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In computer and video games, spawning is the in-game creation of an entity, such as a player character, a non-player character (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.

Contents 1 Spawn points 2 Enemy respawning 3 Player-requested entities 4 References

[edit] 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 waits near spawn points to kill players as they spawn. In cases of fixed spawns, it is usually considered exploitative: for example, certain design flaws in levels can be taken advantage of by players who wish to spam 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 MMORPGs.

In some games or modes within games (such as deathmatch) respawning may also apply to weapons, ammunition, power-ups 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.

[edit] 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 sight 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 boss capable of spawning various sorts of minions. Later games that have done this to differing degrees include GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, System Shock, System Shock 2, and Doom 3. Call of Duty in particular is well-known (and often criticised for) its spawning of enemies, which often occurs endlessly until the player either accomplishes an objective or passes a trigger point.

In MMORPGs, it is typical for monsters, or mobs as they are known, to continually respawn to allow the many players and parties a chance to fight the mobs. Instances, which focus on single-party gameplay, are different in that mobs frequently do not respawn while in the instance. For example, bosses in World of Warcraft instances do not respawn.^[1]

[edit] 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 console to input commands to be executed.

[edit] References