Genre: MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)

Expert blueprint for MOBAs emphasizing competitive balance and strategic depth.

NEVER Do

• NEVER client-side damage calculation — Client says "I cast Q at direction V", server calculates damage. Otherwise hacking trivializes game.
• NEVER ignore snowballing — Winning team gets too strong. Implement comeback mechanics (kill bounties, catchup XP).
• NEVER pathfind all minions every frame — 100+ minions cause lag. Time-slice pathfinding over multiple frames.
• NEVER sync position every frame — Use client-side prediction. Sync position corrections at 10-20Hz, not 60Hz.
• NEVER forget minion avoidance — Enable NavigationAgent3D.avoidance_enabled so minions flow around each other, not stack.

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Available Scripts

MANDATORY: Read the appropriate script before implementing the corresponding pattern.

skill_shot_indicator.gd

Mouse-following skillshot telegraph. Draws rectangular indicator, rotates toward cursor in _physics_process for ability range preview.

tower_priority_aggro.gd

Tower target priority stack: heroes-attacking-allies > minions > heroes. Deterministic targeting with closest-distance tiebreaker.

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Core Loop

1. Lane: Player farms minions for gold/XP in a designated lane.
2. Trade: Player exchanges damage with opponent hero.
3. Gank: Player roams to other lanes to surprise enemies.
4. Push: Team destroys towers to open the map.
5. End: Destroy the enemy Core/Nexus.

Skill Chain

Phase	Skills	Purpose
1. Control	rts-controls	Right-click to move, A-move, Stop
2. AI	godot-navigation-pathfinding	Minion waves, Tower aggro logic
3. Combat	godot-ability-system, godot-rpg-stats	QWER abilities, cooldowns, scaling
4. Network	godot-multiplayer-networking	Authority, lag compensation, prediction
5. Map	godot-3d-world-building	Lanes, Jungle, River, Bases

Architecture Overview

1. Lane Manager

Spawns waves of minions periodically.

# lane_manager.gd
extends Node

@export var lane_path: Path3D
@export var spawn_interval: float = 30.0
var timer: float = 0.0

func _process(delta: float) -> void:
    timer -= delta
    if timer <= 0:
        spawn_wave()
        timer = spawn_interval

func spawn_wave() -> void:
    # Spawn 3 Melee, 3 Ranged, 1 Cannon (every 3rd wave)
    for i in range(3):
        spawn_minion(MeleeMinion, lane_path)
        await get_tree().create_timer(1.0).timeout

2. Minion AI

Simple but follows strict rules.

# minion_ai.gd
extends CharacterBody3D

enum State { MARCH, COMBAT }
var current_target: Node3D

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    match state:
        State.MARCH:
            move_along_path()
            scan_for_enemies()
        State.COMBAT:
            if is_instance_valid(current_target):
                attack(current_target)
            else:
                state = State.MARCH

3. Tower Aggro Logic

The most misunderstood mechanic by new players.

# tower.gd
func _on_aggro_check() -> void:
    # Priority 1: Enemy Hero attacking Ally Hero
    var hero_target = check_for_hero_aggro()
    if hero_target:
        current_target = hero_target
        return

    # Priority 2: Closest Minion
    # Priority 3: Closest Hero

Key Mechanics Implementation

Click-to-Move (RTS Style)

Raycasting from camera to terrain.

func _unhandled_input(event: InputEvent) -> void:
    if event.is_action_pressed("move"):
        var result = raycast_from_mouse()
        if result:
            nav_agent.target_position = result.position

Ability System (Data Driven)

Defining "Fireball" or "Hook" without unique scripts for everything.

# ability_data.gd
class_name Ability extends Resource
@export var cooldown: float
@export var mana_cost: float
@export var damage: float
@export var effect_scene: PackedScene

Godot-Specific Tips

• NavigationAgent3D: Use avoidance_enabled for minions so they flow around each other like water, rather than stacking.
• MultiplayerSynchronizer: Sync Health, Mana, and Cooldowns. Do NOT sync position every frame if using Client-Side Prediction (advanced).
• Fog of War: Use a SubViewport with a fog texture. Paint "holes" in the texture where allies are. Project this texture onto the terrain shader.

Common Pitfalls

1. Snowballing: Winning team gets too strong too fast. Fix: Implement "Comeback XP/Gold" mechanisms (bounties).
2. Pathfinding Lag: 100 minions pathing every frame. Fix: Distribute pathfinding updates over multiple frames (Time Slicing).
3. Hacking: Client says "I dealt 1000 damage". Fix: Client says "I cast Spell Q at Direction V". Server calculates damage.

Reference

• Master Skill: godot-master