Adaptive Mobs

Adaptive Mobs is a behavioral AI mod for Minecraft Fabric that makes hostile mobs learn and adapt to your combat style. Instead of buffing stats, mobs change their tactics based on how you fight, making combat feel fresh and challenging without being unfair.

The goal is emergent, dynamic gameplay where mobs feel intelligent. If you always use a shield, zombies will learn to strafe around it. If you kite with a bow, skeletons will close the distance faster. Every player gets a unique combat experience based on their habits.

Key Features

• Combat pattern tracking - The mod monitors your melee vs ranged ratio, shield usage, jump-crit frequency, movement patterns, weapon preferences, and environmental kills.
• Per-player profiles - Each player has their own combat profile that persists across sessions. Mobs adapt to YOU specifically.
• Rolling behavior decay - Old habits are gradually forgotten, so changing your playstyle will eventually reset mob adaptations.
• Subtle behavioral changes - Mobs adjust timing, movement, and target selection—NOT damage or health.
• 12 adaptive mob types - Zombie, Skeleton, Creeper, Spider, Enderman, Witch, Pillager, Vindicator, Blaze, Ghast, Phantom, and Guardian.
• Pack tactics - Mobs coordinate in groups, assigning roles like Tank, Flanker, Distractor, and Support based on your combat style.
• Location-based difficulty - Mobs adapt more intensely based on depth, dimension, biome, distance from spawn, time of day, and moon phase.
• Visual/audio feedback - See and hear when mobs adapt with vanilla particles and sounds.
• Player commands - View your combat profile, stats, and control mod behavior in-game.
• Multiplayer-safe - Profiles are per-player, so mob adaptations work correctly on servers.
• Fully configurable - Enable/disable per mob type, adjust adaptation strength, learning speed, difficulty scaling, and more.

How It Works

Combat Pattern Tracking

The mod tracks several aspects of how you fight:

Pattern What It Measures Melee vs Ranged Ratio of sword/axe attacks to bow/crossbow attacks Shield Usage How often you block incoming damage Jump Crits Frequency of critical hits from falling Movement Strafing, backpedaling, rushing, circle-strafing Environmental Kills Deaths from fall damage, lava, fire, drowning, cactus Weapon Preference Your favorite weapon type tracked by usage Sprint Attacks How often you sprint before attacking Sneak Attacks Frequency of attacks while sneaking Towering Detection of pillar-up defensive behavior

Player Combat Profiles

Each player maintains a rolling profile of their last 100 combat actions. The profile includes:

• Action weights - How frequently each combat action is used
• Calculated ratios - Melee/ranged preference, shield reliance, etc.
• Movement pattern - Dominant movement style (aggressive, kiting, circle-strafe)

Profiles persist between sessions and gradually decay over time, allowing adaptations to reset if you change your playstyle.

Adaptation Thresholds

Mobs only adapt when your behavior exceeds certain thresholds:

Behavior Default Threshold Triggers When... Melee preference 60% Most of your attacks are melee Ranged preference 60% Most of your attacks are ranged Shield usage 40% You block frequently Jump crits 30% You land critical hits often Environmental kills 20% You use the environment to kill mobs

Mob-Specific Adaptations

Zombies

Your Behavior Zombie Response Heavy shield use Strafes around your shield, waits for openings, can disable shields Ranged attacks Moves slightly faster to close distance Kiting Increased movement speed Circle-strafing Changes attack timing unpredictably

Skeletons

Your Behavior Skeleton Response Aggressive melee Maintains distance, retreats when you get close Shield blocking Strafes to shoot around your shield Kiting May switch to melee when you're close Jump crits Varies shot timing to disrupt your rhythm

Creepers

Your Behavior Creeper Response Aggressive melee Shorter fuse time (faster explosion) Ranged attacks Faster movement, more persistent pursuit Hit-and-run Retreats and resets fuse when hit Kiting Increased movement speed

Spiders

Your Behavior Spider Response Melee combat Enhanced leaping with prediction Ranged attacks Faster movement, aggressive leaping Shield blocking Flanking attacks from the side Jump crits Erratic movement timing

Endermen

Your Behavior Enderman Response Aggressive melee Slightly faster movement Ranged attacks More teleportation behavior Environmental kills Cautious movement near hazards Kiting Frequent repositioning

Witches

Your Behavior Witch Response Aggressive melee Throws slowness potions when you rush Ranged attacks Uses invisibility potions, harder to track Shield blocking Switches to splash potions that bypass shields Low health attacks Prioritizes healing potions

Pillagers

Your Behavior Pillager Response Aggressive melee Maintains distance, rapid repositioning Shield blocking Strafes to shoot around your shield Ranged combat Faster shot timing, prediction shots Kiting Increased movement speed

Vindicators

Your Behavior Vindicator Response Shield blocking Waits for shield to lower, times attacks Kiting Aggressive charge, faster pursuit Aggressive melee Unpredictable attack timing Ranged attacks Closes distance quickly, dodges arrows

Blazes

Your Behavior Blaze Response Aggressive melee Stays airborne, increased altitude Ranged attacks Strafing flight pattern, harder to hit Shield blocking Rapid fire bursts to drain shield Kiting Aggressive pursuit, faster fireball rate

Ghasts

Your Behavior Ghast Response Deflecting fireballs Unpredictable shot timing Ranged attacks Maintains extreme distance Aggressive pursuit Retreats frequently Predictable movement Erratic flight patterns

Phantoms

Your Behavior Phantom Response Ranged attacks Faster dive speed, unpredictable angles Shield blocking Attacks from behind/sides Standing still More aggressive diving Indoors/covered Waits patiently, circles longer

Guardians

Your Behavior Guardian Response Melee combat Maintains distance, uses spikes defensively Ranged attacks Erratic swimming, harder to hit Shield blocking Sustained beam attacks Surface fighting Pulls you underwater when possible

Balance Philosophy

The mod follows strict balance rules:

• No stat changes - Mobs never gain extra damage, health, or armor
• Behavioral only - All adaptations are movement, timing, or target selection changes
• Subtle adjustments - Speed increases are capped at 10-20% maximum
• Reversible - Changing your playstyle will gradually reset adaptations
• Explainable - Every adaptation has a clear cause-and-effect relationship

Pack Tactics

When multiple mobs are near a player, they can coordinate their attacks through the Pack Tactics system. Mobs are assigned roles based on your combat profile:

Role Behavior Assigned When Tank Engages directly, draws your attention You prefer ranged combat Flanker Left/Right Attacks from the sides You use a shield frequently Distractor Harasses from range, keeps you moving You prefer melee combat Rusher Aggressive charge, disrupts positioning You tend to kite Support Provides backup, waits for openings Default fallback role

Pack tactics activate when 3+ hostile mobs are within 16 blocks of a player. The coordination radius and minimum mob count are configurable.

Player Commands

The mod provides several commands for players:

Command Description /am profile View your current combat profile and statistics /am stats View detailed combat statistics and ratios /am reset Reset your combat profile (start fresh) /am debug Toggle debug mode (shows adaptation info in chat) /am toggle Toggle the mod on/off for yourself /am help Show all available commands

All commands require no permissions for players. Operators can use /am reset <player> to reset another player's profile.

Visual & Audio Feedback

When mobs adapt to your combat style, you'll see and hear it:

Visual Feedback (Particles)

Adaptation Particle Effect Mob becomes aggressive Angry villager particles Mob becomes defensive Crit particles Speed increase Enchanted hit particles Special adaptation triggered Witch spell particles

Audio Feedback (Sounds)

Event Sound Effect Adaptation level increased Experience orb pickup Defensive adaptation Shield block sound Aggressive adaptation Wolf growl

Feedback can be disabled in the config if you prefer a more subtle experience.

Location-Based Difficulty Scaling

Mobs adapt more intensely based on where you are:

Factor Effect Depth Deeper underground = stronger adaptations (up to 1.5x at Y=-64) Nether +30% adaptation strength End +50% adaptation strength Distance from Spawn Farther = stronger (up to 1.3x beyond 1000 blocks) Night Time +20% adaptation strength Full Moon Additional +20% adaptation strength Biome Some biomes (deep dark, soul sand valley) have increased difficulty

All scaling factors are configurable and can be disabled independently.

Configuration

Config file location: .minecraft/config/adaptive-mobs.json

The config file is created automatically on first launch:

{ "enabled": true, "zombieAdaptationEnabled": true, "skeletonAdaptationEnabled": true, "creeperAdaptationEnabled": true, "spiderAdaptationEnabled": true, "endermanAdaptationEnabled": true, "witchAdaptationEnabled": true, "pillagerAdaptationEnabled": true, "vindicatorAdaptationEnabled": true, "blazeAdaptationEnabled": true, "ghastAdaptationEnabled": true, "phantomAdaptationEnabled": true, "guardianAdaptationEnabled": true, "adaptationStrength": 1.0, "learningSpeed": 0.1, "decayRate": 0.005, "profileHistorySize": 100, "minActionsForAdaptation": 10, "meleeThreshold": 0.6, "rangedThreshold": 0.6, "shieldThreshold": 0.4, "jumpCritThreshold": 0.3, "environmentalKillThreshold": 0.2, "maxAdaptationLevel": 3, "adaptationCooldownTicks": 100, "packTacticsEnabled": true, "packTacticsMinMobs": 3, "packTacticsRadius": 16.0, "visualFeedbackEnabled": true, "audioFeedbackEnabled": true, "depthScalingEnabled": true, "dimensionScalingEnabled": true, "biomeScalingEnabled": true, "distanceScalingEnabled": true, "timeScalingEnabled": true, "moonPhaseScalingEnabled": true }

Config Options Explained

Option Default Description enabled true Master toggle for the mod

Mob Toggles

Option Default Description zombieAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable zombie adaptations skeletonAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable skeleton adaptations creeperAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable creeper adaptations spiderAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable spider adaptations endermanAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable enderman adaptations witchAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable witch adaptations pillagerAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable pillager adaptations vindicatorAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable vindicator adaptations blazeAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable blaze adaptations ghastAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable ghast adaptations phantomAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable phantom adaptations guardianAdaptationEnabled true Enable/disable guardian adaptations

Core Settings

Option Default Description adaptationStrength 1.0 Multiplier for adaptation intensity (0.5 = half, 2.0 = double) learningSpeed 0.1 How quickly new behaviors are learned decayRate 0.005 How quickly old behaviors are forgotten profileHistorySize 100 Number of recent actions tracked per player minActionsForAdaptation 10 Minimum actions before mobs start adapting maxAdaptationLevel 3 Maximum adaptation tier (affects intensity) adaptationCooldownTicks 100 Ticks between adaptation updates per mob (100 = 5 sec)

Thresholds

Option Default Description meleeThreshold 0.6 Ratio threshold to be considered a "melee player" rangedThreshold 0.6 Ratio threshold to be considered a "ranged player" shieldThreshold 0.4 Usage ratio to be considered a "shield user" jumpCritThreshold 0.3 Ratio threshold for "jump crit user" environmentalKillThreshold 0.2 Ratio threshold for "environmental killer"

Pack Tactics

Option Default Description packTacticsEnabled true Enable mob group coordination packTacticsMinMobs 3 Minimum mobs needed to activate pack tactics packTacticsRadius 16.0 Radius in blocks for pack formation

Feedback

Option Default Description visualFeedbackEnabled true Show particles when mobs adapt audioFeedbackEnabled true Play sounds when mobs adapt

Location Scaling

Option Default Description depthScalingEnabled true Stronger adaptations at lower Y levels dimensionScalingEnabled true Stronger adaptations in Nether/End biomeScalingEnabled true Biome-specific difficulty adjustments distanceScalingEnabled true Stronger adaptations far from spawn timeScalingEnabled true Stronger adaptations at night moonPhaseScalingEnabled true Stronger adaptations during full moon

Multiplayer Compatibility

This mod is server-side but works on both singleplayer and multiplayer:

• Works on singleplayer
• Works on dedicated servers (requires mod on server)
• Works on LAN worlds
• Per-player profiles maintained separately
• Mobs adapt to whoever they're targeting
• Does NOT work client-only (requires server installation)

Player combat profiles are stored server-side and persist between sessions.

Technical Details

Tracked Combat Actions

• MELEE_ATTACK - Sword, axe, or unarmed attack
• RANGED_ATTACK - Bow, crossbow, or trident throw
• SHIELD_BLOCK - Successful shield block
• JUMP_CRIT - Critical hit while falling
• ENVIRONMENTAL_KILL - Mob death from fall, lava, fire, drown, cactus
• STRAFE_LEFT / STRAFE_RIGHT - Lateral movement during combat
• BACK_PEDAL - Moving backward while fighting
• RUSH_FORWARD - Moving toward target aggressively
• CIRCLE_STRAFE - Circular movement pattern
• HIT_AND_RUN - Attack followed by retreat

Advanced Combat Analysis

The mod also tracks more nuanced combat behaviors:

Behavior Detection Method Weapon Preference Most frequently used weapon type in combat Sprint Attack Ratio Percentage of attacks preceded by sprinting Sneak Attack Ratio Percentage of attacks while sneaking Towering Detection Placing blocks directly beneath while in combat Combat Session Length Duration of individual combat encounters

Movement Pattern Detection

The mod analyzes your recent combat movements to identify patterns:

Pattern Detection Criteria Aggressive >40% forward rushing Kiting >40% backpedaling Circle Strafe Balanced left/right strafing (>30% of movement) Neutral No dominant pattern

Installation

1. Install Fabric Loader (0.15.6 or newer) for Minecraft 1.20.1.
2. Install Fabric API (0.92.0+1.20.1 or newer).
3. Download the mod JAR file.
4. Place the JAR into your .minecraft/mods folder (or server mods folder).
5. Launch Minecraft with the Fabric profile.

Building from Source

Clone the repository and run the Gradle build:

git clone https://github.com/AaravVishal1/Adaptive-Mobs cd adaptive-mobs ./gradlew build

The compiled JAR will be in build/libs/.

For development, you can run the client directly:

./gradlew runClient

Or run a dedicated server:

./gradlew runServer

Requirements

Dependency Version Minecraft 1.20.1 Fabric Loader 0.15.6+ Fabric API 0.92.0+1.20.1

Troubleshooting

Mobs aren't adapting

1. Make sure the mod is enabled in the config (enabled: true).
2. Check that the specific mob type is enabled (e.g., zombieAdaptationEnabled: true).
3. Verify you have enough combat actions recorded (minActionsForAdaptation default is 10).
4. Check your combat ratios meet the thresholds (e.g., 60% melee for melee adaptations).
5. Use /am stats to view your current combat profile and verify actions are being tracked.

Adaptations feel too strong

• Reduce adaptationStrength in the config (e.g., 0.5 for half intensity).
• Increase decayRate for faster forgetting of old patterns.
• Disable location scaling options (depthScalingEnabled, dimensionScalingEnabled, etc.).

Adaptations aren't resetting

• Increase decayRate for faster behavior decay.
• Reduce profileHistorySize for shorter memory.
• Use /am reset to manually clear your combat profile.
• Change your combat style consistently for several minutes.

Pack tactics too difficult

• Set packTacticsEnabled to false to disable group coordination.
• Increase packTacticsMinMobs to require more mobs for coordination.
• Reduce packTacticsRadius to limit coordination range.

Too many particles/sounds

• Set visualFeedbackEnabled to false to disable particles.
• Set audioFeedbackEnabled to false to disable sounds.

Performance issues

• Increase adaptationCooldownTicks to reduce how often mobs check for adaptations.
• Disable adaptations for mob types you don't want (set *AdaptationEnabled to false).
• Disable pack tactics if you have many mobs (set packTacticsEnabled to false).
• Disable location scaling for small performance gains.

Data Storage

Player combat profiles are stored in:

• Config: .minecraft/config/adaptive-mobs.json
• Profiles: .minecraft/config/adaptive-mobs-profiles.json

Profiles are saved when players disconnect and when the server stops.