Resource explaining Roblox to Non-Roblox users
Purpose of this:
Roblox has an inaccurate reputation that it does not deserve. A reputation that continuously misinforms people who are unfamiliar with Roblox about what it really is. This reputation hurts Roblox developers and hurts Roblox’s expansion. Roblox is a complicated platform, and I believe it is one for the future (which I will explain later in this article). I have never bothered to explain Roblox to people before, but it is clearly apparent that Roblox is growing faster than ever before at an exponential rate. Many topics have emerged about talking about being a Roblox developer, large corporations moving into Roblox development, etc. Roblox is unique and complicated to understand when people are constantly faced with inaccurate descriptions, so I will try my best to explain what Roblox really is here. I find my self explaining Roblox to Non-Roblox members more often these days and it’d be much more efficient to just send one resource which has everything I want to say. Feel free to use this as well and share it with others. If you believe any information I write here is inaccurate or should be elaborated on, tell me in the replies and I’ll put it in.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is a platform that combines together a digital storefront of games and a social network. Roblox is a variation of a cloud gaming service. The typical cloud gaming services you have probably heard of are Google Stadia, xCloud, GeForce Now, Shadow, etc. These services are not like Roblox. These services work like this: A powerful PC runs a game you want to play for you and streams a video back to your device. Your device sends input to the PC running your game so it can execute actions like for example making a character walk forward. Roblox is a cloud gaming service that stores games and its data on their servers and sends the game to your device that your device runs itself. (In other words, Roblox still requires your device to run the game while other services will run it for you)
So, what makes Roblox an interesting cloud gaming service compared to the others? Simple. It’s an all in one package. It may not run the game for you, but it handles every aspect of making a game work. The Roblox platform has its own storefront, social platform, and engine all packaged into one platform. The engine is only for the Roblox storefront and no other games from other engines may be uploaded to the Roblox storefront. This may seem like a negative, however, all of these aspects of the platform working together create a better-unified experience. Roblox’s engine (The Reality Engine which worked in Roblox’s IDE, “Roblox Studio”) is made to work with the Roblox platform perfectly. This means Roblox can set up all sorts of amazing things for Roblox developers. This includes a strong connection to the storefront and social platform, free servers for hosting multiplayer games, etc.
All Roblox games do not need to be downloaded. You simply hit play and the server will start sending the Roblox client information needed to load the game. To open Roblox Studio, you simply need to download it which often only takes a few minutes. You just click edit on a certain game you want to work on, and the game is sent to Roblox Studio from the server for you to work on.
TL;DR: Roblox is simply a game store with its own engine. This allows Roblox to heavily integrate their engine to the rest of the platform. This also allows them to easily connect the engine to servers making hassle-free data storage and multiplayer more accessible.
FAQ
Roblox players vs. Roblox Developers
Roblox players vs. Roblox Developers
This often confuses many Non-Roblox users. Roblox doesn’t clearly divide players and developers, so often many get confused about whats the division. There is only one Roblox account, there is no user account or developer account division. A Roblox account can go on the storefront to play games or can go to the development page to make games. Roblox has made it clear that they want everyone to be able to easily access development tools. However, this does not mean every player will actually develop entire games. Roblox simply gives them the opportunity to try and learn. Users who are serious about development may join development communities, sign up for the developer forum (the website you are on right now), and try to make full games or do freelance work for clients. Roblox developers do not work for Roblox (at least most of them). Anyone can sign up and develop games, and if players play them and buy things, the developer makes a profit. (Kind of like, for example, Youtube, individual users make videos and if they are successful, Youtube pays them)
TL;DR: Anyone with a Roblox account can play or develop, that doesn’t mean every player will learn to be a professional developer. Roblox simply gives every user the opportunity to learn. Roblox developers do not work for Roblox (most of them at least), they only get paid if players play their game or if they work for someone who pays them.
What is Robux?
What is Robux?
Robux is simply the Roblox platform’s currency. Players can buy a membership to earn a certain amount of Robux each month. Players may buy Robux using real-life currency. Players may then use their Robux to buy items in games. (Developers can make purchasable items in games for Robux only). When a player buys something with Robux, the developer then gets that Robux. Roblox has a developer exchange program where a certain amount of Robux can be exchanged for real-life currency. This is how Roblox developers make a profit.
Why Roblox is not Scratch or Minecraft
Why Roblox is not Scratch or Minecraft
Minecraft is a game limited to 4x4 blocks used to build worlds. You can set up Minecraft servers, but it’s not like Roblox. Roblox has a game engine with networking and programming capability. You can import mesh’s, characters, images, and more. Soon Roblox will have mesh deformation and PBR textures. Roblox uses a programming language known as Lua. It is not Scratch, you do not code with building blocks and you are not limited to only certain things. Developers here have done things from coding weapons and vehicles to neural networks.
Roblox vs. Core
Roblox vs. Core
I felt I had to include this comparison since Core is comparing themselves to Roblox. Core is not like Roblox at all. Core works like this: You download Core once and the download comes with a huge library of game assets. Core developers are limited only to these assets to build their games. They are missing a huge factor that makes Roblox what it is. UGC (User Generated Content). Roblox revolves around UGC content. Users make games, assets, and items to stylize a player’s Roblox character. Roblox studio not only comes with built-in modeling tools that allow developers to quickly build environments, but it also has features allowing developers to import their own 3D models with textures.
The Roblox Character:
The Roblox Character:
One thing many people know about Roblox is its famous blocky character. Every player has their own character on the platform is mostly for the social platform aspect of Roblox. Most games know that players like customizing their avatar and include support for it in games, which is why so many games allow the Roblox character directly. This is not forced, however. Developer’s can use any character model they want. Many games use the block character and simply override the look players have set up on the website to better match their game. For example, a prison game may override the player’s appearance and dress them up as a prisoner. Personally, the reason I use the Roblox block character instead of importing my own is that:
- It’s easy to animate, it’s easier to hire animators for this character (since its the default character, most animators are familiar with working with it), and it’s easier to find premade animations that work well.
- It’s easier to find graphic artists to make icons, thumbnails, ads, etc. showcasing characters because most professional graphic artists who make these products have their own rig for the Roblox character.
^ Hopefully this gives you an insight on why other developers may use it too, but here I can only speak for my self.
How Roblox compares to other engines
How Roblox compares to other engines
I’ve personally used Roblox Studio, Unity, and Unreal Engine. I am more familiar with Roblox Studio and Unity, but I know a bit of Unreal, hopefully enough to give you good information. Roblox Studio just like other engines is still very versatile. (It’s not as good for 2D games from what’ve seen though). But comparing it to other engines as a 3D game engine, Roblox Studio is very capable and developers can make creations to match their vision. Roblox Studio does have many limitations compared to engines like Unity and Unreal, and I will explain more on why below, but these limitations do not majority impact creativity. From what I’ve seen, developers always seem to find extraordinary ways to express their vision on this platform.
Is Roblox only for kids?
Is Roblox only for kids?
Roblox is generally targeted towards a younger audience. Roblox has strict rules on what content can be included on the platform. (Things like No sex-related topics, mature language, extreme horrific violence, etc. Basically no mature content). However, this does not mean Roblox is incapable of making “mature” games. Developers can make games for older audiences by making their games have more deep and interesting stories that younger audiences may not be interested in. FPS’s and murder games and stuff are still allowed on the platform, so some violence is allowed. The only problem is Roblox has no division between these different types of games. However, the 2020 roadmap does state a content rating system will be added soon, so this may solve this issue.
Roblox being targetted for kids is not anything that makes this platform unprofessional. It simply means if developers are interested in making games for a younger demographic, they can choose Roblox with a higher chance of success.
TL;DR: You can make games more enjoyable for older audiences, but nothing that would hit an M rating. Roblox is targetted towards younger audiences, and that is, as far as I know, the largest demographic.
Why does Roblox have the reputation you heard?
Why does Roblox have the reputation you heard?
- As I mentioned earlier, anyone can develop on Roblox. Sometimes this means there is more amateurish work than professional work. This however does not showcase the capability of the platform.
- Some developers are more interested in profit than making a quality game.
- Roblox is as far as I know the only platform testing cloud gaming technology like this, so it must’ve taken them a while to get better visual quality games while maintaining good performance. However, now a lot of games that do not look as high quality spread around the internet, but this no longer represents Roblox’s capabilities.
Why does Roblox not have as many features as other engines?
As I mentioned earlier. Roblox is developing this technology and advancing as they go. As they are able too, they release more features. Roblox has also shown that they are interested in maintaining good performance, so games can run on lower-end devices.
We answered that question with our cloud platform. When we made ROBLOX six years ago, cloud gaming had yet to take off. Now, it represents the powerful simplification of the multiplayer gaming experience. And, as evidenced by our growing platform, as well as other major industry announcements, like Gaikai on PS4, it could represent the future of gaming as we know it.
– Quote from Roblox Blog
It’ll be interesting to see where this goes in our ever-shifting industry. We’re all about making complex things simple on the user end–we want anyone to be able to start a game, at any time, with the press of that “Play” button. ROBLOX is a unique service in that it’s totally free to upload your creation to our storage cloud where millions of people can play it, any time, day or night.
– Quote from Roblox Blog
As you can see, they are simply experimenting and developing a new type of technology to create a new kind of gaming experience.
Is Roblox only for multiplayer games?
Is Roblox only for multiplayer games?
Roblox is focused on being a multiplayer platform, and it certainly has tools that make it easier for developers to develop multiplayer games. While I’ve not seen many try it before, developers can make single-player games. From fellow developer friends, I’ve heard the main reason people don’t want to make a single-player game is because as an indie developer, we are already limited on resources. We want to make a game we can keep updating and profiting off.
Do only kids develop on this platform?
No many adults develop on this platform. Yes, there are a lot of teenage developers, however, if you spend time on the platform, you’d really be surprised how talented the child and teen developers are. Many of them are incredible programmers, amazing artists who know the environment and 3D design, many here are familiar and great with things such as project management, team professionalism, etc. Developers here are very mature and are great to work with!
^ Informative page
CONCLUSION
Basically, Roblox isn’t always the blocky children’s platform as you have heard. Many games maybe, but the developers are professional, dedicated creators. If you can, please do not spread false rumors of the platform. Many developers depend on this platform for income as this is their job.
Here is a showcase of images that I believe better represent Roblox games and their capability now:
I do not take credit for these images or the games showcased unless I specifically say so.
And if you are wondering why many of these look so good compared to what you see in popular games its usually because these take a long time to create, and indie developers making an entire game may not have the time or resources to make entire maps like these.
Summary
• Nevada Outpost 5 {SHOWCASE} - Roblox
[BUS TERMINAL] Detroit RP - Roblox
Scandinavian - Roblox
This list could go on for a long time. I hope this resource is helpful and informative to both developers and maybe future developers. If there is once again anything you think would make this any more accurate, tell me in the replies 
