💡 Photophobic Mobs

A lightweight, highly configurable Fabric, Forge & NeoForge mod that completely overhauls how mobs react to light, heat, and darkness.

Photophobic Mobs introduces a dynamic contrast between light fearing monsters, shadow stalkers, and light seeking creatures turning light sources into tactical survival tools and breathing realistic life into mob behavior!

🌟 Sunlit vs. Shadow Mechanics

1. Light-Phobic Mobs (Zombies, Skeletons, Phantoms, & Configurable Mobs) 🧟

• Light Avoidance: Monsters actively retreat from illuminated blocks (torches, lanterns, etc.) to seek safety in darkness.
• Held & Dropped Light Fear: Holding a torch in your hand or tossing one on the ground forces nearby monsters to back away.
• Fire & Lava Panic: Mobs actively scan for and pathfind away from hazardous fire, campfires, and lava.
• Panic Effects: When fleeing, mobs emit smoke and angry villager particles, occasionally gaining a brief burst of panic speed.

2. Light-Attracted Mobs (Creepers, Spiders, & Configurable Mobs) 🕷️

• Moth to a Flame: Creepers and Spiders roaming in the dark are naturally drawn toward bright lights and torches.
• Nighttime Base Invasions: Well-lit sanctuaries become primary targets if left open watch your perimeter at night!

3. Dual-Behavior Mobs (Bats, Flying Mobs & Modded Creatures) [NEW in v1.2.0] 🦇

• The Best of Both Worlds: Mobs in this category are drawn to gentle lights (torches, lanterns) like moths, but will instantly panic and flee from destructive heat sources (campfires, fire, lava).
• Native 3D Flight AI: Bats wake from ceiling roosting, smoothly fly toward torches to flutter around them, and flee in full 3D when hazards are detected.

⚙️ Key Features

• Real-Time Commands: Update mob lists and settings instantly without server restarts using /photophobic.
• 100% Dedicated Server & LAN Compatible: Built server-side using native Minecraft Goal AI clients don't even need the mod installed to join!
• Zero TPS Lag: Tick-staggering spreads block scans evenly across 1-second intervals using Entity IDs, preventing lag spikes even with 50+ mobs in loaded chunks.
• Modpack Safe: Includes chunk-loading protections (hasChunkAt) and $O(1)$ cached registry checks.

🛠️ Configuration

Everything is configured via .minecraft/config/photophobicmobs.json and reloads instantly with /photophobic reload.

Mob Categories:

• fleeMobIds: Mobs that run away from light into darkness (Zombies, Skeletons).
• attractMobIds: Mobs attracted to light sources at night (Creepers, Spiders).
• dualBehaviorMobIds: Mobs drawn to light (torches), but fleeing from fire & lava (Bats, Insects).

Item & Danger Formatting (lightItemIds):

• "minecraft:torch=8.0" Sets a custom 8-block detection radius.
• "minecraft:glowstone" Uses default radius.
• "minecraft:campfire=12.0:flee" Tagged with :flee so dual-behavior mobs actively run away from it.
• Fully supports any modded block or item!

💬 In-Game Commands (OP Level 2)

• /photophobic reload Instantly reloads photophobicmobs.json.
• /photophobic addflee <id> / /photophobic removeflee <id> Adds/removes light-fleeing mobs.
• /photophobic addattract <id> / /photophobic removeattract <id> Adds/removes light-attracted mobs.
• /photophobic adddual <id> / /photophobic removedual <id> Adds/removes dual-behavior mobs.
• /photophobic addlight <id> Adds an item/block to the light registry.

🧪 Multi-Version Support

Official releases are compiled and tested natively for:

• Minecraft 1.19.4 – 1.20.1 (Fabric & Forge)
• Minecraft 1.20.5 – 1.21.1 (Fabric & NeoForge)
• Minecraft 26.1 – 26.3 (Fabric & NeoForge)

(Fabric requires Fabric Loader 0.15.0+ and Fabric API; Forge & NeoForge versions run natively.)

🐛 Bug Reports & Feedback

Found an odd mob interaction or want support for a specific modded entity? Feel free to leave a comment or submit an issue on our tracker!