In computer and video games,
spawning is the in-game creation of an entity, such as a player character, a
non-player characterA non-player character, often shortened to NPC, is a character that is controlled by the gamemaster in role-playing games. When this definition extends to video games, an NPC in a video game is usually part of the program, and not controlled by a human....
(NPC), or an item.
Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death, destruction or removal, or at the end of a round.
Spawning of players varies depending on the game mechanics. It often initially happens at the beginning of a round or after the player joins the game.
In computer and video games,
spawning is the in-game creation of an entity, such as a player character, a
non-player characterA non-player character, often shortened to NPC, is a character that is controlled by the gamemaster in role-playing games. When this definition extends to video games, an NPC in a video game is usually part of the program, and not controlled by a human....
(NPC), or an item.
Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death, destruction or removal, or at the end of a round.
Spawning of players varies depending on the game mechanics. It often initially happens at the beginning of a round or after the player joins the game. Respawning can occur after being killed or destroyed, either immediately or after a delay (which can include waiting until the next round). When a player spawns, the player will usually have the health value, armor and equipment reset to predefined values, which depend upon the game and the current mode.
Spawn points
Spawn points, or
spawn sites, are areas in a level where players spawn. In levels designed for team play, these points are grouped so that each team spawns in a specific area of the level, preferably at a distance from each other. While spawn points may be fixed locations, they can also change depending on situational conditions, such as an area held by a player's team, and an opposing team may be able to capture a spawn. Spawn points may be created by players, using a beacon or other device. "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
waitsIn video gaming, camping is the practice of waiting for enemies or useful objects to appear or to come to the player rather than actively seeking them out. Players camp in order to gain an advantage over their opponents....
near spawn points to kill players as they spawn. In cases of fixed spawns, it is usually considered
exploitativeIn the realm of online games, an exploit is usually a software bug, design flaw, hack or bot that contributes to the user's prosperity in a manner not intended by the developers....
: for example, certain design flaws in levels can be taken advantage of by players who wish to
spamSpamming, in the context of computer games, refers to the rapid, repeated use of the same item or action. For example, "grenade spamming" is the act of a player throwing a large amount of grenades in succession into an area...
a spawn with explosives. Most team-based games have some kind of protection against spawncamping, such as a one-way door that only allows a specific team to access the spawn area, permanent AI defenses, or simply death. However, games with capturable spawns may allow spawn camping. Spawn points for in-game objects other than players are often abused in a similar fashion in other types of games, such as
MMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of computer role-playing games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s.
In some games or modes within games (such as
deathmatchDeathmatch is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games. The goal of a deathmatch game is to kill as many other players as possible until a certain condition or limit is reached, commonly being a frag limit or time limit...
) respawning may also apply to weapons, ammunition,
power-upIn computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character. This is contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s and other useful items that may return after a period of varying or fixed duration. Missiles, such as rockets, grenades, or fireballs and energy bursts, are also spawned by entities shooting them at opponents.
Enemy respawning
In some games, enemies may be respawned (or 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, 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. An early game including monster respawning is Doom, and its sequel Doom II: Hell on Earth included spawning from other monsters, and a final
bossA boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle...
capable of spawning various sorts of minions. Later games that have done this to differing degrees include
GoldenEye 007GoldenEye 007 is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console, based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye.The game received overwhelmingly positive reviews and sold over eight million copies...
,
Perfect DarkPerfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The game was developed and published by Rare, creators of the multimillion-selling GoldenEye 007, an earlier first-person shooter with which Perfect Dark shares many gameplay features. This game is...
,
System ShockSystem Shock is an action role-playing 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...
,
System Shock 2System Shock 2 is an action role-playing video game, designed by Ken Levine for the personal computer. The title is a sequel to the 1994 PC game System Shock, and was co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios...
, and
Doom 3Doom 3 is a science fiction horror video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. An example of the first-person shooter genre, Doom 3 was first released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004. The game was later adapted for Linux, as well as being ported by Aspyr Media for Mac...
.
In MMORPGs, it is typical for monsters, or
mobsA mob or MOB is a non-player character or monster in a computer game, for example a role-playing video game or MMORPG or Multi-User Dungeon.-Purpose of MOBs in gaming:...
as they are known, to continually respawn to allow the many players and parties a chance to fight the mobs.
InstancesIn MMORPGs, an instance location is a special area, typically a dungeon, that generates a new copy, or instance, of the dungeon map for each group that enters the area. This saves server work and ensures that there will never be competition over resources such as mobs within the instance...
, which focus on single-party gameplay, are different in that mobs frequently do not respawn while in the instance. For example,
bossesA boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle...
in
World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft, often referred to as WoW, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
instances do not respawn.
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 consoleA 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.