Random Spawners
Note
This guide was originally written by developer timothymtorres for /tg/, and has been adapted for Paradise.
Random spawners are an organized tool primarily for mapping to enhance replayability. The spawners can create objects, effects, and structures with different tweakable settings to get the desired outcome. You can make a spawner determine direction, rarity, number of items to spawn, pixel spacing between items, and even spread it over a large tile radius. This lets you control the atmosphere of a location. You could for instance spawn different piles of trash in maint or spawn decoration items for a room to give it more randomized flavor. The choice is yours!
Variables
The following variables are defined in
code/game/objects/effects/spawners/random/random_spawner.dm
that control how a
spawner works.
Var | Description |
---|---|
loot |
A list of possible items to spawn e.g. list(/obj/item, /obj/structure, /obj/effect) |
loot_type_path |
This combines the subtypes and type list with the loot list. |
loot_subtype_path |
This combines only the subtypes (excludes the loot_subtype_path ) with the loot list. |
spawn_loot_count |
How many items will be spawned. |
spawn_loot_double |
If the same item can be spawned twice from the loot list. |
spawn_loot_split |
Whether the items should have staggered pixel offsets. This overrides pixel_x/y on the spawner itself. |
spawn_all_loot |
Whether the spawner should spawn all the loot in the list (ignores spawn_loot_count ). |
spawn_loot_chance |
The chance for the spawner to create loot (ignores spawn_loot_count ). |
spawn_scatter_radius |
Determines how big of a range (in tiles) we should scatter things in. |
These variables are set to the following default values for the base object that all objects inherit from:
/// these three loot values are all empty
var/list/loot
var/loot_type_path
var/loot_subtype_path
var/spawn_loot_count = 1 // by default one item will be selected from the loot list
var/spawn_loot_double = TRUE // by default duplicate items CAN be spawned from the loot list
var/spawn_loot_split = FALSE // by default items will NOT spread out on the same tile
var/spawn_all_loot = FALSE // by default the spawner will only spawn the number of items set in spawn_loot_count
var/spawn_loot_chance = 100 // by default the spawner has a 100% chance to spawn the item(s)
var/spawn_scatter_radius = 0 // by default the spawner will spawn the items ONLY on the tile it is on
However there are some categories that overwrite these default values so pay
attention to the folder or category you group your spawner in. For instance the
obj/effect/spawner/random/techstorage
category overwrites the spawn_all_loot
and the spawn_loot_split
variables.
/obj/effect/spawner/random/research
name = "generic research item spawner"
spawn_loot_split = TRUE
spawn_all_loot = TRUE
This means any spawner you create under the tech_storage
subtype will also
have those variables set to that by default. This can be overridden quite easily
just be resetting the variables back to the normal state like so:
/obj/effect/spawner/random/research/data_disk
name = "data disk spawner"
spawn_all_loot = FALSE // now our loot won't all be spawned
loot = list(
/obj/item/disk/data = 49,
/obj/item/disk/nuclear/fake/obvious = 1,
)
Template
All the random spawners follow the same template format to keep things consistent and unison.
/obj/effect/spawner/random/INSERT_SPAWNER_GROUP/INSERT_SPAWNER_NAME
name = "INSERT_SPAWNER_NAME spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/PATH/INSERT_OBJ_1,
/obj/item/PATH/INSERT_OBJ_2,
/obj/item/PATH/INSERT_OBJ_3,
)
All the capitalized code is the parts where you are supposed to swap out with your objects like so:
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench,
/obj/item/wirecutters,
/obj/item/crowbar,
)
Find the path to different objects and add them to the list but try to be consistent with the types of the object and the spawner. For example, a tool spawner shouldn’t have a emag in the loot list!
Probability
Be aware that the loot
list uses a weighted chance formula to determine
probability. So if there are no numbers set in the loot
list then each object
defaults to 1 and has the same probability to be selected. For our above example
for the /obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
spawner, each item has a
1/3 chance to be spawned. But if we rearranged the values to this:
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench = 2,
/obj/item/wirecutters = 1,
/obj/item/crowbar = 1,
)
Then now wrench
has a 50% chance of being spawned (2/4), wirecutters
has a
25% chance of being spawned (1/4), and crowbar
also has a 25% chance of being
spawned (1/4). If we add another item into the mix then we get the following:
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench = 2,
/obj/item/wirecutters = 1,
/obj/item/crowbar = 1,
/obj/item/weldingtool = 1,
)
wrench
is 40% (2/5), wirecutters
is 20% (1/5), crowbar
is 20% (1/5), and
weldingtool
is 20% (1/5). A weighted list has the advantage of not needing to
update every item in the list when adding a new item. If the list was based on a
straight percent values, then each new item would require to manually go and
edit all the items in the list. For big lists that would become very tedious.
This is why we use weighted lists to determine probability!
Style
Here are some simple guidelines that you should stick to when making a new spawner:
If all items have the same chance, do not specify weights
Do not put /obj/item = 1
unless other items have different spawn chances.
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench = 2,
/obj/item/wirecutters = 1,
/obj/item/crowbar = 1,
/obj/item/weldingtool = 1,
)
or:
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench,
/obj/item/wirecutters,
/obj/item/crowbar,
/obj/item/weldingtool,
)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench = 1,
/obj/item/wirecutters = 1,
/obj/item/crowbar = 1,
/obj/item/weldingtool = 1,
)
Sort the list from highest probability to lowest
Sort from top to bottom. The rarest items for your spawner should be at the bottom of the list.
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/contraband/armory
name = "armory loot spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol = 8,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/shotgun/automatic/combat = 5,
/obj/item/storage/box/syndie_kit/throwing_weapons = 3,
/obj/item/grenade/clusterbuster/teargas = 2,
/obj/item/grenade/clusterbuster = 2,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol/deagle = 1,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/revolver/mateba = 1,
)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/random/contraband/armory
name = "armory loot spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/storage/box/syndie_kit/throwing_weapons = 3,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol = 8,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/revolver/mateba = 1,
/obj/item/grenade/clusterbuster/teargas = 2,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol/deagle = 1,
/obj/item/grenade/clusterbuster = 2,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/shotgun/automatic/combat = 5,
)
Always put the loot
list at the bottom of your spawner
This is just to keep things organized.
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/food_or_drink/donkpockets
name = "donk pocket box spawner"
spawn_loot_double = FALSE
loot = list(
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketspicy,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketteriyaki,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketpizza,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketberry,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpockethonk,
)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/random/food_or_drink/donkpockets
name = "donk pocket box spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketspicy,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketteriyaki,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketpizza,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpocketberry,
/obj/item/storage/box/donkpockets/donkpockethonk,
)
spawn_loot_double = FALSE
Always put a comma at the last item in the loot
list
This will make it easier for people to add items to your spawner later without getting frustrating code errors.
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench,
/obj/item/wirecutters,
/obj/item/crowbar,
)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench,
/obj/item/wirecutters,
/obj/item/crowbar // <-- missing comma
)
Keep the same tab formatting for the loot
list (unless there is only one item)
Again, this is just good code organization. If there is only one item, then
encase that item in loot = list(item)
.
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench,
/obj/item/wirecutters,
/obj/item/crowbar,
)
or
/obj/effect/spawner/random/structure/crate_abandoned
icon = 'icons/effects/landmarks_static.dmi'
icon_state = "loot_site"
spawn_loot_chance = 20
loot = list(/obj/structure/closet/crate/secure/loot)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/wrench,
/obj/item/wirecutters,
/obj/item/crowbar,
)
or
/obj/effect/spawner/random/engineering/tools
name = "Tool spawner"
loot = list(/obj/item/wrench,
/obj/item/wirecutters,
/obj/item/crowbar,
)
Try to keep the total combined weight of your loot
list to sane values (Aim for 5, 10, 20, 50, or 100)
This makes the math probability easier for people to calculate (this is recommended, but not always possible).
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/trash/cigbutt
name = "cigarette butt spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/cigbutt = 65,
/obj/item/cigbutt/roach = 20,
/obj/item/cigbutt/cigarbutt = 15,
)
Also good:
/obj/effect/spawner/random/trash/botanical_waste
name = "botanical waste spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/grown/bananapeel = 6,
/obj/item/grown/corncob = 3,
/obj/item/food/grown/bungopit = 1,
)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/random/entertainment/money_large
name = "large money spawner"
loot = list(
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c1 = 521,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c10 = 378,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c20 = 212,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c50 = 205,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c100 = 71,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c200 = 60,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c500 = 57,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c1000 = 41,
/obj/item/stack/spacecash/c10000 = 12,
)
Do not put empty items in the loot list
Instead use the spawn_loot_chance
var to control the chance for the spawner to
spawn nothing.
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/structure/crate_abandoned
name = "locked crate spawner"
spawn_loot_chance = 20
loot = list(/obj/structure/closet/crate/secure/loot)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/lootdrop/crate_spawner
name = "lootcrate spawner"
loot = list(
"" = 80
/obj/structure/closet/crate/secure/loot = 20,
)
Avoid making a spawner that is a duplicate
We don’t want copy-cat spawners that are almost identical. Instead merge spawners together if possible.
Good
/obj/effect/spawner/random/contraband/armory
name = "armory loot spawner"
icon_state = "pistol"
loot = list(
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol = 8,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/shotgun/automatic/combat = 5,
/obj/item/storage/box/syndie_kit/throwing_weapons = 3,
/obj/item/grenade/clusterbuster/teargas = 2,
/obj/item/grenade/clusterbuster = 2,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol/deagle,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/revolver/mateba,
)
Bad
/obj/effect/spawner/lootdrop/armory_contraband
loot = list(
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol = 8,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/shotgun/automatic/combat = 5,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol/deagle,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/revolver/mateba
)
/obj/effect/spawner/lootdrop/armory_contraband/metastation
loot = list(
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol = 8,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/shotgun/automatic/combat = 5,
/obj/item/storage/box/syndie_kit/throwing_weapons = 3,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/automatic/pistol/deagle,
/obj/item/gun/ballistic/revolver/mateba
)