Spawn & Sandbox System Guide
This guide is built for players and content creators alike. The built-in HELLGATE customization framework allows you to modify maps in real-time, populate them with any enemies, place interactive traps, or hide hostages using simple text files. No coding or compilation required.
Quick Start: Create a Spawn in 30 Seconds (The Workflow)
The system features an integrated tool called SpawnPointAnalyzer. The fastest way to completely overhaul a map looks like this:
- Enable Recording Mode: While in-game, press F11. The screen will be covered by a light green filter to show the mode is active.
- Grab the Coordinates: Move your mouse cursor over the exact spot on the screen where you want to place something and click the Left Mouse Button (LMB). This coordinate is instantly copied to your clipboard (just like pressing Ctrl+C), and it is also backed up into the BepInEx\spawnpoint.log file.
- Paste into the Config: Alt-Tab out of the game and navigate to the folder BepInEx\plugins\HellGateJson\HellGateSpawnPoint. Open the text file corresponding to your current map (such as HellGateSpawn_FirstMap.txt, HellGateSpawn_nightless city C.txt, or HellGateSpawn_nightless city ragdum b.txt).
- Define your Enemy: Simply press Ctrl+V. The coordinate will pop up instantly, for example: 468.10,-184.66. Now, just add a comma, the internal enemy name, and the count: 468.10,-184.66,Vagrant,1 This means 1 Vagrant will spawn here. Save the file, but feel free to keep it open.
- Instant Live Test (Hot-Reload): Switch back to the game. Ensure the green filter (F11) is still active, and Right-Click (RMB) anywhere on the screen. The map will instantly reload on the fly, old enemies will vanish, and 1 fresh Vagrant will materialize right in front of your eyes exactly where you clicked!
The Result: From now on, whenever you enter this map or resurrect at an altar, this enemy will always spawn at this exact spot until you modify or delete its line in the text document.
Advanced Features: Probabilities and Random Pools
If you want your custom sandbox setups to feel unpredictable and offer high replayability, you can use procedural spawn rules:
- RANDOM (Spawn Probability) The enemy will only appear at the coordinate based on a specified percentage chance (ranging from 0.0 to 1.0).
RANDOM,0.5,-115.74,-135.44,TouzokuAxe,1 (A 50% chance that an Axe Bandit will spawn at this spot)
RANDOM,0.3,-98.82,-133.41,Goblin,2 (A 30% chance to spawn two Goblins)
- RANDOM_GROUP (Pick N Random Points from a List) You can map out 5 different ideal ambush positions, but instruct the engine to randomly choose only 3 of them every time the map resets.
RANDOM_GROUP,3,START -109.18,-137.00,Kakasi,1 -106.29,-137.00,Inquisition,1 -103.41,-137.00,Goblin,1 -101.00,-136.80,Vagrant,1 -99.50,-136.50,Pilgrim,1 RANDOM_GROUP,END (Pick exactly 3 random spots from the 5 options provided above)
- POOL (Random Enemy Variant at a Fixed Position) The coordinate remains strictly fixed, but the enemy type itself is rolled randomly from a customized pool list you provide.
-86.01,-121.99,POOL[TouzokuNormal,TouzokuAxe,Goblin],1 (Spawns either a normal swordsman, an axe bandit, or a goblin at this exact spot)
Environment Elements: Traps, Props and Hostages
HELLGATE allows you to clone and position original interactive objects from the game code (mechanical traps, breakable environmental assets, and functional rescue hooks).
Line Formats: TRAP,Object_Key,X,Y,Count,flip,rotation OBJECT,Object_Key,X,Y,Count,flip HOSTAGE,Object_Key,X,Y,Count,flip
TRAP: Dangerous or interactive objects like floor spike arrays, wall presses, mimic chests, ivy wall traps. OBJECT: Breakable props or light decorations like candles, smashable wooden boxes, and barrels. HOSTAGE: Original vanilla captive structures utilizing the rescue mechanic.
Directions and Rotations (Flipping and Turning Spikes): To horizontally mirror or flip an object left, just append “,flip” or “,-1” to the end of the line. To rotate wall or ceiling spike traps, utilize direction tokens: “rot90”, “rot180” (upside down), or “rot270”.
Examples:
TRAP,trapmachine,-120.5,-80.0,1,flip (Places a functional wall-crushing machine facing left)
TRAP,trap_hari,-120.0,-130.0,1,rot90 (Floor spikes rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise to work on a side wall)
RANDOM_HOSTAGE,0.5,mobslumslave,-100.0,-120.0,1 (Spawns a rescueable slave layout with a 50% probability rate)
Cheat Sheet: Common Spawn Keys
Common Enemies (EnemyType): TouzokuNormal – Standard Bandit Swordsman TouzokuAxe – Heavy Axe Bandit Inquisition – Black Inquisitor Knight InquisitionRED – Red Inquisitor Knight Goblin – Small Goblin Scout RequiemKnight – Elite Requiem Knight Undead – Zombie / Undead Minion
Popular Traps and Objects (Key): trap_hari – Classic retractable floor spikes trapmachine – Wall H-Press (crushing trap) ivy_monster – Tentacle/Ivy wall snare trap movebox_brk – Moveable and breakable wooden box prop
Pro-Tip: A full database containing over 40 enemy variants and hundreds of environmental templates is located inside your mod directory within ALL_ENEMIES.txt and AVAILABLE_SPAWN_TEMPLATES_RUNTIME.txt! Use them freely to convert any vanilla stage into your own hardcore sandbox gauntlet.
