Skill Levels

Overview

Three skill levels adjust enemy difficulty, energy drain rate, and enemy speed. Stored as m_skill in CDecor; set via WM_PHASE_SKILL1 / WM_PHASE_SKILL2.

Levels

`m_skill`	Level	Description
0	Easy	Slower enemies, less energy drain, more forgiving timing
1	Normal	Balanced difficulty
2	Hard	Faster enemies, faster energy drain, more aggressive AI

Effect on Gameplay

The skill level affects: - Energy drain rate per tick - Enemy movement speed - Enemy search radius for targets - Some GOAL_* sequences have skill-based branches via GOAL_SKIPSKILL

`GOAL_SKIPSKILL` Opcode

GOAL_SKIPSKILL, skill, d

skill = level to match (0, 1, or 2)
d = number of opcodes to skip if current m_skill matches skill

This allows mission designers to create skill-specific behaviour in goal sequences. For example, on Easy difficulty, an enemy might skip an aggressive attack step.

API

void CDecor::SetSkill(int skill);  // set skill level (0–2)
int  CDecor::GetSkill();           // get current skill level

The skill level is saved in DescFile.skill in the world file.

Selection Screen

The player selects difficulty before starting a mission:

WM_PHASE_SKILL1 — first selection screen (typically Easy/Normal options)
WM_PHASE_SKILL2 — second screen (typically Hard option or confirmation)

These phases display the background image image/stop000.blp (or similar) with the appropriate buttons.