I've always liked parasite mods like Spore and Scape and Run, but the biggest issue has always been cave spawns. Having dozens of infected mobs spawning down at Y -50 in unrendered caves completely kills server TPS and eats up RAM.
To fix this, I made an addon called **SporeWithin** for Forge 1.20.1.
### What it does:
* **Surface-only outbreak lock**: Early stage infections are strictly confined to the surface within a 12-chunk radius. Mobs won't spawn in random deep ravines and lag your game.
* **Remains mechanic**: When infected mobs die on the surface, they leave behind custom remains. If you don't burn or cure them in time, they rot, sprout roots, and generate an underground Mound burrow.
* **Performance focus**: Custom cleanup handlers prevent entity memory leaks and keep TPS at a stable 20 even during larger fights.
* **Surface defense**: If a region hits its mound limit, the hive sends surface scouting squads instead of hoarding mobs underground.
* **Config support**: Everything from evolution timers to chunk radii and spawn rates can be customized in the config.
Just updated the mod icon with custom pixel art showing the surface remains and underground mound cycle.
Links:
* CurseForge: https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/sporewithin
* Modrinth: https://modrinth.com/mod/sporewithin
Feedback and suggestions are welcome.