Last Update: 2023-07-06

Creature Prefabs

Creature prefabs define the non-player entities that populate the world of Don't Starve Together, including animals, monsters, bosses, and other living beings.

Creature Creation

Creatures in Don't Starve Together are entities that typically have components like health, locomotion, combat, and AI brains. Here's a typical structure for a creature prefab:

local assets = {
    Asset("ANIM", "anim/beefalo_basic.zip"),
    Asset("ANIM", "anim/beefalo_actions.zip"),
    Asset("SOUND", "sound/beefalo.fsb"),
}

local prefabs = {
    "meat",
    "poop",
    "beefalowool",
    "horn",
}

-- Define the creature's brain (AI logic)
local brain = require("brains/beefalobrain")

-- Define loot table (what drops when killed)
SetSharedLootTable("beefalo", {
    {"meat",            1.00},
    {"meat",            1.00},
    {"meat",            1.00},
    {"beefalowool",     1.00},
    {"horn",            0.33},
})

-- Define creature sounds
local sounds = {
    walk = "dontstarve/beefalo/walk",
    grunt = "dontstarve/beefalo/grunt",
    yell = "dontstarve/beefalo/yell",
    swish = "dontstarve/beefalo/tail_swish",
    curious = "dontstarve/beefalo/curious",
    angry = "dontstarve/beefalo/angry",
    sleep = "dontstarve/beefalo/sleep",
}

-- Main creation function
local function fn()
    local inst = CreateEntity()

    -- Add required engine components
    inst.entity:AddTransform()
    inst.entity:AddAnimState()
    inst.entity:AddSoundEmitter()
    inst.entity:AddDynamicShadow()
    inst.entity:AddNetwork()

    -- Configure physics
    MakeCharacterPhysics(inst, 100, .5)

    -- Configure animations
    inst.AnimState:SetBank("beefalo")
    inst.AnimState:SetBuild("beefalo_build")
    inst.AnimState:PlayAnimation("idle_loop", true)

    -- Add tags for identification and optimization
    inst:AddTag("animal")
    inst:AddTag("beefalo")
    inst:AddTag("largecreature")

    -- Network setup
    inst.entity:SetPristine()
    if not TheWorld.ismastersim then
        return inst
    end

    -- Add game components
    inst:AddComponent("health")
    inst:AddComponent("combat")
    inst:AddComponent("lootdropper")
    inst:AddComponent("locomotor")
    inst:AddComponent("eater")
    inst:AddComponent("sleeper")
    inst:AddComponent("herdmember")
    
    -- Configure components
    inst.components.health:SetMaxHealth(500)
    inst.components.combat:SetDefaultDamage(40)
    inst.components.locomotor.walkspeed = 2
    inst.components.lootdropper:SetChanceLootTable("beefalo")
    
    -- Set up AI brain
    inst:SetBrain(brain)
    
    -- Set up state graph (animation/behavior states)
    inst:SetStateGraph("SGBeefalo")
    
    return inst
end

return Prefab("beefalo", fn, assets, prefabs)

Core Creature Components

Most creatures have the following essential components:

Component	Purpose
`health`	Manages creature's health and death
`combat`	Handles attacking and being attacked
`lootdropper`	Controls what items drop when killed
`locomotor`	Manages movement and pathfinding
`eater`	Allows creature to consume food
`sleeper`	Controls sleep behavior and cycles

AI Behavior

Creatures use brain scripts and state graphs to define their behavior:

-- Set up the brain (AI logic)
inst:SetBrain(brain)

-- Set up the state graph (states and transitions)
inst:SetStateGraph("SGBeefalo")

The brain file (e.g., beefalobrain.lua) contains the decision-making logic using behavior trees:

local BeefaloBrain = Class(Brain, function(self, inst)
    Brain._ctor(self, inst)
end)

function BeefaloBrain:OnStart()
    local root = PriorityNode({
        WhileNode(function() return self.inst.components.combat.target ~= nil end, "AttackTarget",
            ChaseAndAttack(self.inst, MAX_CHASE_TIME, MAX_CHASE_DIST)),
        WhileNode(function() return self.inst.components.hauntable ~= nil and self.inst.components.hauntable.panic end, "PanicHaunted",
            Panic(self.inst)),
        IfNode(function() return self.inst.components.herdmember and self.inst.components.herdmember:GetHerd() ~= nil end, "HasHerd",
            Follow(self.inst, function() return self.inst.components.herdmember ~= nil and self.inst.components.herdmember:GetHerd() end, MIN_FOLLOW_DIST, MAX_FOLLOW_DIST, MED_FOLLOW_DIST)),
        Wander(self.inst, function() return self.inst.components.knownlocations:GetLocation("herd") end, MAX_WANDER_DIST, {minwalktime=MAX_WANDER_TIME})
    }, .25)
    
    self.bt = BT(self.inst, root)
end

return BeefaloBrain

State Graphs

State graphs define the states and transitions for animations and behavior:

-- Example state from SGBeefalo.lua
local states = {
    State{
        name = "idle",
        tags = {"idle", "canrotate"},
        
        onenter = function(inst)
            inst.Physics:Stop()
            inst.AnimState:PlayAnimation("idle_loop", true)
        end,
    },
    
    State{
        name = "walk",
        tags = {"moving", "canrotate"},
        
        onenter = function(inst)
            inst.components.locomotor:WalkForward()
            inst.AnimState:PlayAnimation("walk", true)
        end,
    },
    
    State{
        name = "attack",
        tags = {"attack", "busy"},
        
        onenter = function(inst)
            inst.components.combat:StartAttack()
            inst.Physics:Stop()
            inst.AnimState:PlayAnimation("atk")
        end,
        
        timeline = {
            TimeEvent(15*FRAMES, function(inst) inst.components.combat:DoAttack() end),
        },
        
        events = {
            EventHandler("animover", function(inst) inst.sg:GoToState("idle") end),
        },
    },
}

Creature Categories

Don't Starve Together features several categories of creatures:

Animals

Neutral or passive creatures that often provide resources:

Beefalo
Rabbits
Birds
Koalefants

Monsters

Hostile creatures that attack the player:

Spiders
Hounds
Tentacles
Shadow Creatures

Bosses

Powerful creatures with special mechanics:

Deerclops
Bearger
Dragonfly
Ancient Guardian

Example: Beefalo Prefab

Beefalo are large, passive animals that can be domesticated:

-- Configure base health and combat
inst.components.health:SetMaxHealth(500)
inst.components.combat:SetDefaultDamage(40)
inst.components.combat:SetRetargetFunction(3, RetargetFn)

-- Set up beefalo-specific components
inst:AddComponent("domesticatable")
inst.components.domesticatable:SetDomesticationTrigger(OnDomesticationTrigger)
inst.components.domesticatable:SetMinObedience(TUNING.BEEFALO_MIN_OBEDIENCE)

-- Make rideable when domesticated
inst:AddComponent("rideable")
inst.components.rideable:SetRequiredObedience(TUNING.BEEFALO_OBEDIENCE_WOBY)
inst.components.rideable:SetSaddleable(true)

-- Set up mating and reproduction
inst:AddComponent("herdmember")
inst:AddComponent("mateable")
inst.components.mateable:SetMateSearchRange(TUNING.BEEFALO_MATING_RANGE)

Specialized Creature Behaviors

Many creatures have unique behaviors implemented through custom components:

-- Spider webspitting
inst:AddComponent("webber")
inst.components.webber:SetWebSpitInterval(3, 5)

-- Tentacle ambush behavior
inst:AddComponent("lureplant")
inst.components.lureplant:SetLureInactiveTime(5)

-- Hound pack behavior
inst:AddComponent("periodicspawner")
inst.components.periodicspawner:SetPrefab("hound")
inst.components.periodicspawner:SetRandomTimes(TUNING.HOUNDMOUND_RELEASE_TIME, 5)

Creature Creation​

Core Creature Components​

AI Behavior​

State Graphs​

Creature Categories​

Animals​

Monsters​

Bosses​

Example: Beefalo Prefab​

Specialized Creature Behaviors​