Mob Idea/request: wire-activated npc/monster spawners for dungeons and missions!

As I start to get into dungeon modding, I'm beginning to realize that Starbound seems to have trouble with generating worlds when too many npcs and monsters are pre-generated within (micro)dungeons. Therefore, I'd like to propose a simple solution to this problem (with inspiration coming from Doom and Quake): only generate npcs and monsters when they're needed! To accomplish this task, I propose repurposing the monster and npc spawner objects to function as follows:

- They must be given an input node, and modified so that they'll spawn npcs/monsters only when they receive an input.
- To make this spawner object usable by dungeon developers, multiple versions of the object will be needed for spawning all sorts of monsters or npcs, including Miniknog Soldiers, Avian Tombkeepers, Floran Hunters, and Glitch Knights to name a few.
- The spawners would need to be modular in nature, in case modders want to add in modified versions of these spawners to spawn in npcs/monsters that aren't already spawnable by the available spawners, especially custom-made npcs and monsters that are found within other mods.
- The spawners would need to be able to customize the spawned monster's or npc's parameters, such as what level they are, which damageTeam they are (to avoid infighting with other monsters/npcs, or to make these npcs or monsters friendly to the player), and whether or not the spawned monsters and npcs will attack the player on sight. Also, customizing the monster's or npc's parameters will need to be made optional, and would need to default to the monster's or npc's default parameters if those aren't already defined within the spawner's .object file (which is especially important for setting the spawned monster's or npc's level to the same as the planet where it spawned in).
- For additional flavor, give the spawners the option to make the spawned monsters and npcs appear as if they're teleporting in instead of just appearing out of thin air.
- The spawners should, by default, be made invisible, drop nothing upon breaking, and destroy themselves upon activation, so that players can't use them for themselves. (Modders would, of course, be free to change this.) Ideally, they'd be used in dungeons that have tile protection enabled.

 

That would pair perfectly with my mini suggestion for having a dungeon/mission API with use of Tiled. If they can change block values, then that'd be possible in making maps.

 

Well, I've just started getting into learning some .lua programming, and while I still consider myself a novice, it's looking like I was able to figure out a way to get the monster spawners to do pretty much everything that I mentioned above (except for making the monsters/npcs appear to teleport in, but even that might change in time). I sure hope that what I'm working on now will allow for the creation of more dungeons that are packed full of npcs and monsters.