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Lantern Insect Fx

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-05

Overview​

lantern_insect_fx is a pair of prefabs (lantern_insect_fx_held and lantern_insect_fx_ground) that spawn dynamic particle effects (petal-like visuals) for lanterns in Don't Starve Together. These prefabs are used purely for visual feedback on the client — they are non-persistent and not simulated on dedicated servers. The held variant emits falling petals over time, while the ground variant plays an idle loop when placed on surfaces.

Usage example​

-- Spawn held lantern insect FX (e.g., attached to a lantern entity)
local held_fx = SpawnPrefab("lantern_insect_fx_held")
if held_fx ~= nil then
    held_fx.Transform:SetParent(lantern_entity.entity)
    held_fx.Transform:SetPosition(0, 0, 0)
end

-- Spawn ground lantern insect FX (e.g., when lantern is placed on floor)
local ground_fx = SpawnPrefab("lantern_insect_fx_ground")
if ground_fx ~= nil then
    ground_fx.Transform:SetPosition(x, y, z)
end

Dependencies & tags​

Components used: transform, animstate, network
Tags: Adds FX to spawned entities.

Properties​

No public properties are exposed or defined outside the internal state variables of each prefab instance.

Main functions​

This file defines two primary prefab constructors (heldfn and groundfn) — these are not component methods but factory functions used by the Prefab system.

heldfn()​

  • Description: Factory function that creates and configures the held lantern FX entity. Spawns petal particles periodically in 3D space around the parent entity and detects parent movement for animation visibility.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: Entity instance (inst) with FX tag, configured for client-side use only (non-persistent).
  • Error states: Returns early without spawning FX on dedicated servers (TheNet:IsDedicated()).

groundfn()​

  • Description: Factory function that creates and configures the ground lantern FX entity. Plays a looping animation sequence when placed on surfaces.
  • Parameters: None.
  • Returns: Entity instance (inst) with FX tag, configured for client-side use only (non-persistent).
  • Error states: Returns early with minimal setup when TheWorld.ismastersim is false. Also returns nil on dedicated servers only if TheNet:IsDedicated() is implicitly handled (though not explicitly — no early return on dedicated check here, but FX is still non-persistent).

KillFX(inst)​

  • Description: Handles FX removal, either immediately (if just created) or with a kill animation (if already active).
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the FX entity to remove.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: N/A.

OnPetalAnimOver(inst)​

  • Description: Callback invoked after a petal's animation finishes; handles visibility toggling based on parent movement and re-attaches to the emitter's position.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the petal FX entity.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: Removes the petal entity if its emitter becomes invalid.

OnGroundAnimOver(inst)​

  • Description: Callback invoked after the ground FX animation completes; transitions between pre/loop/post animation states depending on kill state.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the ground FX entity.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: N/A.

CreatePetal(petalemitter, variation, step)​

  • Description: Spawns a single petal entity, configures its animation and rendering, and attaches it to a parent emitter.
  • Parameters:
    • petalemitter (Entity) — parent entity from which the petal originates.
    • variation (number) — animation variation ID (1–7).
    • step (number) — index used by IsMovingStep to determine visibility state.
  • Returns: New petal entity (inst) with FX tag.
  • Error states: N/A.

IsMovingStep(step)​

  • Description: Helper to determine if the current petal creation step corresponds to movement-aware visibility.
  • Parameters: step (number) — petal creation step index.
  • Returns: Boolean — true if step is 1 or 2; false if 0 or 3.
  • Error states: N/A.

CheckMoving(inst)​

  • Description: Detects whether the parent entity of a petal is moving; stores the result in inst.ismoving.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the petal entity.
  • Returns: Nothing.
  • Error states: Sets ismoving to false if no parent is found.

Events & listeners​

  • Listens to: animover — used to trigger OnPetalAnimOver (for petal FX) and OnGroundAnimOver (for ground FX).
  • Pushes: None identified.