ehhh, no, lets not do that if we dont need to, if this is a table that will contain info, place the information here.

I was filling out this table like
[xi.zone.BEAUCEDINE_GLACIER] = { state = bannerState.IDLE, nms = {}, gone = {}, numAlive = 0, bannerIndex = nil },
for each entry, when I noticed I can rewrite the code to get rid of gone and numAlive, and change nms to nmsAlive = {}. I'll just remove the IDs from nmsAlive as they die and track that way. I didn't want to rewrite while you were reviewing though.

My point is this isnt needed. Combine it with what I said bellow.
The ONLY thing we need to track which EF is active per-zone is a local variable in the banner npc.
We dont need to build a dynamic table, we already have the data.
When we pop the 4 nms, or whatever number we need per banner, we only need to check in their onMobDespawn if theres any other nm in their set currently still spawned, and if not, the EF is completed.

That makes sense. Updated and tested the code.

Why dont you just define the cap as this directly?

Done.

Why would this happen though?

If an error occurred during the death or despawn code. But, thinking about it, that would mask a real bug.
I also don't know exactly how zone cleanup occurs and was worried zone cleanup would skip despawn code. I'm fine if we get rid of it.

Removed the watchDog.

Several things.
For starters, insted of pulling by mob pool, why dont you define a table with actual mobid entries in it? It would help visuallize AND it wouldnt be subject to getting their pools changed in the future and going unotized.

Secondly, with that, you could just go through the entires 1 by 1 in the loop without needing to have this fail-safe, via ipairs.

For Buburimu as an example, I could do

local nmPoolTable = 
{
    [xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA] =
    {
        [xi.mobFamily.GOBLIN] =
        {
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_BEASTMASTER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_BLACK_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_DARK_KNIGHT,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_RANGER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_RED_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_THIEF,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_WARRIOR,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_WHITE_MAGE,
        },

        [xi.mobFamily.YAGUDO] =
        {
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BARD,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BLACK_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_MONK,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_NINJA,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SAMURAI,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SUMMONER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_WHITE_MAGE,
        }, ...

and then
```local candidates = utils.shuffle(nmPoolTable[zoneId][bannerInfo.mobFamily])```

The IDs aren't always sequential because of pets.

Is this what you had in mind?

Do you want me to add all the mobs to the 13 zone IDs.lua files in this PR? Or the follow up PR?

keying it by mob pool would defeat the purpose of my comment.

My idea of a better organization, would be like this:
First: a table with the zones with the banners, like so...

local zoneBanner =
{
    [xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA] =
    {
        [1] = { position = {  101.491, -23.090,  199.798, 218 } },
        [2] = { position = {  527.885,   0.486,  -40.241, 157 } },
        [3] = { position = {  315.895,  -0.025,  361.453,  17 } },
        [4] = { position = { -132.589,  20.000, -314.261, 230 } },
        [5] = { position = { -446.510,  -8.799, -282.799, 240 } },
    }
}

The keys are important. Each banner would have a key associated, meaning, we can set a local variable to the banner with the key, which we can fetch at any time, and use it as a master key for everything else.

Then, a nmTable for nms, keyed with the banners same key

local bannerNMs =
{
    [xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA] =
    {
        [1] =
        {
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_BEASTMASTER, zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_BLACK_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_DARK_KNIGHT, zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_RANGER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_RED_MAGE,    zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_THIEF,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_WARRIOR,     zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_WHITE_MAGE,
        },

        [2] =
        {
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_BEASTMASTER, zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_BLACK_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_DARK_KNIGHT, zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_RANGER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_RED_MAGE,    zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_THIEF,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_WARRIOR,     zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.HOBGOBLIN_WHITE_MAGE,
        },

        [3] =
        {
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BARD,       zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BLACK_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_MONK,       zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_NINJA,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SAMURAI,    zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SUMMONER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_WHITE_MAGE,
        },

        [4] =
        {
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BARD,       zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BLACK_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_MONK,       zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_NINJA,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SAMURAI,    zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SUMMONER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_WHITE_MAGE,
        },

        [5] =
        {
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BARD,       zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_BLACK_MAGE,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_MONK,       zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_NINJA,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SAMURAI,    zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_SUMMONER,
            zones[xi.zone.BUBURIMU_PENINSULA].mob.THEOYAGUDO_WHITE_MAGE,
        },
    },
}

This defines very explicitly what the NMs can be per banner, and is safe from both shifts in IDs and in mob pools.

It would be a big list, sure. But we wouldnt need to build a table anywhere, which is abstract AF, we wouldnt need to restart the server to test when editing the file and more importantly, its more clear for humans, which are the actual end users. The more crystal clear we make this, the more ppl can jump in and debug in the case they find an issue. And by extension, the more chances we will actually get a PR with said hypothetical fix.

Added. I also added the 13 IDs.lua files.

I did two variables on the banner (State and BannerIndex).

in general, you dont need to check for == nil or ~= nil
lets say mob
if mob then
if not mob then

Fixed.

we could instead do this

local availableOptions = {}
for i = 1, ##bannerOptions do
    if i ~= lastBannerIndex then
        table.insert(availableOptions , #bannerOptions + 1, i)
    end
end

newBannerIndex = math.randomInt(1, #availableOptions)

This guarantees a different position. Of course, that would be if you had the tables keyed.

I did

    local availableOptions = {}
    for i = 1, #bannerOptions do
        if i ~= lastBannerIndex then
            table.insert(availableOptions, i)
        end
    end

    local newBannerIndex = availableOptions[math.randomInt(1, #availableOptions)]

In general, applied to the whole PR: mobs and npcs should be in alphabetical order. Easier to read or find a concrete mob

Changed. And updated alphabetical order for those files except for HARVESTING and LOGGING which in their own space below and OPTION_ONE, OPTION_TWO, OPTION_THREE.

if you kill with a DoT, there wont ever be a killer. can check that with optParams.noKiller

Added the check. Tested on local. DoT killer will check for all mobs dead but not reward anything.

dont need nmsRemain variable

    for _, nmId in ipairs(bannerNMs[zoneId][bannerIndex]) do
        if nmId ~= mobId and GetMobByID(nmId):isAlive() then
            return
        end
    end

If I make that change in onMobDeath, it will never run the rewards code below, so I did not change it there.
I made this change in onMobDespawn.
In onMobDeath I changed the variable to allDefeated to avoid the double negative later.

Is this actually true? every single person in the zone, no matter where they are, get the message?

Here's a non-Bastok, non-party member, without the KI, getting the message within close range. https://youtu.be/lBNlgznk_xM?t=600
Here's a Batsok player who left party and ran pretty far away who got the message. https://youtu.be/lBNlgznk_xM?t=1454
I also asked another player in the zone and they acknowledged they saw them. (No idea where they were.)
It appears to be zone wide.