Hey, everyone. Littlemonk5 here again with a new mini-game that almost everyone is familiar with, BOWLING. Welcome to First Strike Lanes!
As most have seen with my previous maps, I really like to take advantage of the scripting system in H5. This is probably my most intricately scripted mini-game. This isn't like Halo Reach where a soccer ball was just mindlessly blasted into gas canisters; this is much, much more. Not only does everything have that H5 realistic shine, but you also get to pick your ball, hold it in front of you, and actually throw it where you are looking. And the scoring doesn't just stop after the first throw or even the first frame. Get one pin down? Try to get a spare on your next throw. Got a strike? Awesome, your next two throws get added to that frame. Even the last frame has the normal bonuses. You can even choose how many frames you play and if you want to play with two teams or FFA. EVERYTHING in this bowling game is the same as a real life bowling alley. No corners were cut, I promise you that. Let's get into how to play!
When you load up the game, a red player (Teams) or any player (FFA) will be confronted with a board to pick the amount of frames: 3, 5, 10 or infinite.
I truly love this game, but it is turn based. It is a shortcoming but for this reason I recommend that in a lobby of 5 or more players, do not choose above 3 frames. Each turn is a minimum of 20 seconds and its usually longer up to 40.
Once a frame amount is picked, that player is up. There is a counter in the middle of the back wall that says which player is up if you are curious when your turn is coming. This player will then get nav markers prompting them to pick a ball. Depending on where the player is, the nav marker will show up on the nearest ball to them signifying which one they will be choosing. Get close enough to the balls and a "ball" will pop up giving you the interaction "Pick up Ball". Pick it up and get ready to bowl.
If you take too long (15 seconds) to pick up a ball, you will lose your roll (an anti AFK mechanism).
Now it is time to line up your shot. The ball will be located in front of you. You have 15 seconds to throw the ball before the game will make you drop it (by killing you). To throw the ball you must throw the "ball". The ball will then begin moving away from you in the direction that you were facing. If you are lucky, you may hit some pins at this point!
8 seconds after you throw the ball, the scoring process begins. This will factor in if you have any multipliers from a spare or a strike in previous frames, multiply by these multipliers, and give you your score. If you did not strike, the process repeats and you get another throw. The pins that you did not get will reset their positions in case they moved slightly. If you receive a strike or spare, the game will let you know on the screen and then provide you with the proper multipliers on your next turn. If you didn't, the screen on the back will will let you know what pins you have left to hit or missed. If it is the last frame, you will also get a bonus roll(s). Your roll number is designated on the screen to easily know and updates if it is the last frame.
When your turn is over, you will be forced out of the play area via death. I tried other methods but because of the vast amount of things going on in the map and the limitations of forge, killing was the best option. The next player will be teleported into the play area and don't worry, if the wrong player is teleported because you are all in a heated melee battle, the wrong players will die until the right player ends up in there.
This game was an absolute hassle to make between the mechanics of making a realistic bowling experience to the scripting of all the fail safes and scoring mechanisms. It's biggest shortcoming is that it does not play well in full lobbies. It supports up to 16 people but if you play it with that many, it will take as long as real bowling. The other shortcoming is that it labels people at round start and takes the total player count at round start meaning people who join the game late can't play and people who leave early have to have their turns go through the whole 30 sec AFK timeout before the next person goes. I truly enjoy the forging process and do it because it is not always easy. I know this game won't go viral but when you have a slow lobby and want to just relax, it can be a great hit.
Enjoy! Good luck and look out for Easter eggs!
Map Variant
Game Variant (FFA)
Game Variant (Teams) - same as FFA with teams turned on
Extra Reading:
Bug Reporting
This map is low key a ****ing mess. I made the scoring mechanism a month ago and I don't even know what happened since. Overall, you should get the score you deserve and it should put who is up in play. I used to have problems with getting people out of the play area and sometimes teleporting after strikes but those should be resolved. Other issues stem to people waiting to long to play their turn usually doing something weird at those 15 second marks. I believe I have alleviated all these issues and this is bug free but if you think something is happening that is game breaking, definitely message me over Xbox.
How It Works
Who knows.... Honestly, this started on a clear path and then used every label and team and spawn order and piece count and script count and I don't even know how I reached the finish line. Stuff works, usually not how you expected I did it, but it works. Be happy with it and message me if you really want details.