Building a Stage for Build a Boat Information

Skelesus · May 21, 2021, 8:08pm

Hello Builders, Want to Build a Stage for Build a Boat for Treasure?

Before you start building your stages, I just want to give you guys some advice on what you can and cannot do, what to expect, give tips, etc.

Before I get started, I must remind you that I am not an official developer for Build a Boat, but I do have a lot of experience with building and helping with stages in the experience. Reading this post may increase the chances of getting your stage getting added but it won’t guarantee the acceptance of your stage.
This is not an official guide, and may be outdated or contain inaccurate information

Before You Start:

First things first, you will need a stage template. There are 3 you can choose from:

The Normal Stage Template. This is the template used by most stages. It’s official, it’s a straight path and gives you the highest chance of your stage getting accepted
The Doughnut Stage Template. A “Doughnut Stage” is the nickname given to stages that diverge at the start and reunite at the end. The Doughnut stage template is not official but any imperfections will later be fixed by chillthrill709. You do not need to give credit to anyone for using it
The Wall Stage Template. A “Wall Stage” is the nickname given to stages that have a wall that the boat goes around. The Wall Stage template is not official as well but any imperfections will later be fixed by chillthrill709. You do not need to give credit to anyone for using it

Keep in mind that your stage absolutely needs:

A Unique Theme: An overall design. This can be based on a genre, location, idea, and so on. This will help your stage stand out in terms of appearance.
A Unique Functionality: Something the stage does to the player or boat. This will help your stage stand out and be different from the rest in terms of gameplay.
Obstacles: Objects that damage the player’s boat when they collide with it. These could also have an unique functionality

Getting Started:

Once you have obtained the stage template, you can find it in your toolbox in Roblox Studio. You can drag it onto the baseplate or just click on it to place it. When editing your stage, there are some things you need to remember:

Don’t Edit What You Aren’t Supposed to
You can remove the red arrow in the middle of the stage if you don’t want it there. You can change the color of the water and sand and you can place parts on top of the water as long as you turn their collision off.

OkChanges773×465 64.2 KB

(Here is an example of changes that you are allowed to make)
You can’t remove the water or sand entirely. You can’t change the size of the water or sand. You can’t make changes to the cave entrances at all. These need to remain the same because the stage might end up being unplayable if you make prohibited edits to them.

(Here is an example of what you cannot do)
You are Allowed to Collaborate
Feel free to invite a friend or group to help out with your stage. Make sure when you submit though that you credit the people who helped with the stage. Try not to credit people who didn’t help and try not to invite too many people.

While You Build:

Try to keep these tips in mind.

Turn On Anchor
Stages are mostly static, so turn on anchor while building.
Turn Off Join Surfaces
This simple task can save a lot of time. Stages do not need parts to be welded since everything should already be anchored.
Avoid Using Meshes, Unions, and Decals
Meshes, unions, and decals take a while to load in and sometimes don’t even load on weak devices.
If you do end up using meshes, unions, and decals, try to keep it to a minimum. If you use meshes and unions that are purely decoration and/or aren’t intended for the player to explore while in the stage, use a square collision box. This helps the server performance.
Avoid Using Free Models
Free models are known for containing unwanted things like redirect scripts and backdoors for exploits/admin menus. Some free models might be stolen from other games and some free models might get Build a Boat in trouble for using them.
If you do end up using free models, please let us know.
Don’t Script the Stage
Not only are scripts not needed, I wouldn’t recommend them. If you want something to be done in a specific manner, your best bet is to just mention it when submitting or put a comment in a script.

Other Useful Information:

Stages have a part limit of 2500 parts. You can go over this limit but try to keep it under or around the limit
Your stage cannot reference other people’s work. For example, a Jailbreak or a Piggy stage or references to those experiences aren’t allowed.
Stages can have Roofs. make sure you turn off collision for parts on the roof
Stages need a Mask/Mouth (a section that goes over the entrance and exit). Make sure you turn off collision for parts on the mask
You can use meshes and Unions to a limited degree. Try not to go overboard
Stages can have sound effects and music, as long as the music or those sound effects were made by You or Roblox and are original & appropriate
Do not put letters or numbers in your stage

Submitting your Stage:

Before you submit, make sure your stage has a theme, functionality, and obstacles. Also, make sure that it doesn’t break too many guidelines.

Make sure you mention:

The Theme of the Stage is so we can name it properly and use an appropriate reference when remastering the stage
The Functionality of the Stage so its easier for us to understand what you intended for the stage to do
The Roblox username of Anyone Who Helped with the stage so we can credit and reward them as well
Whether it Used Assets Off the Library and what they are so we know what to replace when remastering the stage

If you see the stage was bought by chillthrill709, try to keep that information to yourself and don’t take it as confirmation that your stage will be added. You can submit your stage in the Chillz Studio Discord, which can be found on the game page, or you can turn your stage into a model and publish it on the Roblox Library. If you submit your stage as an experience, make sure you enable copying so it can be extracted from the place.

That’s All I Have for You

One last reminder: I’m not an official developer and this information doesn’t guarantee that your stage will be added to Build a Boat.

Get Building and Good Luck!

Skelesus · November 7, 2021, 2:21am

Submitting the Stage

Uploading the Stage

Step 1 ) - Group the entire stage, right-click, and “Save to Roblox…”

Step 2 ) - Put “Build a Boat” or “babft” and “Stage” somewhere in the title. Make sure you state the theme, and functionality, and list the contributors to the stage in the description, especially if you do not plan on submitting it in the Chillz Studios Discord. Make sure you enable copying so we can use it. You do not need to change genre or creator, nor do you need to enable comments.
(Here’s an example of what we want)

And you are done. If you are under 13 or do not use Discord, you don’t need to do anything else. Uploading on the library alone does mean it will take longer for us to find your stage, so I highly recommend you submit the stage on discord instead.

Submitting the Stage on Discord

Once you have uploaded your stage, copy the stage model’s link. The model can be found at

Your Create page (Create → Creations → Development Items → Models & Packages)
or
Your Roblox Inventory (Inventory → Models & Packages).
In the discord server, there will be a channel named #-stage-submissions. In this channel, send the link and give all the details that are required and/or you think will be helpful. If the channel is not there or your message cannot be sent, then sending the stage in #-babft-chat or #-suggestions should also be fine.

When submitting, make sure you give up the following information:

The stage’s theme - Tell us what the stage is supposed to look like
The stage’s functionality - Explain how it works. What does it do to boats that make it unique among the other stages
Who helped make the stage? - Give us the Roblox usernames of those who helped as they appear on Roblox (Yes, including you). Do not give us their display name

This is optional, but you could also include photos, videos, and extra details about the stage
This format doesn’t have to be followed but the details being asked of you need to be there, especially those who helped.

Skelesus · November 7, 2021, 4:08am

The Contributor Rank and What to Expect:

If your stage gets added to the game, you will receive the contributor rank and you will be credited at the bottom of the settings tab. There are 2 exceptions to this:

There are times when you may not get credited for your creations, like when you created something for a seasonal or event update. If this does happen, you will still receive the contributor rank.
There are times when you might not have received the contributor rank. This usually happens because you weren’t credited or you weren’t in the Chillz Studio group.

If you believe there was an error or you joined the group after your stage got added, you should contact zeggg or givemeanavailableusername on Discord.

Credit Info

These are rules that determine who deserves credit and who doesn’t.

Don’t take credit for the stage when you didn’t do anything to help it.
Don’t give credit to someone who didn’t do anything or did very little
Speak up if you weren’t credited for something you helped with
If someone doesn’t want credit, don’t credit them.
If someone has not done enough to contribute to the stage, they may not get credit
When a stage is remastered or recreated, the original creators still get credit

When you receive contributor rank, you will also receive an in-game group tag. There are no in-game perks exclusive to the contributor rank. It is effectively the same as Royal Member. You may need to sign a contract handing Chillz Studios the rights to your asset. If you don’t sign, odds are your stage will not be added

The contributor rank can and will be removed if you abuse it. Please do not ask people for Robux or promise them perks. As long as you use common sense, you should be able to keep the contributor rank. It is your responsibility to stay in the group after you receive the rank, as leaving may result in you not getting the rank back.

Sometimes when a stage gets added, you may notice that a few others were credited for it. Don’t worry, they are usually given credit for remastering the stage for chillthrill709 so it better suits the game and can be added to the game faster.

Skelesus · November 14, 2021, 1:00am

Advanced Stage Building Guide:

This is a more in-depth guide for those of you who are interested

Choosing a Theme and a Functionality

While in theory you can choose any theme or functionality you want, in practice some themes and functionalities shouldn’t be used. To make choosing easier, I’ll point out some of these that you shouldn’t choose and give you an idea of how to come up with both of these.

Themes

Themes are fairly easy to choose. If you are having difficulties picking one, think of something that inspires you or something you think you are good at making and make a stage out of it. If the first thing you thought of was the functionality, try to think of an appropriate theme that matches the environment in which the functionality would happen.

While coming up with a theme, try to keep this in mind:

You cannot reference other people’s work. No Piggy stage, no Adopt Me stage, no stage based on games outside of Roblox stage, etc. Using other people’s work as a reference could get you and Build a Boat in trouble.
You cannot reference tragic events, religious topics, political topics, something directly related to controversial topics like climate change, or something directly related to war. The game is rated for all ages, don’t make anything that would get the age rating changed.
You should not choose a theme similar to one already existing in the same. For example a Japanese Dojo and Palace. Although they aren’t the same, they end up looking too similar from a design standpoint and one of them your stage will get rejected.

Functionality

People tend to have trouble coming up with the functionality. If you are having trouble coming up with the functionality but already have a theme, try to think of something related to the theme that can be used to damage boats. If you are still having trouble, think of special abilities the obstacles could have.

While coming up with the functionality, try to keep this in mind:

Similarly to how you shouldn’t pick a theme too similar to one already in the game, you shouldn’t pick a functionality similar to one already in the game as well. There is some leeway here but the more unique the functionality is, the more likely your stage will be be chosen.
Don’t pick a functionality that is too complex or insignificant. If your functionality has too many moving parts or is too complex, that might end up eating up too much server performance or become a nightmare to implement. If the functionality is too insignificant, players won’t even notice that the stage is attempting to do something to their boat.
Don’t pick a functionality that will help the players. Stages are supposed to be challenges for players to overcome. Helping the player is counterinitiative.

Building in the Game’s Art Style:

An Art Style is the way something looks and Build a Boat has a simple-to-follow art style.

Form/Shape: The shape of models isn’t necessarily limited. You just aren’t allowed to use a lot of unions and meshes and you need to stay within the part limit of the stage. Generally, when you follow these rules, you’ll end up with something that looks like it abides by the game’s art style. If you want to make a lot of models that use shapes that require a union/mesh to be made, that’s where you might start running into issues. Do not use the terrain editor to create stages as this doesn’t fall in line with the art style.
Color and Texture: Sticking to the basic appearance properties is the best way to replicate the game’s art style

The only things that can be changed here are things that still fall in line with the art style. I do not recommend using textures or decals. These tend to stray away from the game’s art style. Gradients also aren’t part of the game’s art style so avoid those as well. Remember, when choosing colors, pick vibrant colors.

Setting your Stage’s Difficulty:

When building your stage, your obstacles and the functionality of the stage will determine its difficulty. When making the obstacles and deciding on the functionality, you need to make sure both of them complement each other in terms of size and difficulty. The stages in Build a Boat have 4 difficulty levels that range from Easy to Extreme and the stages in each difficulty have different characteristics.

Easy Stages: These are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stage the player encounters. Characteristics shared across these stages are that they have very small obstacles, they lack functionality that directly damages the boat, and it is easy to dodge obstacles with a boat motor.
Medium Stages: These stages are the 4th, 5th, and 6th stage the player encounters. The functionality is more significant, directly affecting the player or their boat, but they still don’t do a lot of damage to the boat. The obstacles in these stages range from very small to average-sized and give the player a slightly harder time when dodging it
Hard Stages: These stages are the 7th, 8th, and 9th stage the player encounters. The functionality of these stages attempts to directly do a lot of damage to the boat and/or deal splash damage to the boat. The obstacles here range from small to fairly large, they do a lot of damage, and sometimes the obstacles have a functionality that activates when the boat collides with it which causes them to do things that vary from exploding or leaving a lingering area of damage.
Extreme Stages: This is the 10th stage the player encounters. Functionality or not, these stages devastate what remains of the player’s boat. The obstacles are huge and most of the time impossible to dodge.

Once you pick a functionality, determine what difficulty most resembles that functionality and stick to it. Try to make the obstacle’s abilities (if it has one) and size match with the functionality and vice versa.

Applied Elements and Principles of Art and More

I already touched on some elements when I was discussing the art style but it’s time to discuss the other elements that are applied and what we are looking for in stages.

Balance: Balance is the even distribution of weight or things to look at. The stage needs to be balanced on both sides. The balance doesn’t have to be perfectly symmetrical but it does have to be there. Sometimes exceptions can be made, like when there’s a model with emphasis, but most of the time, we want stages to have a sense of balance.
Emphasis: Emphasis is when a model pops out and grabs the player’s attention. When a model is given emphasis, it needs to make sense, such as when it is the centerpiece of the stage or it is related to the functionality of the stage.
Variety: When creating models to fill the stage, large amounts of repetition can bring down the quality of the stage. Bringing in some variation to the color, size, rotation, and relative position of a model that appears often, or even making variants of the model can help prevent the repeating model from becoming an eyesore and add more personality to the stage.
Built to be Explored: Stages need to be pleasing to look at from all angles within the stage. They need to be built to explore so to speak. This means you shouldn’t take advantage of the player’s camera when on the river to hide incomplete details people won’t see on their first sighting because people will notice eventually. You may hide incomplete details outside of the stage but I highly recommend keeping the outside as clean as possible.
Vibrance: Using vibrant colors can help your stage look lively. Bright colors catch the eye and invoke the feeling of energy. While using vibrant colors, make sure you don’t accidentally give emphasis to models that do not need it or it might end up hurting the stage than helping it. Also don’t go overboard. You want the stage to be vibrant but not an eyesore.

Making Your Own Path:

While the existing templates are helpful, maybe you want to make your own path. Well, what if I told you that you could? I do not recommend doing this but if you insist, here are some guides for you

The river must start and stop at the cave entrance. Boats need to be able to come into and get out of the stage
The width of the water should constantly remain about 251.8 studs long. There is some tolerance but if the river is too small, boats will not be able to go through the stage
I highly do not recommend changing the elevation of the water, but If you insist on changing the water elevations, make sure the water level is the same as the water level at the cave entrances and the method used to increase the elevation boats does not involve a ramp

When creating a custom path, I recommend you make it clear which direction the water is flowing since it might not always be obvious.

Other Information

Using Meshes, Unions, Textures, and Decals:

Using Meshes: While using meshes, I highly advise you not to go overboard. Try to limit the total amount of meshes to 50 and the total unique meshes (meshes with different IDs) to 10. If you need to use a mesh and don’t know how to make one, I suggest teaming up with a friend who does know how.
Using Unions: I do not recommend using unions. If things ever go down to that, I suggest using a mesh instead. Like I already said, If you do not know how to make a mesh, I suggest teaming up with a friend.
Using Textures, Decals, Pictures: I do not advise these to ever be used while making stages. Build a Boat’s art style revolves around improvising when the most accurate texture is not available. If possible, try recreating any decals/pictures you want to make out of parts. If you absolutely have to use any of these or are making particles for the stage or textures for a mesh, try to keep the texture at a low resolution, like 512px by 512px or less.

Force-Loaded Stages:

When stages are Force-Loaded, they will always appear in the same spot regardless of refreshes and difficulty. The First Stage and the End Waterfall are examples of force-loaded stages. Most of the time when new stages are added or holiday stages are reintroduced, they are force-loaded so players can easily find them.

Holiday/Event Stages:

These stages appear once a year in their designated holiday update and are put in storage for the rest of the year. These stages are usually force-loaded for the duration of their appearance, so they will always appear in the same spot regardless of how hard they are or how many times the stages are refreshed. When a holiday-themed stage is added, the person who made might not get credited for their work, but they will still receive the contributor rank.

That’s All I Have for You

One last reminder: I’m not an official developer and this information doesn’t guarantee that your stage will be added to Build a Boat.