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Sharkboibrain

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-02-27

Overview​

The SharkboiBrain component implements the behavior tree for the Sharkboi entity, a trader NPC in Don't Starve Together. It manages state-dependent actions such as combat engagement, trading attempts with players, wandering near its designated hole, and contextual chatter (sound effects or voice lines). This brain uses a priority-based behavior tree that evaluates active conditions and executes appropriate sub-trees, including combat, trading, idle wandering, and post-defeat behaviors.

Key dependencies include the combat, health, trader, and locomotor components. The brain integrates with multiple behavior modules (chaseandattack, wander, faceentity, leash, chattynode) to orchestrate AI responses dynamically based on game state and entity proximity.

Usage example​

local sharkboi = SpawnPrefab("sharkboi")
if sharkboi then
    sharkboi:AddComponent("sharkboibrain")
    sharkboi.components.sharkboibrain:OnStart()
end

Note: In practice, the component is typically added and initialized automatically by the prefab definition; this snippet demonstrates manual usage for modding purposes.

Dependencies & tags​

Components used:

  • combat: Invoked via inst.components.combat:InCooldown(), :TargetIs(), :TryAttack(), :ignorehitrange, and :target
  • health: Invoked via target.components.health:IsDead()
  • trader: Invoked via inst.components.trader:IsTryingToTradeWithMe()
  • locomotor: Invoked via inst.components.locomotor.pusheventwithdirection
  • behavior: Implemented via PriorityNode, ChaseAndAttack, Wander, FaceEntity, Leash, ChattyNode

Tags:

  • "try_restore_canrotate" (state tag, removed and replaced by "canrotate" during navigation)
  • "hostile" (state tag, checked during combat victory logic)
  • "playerghost" (checked for valid target exclusion)

Properties​

No public instance variables are initialized or exposed as properties in this component. All logic is encapsulated within the behavior tree root constructed in OnStart().

Main functions​

OnStart()​

  • Description: Initializes and launches the behavior tree. This is the main entry point for the brain and should be called when the entity becomes active or respawns. It constructs a nested priority node hierarchy to handle combat, trading, wandering, idle states, and chatter triggers.
  • Parameters: None
  • Returns: nil
  • Error states: None documented. Assumes required components (combat, trader, locomotor, health) and behaviors are available.

Events & listeners​

This component does not register or fire any events directly. It relies entirely on the behavior tree infrastructure (bt, BT, PriorityNode, etc.) to manage control flow and state transitions via behavior node evaluations and internal node push/pull semantics.