Question Question: Invasions and NPC's

[Vent]

Does anyone know exactly how far the player can be from an NPC before an invasion will no longer spawn its specific mobs? Does this correspond in some way to the "safety" bubble generated by NPC's?

Sorry for all the questions... I *am* digging through the forums before wasting people's time here. =)

 

[Lucky Lucky Horseshoe]

I think the goblin army just spawns its mobs around the natural world spawn, or maybe player-set spawn. Could be wrong, I haven't looked much into it. I'm sure someone else has better insight into this, and I'm sure it'll come in handy somewhere.

No need to apologize to anyone. In case you can't tell yet, everyone here is happy to help. This is a place for asking questions about the game mechanics and using the answers to find solutions to problems, so questions are always welcome.

 

[Stahn Aileron]

As far as I can tell, invasions are centered around the char spawn point. If none is set, then the default world spawn point. At 1920x1200 resolution, I can be about 2 to 2.5 screen widths away before the invasion spawning goes odd. Can't give you exact numbers.

The "safety bubble" is for spawning in general. Even then, I think is a max distance. From my understanding, mobs spawn off-screen by default. But if your screen is be enough, they'll spawn onscreen due to the "safety bubble" limit. So at 1920x1200, I can get mobs to spawn on-screen (mainly at the bottom of my monitor.) A comment from anyone who plays at higher resolutions (2560x1440/1600 or higher) would be useful. On the flip side, I think you get closer mob spawns if you run at like 1280x720.

Just my conjecture. Code readers would have a better idea since they could see the settings and algorithms.

 

[Vent]

Sorry, by the safety bubble, I meant the NPC's lowering spawn rates.

From http://terraria.wiki.gg/NPC

Town NPCs that have moved into Houses reduce enemy spawn rates in the area, an effect that increases the more of them are present. With four or more Town NPCs in close proximity, enemies generally stop spawning on or near the visible screen altogether. Players tend to utilize this effect by building large structures ("Towns" or "Bases") with several integrated Houses, to serve as their safe haven. These reductions are usually overridden by Events likeBlood Moons or Goblin Invasions, during which spawn rates return to normal, or are elevated, and enemies will once again attack players and NPCs in the area.

 

[Stahn Aileron]

Ack. I apparently didn't read your initial post all the way properly. I somehow took NPC as PC.

In any case, Invasions override NPC spawning-related systems. Distance to the central invasion spawn point (player-set or world-default) is what decides if regular or invasion mobs spawn. What I haven't tested is if you can move that point in the middle of an invasion (and at what point the invasion locks onto the spawn point if otherwise: at initial announcement/activation or at actual spawning.)

 

[Vent]

I thought, for example, with a king statue or a housed NPC, that you could pull an invasion to another part of the world. Perhaps not during but at least before the invasion begins.

Ultimately my question is, what factors determine exactly what coordinates invasion mobs will spawn. Questions dependent upon this:

- If all the NPC's are moved to the edge or the world, will invasion mobs still spawn near the world-default spawn point?
- If a single NPC is moved to the edge of the world, will invasion mobs spawn both near the home base and near the isolated NPC?
- How far does one need to be from an NPC before invasion mobs stop spawning?

I'm willing to test these, but I had just wondered if someone else had already done the work.

I think the best way to test this would be a variation on the infinite house placed somewhere away from the center of the world, where you could place anywhere from 1-n NPC's and even lock them into a 2 or 3 block wide cell.

 

[ED209]

Invasions can only happen at the centre of the map, which is annoying because that's not where my main grinder is.

 

[Stahn Aileron]

Invasions can only happen at the centre of the map, which is annoying because that's not where my main grinder is.

Hmm... I'm pretty sure I've fought invasion elsewhere. I have a couple of worlds where my base is nowhere near the map center (e.g. in the Jungle or by the Dungeon). I recall fighting invasions by them. Or maybe I'm thinking world events like Blood Moons and Solar Eclipses...

I do recall having to once run back to the map center to deal with a random invasion (Goblin I think), but I think that was pre-1.3. Crap, I'm not sure anymore.

 

[ED209]

Hmm... I'm pretty sure I've fought invasion elsewhere. I have a couple of worlds where my base is nowhere near the map center (e.g. in the Jungle or by the Dungeon). I recall fighting invasions by them. Or maybe I'm thinking world events like Blood Moons and Solar Eclipses...

I do recall having to once run back to the map center to deal with a random invasion (Goblin I think), but I think that was pre-1.3. Crap, I'm not sure anymore.

I've tried starting them all over each of my worlds, and with NPCs present & absent, they only appear at the centre of the map.

 

[Ranadiel]

From my experience, invasions can start away from the centre of the map. For instance, goblin or pirate invasions start with marching from west or east. When you encounter the lone enemies, the counter for the invasion pops up to disappear when "The *** Invasion has started" text shows up, making the mobs spawn near the centre of the map.

This is likely to the fact of some enemies spawning for the premise of "the march of the army" from either direction, but then the invasion shifts to world spawn point. Had this recently when pirates wanted to attack, but i overridden them with Solar Eclipse (manually summoned). In the centre i had pirates (counter disappeared whenever i ported back and to), on my cannon arena (a bit further away) i had the eclipse mobs.

 

[Stahn Aileron]

From my experience, invasions can start away from the centre of the map. For instance, goblin or pirate invasions start with marching from west or east. When you encounter the lone enemies, the counter for the invasion pops up to disappear when "The *** Invasion has started" text shows up, making the mobs spawn near the centre of the map.

This is likely to the fact of some enemies spawning for the premise of "the march of the army" from either direction, but then the invasion shifts to world spawn point. Had this recently when pirates wanted to attack, but i overridden them with Solar Eclipse (manually summoned). In the centre i had pirates (counter disappeared whenever i ported back and to), on my cannon arena (a bit further away) i had the eclipse mobs.

I do know that the initial wave starts from whatever direction the game announces close by the PC. After that initial wave (like 7-10 mobs?), yeah, it centers on the default world spawn.

For some reason I thought that got changed in 1.3. I probably got confused with the world events. Thinking about it, I should've known. One of my worlds has an ocean base. I teleport there for UFO spawns. I trigger the Martian Invasion and teleport back to my main base to fight. I think I tried setting my spawn to the ocean base once, but it didn't work. Dunno how I forgot about that until now. (Well, I have been off Terraria for a bit now.)

 

[ZeroGravitas]

Does anyone know exactly how far the player can be from an NPC before an invasion will no longer spawn its specific mobs? Does this correspond in some way to the "safety" bubble generated by NPC's?

Good questions that I'd like to know answers to, too.

I can be about 2 to 2.5 screen widths away

The NPC reduced spawn rate certainly does seem to extend out a good way, yeah. I haven't measured as yet.

higher resolutions (2560x1440/1600 or higher)

Aren't natively possible, you have to mod/hack. You can use Mechmod to zoom out and/or pan too (e.g. to use the ruler to get an exact measure to nearest NPC when checking for the point at which invasion spawns stop.

I think you get closer mob spawns if you run at like 1280x720.

Nope. Fixed distance. Even on console, mobile, far as I know.

with a king statue or a housed NPC, that you could pull an invasion to another part of the world.

You definitely can. DicemanX's surface auto-farm from 1.2.4.1 could be equippedwith a single NPC in order to grind pirate invasions: http://forums.terraria.org/index.ph...ing-key-mold-and-pirate-map-farming-too.6939/

The surface farm can be used for invasion farming (Goblin Invasion, Pirate Invasion, Frost Legion Invasion). Invasions occur either at the spawn point, or as long as at least 1 NPC is nearby. To farm invasions using this surface autofarm, either an NPC needs to be summoned via the King Statue, or an NPC needs to be assigned to the house below the autofarm. There is a blue switch to the right of the farm that summons an NPC from the statue.

So I'm surprised to hear:

with NPCs present & absent, they only appear at the centre of the map.

Since you'll be on 1.2.4 equivalent there now @ED209? (Which invasions exactly? Are you sure you hung around for long enough? (Which console again? - Best to state each time it's relevant.)

In the centre i had pirates (counter disappeared whenever i ported back and to), on my cannon arena (a bit further away) i had the eclipse mobs.

So presumably you had no NPC out by your cannon arena? (So pirates wouldn't be able to spawn there anyway.) But solar eclipse isn't an invasion (that can be beaten) and so happens right across the map. I'm a little surprised that you can have pirates at the same time, I'd have thought trigger the eclipse would have canceled it altogether. (Did you go back and forth more than once, to check?) I've never tired such things though.

After that initial wave (like 7-10 mobs?), yeah, it centers on the default world spawn.

The location of the invasion is a single x co-ordinate, as it moves in from the edge of the world the player is either in range or not, full spawn rate, or nothing. But the invasion location passes by so quickly that there will barely be time for many spawns before it moves out of range. However, even if the invasion location passes briefly over you, mobs won't continue to spawn around you, even with an NPC present, until the invasion location has reached the center of the map, at which point it suddenly returns.

I'm primarily basing this on experience with pirates, but I expect the conditions are just the same for goblins and martians. I think I remember talking about this question recently, but don't remember what the answer was/is (would like to know):

- How far does one need to be from an NPC before invasion mobs stop spawning?

 

[ED209]

Since you'll be on 1.2.4 equivalent there now @ED209? (Which invasions exactly? Are you sure you hung around for long enough? (Which console again? - Best to state each time it's relevant.)

I stood in place for a couple of minutes after it said "The Pirates/Goblins have arrived". Nothing happened until I got to the centre of the map and there were there waiting for me.

I'm on PS3.

 

[Contagious]

Does anyone know exactly how far the player can be from an NPC before an invasion will no longer spawn its specific mobs? Does this correspond in some way to the "safety" bubble generated by NPC's?

Good questions that I'd like to know answers to, too.

I know this is an old thread, but after making multiple searches trying to find the answer to this same thing, this is the only thread i was able to find that was related. I ended up testing this myself...

I set up an NPC house so the NPC will stay in 1 spot at night and summoned a Goblin Army. The goblins & event progress bar don't/doesn't appear until there is 186 blocks of space between the NPC and my character. I only tested horizontal distance and with the NPC to my left.

Also, I moved far enough away from the NPC until the goblins and progress bar disappeared and then started to inch my way back towards the NPC (and pausing for about 5 seconds in between each block of space i moved) until the progress bar appeared again. I did this about 5 times and it was 186 blocks of space between me and NPC each time before invasion resumed.

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