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All Modding references in a single article

Information

ModdingInterface

Standard Modding Interface, you can see the minimap of the mod in the bottom right corner while the mod is running

Starblast Modding interface can be found here: https://starblast.io/modding.html (ECP required)

Starblast Modding interface allows you to create custom mods for Starblast. The interface is made of a code editor window, on the left, and a console window, on the right. The code editor is where you type the JavaScript code for your mod. The console is where you can type commands to start your mod, stop it or interact with it while it is running.

Main programming language used in this interface is JavaScript (ECMAScript)

Documentation and Tutorial

Important Notes

In newer versions of browsers' updates, you can't use the Modding Client in incognito mode anymore as they restrict some incognito features which are used by the editor.

And make sure to read all of these from the start to the end so that you won't miss any important info!

Creating your first mod

In the Mod Code window, type the code for your first mod:

this.options = {
  root_mode: "survival",
  map_size: 30
};

this.tick = function(game) {
};

Running and testing a mod

Change region

Once your mod code is ready, in the console, start by selecting your preferred region for modding using the command region <region name>. For example with Europe:

> region Europe
Region set to Europe
> █

(Currently modding is only available in these 3 zones: Europe, America, Asia)

Start mod

Then to start running your mod, type command start:

> start
Mod started
https://starblast.io#1234@12.34.56.78:2000
Use 'test' to open game frame for testing
> █

Test the mod

As instructed by the console, you may want to open a test window to join your modded game with a Starblast client. Type test:

> test
> █

ALWAYS keep the Mod Editor Tab being active while running the mod!

This is one of the most important things you need to keep in your mind!

Why? Because that's nuances of how browsers work.

Browsers slow down all javascript in non-active tabs in order to decrease the CPU processes.

For some mods (e.g Battle Royale), it doesn't matter like with ship tree and options only,

but for other mods where some logic in tick function or events - it will affect them A LOT!

Ticks start to work slower and slower...

Soon everything will be lagging in game; any reactions on mod buttons, any mod logic like spawning something in tick, etc.

And... depending on mod complexity it can CRASH THE ENTIRE MOD - locally, server will continue to work so game will still run but without mod logic anymore.

So, always keep the mod editor tab online or you may have unpredictable results!

Also, you need to have a stable internet connection if you don't want your mods becoming laggy.

Stop the currently running mod

You can stop your mod anytime by using the command stop. Note that this will kill the game and disconnect all connected players:

> stop
Mod stopped
> █

Other terminal commands

echo

Print any values to the terminal; can be used in both mod code (after mod started) and terminal

Syntax: echo(<item>)

> echo("Message from terminal!")
Message from terminal!
> █
clear

Clear the terminal, only available in the terminal

Syntax: clear

help

Display help message inside the terminal, terminal use only

Syntax: help

Main code parts

Options

Definition

Stored in this.options is a data structure where you can set options for your custom modded game. These options are used for initializing the game when you start your mod. Changing them while the mod is running does not affect the game.

Custom ships and custom tree

You can import ships made within the Starblast Ship Editor. Use "Mod Export" feature to export a JavaScript code snippet for the modding interface. Then paste this snipped in the coding window and add this:

var myship_101 = "{ … … <this is your exported ship code> …";

var ships = [myship_101]; // add your ship to an array of ship

this.options = {
  root_mode: "survival",
  ships: ships,         // specifying a list of ships to complement / replace existing ships
  reset_tree: true,     // set to true if you want to remove the original ship tree, false if you just want to replace some of the ships
  map_size: 30
};

this.tick = function(game) {
};

Then run your mod. If your ship is set to level=1 model=1, your ship will replace the Fly. You can replace other ships in the tree in a similar way, using reset_tree: false. Or you can remove the original ship tree completely and provide a whole new one using reset_tree: true.

Customizing the emote-chat system

The vocabulary used for the emote-chat system can be customized by setting the field vocabulary in the game option as follows:

var vocabulary = [
  { text: "Hello", icon: "\u0045", key: "O" },
  { text: "Bye", icon: "\u0046", key: "B" },
  { text: "Yes", icon: "\u004c", key: "Y" },
  { text: "No", icon: "\u004d", key: "N" },

  { text: "Flower", icon: "\u{1F33B}", key: "F" },
  { text: "Snowman", icon: "\u26c4", key: "M" },
  { text: "Shark", icon: "\u{1F988}", key: "S" },
  { text: "Ghost", icon: "\u{1F47B}", key: "G" }
];

this.options = {
  vocabulary: vocabulary,
  // ...
};

This allows using Starblast built-in emote icons, which are listed here for reference: https://starblast.io/glyphs.html

You can also use unicode icons, here is a good source for reference: https://unicode.org/emoji/charts/full-emoji-list.html

Note that wide unicode characters (using more than 2 bytes) requires a specific Javascript syntax as shown in the example above (example: \u{1F47B})

Custom asteroids maps

You can create a custom map of asteroids. This allows creating a maze for example. The custom map you provide is actually a JavaScript character string that is used to "paint" the map.

For example:

var map =
"999999999999999999999999999999\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"99                          99\n"+
"999999999999999999999999999999" ;


this.options = {
  custom_map: map,
  map_size: 30
}

In the example above, 9 sets the biggest size of the asteroid. You can use smaller values for adding smaller asteroids to the grid. Any value other than a digit will be interpreted as no asteroid. If your map_size is set to 30, make sure to create 30 lines and 30 columns, or you may get unpredictable results.

Note: Use "" for blank custom map

You can use Online Map Editor (a community tool) to create, edit and export maps.

Other common options

Most of the options are inherited from the usual custom games. A few more options have been added, specifically for modding (top of the list):

Option Expected data type Description Default value
(if omitted)
root_mode string The mod to inherit from: "survival", "team", "invasion", "deathmatch", "battleroyale" or unspecified (other values) unspecified
reset_tree boolean Set to true to remove the original ship tree false
ships array<string> An array of ships to add to the tree None
map_size integer Size of the map, range from 20 to 200, even value only 100 (survival)
80 (team and Battle Royale)
60 (unspecified)
30 (Invasion)
20 (deathmatch)
soundtrack string "procedurality.mp3", "argon.mp3", "crystals.mp3", "red_mist.mp3", "civilisation.mp3", "warp_drive.mp3" or none (other values) "crystals.mp3" (invasion and Batte Royale)
"argon.mp3" (deathmatch)
"procedurality.mp3" (others)
max_players integer Players limit of the game, from 1 to 240 70 (team)
60 (survival)
40 (unspecified)
30 (Battle Royale)
20 (deathmatch)
6 (invasion)
crystal_value float Crystal multiplier applied to crystals dropping from destroyed asteroids, from 0 to 10 2 (team)
0 (deathmatch and Battle Royale)
1 (others)
lives integer Number of lives, from 1 to 5 4 (team)
1 (deathmatch and Battle Royale)
3 (others)
maxtierlives integer number of lives (from 1 to 5) when player reaches ships with the highest level (defined in max_level option) 0 (team and deathmatch)
1 (Battle Royale)
3 (others)
max_level integer Max level you can reach, from 1 to 7 7
friendly_colors integer Serves to define teams; how many teams (or 0, maximum 5) 3 (team)
1 (invasion)
0 (others)
map_name string Name of the map Auto-generated name
survival_level integer Level which triggers survival mode (8 for no trigger, 2 minimum) 7 (survival)
8 (others)
starting_ship integer Enter desired ship code: 101, 201, 404, etc. 101
starting_ship_maxed boolean starting ship is maxed false
asteroids_strength float The strength of the asteroids compared to their normal states, 0 to 1000000 5 (deathmatch)
0.5 (Battle Royale)
1 (others)
friction_ratio float friction ratio of the game (0 to 2) 1
strafe float strafing speed factor, from 0 to 1 0
speed_mod float Speed of the mod, from 0 to 2 1.25 (deathmatch)
1.2 (survival and team)
1 (others)
rcs_toggle boolean Enable RCS feature for ships true
map_id integer Seed (ID) of the auto-generated map, from 0 to 9999 Game ID
map_density float Density of the map, from 0 to 2 None
weapon_drop float Probability that an asteroid will drop a weapon, from 0 to 10 0
crystal_drop float percentage of gems can be collected when a ship drain gems, from 0 to 1 0.5 (deathmatch)
1 (others)
release_crystal boolean allow [V] to release gems true (team)
false (others)
mines_self_destroy boolean Mines will self-destruct after a while true
mines_destroy_delay integer all landed mines will be destroyed after this interval if no enemies triggered the mines (in ticks)
minimum 0, no actual maximum limit
3600 (Battle Royale)
18000 (others)
healing_enabled boolean Enable healing feature true (team)
false (others)
healing_ratio float Healing ratio to actual laser damage, from 0 to 2 0.5 (team)
1 (others)
shield_regen_factor float Shield regeneration multiplier to natural regeneration of ships, minimum 0, no actual maximum limit 1
power_regen_factor float Power (Energy) regeneration multiplier to natural regeneration of ships, minimum 0, no actual maximum limit 1
invulnerable_ships boolean Ships are invulnerable false
weapons_store boolean Allow access to the weapon store true
radar_zoom float Radar zoom ratio. Set value to 1, 2 or 4 (recommend values which are powers of 2) 2
auto_refill boolean Collecting an energy or shield pill immediately refills energy or shield, otherwise the collected pill is added to the active weapons false
projectile_speed float Affects the speed of rockets, missiles and torpedoes; use 1 for default speed
(minimum 0, no actual maximum limit
1
choose_ship array<integer> e.g. setting to [301,302,303] will let player choose a ship from these 3 ships before entering the game None
collider boolean Enable collisions of player ships with anything true
Survival mode specific options
Option Expected data type Description Default value
(if omitted)
survival_time float When to trigger survival mode (in minutes):
0 to disable survival time trigger
from 1 to 600 to set the survival trigger time
60
bouncing_lasers float Must be a value between 0 (no bounce) or 1 (bounce retains 100% of the laser damage)
Note: This feature is planned to be applied to all root modes in the near future
0.9
Team mode specific options
Option Expected data type Description Default value
(if omitted)
hues array<integer> Hue numbers for teams, with the same amount of elements as used for friendly_colors Auto-generated hues
station_regeneration float factor to apply to station shield regen, from 0 to 2 1
station_size integer size of the stations; integer from 1 to 5 2
station_crystal_capacity float factor to apply to the station crystal capacity, from 0.1 to 10 1
station_repair_threshold float part of the station crystal capacity that must be refilled to repair a module, from 0 to 1 0.25
auto_assign_teams boolean allow assigning players to a specific team, otherwise let them choose the team themselves false
all_ships_can_dock boolean allow ships of Tier higher than base station normally lets in, to enter depots false
all_ships_can_respawn boolean allow ships of Tier higher than base station normally lets in, to respawn from spawn ports, otherwise randomly on map false
Deatmatch mode specific options
Option Expected data type Description Default value
(if omitted)
ship_groups array<string> An array containing some arrays, each of them representing one ship group (by name) available for selection
See the example below.
The longer the array is, the lower chance for each ship group being available in a single match
See Deathmatch for a list of default ship groups. The mod won't run if reset_tree option is set to true without manually specifying the ship groups.
Please note that the ship groups will be automatically set to only U-Sniper if map_name are set to "Battle of Titans". Please see here for more information

Example:

ship_groups: [
  ["U-Sniper","Howler"],
  ["Crusader","Pioneer"]
]

Ticking

Definition

Found in this.tick is a JavaScript function that is called 60 times per second. In this function’s body, you will be able to code specific actions that your mod needs to take automagically while the game is running. This function can be modified while the modded game is running and the changes will apply automagically.

Events

General

Your mod can receive events through the function this.event:

this.event = function(event,game) {
  switch (event.name)
  {
    case "ship_spawned":
      if (event.ship != null)
      {
        shipJustSpawned(event.ship) ;
      }
      break ;
  }
} ;
Available events
Event name Description Additional event fields
ship_spawned* A ship just spawned in game or respawned event.ship
ship_destroyed A ship was just destroyed event.ship, event.killer
alien_destroyed An alien was just killed event.alien, event.killer
asteroid_destroyed A movable asteroid was just destroyed (this event won't trigger for non-movable asteroids) event.asteroid, event.killer
collectible_picked A ship just picked a collectible item event.collectible, event.ship
ui_component_clicked A ship just clicked a (clickable) UI component on their screen event.ship, event.id

Note: * means that this event only works with unspecified root_mode (root_mode: "")

Map

Definition

All entities and objects in the game are moving on a 2D plane called "map"

Map can be painted with asteroids using this.options.custom_map and set size by this.options.map_size (even value from 20 to 200)

All Modding commands relating to coordinates will be visualized on this map

Coordinates

Axes
Axis Direction in user screen
X left to right
Y bottom to top
Z map "depth", only used for setting 3D Objects
Grid

The map is divided into "grids".

A Grid is a 10x10 square area which can only contain 1 static asteroid (which equals to 1 character to "paint" the map in this.options.custom_map)

map_size is the number of grids along each dimension, which means that the number of grids in the map is calculated by the formula map_size2.

For example: map_size being 30 means that there are 30 grid length along the X Axis and Y Axis, and 302 = 900 grids total in the map

Center and Boundaries

Map center (x:0, y:0) is located in the Sun

Based on the Grid definition, we have:

Each Axis will have map_size / 2 grids length in both negative and positive part

Because each grid is a 10x10 square, the boundary of each part is map_size / 2 x 10 = map_size x 5

Means that each Axis varies from -map_size x 5 to map_size x 5

For example: with map_size = 30, each Axis in the map varies from -300 (-60x5) to 300 (60x5)

Game step

Definition

Can be accessible through game.step; an integer presenting the game's duration

Unit

The unit of this value is tick, where 1 tick = 1/60 seconds

Which means that 60 ticks = 1 second, 120 ticks = 2 seconds and so on.

Uses

This code uses to set the first ship in the list to the center of the map in the first minute of the mod and reset its crystals every 5 seconds (assume that there is one ship staying from the start of the mod):

this.tick = function (game)
{
  if (game.step == 3600) { // 1 minute = 60 seconds * 60
    game.ships[0].set({x:0,y:0}); // Center teleport
  }
  if (game.step % 300 === 0) { // 5 seconds * 60
    game.ships[0].set({crystals: 0}); // Reset crystals
  }
}

Ships

You can access the list of ships (players) through the array game.ships

You can also find a ship with a specific id using game.findShip(id), which returns an object representing the matched ship or null (if no ships are matching the provided id)

Accessible fields

You have read access to the ship’s main fields and options:

Field Description
id A unique identifier for the ship
game Points to the global game object
x X coordinate
y Y coordinate
vx Velocity vector X component
vy Velocity vector Y component
r Rotation angle of the ship (in radian)
name player's name
alive Whether the ship is alive or destroyed
type Ship type code (e.g. 101)
stats Ship current stats upgrades, compiled into a single integer.
For example: 10012301 means the 8 stats upgrade levels are 1,0,0,1,2,3,0 and 1
idle tells if the ship is in idle status or not
team the id of the team this ship is in
score player's score
shield current shield value
generator current generator value
crystals current crystals value
healing whether the ship's lasers are in healing mode or not

Configuration

You can set different options on the ships. For example:

> game.ships[0].set({x:0,y:0});
> █

Will move the first ship in the list to the center of the map

List of accepted options when using ship.set:

Option Description Server response error message
(if improper)
x X coordinate Wrong coordinate
y Y coordinate Wrong coordinate
vx Velocity vector X component Wrong coordinate
vy Velocity vector Y component Wrong coordinate
invulnerable Use to set the ship invulnerable for X ticks (e.g. 60 for one second invulnerability) Wrong invulnerable time
type changes the type of ship (use the ship code, e.g. {type:403} ) None
angle changes the direction the ship is facing Wrong angle
score sets player's score Wrong score
idle set to true to force the ship to stay idle (and false to revert) None
shield sets the value of the shield Wrong shield value
generator sets the value of the generator Wrong generator value
healing sets ship's lasers mode to healing (true or false) None
crystals sets ship's crystal amount Wrong crystals
stats set the stats upgrades of the ship None
kill Set kill: (any "truthy" value, e.g: true) to destroy the ship No violation
team Changes the team this ship belongs to (in range [0-X] where X is teams - 1) None
collider Change the ship's collider (the ship can interact with other objects in-game or not), must be true or false None
hue Sets the colour of the ship (range [0-359])Hue map None

Intermission

You can send the ship to intermission (a screen with results, offering to respawn). This screen allows you to display custom results information:

> game.ships[0].intermission({"Best Achievement":"Managed to run the mod","Score":1234});
> █

Triggering and Customizing player's GameOver screen

You can also trigger the gameover screen for any given ship. Here again, you can pass results information to pass on to the player:

> game.ships[0].gameover({"Rating":"Can do better","Score":1234});
> █

Instructor

Calling instructor

You can have the flight instructor send instructions to the player. For this find the player's ship and use:

> ship.instructorSays("Hello!")
> █

You can hide the instructor window using:

> ship.hideInstructor()
> █

You can later show it again using:

> ship.showInstructor()
> █

A second, optional parameter allows you to choose which one of the instructor characters will talk to the player. Example:

> ship.instructorSays("Here is your report, Commander","Maria")
> █
Available characters
Lucina Klaus Maria Kan Zoltar
Lucina Klaus Maria Kan Zoltar

Custom UI components

General

The mod can create custom UI components that will show up on the player’s screen. This is done by calling setUIComponent on the ship - passing in a component descriptor.

For example:

> ship.setUIComponent({
    id:"myid",
    position:[0,0,25,25],
    clickable: true,
    shortcut: "X",
    visible: true,
    components: [
      { type:"box",position:[0,0,100,100],fill:"#456",stroke:"#CDE",width:2},
      { type: "text",position: [0,0,100,50],color: "#FFF",value: "My Text"},
      { type: "player",id: 1, position: [0,0,50,50],color: "#FFF"},
    ]
  })
> █

Here is the list of UIComponent's accepted options:

Option Description Default value
(if omitted)
id a unique identifier for this component, mandatory None (component won't be set)
position expressed in percentage of the main screen, the position of the component [x,y,width,height]. Example: [45,45,10,10] creates a component in the center of the screen, in which width and height are 10% of the screen width and height. Client-based positions ("radar_background" and "scoreboard" id, see this section)
[0,0,100,100] (others)
visible Whether the component is visible or not. Resend the same data with visible set to false to hide the component true
clickable Whether this component can be clicked or not false
shortcut When the component is clickable, a keyboard shortcut allowing to trigger the click event None (no shortcuts)
components gives a list (array) of graphical features to render within the component, which will be described below Empty array ([])
Subcomponents' accepted options
Option Description Default value (if omitted)
type type of the subcomponent
currently supported: "round", "text", "box" or "player"
None (subcomponent won't be rendered)
id ("player" type only) id of the player associated with the subcomponent, which will be disapleyd as their name and badge (if exists) in the rendered subcomponent None (blank player info)
position positions of the subcomponent, formatted as [x,y,width,height]
that subcomponent are meant within the main component coordinates
None (subcomponent won't be rendered)
value ("text" type only) value of the text subcomponent, e.g value:"Sample text" Empty string ("")
color text color of the subcomponent, this can be a string with any color formats (hex, hsla, rgb, etc.), e.g "#fff" Black (with opacity 1)
fill background color of the subcomponent, same format as the color property Black (with opacity 0)
width width of the subcomponent's border
One unit of this value equals (1 / (End user screen's pixel density)) CSS pixels (px)
0
stroke border color of the subcomponent, same format as the color property Black (with opacity 0)
align alignment of the texts inside the subcomponent
"left", "right" or "center" only
"center"
Combining with events

The example below creates a warp button for every player, which can be clicked and results in the ship warping to another random location, adding 3 seconds invulnerability to it:

Full example: https://github.com/pmgl/starblast-modding/blob/master/examples/warp_button.js

var warp_button = {
  id: "warp",
  position: [2,50,8,14],
  clickable: true,
  shortcut: "W",
  visible: true,
  components: [
    { type:"round",position:[0,0,100,100],fill:"#456",stroke:"#CDE",width:2},
    { type: "text",position:[10,35,80,30],value:"WARP",color:"#CDE"},
    { type: "text",position:[20,70,60,20],value:"[W]",color:"#CDE"}
    ]
};

var warpShip = function(ship) {
  x = (Math.random()-.5) * ship.game.options.map_size*10 ;
  y = (Math.random()-.5) * ship.game.options.map_size*10 ;
  ship.set({x:x,y:y,vx:0,vy:0,invulnerable:180}) ;
} ;

this.tick = function(game) {
  if (game.step%60==0) // ensure this is done only once per second
  {
    for (var i=0;i<game.ships.length;i++)
    {
      var ship = game.ships[i] ;
      if (!ship.custom.warp_button_installed)
      {
        ship.custom.warp_button_installed = true;
        ship.setUIComponent(warp_button);
      }
    }
  }
} ;

this.event = function(event,game) {
  switch (event.name)
  {
    case "ui_component_clicked":
      var ship = event.ship ;
      var component = event.id ;
      if (component == "warp") // check that this is our component "warp"
      {
        warpShip(ship);
      }
      break ;
  }
} ;
Customizing the scoreboard or radar

The built-in scoreboard or radar can be replaced by your own custom scoreboard/radar component. As soon as an UI component with id "scoreboard" or "radar_background" is created, you will be responsible for updating the scoreboard/radar. Your custom scoreboard/radar component does not have to include a position because it will automatically fill the area already reserved for the perspective UI Component.

Global UI

You can use game.setUIComponent({ options }) to set the UI to all current players in the game

Other methods and instances

Remove all ship's secondary slots

Syntax: ship.emptyWeapons()

Aliens

You can access the list of aliens through the array game.aliens

You can also find an alien with a specific id using game.findAlien(id), which returns an object representing the matched alien or null (if no aliens are matching the provided id)

Creation

To create an alien, use game.addAlien({ options })

List of accepted options:

(Note: Server will respond with Incorrect data when at least one input property value is improper)

Option Description Default value (if omitted)
x X coordinate 0
y Y coordinate 0
vx Velocity vector X component 0
vy Velocity vector Y component 0
code Type of alien must be an integer in range [10-20] 10
level Level of the alien, in range [0-X] where X depends on the alien type 0
points The number of points you earn when you kill this alien None
crystal_drop The crystal amount to be dropped when this alien is killed None
weapon_drop The code of a collectible weapon to be dropped by this alien when killed None

Here is the list of supported codes:

Code Alien name
10 Chicken
11 Crab
12 Fortress
13 Caterpillar
14 Candlestick
15 Hirsute
16 Piranha
17 Pointu
18 Fork
19 Saucer
20 Final Boss

A new Alien object is immediately added to game.aliens; however, it cannot be used before it has been assigned an id (natural number, a.k.a non-negative integer) by the server.

Limits

You can only have 300 alive aliens (including aliens generated by the game mode) at any time in your game

The server will respond with Too many aliens for each alien passing the limit

Accessible fields

For each alien object in game.aliens, You have access to the same properties as the available ones when you add aliens, plus some additional properties:

Option Description
game Points to the global game object
id a unique identifier for the alien

Configuration

Once an alien is live and has an assigned id, you can set options to it. For example:

> game.aliens[0].set({x:0,y:0});
> █

Will move the first alien in the list to the center of the map

Accepted options when using alien.set:

Option Description Server response error message
(if improper)
x X coordinate Wrong coordinate
y Y coordinate Wrong coordinate
vx Velocity vector X component Wrong coordinate
vy Velocity vector Y component Wrong coordinate
shield Shield Wrong shield value
regen Shield regen Wrong regen value
damage Laser damage Wrong damage value
laser_speed Laser speed Wrong damage value
rate Firing rate Wrong rate value
kill Set kill: (any "truthy" value, e.g: true) to destroy the alien No violation

Collectibles

You can spawn collectible weapons in the playfield

You can also find a collectible with a specific id using game.findCollectible(id), which returns an object represents the matched collectible or null (if no collectibles are matching the provided id)

Creation

Here is an example:

> game.addCollectible({code:10,x:0,y:0});
> █

This will add a new collectible pack of rockets to coordinates (0;0)

Here is the list of supported codes:

(Note: Server will respond with Incorrect data when at least one input property value is improper)

Code Description
10 4 rockets pack
11 2 missiles pack
12 1 torpedo
20 8 light mines pack
21 4 heavy mines pack
40 Mining pod
41 Attack pod
42 Defense pod
90 Energy refill
91 Shield refill

Limits

You can only have 50 active collectibles (including collectibles generated by the game mode) at any time in your game

The server will respond with Too many Collectibles for each collectible passing the limit

Accessing

For each collectible object in game.collectibles, You have access to the same properties as the available ones when you add collectibles, plus some additional properties:

Option Description
game Points to the global game object
id a unique identifier for the collectible

Asteroids

You can access the list of moving asteroids through the array game.asteroids

You can also find an asteroid with a specific id using game.findAsteroid(id), which returns an object represents the matched asteroid or null (if no asteroids are matching the provided id)

Creation

To create an asteroid, use game.addAsteroid({ options }).

Here is the list of accepted options:

(Note: Server will respond with Incorrect data when at least one input property value is improper)

Option Description Default value
(if omitted)
x X coordinate 0
y Y coordinate 0
vx Velocity vector X component 0
vy Velocity vector Y component 0
size Size of the asteroid in the range [1-100] 30

A new Asteroid object is immediately added to game.asteroids ; however, it cannot be used before it has been assigned an id (natural number, a.k.a non-negative integer) by the server.

Limits

You can only have 300 alive asteroids (including moving asteroids generated by the game mode) at any time in your game

The server will respond with Too many asteroids for each asteroid passing the limit

Accessible fields

For each asteroid object in game.asteroids, You have access to the same properties as the available ones when you add asteroids, plus some additional properties:

Option Description
game Points to the global game object
id a unique identifier for the asteroid

Configuration

Once an asteroid is live and has an assigned id, you can set options to it. For example:

> game.asteroids[0].set({x:0,y:0});
> █

Will move the first asteroid in the list to the center of the map

List of accepted options when using asteroid.set:

Option Description Server response error message
(if improper)
x X coordinate Wrong coordinate
y Y coordinate Wrong coordinate
vx Velocity vector X component Wrong coordinate
vy Velocity vector Y component Wrong coordinate
size Asteroid size in the range [1-100]
(note that changing asteroid size resets its life points)
Incorrect size
kill Set kill: (any "truthy" value, e.g: true) to destroy the asteroid No violation

Add 3D objects to the scenery

The mod can create custom, textured 3D objects and add them to the scenery using game.setObject method.

  • A dimensional property included in this method is defined as an object with three fields represent 3 Axes in Coordinates
Field Represent for
x X Axis
y Y Axis
z Z Axis

Object instance options

Option Description
id a unique identifier for this object instance (mandatory, allows changing the object afterwards)
type the object type definition
position coordinates for placing the object, dimensional property
scale allows scaling the object, dimensional property
rotation allows rotating the object, dimensional property

Object type options

Option Description Default value
id a unique identifier for this object type, mandatory "undefined" or "null" depending on implementation
obj a URL to the OBJ file None
diffuse a URL to a diffuse texture file (optional) None
emissive a URL to an emissive texture file (optional) None
specular a URL to a specularity texture file (optional) None
bump a URL to a bump texture map (optional) None
emissiveColor emissive color of the object, e.g. 0xFF0000 (for red) White if emissive is valid, Black otherwise
diffuseColor diffuse color of the object, e.g. 0x00FF00 (for green) White if diffuse is valid, Black otherwise
specularColor specular color of the object, e.g. 0x0000FF (for blue) White if specular is valid, Black otherwise
transparent whether the object's texture has transparency or not true
bumpScale scale for bump mapping 0.1
shininess the shininess of the specular map 30
physics Object's physics None

All URLs included as property value must satisfy one of these conditions:

  1. It's a Data URL (data: protocol)
  2. The protocol must be https (explicitly, not omitted) and the domain only matches one of these:
  • starblast.io (Official Starblast)
  • starblast.data.neuronality.com (Neuronality's Starblast Data)
  • github.com (GitHub)
  • raw.githubusercontent.com (Raw GitHub Content)
  • gitlab.com (GitLab)

If any URL-required fields mentioned above are present but don't satisfy these conditions, the whole object is rejected to be set on the players' clients.

Please note that GitHub and GitLab URLs can be easily converted into raw data URLs (such as changing /blob/ into /raw/ or appending ?raw=true at the end for GitHub URLs exclusively). Any URL using GitHub or GitLab domain should point to the raw file content and not the webpage version of the file itself.

Object physics options

Note: We recommend not to use this property as it usually doesn't work as expected

Option Description
mass Object mass, same as the specs.ship.mass property in Ship Editor Tutorial
Note: If the mass is too small (<100), ships can go through the object
shape Object's shape, used for creating hitbox
You can omit this property to set default shape generated from the object itself or provide an array for your custom shape

For example:

var cube = {
  id: "cube",
  obj: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pmgl/starblast-modding/master/objects/cube/cube.obj",
  diffuse: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pmgl/starblast-modding/master/objects/cube/diffuse.jpg"
} ;

game.setObject({
  id: "cube",
  type: cube,
  position: {x:0,y:0,z:0},
  rotation: {x:0,y:0,z:0},
  scale: {x:1,y:1,z:1}
}) ;

Accessing

Game property game.objects stores all active 3D Objects maintained by the mod

You shouldn't modify this property to keep the mod running smoothly

Changing or moving an object

Use game.setObject again with the same object instance ID.

Note: Object type's properties can not be changed once set. You may need to define a new object type instance with different ID and set the object you wish to update with the new object type ID.

Removing an object

game.removeObject(id) removes the object with given id. You can omit the id parameter, which will remove all custom objects in the scene.

Example

Working example, adding cube objects to the scenery: https://github.com/pmgl/starblast-modding/blob/master/examples/adding_cube.js

Reading game's detailed options

Accessing

Once the mod starts running, all detailed options will be passed into the game.options object

Accessible fields

This includes all properties defined in this.options, plus some extended fields listed below (except if they are not defined):

Field Description
bouncing_lasers if bouncing lasers is enabled or not
max_tier_lives number of lives when the player reaches ships with the highest level (defined in max_level option)

Team mode specific accessible fields

Field Description
teams an array represent teams' most basic info
each item in the array contains:
base_name: name of the base
faction: faction name
hue: team hue
crystal_capacity an array presenting the capacity of the stations in the increasing level order
deposit_shield
spawning_shield
structure_shield
an array presenting the the stations' deposit/spawning/structure modules (depots/spawn ports/small structures) shield in the increasing level order
deposit_regen
spawning_regen
structure_regen
an array presenting the the stations' depots/spawn ports/small structures regeneration in the increasing level order

Assigning custom properties to some entities/objects

You can assign properties into some game entities or objects as side notes/indicators

Accessing and assigning

Simply just call out their custom property (which is always an object) and assign properties to it.

Supported objects/entities

  • game object
  • all ships
  • all aliens
  • all collectibles
  • all asteroids

Example

game.custom.hasMod = true // game object
game.ships[0].custom.userScore = 6712 // ship entity
game.aliens[0].custom = {created: true, rating: "10stars"} // alien entity
game.asteroids[0].custom = {init: true} // asteroid entity

Other game instances and methods

Set custom maps in-game

You can use game.setCustomMap(<map pattern>) to set custom map while the game is running

where <map pattern> has the same format as the custom map in this.options

Lock/unlock the mod from attracting new players

Use game.setOpen(true/false) to lock/unlock the mod to be visible to players (only for Modding Space mods)

There is also game boolean properties game.is_open is used to determine if the mod is open or not

Common problems and how to fix them

Black screen issue

In most cases, you're getting a black screen after loading your mod due to a bad ship tree.

Follow these rules to avoid it:

  1. Your ship tree must have a ship with type/code 101.
  2. If your ship tree has level 2 ships, then it should have level 1 ships too.
  3. Either models should go in the right order without gaps: 1, 2, 3 etc (not 1, 6, 17) or control all ship tree routes by next parameter in ship codes (but keep correct order for unreachable ships).
  4. You can't have possibly infinite ship tree routes, made by next parameters - all routes should end at some ship, there shouldn't be able to come back to some ship again.

My mod closed accidentally but the game is not stopped

Sometimes, some unexpected problems can crash the mod, but it only disconnects from the modding side, or so-called "controller" side, the game itself will continue running without control from your modding client until it meets the closing requirements (or even in some serious occasions, game developers - like PMGL - need to close it by themselves).

Here are some reasons which can lead to mod crashing:

  1. Closing/Reloading the modding tab/window without stopping the mod first (Most common one)
  2. Very unstable internet connection
  3. Server resolve error (which will automatically disconnect the controller by itself)
  4. Browser tab hangs/crashes (careful of infinite while/for loops)

Also keep in mind that you can't reconnect to your previously crashed server, even if it's still running.

Modding tips and tricks

How can I set the sun in my mod to be like this (which could be seen in every ACW/AOW games)?

The special sun in the AOW

You will only need to set max_players to a value higher or equal to 200, and root_mode as "team"

Community resources

Tutorials and Documentation

Tools

Code resources

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