novafarma/NPC_ELECTRICIAN_SPECIFICATION.md

# ⚡ ELECTRICIAN NPC - Complete Specification
## Functional NPC with Repair & Maintenance System

**Date:** January 9, 2026, 20:22 CET  
**Type:** Functional NPC (like Zombie Statistician)  
**Priority:** 🔥 HIGH (adds depth to generator system)

---

## 👷 NPC PROFILE

**Name:** To be determined (suggest: "Marko" or "Elektrik Janez")  
**Role:** Town Electrician  
**Type:** Functional NPC (has job, requires payment)  
**Location:** Generator building (spawns there daily)

---

## 🔧 CORE MECHANICS

### **1. Generator Maintenance**

**Daily Job:**
- NPC walks to generator each day
- Inspects/maintains equipment
- Prevents random breakdowns
- Visual: NPC uses tools, checks panels

**Without Electrician:**
- Generator has 10% breakdown chance per day
- Player must manually repair (costs resources)
- Downtime = no electricity!

**With Electrician:**
- 0% breakdown chance if paid
- Automatic preventive maintenance
- Generator runs smoothly

---

### **2. Repair Services** ⭐ NEW FEATURE!

**Can Repair:**

**A. Generator (Primary Job)**
- Broken generator: 100 coins OR free if employed
- Repair time: Instant if employed, 1 day if hired
- Prevents future breakdowns

**B. Power Grid**
- Damaged power lines: 50 coins
- Broken street lamps: 20 coins each
- Electrical fires: Emergency repair (expensive!)

**C. UV Lights (Basement)**
- Broken UV lights: 30 coins each
- Flickering lights: 10 coins (maintenance)
- Full system check: 50 coins

**D. Other Electrical Items** (Future expansion)
- Town lighting system
- Neon signs (population board)
- Any future electrical buildings

---

### **3. Employment System**

**Hiring:**
- Player can hire Electrician permanently
- Cost: 2 Cekini per day (more than Statistician!)
- Reason: More skilled work

**Benefits When Employed:**
- Free daily generator maintenance
- Free repairs (normal breakdowns)
- Priority response to emergencies
- Prevents major breakdowns

**Without Employment:**
- Pay per repair (expensive!)
- Slower response time
- Can refuse work if not paid enough
- Generator more likely to break

---

### **4. Quest System** (Optional)

**Possible Quests:**

**Q1: "Power to the People"**
- Electrician needs parts for generator upgrade
- Player must find: Copper wire (5), Fuse (2), Motor (1)
- Reward: Generator efficiency +20%, Electrician discount

**Q2: "Emergency Blackout"**
- Generator breaks at night
- Find Electrician (might be at inn/home)
- Pay emergency fee OR have parts
- Reward: Town gratitude, reputation boost

**Q3: "Street Lights Initiative"**
- Electrician wants to upgrade town lighting
- Needs resources: Wire (10), Bulbs (20), Poles (5)
- Reward: Beautiful lit streets, safer town at night

---

## 🎨 ASSETS NEEDED

### **NPC Sprites (11 total):**

**Idle (4 directions):**
- idle_north.png - Looking up
- idle_south.png - Facing down  
- idle_east.png - Facing right
- idle_west.png - Facing left

**Walk (4 directions):**
- walk_north.png - Walking up
- walk_south.png - Walking down
- walk_east.png - Walking right
- walk_west.png - Walking left

**Action (2 poses):**
- action_repair.png - Using tools on generator
- action_inspect.png - Checking electrical panel

**Portrait:**
- portrait.png - Dialogue face (Style 32 noir)

**TOTAL: 11 sprites**

---

### **Equipment/Props:**

**Tools (carried by NPC):**
- Toolbox sprite (1)
- Wire coil (1)
- Multimeter device (1)

**Visual Effects:**
- Electric spark particles (when repairing)
- "Fixed!" indicator

**TOTAL: +5 sprites/effects**

---

### **Character Design:**

**Appearance (Style 32 Dark-Chibi Noir):**
- Blue/grey work overalls
- Tool belt with various tools
- Safety gloves (yellow or rubber)
- Headlamp or cap
- Tired but skilled expression
- Age: 40s-50s (experienced worker)
- Build: Average, practical

**Personality:**
- Professional but gruff
- "Pay me or fix it yourself" attitude
- Secretly cares about town
- Complains about equipment quality
- Loves electrical puns (optional dialogue)

---

## 💬 DIALOGUE SYSTEM

### **Greetings:**

**If Employed:**
- "Generator's running smooth today, Kai."
- "Found a loose wire. Fixed it already."
- "Everything's under control. For now."

**If Not Employed:**
- "Need something fixed? Gonna cost you."
- "Generator's your problem unless you pay me."
- "I could help... for the right price."

---

### **Repair Dialogue:**

**Free Repair (Employed):**
- "Part of the job. Give me 5 minutes."
- "Let me grab my tools..."
- "This should hold... until next time."

**Paid Repair (Not Employed):**
- "That'll be [X] Cekini. Take it or leave it."
- "Emergency rates apply. Double price."
- "Fine, but this is the LAST time I do this cheap."

---

### **Quest Dialogue:**

**Power to the People:**
- "Generator could run better with parts."
- "Copper wire, fuses, a new motor. Get them and I'll upgrade it."
- "Now we're talking! Generator's purring like kitten now."

**Emergency Blackout:**
- "WHAT?! Generator's dead? This is bad..."
- "I need [parts] or [money]. NOW!"
- "Alright, it's fixed. But you owe me a drink."

---

## 🎮 IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS

### **AI Behavior:**

**Daily Routine:**
1. **Morning (8:00):** Wake up, leave home
2. **8:30:** Walk to generator building
3. **9:00-12:00:** Maintenance work (if employed)
4. **12:00:** Lunch break (idle near generator)
5. **13:00-17:00:** Available for repairs
6. **17:30:** Walk to inn/home
7. **18:00+:** Off duty (emergency only)

**Emergency Response:**
- If generator breaks: Appears within 5 minutes (if employed)
- If not employed: Must be found and convinced
- Player can send zombie to fetch him (faster)

---

### **Payment System:**

**Employment Contract:**
- Cost: 2 Cekini/day (auto-deducted each morning)
- If can't pay: NPC quits after 3 days warning
- Can rehire later (might charge more!)

**Per-Service Fees:**
- Generator repair: 100 Cekini
- Power line: 50 Cekini
- UV light: 30 Cekini each
- Emergency (night): 2x price
- Bulk discount: 10% off if 5+ repairs

---

### **Breakdown System:**

**Generator Breakdown Chance:**
- **Without Electrician:**
  - Base: 10% per day
  - Poor fuel: +5% chance
  - Old generator: +10% chance
  - MAX: 25% per day

- **With Electrician (Employed):**
  - Base: 0% (preventive maintenance)
  - Catastrophic failure: 1% (unavoidable)
  - Emergency only

**Breakdown Effects:**
- All electricity off
- Street lamps dark
- UV lights stop
- Basement crops slow down
- Population board not updated
- Town NPCs complain!

---

## 📊 INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SYSTEMS

### **Zombie Statistician Synergy:**

**Both NPCs Create Town Economy:**
- Statistician: 1 Cekin/day (cheap)
- Electrician: 2 Cekini/day (skilled labor)
- Total employment cost: 3 Cekini/day

**Benefits of Both:**
- Population tracking (Statistician)
- Power grid maintenance (Electrician)
- Professional town management
- Player can focus on farming/exploration

---

### **Generator System Enhancement:**

**Without NPC (Original Plan):**
- Player builds generator
- Player adds fuel
- Works automatically
- Random breakdowns (player fixes)

**With NPC (Enhanced Plan):**
- Player builds generator
- Electrician offers to maintain it
- No breakdowns if employed
- Professional repair service
- Quest opportunities

---

## 💰 ECONOMY BALANCE

### **Cost Analysis:**

**Daily Employment (Both NPCs):**
- Statistician: 1 Cekin
- Electrician: 2 Cekini
- **Total: 3 Cekini/day**

**Player Income (Early Game):**
- Farming: ~10 Cekini/day
- Zombie workers: ~5 Cekini/day
- Total: ~15 Cekini/day

**Ratio:** 3/15 = 20% of income  
**Verdict:** Reasonable! Not too expensive.

---

**Mid-Late Game:**
- Income: 50-100+ Cekini/day
- NPC cost: 3 Cekini (negligible)
- Worth it for convenience!

---

## ⏱️ IMPLEMENTATION TIME

### **Time Estimate:**

**NPC Creation:**
- Generate 11 sprites: 30 min
- Implement AI: 1 hour
- Dialogue system: 30 min
- Payment system: 30 min
- **Subtotal: 2.5 hours**

**Repair System:**
- Breakdown mechanics: 1 hour
- Repair interactions: 30 min
- Visual effects: 30 min
- **Subtotal: 2 hours**

**Quest System (Optional):**
- 3 quests: 1.5 hours

**TOTAL:**
- **Basic (NPC + Repairs): 4.5 hours**
- **Full (+ Quests): 6 hours**

---

## 🎯 PRIORITY RECOMMENDATION

### **When to Implement:**

**Option A: Week 1** (with generator system)
- Implement basic NPC + employment
- Skip quests for now
- Time: 2.5 hours
- Benefit: Complete generator system

**Option B: Week 2** (after core mechanics)
- Full implementation (NPC + repairs + quests)
- Time: 6 hours  
- Benefit: Polished feature

**Option C: Faza 2** (town enhancement)
- Add with other town NPCs
- Part of town restoration
- Time: 6 hours
- Benefit: Complete town ecosystem

**MY RECOMMENDATION: Option A**
- Implement basic Electrician NPC with generator in Week 1
- Adds 2.5 hours to Week 1 (still manageable)
- Makes generator system feel complete
- Can add quests later in Faza 2

---

## ✅ FINAL SPECIFICATION SUMMARY

**Electrician NPC - Complete Feature:**

**Core Functions:**
1. ✅ Daily generator maintenance
2. ✅ Repair service (generator, power, UV lights)
3. ✅ Employment system (2 Cekini/day)
4. ✅ Emergency response
5. ⭐ Quest system (optional)

**Assets:**
- 11 NPC sprites (idle, walk, action, portrait)
- 5 tool/effect sprites
- **Total: 16 sprites**

**Time:**
- Basic: 2.5 hours (NPC + employment + basic repairs)
- Full: 6 hours (+ quests + polish)

**Integration:**
- Works with generator system
- Synergy with Zombie Statistician
- Enhances town economy
- Prevents annoying breakdowns!

**Economy:**
- Cost: 2 Cekini/day
- Benefit: No breakdowns + free repairs
- ROI: Excellent (saves time and resources)

---

**Status:** ✅ **SPECIFICATION COMPLETE!**  
**Recommendation:** Add to Week 1 implementation (basic version)  
**Total Impact:** +2.5 hours, +16 sprites, MUCH better gameplay! 🔧⚡