Combat Circle

This mod currently adds a lightweight encirclement and Belgian AI to mobs that use the goals system (zombies, spiders, not piglins…). This system has the following specs:

• Mobs will attempt to avoid other mobs chasing the same target when not actively attacking. The result of this is that a horde of mobs will automatically fan out while still chasing down a target.

• Mobs will attempt to stay out of your attack range unless they are preparing to attack. Combined with the above mechanic, mobs will begin to encircle the player to cut off escapes once close enough.

• A small handful of mobs are permitted to attack at any moment, shuffled dynamically by a stage manager to prevent repeated attacks from the same target. This keeps up pressure on multiple fronts when encircled, while still allowing tactical play beyond kiting, unlike in a congregation-styled encounter where falling into the mob group generally spells swift death.

• Ranged mobs will attempt to shoot in such a way as to avoid friendly fire.

• Pretty computationally cheap. The entire pathing goal is just over 100 lines.

In addition, and perhaps more importantly, this mod allows you to use Json to customize mob attack AI. The process works similarly to other “build-your-own-behavior” mods, and can be described as writing Origins powers or Psi spells for mobs. For more information regarding how to write mob AI, consult the wiki.

You can submit feedback on my Discord server.

Those interested in combat circles, Belgian AI, expansions on it, wolf pack behavior, or boid flocking can consult these papers.