Trail Effects

Trail effects create visual streaks behind moving entities like weapons, projectiles, and NPCs. They interpolate color, width, and texture between start and end states over a defined lifespan.

Asset Location

• DirectoryAssets/Server/Entity/Trails/

  • Small_Default.json
  • Medium_Default.json
  • Large_Default.json
  • Huge_Default.json
  • Small_Charged.json
  • Medium_Charged.json
  • Large_Charged.json
  • Small_Flame.json
  • Medium_Flame.json
  • Large_Flame.json
  • Critical.json
  • Acid.json
  • Void.json
  • Void_Green.json
  • Memory_Trail.json
  • Daggers_Dash.json
  • Sword_Distortion.json
  • DirectoryWeapons/

    • DirectoryArrow/

      • Arrow.json
      • Arrow_Ricochet.json
      • Arrow_Vamp.json
    • DirectorySword/

      • Medium_Sword_Basic.json
      • Medium_Sword_Strong.json
    • DirectoryMace/

      • Weapon_Mace_Prisma.json
    • Dagger_Basic.json
    • DirectoryBomb/

      • …
    • DirectoryKunai/

      • …
    • DirectoryRubble/

      • …
  • DirectoryNPCs/

    • DirectoryBear/

      • Bear_Claw.json
    • DirectoryFen_Stalker/

      • Fen_Stalker_Claw.json
    • DirectoryCrawler_Void/

      • Crawler_Void_Claw.json
  • DirectoryFire_Trap/

    • …
  • DirectoryTests/

    • …

Trail Schema

Core Properties

Field	Type	Required	Description
TexturePath	string	Yes	Path to trail texture (relative to Common/)
LifeSpan	int	Yes	Trail segment duration in ticks
Roll	float	No	Rotation around trail axis (degrees)
Start	object	Yes	Start state (color, width)
End	object	Yes	End state (color, width)
LightInfluence	float	No	How much lighting affects the trail (0-1)
Smooth	bool	No	Enable smoothing between segments
RenderMode	string	No	Blending mode
Animation	object	No	Animated texture settings

Start/End State Properties

Field	Type	Description
Color	string	Color in hex (#RRGGBBAA) or rgba format
Width	float	Trail width at this point

Animation Properties

Field	Type	Description
FrameSize	object	Frame dimensions {X, Y}
FrameLifeSpan	int	Ticks per frame
FrameRange	object	Frame index range {Min, Max}

Render Modes

Mode	Description
BlendLinear	Standard alpha blending
BlendAdd	Additive blending (glowing effect)

Color Formats

Trails support multiple color formats:

// Hex with alpha
"Color": "#ffffff65"
"Color": "#FFFFFF00"

// RGBA function
"Color": "rgba(#ffffff, 1)"
"Color": "rgba(#ff2c00, 0.4)"

// Hex without alpha (full opacity)
"Color": "#483d6aff"

Examples

Basic Weapon Trail

Medium_Default.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/White.png",
  "LifeSpan": 8,
  "Roll": 0,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "#ffffff65",
    "Width": 0.4
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "#FFFFFF00",
    "Width": 0
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0.524,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear"
}

This creates a white fade trail that tapers from 0.4 width to 0 over 8 ticks.

Fire Trail

Large_Flame.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Fire.png",
  "LifeSpan": 5,
  "Roll": 0,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ffcf00, 0.9)",
    "Width": 0.6
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ff2c00, 0.4)",
    "Width": 0
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendAdd"
}

Key features:

• Color gradient: Yellow to red (fire effect)
• Additive blending: Creates glowing appearance
• No light influence: Consistent brightness

Projectile Trail

Arrow.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Arrow.png",
  "LifeSpan": 20,
  "Roll": 90,
  "LightInfluence": 0,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "#ffffff40",
    "Width": 0.2
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "#ffffff00",
    "Width": 0.1
  },
  "RenderMode": "BlendAdd",
  "Smooth": true
}

Key features:

• Long lifespan: 20 ticks for projectile motion
• 90° roll: Rotated to align with flight
• Thin width: Subtle arrow trail

Frost Weapon Trail

Weapon_Sword_Frost.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Ice.png",
  "LifeSpan": 4,
  "Roll": 90.0,
  "Start": {
    "Width": 0.65
  },
  "End": {
    "Width": 0.4,
    "Color": "#483d6aff"
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0.1,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear"
}

Note: Start color is inherited from texture when not specified.

Void Trail

Void.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Void.png",
  "LifeSpan": 6,
  "Roll": 90,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ffffff, 0.9)",
    "Width": 0.4
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "rgba(#2f0f53, 0.733)",
    "Width": 0.1
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0.3,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear"
}

Critical Hit Trail

Critical.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Critical.png",
  "LifeSpan": 6,
  "Roll": 0,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ffffff, 1)",
    "Width": 0.45
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ffffff, 0.404)",
    "Width": 0
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear"
}

Animated Trail

Daggers_Dash.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Daggers_Dash.png",
  "LifeSpan": 8,
  "Roll": 90,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ffffff, 1)",
    "Width": 0.5
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ffffff, 1)",
    "Width": 0.1
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0.0,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear",
  "Animation": {
    "FrameSize": {
      "X": 256,
      "Y": 96
    },
    "FrameLifeSpan": 2,
    "FrameRange": {
      "Max": 3,
      "Min": 0
    }
  }
}

Key features:

• Animated texture: 4 frames (0-3)
• Frame size: 256x96 pixels per frame
• Frame lifespan: 2 ticks per frame

NPC Claw Trail

Bear_Claw.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Claws/Claw_4.png",
  "LifeSpan": 7,
  "Roll": 0,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ff7f31, 0.8)",
    "Width": 0.2
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ff0000, 0.526)",
    "Width": 0
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0.5,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendAdd"
}

Memory Trail (Large)

Memory_Trail.json

{
  "TexturePath": "Trails/Ice.png",
  "LifeSpan": 10,
  "Roll": 90,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "#00e9ffdd",
    "Width": 10
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "#000cffb8",
    "Width": 0
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0.516,
  "Smooth": false,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear"
}

Note: Very wide trail (10 units) with smoothing disabled.

Trail Categories

Size Variations

Size	Default	Charged	Flame
Small	Small_Default	Small_Charged	Small_Flame
Medium	Medium_Default	Medium_Charged	Medium_Flame
Large	Large_Default	Large_Charged	Large_Flame
Huge	Huge_Default	—	—

Weapon Trails

Weapon	Trail
Swords	Weapons/Sword/Medium_Sword_Basic, Medium_Sword_Strong
Daggers	Weapons/Dagger_Basic, Daggers_Dash, Daggers_Signature
Maces	Medium_Mace_Normal, Medium_Mace_Charged, Mace_Signature
Arrows	Weapons/Arrow/Arrow, Arrow_Ricochet, Arrow_Vamp
Bombs	Weapons/Bomb/Bomb
Kunai	Weapons/Kunai/Kunai

Elemental Trails

Element	Trails
Fire	Small_Flame, Medium_Flame, Large_Flame
Ice/Frost	Weapon_Sword_Frost, Memory_Trail
Void	Void, Void_Green
Acid	Acid

NPC Trails

NPC	Trail
Bear	NPCs/Bear/Bear_Claw
Fen Stalker	NPCs/Fen_Stalker/Fen_Stalker_Claw
Void Crawler	NPCs/Crawler_Void/Crawler_Void_Claw

Creating Custom Trails

Basic Trail

MyPlugin_Trail_Basic.json

{
  "TexturePath": "MyPlugin/Trails/Custom.png",
  "LifeSpan": 6,
  "Roll": 0,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "#00ff00cc",
    "Width": 0.35
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "#00ff0000",
    "Width": 0
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0.5,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear"
}

Glowing Trail

MyPlugin_Trail_Glow.json

{
  "TexturePath": "MyPlugin/Trails/Glow.png",
  "LifeSpan": 10,
  "Roll": 0,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ffaa00, 1)",
    "Width": 0.5
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "rgba(#ff0000, 0.5)",
    "Width": 0.1
  },
  "LightInfluence": 0,
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendAdd"
}

Animated Trail

MyPlugin_Trail_Animated.json

{
  "TexturePath": "MyPlugin/Trails/Animated.png",
  "LifeSpan": 8,
  "Roll": 90,
  "Start": {
    "Color": "#ffffffff",
    "Width": 0.4
  },
  "End": {
    "Color": "#ffffff00",
    "Width": 0.2
  },
  "Smooth": true,
  "RenderMode": "BlendLinear",
  "Animation": {
    "FrameSize": { "X": 128, "Y": 64 },
    "FrameLifeSpan": 3,
    "FrameRange": { "Min": 0, "Max": 5 }
  }
}

Texture Requirements

• Format: PNG with alpha channel
• Location: Assets/Common/Trails/
• Animated textures: Horizontal sprite sheet
• Recommended width: Power of 2 (64, 128, 256, etc.)

Best Practices

1. Match lifespan to animation speed - Faster attacks need shorter lifespans
2. Use additive blending for glow - Creates light-emitting effect
3. Keep width reasonable - 0.2-0.6 for weapons, larger for effects
4. Taper width to zero - Natural fade at end
5. Use light influence sparingly - 0 for consistent brightness, >0 for world-lit trails
6. Roll for projectiles - 90° aligns trail with flight path
7. Smooth for organic motion - Disable for sharp/mechanical trails

Related

• Particles - Particle systems
• Items Overview - Item definitions
• Weapons - Weapon configurations