Game modes
Sandbox’s seven modes: race, platformer, arena, runner, explore, capture the flag and tower defense. Controls, win conditions, settings and required entities.
The mode is a game’s first decision. It provides the player controller, the camera, the score and the win conditions. You can switch it at any time without losing the world: the same terrain and entities become another game.
Overview
| Mode | ID | Win | Loss | Camera |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | race | Finish 1st after the laps | Finish behind a bot | Follow |
| Platformer | platformer | Reach the finish | Out of lives | Follow, orbitable |
| Arena | arena | Clear every wave | Out of HP | Fixed top-down |
| Runner | runner | None: distance | Out of lives | Behind |
| Explore | explore | Finish, or collect everything | None | Follow, orbitable |
| Capture the flag | ctf | N captures | N enemy captures | Follow, orbitable |
| Tower defense | tower | Hold every wave | Base destroyed | Orbits the base |
AZERTY keyboards
Race
Karts, checkpoints, laps and drift. Bots follow your checkpoint line.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Throttle / brake | WS |
| Steer | AD |
| Drift | Shift |
| Reset to last checkpoint | R |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Throttle / brake | ↑↓ |
| Steer | ←→ |
| Drift | Maj |
| Reset to last checkpoint | R |
checkpoint entities are crossed in params.order order; a lap counts when you cross the finish after every checkpoint. Bots (0 to 7) steer toward the next checkpoint with a little noise. Off the road (road terrain colours), grip drops to 62 %. boost pads: full speed for 1.4 s. hazard: spin-out. Coin: short boost.
Platformer
Run, jump, collect coins, dodge hazards, reach the finish.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move (camera relative) | WASD |
| Jump (hold for higher) | Space |
| Orbit the camera | Drag |
| Back to checkpoint | R |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move (camera relative) | ↑←↓→ |
| Jump (hold for higher) | Espace |
| Orbit the camera | Glisser |
| Back to checkpoint | R |
Jumping has coyote time and an input buffer, with height depending on how long you hold. Enemies are stomped from above; side contact, a hazard or a fall cost a life and send you back to the last checkpoint. Score: 100 per coin, 150 per enemy, 1,000 at the finish, a time bonus and 50 per life left.
Arena
Top-down waves of enemies. Survive, shoot, score.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | WASD |
| Aim | Mouse |
| Fire | ClickSpace |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | ↑←↓→ |
| Aim | Souris |
| Fire | ClicEspace |
Placed enemies form wave 1. Each following wave n spawns 3 + 2n enemies at the spawn points (or where the placed enemies stood), faster and tougher. Coins restore 1 HP, solid props stop bullets. 2.5 s break between waves.
Runner
Endless lanes, obstacles and coins, ever faster.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Change lane | AD |
| Jump | SpaceW |
| Drop faster | S |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Change lane | ←→ |
| Jump | Espace↑ |
| Drop faster | S↓ |
The player runs along the map’s Z axis. At the end they loop back to the start, 1.2 faster, and coins and boosts come back. Hitting a solid prop, a hazard or an enemy costs a life. Score: distance in metres, 10 per coin, 200 per loop.
Explore
A world to walk through. Collect what you placed, talk to NPCs, no fail state.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Walk | WASD |
| Jump / swim up | Space |
| Read, talk, activate | E |
| Back to start | R |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Walk | ↑←↓→ |
| Jump / swim up | Espace |
| Read, talk, activate | E |
| Back to start | R |
No countdown and no lives. Signs (text) are read with E, enemies shove without hurting, hazards send you back to the last safe ground. With no finish, collecting every coin ends the walk.
Capture the flag
Two teams, two bases, one flag each. Bring theirs home, keep yours.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | WASD |
| Jump | Space |
| Back to base | R |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | ↑←↓→ |
| Jump | Espace |
| Back to base | R |
You play red; placed enemies are blue bots that steal your flag and hunt your carrier. Contact with a bot hurts you and drops the flag you carry. You only score while your own flag is home. See Flags and bases.
Tower defense
Waves walk the waypoints toward your base. Build turrets on the way.
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Build a turret | Click |
| Turn the camera | QE |
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Build a turret | Clic |
| Turn the camera | QE |
Turrets cost gold, earned by killing enemies and holding waves. Formulas and setup in Waypoints and tower defense.
Mode settings
These fields live in doc.rules and are set on the Rules step, Game section. Each mode only reads the ones that concern it.
lapsnumberDefault 3botsnumberDefault 3livesnumberDefault per modewavesnumberDefault 5 / 8lanesnumberDefault 3coinsToWinnumberDefault 0timeLimitnumberDefault 0speednumberDefault 1gravitynumberDefault 24jumpHeightnumberDefault 1camera'third' | 'first' | 'top' | 'side' | 'fly'Default 'third'fly lets the player fly (Space up, Shift down). Arena stays top-down.Game settings (settings.duration, settings.win) layer on top, see Variables and HUD.
Required entities
The “What’s missing” list, in the top bar and on the Publish step, checks a few things before allowing publication. Others are not blocking but the mode does not work without them.
| Mode | Checked at publish | Needed to play |
|---|---|---|
| All | Title, player start, cover | — |
| Race | A finish or checkpoints | Numbered checkpoints for the bots |
| Arena | At least one enemy | Spawn points recommended |
| Capture the flag | — | One flag and one base per team |
| Tower defense | — | Waypoints, base, one template enemy, one turret |
| Platformer, Explore | — | A finish (otherwise, in explore, the coins) |
Start from a template
Every mode has a complete, playable template showing the expected setup. See Templates.