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

Install Fabric Loader (0.15.6 or newer) for Minecraft 1.20.1.
Install Fabric API (0.92.0+1.20.1 or newer).
Download the mod JAR file.
Place the JAR into your .minecraft/mods folder (or server mods folder).
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

Make sure the mod is enabled in the config (enabled: true).
Check that the specific mob type is enabled (e.g., zombieAdaptationEnabled: true).
Verify you have enough combat actions recorded (minActionsForAdaptation default is 10).
Check your combat ratios meet the thresholds (e.g., 60% melee for melee adaptations).
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.