Add an NPC Generator

Uses of NPC Generators

An NPC Generator will create NPCs during a game. The number to create and the spawn points can be set. This is useful for example for an asteroid storm or a continuous wave of enemy ships. NPCs can be more than just enemy. They include any items with behaviour that is controlled by AI , such as friendly characters, team-mates, bonus items or moving scenery.

Placing an NPC Generator

To add an NPC Generator to the scene click the NPC Generator icon on the Tools menu and an entity selection window will open.

Select an entity, move it using the mouse and click to place the first spawn point. Continue clicking until all desired spawn points are placed then click Stop Placing or the ESC key to stop.

Use the Gizmos on the toolbar to move, rotate and scale the NPCs.

NPC Generator Window

The NPC Generator window will open when an NPC Generator is added or selected. When an NPG Generator is placed, it will have four tabs:

General - sets general properties of each NPC such as movement and weapons

Weapons - sets up the weapons for the NPC

Actions - sets up actions such as upgrades to be set up when selected events occur

AI - sets up the behaviour of each NPC generated

All other properties (Model/Sprite, Collisions, Physics, Effects and Tags) will be as set in the Entity Editor for the entity. Changing a property in the Entity Editor will change it for all instances of that entity, for example if the explosion effect when a ship is destroyed is changed in the Entity Editor, the new explosion will be used for all instances of that ship in a game. To jump to the model in the Entity Editor quickly, click the arrow by the Entity in the General Tab.

Display List of NPC Generators in Level

To get a list of all the NPC Generators in the level, hold down CTRL when clicking the NPC Generator icon on the Tools menu.