GridHop

🎮 What's Been Built

✅ Core Systems Implemented

1. Hex Grid System (GridManager.swift)

   • Axial coordinate system for hex tiles
   • Pathfinding with A* algorithm
   • Reachable tile calculations
   • Circular grid layout (radius: 4)

2. Actor System (Actor.swift, Hero.swift, Enemy.swift)

   • Base Actor class with HP, movement, attack stats
   • Hero with defend ability and gold tracking
   • Two enemy types: Grunt (5 HP, 2 damage) and Brute (14 HP, 4 damage)
   • Visual HP display on all actors
   • Status effects: shield, poison, stun

3. Combat Manager (CombatManager.swift)

   • Turn-based combat flow
   • Player phase → Enemy phase cycle
   • Push mechanics on attacks
   • Death handling and gold rewards
   • Enemy AI decision making

4. Game Scene (GameScene.swift)

   • Full tactical grid visualization
   • Touch input for movement and attacks
   • Tile highlighting for valid moves/attacks
   • Game over and victory screens
   • Restart functionality

5. HUD (HUD.swift)

   • HP and Gold display
   • Turn counter
   • Action buttons (Attack, Defend, End Turn)
   • Real-time stat updates

🎯 Current Gameplay Loop

1. Player Turn:

   • Tap tiles to move (green highlights show valid moves)
   • Tap "⚔️ Attack" button, then tap enemy to attack
   • Tap "🛡️ Defend" to add +3 shield and end turn
   • Tap "End Turn" to skip to enemy phase

2. Enemy Turn:

   • Enemies show intent indicators (⚔️ for attack, arrows for movement)
   • Enemies move toward hero using pathfinding
   • Enemies attack if in range
   • Turn automatically returns to player

3. Win/Lose Conditions:

   • Victory: All enemies defeated
   • Defeat: Hero HP reaches 0
   • Collect gold from defeated enemies
   • Tap to restart after game ends

⚔️ Combat Mechanics

• Push System: Hero attacks push enemies 1 tile away
• Damage: Hero deals 3 damage, Grunts deal 2, Brutes deal 4
• Defend: Reduces next incoming damage and adds shield
• Shield: Absorbs damage before HP
• Movement: 1 tile per turn (can be upgraded later)
• Attack Range: Adjacent tiles only (melee)

🎨 Visual Guide

• Blue Circle: Your Hero
• Red/Orange Circles: Enemies (Grunts/Brutes)
• Green Highlights: Valid movement tiles
• Red Highlights: Valid attack targets
• Numbers on Actors: Current HP (+ shield if any)
• Yellow Arrows: Enemy movement intent
• ⚔️ Icon: Enemy attack intent

🚀 What's Next (Future Features)

Based on your spec, here are the next development priorities:

Phase 2 - Enhanced Gameplay:

• Add weapon system (different attack patterns)
• Implement consumables (health potions, bombs)
• Add more enemy types with varied AI
• Cooldown-based special abilities
• Retreat bonus mechanic

Phase 3 - Progression:

• Level generator (procedural encounters)
• Shop system
• Relic/perk system
• Meta-progression (persistent unlocks)
• Multiple biomes/themes

Phase 4 - Data-Driven:

• JSON-based enemy definitions
• External weapon/item configs
• Save/load system
• Debug console

Phase 5 - Polish:

• Better sprites and animations
• Sound effects and music
• Particle effects
• Tutorial system
• Settings menu

🐛 Testing Checklist

• Hero can move to adjacent tiles
• Hero can attack enemies
• Attacks push enemies backward
• Enemies move toward hero
• Enemies attack when adjacent
• HP tracking works correctly
• Game over triggers on hero death
• Victory triggers when all enemies dead
• Defend button grants shield
• Turn counter increments
• Gold awarded on enemy death

💡 Design Notes

Deterministic AI

• Enemies always choose the shortest path
• Attack if in range, otherwise move closer
• Predictable for tactical planning
• Shows intent before acting

Turn Structure

1. Player action selection
2. Action resolution (immediate)
3. Enemy intent display (0.8s)
4. Enemy actions execute (0.4s each)
5. Status effects process
6. Check win/lose conditions
7. Next turn begins

🎯 Balance Numbers (Initial)

Hero:
- HP: 12
- Movement: 1 tile
- Attack: 3 damage + push 1
- Defend: +3 shield

Grunt:
- HP: 5
- Movement: 1 tile
- Attack: 2 damage

Brute:
- HP: 14
- Movement: 1 tile
- Attack: 4 damage + push 1

Rewards:
- Grunt kill: 5 gold
- Brute kill: 15 gold

📝 Code Architecture

The code follows clean separation of concerns:

• GridManager: Pure logic, no rendering
• Actors: Data + minimal behavior
• CombatManager: Game rules & flow
• GameScene: Rendering & input
• HUD: UI only

This makes it easy to:

• Test individual systems
• Modify balance numbers
• Add new features
• Debug issues

🎓 Key Design Patterns Used

• ECS-lite: Actors as components
• State Machine: Game phases (player/enemy/gameover)
• Command Pattern: Actions resolved through manager
• Observer: HUD updates on game state changes
• Factory: Enemy creation by type