Spawning (video gaming)

In video games, spawning is the live creation of a character, item or mob. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction, perhaps after losing one of its lives.

All player characters typically spawn at the start of a round, whereas some objects or mobs may spawn after the occurrence of a particular event or delay. When a player character respawns, they generally do so in an earlier point of the level and get some kind of penalty. The term "spawning" is used almost exclusively in games where this happens frequently.

The term was coined by id Software within the context of its game, Doom.

Spawn points are areas in a level where players spawn. In levels designed for team play, these points are usually grouped so that each team spawns in their own tight area of the level. Spawn points are typically reserved for one team at any time and often have the ability to change hands to the other team. Some games even allow spawn points to be created by players; using a beacon for example in Battlefield 2142. "Odd" spawn points cause the player to be spawned as if actively entering the game world, rather than merely appearing there.

Regarding player-created spawn points, the game Enemy Territory: Quake Wars allows players utilizing the Strogg Technican class (Strogg team version of GDF Medic class) to create "spawn hosts" out of the bodies of fallen GDF enemies. Any player on the Strogg team can use any unused spawn host and the player – upon death – can use it to spawn closer to the objective or in a tactical location, being effective tools for defending a location or advancing the front line. The spawn host disappears after the Strogg player respawns at its location, so the spawn host can only be used once. Conversely, players utilizing the GDF Medic class can disable and remove Strogg player-created spawn hosts by zapping them with their defibrillator pads.

Spawn camping is a practice where a player waits near precise spawn points to kill enemies as they spawn. This is usually considered to be poor sportsmanship and some players even perceive it to be exploitative of the game itself. Most team-based games have some kind of protection against spawn camping, such as a one-way door that only allows players to leave the spawn area, permanent AI defences or perhaps a timer which kills enemies if they spend too long around the spawn area. Games with capturable spawn points will often leave some spawn points without this sort of camping protection. Spawn points for game objects are often abused in a similar fashion in game types such as role-playing games.

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Wikipedia