Spawn Hints

Optional Spawn Hints - can be used by all spawner types

The Spawn Hints System provides authored control over where units appear during runtime. Instead of relying entirely on procedural sampling, designers can place EnemySpawnHintPoint markers to bias or constrain spawn placement.

When enabled, the spawner will first attempt to use valid hint points near the spawn request location. If no hints qualify, it can either fall back to normal sampling or skip the spawn entirely depending on your configuration.

1. Enabling Spawn Hints

  1. Select your RuntimeSpawner in the scene.

  2. Enable Use Spawn Hints in the inspector.

  3. Create and assign a Spawn Hint Settings asset:

    Create → Runtime Spawner → Spawn Hint Settings

  4. Place SpawnHintPoint components throughout your level:

    GameObject → Runtime Spawner → Create Enemy Spawn Hint

Tip: If you want strictly authored placement, enable Hint-Only in the settings to disable fallback sampling entirely.

2. How It Works

For each spawn request (Global, Region, or Wave):

  1. Build a search circle:

    • Global: Radius = Cull Distance × Global Search Fraction

    • Region: Region bounds + Region Search Padding

    • Wave: Wave anchor range + Wave Search Padding

  2. Filter by tags: If a WaveSpawnPoint has Anchor Tags, hints with matching tags are preferred first.

  3. Evaluate candidates (up to Max Hint Attempts):

    • Check distance to player against hint MinPlayerDist / MaxPlayerDist.

      • If Ignore Spawner’s Global Min Range is OFF, the spawner’s global minimum range is also enforced.

    • If Deny Line Of Sight is true, reject hints visible to the player (uses LOS Block Mask).

    • If Require NavMesh is true, project the position to the NavMesh (respecting the hint’s override area mask or the spawner’s default).

    • When a hint passes all checks, it’s soft-reserved for Reservation Seconds to avoid overlapping bursts.

  4. No hint qualifies:

    • Hint-Only OFF → Fall back to standard procedural sampling.

    • Hint-Only ON → Skip the spawn entirely.

3. Key Settings (Spawn Hint Settings Asset)

Setting
Description

Hint-Only (no fallback)

Only spawn on hints; skip spawns if none qualify.

Ignore Spawner’s Global Min Range

Allows near-player hints even when the spawner’s Minimum Spawn Range is large.

Global Search Fraction / Region & Wave Padding

How far the system searches for hints per mode.

NavMesh Sample Max Dist

Maximum projection distance when Require NavMesh is true.

LOS Block Mask

Layers used for Line-of-Sight checks (camera visibility).

Reservation Seconds

Cooldown before a used hint becomes available again.

Max Hint Attempts

Cap on how many hints are evaluated per query.

Prefer Scoped First

Prefer hints inside the immediate scope (wave/region) before global search.

Debug Logs

Enable for detailed reasoning about candidate rejection (distance, LOS, reservation, etc.).

4. Authoring Tips

  • Place 2–5 hints per tile or encounter pocket (flanks, corners, behind cover).

  • Use Deny Line Of Sight to prevent pop-in near the player’s view direction.

  • Adjust Min/Max Player Distance per hint to control when it becomes eligible.

  • For grounded AI or uneven terrain, enable Require NavMesh on the hint.

  • Keep the cellSize in settings modest (e.g., 4–8) for efficient spatial queries.

5. Example Workflow

  1. Create a Spawn Hint Settings asset and assign it to your Runtime Spawner.

  2. Place several EnemySpawnHintPoint components around likely encounter spots.

  3. Adjust hint distances and line-of-sight options.

  4. Toggle Debug Logs while testing to visualize hint use and rejection reasons.

  5. In Play Mode, validate that enemies appear at expected authored locations.

  6. If spawns are too sparse, lower Reservation Seconds or increase Global Search Fraction.

6. Troubleshooting

“Nothing spawns with Hint-Only”

  • Hints may be inside the spawner’s Minimum Spawn Range.

    • Enable Ignore Spawner’s Global Min Range, or lower the spawner’s min distance.

  • Player may be too far (outside hint’s MaxPlayerDist).

  • NavMesh projection failed — increase NavMesh Sample Max Dist or relax the area mask.

  • For waves, ensure at least one hint shares the wave’s Anchor Tags (or clear the tags to accept any).

“Hints are ignored even when close”

  • Search radius too small — adjust padding or global fraction.

  • Hint may still be reserved — wait out the Reservation Seconds or increase available hints.

  • Enable Debug Logs in settings to see exact rejection causes (distance, LOS, reservation, NavMesh).

“Spawner warns about all hints being ineligible”

  • This happens when the Minimum Spawn Range exceeds all hint distances.

    • Enable Ignore Spawner’s Global Min Range in settings to fix it.

7. Debug Visualization

When Debug Logs are active:

  • Each tested hint draws a color-coded gizmo:

    • Green = valid and selected

    • Yellow = reserved

    • Red = rejected (LOS, distance, NavMesh)

  • Console logs show detailed reasoning for candidate failures and fallback decisions.

8. Best-Practice Patterns

Goal
Recommended Setup

Fully curated encounters

Enable Hint-Only, place hints manually, tune distances.

Semi-authored procedural mix

Use Prefer Scoped First with fallback enabled.

Fast waves / horde gameplay

Lower Reservation Seconds, increase Max Hint Attempts.

Dynamic or large maps

Adjust Global Search Fraction to cover broader areas.

✅ Summary

Spawn Hints give you granular control over where the Runtime Spawner places enemies, balancing authored intent with runtime flexibility.

By combining hint tagging, distance/LOS checks, and per-hint NavMesh validation, you can design encounters that feel deliberate, performant, and adaptable across multiple game modes.

Recommended setup:

  • Use hints for high-impact encounters (ambushes, flanks, scripted reveals).

  • Keep procedural fallback enabled for background or ambient spawns.

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