SMASH CANNON
Description: Recreate the original Smash Tower from Counter Strike: Source in S&box.
Focus: Learn the fundamentals of the S&box editor, and recreate and publish a fan favourite.
Engine & Tools: S&box, Source 2, Valve Hammer Editor
Game Page Link: https://sbox.game/cba/smashcannons
Game Jam Link: https://sbox.game/c/gamejam2
Github Repo: https://github.com/Reece-Carruthers/smashcannons
OVERVIEW
Beginning as a way for me to learn how to use the Source Engine Hammer Editor in the new S&Box Game Engine, it eventually turned into a collaborative effort with myself and Reece Carruthers after Facepunch announced their second Game Jam.
Beginning on the 27th of July, 2024, and lasting a month, til the 27th of August.
First I developed a baseline for the map and we worked our way up from there with a basic outline on what we need to achieve. Creating the map allowed me to utilise my knowledge in Source 2's Hammer editor and 3D modelling experience, but I also had to learn other tools as part of the S&box editor suite which were alien to me, such as Model Doc. Model Doc was required for complex collision shapes like my tunnel, which was hollow, and required the ability for a player to be able to run through it. While you can make a hollow model in the Hammer editor, its collision shapes come in the form of a box around model. This is where Model Doc comes in, a powerful tool for manipulating many properties of imported models to be used in S&box games. In Model Doc, I could create a PhysicsShapeList and add each individual face as a PhysicsHullFile, which is demonstrated in the images below. Documentation for handling this process on the S&box Wiki here.
The result was the ability for the player to fully interact with the tunnels, walk through them, and even jump through the windows, as well as to the other platforms to make them feel more satisfying when stepping over them.
Some of my responsibilities:
- Creating the map
- Creating the models (platforms, pillars, ramp, etc.)
- Importing and painting textures
- Setting up physics
- Setting up the scenes
- Main menu with lobby list and creation
- C# Programming (game states, player controller related components, etc.)
- UI (SCSS & Razor to combine HTML and c#)
- Branding and stylizing Game for game page and jam presentation (Photoshop & Illustrator for graphic design, and Premiere Pro for video production.)
The result is a faithful, but different, recreation of a fan favorite, which is incredibly fun to play with friends. A month after its release it has seen 464 global players, 1,280 global sessions, and a global time played of 100+ hours!
Post Jam 1.1 Update
The first and likely only update to Smash Cannon after the Game Jam has concluded. The update was for things that I ran out of time for in the Jam, such as fixing certain bugs, stylzing the map, and a rework of the layout of the platforms.
- Total Texture Overhaul (Credits for textures: JulioVII Plastic Collection)
- HUD changes (Team specific colours for announcements, etc)
- General Scene changes and bug fixes
- Platform Rework
S&Box News Announcement: https://sbox.game/cba/smashcannons/news/11-post-jam-update-7906615e
Part of the 1.1 post Jam update was a rework to the center platforms of the map. This came about because during our initial testing where we played 30+ games with a group of 5+ people, we noticed an imbalance where the Cannoniers could very easily destroy all the middle platforms in one blow by toppling one of the closer ones and creating a domino effect. This would result in the Runners in almost every single scenario surviving the rounds out on the edges.
We concluded that this was a result of how close 4 of the tunnel platforms were to eachother, and how easy it was to topple them already individually.
To fix the problem, I developed a new variation of platform and replaced the two tunnels closest to the Cannoniers with them. Ultimately, these platforms are more spaced out and harder to knock down, reducing the domino effect that was present previously.
The result in this balance change is hopefully a more enjoyable and varied round experience for the player.
