Playing a game

The lobby, turn order, scoring, bumpers and the replay.

Joining

A player walks up to the lane and uses the rack prompt. The first one to join starts a countdown:

Lane = {
    LobbyCountdownSeconds = 10,
    MinPlayers = 1,
    MaxPlayers = 4,
},

The game starts when the countdown ends, or immediately when the lane fills to MaxPlayers. MinPlayers = 1 means a lone player can bowl.

A player arriving at a lane with a game already running is told so and not queued. Lanes are first come, first served.

Turns

Players bowl in join order, one frame each, ten frames.

TurnSeconds = 30,

A player who does not throw within TurnSeconds has a gutter ball thrown for them and the turn moves on. That is the right behaviour: the alternative is one AFK player holding four others hostage for the rest of a game.

Scoring

Standard ten-pin.

Frame	Result	Scores
A strike	Ten pins with the first ball	10 plus the next two deliveries
A spare	Ten pins across two balls	10 plus the next delivery
Open	Fewer than ten	The pins knocked down

The tenth frame gives an extra delivery on a strike or a spare, so a perfect game is twelve strikes and 300 points.

The scoring module is pure logic with no Roblox API and ships with a spec, so it is correct by test rather than by inspection. It is also the place to look if you want a non-standard variant.

Game = { Frames = 10, PinCount = 10 },

Both are configurable, and both should be left alone unless you deliberately want a non-standard game. A five-frame game works; the scoring still applies bonuses across frame boundaries as it should.

Counting pins

The system waits for everything to stop moving and then measures which pins are still standing:

SettleSeconds = 2.5,
PinUprightDot = 0.85,
PinMoveThreshold = 1.5,

Field	Default	Meaning
`SettleSeconds`	`2.5`	How long to wait after the ball reaches the pins
`PinUprightDot`	`0.85`	How upright a pin must still be to count as standing
`PinMoveThreshold`	`1.5`	How far it may have moved and still count

A pin that is leaning past the dot threshold, or has slid more than the move threshold, is counted as down.

If counts look wrong, SettleSeconds is the first thing to check: too short and a pin that was about to topple is counted as standing.

Bumpers

Bumper = { DefaultOn = false },

Gutter guards. Off by default and toggled in the lobby before a game starts, which is the right shape: it is a choice the group makes, not a server-wide policy.

Set DefaultOn = true for a game aimed at younger players.

Bumpers need a Lane_<i>_Bumpers object in the lane model. Without one the toggle does nothing.

The replay

Replay = { Enabled = true, MaxSeconds = 5, HoldSeconds = 7 },

A slow-motion replay of each shot, with its own camera anchor and its own music track.

Field	Default	Meaning
`Enabled`	`true`	Play replays at all
`MaxSeconds`	`5`	Longest a replay runs
`HoldSeconds`	`7`	How long the game waits before the next turn

HoldSeconds must be larger than MaxSeconds

The hold is what gives the replay room to finish. Set it below MaxSeconds and the next turn begins while the replay is still playing, cutting it off.

The shipped gap of two seconds is a reasonable margin.

Turning replays off shortens every turn by roughly HoldSeconds, which is worth doing on a busy alley where lanes queue.

Ending

When the last player finishes their tenth frame, the scoreboard holds:

ResultsDisplaySeconds = 6,

Then the lane empties and is free for the next group. 0 clears instantly.

The winner is whoever scored highest. Rewards are paid, and stats are recorded. See Stats and leaderboards.

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