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Shadowparasitemanager

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

Overview​

ShadowParasitemanager orchestrates the Shadow Thrall boss encounter in DST. It tracks active players, manages parasite wave spawning (via hosted creatures like Rocky, Bunnyman, or spiders), coordinates floating parasitefx spawns during rift events, and handles player rejoining/leaving logic. It is instantiated only on the master simulation and interacts closely with the riftspawner, combat, inventory, spawnfader, skinner, and follower components.

Usage example​

local inst = CreateEntity()
inst:AddComponent("shadowparasitemanager")

-- When rifts spawn, this component is triggered automatically via "ms_riftaddedtopool".
-- It responds to player joins/leaves and spawns waves as needed.

Dependencies & tags​

Components used: combat, follower, herdmember, inventory, riftspawner, skinner, spawnfader
Tags: Checks shadowthrall_parasite_mask; adds NOCLICK to floaters.

Properties​

PropertyTypeDefault ValueDescription
_activeplayerstable{}Map of active player entities → true
_targetplayerstable{}Map of players → true who should trigger waves
_targetuseridstable{}Map of userids → true for players who left while targeted
_parasitestable{}Map of parasite entities → true currently tracked
_floaterstable{}Map of floating parasitefx entities → true
num_wavesnumber0Count of pending parasite waves
_WEIGHTED_HOSTS_TABLEtableWEIGHTED_HOSTS_TABLEMod-accessible map of host prefabs to spawn weights
_HOST_CAN_SPAWN_TESTtableHOST_CAN_SPAWN_TESTMod-accessible map of host prefabs to condition functions

Main functions​

ApplyWorldSettings()​

  • Description: Removes disabled host creatures from _WEIGHTED_HOSTS_TABLE based on world settings (e.g., TUNING.ROCKYHERD_SPAWNER_DENSITY).
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: None.

OnPlayerJoined(player)​

  • Description: Registers a new player and immediately spawns a parasite wave for them if they were previously targeted.
  • Parameters: player (entity) – the joining player entity.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: Returns early if player is already tracked.

OnPlayerLeft(player)​

  • Description: Removes a player from _activeplayers and marks them as a target (or stores their userid) if a wave was pending.
  • Parameters: player (entity) – the leaving player entity.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: Returns early if player is not tracked.

AddParasiteToHost(host)​

  • Description: Equips a shadow_thrall_parasitehat item on the given host entity.
  • Parameters: host (entity) – the host creature to infect.
  • Returns: host, mask (both entities) – mask returned for modder use.
  • Error states: None.

SpawnParasiteWaveForPlayer(player, joining)​

  • Description: Spawns 5–7 parasite-host creatures near the player, assigns them combat target.
  • Parameters:
    • player (entity) – the target player.
    • joining (boolean) – if true, delays target suggestion by JOIN_TARGET_DELAY.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: Returns early if no shadow rift exists.

GetShadowRift()​

  • Description: Returns the first shadow-affinity rift from riftspawner.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: entity or nil – the rift entity, or nil if none exist or riftspawner is absent.
  • Error states: Returns nil if rift spawner is missing or no shadow rifts exist.

BeginParasiteWave()​

  • Description: Decrements num_waves and either spawns floating parasites (if players are nearby) or triggers wave spawning for all targeted players.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: Returns early if no rift exists.

OverrideBlobSpawn(player)​

  • Description: Probabilistically overrides a normal blob spawn with a Shadow Thrall encounter if a wave is pending. Marks the player as targeted and initiates a wave if no floaters are active.
  • Parameters: player (entity) – the player who may spawn a blob.
  • Returns: true if parasite wave is queued; false otherwise.
  • Error states: Returns false if no rift exists, no hosts available, or luck roll fails.

SpawnHostedPlayer(inst)​

  • Description: Spawns a player_hosted entity and copies skins, userid, and other metadata from the original player inst.
  • Parameters: inst (entity) – the original player instance to replicate.
  • Returns: hosted entity or nil.
  • Error states: Returns nil if SpawnPrefab("player_hosted") fails.

ReviveHosted(inst)​

  • Description: Handles reviving a hosted player entity: resets death flag, stops following/targeting, and spawns a fx entity.
  • Parameters: inst (entity) – the hosted parasite entity.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: None.

OnSave()​

  • Description: Serializes state (num_waves, target player userids) for saving.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: table or nil – save data if non-empty.

OnLoad(data)​

  • Description: Restores state from save data.
  • Parameters: data (table or nil) – saved data.
  • Returns: Nothing.

GetDebugString()​

  • Description: Returns a human-readable status string for debug display.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: string – formatted wave/parasite/target counts.

Events & listeners​

  • Listens to:
    • ms_playerjoined – calls OnPlayerJoined
    • ms_playerleft – calls OnPlayerLeft
    • ms_riftaddedtopool – calls OnRiftAddedToPool
    • onremove on parasite/floater entities – triggers tracking cleanup
  • Pushes: None (no PushEvent calls found).