Assets/_Project/Definitions/RunDefinitions/EnemyAbilities/BlinkAbility.asset

@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@ MonoBehaviour:
   m_EditorClassIdentifier: Assembly-CSharp::TD.Gameplay.EnemyAbilities.BlinkAbilityDefinition
   DisplayName: Blink
   Description: Enemies occasionally teleport a short distance ahead.
-  IntervalSeconds: 8
-  BlinkDistanceMeters: 4
+  IntervalSeconds: 4
+  BlinkWaypoints: 2
+  StartJitterSeconds: 1.5

Assets/_Project/Scripts/Gameplay/EnemyAbilities/BlinkAbilityDefinition.cs

@@ -25,22 +25,26 @@ namespace TD.Gameplay.EnemyAbilities
         [Header("Blink")]
         [Tooltip("Seconds between blinks.")]
         [Min(0.1f)]
-        public float IntervalSeconds = 8f;
+        public float IntervalSeconds = 4f;
 
-        [Tooltip("World units to advance along the path per blink.")]
-        [Min(0.1f)]
-        public float BlinkDistanceMeters = 4f;
+        [Tooltip("How many path waypoints to skip per blink. Note that path smoothing can make " +
+                 "one waypoint span several tiles, so this is a coarser dial than it looks.")]
+        [Min(1)]
+        public int BlinkWaypoints = 2;
+
+        [Tooltip("Random spread (seconds) added to each enemy's first blink so a wave doesn't " +
+                 "blink in one synchronized block. Applied once, at spawn.")]
+        [Min(0f)]
+        public float StartJitterSeconds = 1.5f;
 
         public override void ServerOnSpawn(EnemyAbility instance, int abilityIndex)
         {
-            // Seed each enemy's cooldown with a random point within the full interval, as if it
-            // spawned already partway through a cooldown. A small jitter window near zero would
-            // still let a burst of enemies spawned together sync up and blink as a visible cluster
-            // every cycle; spreading across the whole interval avoids that regardless of how
-            // IntervalSeconds is tuned. Done once, here, rather than on the first tick — a tick-time
+            // Seed each enemy's cooldown with a different negative offset so the wave's first
+            // blink is staggered. Done once, here, rather than on the first tick — a tick-time
             // check would have to distinguish "never started" from "just blinked", and both
             // states read as a zero timer.
-            instance.TimerFor(abilityIndex) = -Random.Range(0f, IntervalSeconds);
+            if (StartJitterSeconds > 0f)
+                instance.TimerFor(abilityIndex) = -Random.Range(0f, StartJitterSeconds);
         }
 
         public override void ServerTick(EnemyAbility instance, int abilityIndex, float dt)
@@ -50,7 +54,7 @@ namespace TD.Gameplay.EnemyAbilities
             if (timer < IntervalSeconds) return;
 
             timer = 0f;
-            instance.GetComponent<EnemyMovement>()?.ServerBlinkForward(BlinkDistanceMeters);
+            instance.GetComponent<EnemyMovement>()?.ServerBlinkForward(BlinkWaypoints);
         }
     }
 }

Assets/_Project/Scripts/Gameplay/EnemyMovement.cs

@@ -286,70 +286,39 @@ namespace TD.Gameplay
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Server-only: teleport this enemy forward along its existing path by up to
-        /// <paramref name="meters"/> world units. Used by the Blink wave buff.
+        /// <paramref name="tiles"/> waypoints. Used by the Blink wave buff.
         /// </summary>
         /// <remarks>
         /// <b>Follows the path rather than the straight line to the goal.</b> Jumping toward the
         /// goal as the crow flies would let a grounded enemy blink through walls, which is the
-        /// flying buff's job, not this one. Walking the path keeps the enemy inside the maze —
+        /// flying buff's job, not this one. Skipping waypoints keeps the enemy inside the maze —
         /// it cuts corners, it doesn't ignore them.
         ///
-        /// <para>Distance is measured along the path (waypoint to waypoint), consuming the
-        /// budget one segment at a time, so the landing spot can fall mid-segment rather than
-        /// snapping to a waypoint. This keeps the blink distance predictable regardless of how
-        /// far apart the path's waypoints happen to be — unlike skipping a fixed waypoint count,
-        /// where one blink could span a few tiles or the length of the whole map depending on
-        /// path smoothing.</para>
+        /// <para>Zone tracking still runs on the destination tile, so an enemy that blinks out of
+        /// its origin zone still credits its owner a leak. Skipping that would make the buff a way
+        /// to launder leaks past the no-leak bonus.</para>
         ///
-        /// <para>Zone tracking runs once, on the final landing tile, so an enemy that blinks out
-        /// of its origin zone still credits its owner a leak. Skipping that would make the buff a
-        /// way to launder leaks past the no-leak bonus.</para>
-        ///
-        /// <para>Blinking onto (or past) the final waypoint resolves as a normal goal arrival,
-        /// despawn and life cost included.</para>
+        /// <para>Blinking onto the final waypoint resolves as a normal goal arrival, despawn and
+        /// life cost included.</para>
         /// </remarks>
-        public void ServerBlinkForward(float meters)
+        public void ServerBlinkForward(int tiles)
         {
-            if (!IsServer || meters <= 0f) return;
+            if (!IsServer || tiles <= 0) return;
             if (hasReachedGoal || remainingPath.Count == 0) return;
             if (health != null && health.IsHeld) return;
 
-            float remaining = meters;
-            Vector3 position = transform.position;
-
-            while (remaining > 0f && remainingPath.Count > 0)
-            {
-                Vector3 targetWorld = GridCoordinates.GridToWorld(remainingPath[0]);
-                Vector3 toTarget = targetWorld - position;
-                toTarget.y = 0f;
-                float distance = toTarget.magnitude;
-
-                if (distance <= remaining)
-                {
-                    // Reach this waypoint fully and keep walking the leftover budget
-                    // into the next segment.
-                    remaining -= distance;
-                    position = new Vector3(targetWorld.x, position.y, targetWorld.z);
-                    remainingPath.RemoveAt(0);
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    // Budget runs out partway along this segment.
-                    position += toTarget.normalized * remaining;
-                    remaining = 0f;
-                }
-            }
+            int skip = Mathf.Min(tiles, remainingPath.Count);
+            Vector2Int destination = remainingPath[skip - 1];
+            remainingPath.RemoveRange(0, skip);
 
             // Preserve Y so flyers stay at altitude and grounded pivots don't sink.
-            transform.position = position;
+            Vector3 world = GridCoordinates.GridToWorld(destination);
+            transform.position = new Vector3(world.x, transform.position.y, world.z);
+
+            CheckZoneTransition(destination);
 
             if (remainingPath.Count == 0)
-            {
                 HandleGoalReached();
-                return;
-            }
-
-            CheckZoneTransition(GridCoordinates.WorldToGrid(position));
         }
 
         // ----- Path invalidation ----------------------------------------------