Changelog

v0.5.0 — Initial Release

Core Systems

• NPC companion spawning (1-15 protectors) using cloned Player prefab with fresh Humanoid + BaseAI
• State machine: Awaiting, Following, MovingTo, Attacking, Holding
• Summoning ritual: protectors spawn kneeling in parade grid, activate on equipment application
• NavMesh pathfinding with direct-movement fallback for stuck paths
• Smart teleport when protectors fall 40+ meters behind
• Cloth physics reset on teleport to prevent cape warping

Formations

• 6 formation types: Diamond, Line, Wedge, Shield Wall, Circle, Parade
• Diamond scales from 1-15 with ring-based slot placement
• Parade auto-holds protectors at attention on arrival
• Instant reposition on formation switch

Movement & AI

• Walk-default following with distance-based run catch-up
• Perlin noise drift for organic, human-like movement
• Per-protector reaction delay (point man fast, flankers relaxed)
• Settle hysteresis to prevent idle fidgeting
• Player avoidance steering (protectors go around you, not through you)
• Hard repulsion zone to prevent clipping into player model
• Swimming support with direct movement (no NavMesh in water)

Equipment

• Full equipment system: Head, Chest, Legs, Cape, Weapon, Offhand
• Runtime ObjectDB scan — supports all items including modded gear
• Cape color variants (Linen Cape: 10 colors, Lox Cape: 3 variants)
• Save/Load/Delete up to 3 outfit presets
• Default loadout: Flametal armor, red Linen Cape, Splitnir, Flametal Shield
• Equipment browse mode with scrollable item lists

Weapon Display

• Weapon draw/sheathe synced with player's R key
• Per-frame VisEquipment sync to display back-mounted weapons
• ZDO-based fallback for equipment visual state
• Explicit back-item/hand-item push via reflection

Combat

• Auto-defend toggle (12m scan range)
• Max weapon proficiency (GetSkillFactor = 1.0)
• Friendly fire prevention (Harmony patches on IsEnemy + Damage)
• Attack command via crosshair targeting

Voice Barks

• 100 random spawn barks (medieval humor, groveling, confused)
• 100 random equip barks (hyped, loyal, over-the-top)
• Speech bubbles above protector heads via Valheim's NPC text system
• Staggered random delays so barks feel natural

GUI

• Dark warrior aesthetic panel with golden glow border and blood-rope trim
• Formation selector (2 rows of buttons)
• Equipment browser with per-slot dropdown
• Outfit save/load/delete rows
• Cinematic keybinds: F9 (Attack/Move), F10 (Follow), F11 (Hold)
• Minimap pins for all protectors (P1, P2, P3...)

Technical

• BepInEx plugin framework (net462)
• Harmony patches for game integration
• Reflection-based access to protected Humanoid/VisEquipment members
• Prefab registered with ZNetScene for networking
• Non-persistent ZDOs (protectors are ephemeral, despawn on logout)
• Try-catch wrapped UpdateAI to prevent silent AI death