Mob Spawn Rate

[Rumblestikk]

Kainzo dare disturbs Gandalf!

Run! Run!

 

[Mariohgcz]

I am guessing the No Whitelist noobs went and built several mob grinders/ dark rooms. Only explanation I can see.

 

[Cloverhook]

I've mentioned a couple times, but this issue is often tied to server view distance. It's really poorly documented online, unfortunately, but from what I gather, this is what happens:

1. Server view distance is set lower than the default (10 chunks) -- This is a server-side setting that basically determines the distance at which the server sends your client information about the chunks around you.
2. Mobs wind up cached/stored in chunks that are outside the view distance -- they leave the view distance before the chunk actually gets unloaded (which stays at the default of 10 chunks). Basically, the spawning algorithms think that there are a lot of mobs still in play, even though they're in chunks players aren't anywhere near.
3. Mob spawns in currently loaded chunks plateau at a low level, because much of the mob quota is stored in the chunks that have been quasi-unloaded outside the view distance.

I don't know a ton about why it happens, and I'm sure there's probably a little more to it than that. But, speaking from experience running my own server a while back, setting the view distance back to 10 definitely fixes it.

The issue then, of course, is that more view distance = more lag... Which is why the view distance is lower than the default in the first place, probably.

It's definitely possible that this isn't what's happening here anyway, but I figured I oughta post it somewhere where it can be considered, rather than via the hectic in-game chat.

 

[eagles90809]

we should implement a balance for mobs spawning above/under ground

 

[Dazureus]

I think Eagles' idea is worth considering. People tend to leave dark tunnels crisscrossing the underground, and that's probably at least part of the mob shortage. If we could have more monsters spawning on the surface at the expense of what's to be found in caves it would decrease the frustration of players who can't find any, and perhaps put them in more danger day-to-day, from mobs and from fellow monster-hunters.

 

[Rumblestikk]

It would be nice yes.

 

[Dwarfers]

Yeah, in my town, we find more mobs underneath our town rather than above, and we live right next to a desert.

 

[Rumblestikk]

@Dwarfers It's the same for us. I can run around for hours find like 2.

Go work on the undercity in our town and find like 7 in the caverns under the town.

 

[Halizu]

Any players that join now will not experience the 'hardcore' aspect of this server, because it is so easy to survive without hostile mobs here, there and everywhere, I enjoyed running around aimlessly getting killed by mobs on my first day, so the lack of mobs above ground is also making playing less enjoyable.

 

[thebigotc]

Im new to this server and im having an extremely hard time leveling i have to go hunt in caves and DG mines that people leave behind hoping to Notch (lol) that there are mobs in there

 

[Afforess]

Mob spawn rate is a lot more complicated than it may seem at first glance, @Cloverhook mentioned a few of the reasons why already.

Mobs spawn in areas depending on the ground type (no spawning on glass for example), light levels, distance to players, etc. So this means the server will naturally tend to put mobs in areas that are best suited for mobs. Underground. Players don't typically encounter or kill mobs underground, so they accumulate, and lower the amount of mobs that spawn at the surface.

Also, since the spawning changes with 1.8 & 1.0, mobs despawn less frequently as well.

It's also worth pointing out that lots of mobs doesn't even make the game that much harder. As a warrior with a knockback sword, I can easily fend off a dozen or more mobs at a time. This is especially easy because mobs do not work together (often, skeletons will friendly fire, and cause battles with other monsters). Mob are really only a threat to the unaware or super-low levels. Imagine how much harder zombies would be if they acted as a single group. Or skeletons if they coordinated to move around you in a circle. But I digress...

I could rewrite the spawning algorithm to be smarter and place more mobs in upper levels, but that isn't going to be a silver bullet. I can't rewrite the mob AI w/o significantly damaging server performance. Monsters use up 40-55% of the CPU on the server at any given time, and are the single most draining resource. If Kainzo turned monsters off completely, he could double the max players. Not that I suggest he do so though.

Edit:
One thing I could experiment with could be smarter but less mobs. Instead of 7000 monsters on the server, only around 600-750 at a time. But make then rove around in "packs", with smarter AI and systematically hunt down players. They would act in packs of 4-8 and fight together (zombies acting as a attack wave, while skeles stay in the rear, creepers moving forward when zombies fall... etc) I could experiment around with this next week, I have finals until thursday. Somehow I imagine I'd get complaints with this system too

 

[Kainzo]

Mob spawn rate is a lot more complicated than it may seem at first glance, @Cloverhook mentioned a few of the reasons why already.

Mobs spawn in areas depending on the ground type (no spawning on glass for example), light levels, distance to players, etc. So this means the server will naturally tend to put mobs in areas that are best suited for mobs. Underground. Players don't typically encounter or kill mobs underground, so they accumulate, and lower the amount of mobs that spawn at the surface.

Also, since the spawning changes with 1.8 & 1.0, mobs despawn less frequently as well.

It's also worth pointing out that lots of mobs doesn't even make the game that much harder. As a warrior with a knockback sword, I can easily fend off a dozen or more mobs at a time. This is especially easy because mobs do not work together (often, skeletons will friendly fire, and cause battles with other monsters). Mob are really only a threat to the unaware or super-low levels. Imagine how much harder zombies would be if they acted as a single group. Or skeletons if they coordinated to move around you in a circle. But I digress...

I could rewrite the spawning algorithm to be smarter and place more mobs in upper levels, but that isn't going to be a silver bullet. I can't rewrite the mob AI w/o significantly damaging server performance. Monsters use up 40-55% of the CPU on the server at any given time, and are the single most draining resource. If Kainzo turned monsters off completely, he could double the max players. Not that I suggest he do so though.

Edit:
One thing I could experiment with could be smarter but less mobs. Instead of 7000 monsters on the server, only around 600-750 at a time. But make then rove around in "packs", with smarter AI and systematically hunt down players. They would act in packs of 4-8 and fight together (zombies acting as a attack wave, while skeles stay in the rear, creepers moving forward when zombies fall... etc) I could experiment around with this next week, I have finals until thursday. Somehow I imagine I'd get complaints with this system too

Lol, that would be awesome about the mob packs....

 

[Moorcaste]

I do not believe the issue is smarter or tougher mobs. I believe the discussion was for new players to our wonderful server. Players do not want to take an unspeced into a MA but the new player cant seem to find mobs.
This frustration with leveling will eventual cause a loss of new blood.

 

[MysteriousYellow]

I completely agree with this. I walk around during the night and find 2-3 mobs the ENTIRE night. When i did a check. It seems the problem is light levels. I find mobs in darker area's then lighter areas. At night, i even find mobs burning in the light, so they hide in darker levels.