Introduction: (may be skipped if you don't feel like reading it)
I want to discuss the way the mobs spawn in survival. There has been discussion before about ways to keep mobs from spawning inside structures built by players, but I haven't read any that I like. Also, I think it is important to discuss this because if mobs are able to spawn inside player-built structures, it makes building in survival mode pointless in a way. What I mean is that a player's main motive to build a fortress is to have a place safe from danger. But since mobs can easily get inside the fortress just by spawning there, there is no motive for a player to build it. And if the building aspect of survival mode is rendered impertinent, then Minecraft survival mode becomes no better than any other game that has to do with surviving in a world filled with monsters.
My suggestion:
Part 1: Several groups of each mob type would spawn around the map at the beginning of the game, but after these initial groups are spawned, no more groups will be spawned.
Part 2: Mobs only spawn near groups of mobs of the same type. A demonstration: A group of zombies spawns initially. Then, every 60 seconds or so, a single zombie would spawn near that group of zombies.
Think of it like the mobs are mating and periodically producing offspring, as opposed to the current system of mobs magically appearing out of nowhere at random. If this mob spawning system was used, it would allow the player to keep their structures free of mobs. The player would be able to find a clearing free of mobs, and start building there. Once the player has the area walled off, the only way for any mobs to spawn in that area would be for a group of mobs to break in somehow.
Drawbacks:
-In some rare cases, if a group of mobs wandered close to a player's structure, a single mob may spawn on the inside of the structure just by chance. This seems like a minuscule drawback to me, though.
-I don't know how hard something like this would be to program.
-The map may become overpopulated with mobs over time. Although, it is survival anyways, and the population may be more controllable in multiplayer survival. The main concern with this is lag.
-It would be possible for the player(s) to kill every mob in the map. A solution would be for the spawn rate to increase if the amount of mobs falls below a certain number.
i already said something very close to this in my ecosystem thread in the suggestions section. go look at it and see if you like it and comment. and when do zombies and skeletons have babies?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
grant me the serenity to accept the things i can not change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference
@ shawnachu: You're right. I'll add that to the drawbacks list. But maybe the game would temporarily increase the spawn rate as opposed to just spawning new groups.
@ djcian: You're also right, our ideas are similar. Not to start a debate or anything, but I think my idea is a little simpler than the ideas being discussed in your topic. An entire ecosystem in Minecraft is a good idea, but right now, I think a simpler, universal spawn system is more likely to be implemented into the game. Sorry I didn't notice your topic before.
I want to discuss the way the mobs spawn in survival. There has been discussion before about ways to keep mobs from spawning inside structures built by players, but I haven't read any that I like. Also, I think it is important to discuss this because if mobs are able to spawn inside player-built structures, it makes building in survival mode pointless in a way. What I mean is that a player's main motive to build a fortress is to have a place safe from danger. But since mobs can easily get inside the fortress just by spawning there, there is no motive for a player to build it. And if the building aspect of survival mode is rendered impertinent, then Minecraft survival mode becomes no better than any other game that has to do with surviving in a world filled with monsters.
My suggestion:
Part 1: Several groups of each mob type would spawn around the map at the beginning of the game, but after these initial groups are spawned, no more groups will be spawned.
Part 2: Mobs only spawn near groups of mobs of the same type. A demonstration: A group of zombies spawns initially. Then, every 60 seconds or so, a single zombie would spawn near that group of zombies.
Think of it like the mobs are mating and periodically producing offspring, as opposed to the current system of mobs magically appearing out of nowhere at random. If this mob spawning system was used, it would allow the player to keep their structures free of mobs. The player would be able to find a clearing free of mobs, and start building there. Once the player has the area walled off, the only way for any mobs to spawn in that area would be for a group of mobs to break in somehow.
Drawbacks:
-In some rare cases, if a group of mobs wandered close to a player's structure, a single mob may spawn on the inside of the structure just by chance. This seems like a minuscule drawback to me, though.
-I don't know how hard something like this would be to program.
-The map may become overpopulated with mobs over time. Although, it is survival anyways, and the population may be more controllable in multiplayer survival. The main concern with this is lag.
-It would be possible for the player(s) to kill every mob in the map. A solution would be for the spawn rate to increase if the amount of mobs falls below a certain number.
Adding to the idea, perhaps if mobs go under a certain number the game would spawn some more.
@ djcian: You're also right, our ideas are similar. Not to start a debate or anything, but I think my idea is a little simpler than the ideas being discussed in your topic. An entire ecosystem in Minecraft is a good idea, but right now, I think a simpler, universal spawn system is more likely to be implemented into the game. Sorry I didn't notice your topic before.
But nice idea, I think