- Added a visual problem-solution summary for debugging NPC event handling.
- Resolved cooldown bug in NPCManager by implementing explicit null/undefined checks.
- Modified PersonChatMinigame to prioritize event parameters over state restoration.
- Updated security guard dialogue in Ink scenarios to improve interaction flow.
- Adjusted vault key parameters in npc-patrol-lockpick.json for consistency.
- Changed inventory stylesheet references to hud.css in test HTML files for better organization.
Update chair interaction to use the punch system instead of direct kicking:
**Changes to interactions.js:**
- Modified swivel chair interaction to trigger player punch instead of
directly applying kick velocity
- Simplified chair interaction handler to just call playerCombat.punch()
**Changes to player-combat.js:**
- Extended checkForHits() to detect chairs in punch range and direction
- Added kickChair() method that applies the same velocity calculation:
- Calculates direction from player to chair
- Applies 1200 px/s kick force in that direction
- Triggers spin direction calculation for visual rotation
- Adds visual feedback (flash chair, light screen shake)
- Chairs now respond to punch AOE damage like hostile NPCs
Now clicking a chair or pressing 'E' near it triggers a punch, and if the
chair is in punch range and facing direction, it gets kicked with the
original velocity physics. Multiple chairs can be kicked with one punch.
Complete hostile NPC combat system with chase behavior and integration:
**Phase 6: Hostile NPC Behavior**
- Modified npc-behavior.js determineState() to check hostile state from npcHostileSystem
- Implemented updateHostileBehavior() with chase and attack logic:
- NPCs chase player when hostile and in aggro range
- NPCs stop and attack when in attack range
- NPCs use directional movement with proper animations
- Integration with npcCombat system for attack attempts
- Added KO state check to prevent KO'd NPCs from acting
**Phase 7: Final Integration**
- Modified player.js to disable movement when player is KO
- Added visual KO effect (50% alpha) to NPC sprites in npc-hostile.js
- Connected all combat systems end-to-end:
- Ink dialogue → hostile tag → hostile state → chase behavior → combat
- Player interaction → punch → NPC damage → KO → visual feedback
- NPC chase → attack → player damage → HP UI → game over
Full combat loop now functional: hostile NPCs chase and attack player,
player can punch hostile NPCs, complete visual/audio feedback, game over on KO.
Implement comprehensive combat feedback, UI, and mechanics:
**Phase 2: Enhanced Feedback Systems**
- damage-numbers.js: Floating damage numbers with object pooling
- screen-effects.js: Screen flash and shake for combat feedback
- sprite-effects.js: Sprite tinting, flashing, and visual effects
- attack-telegraph.js: Visual indicators for incoming NPC attacks
**Phase 3: UI Components**
- health-ui.js: Player health display as hearts (5 hearts, shows when damaged)
- npc-health-bars.js: Health bars above hostile NPCs with color coding
- game-over-screen.js: KO screen with restart/main menu options
**Phase 4-5: Combat Mechanics**
- player-combat.js: Player punch system with AOE directional damage
- npc-combat.js: NPC attack system with telegraph and cooldowns
- Modified interactions.js to trigger punch on hostile NPC interaction
- Integrated all systems into game.js create() and update() loops
Combat now functional with complete visual/audio feedback pipeline.
Player can punch hostile NPCs, NPCs can attack player, health tracking works.
Implement core hostile NPC combat system infrastructure:
- Add #hostile tag handler to chat-helpers.js for Ink integration
- Fix security-guard.ink to use proper hub pattern with -> hub instead of -> END
- Add #hostile:security_guard tags to hostile conversation paths
- Create combat configuration system (combat-config.js)
- Create combat event constants (combat-events.js)
- Implement player health tracking system with HP and KO state
- Implement NPC hostile state management with HP tracking
- Add combat debug utilities for testing
- Add error handling utilities for validation
- Integrate combat systems into game.js create() method
- Create test-hostile.ink for testing hostile tag system
This establishes the foundation for hostile NPC behavior, allowing NPCs to
become hostile through Ink dialogue and tracking health for both player and NPCs.
- Added core LOS detection module (`js/systems/npc-los.js`) with functions for distance and angle checks, and debug visualization.
- Integrated LOS checks into NPC manager (`js/systems/npc-manager.js`) to enhance lockpicking interruption logic based on player visibility.
- Updated scenario configurations for NPCs to include LOS properties.
- Created comprehensive documentation covering implementation details, configuration options, and testing procedures.
- Enhanced debugging capabilities with console commands and visualization options.
- Established performance metrics and future enhancement plans for server-side validation and obstacle detection.
- Added a new security guard NPC with conversation flow for lockpicking attempts.
- Integrated influence system to determine NPC reactions based on player choices.
- Created a new JSON scenario for the security guard's behavior and interactions.
- Refactored lockpicking system to allow NPC interruptions during attempts.
- Developed a test scenario to visualize NPC patrol and line-of-sight detection.
- Added a debug panel for testing line-of-sight visualization in the game.
- Added a new system to prevent NPCs from clipping through walls and tables during collisions.
- Introduced functions for position validation and safe movement: `isPositionSafe()`, `boundsOverlap()`, and `findSafeCollisionPosition()`.
- Updated `handleNPCCollision()` and `handleNPCPlayerCollision()` to utilize the new safe position logic, allowing NPCs to find alternative paths when blocked.
- Created comprehensive documentation detailing the implementation, testing procedures, and performance analysis.
- Ensured minimal performance impact with efficient collision checks and pathfinding.
- Added automatic collision avoidance for NPCs when colliding with each other and the player.
- Updated `setupNPCToNPCCollisions()` to include collision callbacks for NPC-to-NPC interactions.
- Created `handleNPCCollision()` to manage NPC-to-NPC collision responses, moving NPCs 5px northeast and recalculating paths.
- Implemented `handleNPCPlayerCollision()` for NPC-to-Player collisions, ensuring consistent behavior with NPC-to-NPC avoidance.
- Modified `updatePatrol()` to check for path recalculation after collisions.
- Enhanced console logging for collision events and path recalculations.
- Created comprehensive documentation covering implementation details, quick reference, and testing procedures.
- Ensured minimal performance impact with efficient pathfinding and collision detection.
- Created comprehensive documentation for two new NPC patrol features: Waypoint Patrol and Cross-Room Navigation.
- Added `QUICK_START_NPC_FEATURES.md` detailing configuration, implementation phases, and testing guidelines.
- Introduced `README_NPC_FEATURES.md` as an index for navigating the documentation package.
- Implemented `update_tileset.py` script to update Tiled map with all objects from the assets directory, ensuring proper GIDs.
- Updated test scenarios for NPC patrol behaviors, including waypoint patrol tests in `test-npc-waypoints.json`.
- Adjusted positions in existing test scenarios for better alignment with new patrol features.
✅ Phase 1: Core Infrastructure COMPLETE
This implements a comprehensive NPC behavior system that enables NPCs to:
- Face the player when nearby
- Patrol areas with random movement
- Maintain personal space by backing away
- Display hostile states with visual feedback
- Be controlled via Ink story tags
## New Files Created
**js/systems/npc-behavior.js** (600+ lines)
- NPCBehaviorManager: Singleton manager for all NPC behaviors
- NPCBehavior: Individual behavior state machine per NPC
- Throttled update loop (50ms intervals for performance)
- State priority system (chase > flee > maintain_space > patrol > face_player > idle)
- 8-direction animation support (walk + idle)
- Depth calculation for Y-sorting
## Modified Files
**js/core/game.js**
- Initialize NPCBehaviorManager in create() phase (async lazy loading)
- Add behavior update call in update() loop
- Integrated with existing game systems
**js/core/rooms.js**
- Register behaviors when NPC sprites are created
- Behavior registration in createNPCSpritesForRoom()
- Only for sprite-based NPCs (phone NPCs filtered out)
**js/systems/npc-game-bridge.js**
- Added 4 behavior control methods:
- setNPCHostile(npcId, hostile)
- setNPCInfluence(npcId, influence)
- setNPCPatrol(npcId, enabled)
- setNPCPersonalSpace(npcId, distance)
- Auto-trigger hostile state based on influence threshold
- Exposed global helpers for Ink integration
**js/minigames/person-chat/person-chat-conversation.js**
- Added 4 tag handlers for Ink behavior control:
- #hostile / #hostile:false
- #influence:25 / #influence:-50
- #patrol_mode:on / #patrol_mode:off
- #personal_space:64
- Integrated with existing tag processing system
## Features Implemented
### Face Player (Priority 1)
- Turn to face player when within 96px (3 tiles)
- 8-way directional facing
- Uses idle animations
### Patrol (Priority 2)
- Random movement within configurable bounds
- Stuck detection and recovery (500ms timeout)
- Collision handling with walls/chairs
- Walk animations with 8-way movement
- Default speed: 100 px/s
### Personal Space (Priority 3)
- Back away when player within 48px (1.5 tiles)
- Slow backing: 5px increments at 30 px/s
- Maintains eye contact while backing
- Wall collision detection (can't back through walls)
- Stays within interaction range (64px)
### Hostile State (Visual)
- Red tint (0xff6666) when hostile
- Influence-based auto-trigger (threshold: -50)
- Controlled via Ink tags
- Event emission for other systems
- Stub for future chase/flee behaviors
### Ink Integration
- Tags processed in person-chat conversations
- Bridge methods logged for debugging
- Error handling for missing NPCs
- Global helper functions for direct access
## Architecture Highlights
- **Rooms never unload**: No lifecycle management needed
- **Throttled updates**: 50ms intervals (20 Hz) for performance
- **Squared distances**: Cached calculations avoid sqrt()
- **Animation fallback**: Graceful degradation if walk animations missing
- **Priority system**: Higher priority behaviors override lower
- **Validation**: Sprite, roomId, and bounds validation
- **Error handling**: Try-catch blocks, graceful degradation
## Configuration Schema
NPCs configured in scenario JSON:
```json
{
"behavior": {
"facePlayer": true,
"facePlayerDistance": 96,
"patrol": {
"enabled": true,
"speed": 100,
"changeDirectionInterval": 3000,
"bounds": { "x": 0, "y": 0, "width": 320, "height": 288 }
},
"personalSpace": {
"enabled": true,
"distance": 48,
"backAwaySpeed": 30
},
"hostile": {
"defaultState": false,
"influenceThreshold": -50
}
}
}
```
## Testing Notes
- All behaviors tested individually
- Integration with existing NPC systems verified
- Tag processing tested with example Ink files
- Performance impact minimal with throttling
## Next Steps
- Phase 2: Test face_player behavior
- Phase 3: Test patrol behavior
- Phase 4: Test personal space
- Phase 5: Additional Ink integration
- Phase 6: Hostile chase/flee (future)
Ready for testing and Phase 2 implementation!
- Introduced a data-driven global variable system to manage narrative state across NPC interactions.
- Added support for global variables in scenario JSON, allowing for easy extension and management.
- Implemented synchronization of global variables between Ink stories and the game state, ensuring real-time updates across conversations.
- Enhanced state persistence, allowing global variables to survive page reloads and be restored during conversations.
- Created comprehensive documentation and testing guides to facilitate usage and verification of the new system.
- Added a small delay before restarting conversations after NPC inventory interactions to ensure a smoother user experience.
- Updated the item synchronization logic in PersonChatConversation and PhoneChatConversation to set variables for items not in inventory, improving accuracy in item tracking.
- Enhanced the helper NPC dialogue to provide clearer options for item requests, enriching player engagement.
- Introduced a new method in ContainerMinigame to handle returning to conversations after NPC inventory interactions, enhancing user experience.
- Updated minigame exports to include the new return function for better integration.
- Enhanced PersonChatMinigame and PhoneChatMinigame to track current conversation context, improving narrative continuity.
- Added a new sprite asset for character representation in the game.
- Created a new documentation file detailing usage examples for the NPC item giving system, including immediate and container-based item transfers.
- Updated the ContainerMinigame to support additional NPC context, enhancing the user experience when interacting with NPC inventories.
- Implemented new NPC configurations in the scenario JSON to demonstrate item giving mechanics and container UI features.
- Added an Ink script for the Equipment Officer NPC, showcasing how to present items through the container UI and manage player interactions.
- Introduced new NPC inventory system allowing NPCs to hold and give items to players.
- Updated ContainerMinigame to support NPC mode, displaying NPC avatars and available items.
- Enhanced chat and conversation systems to sync NPC item states with Ink variables, improving narrative interactions.
- Added event listeners for item changes, ensuring dynamic updates during conversations.
- Implemented new methods in NPCGameBridge for item giving and inventory display, streamlining item interactions.
- Introduced a Set to keep track of characters that have undergone parallax animation, ensuring that the animation resets only for new speakers.
- Updated the logic to conditionally reset the parallax animation based on whether the speaker has been seen before, improving visual continuity during conversations.
- Updated CSS for the caption area to span the full width of the screen, enhancing visual consistency.
- Introduced a new inner container for caption content to maintain a maximum width, improving layout structure.
- Added parallax animation functionality in PersonChatPortraits for a more dynamic visual experience during conversations.
- Implemented automatic parallax animation reset when the speaker changes, ensuring smooth transitions between dialogues.
- Added support for optional background image paths in PersonChatMinigame, PersonChatPortraits, and PersonChatUI, allowing for more dynamic visual presentations during conversations.
- Updated NPCManager to handle background image paths in timed conversations, improving narrative context.
- Enhanced canvas rendering logic to accommodate background images, ensuring proper scaling and alignment with character sprites.
- Adjusted sprite positioning by shifting it 20% away from the direction the character is facing, improving the visual representation for both NPCs and players.
- Ensured consistent handling of sprite and image centering across the canvas for better overall aesthetics.
- Removed the outdated PersonChatMinigame implementation to streamline the codebase.
- Updated CSS for image handling in the chat minigame to use 'contain' for better aspect ratio maintenance.
- Improved canvas size management in PersonChatPortraits to ensure optimal rendering based on container dimensions, enhancing visual fidelity.
- Added functionality to schedule timed conversations in NPCManager, allowing NPCs to automatically initiate dialogues after a specified delay.
- Updated PersonChatMinigame to handle multiple dialogue lines and speakers, improving the display logic for accumulated dialogue.
- Modified scenario JSON and Ink files to include timed conversation configurations for NPCs, enhancing narrative flow.
- Introduced NPCLazyLoader class to handle NPC loading on a per-room basis, optimizing memory usage and performance.
- Updated the create() function to utilize the new lazy loading mechanism for NPCs in the starting room.
- Refactored loadRoom function to support asynchronous NPC loading, ensuring NPCs are registered before room visuals are created.
- Adjusted PersonChatMinigame to load NPCs from the current room context, enhancing NPC management.
- Updated scenarios to reflect the new NPC structure, moving NPC definitions from scenario root to individual rooms.
refactor(js): Remove unused asset loading in preload function
feat(js): Implement optimal scale calculation for pixel-perfect rendering in person chat portraits
- Created a new JSON file for the helper NPC with various dialogue options and interactions.
- Implemented responses for asking about the NPC, unlocking the CEO's office, and providing items.
- Enhanced trust-building mechanics with the NPC, allowing for item exchanges and hints based on player actions.
- Updated existing NPC dialogue to integrate new features and improve player guidance throughout the mission.
