Spawning (computer gaming)
Encyclopedia
In video games, spawning is the live creation of a character or item. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction.
All players typically spawn at the start of a round, whereas some objects may spawn after the occurrence of a particular event or delay. A player spawning again in the same round will usually be considered to be "respawning", especially if something occurred to bring them back sooner than usual. The term "spawning" is used almost exclusively in games where the player repeatedly dies.
The term was coined by id Software
within the context of its game, Doom.
. "Odd" spawn points cause the player to be spawned as if actively entering the game world, rather than merely appearing there.
Spawn camping is a practice where a player waits near precise spawn points to kill enemies as they spawn. This is usually considered to be poor sportsmanship and some players even perceive it to be exploitative
of the game itself. Most team-based games have some kind of protection against spawn camping, such as a one-way door that only allows players to leave the spawn area, permanent AI
defences or perhaps a timer which kills enemies if they spend too long around the spawn area. Games with capturable spawn points will often leave some spawn points without this sort of camping protection. Spawn points for game objects are often abused in a similar fashion in game types such as role-playing games
.
and move towards the player. Early games including monster respawning are Doom and its sequel Doom II: Hell on Earth. The enemies in these games had the ability to spawn from their teammates. Later games that continuously spawn enemies include GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark
, System Shock
, Mass Effect 2
and Call of Duty
.
In MMORPG
s, it is typical for monsters or mobs
of monsters to continually respawn to allow all players a chance to fight. Some of these games implement instances
, which create a temporary copy of the game world and its characters, reserved for a subset of players. This allows each subset the chance to experience that part of the game without any interference from uninvited guests.
to input commands to be executed.
All players typically spawn at the start of a round, whereas some objects may spawn after the occurrence of a particular event or delay. A player spawning again in the same round will usually be considered to be "respawning", especially if something occurred to bring them back sooner than usual. The term "spawning" is used almost exclusively in games where the player repeatedly dies.
The term was coined by id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
within the context of its game, Doom.
Spawn points
Spawn points are areas in a level where players spawn. In levels designed for team play, these points are usually grouped so that each team spawns in their own tight area of the level. Spawn points are typically reserved for one team at any time and often have the ability to change hands to the other team. Some games even allow spawn points to be created by players; using a beacon for example in Battlefield 2142Battlefield 2142
Battlefield 2142 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Illusions CE and produced by Electronic Arts . It is the fourth game in the Battlefield series...
. "Odd" spawn points cause the player to be spawned as if actively entering the game world, rather than merely appearing there.
Spawn camping is a practice where a player waits near precise spawn points to kill enemies as they spawn. This is usually considered to be poor sportsmanship and some players even perceive it to be exploitative
Exploit (online gaming)
An exploit, in video games, is the use of a bug or design flaw by a player to their advantage in a manner not intended by the game's designers. It is often colloquially abbreviated sploit. Exploits have been classified as a form of cheating; however, the precise determination of what is or is not...
of the game itself. Most team-based games have some kind of protection against spawn camping, such as a one-way door that only allows players to leave the spawn area, permanent AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
defences or perhaps a timer which kills enemies if they spend too long around the spawn area. Games with capturable spawn points will often leave some spawn points without this sort of camping protection. Spawn points for game objects are often abused in a similar fashion in game types such as role-playing games
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
.
Enemy respawning
In some games, enemies may be respawned (or, equivalently, new ones spawned) to keep players on their toes and create tension, or force players to move on, making it too costly (in resources) and/or too dangerous to stay in one place for too long. Enemies may visibly spawn or, in more realistic games, spawn outside the player's line of sightLine of sight (gaming)
Line of sight, sometimes written line-of-sight or abbreviated to LoS, is a term used in wargames and some role-playing games . It refers to visibility on the playing field. Many abilities can only be used against an enemy within line of sight.In some games, miniature figures are used to determine...
and move towards the player. Early games including monster respawning are Doom and its sequel Doom II: Hell on Earth. The enemies in these games had the ability to spawn from their teammates. Later games that continuously spawn enemies include GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is considered the spiritual successor to Rare's earlier first-person shooter GoldenEye 007, with which it shares many gameplay features...
, System Shock
System Shock
System Shock is a first-person action-adventure video game developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. Released in 1994, the game is set aboard the fictional Citadel Station in a cyberpunk vision of 2072...
, Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect (series)
Mass Effect is an award-winning, bestselling series of science fiction RPG third-person shooter video games developed by the Canadian company BioWare and released for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and, from the second installment, for the PlayStation 3...
and Call of Duty
Call of Duty (series)
Call of Duty is a first-person and third-person shooter video game series franchise, created by Ben Chichoski. The series began on the PC, and later expanded to consoles and handhelds. Several spin-off games have also been released...
.
In MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s, it is typical for monsters or mobs
Mob (computer gaming)
A mob, mobile or monster is a computer-controlled non-player character in a computer game such as an MMORPG or MUD. Depending on context, all such characters in a game may be considered "mobs", or usage may be limited to hostile NPCs and/or NPCs vulnerable to attack.-Purpose of mobs:Defeating...
of monsters to continually respawn to allow all players a chance to fight. Some of these games implement instances
Instance dungeon
In massively multiplayer online games, an instance is a special area, typically a dungeon, that generates a new copy of the location for each group, or for certain number of players, that enters the area. Instancing, the general term for the use of this technique, addresses several problems...
, which create a temporary copy of the game world and its characters, reserved for a subset of players. This allows each subset the chance to experience that part of the game without any interference from uninvited guests.
Player-requested entities
In some games a player who has administrative powers in a server or offline session can spawn entities or inventory items at will. This is done by using the in-game consolePC game console
A console is a command line interface where the personal computer game's settings and variables can be edited while the game is running. Consoles also usually display a log of warnings, errors, and other messages produced during the program's execution...
to input commands to be executed.