Findfarmplant

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-03

Overview

FindFarmPlant is a behavior node used in the DST AI system to locate and move toward a farm plant that meets specific criteria. It is typically part of a larger AI behavior tree, used by characters or entities that tend crops (e.g., Bee Queen or Willow's Chicken Coop AI). The node identifies a target plant within a fixed radius (SEE_DIST = 20) based on proximity to a dynamic follow position, tending eligibility, and desired stress state (happy or stressed). Once a valid target is found, it issues a walk action to reach the plant.

The component relies on the farmplantstress, growable, and locomotor components, and integrates with DST's buffered action system for locomotion control.

Usage example

-- Example: Create a behavior task to find and move toward a stressed farm plant
local findFarmPlantNode = FindFarmPlant(inst, ACTIONS.TEND, true, nil, nil)

-- In a behavior tree:
-- myTree:ReplaceNode("find_target", findFarmPlantNode)

Dependencies & tags

Components used: farmplantstress, growable, locomotor
Tags: farmplantstress (required), farm_plant_killjoy (excluded)

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
inst	Entity	—	The entity owning this behavior node (e.g., the character tending plants).
wantsstressed	boolean	false	Whether the target plant must be stressed (stressors.happiness == true) or happy (false).
action	ACTIONS	—	The action to perform upon reaching the target (e.g., ACTIONS.TEND).
getfollowposfn	function	genericfollowposfn	Callback returning the reference position for proximity checks; defaults to inst:GetPosition().
validplantfn	function | nil	nil	Optional custom filter function (entity, plant) → boolean to further validate candidate plants.
planttarget	Entity | nil	nil	Publicly readable target plant selected during PickTarget().

Main functions

PickTarget()

• Description: Locates and assigns a suitable farm plant to self.inst.planttarget. Uses FindEntity to search within SEE_DIST for a plant with the required components and stress state, excluding those with the farm_plant_killjoy tag.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing (modifies self.inst.planttarget internally).
• Error states: None; may leave planttarget as nil if no valid plant is found.

Visit()

• Description: The core behavior logic executed each frame. In READY state, it calls PickTarget() and initiates locomotion toward the plant. In RUNNING state, it verifies the target remains valid and checks the stress condition—succeeding if the plant's stress state matches wantsstressed, or failing if the plant is invalid or no longer nearby.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing (updates self.status to RUNNING, SUCCESS, or FAILED).
• Error states: Returns early if status is neither READY nor RUNNING. Failure conditions include: target loss, invalidity, out-of-range, invalid validplantfn result, non-tendable growth stage, or stress mismatch.

DBString()

• Description: Returns a debug string identifying the current target plant, used in AI debug overlays.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: string – e.g., "Go to farmplant abigail".

Events & listeners

None.