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Winona Catapult

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

Overview​

The winona_catapult prefab implements the core behavior of Winona's catapult, a powered engineering structure used for area denial and defense. It integrates multiple systems: combat targeting with dynamic range constraints, circuit-based power sourcing from engineering batteries, state management (sleep/active modes), and skill tree bonuses for speed and AOE radius. The catapult acts as a persistent structure with health, power consumption, and fire resistance properties, and supports multiplayer sync via replicated properties (_ispowered, _poweralignment, _element). It is tightly integrated with Winona's skill tree and can be upgraded via engineer-specific perks.

Usage example​

-- Typical usage for a modder to detect catapult power state
local catapult = SpawnPrefab("winona_catapult")
catapult:AddComponent("powerload")
catapult.components.powerload:SetLoad(10) -- set load manually if needed

-- Check if powered and active
if catapult.components.winona_catapult and catapult.IsPowered(catapult) then
    print("Catapult is powered")
    if catapult.IsActiveMode(catapult) then
        print("Catapult is actively targeting")
    end
end

Dependencies & tags​

Components used: activatable, burnable, circuitnode, colouradder, combat, deployable, deployhelper, fueled, hauntable, health, inspectable, inventory, lootdropper, placer, portablestructure, powerload, savedrotation, skilltreeupdater, timer, updatelooper, workable, planardamage, damagetypebonus.

Tags added: companion, noauradamage, engineering, engineeringbatterypowered, catapult, structure, electricdamageimmune, notarget (on burnout).
Tags checked: player, handyperson, _combat, INLIMBO, engineering, eyeturret, burnt, rangedlighter, extinguisher, battery.

Properties​

PropertyTypeDefault ValueDescription
_speednumber0Skill tree speed tier (1–3, or 0). Affects attack period.
_aoenumber0Skill tree AOE tier (1–3, or 0). Scales AOE radius.
_engineeridstring?niluserid of the engineer who built it; used for ownership and indirect usage.
_poweralignmentnet_tinybyte0Networked power alignment: 0=none, 1=shadow, 2=lunar, 3=hybrid.
_ispowerednet_boolfalseNetworked power state (true if currently receiving power).
_elementnet_tinybyte0Networked elemental projectile type (1=shadow, 2=lunar).
_wiredboolean?niltrue when successfully connected to a circuit/battery.
_powertasktask?nilTask scheduled to power off the catapult after battery exhaustion.
AOE_RADIUSnumberTUNING.WINONA_CATAPULT_AOE_RADIUSComputed AOE radius based on _aoe skill tier.

Main functions​

ConfigureSkillTreeUpgrades(inst, builder)​

  • Description: Queries the builder's skill tree to determine current _speed and _aoe tiers. Updates the catapult's properties and returns true if any upgrade changed.
  • Parameters: builder (Entity?) — the entity that built or interacted with the catapult.
  • Returns: boolean — true if _speed or _aoe values changed; false otherwise.

SetActiveMode(inst, active)​

  • Description: Toggles the catapult between active (targeting) and inactive (sleep/idle) states. Manages power load, LED status, brain assignment, and timer behavior. Requires active and _powertask to be non-nil for activation.
  • Parameters: active (boolean) — whether the catapult should enter active state.
  • Returns: Nothing.

AddBatteryPower(inst, power)​

  • Description: Extends the catapult's powered runtime by power seconds. If the catapult was previously unpowered, it creates the activatable component and schedules the PowerOff callback.
  • Parameters: power (number) — time in seconds to add to the power duration.
  • Returns: Nothing.

RetargetFn(inst)​

  • Description: Custom retarget logic for the catapult. Prioritizes players or mobs already fighting the catapult. Filters targets based on distance constraints (WINONA_CATAPULT_MIN_RANGE–WINONA_CATAPULT_MAX_RANGE).
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the catapult instance.
  • Returns: Entity? — a valid target, or nil if none available.

OnActivate(inst, doer)​

  • Description: Activates the catapult when triggered manually (e.g., via remote or proximity). Handles skill tree reconfiguration, LED feedback, and mode transition. Prevents reactivation for 1 second after activation via OnAllowReactivate.
  • Parameters: doer (Entity?) — the entity triggering activation.
  • Returns: true — always succeeds.

OnWorked(inst, worker, workleft, numworks)​

  • Description: Handles hammering damage. Delegates actual damage to the combat component using tuned damage values.
  • Parameters: worker (Entity), workleft (number), numworks (number).
  • Returns: Nothing.

OnBurnt(inst)​

  • Description: Transforms the burnt catapult into a non-functional object with removed combat/health components and a modified work callback (OnWorkedBurnt). Applies burnt tag and removes networked components.
  • Parameters: inst (Entity) — the burnt catapult.
  • Returns: Nothing.

Events & listeners​

  • Listens to: onbuilt — initializes the catapult after building (calls DoBuiltOrDeployed).

  • Listens to: attacked — redirects aggression to the attacker (if in range), triggers sharing with nearby allies.

  • Listens to: death — handles cleanup (disconnects circuit, stops regen, drops loot, transitions to death state).

  • Listens to: healthdelta — starts/stops health regen based on damage state.

  • Listens to: engineeringcircuitchanged — updates _poweralignment based on connected battery elements.

  • Listens to: activewakeup — wakes and reactivates the catapult via OnActiveWakeup.

  • Listens to: catapultspeedboost — applies temporary attack speed increase.

  • Listens to: winona_catapultskillchanged — re-applies skill bonuses when the engineer upgrades relevant skills.

  • Listens to: timerdone — deactivates when active_time timer expires; refreshes attack period on boost timer.

  • Pushes: togglepower — with { ison = bool }, fired when power state changes (active ↔ inactive).

  • Pushes: engineeringcircuitchanged — forwarded to connected circuit nodes to notify of element changes.