template [TEMPLATE] Custom follower (with Tutorial)

[Yakuzashi]

Introduction

Hello everyone. I hadn't seen any tutorial dedicated to this topic. At the start I need to state that I am pretty lame in everything associated with modding, so don't expect sophisticated solutions. This tutorial is simple yet effective, I have to agree that it could be better but as I have said, I am just simple man. I have used my old projects to explain you the scheme of your custom follower.

Template is based on this:

Main Part

To make functional follower you need to introduce the follower's:

- main script [creature.lua], the corpus of you follower

- anchor [anchor.lua], I have called it this way, because it attaches and provides easy summoning of the creature to your DST world

- brain [creaturebrain.lua], yep, that's the brain, every action you require from your creature belongs to it

- stategraph [SGcreature.lua], this file gives your creature ability to perform any visible action, because it's connected with animations and their realizations

 

Locations

Main Folder -> scripts -> prefabs -> [creature.lua]

Main Folder -> scripts -> prefabs -> [anchor.lua]

Main Folder -> scripts -> brains -> [creaturebrain.lua]

Main Folder -> scripts -> stategraphs -> [SGcreature.lua]

 

How to make mine template yours ? That's simple! Follow me this way!

At the start, change my names [name.lua] into yours.

 

[taern.lua]

That should be your character's name.

into

local common_postinit = function(inst) 

goes

inst:AddTag("summonerally")

Add this tag to prevent summoned creature from attacking your character and vice versa.

and

local master_postinit = function(inst)

goes

inst:AddComponent("reader")

It will let you read books, which is crucial for this method of summoning follower.

 

[creature.lua]

Change name 'creature' into yours follower's name. Using Ctrl+F in Notepad++ as shown in ESCT tutorial by Dragon Wolf Leo.

Quote

Asset("ANIM", "anim/creature.zip" ),

That's your follower's appearance [Main Folder -> exported -> creature]

You can call it what you want to, but it must match [name in exported] and all other references in whole mod to work properly.

 

[anchor.lua]

Change name 'anchor' into your summoning item.

 

[creaturebrain.lua]

I am not sure if changing CreatureBrain name will affect anything but just to be sure you can try.

function CreatureBrain:OnStart()
    local root = PriorityNode(
    {
		
        WhileNode(function() return IsNearLeader(self.inst, KEEP_WORKING_DIST) end, "Leader In Range",
            PriorityNode({                
                IfNode(function() return self.inst.prefab == "creature" end, "Is Duelist",
                    PriorityNode({
                        WhileNode(function() return self.inst.components.combat:GetCooldown() > .5 and ShouldKite(self.inst.components.combat.target, self.inst) end, "Dodge",
                            RunAway(self.inst, { fn = ShouldKite, tags = { "_combat", "_health" }, notags = { "INLIMBO" } }, KITING_DIST, STOP_KITING_DIST)),
                        ChaseAndAttack(self.inst),
                }, .25)),
                IfNode(function() return self.inst.prefab == "creature" end, "Keep Chopping",
                    DoAction(self.inst, function() return FindEntityToWorkAction(self.inst, ACTIONS.CHOP) end)),
                IfNode(function() return self.inst.prefab == "creature" end, "Keep Mining",
                    DoAction(self.inst, function() return FindEntityToWorkAction(self.inst, ACTIONS.MINE) end)),
                IfNode(function() return self.inst.prefab == "creature" end, "Keep Digging",
                    DoAction(self.inst, function() return FindEntityToWorkAction(self.inst, ACTIONS.DIG, DIG_TAGS) end)),
        }, .25)),

        Follow(self.inst, GetLeader, MIN_FOLLOW_DIST, TARGET_FOLLOW_DIST, MAX_FOLLOW_DIST),

        WhileNode(function() return GetLeader(self.inst) ~= nil end, "Has Leader",
            FaceEntity(self.inst, GetFaceTargetFn, KeepFaceTargetFn)),
    }, .25)

    self.bt = BT(self.inst, root)
end

Those lines inside of this chunk must match your prefab's name. If it won't match your follower is not going to perform those actions (fighting,mining,chopping,digging)

ex.  'Creature' =/= 'creature' and your follower will not dig out objects in this case.

Quote

                IfNode(function() return self.inst.prefab == "Creature" end, "Keep Digging",
                    DoAction(self.inst, function() return FindEntityToWorkAction(self.inst, ACTIONS.DIG, DIG_TAGS) end)),

 

[SGcreature.lua]

Change name 'creature' into yours follower's name. If you want your creature to be non-humanoid you can play with stategraph to match your animation's frames, but I don't know how to achieve rewarding results.

 

[modmain.lua]

PrefabFiles = {
	"taern",
	"taern_none",	
	------------
	"creature",
}

Change name 'creature' into yours follower's name one more. Add this:

Assets = {	
	Asset("ATLAS", "images/inventoryimages/anchor.xml"),
	Asset("IMAGE", "images/inventoryimages/anchor.tex"),

	Asset("ANIM", "anim/creature.zip"),
}

This will make your item [anchor] avaible to craft and use. Just remember about CAPITALS.

GLOBAL.STRINGS.NAMES.ANCHOR = "Anchor"
GLOBAL.STRINGS.RECIPE_DESC.ANCHOR = "Allows you to summon your custom creature into this world."
GLOBAL.STRINGS.CHARACTERS.GENERIC.DESCRIBE.ANCHOR = "Is this a Ouija board ?"

local anchor = Ingredient( "anchor", 1 )
anchor.atlas = "images/inventoryimages/anchor.xml"
local anchor = AddRecipe("anchor", { Ingredient("feather_crow", 2), Ingredient(GLOBAL.CHARACTER_INGREDIENT.SANITY, 20), Ingredient("goldnugget", 4)}, RECIPETABS.WAR, TECH.NONE, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil, "images/inventoryimages/anchor.xml")

You will need to create additional:

- [Main Folder -> exported -> anchor] for your item if you want to see it in game.

- [Main Folder -> images -> inventoryimages] and place your 64x64 icon of item TEX and XML. Change names in XML too.

 

Appendix
So everything beyond 'vanilla' tutorial is added by me to make your life easier. If you have created your first custom character you won't have problems with distinguishing extraordinary files connected with custom follower. I have attached my template just few lines under this block of text.

Have fun with your digital friend

 

P.S. I know my english is not perfect, but I think it's pretty understandable. Well if not just write a comment below and I will try to help you the best I can

 

Download the template here   ----->    Taern - Follower Tutorial.zip

Edited November 8, 2019 by Yakuzashi
Some SPACEBARS

[Thomas Die]

you can also add the chatter function if you want your follower to have some speech

[mchoneybee]

On 11/9/2019 at 4:14 AM, thomas4846 said:

you can also add the chatter function if you want your follower to have some speech

How does one add the chatter function? owo?

[red1500z]

hi, i made the follower fabricable but i don't know how to make it follow me do you know how to fix it?

[Yakuzashi]

2 hours ago, red1500z said:

hi, i made the follower fabricable but i don't know how to make it follow me do you know how to fix it?

The "anchor" should act as a book. In my case it works fine. You can send me your mod folder in .zip and I will take a look.

[Hiru315]

Just have some questions:

_ So I used your anim .zip file for the creature. It does appear in sprite.

The reading animation did work but the creature is invisible. Is it normal?  

_ And also how will I change the nil value of "chakra" like instead of sanity it's maxhealth?

[Yakuzashi]

1 hour ago, Hiru315 said:

Just have some questions:

_ So I used your anim .zip file for the creature. It does appear in sprite.

The reading animation did work but the creature is invisible. Is it normal?  

_ And also how will I change the nil value of "chakra" like instead of sanity it's maxhealth?

Send me your folder. It's too much to write about. It will be better if I fix it and then you analize my changes.

[red1500z]

red1500 v2.rarthis is the folder

 

I'm new to this so it must have a lot of mistakes

[Yakuzashi]

@red1500z

Well you have  skipped some steps/files thus it didn't work.

red1500 v2.rar

[red1500z]

thanks but is there a way to invoke them without the anchor?

[Thomas Die]

local creature = SpawnPrefab("creature")         

creature.Transform:SetPosition(inst.Transform:GetWorldPosition())
creature.components.follower:SetLeader(reader)	--relplace reader with the variable that shows your character

Put this almost anywhere and it'll happen,

The anchor is simply a tool used to spawn the creature having a builder for the creature can make you spawn in the creature with a crafting recipe but i'd rather not clog the tutorial 

Edited November 8, 2020 by thomas4846
extra

[Yakuzashi]

It's fine. Mostly I don't know what I am doing, so every help is appreciated

[Thomas Die]

yes

Edited November 8, 2020 by thomas4846
i don't know slang

[red1500z]

21 hours ago, thomas4846 said:

 

interesting this helps me a lot now I have to find out where thecode goes

 

[Thomas Die]

ok

[Hiru315]

When I resume the world again. Followers stop following me.
-When they die the game crashes with "leader" nil value.

[Thomas Die]

followers automatically stop following you because the game does that too i think make it run smoother,
--you can fix this by either saving them as pets or saving their data so they spawn in with you which is basically the same thing

The death problem needs code to fix probs

[Hiru315]

Is there a way to set limit of followers? Since it's unbalance when player could heal sanity/hunger/health then massive summoning them- 

[Thomas Die]

Definitelt not

[Goregonzola]

Might be a silly idea, but is it possible to make the follower hostile against the survivor, and set a respawn time to it? Possibly making this coding into a custom hound-wave-like attack?

If so, how could I achieve that?

[Yakuzashi]

8 hours ago, BillTheCipher said:

set a respawn time to it

inst:DoPeriodicTask

8 hours ago, BillTheCipher said:

to make the follower hostile against the survivor

I would recommend to dig into any monster brain and script.

...\Steam\steamapps\common\Don't Starve Together\data\databundles -> scripts.zip

[Goregonzola]

@Yakuzashi Thanks, I'll search it up.

[AAAContinue]

Thanks for sharing a template. It really helped
But I have a question.
I've done all the things in the tutorials then changed the recipe of the anchor (to make it easy to check how it works... ) But my character only said 'I can't do that'
The ingredients were 2 petals, and it disappears when I craft anchor(with no creature)

Edited January 13, 2021 by AAAContinue

[Yakuzashi]

@AAAContinue you can post your mod folder and I will take a look

[AAAContinue]

11 hours ago, Yakuzashi said:

@AAAContinue you can post your mod folder and I will take a look

This is my mod folder.

Since the image of my character is not completed, I've only changed the scripts. So the image files would be the same as yours but I'll change it soon.

patch.zip