Environment Configuration

Environment configurations define weather forecasts, spawn densities, and audio/visual settings for different world regions. Each zone and biome can have unique environmental characteristics.

Asset Location

• DirectoryAssets/Server/Environments/

  • Default.json
  • DirectoryZone0/

    • …
  • DirectoryZone1/

    • Env_Zone1_Autumn.json
    • Env_Zone1_Azure.json
    • Env_Zone1_Caves.json
    • Env_Zone1_Caves_Forests.json
    • Env_Zone1_Caves_Goblins.json
    • Env_Zone1_Dungeons.json
  • DirectoryZone2/

    • …
  • DirectoryZone3/

    • …
  • DirectoryZone4/

    • …
  • DirectoryUnique/

    • …
  • DirectoryLegacy/

    • …

Environment Schema

Core Properties

Field	Type	Default	Description
WaterTint	color		Tint color applied to water in this environment
FluidParticles	map<string, FluidParticle>	{}	Particle systems for fluids, keyed by FluidFX asset id
SpawnDensity	double		NPC spawn density multiplier
BlockModificationAllowed	boolean	true	Whether blocks can be placed or harvested in this environment
WeatherForecasts	map<int, WeightedMap<WeatherForecast>>		Hour-keyed (0-23) weighted weather forecasts
Tags	object		Environment classification tags

Weather Forecasts

Weather is configured per hour (0-23):

Basic weather forecast structure

{
  "WeatherForecasts": {
    "0": [
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Clear", "Weight": 60 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Cloudy_Light", "Weight": 30 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Rain_Light", "Weight": 10 }
    ],
    "1": [
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Clear", "Weight": 60 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Cloudy_Light", "Weight": 40 }
    ]
  }
}

Weather Entry Properties

Field	Type	Description
WeatherId	string	Reference to weather definition
Weight	int	Probability weight (higher = more likely)

FluidParticle Entry

Field	Type	Default	Description
SystemId	string	required	Reference to a ParticleSystem asset id
Color	color		Fallback color if none specified in particle settings
Scale	float	1.0	Scale of the particle system

FluidParticles example

{
  "FluidParticles": {
    "Hytale:Water": {
      "SystemId": "MyPlugin_WaterSplash",
      "Color": "#0A3355",
      "Scale": 1.0
    }
  }
}

Tags

Tags categorize environments for spawning and behavior:

{
  "Tags": {
    "Zone1": ["Caves", "Forests"],
    "Biome": ["Underground"]
  }
}

Zone Environments

Zone 1 (Plains)

Environment	Description
Env_Zone1_Autumn	Fall-themed with warm colors
Env_Zone1_Azure	Blue-tinted magical area
Env_Zone1_Caves	Underground cave system
Env_Zone1_Caves_Forests	Forest cave entrances
Env_Zone1_Caves_Goblins	Goblin-inhabited caves
Env_Zone1_Caves_Mountains	Mountain caverns
Env_Zone1_Caves_Plains	Plains cave system
Env_Zone1_Caves_Rats	Rat-infested caves
Env_Zone1_Caves_Spiders	Spider nest caves
Env_Zone1_Caves_Swamps	Swamp caverns
Env_Zone1_Caves_Volcanic_T1-T3	Volcanic caves (tiers)
Env_Zone1_Dungeons	Dungeon interiors
Env_Zone1_Encounters	Combat encounter areas

Zone 2 (Desert)

Desert and jungle environments with heat effects.

Zone 3 (Taiga)

Cold environments with snow and ice.

Zone 4 (Volcanic)

Extreme heat and lava environments.

Examples

Cave Environment

Env_Zone1_Caves.json

{
  "SpawnDensity": 0.5,
  "Tags": {
    "Zone1": ["Caves"]
  },
  "WeatherForecasts": {
    "0": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "1": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "2": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "3": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "4": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "5": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "6": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "7": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "8": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "9": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "10": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "11": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "12": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "13": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "14": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "15": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "16": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "17": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "18": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "19": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "20": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "21": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "22": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }],
    "23": [{ "WeatherId": "Cave_Shallow", "Weight": 100 }]
  }
}

Key characteristics:

• 50% spawn density - Reduced monster spawning
• Cave_Shallow weather - Constant cave conditions (no time-of-day change)
• Tags - Marked as Zone1 Caves for spawn rules

Dynamic Weather Environment

Example outdoor environment

{
  "SpawnDensity": 1.0,
  "Tags": {
    "Zone1": ["Plains", "Outdoor"]
  },
  "WeatherForecasts": {
    "0": [
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Clear_Night", "Weight": 70 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Cloudy_Night", "Weight": 30 }
    ],
    "6": [
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Clear_Dawn", "Weight": 60 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Fog_Morning", "Weight": 40 }
    ],
    "12": [
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Clear_Day", "Weight": 50 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Cloudy_Day", "Weight": 30 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Rain", "Weight": 20 }
    ],
    "18": [
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Clear_Dusk", "Weight": 70 },
      { "WeatherId": "Zone1_Cloudy_Dusk", "Weight": 30 }
    ]
  }
}

Weather Definitions

Weather definitions are stored in Assets/Server/Weathers/:

• DirectoryAssets/Server/Weathers/

  • DirectoryZone1/

    • Zone1_Clear.json
    • Zone1_Cloudy_Light.json
    • Zone1_Cloudy_Medium.json
    • Zone1_Rain_Light.json
    • Zone1_Rain_Heavy.json
    • Zone1_Storm.json
  • DirectoryZone2/

    • …
  • DirectoryZone3/

    • …
  • DirectoryZone4/

    • …
  • Cave_Shallow.json
  • Cave_Deep.json

Weather definitions include:

• Sky appearance
• Fog settings
• Particle effects (rain, snow)
• Ambient sounds
• Reverb preset
• Lighting adjustments

Spawn Density

The SpawnDensity multiplier affects NPC spawning:

Value	Effect
0.0	No spawning
0.5	Half normal spawning
1.0	Normal spawning
1.5	150% spawning
2.0	Double spawning

Creating Custom Environments

MyPlugin_Env_Custom.json

{
  "WaterTint": "#0A5533",
  "SpawnDensity": 0.8,
  "BlockModificationAllowed": true,
  "FluidParticles": {
    "Hytale:Water": {
      "SystemId": "MyPlugin_WaterSplash",
      "Color": "#0A5533",
      "Scale": 1.0
    }
  },
  "Tags": {
    "MyPlugin": ["CustomBiome"],
    "Zone1": ["Special"]
  },
  "WeatherForecasts": {
    "0": [
      { "WeatherId": "MyPlugin_Weather_Night", "Weight": 100 }
    ],
    "6": [
      { "WeatherId": "MyPlugin_Weather_Dawn", "Weight": 100 }
    ],
    "12": [
      { "WeatherId": "MyPlugin_Weather_Day", "Weight": 70 },
      { "WeatherId": "MyPlugin_Weather_Special", "Weight": 30 }
    ],
    "18": [
      { "WeatherId": "MyPlugin_Weather_Dusk", "Weight": 100 }
    ]
  }
}

Environment Transitions

When players move between environments:

• Weather interpolates smoothly
• Audio crossfades between ambiences
• Spawn rules update at boundaries
• Visual effects blend between settings

Best Practices

1. Use weights wisely - Higher weights = more common weather
2. Match time of day - Use appropriate weather for each hour
3. Consider spawn density - Balance difficulty with density
4. Use meaningful tags - Enable targeted NPC spawn rules
5. Test transitions - Ensure smooth environment boundaries

Related

• Audio Effects - Reverb and EQ presets
• Particle Systems - Weather particles
• World Overview - World system API