# How to turn NPC spawning on for 0.4?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973>\
**Category:** The Lab\
**Created:** [April 23, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973 "2013-04-23T16:38:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 17\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Heimdall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c2a13f/32.png) [@Heimdall](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Heimdall)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/1 "2013-04-23T16:38:17Z")

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Hi guys, new to the game. Loving it so far. I saw that NPCs are bugged atm but i was wondering how to turn them back on.

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**Author:** ![Williham](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/williham/32/845_2.png) [@Williham](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Williham)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/2 "2013-04-23T16:53:20Z")

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Step one: Don’t.

They are bugged beyond belief, and will crash, ruin and destroy your game, your saves, and your general experience.

Changes are incoming to make them less retardariffic, but might not make it into 0.5.

Still, 0.6 should see NPCs returned.

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**Author:** ![Heimdall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c2a13f/32.png) [@Heimdall](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Heimdall)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/3 "2013-04-23T17:46:23Z")

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Ah ok. Didn’t know they were that messed up. Thank you 🙂

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/4 "2013-04-23T20:28:06Z")

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I’m working on a few fixes. Have done a few already. Will do more. I will also make the npc options part of the options, and not the separate npc file we have now.

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**Author:** ![drake1storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@drake1storm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/drake1storm)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/5 "2013-04-25T02:56:22Z")

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In the latest test version (download the source code and compile it) they are activated and are mostly bug free.

The only bug I’ve seen so far is they, for some reason, flee the shelter shortly after the world spawns. No crashing, though.

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 7:44am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/6 "2013-04-25T07:44:19Z")

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They flee the shelter? That is new. Sure that this happens to the shelter npc? Or one of your own spawned?

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**Author:** ![kenoxite](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kenoxite/32/858_2.png) [@kenoxite](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kenoxite)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 8:08am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/7 "2013-04-25T08:08:37Z")

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I think he just refers to the fact that NPCs are still psycho wildlife murder machines, so they are actually roaming around killing squirrels with LAWs, and not fleeing.

I haven’t seen them do anything they didn’t do before.

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/8 "2013-04-25T10:07:13Z")

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debug spawned npcs default to the coords -999 -999 iirc. So there is that problem :d.

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**Author:** ![drake1storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@drake1storm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/drake1storm)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 10:58am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/9 "2013-04-25T10:58:44Z")

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No, they were NPCs in the shelters that decided to go for a brisk jog. It wasn’t squirrels or anything because I (rather excessively) board up any possible bases (such as the shelter).

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/10 "2013-04-25T12:19:37Z")

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Any more information, did you just spawn? did you use the debug menu? Did you finish the quest, was it an npc from a different save?

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**Author:** ![drake1storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@drake1storm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/drake1storm)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/11 "2013-04-25T20:20:47Z")

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I don’t even do the quests. I just go on my merry way towards the town (and usually death), and look at the map a few minutes later to see a pink @ running off to fairy land.

And yes, this only happens on new worlds. The NPCs are long gone by the time I make a new character in the same world.

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/12 "2013-04-25T21:36:10Z")

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That is so strange. They do not do this for me. It simply should not happen. (The npcs only wander off when they have something to do, either a there is a monster they want to kill, or the have some sort of goal (the shelter npcs never have a goal)).

So I’m kinda baffled about this.

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**Author:** ![drake1storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@drake1storm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/drake1storm)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/13 "2013-04-25T22:54:14Z")

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Maybe the npc has gained xray vision. Frankly, I’ve just taken to burning them and taking the loot if they are just going to keep running.

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 12:16pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/14 "2013-04-26T12:16:42Z")

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When you say new worlds, do you mean new characters or a world reset?

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**Author:** ![drake1storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@drake1storm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/drake1storm)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/15 "2013-04-27T04:13:11Z")

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Full world reset.

It is cheating if you already half cleared a town 😛

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/16 "2013-04-27T13:59:43Z")

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I’m even more confused by npcs btw. The -999,-999 coordinate, is actually 999, 999. So it probably moves to a different coordinate. A well.

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**Author:** ![drake1storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/54ee81/32.png) [@drake1storm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/drake1storm)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/how-to-turn-npc-spawning-on-for-0-4/973/17 "2013-04-28T01:51:34Z")

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Just stick to burning them. It makes life easier, and you get rewarded with many shinies.