Maptags

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

Overview

maptags.lua defines a static registry of map-related tags and conditional spawner templates used by DST's world generation system. It is not a component attached to entities, but rather a utility module that exports a function (MakeTags) returning two tables: Tag (a map of tag identifiers to generator functions) and TagData (a map of spawner names to boolean flags). These are consumed by the worldgen logic to dynamically assign tags or spawn static assets during map generation.

Usage example

This module is typically used internally by the worldgen engine, but a typical usage pattern in custom worldgen logic might look like:

local MakeTags = require("maptags")
local tags = MakeTags()

-- Check if a spawner is available in TagData
if tags.TagData["Chester_Eyebone"] then
    -- Process spawner conditionally
end

-- Generate tag from a tag name and data
local tagtype, tagvalue = tags.Tag["Maze"]()

Dependencies & tags

Components used: None — this module is self-contained and does not access any inst.components.X or add components.

Tags:
The module produces or enables the following tags (either directly via return "TAG", "..." or via "GLOBALTAG" for world-wide tags):

• Maze, MazeEntrance, Labyrinth, LabyrinthEntrance, OverrideCentroid
• RoadPoison, ForceConnected, ForceDisconnected, OneshotWormhole, ExitPiece
• Town
• Chester_Eyebone, Hutch_Fishbowl, StagehandGarden, Terrarium_Spawner, CharlieStage_Spawner, Junkyard_Spawner, Balatro_Spawner, StatueHarp_HedgeSpawner
• Astral_1, Astral_2
• Nightmare, Atrium, Mist, sandstorm, nohunt, moonhunt, nohasslers, not_mainland, lunacyarea, GrottoWarEntrance, fumarolearea

Note: Some tag functions (e.g., ExitPiece) are commented out in the current build.

Properties

No public properties are initialized in a class-like structure; this is a pure functional module. However, MakeTags() internally uses two static tables:

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
map_data	table	Chester_Eyebone, Hutch_Fishbowl, etc. → true	List of spawner keys used in worldgen (usually set to true during initial setup).
Terrarium_Spawners	table	{"Terrarium_Forest_Spiders", "Terrarium_Forest_Pigs", "Terrarium_Forest_Fire"}	Pool of spawner prefabs used by Terrarium_Spawner.
map_tags	table	Keys are tag identifiers, values are functions	Map from tag name (string) to a tag generator function.

Main functions

MakeTags()

• Description: Constructs and returns the tag registry. Called once during worldgen initialization. Returns a table with two keys: Tag (function map) and TagData (boolean map).
• Parameters: None.
• Returns:
  table:
  • .Tag: table<string, function> — map of tag names to generator functions.
  • .TagData: table<string, boolean> — map of spawner names (e.g., "Chester_Eyebone") to their presence flag.
• Error states: None — returns a well-formed table in all cases.

Each generator function in tags.Tag[name] has the following general behavior:

Generator function signature: function(tagdata, level)

• Description: Evaluates conditions and returns a tag specification (type and value) for worldgen. These are invoked by the worldgen engine when the map is being assembled.
• Parameters:
  • tagdata (table): Shared mutable state tracking spawner flags. Generator functions often set tagdata[key] = false to prevent re-spawning.
  • level (?table, optional): The level configuration, used to check level.overrides (e.g., "never", "always").
• Returns:
  nil (if conditionally skipped), or
  string, string/number: One of the following tuples:
  • ("GLOBALTAG", name) — applies a global-world tag
  • ("TAG", name) — applies a local entity/tag
  • ("TAG", number) — applies a bitmask tag (e.g., Town uses 0x000001)
  • ("ITEM", itemname) — schedules an item to be spawned as a spawner
  • ("STATIC", spawnername) — schedules a static room/spawner to be placed
• Error states:
  • Returns nil if the spawner is already consumed (tagdata[key] == false)
  • Returns nil if the world override (level.overrides) is set to "never"
  • math.random(#Terrarium_Spawners) is used for Terrarium_Spawner; relies on non-empty array.

Events & listeners

This module has no event listeners or event pushes — it is a static configuration factory, not tied to runtime entity behavior.