Last Update: 2023-07-06

Character Prefabs

Character prefabs define the playable characters in Don't Starve Together. Each character has unique abilities, stats, and gameplay mechanics that differentiate them from one another.

Character Creation

All playable characters are created using the MakePlayerCharacter function from the player_common.lua module. This function handles the common setup for all player characters, while allowing each character to define their unique aspects.

A typical character prefab structure looks like this:

local MakePlayerCharacter = require("prefabs/player_common")

local assets = {
    -- Character-specific assets
    Asset("ANIM", "anim/player_basic.zip"),
    Asset("ANIM", "anim/player_idles_wilson.zip"),
    -- Other assets...
}

local prefabs = {
    -- Character-specific prefabs
    "beardhair",  -- Wilson-specific
}

-- Items the character starts with
local start_inv = {}
for k, v in pairs(TUNING.GAMEMODE_STARTING_ITEMS) do
    start_inv[string.lower(k)] = v.WILSON  -- Replace WILSON with the character name
end

-- Common initialization (runs on both client and server)
local function common_postinit(inst)
    -- Add character-specific tags
    inst:AddTag("bearded")     -- Wilson-specific
    
    -- Set up character-specific network variables and client-side behaviors
    -- This runs on both client and server
}

-- Master (server-side) initialization
local function master_postinit(inst)
    -- Set starting inventory
    inst.starting_inventory = start_inv[TheNet:GetServerGameMode()]
    
    -- Add and configure character-specific components
    inst:AddComponent("beard")
    
    -- Set up character-specific stats
    inst.components.health:SetMaxHealth(150)
    inst.components.hunger:SetMax(150)
    inst.components.sanity:SetMax(200)
    
    -- Add special abilities and behaviors
}

-- Return the character prefab
return MakePlayerCharacter("wilson", prefabs, assets, common_postinit, master_postinit)

Core Character Properties

All characters have these base properties:

Property	Description
Health	The character's maximum health points
Hunger	The character's maximum hunger points
Sanity	The character's maximum sanity points
Damage Multiplier	Affects damage dealt by the character
Hunger Rate	How quickly the character gets hungry
Night Vision	Whether the character can see better at night
Diet	What types of food the character can eat

Unique Character Mechanics

Characters often have unique components, tags, or mechanics that define their gameplay:

-- Wilson's beard mechanics
inst:AddComponent("beard")
inst.components.beard.insulation_factor = TUNING.WILSON_BEARD_INSULATION_FACTOR
inst.components.beard:AddCallback(BEARD_DAYS[1], OnGrowShortBeard)
inst.components.beard:AddCallback(BEARD_DAYS[2], OnGrowMediumBeard)
inst.components.beard:AddCallback(BEARD_DAYS[3], OnGrowLongBeard)

-- Willow's fire immunity
inst.components.health.fire_damage_scale = 0
inst:AddComponent("pyromaniac")

-- Wolfgang's mighty form
inst:AddComponent("strongman")
inst.components.strongman:SetStrengthMultiplier(1.5)

Character Animation

Characters use various animation states to represent their actions:

-- Set up character animation
inst.AnimState:SetBank("wilson")
inst.AnimState:SetBuild("wilson")
inst.AnimState:PlayAnimation("idle")

-- Custom idle animations
inst.AnimState:AddOverrideBuild("player_idles_wilson")

Character-specific Events

Characters often have event handlers for unique gameplay mechanics:

-- Listen for events
inst:ListenForEvent("startfiredamage", OnStartFireDamage)
inst:ListenForEvent("stopfiredamage", OnStopFireDamage)
inst:ListenForEvent("hungerdelta", OnHungerDelta)

Skill Trees

In newer updates, characters have skill trees that provide progression paths:

-- Initialize skill tree
inst:AddComponent("skilltreeupdater")
inst.components.skilltreeupdater:SetSkillTreeFn("wilson")

Starting Items

Characters usually have default starting items defined in their prefab:

-- Default starting items for all game modes
local start_inv = {
    default = {
        "flint",
        "flint",
        "twigs",
        "twigs",
    },
    -- Game mode specific items
    survival = {
        "flint",
        "flint",
        "twigs",
        "twigs",
    },
}

Example: Wilson's Character Prefab

Wilson is the default character and has a beard mechanic that provides insulation against cold:

local function master_postinit(inst)
    -- Starting items
    inst.starting_inventory = start_inv[TheNet:GetServerGameMode()]

    -- Custom idle animation
    inst.customidleanim = "idle_wilson"

    -- Food affinity (bonus from specific foods)
    inst.components.foodaffinity:AddPrefabAffinity("baconeggs", TUNING.AFFINITY_15_CALORIES_HUGE)

    -- Beard mechanic
    inst:AddComponent("beard")
    inst.components.beard.onreset = OnResetBeard
    inst.components.beard.prize = "beardhair"
    inst.components.beard.is_skinnable = true
    inst.components.beard:AddCallback(BEARD_DAYS[1], OnGrowShortBeard)
    inst.components.beard:AddCallback(BEARD_DAYS[2], OnGrowMediumBeard)
    inst.components.beard:AddCallback(BEARD_DAYS[3], OnGrowLongBeard)

    -- Drop beard contents on death
    inst.EmptyBeard = EmptyBeard
    inst:ListenForEvent("death", EmptyBeard)

    -- Handle when beard is shaved
    inst:ListenForEvent("shaved", OnShaved)
end

Character Creation​

Core Character Properties​

Unique Character Mechanics​

Character Animation​

Character-specific Events​

Skill Trees​

Starting Items​

Example: Wilson's Character Prefab​