Editing Spawn Mechanics (section)

== Patrol Spawn Mechanics ==
The following information should be applied specifically to Patrols. It is Patrols that are responsible for sneaking up on you while trying to complete an [[Objectives|objective]]. It is Patrols that are responsible for rushing your [[Extraction]] site. It is Patrols that will call in Reinforcement Spawns.  Patrols are the unknown in your mission. If you want to be in control of the battlefield and not forced into reactive gameplay, then understanding the Patrol system is key.

=== Spawn Point Threshold ===
It is best to understand when a patrol arrives through a point system. Once an area in the battlefield has accumulated enough points to pass the threshold then a Patrol will spawn. The higher the threshold, the more points it take for a patrol to spawn.

=== Tick Rate ===
This is how many points are generated at a given time. For ease of communication we will be discussing any examples in terms of ticks per second. However, it is assured that the developers system is influenced and changes by the millisecond. The higher the tick rate the quicker the threshold will be met and thus spawning a patrol.

=== Battlefield Constant (Baseline) ===
There is an established battlefield constant of threshold and tick rate. All actions taken by the Helldiver will either decrease the threshold or increase the tick rate. A Helldiver can take actions to return the threshold/tick rate back to it's original value, but there has not been found any action that would ultimately increase the spawn time past the Battlefield Constant. 

For example, a Difficulty 1 Solo Automaton Mission will spawn a Patrol approximately every 192 seconds assuming the Helldiver has not take any actions that alter the Battlefield Constant. Any actions taken will ultimately reduce the amount of time between spawns making them appear every 180 seconds, 113 seconds, or 59 seconds. Helldivers can take actions that increase the spawn times from 113 seconds to 150 seconds. But there are no actions  that will ever change the battlefield constant from 192 seconds to 200 seconds. The battlefield constant always results in a spawn occurring every 192 seconds.