Skip to main content

Beebrain

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

Overview​

BeeBrain defines the behavior tree for bee entities in DST. It orchestrates high-priority threat response (panic), combat tactics (attack while vulnerable or dodge during cooldown), and seasonal/environmental triggers (night, winter, fire at home) to guide bees toward returning to their home. When safe and capable, bees forage for flowers or wander near bee beacons. This brain integrates with components like combat, pollinator, homeseeker, burnable, and knownlocations to make context-aware decisions.

Usage example​

local inst = CreateEntity()
inst:AddBrain("beebrain")
-- BeeBrain automatically initializes and sets up its behavior tree on AddBrain.
-- It leverages components such as `combat` and `pollinator` for decision-making.

Dependencies & tags​

Components used: combat, pollinator, homeseeker, burnable, knownlocations
Tags: Checks beebeacon, INLIMBO; no tags added or removed by this brain.

Properties​

No public properties.

Main functions​

OnStart()​

  • Description: Initializes and assigns the behavior tree (BT) root node to self.bt. The behavior tree prioritizes panic, combat, environmental responses, foraging, and wandering in that order.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: Does not raise errors under normal operation.

OnInitializationComplete()​

  • Description: Records the bee’s initial position as its “home” location in knownlocations component.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: Nothing.

FindBeeBeacon(self)​

  • Description: Locates the nearest valid bee beacon within 30 units, caching the result for up to ~2–3 seconds to avoid repeated expensive searches.
  • Parameters: self (table) — the brain instance.
  • Returns: Entity | nil — the beacon entity if found and valid, otherwise nil.
  • Error states: Returns nil if no beacon is found, or if the previously cached beacon becomes invalid/out of range.

GetBeeBeaconPos(self)​

  • Description: Returns the 3D position of the cached bee beacon.
  • Parameters: self (table) — the brain instance.
  • Returns: Vector | nil — the beacon’s position (x,y,z) or nil if no beacon found.
  • Error states: Returns nil if FindBeeBeacon() returns nil.

IsHomeOnFire(inst)​

  • Description: Checks if the bee’s home entity (via homeseeker.home) exists and is currently burning.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the bee entity.
  • Returns: boolean — true if home is set and burning, otherwise false.

GetRunAwayTarget(inst)​

  • Description: Returns the bee’s current combat target for use in the RunAway behavior.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the bee entity.
  • Returns: Entity | nil — the combat target (from combat.target).

Events & listeners​

None identified.

Behavior tree priorities (executed top to bottom)​

  1. Panic triggers (PanicTrigger, ElectricFencePanicTrigger) — immediate flee if fire or electric fence detected.
  2. Combat — attack if not in cooldown; otherwise, dodge using RunAway.
  3. Home-on-fire panic — flee if home is burning.
  4. Seasonal/environmental return — GoHomeAction if night (in caves), pollinator full, or winter.
  5. Bee beacon wandering — wander near the nearest bee beacon if found.
  6. Foraging — FindFlower action to collect pollen.
  7. General wandering — wander near known “home” location.