Cover system (half/full)
A positioning system where terrain grants defensive bonuses, typically at two tiers: half cover (partial protection) and full cover (stronger protection). Attackers' hit chances or damage are reduced against targets in cover, making the battlefield's geometry the core tactical resource. Designers use it to make movement decisions meaningful — every tile has a defensive value, so positioning becomes a puzzle rather than a race to close distance. It also gives level designers a vocabulary for tuning difficulty through layout alone. The main implementation challenges: cover must be readable at a glance (players need icons or silhouettes showing what protects from which direction), the AI has to evaluate cover competently or the system collapses, and destructible cover — a common variation — forces re-evaluation mid-fight. Flanking rules that negate cover are the usual pressure valve preventing turtling.
- Dev effort: Large
- Timing: Real-time or turn-based
- Common in: tactics, shooter
Seen in
- XCOM 2
- Gears of War
- Valkyria Chronicles