NPC Kit

NPCs (non-player characters) can add a lot of depth to an experience. All of the following NPCs can be visually customized, their behavior modified, and the zombie/soldiers can even defend an area by attacking players or other characters using a tag system to set behavior.

To use an NPC in your game:

  1. Select one of the following NPC kits:

    Drooling Zombie
    Soldiers
    RO-01 Robots
    NP-C 9000 Robots
  2. On the NPC's item page, click the green Get button and confirm the transaction.

  3. In Roblox Studio, open the Toolbox (ViewToolbox).

  4. Select your toolbox Inventory section.

  5. Locate the NPC and click it to add it into the place.

Character Structure

Each NPC model typically contains the following objects:

Object Name or [Type]TypeDescription
AnimationsFolderContains Animations, such as an AttackAnimation or DeathAnimation.
Initial PosesFolderContains posing information.
AnimateScriptLoads and plays animations on the character rig. See Animate for more details.
[Accessory]AccessoryOne of possibly multiple Accessories for the NPC such as hats, weapons, etc.
HealthScriptTypically regenerates the Humanoid health over time. Disabling this will prevent the character from regenerating health.
HumanoidHumanoidManages Humanoid related properties, such as Humanoid.Health, Humanoid.WalkSpeed, Humanoid.DisplayDistanceType, etc.
NPCScript

Defines character-specific behaviors such as roaming, attacking, etc. Parents the following objects:

Maid (ModuleScript) defines a class useful in releasing resources used.

Ragdoll (ModuleScript) defines a function that transforms a character into a loose physics-affected body (parents a RigTypes ModuleScript that defines several helper functions).

RbxNpcSoundsScriptDefines and manages behavior related to character sound effects like running, dying, etc.
BodyPartsBasePartVarious character body parts attached to the HumanoidRootPart or neighboring body parts through Motor6D or constraint objects. See BodyParts for more details.
HumanoidRootPartBasePartA special invisible part that's considered the root of the rig; this is also the PrimaryPart of the character's Model.
ConfigurationConfigurationContains value objects which tune various behaviors. See Configuration for more details.

Design Notes

When using the NPC kit, keep in mind the following design notes:

  • The visual appearance of an NPC can be customized by adding/modifying various [BodyParts] objects and by adding Accessory objects.

  • The Soldiers, Drooling Zombie, and NP-C 9000 Robots use Rthro as the base of their rig. However, the RO-01 Robots use a modified Rthro base that adds thruster parts connected to the UpperTorso using WeldConstraints. Using simple joints in this way lets you include extra geometry for your characters without changing the original base rig.

  • At a basic level, NPC animations can be customized by modifying the AnimationId of existing Animation objects within the Animate script poses, or those within the Animations folder. Such a change is essentially an asset swap - to change the finer details, you can create custom copies of existing animations, and to play animations under different conditions, you can edit the Animate or NPC scripts directly. For more information, see Animation.

Animate

The Animate Script in the NPC Model handles animation related configurations and contains the following objects:

Object Name or [Type]TypeDescription
ScaleDampeningPercentNumberValueDefines how animation speeds are modified as the character is scaled (less than 1 implies animation playback scales inversely as a character is scaled).
PlayEmoteBindableFunctionThis can be invoked by other scripts in order to force the assumption of a pose.
[Pose]StringValueReference to a playable animation category such as idle, jump, walk, etc. This object can parent any number of Animations.

These Animations parent a Weight (NumberValue) that prioritizes one of multiple animations to play while the pose is assumed; typically used to add variety to idle and dance poses.

BodyParts

The BodyPart BasePart in the NPC Model represent the various character body parts and contains the following objects:

Object Name or [Type]TypeDescription
AvatarPartScaleTypeStringValue Determines how the part will be scaled; values can be Classic, ProportionsNormal, or ProportionsSlender.
OriginalSizeVector3ValueDetermines the size of the part when the character scaling is 1.
[Attachment]AttachmentDefines a point relative to the individual part which scripts, effects, and objects such as a Tool or Accessory may utilize during positioning.
[Motor6D]Motor6DAn animated joint between two body parts. Note that Animator depends on the name of Motor6Ds to be consistent with that of the Motor6Ds used when an animation was created, so avoid renaming this object.
[Joint]WeldConstraint, Constraint, JointInstance A non-animated joint between two body parts.
[Sound]SoundCommonly found in the head or HumanoidRootPart; plays sounds from within the rig as controlled by the RbxNpcSounds script.

Configuration

Each NPC includes a Configuration object within its hierarchy which acts as a container of value objects. These are used by the NPC script to tune various behaviors. Unless otherwise specified, these apply to all of the characters.

Object Name or [Type]TypeDescription
DestroyOnDeathBoolValueCauses the entire NPC to be destroyed shortly after it dies. Disable this for ragdolls to be persistent.
PatrolEnabledBoolValueCauses the NPC to wander in an area around its starting position.
PatrolRadiusNumberValueDefines the maximum distance an NPC will wander from its starting position, assuming PatrolEnabled is true.
RagdollEnabledBoolValueCauses the NPC to go limp when it dies, instead of breaking apart.
AttackDamageNumberValueDefines how much health is lost by a victim when attacked by the NPC. This applies for Zombie and Soldier kits only.
AttackDelayNumberValueDefines the minimum number of seconds between shots. This applies for Soldier kits only.
AttackModeNumberValueSpecifies what the soldier will attack, based on the tagging system. This applies for Soldier kits only.
AttackRadiusNumberValueDefines the maximum distance the NPC must be from a potential victim before it attempts to attack. This applies for Zombie and Soldier kits only.
ClipCapacityNumberValueDefines how many bullets the soldier can fire before needing to reload. This applies for Soldier kits only.
ReloadDelayNumberValueDefines how many seconds must pass before the soldier's weapon clip is reloaded. This applies for Soldier kits only.

Assigning Tags

The NPC script uses CollectionService tags to manage aggression toward other characters and players. Various tags from the following table can be assigned as follows:

  • To assign tag(s) to another NPC, assign them to the NPC's top-level Model using the Tags section of its properties, or Studio's Tag Editor.

  • To assign a tag to a Player character, you can add a Script to StarterCharacterScripts with a CollectionService:AddTag() call. For example:


    local CollectionService = game:GetService("CollectionService")
    CollectionService:AddTag(script.Parent, "SoldierEnemy")
TagPurpose
SoldierEnemy or SoldierFriend

Determines if a soldier, based on its AttackMode configuration value, should attack another character. When the soldier's AttackMode is set to 1, other characters must be tagged with SoldierEnemy to be considered attackable. When the soldier's AttackMode is set to 2, all objects without the SoldierFriend tag are considered attackable. When the soldier's AttackMode is set to 3, these tags are ignored entirely and the soldier will attack all characters.

ZombieFriendThis tag is used by the zombie to determine whether it should not attack a character. When applied, the zombie becomes docile toward the tagged character.