Directional Combat

Directional Combat is a dynamic directional melee system for Minecraft Fabric where every attack's effectiveness depends on your position, weapon, and timing. Strike from behind for devastating backstabs, stagger foes with side attacks, or break through defenses with overhead blows. Every hit shapes the flow of battle, unlocking combo bonuses, special effects, and unique mob interactions.

Key Features

• Directional Damage — Backstab, Side Strike, and Frontal Guard, each with unique multipliers, armor effects, and knockback.
• Vertical Combat — Overhead and underfoot attacks grant bonus or reduced damage.
• Combo System — Chain hits for escalating damage and finisher effects.
• Mob Specialization — Optional per-mob vulnerabilities and resistances (e.g., zombies, golems, skeletons).
• Weapon Type Bonuses — Swords, axes, and more each excel at different attack types.
• Parry & Exhaustion (Optional) — Parry windows, damage reflection, and hunger costs for advanced play.
• Sound & Particle Feedback — Directional audio cues and particles for hits, combos, and blocks.
• Combat Statistics — Per-player stats tracked and viewable in-game.
• Fully Configurable — Every multiplier, threshold, and toggle is exposed in the config file.

How It Works

Directional Hits

Every melee attack is classified by angle:

Vertical Attacks

Combo System

Consecutive hits build a combo multiplier:

• Up to 5x combo stack
• +2% damage per combo level
• Variety bonus for mixing attack types
• Special sound/particle on finisher

Mob Specialization & Weapon Types

• Optional per-mob bonuses (e.g., zombies take more from backstabs)
• Weapon classes (sword, axe, etc.) have unique strengths for each attack type

Parry & Exhaustion

• Parry window (configurable ticks) reflects damage if timed right
• Special attacks (backstab, overhead, combos) cost hunger

Passive Effects by Attack Type

Apex Abilities

At max combo, trigger a finisher:

Mob Perception & Specialization

Optional: Certain mobs have unique vulnerabilities or resistances to attack types (see config for details).

The Fracture System

Not present in Directional Combat. (No soul fracture mechanic.)

Momentum System

Combo system acts as momentum: consecutive hits increase damage up to a cap, resets on timeout.

Anti-Grinder Protection

Not present in Directional Combat. (No anti-grinder system.)

Commands

All commands are under /dircombat (alias /dc):

Visual Indicators

Configuration

Config file location: .minecraft/config/directional-combat.json

{
	"globalEnabled": true,
	"backstabDamageMultiplier": 1.15,
	"backstabArmorPenetration": 0.10,
	"backstabKnockbackReduction": 0.3,
	"sideStrikeDamageMultiplier": 1.05,
	"sideStrikeKnockbackIncrease": 0.15,
	"sideStrikeStaggerChance": 0.10,
	"frontalGuardDamageReduction": 0.90,
	"frontalGuardArmorBonus": 0.05,
	"frontalGuardShieldBonus": 0.10,
	"verticalAttacksEnabled": true,
	"overheadDamageMultiplier": 1.12,
	"underfootDamageReduction": 0.92,
	"weaponTypeBonusesEnabled": true,
	"comboSystemEnabled": true,
	"comboTimeoutMs": 3000,
	"maxComboCount": 5,
	"comboBaseDamageBonus": 0.02,
	"comboVarietyBonus": 0.01,
	"maxComboMultiplier": 1.15,
	"soundFeedbackEnabled": true,
	"soundVolume": 0.7,
	"statisticsTrackingEnabled": true,
	"mobSpecializationEnabled": false,
	"parrySystemEnabled": false,
	"parryWindowTicks": 5,
	"parryDamageReflection": 0.25,
	"parryStaminaCost": 0.15,
	"exhaustionEnabled": true,
	"backstabExhaustion": 0.3,
	"comboExhaustion": 0.1,
	"overheadExhaustion": 0.2
}

Installation

1. Install Fabric Loader (0.15.0 or newer) for Minecraft 1.20.1.
2. Install Fabric API (compatible with 1.20.1).
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/directional-combat
cd directional-combat
./gradlew build

The compiled JAR will be in build/libs/.

For development:

./gradlew runClient    # Run Minecraft client
./gradlew runServer    # Run dedicated server

Requirements

Troubleshooting

Directional effects not working

1. Check that globalEnabled is true in the config.
2. Ensure mixins are applied (check logs).
3. Verify you are using a supported Fabric/Minecraft version.

Combos not applying

1. Ensure comboSystemEnabled is true.
2. Check that server tick events are running.

Sounds/particles missing

1. Confirm soundFeedbackEnabled is true.
2. Ensure server allows particle spawning.

Mob specializations not working

1. Set mobSpecializationEnabled to true.
2. Check per-mob config values.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.