Monster Grinder Problems!

[Zjarek_S]

rei's test is useless, for 2 reasons:
1- rei's minimap only have access to client-data, not server data. Hence, if the server dont send mobs to client, rei's minimap cant draw them.
2- server's have a limitation range to send entities to clients. The same way if you are in the nether the server is not sending to your client overworld related data, its the same with entities too far from you. The client beeing unable to see them NOT EQUAL mobs doesnt exists.

And, for the red dots disappearing, if your limit is 128, what happen if enemies spawn at 127 and fall to 129?

It is not useless with this results. Mobs don't spawn clientside, only serverside. When making this test you see red dots appearing and disappearing it means that mob spawn on the server, was sent to the client and Rei's displayed mob position. This dot disappeared immediately, so the mob immediately despawns. 128 is not my limit, only from decompiled MC source code (EntityLiving.despawnEntity()).

 

[Affex]

Is it a tier 5 one?

The different tiers do have different things they do, not just the number of mobs spawned and the frequency.

Yeah its a tier 5

 

[Jorge]

It is not useless with this results. Mobs don't spawn clientside, only serverside. When making this test you see red dots appearing and disappearing it means that mob spawn on the server, was sent to the client and Rei's displayed mob position. This dot disappeared immediately, so the mob immediately despawns. 128 is not my limit, only from decompiled MC source code (EntityLiving.despawnEntity()).

There is a difference between red dots disappearing and red dots banishing. They disappeard when mobs despawn, regarding the distance to you. When they banish the got too far from your client to see them (place the limit where you want). Read the post again thinking that 128 is that client limit.

 

[Fuzzlewhumper]

I guess I'll just dump what I know about how to build a monster trap (not a tier 5 spawn, but the old school vanilla stuff).

Must be dark, light level 7 or less.
Mobs spawn on opaque blocks (dirt, gravel, sand, stone, etc...) but not on transparent blocks (glass, chests, cake, half slabs, xycraft stuff).
Spiders need 2x2, some say 3x3 area to spawn in.

They will not spawn less than 23 blocks from you in a sphere.
They will spawn up to 128 blocks from you.
They will despawn if 129 blocks from you or if they are closer they will despawn if they don't move around for x number of seconds. They have to be like 35-40 blocks from you for that to apply. Close enemies can be stationary forever and dont despawn to that rule.
They will not spawn if the world number of enemy mobs is exceeded. Which means if there can be 100 enemies in the world, you can't make a 101th enemy spawn. Which also means if you have other people on the same server, their enemies count against your enemies. Two mob traps will compete with one another for enemy spawns.

This is to say nothing for lighting your caves and such. I usually just build way up in the sky and that solves that problem.

Zombies holding objects they pick up do not despawn. They are identical to animals and npc's in that they will always be there until killed, someone sets the difficulty to peaceful, or they burn up in the sun (die).

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Soul shards and those cages should follow the rules for spawners for the most part. They work 16 blocks or closer to a player. I've seen videos of tier 5 spawners working farther than that from the player - so this mechanic may be different or changed.

The maximum enemy limit is ignored by spawners. The rules about despawning are still in effect. Which is to say, they will vanish if too far from the player.

A fun thing to try to test some of this stuff is to find a desert, fly up high above it and watch as enemies spawn in and almost immediately despawn. Come closer and closer to the ground and you'll eventually see an ever widening circle where they spawn and stay. Then after a period of non-movement, they dissappear.

 

[Adonis0]

...The maximum enemy limit is ignored by spawners. The rules about despawning are still in effect. Which is to say, they will vanish if too far from the player....

I'm not sure why, but my Tier fives spawn and the mobs are alive long enough to make it through my mob traps and die, when they're at Y30, and I stand up at my barrels at y190. I can see the influx of items from the soul shards, so... 160 is more than 128, but they don't instantly despawn.

 

[Fuzzlewhumper]

Wow ... so cool. I just found out last night that they also do not count towards making new soul shards. I was trying to make another soul shard by killing mobs spawned by a tier 5 spawner and it was a no go. I'm thinking mobs spawned by the tier 1-5 spawners are 'modified' then. So cool. Good find there!