Designing Encounters, Part 1: Introduction to enemy types

Note: This is my personal stance on enemy encounters. I apologize if you disagree with them, but know that the 'rule of cool' is fun to watch but says very little on the actual content of fights.

In general, there are 3 types of enemies you encounter in a regular game:

1. Mooks - General run of the mill guys that serve as filler for you to grind your blades against and generally slap around with no difficulty, unless they make up a large horde.

The faceless zombies in any zombie movie make up 'the mooks.' Alone, they are not quite a threat. As an ever-present horde, however, zombies get their power. A few zombies are a pushover. A hundred zombies in unison is an encounter.

In space, these are fighters. Small tiny fleeting ships.

2. The Elite - These guys make up rarer encounters that serve as mid-points, checkpoints. They generally appear alone in the company of smaller guys. These fall under various names: mini-bosses... generals... 'Silvered Bordered Elites', etc. These guys pose a minor problem alone, but become major difficulties when found in combination.

This is generally the hardest class of enemy to design well, mostly because they must stand out, but they can't stand out too much. They also tend to fall into the syndrome where they become 'mook replacements' in that, in the beginning of the game, the guy in gold armor amongst a bunch of guys in leather armor is elite... but then at the end of the game, it's the guy in platinum armor amongst a bunch of guys in gold armor that is the elite. Generally, when this happens, it's a sign of bad design.

In any generic kung fu movie, there will be 'that one nameless guy who knows kung fu.' While Bruce Lee is taking care of an entire room full of mooks, there will be these guys. Still nameless, still generic, but they last long enough to pose a serious threat to the hero. When they come in pairs, the hero has a problem for a while. They don't go down with a single hit in the face. They distinguish themselves by getting back up and landing hits of their own.

Sometimes, the bosses' right hand man is one of these. Other times, they are a boss in their own right. Usually the bosses' personal body guards are a group of elites.

In space, these are powerful frigates, or capital ships that are surrounded by swarms of fighters.

3. Bosses - You know who they are. They are used to finish off a level or they serve as a crescendo for various points in the game. A boss should never be trivial.

The big one. That large red dragon at the end of the line. The Death Star. These are bosses.