Books Lavaarena

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-04

Overview

books_lavaarena.lua defines two prefabs—book_fossil and book_elemental—used as consumable spell items in the Lava Arena event. Each book is configured with AOE targeting support via the aoetargeting component and a custom reticule system for visual feedback during item use. The prefabs include animations, sound emitters, and network sync. This file uses a factory pattern (MakeBook) to reduce duplication and initializes the reticule behavior globally via ReticuleTargetFn.

Usage example

-- Within a server-side postinit or event setup
inst:AddComponent("aoetargeting")
inst.components.aoetargeting:SetAllowRiding(false)
inst.components.aoetargeting.reticule.reticuleprefab = "reticuleaoe"
inst.components.aoetargeting.reticule.pingprefab = "reticuleaoeping"
inst.components.aoetargeting.reticule.targetfn = ReticuleTargetFn
inst.components.aoetargeting.reticule.validcolour = { 1, .75, 0, 1 }
inst.components.aoetargeting.reticule.invalidcolour = { .5, 0, 0, 1 }
inst.components.aoetargeting.reticule.ease = true
inst.components.aoetargeting.reticule.mouseenabled = true

Dependencies & tags

Components used: aoetargeting, transform, animstate, soundemitter, network, inventory, weapon, rechargeable
Tags: Adds book, weapon, rechargeable to the entity.
Prefabs referenced: lavaarena_fossilizing, lavaarena_elemental, reticuleaoe, reticuleaoeping, reticuleaoecctarget, reticuleaoesummon, reticuleaoesummonping, reticuleaoesummontarget (loaded as child assets)

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
prefabs_fossil	table of strings	{"lavaarena_fossilizing", "reticuleaoe", ...}	List of prefabs required by the fossil book.
prefabs_elemental	table of strings	{"lavaarena_elemental", "reticuleaoesummon", ...}	List of prefabs required by the elemental book.
ReticuleTargetFn	function	See source	Calculates a valid target position for the reticule in world space.
MakeBook(booktype, reticule, prefabs)	function	See source	Factory function returning a Prefab definition for a book.

Main functions

ReticuleTargetFn()

• Description: Computes the ground position for the reticule by casting a ray from the player forward up to 7 units. Returns the first passable, unblocked point.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Vector3 — the calculated world position; defaults to origin Vector3(0,0,0) if no valid point found.
• Error states: Returns Vector3(0,0,0) if all points in the cast are blocked (e.g., by terrain or structures).

MakeBook(booktype, reticule, prefabs)

• Description: Builds and returns a Prefab definition for a book type (e.g., "fossil" or "elemental"), attaching components, animations, tags, and configuring the aoetargeting component’s reticule.
• Parameters:
  booktype (string) — base name for the book ("fossil" or "elemental"); used in asset paths.
  reticule (string) — root name for the reticule prefab (e.g., "reticuleaoe").
  prefabs (table of strings) — list of additional prefabs required for the book’s functionality.
• Returns: Prefab — a fully configured prefab instance.
• Error states: None identified; assumes all assets and prefabs exist.

Events & listeners

• Listens to: Server-side: event_server_data("lavaarena", "prefabs/books_lavaarena")[booktype.."_postinit"](inst) — a server-only hook used to call a customizable post-init function (not defined in this file).
• Pushes: None.

Notes

• The aoetargeting component’s reticule subtable is configured in-place via the returned Prefab’s fn() closure.
• The reticule.validcolour and reticule.invalidcolour sets RGBA color arrays used for feedback (valid target = orange-ish; invalid = dark red).
• SetAllowRiding(false) ensures the reticule cannot be placed on entities with the riding tag.
• Client-side (TheWorld.ismastersim == false) returns early with minimal setup, relying on server replication for full state.