Ecology Component¶

The EcologyComponent is the core data structure that attaches modular attributes to each entity in Better Ecology.

Overview¶

The component system provides: - Per-entity state storage - Handle-based subsystem integration - NBT persistence - Goal registration tracking

Component Structure¶

Each entity with an attached EcologyComponent contains:

Accessing Components¶

From Entity¶

EcologyComponent component = ((EcologyAccess) entity).getComponent();

Reading Handle Data¶

CompoundTag hungerTag = component.getHandleTag("hunger");
float currentHunger = hungerTag.getFloat("current");

Writing Handle Data¶

CompoundTag tag = component.getOrCreateHandleTag("hunger");
tag.putFloat("current", newHungerValue);
tag.putLong("last_update", world.getGameTime());

Handle Tags¶

Each handle stores its state in a separate CompoundTag under the handle's ID:

BetterEcology
  - hunger
      - current: 75.0
      - max: 100.0
      - last_damage_tick: 12345
  - condition
      - value: 80.0
  - wool
      - wool_stage: 3
      - wool_quality: 0.75

Lifecycle¶

Attachment¶

Components are attached via MobEcologyMixin during entity initialization.

Goal Registration¶

Goals are registered once per entity:

if (!component.areGoalsRegistered()) {
    EcologyHooks.onRegisterGoals(mob);
    component.setGoalsRegistered(true);
}

Ticking¶

Components are ticked via the mixin hook:

EcologyHooks.onTick(mob);

Persistence¶

NBT data is saved and loaded via mixin hooks:

// Save
EcologyHooks.onSave(mob, compoundTag);

// Load
EcologyHooks.onLoad(mob, compoundTag);

Generation Counter¶

The generation counter tracks reload events:

1. On /reload, EcologyProfileRegistry.reload() increments generation
2. Components compare their generation with registry generation
3. Stale components refresh their profile reference

This ensures entities pick up configuration changes without requiring respawn.

Common Handle Tags¶

Hunger Handle¶

CompoundTag hunger = component.getHandleTag("hunger");
// Fields: current, max, decay_rate, last_damage_tick

Condition Handle¶

CompoundTag condition = component.getHandleTag("condition");
// Fields: value, last_update

Social Handle¶

CompoundTag social = component.getHandleTag("social");
// Fields: loneliness, last_social_tick

Age Handle¶

CompoundTag age = component.getHandleTag("age");
// Fields: age_ticks, is_adult

Thread Safety¶

• All state stored in NBT tags per-entity
• No shared static state between entities
• Component system provides thread-safe access

Performance¶

• Component access is O(1) via entity attachment
• Handle tags are lazily created
• No allocation during normal tick operations

See Also¶

• Architecture
• Behavior System
• Hunger and Condition