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Deerclops

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-07

Overview​

deerclops.lua defines the Deerclops and mutateddeerclops prefabs—large, aggressive seasonal bosses that target player structures during Winter. The entity tracks structuresDestroyed and enters a sated state after destroying STRUCTURES_PER_HARASS (5) structures. When sated and not engaged in combat for 120 seconds, it may leave the world. The mutated variant introduces planar damage, frenzy mechanics, and integration with lunar rift systems via lunarriftmutationsmanager. It uses a custom stategraph (SGdeerclops) and brain (deerclopsbrain) for behavior control.

Usage example​

-- Typical usage is internal to the game; prefabs are created via Prefab() calls.
-- Example of creating a standard Deerclops instance:
local inst = Prefab("deerclops", normalfn, normal_assets, normal_prefabs)

-- Access key properties and methods:
inst.structuresDestroyed = 0
inst.IsSated = IsSated  -- checks if structuresDestroyed >= 5
inst.WantsToLeave = WantsToLeave  -- returns true if sated, idle, and alive > 120s
inst.SwitchToEightFaced()  -- toggles 8-faced rendering (e.g., for lunar effects)

Dependencies & tags​

Components used: locomotor, sanityaura, burnable, health, combat, explosiveresist, lootdropper, inspectable, drownable, knownlocations, sleeper, freezable, timer, planarentity, planardamage

Tags added: epic, monster, hostile, deerclops, scarytoprey, largecreature, lunar_aligned, gestaltmutant, noepicmusic, soulless

Static properties used: TUNING.DEERCLOPS_*, TUNING.MUTATED_DEERCLOPS_*, TUNING.SANITYAURA_*, TUNING.ACHIEVEMENT_RADIUS_FOR_GIANT_KILL, STRUCTURES_PER_HARASS

Properties​

PropertyTypeDefault ValueDescription
structuresDestroyednumber0Count of player structures destroyed; triggers sated state at STRUCTURES_PER_HARASS.
freezepowernumber2 (normal), 3 (mutated)Coldness applied to targets on hit.
ignorebasebooleanfalse (normal), true (mutated)When true, disables base-targeting logic.
haslaserbeam, hasiceaura, hasknockback, hasicelance, hasfrenzybooleanfalse/true (variant-specific)Feature flags for mutated abilities.
_temp8facedbooleannilInternal flag indicating temporary 8-faced state.
frenzied, frenzy_starttime, frenzy_starthpboolean/numbernilState variables for frenzy tracking in mutated variant.
yulebooleannilSet true when loaded during Winter's Feast event.

Main functions​

IsSated(inst)​

  • Description: Returns true if the Deerclops has destroyed STRUCTURES_PER_HARASS (5) structures and is considered sated.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — The Deerclops instance.
  • Returns: boolean

WantsToLeave(inst)​

  • Description: Determines if the Deerclops should leave the world (e.g., after Winter ends or when sated and idle). Checks season settings, combat status, sated status, and alive time.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — The Deerclops instance.
  • Returns: boolean

CalcSanityAura(inst)​

  • Description: Dynamic sanity aura function: returns -TUNING.SANITYAURA_HUGE if targeting a player, otherwise -TUNING.SANITYAURA_LARGE.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — The Deerclops instance.
  • Returns: number — Sanity aura radius magnitude (negative = draining).

RetargetFn(inst)​

  • Description: AI retargeting function: searches for valid combat targets within TARGET_DIST (16) units, prioritizing those targeting the Deerclops or nearby.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — The Deerclops instance.
  • Returns: Entity or nil.

FindBaseToAttack(inst, target)​

  • Description: Scans for the closest player structure within 40 units and remembers its position. Updates head animation to show aggression.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity), target (Entity) — The attacking player.
  • Returns: nil.

AfterWorking(inst, data)​

  • Description: Callback after destroying a structure; increments structuresDestroyed. Sates entity and resets head animation when STRUCTURES_PER_HARASS is reached.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity), data (table) — Contains target (destroyed structure).
  • Returns: nil.

OnHitOther(inst, data)​

  • Description: On successful hit: applies coldness, cools target temperature, and spawns shatter FX. Works with freezable and temperature components.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity), data (table) — Contains target (hit entity).
  • Returns: nil.

Mutated_OnIgnite(inst, source, doer)​

  • Description: Mutated-specific effect: spawns deerclops_spikefire_fx when ignited under specific conditions.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity), source (any), doer (Entity) — Ignition source.
  • Returns: nil.

Mutated_OnExtinguish(inst)​

  • Description: Cleanup when fire is extinguished: removes spikefire FX and cancels stagger task.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity).
  • Returns: nil.

Mutated_ShouldStayFrenzied(inst)​

  • Description: Determines if mutated Deerclops remains in frenzy: ends if minimum time elapsed and enough HP damage taken.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity).
  • Returns: boolean.

Events & listeners​

  • Listens to:
    working → AfterWorking
    entitysleep → OnEntitySleep
    attacked → OnAttacked
    onhitother → OnHitOther
    death → OnDead, Mutated_OnDead
    onremove → OnRemove
    newcombattarget → OnNewTarget
    droppedtarget (mutated only) → Mutated_OnDroppedTarget
    newstate (Yule mode only) → YuleOnNewState
    temp8faceddirty (mutated client only) → Mutated_OnTemp8Faced

  • Pushes:
    hasslerremoved, hasslerkilled, storehassler (via TheWorld:PushEvent)
    triggeredevent with name "gestaltmutant" (mutated client)

  • Watched world states:
    stopwinter → OnStopWinter