Battle Protocol

A tactical combat game inspired by Megaman Battle Network and Final Fantasy XII's Gambit system. Program your Constructs (combat frames) with custom protocols using trigger-action pairs, unlock new abilities, and battle through waves of increasingly difficult enemies in a cyberpunk 3D arena.

🎮 Game Concept

Battle Protocol combines strategic protocol programming with real-time tactical combat. Instead of directly controlling a fighter, you deploy Constructs - specialized combat frames that come "naked" with NO pre-programmed behavior. You must manually assign protocols (IF-THEN rules) within the Construct's slot limits to define how it fights. The challenge lies in creating an optimal protocol configuration that maximizes your Construct's unique capabilities.

Core Gameplay Loop

1. Construct Deployment - Choose from specialized combat frames with unique stats and slot configurations
2. Protocol Programming - Assign trigger-action pairs within Movement and Tactical core slot limits
3. Battle - Watch your Construct execute protocols in real-time 3D combat
4. Progression - Unlock new triggers and actions by defeating enemies
5. Wave Survival - Battle through increasingly difficult waves with your programmed Construct

✨ Features

• Construct System - Deploy specialized combat frames with unique base stats and capabilities
• Naked Deployment - Constructs start with ZERO protocols - you build everything from scratch
• Slot-Based Configuration - Respect Movement Core and Tactical Core capacity limits
• Protocol System - 23 triggers and 37 actions to create complex combat behaviors
• 3 Starter Constructs - Vanguard (balanced), Specter (agile), Breacher (offensive)
• 3D Battle Arena - Real-time combat with smooth animations
• Cyberpunk Aesthetic - Neon colors, data streams, CRT effects
• Dynamic Difficulty - Research-backed DDA system maintains optimal challenge
• Codex System - Browse all abilities with 3D visualizations

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 16 (App Router)
• Language: TypeScript
• 3D Graphics: React Three Fiber
• UI Components: shadcn/ui
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4

🏗️ Architecture

Construct System

The game uses a Construct-based deployment model inspired by Warframe's frame system:

What are Constructs?

Constructs are specialized combat frames that provide:

• Base Stats: HP, Shields, Armor values unique to each frame
• Slot Configuration: Maximum number of Movement and Tactical protocol slots
• Passive Abilities: Optional unique effects (evasion boost, damage increase, etc.)
• Resistances: Damage type modifiers specific to the frame

Available Constructs

• VANGUARD CONSTRUCT - Balanced defense platform

  • 120 HP, 30 Shields, 20 Armor
  • 4 Movement / 4 Tactical slots
  • Passive: 5% damage reduction

• SPECTER CONSTRUCT - High-mobility evasion frame

  • 90 HP, 40 Shields, 10 Armor
  • 6 Movement / 4 Tactical slots
  • Passive: 10% evasion chance

• BREACHER CONSTRUCT - Heavy offensive platform

  • 100 HP, 20 Shields, 15 Armor
  • 3 Movement / 6 Tactical slots
  • Passive: 10% damage increase

Naked Deployment

Unlike preset characters, Constructs come with:

• ❌ NO pre-programmed protocols
• ❌ NO default behaviors
• ✅ Only base stats and slot capacities
• ✅ Complete customization freedom

Players must manually assign ALL protocols before battle within the Construct's slot limits.

Dual-Core Protocol System

The battle AI uses a dual-core protocol system that separates movement from tactical actions to prevent conflicts:

Movement Core Directives

• Handles positioning, evasion, and movement actions
• Fast-cooldown actions (dodge, strafe, move)
• Evaluates first on every battle tick
• Independent cooldown tracking

Movement Actions: dodge, move-forward, move-backward, move-up, move-down, strafe-left, strafe-right, dash-forward, jump, teleport, dash-attack, retreat-shot

Tactical Core Directives

• Handles attacks, buffs, debuffs, healing, and status effects
• Standard and slow-cooldown actions
• Evaluates second (only if no movement action was taken)
• Independent cooldown tracking

Tactical Actions: All shoot variants, heals, buffs, debuffs, status effects, field effects

Execution Flow

1. Movement Core evaluates all movement protocols in priority order
2. If a movement action triggers, it executes and blocks tactical core for that tick
3. If no movement action triggers, Tactical Core evaluates
4. Only one action executes per tick per fighter

Why This Architecture? Previously, fast-cooldown movement actions could perpetually trigger and block slow-cooldown tactical actions, resulting in passive fighters that never attacked. The dual-core system ensures fighters remain aggressive while maintaining evasion capabilities.

🚀 Getting Started

```bash

Install dependencies

pnpm install

Run development server

pnpm dev

Build for production

pnpm build ```

📚 Documentation

• Architecture Overview - System design and component structure
• Development Guide - Adding triggers, actions, and character classes
• Difficulty System - Enemy scaling and DDA implementation
• Project Structure - File organization and module descriptions

🎯 Design Philosophy

Battle Protocol is inspired by Megaman Battle Network's grid-based tactical combat and Final Fantasy XII's Gambit system for AI programming. The goal is to create a game where strategic thinking and planning are more important than reflexes, while still maintaining exciting real-time combat visuals.

🐛 Known Issues & Future Improvements

See docs/roadmap.md for planned features and known issues.

📝 License

This project was created with v0.app. Feel free to use and modify as needed.