8. Enemy Design
8.1 Design Principles
Guards are neutral. They are not good or bad — they serve people who may be good or bad, but the guards themselves are just doing a job. They are infrastructure, like the protagonist. Killing them indiscriminately is not a moral failure because they are evil — it is a failure of craft and judgment.
The primary interaction with guards is avoidance, misdirection, and incapacitation — not killing. The protagonist’s intelligence work leads them to decide the fate of targets through surveillance and evidence. Guards are not targets. They are the environment the protagonist moves through.
Design Rule — Guard Conduct
- The Orang Laut judgement system tracks how vicious the protagonist has been with guards.
- Unconscious guards wake up. Panicked guards run. Dead guards are missing persons.
- A clean operative leaves no bodies. This is not a moral instruction — it is a craft standard.
- Killing a corrupt official with definitive evidence is precise. Killing guards on the way there is not.
8.2 Detection Model
All guards operate on the same four-state awareness system regardless of type or zone. The speed of state transitions and the trigger thresholds vary by guard type and jurisdiction tier.
Unaware Normal patrol behaviour. No knowledge of the protagonist. Default state.
Curious Heard or glimpsed something. Moves toward source, investigates briefly, returns to patrol if nothing found. Does not alert others yet.
Alerted Confirmed something is wrong. Shouts immediately. Reaches for a signal device if one is nearby before engaging. Sends a runner for reinforcements if appropriate. Other guards within earshot enter Alerted. Begins active search.
Combat Direct visual confirmation of the protagonist. Engages immediately. No de-escalation possible.
Vision — Cone Forward
- All guards have a forward vision cone — range and width vary by tier
- The protagonist can approach from behind or lateral blind spots indefinitely
- Movement at the edge of a cone creates a detection window — the longer the protagonist stays in partial view the faster Curious triggers
- Darkness, crowds, and elevation modify cone effectiveness --- detailed in Detection System (Todo Item 2)
Audio — 360 Degrees
- All guards hear in all directions — there are no audio blind spots
- Crouching and creeping eliminates or minimises audio signature entirely
- Walking triggers Curious at close range
- Running triggers Alerted at significant distance
- The drop kill — full sprint, rooftop launch, landing on target --- executes faster than the audio cue triggers a reaction. This is the one exception to the running rule. Requires full commitment and precise positioning.
Alert Communication
When a guard enters Alerted they will always shout. Before engaging the protagonist they will attempt, in order: reach a nearby signal device (bell, gong, torch post) if one exists within their zone, or send a runner to summon reinforcements if a signal device is not available. Guards who hear a shout may themselves have a signal device nearby and will use it before engaging.
Design Note — Alert Communication by Zone
- Citadel: gongs and torch signals at fixed posts — the most organised alert network in the game.
- Upeh: vocal only in dense market areas where a shout is lost in crowd noise; signal bells at warehouses.
- Gedung: confined acoustics mean shouting carries far — audio alert is more dangerous here than elsewhere.
- Hinterlands: sparse guards, vocal only, runners used frequently given distance between posts.
8.3 Respawn Rules
Generic guards (all tiers) Full respawn when the protagonist returns to a zone after sufficient time has passed. The world refills — patrols continue.
Named guards (Ketua Pengawal, specific Hulubalang) Do not respawn. Permanent removal. Noted in individual guard entries below.
Inner sanctum Pengawal Dalam Stationary, named positions. Do not respawn. Removal of one changes the hard mechanical line zone permanently for that playthrough.
8.4 Restricted Zones — Hard Mechanical Line
Certain spaces within the Citadel operate under a hard mechanical line: protagonist presence triggers Combat immediately, bypassing Curious and Alerted entirely. There is no social stealth in these spaces. There is no brief window of grace. Being there is the offence.
- Sultan’s private quarters — upper Istana
- Royal treasury
- Inner hulubalang command post
These zones are visually distinct — architecture, lighting, guard positioning, and ambient audio all signal that the rules have changed before the protagonist crosses the threshold. The player is never surprised by a hard mechanical line zone if they are paying attention.
8.5 Enemy Roster
Eight guard types across four categories. All entries use Malay titles with English descriptions. Full cultural and historical context for each title is documented in the Codex (Todo Item — see BACKLOG).
Street Level — Temenggung’s Jurisdiction
The Temenggung is Malacca’s chief of public security. His men operate in Upeh, the port district, market areas, and river networks. They are the most socially embedded guards in the game — they know faces, rhythms, and routines. Anomalies register slowly. They do not engage the protagonist unless something visible and public occurs.
Pengawal Pasar — Market Warden
Description Patrols Upeh’s commercial districts and jetties. Unarmed or lightly armed — staff or short blade. Reactive only. Never initiates combat without public provocation.
Patrol type Moving patrol through market lanes and warehouse approaches
Vision / Audio Standard cone, standard audio radius — crowd noise in Upeh reduces effective audio range significantly
Alert transition Curious to Alerted is slow — market environment creates natural noise and movement that delays confirmation
Respawn Full respawn
Codex note Temenggung — chief of public security; Pengawal — generic guard, protector
Laskar Sungai — River Patrol
Description Operates waterways, kampung air networks, and boat anchorages. Paired or small groups. Mobile between fixed points on water rather than land routes. The protagonist’s water-level traversal passes through their patrol zones.
Patrol type Moving patrol along river and canal routes, checking moored vessels
Vision / Audio Standard cone; water environment carries sound further — running near water triggers Alerted at longer range
Alert transition Standard — but paired patrol means one guard alerting immediately triggers the partner
Respawn Full respawn
Codex note Laskar — soldier, armed retainer; Sungai — river
Compound Level — Shahbandar Household
Shahbandar household guards protect cargo, trade goods, and the Shahbandar’s personal compound. Their behaviour, numbers, and equipment scale directly with the Shahbandar’s corruption state — a worried man hires more protection and pays for better armour. The progression reflects paranoia, not professionalism.
Active Standard numbers, standard equipment, relaxed patrol tempo. Alert threshold is normal.
Compromised Increased numbers, heavier equipment, tighter patrol routes. Alert threshold reduces — guards are jumpier, confirm Curious faster.
Hostile Near-militia numbers, armoured, aggressive patrol posture. Alert threshold is hair-trigger. Approaching the compound without a plan is inadvisable.
Dark Guards scatter or transfer loyalty. Compound may be abandoned or occupied by a hostile foreign faction’s protection detail.
Pengawal Gedung — Warehouse Guard
Description Protects cargo storage and trade goods within Shahbandar compound buildings. Stationary at entry points, patrol inside. Equipment and numbers scale with corruption state.
Patrol type Stationary at doors and cargo bays; slow internal patrol between storage areas
Vision / Audio Standard cone; Gedung interior acoustics carry sound — crouch movement mandatory
Alert transition Standard — scales to faster at Compromised and Hostile corruption states
Respawn Full respawn — generic
Codex note Gedung — warehouse, stone vault; Pengawal — guard
Ketua Pengawal — Head of Household Guard
Description The named commander of each Shahbandar compound’s guard force. One per compound. Removing him permanently degrades the compound’s alert efficiency — guards become less coordinated, response times slower, patrol routes less organised.
Patrol type Slow, deliberate circuit of the compound perimeter and key internal points. Checks on subordinate guards.
Vision / Audio Wider cone than generic guards; longer audio range — he is experienced and attentive
Alert transition Faster than generic guards — moves from Curious to Alerted in fewer beats
Respawn Does not respawn — permanent removal
Codex note Ketua — head, chief; Pengawal — guard
Citadel Level
Citadel guards serve the Sultan’s court and the hulubalang command structure. They are the most capable guards in the game. Social stealth that works in Upeh does not work in the Citadel — the context is wrong, the faces are known, and the tolerance for anomaly is near zero.
Pengawal Istana — Palace Guard
Description Patrols the lower and middle tiers of the Citadel — the administrative halls, outer audience pavilions, and lower compound. Standard equipment, predictable patrol routes. The game’s baseline challenge at Citadel level.
Patrol type Moving patrol on defined routes — shift-based, meaning routes change at intervals the player can learn
Vision / Audio Standard cone with moderate range; standard audio — less environmental noise than Upeh means audio detections happen at longer distances
Alert transition Standard — four states fully active
Respawn Full respawn — generic
Codex note Istana — palace, royal court
Hulubalang — Warrior-Noble Officer
Description The Citadel’s senior guard presence. Stationed at key thresholds in the middle and upper tiers. Named individuals in specific positions do not respawn — their removal permanently opens a route or weakens a checkpoint. The most capable human obstacle in the game outside the hard mechanical line zones.
Patrol type Stationary at thresholds or very slow deliberate movement — they are positioned, not patrolling
Vision / Audio Wider cone, longer audio range, faster Curious-to-Alerted transition than any other guard type
Alert transition Compressed — three beats from Curious to Combat rather than the standard five. They are trained for exactly this.
Respawn Named positions do not respawn. Generic Hulubalang on lower tiers respawn fully.
Codex note Hulubalang — warrior-noble, military officer class; historically both commanders and state intelligence officers
Pengawal Dalam — Inner Sanctum Guard
Description Upper palace only. Stationary. Hard mechanical line — protagonist presence triggers Combat immediately, no Curious or Alerted states. Never investigates sounds or movement outside their fixed position. They do not chase. They do not pursue beyond the sanctum threshold. They are walls with eyes.
Patrol type Stationary — fixed position, fixed arc, no deviation
Vision / Audio Irrelevant — detection model does not apply. Presence triggers Combat.
Alert transition No transition. Immediate Combat.
Respawn Named positions do not respawn
Codex note Dalam — inner, interior; the sanctum within the sanctum
Cross-Zone
Mata-mata Perisik — Civilian Informant
Description Embedded in street and port populations across all zones. Not a combat unit — they never engage the protagonist directly. They watch and they report. If they confirm protagonist presence in a sensitive area, they trigger Alerted in nearby guards without drawing a weapon. Identified by specific environmental tells — unusual stillness in a busy area, positioning near guard patrol intersections, repeated presence across different locations. Cannot be killed without Orang Laut consequence. Can be misdirected, avoided, or temporarily removed through non-lethal incapacitation.
Patrol type Stationary or slow movement through civilian areas — they blend, not patrol
Detection They do not detect the protagonist through vision or audio. They recognise them — a fundamentally different mechanic requiring the protagonist to manage their known presence in an area, not just their physical stealth.
Alert trigger On confirmation, generates an Alerted state in the nearest guard cluster without any visible action
Respawn Full respawn — they are not a single person, they are a network
Codex note Mata-mata — lit. eyes-eyes, historically both state intelligence service and street-level watchers; Perisik — spy, scout
8.6 Detection System Parameters
The detection model in Section 8.2 defines the four-state awareness framework. This section defines the specific parameters that govern how that framework operates in practice: vision geometry, audio propagation, environmental modifiers, and the point at which social stealth intersects with mechanical detection.
These values are design targets, not engine constants. They should be tuned in collaboration with the stealth system designer once prototype builds are available. The intent behind each value matters more than the number itself. If tuning requires adjusting a range or threshold, the rationale documented here should survive the change.
Vision Geometry — Per Guard Type
All vision is a forward cone. There are no peripheral sensors and no rear detection outside audio. The protagonist can occupy the lateral and rear arc of any guard indefinitely without triggering a visual response. Movement at the outer edge of a cone — the furthest 25 percent of the stated range — does not trigger Curious immediately. It begins filling a detection window. The fill rate varies by guard type and is stated below.
Pengawal Pasar (Market Warden) — 90° / 14m Slow fill — 5 seconds at edge before Curious triggers. Crowd movement in Upeh creates visual noise; the guard is accustomed to things moving at the corner of his vision.
Laskar Sungai (River Patrol) — 90° / 14m Standard fill — 3.5 seconds. Paired patrol means one guard filling is enough — his partner shares the same fill state.
Pengawal Gedung (Warehouse Guard) — 100° / 15m Standard fill — 3.5 seconds. Scales to Fast (2 seconds) at Compromised corruption state and Instant at Hostile.
Ketua Pengawal (Head of Guard) — 120° / 20m Fast fill — 2 seconds. Wider scan from experience, not equipment. He watches the whole compound, not just the path in front of him.
Pengawal Istana (Palace Guard) — 100° / 16m Standard fill — 3.5 seconds. Trained and predictable. The Citadel’s low ambient noise means anomalies register faster through audio than vision.
Hulubalang (Warrior-Noble) — 130° / 22m Fast fill — 1.5 seconds. The widest cone in the game. A Hulubalang does not need to look directly at something to notice it.
Pengawal Dalam (Inner Sanctum Guard) — N/A Detection model does not apply. Presence in zone triggers Combat with no fill window.
Mata-mata Perisik (Civilian Informant) — N/A Recognition-based, not vision-based. See BACKLOG Item 17.
Audio Propagation — Per Action Type
Audio detection is omnidirectional. All guards in range respond regardless of facing. The radii below represent the distance at which each action reliably triggers the first state transition — Unaware to Curious for incidental sounds, Unaware to Alerted for loud events.
Crouch movement 0m — None. This is the intended traversal mode.
Upright walk 10m — Curious
Run 20m — Alerted
Drop kill (sprint launch, full commitment) Exempt — None. The execution window closes before the audio cue resolves. Requires full sprint and precise positioning — any hesitation removes the exemption.
Ledge drop, safe height 6m — Curious
Ledge drop, hard landing 14m — Alerted
Lock pick 4m — Curious
Latch break (forced entry) 12m — Alerted
Body drag 6m — Curious
Kerambit melee exchange 18m — Alerted (immediate)
Sumpitan dart fired 2m — Curious (near-silent — the air displacement, not the projectile)
Sumpitan dart miss, surface impact 8m — Curious
Warangan application 0m — None. Contact delivery only.
Water surface entry (jump) 16m — Alerted
Swimming 3m — Curious
Environment Modifiers
Modifiers apply multiplicatively to the base parameters above. Where multiple modifiers are active simultaneously, calculate each independently against the base value, then apply both. Do not compound them against each other — this prevents edge cases where a fully-modified guard becomes either useless or unbeatable.
Darkness
Darkness is defined as night cycle, torch-doused interiors, or the protagonist occupying a shadow position in an enclosed space. The shadow position rule applies even at midday — a protagonist pressed against the inside wall of an unlit room is treated as in darkness regardless of exterior light conditions.
- Vision cone range: −40 percent
- Vision cone arc: −20 degrees
- Audio: unaffected. A guard who cannot see well listens harder.
Crowds (Upeh market and jetty areas only)
Crowd noise and movement create a persistent ambient detection penalty in Upeh’s market lanes, jetty approaches, and open trade spaces. This modifier does not apply to warehouse interiors or the river channels even within the same zone.
- Audio radius: −40 percent
- Edge fill rate: +1.5 seconds (crowd movement generates visual noise; the guard has learned to discount it)
Water surface
Actions taken on or directly adjacent to open water carry further. The still surface of the river and harbour amplifies impact and movement sound.
- Audio radius: +30 percent for all actions on docks, watercraft, or in the water itself
Elevation — Protagonist Above Guards
Guards do not scan upward during Unaware or Curious states. The standard vision cone operates on a horizontal plane. The protagonist on rooftops, exposed beams, overhead galleries, or elevated cargo stacks is outside standard cone geometry entirely.
Once a guard enters Alerted, the search behaviour includes vertical scanning. Elevation concealment is not reliable after an alert is confirmed in the area.
The drop kill exemption from the audio table above applies regardless of elevation height, provided the approach is a full sprint launch.
Elevation — Protagonist Below Guards
Standard vision cones do not penetrate solid floors, dock planking, or cellar ceilings. A guard on the level above cannot detect the protagonist through structure.
Rain
Rain is a weather event occurring in specific mission contexts, not a persistent modifier. When active:
- Audio radius: −20 percent globally
- Vision: unaffected at game-relevant distances
Social Stealth — Detection Threshold Layer
Social stealth operates above the detection geometry. It does not alter cone dimensions, audio radii, or fill rates. It raises the confirmation requirement before a guard’s detection fill begins accumulating at all.
Without social cover, any sighting within the cone begins filling immediately at the stated rate.
With valid social cover, the detection fill does not begin on a single sighting. The guard registers the protagonist’s presence but does not find it anomalous. The fill begins only if the protagonist sustains presence without purposeful behaviour — standing idle in a space where idle presence is wrong, or returning to the same location after being noticed once. When fill does begin under social cover, it runs at half the standard rate.
Social cover is stripped instantly by anomaly behaviour: running, climbing, drawing a weapon, or physically engaging anyone. Once stripped in a zone, it cannot be re-established in that zone within the same mission phase.
Social cover validity by zone:
Upeh (market, jetties, open port) Merchant, porter, dockworker, pilgrim, trader’s assistant. Widest cover range in the game — the zone is built for strangers.
Gedung compound (warehouse approaches and courtyards) Worker or trade agent cover valid only during active trade hours. Outside those windows, purposeful presence requires a different approach.
Citadel outer tiers Sanctioned official or recognised servant only. The cover set is narrow and requires prior intelligence to construct.
Citadel inner tiers No valid civilian cover. Social stealth is not a tool in these spaces. This is a design boundary, not a gap.
Alert Escalation Speed — Curious to Alerted
The standard escalation from Curious to Alerted takes five beats, approximately three seconds at normal patrol tempo. The following variants apply:
Standard (all generic guards) 5 beats
Ketua Pengawal 3 beats
Hulubalang 3 beats to Alerted; 3 further beats to Combat. Total of 6 beats from Curious to Combat versus the standard guard’s 10 or more.
Compound — Compromised state 3 beats
Compound — Hostile state 2 beats
Any guard during active area alert (regional Alerted active) Curious bypassed entirely. First sighting goes directly to Alerted.
Design Note — Detection as a Teaching System
- The detection parameters above are calibrated to reward pre-emption and punish reaction. A protagonist can see a threat forming and act before being seen.
- The system is not designed to be forgiving. It is designed to be legible. Every parameter has a tell.
- This philosophy extends to the save and checkpoint design (Todo Item 9). Detection punishes; respawn closes the loop and teaches.