind, such as a door, wall, or bed sheet.
Shoot the Cover. Whittle away at the enemy’s cover. For instance, if he is behind a solid oak table, keep shooting until you blast a hole in it. If he is hiding behind a sculpture, blast it to bits until he is exposed.
Control the Environment. You can cause the environment to change; for instance, turn off the lights or control the electric fences or door-locking mechanisms.
Control the Environment 2. The enemy can cause the environment to change; for instance, turn off the lights or control the electric fences or door-locking mechanisms.
Control the Environment 3. A third party can cause the environment to change; for instance, a worker could turn on very noisy machines.
Invisibility. You become invisible by any means—magic, potions, flash-bangs, turning off the lights and using infrared, and so on.
Invisibility 2. The enemies become invisible.
Ingenuity. You need to choose the right weapon, tool, or even object for the job, such as a screwdriver to open the doors to a control panel, which will let you get around and behind the enemy.
Screw-Up. The enemy makes a fatal mistake—for instance, a corrupt beat cop shoots a SWAT member, or a mobster betrays the big boss.
The Enemy Within. Someone who you thought was a friend turns out to be an enemy. At the moment of realization, you find yourself in a battle.
Battle Among Friends. Sometimes you have to fight an ally in order to accomplish some goal. This is rarely to the death.
Frame-Up. Perhaps you can place the blame on an enemy and cause his own allies to turn on him.
Be Afraid. This enemy is extremely deadly. You will need to stock up on everything to face him, or possibly find a way to defeat him without direct confrontation, with a secret weapon, or with the “Perfect Shot” (as described earlier in this list).
Not That Way! The enemy runs away—that’s good—but toward something you don’t want him to reach, such as a gun or the switch to the nuclear detonation device—that’s bad. Or maybe toward an even worse enemy or a whole squad of other enemies—also bad.
The Slow Advance. The enemy is advancing slowly using good cover (riot shields, vehicles, and so on). The player must shoot the hell out of his cover, create a barrier (such as a wall of flame), flank the enemy, land a shot to a specific vulnerable point, and so on.
The Unstoppable Force. The enemy is rapidly advancing. It’s an unstoppable force. For instance, a charging rhino, a jet airplane, a speed-enhanced villain, a cattle stampede, and so on.
Light Games. You and/or the enemy can only see where the light is shining. Everything else is in darkness.
Protection. The enemy is trying to get to someone or something you’re protecting.
Ultra Ambush. The enemy or enemies are hiding practically in your pocket and suddenly jump out at you, resulting in hand-to-hand battle. (Note: This must be cool and believable, and not seem like a cheap shot that could not have possibly been avoided.)
Surrounded. Multiple enemies appear from all sides instantly, as if coordinated by some larger intelligence. (For example, they can enter through doors, stairs, or ladders or even drop in from ropes.)
Tracker. You can trail the enemy. Perhaps he is unaware of you and it’s actually to your advantage to follow him unobserved. He might lead you to some clue or essential location, or he might be walking into a trap...or you might be!
Sniper. The enemy is only within sniping range, and any other approach is too dangerous and exposed. You need some long-distance attack to take him out, or something bad will happen.
Gun-Fu. You can charge into a crowd of enemies, guns blazing (or weapons flashing), and take them out with superior combinations, techniques, and reflexes.
No Safety. The enemies can kick in doors, attacking you in a room in which you thought you were alone or stuck. They can shoot locks or break windows to get into the room with you, even if you thought you lost them.
Quiet Please. Move slowly and quietly, or the enemy will become alerted to you. (He is listening.)
Upwind Only. The enemy can smell you.
Choose the Moment. The enemy is exposed only during a brief cycle of time. (For example, shooting from a moving car at a truck full of enemies, firing through the spaced gaps in the freeway wall, or shooting someone through slowly rotating fan blades.)
Flushed Out. The enemy has done something clever that will soon flush you out into the open, where he will be waiting. (For example, he might fire tear gas into your room or set it on fire and wait outside.)
Patrols. The enemy is patrolling and will find you no matter where you hide. Either find another place to hide or figure out his patrol pattern and move to avoid discovery.
A Great Spot. This is a great spot to ambush a patrolling guard, target or assassination, squadron of enemy soldiers, or other enemy you need to take out.
Follow the Trail. The enemy has fled. Follow his trail of blood or other telltale signs.
Chase Technique. If you are being chased, try to create obstacles in the enemy’s path or destroy the path as you pass (such as blowing up a bridge or blocking the path with an avalanche).
Shoot and Run. Sometimes you can’t win in a straight firefight, but you can run and shoot, picking your spots to fire and then getting out of his range or sights until you’re ready to take another potshot.
Diversion. You must distract the enemy, giving your partner a chance to kill him somehow. Or the other way around—your partner does the diversion while you do the killing.
Remote Control. Use some remote mechanism to defeat your enemy, such as a heavy steel door closing on him.
Lost in the Crowd. Your enemies can sometimes blend into a crowd and escape you. However, you may have occasion to do the same.
Fighting is fun, and prevailing is even more so. However, there are times when discretion is the better part of gameplay, and avoiding the enemy is better than direct confrontation. How do we get past, around, over, or under the enemy? Here are a few ideas. Keep thinking...
Fly over them
Sneak, staying in shadows or behind cover
Become invisible
Teleport past them
Alter time—freeze it or jump to the past or future
Stay out of their range of detection
Create a diversion
Disable them temporarily and run
Run really fast
Get somewhere they can’t reach
Go underground
Duck into a building
Hide in a crowd
Disguise yourself
Hypnotize them
Send something toward them that scares them and makes them run away
Play dead
Significantly change your appearance
Have accomplices distract them
Choose another route or path
It’s usually not too hard to hate enemies. After all, they generally want to kill you and/or destroy what you are protecting. That is what enemies do—nothing exceptional about it. But what about the enemies who really get to you—the ones you just have to take out? How do you create enemies who get your blood boiling and fuel your determination to defeat them? Here are a few examples:
Have them hurt or kidnap someone important to you.
Even better, have them hurt someone weak and innocent.
Even better, have them murder a whole village.
Or, have them do something nasty to your (player) character, especially something underhanded that you can’t prevent.
Have them do something really low, such as slapping around a woman or being cruel to kids.
Have them do something disgusting, such as killing puppies and eating them raw.
Have them gloat and be truly obnoxious about their victories and the suffering/destruction they cause.
Have them get away with terrible crimes and somehow appear to be innocent when you know they are guilty as hell.
Have them say really obnoxious or stupid things.
Have them wear really ugly and stupid costumes.
Have them be untouchable—meaning that ordinary law and order can’t get to them—such as a corrupt judge who uses the legal system to protect him.
Have them violate the player’s sense of fairness, ethics, morals, or other strong values.
Have them pretend to be the player’s friend and betray him. The longer and more trusting the involvement with the player and the more serious the betrayal, the better.
Have them steal something valuable to the player.
Have them always be one step ahead of the player.
Script it so that they defeat the player in some contest or fight, enough to motivate the player to avenge the loss. Make it personal!
Even better, have them be strong enough to perhaps defeat the player’s character once or twice in a fair fight. There’s no motivation greater than revenge on the enemy who ganked you—particularly the boss or significant characters. Make it really personal...they must die!
Have them use guerrilla tactics on the player or allies. This gets worse when the mobs get in your way.
Have them betray you, preferably at a key moment in the story or just before a major battle.
Have them run away just when you think you have them where you want them, stealing victory and just making you want to thrash them even harder next time—and you know there will be a next time!
Have them simply not shut up about their diabolical plans.
Have them frustrate the player by seeming to be able to survive all his best tricks and abilities. It helps if they taunt the player a bit or even feign defeat to get the player’s hopes up before revealing that the player hasn’t beaten them—not yet, anyway.
Design Challenge
As always, consider the games you have played and the kinds of enemies they have in them.
What made the enemies in good games interesting?
How much variety was there, not only in the visuals and character design, but in the enemies’ behaviors and abilities?
In how many different ways did you encounter the enemies?
What kinds of bosses did you encounter? Refer to the “Villains” section earlier in this chapter, as well as to the section on basic prototypes, “More on bosses.”
How could your character avoid bosses, if necessary?
In what ways, if any, did the designers of these games motivate you or cause you to hate the enemies you faced?
For your own projects, consider how you will design enemy characters.
What types of enemies will you create? (Refer to the “Types of Enemies” and “Villains” sections earlier in this chapter.)
Consider the fighting styles of each of the enemies you plan to include in your game. With the list in the “Enemy Fighting Styles” section earlier in this chapter, there’s no reason to limit yourself to the mundane! And then there’s a lot of additional information in Chapter 15, “Character Abilities.”
What kinds of bosses will you include? Again, refer to the sections in this chapter and the “Villains” section in Chapter 12, “Character Design.”
What abilities/powers will each of the sub-bosses and the main boss have? How will they affect the player’s battles with them? Check out Chapter 15, “Character Abilities” and other areas of this book.
Consider how to make your enemies more interesting by referring to the “Ways to Make More Interesting Enemies” and “How to Make You Hate Them” sections earlier in this chapter.
Set up interesting situations. Use the “Ways to Encounter Enemies” section earlier in this chapter and Chapter 11, “Scenarios,” for some ideas.
Can you come up with some interesting and novel ways for the player to avoid enemies when necessary?
Finally, deepen your players’ responses to the enemies to enrich the experience of defeating them. It’s a given that the enemies hate your character, but how do you motivate the player and the player’s character? Not that these are necessarily always the same—the player and the player’s character could have very different motivations. You could have, for instance, a nonviolent Buddhist monk as the main character, but the player could still hate the enemies and want to blow them away. The challenge would be to find a way to use the nonviolent character to accomplish the player’s goals!
Finally, create some boss characters using the resources in this chapter and Chapter 12, “Character Design” (and anywhere else you can think of).
What if these bosses all got together? What do you think would happen?
What if you turned one of these bosses into your hero character?